Did anyone check that news story on our own Frank Baldino Jr., a Board of Trustees member who founded Cephalon Inc., a biotechnology and pharmaceuticals company, as reported by The Temple News?

The dude is getting sued by the Federal Trade Commission for what it calls “anti-competitive conduct.” Allegedly, Cephalon made an agreement with other companies to delay generic (*cheaper) production of the company’s Provigil, a sleep disorder drug.

Sounds a little peculiar, something that might originate behind closed doors in South Philly. Check this editorial cartoon video by TTN staffers.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-QGRKu_-xU 350 292]

After the Virginia Tech massacre, universities across the country, including Temple, saw the need for improved security. Last November, a trespasser allegedly assaulted a female student in Anderson hall. Building security became more strict. I visited Anderson four days later, and foot traffic had slowed as the security personnel inspected everybody’s ID. This was true in other buildings, as well.

I spend most of my graduate student life in Wachman Hall. At first, security was not exactly stellar. The jolly security guard on the ground floor rarely checked entrants. Last summer, he was finally replaced by more diligent personnel who became more strict after the assault. Would this tightening be permanent, or was it just for show? I was not optimistic; after the Anderson assault, I had observed a sign posted on the back door of 1810 Liacouras Walk (still there today) reminding entrants to check in with security. As a test, I entered that door on a couple of occasions and managed to get upstairs without anybody noticing.

Continue reading →

Some people seem to go out of their way to be offended. In recent letters to the editor, a number of readers express offense over a photograph from a rally supporting the Palestinian people. The reason: a lady in the scene holding a sign stating that “Zionism is racism.” A blurb below the picture explains setting and context of the photograph.

Let us be clear; this picture is a representation of something that did actually happen. A discussion about the nature of Zionism is beside the point. This lady held that sign on that day. Yet, judging by the reactions, one would think that Temple News had published a story titled This Just in: Jews Are Terrible! I read comments implying that Temple News is anti-Israel and careless for not allowing the Zionist folks to respond in defense. However, these readers miss the point. That picture does not represent a written opinion submitted to the paper. It is simply a picture of an event.

This whole micro-brouhaha reminds me of a story from my childhood. The best school near our neighborhood was Episcopalian. There were two Jewish families in our neighborhood; my family and our next door neighbors. At school, everyone had to go to chapel on Friday, but nobody was compelled to actually worship in any way. One day my father was chatting with the other Jewish father. The other father complained about talk of Jesus at the school and that making everybody go to chapel was anti-semitic. My father reminded the man that they had both chosen to send their kids to an Episcopalian school, and that he could always send his kids to the Jewish day school or to public school.

My point in telling this story is that our neighbor was actively seeking out imaginary slights against his Jewish identity, and that led him to make a ridiculous assertion. Stating that Temple News’ photographic documentation of this event is somehow an endorsement of an anti-Israel position is absurd. Furthermore, expending energy in a search for imaginary discrimination of any group distracts from recognizing those individuals who actually pose some real threat. The people who mean to do harm rarely advertise that fact or twiddle their villainous mustaches in public. Case in point: would anyone have expected to read allegations that Temple students committed an anti-semitic hate crime last week?

It was tough, moving here from Texas. I made a clean break from my Texan roots. I do not walk around wearing spurs, boots, or large cowboy hats because I felt I should blend in with the local populace. I hung up my buttless chaps because I did not think people here would understand. I also decided that I would have to part with my horse. So, I shot Mr. Sparkle and

Continue reading →

I am not from Pennsylvania; I am from Texas. So I can only write about this as a transplant citizen. I would like to recount an experience I had in South Philly recently. As the reader likely recalls, Geno’s Steaks generated controversy in 2006 with the sign stating to customers that “This Is America: When Ordering Please ‘Speak English’.”

I live just north of Geno’s; and, to me, the sign seemed to be a response to the burgeoning Hispanic presence in the area. In 2006, the Philadelphia Daily News quoted Joe Vento, proprietor, as stating “This was a predominantly Italian neighborhood, and for some reason it’s turning Mexican…They’re not speaking the language. It’s a big problem, and it’s getting worse.” This was in reference to a complaint about the sign from Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations. That is as much as I know about the controversy.

Last week, my friend Jose and his wife came town for a visit. They were excited to try some cheesesteaks from Pat’s and Geno’s. We initially ate at Pat’s. Jose and his wife ordered incorrectly, and the server made fun of them unmercifully but in good humor. Later, we went to Geno’s for comparison. Jose received cold, unfriendly stares. He ordered the sandwich incorrectly again, and the server snapped at him, telling him to order it “whiz wit!” The situation was a bit tense. I was surprised at the unexplained hostility, especially considering the cheerful demeanor of the Pat’s server. To top it off, the Geno’s cheesesteak was dry and flavorless. Pat’s had won that round in both quality and lack of hostility.

This situation was ambiguous and odd. My native Philadelphian friend, McMillain, reminded me that South Philly is known for that type if brash attitude, which might be mistaken for hostility. However, when comparing our experiences at Pat’s versus Geno’s, I felt this story was worth recounting. It seems to me that Geno’s does itself no favors by treating patrons with hostility and serving sub par cheesesteaks. I have ordered from Geno’s previously and never encountered that type of attitude.

Vento, like others before him, argues his position is simply a push for assimilation. That is fine and I understand that position; but why, then, do we repeatedly see these same people adopt a hostile posture towards the children of assimilated citizens who speak fluent English?

Apparently, a cop with the Philadelphia Police Department wanted his own little reminder of how he felt about half of the people living in Philadelphia. Scott Schweizer, who served on the narcotics team, is under investigation by the PD’s Internal Affairs after a white supremacist poster was found in his locker. The poster apparently showed a half cop, half Klansman figure with the caption “Blue by Day, White by Night.”

This should be an interesting test of new commish Charles Ramsey, and how he handles embarassing incidents. Ramsey could show that he takes community relations seriously by sacking Schweizer, if the investigation shows that he did indeed put up the poster, which tests show that he did. Community relations are probably the most important issue facing Philadelphia cops today, and this just might be the chance the Philly PD could use.

Congress is becoming concerned about spending…Ivy League spending, anyway. The Senate Finance Committee is asking the wealthiest schools in the country to reveal details about their endowments and financial aid. (Full story can be found here). After holding hearings on endowments in September, the committee wants to make sure that universities are spending enough money on aid.

A reasonable question, given that 76 U.S. universities have over a billion dollars growing moldy in endowments. A fascinating viewpoint against government involvement in university tuition makes the argument that price control will lead to stagnation and eventually irrevelance.

Whether or not price controls and regulation will damage U.S. prestige is hard to tell now, it certainly is true that very few students are paying the sticker price of college. Of the 21,000 full-time degree-seeking undergraduates at Temple, 14,000 were determined to have financial need, according to the Common Data Set, found here. Of that 14,000, all but about 900 were given aid. The average aid package was $13,000.

Hopefully college students won’t have to make the choice between paying massive tuition bills, and becoming obsolete. Then again, maybe the second option has already chosen itself.

You’ve heard it before. For one of the largest universities in the country, less than a decade removed from an Elite Eight-caliber men’s basketball program, Temple doesn’t always have the most attended sporting events.

Al Golden and our football team are nearing relevance. Frannie Dunphy and the men’s basketball team are hot, having beaten No. 20 ranked Xavier not too long ago, but still can’t sell out the Liacouras Center to smack down on Big 5 rival Penn, as the Owls did on Wednesday.

Well, seems someone is trying to do something about it. Board of Trustees member Lewis Katz has put up some big cash to solve the problem.

If you have some suggestions for how to bring more fans to Temple athletic events, Katz is willing to give you $5,000… all for just 500 words. Check it out here, scroll down to find the Enthusiasm Competition. Just make sure to throw some money my way if you win.