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Posted: Friday, February 24, 2012 5:00 pm | Updated: 5:20 pm, Fri Feb 24, 2012.

Conwell-Egan and three other Catholic high schools slated for closure by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia are staying open.

Church officials said Friday that people have come forward with donations large and small to keep the endangered high schools open for several years. Conwell-Egan raised $3 million.

Tori Wilcox, a 16-year-old Conwell-Egan junior, was ecstatic knowing she'll get to finish her high school career at the school she calls home.

"I couldn't be happier," she said as students cheered behind her. "I get to do everything I wanted to do in my school as a senior next year. This is my family. I'm here more than I'm at home and I couldn't imagine graduating with anybody else but these kids.

"Nothing felt as at home as when I was here. Now that I know I get to stay here, it's the greatest feeling in the world."

School President Janet Dollard said the students are the greatest in the area and with their help and that of alumni and donors, they'll be able to move forward.

"They're the best students around and they're worth fighting for," she said while the teens chanted her name. "We're a staple in Lower Bucks and we're going to stay that way."

In addition to Conwell-Egan, Saint Hubert Catholic High School for Girls; Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School; and West Philadelphia Catholic High School will stay open.

Last month, church officials recommended the closures of the four high schools and 45 elementary schools in response to rising costs and declining enrollment. But last week archdiocesan officials granted appeals to 18 of the elementary schools on the closure list.

Students and staff at Conwell-Egan in Fairless Hills gathered to watch the archdiocese press conference in which they will learned the news officially.

School students were released at 2:06 p.m. but those who wanted to stay to watch the press conference with employees were being allowed to do so.

Various media were at the school to report the decision to keep the school open and reaction from parents, students and staff at the high school.

A blue ribbon commission of the Philadelphia Archdiocese had recommended closure.  However, since then, the school has raised at least $3 million to cover any deficits over the next five years.  As a result, the archdiocese has been reconsidering its decision.

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Conwell-Egan students, employees await word on closing

When South African hip-hop duo Die Antwoord played "Fok Juule Naaiers," the first single off latest album Ten$ion -- the track that opened the group's Noise Pop gig last night at the Regency Ballroom -- for its LA manager, they were told it had some problems. The problem's name was homophobia, their manager ventured. US audiences, he said, don't take kindly to the F-word (I wish that were consistently true).

In response, Die Antwoord released this video. It is entitled "F-word," the version of that term that lacks my lavish commitment to political correctness

Ninja, a.k.a. Watkin Tudor Jones, says the usage is all good because he has good homo friends, and that one of them is Hi-Tek, the group's DJ, who opened up last night's show with his charming "Fok Juule Naaiers" verse. Assorted lyrics below:

DJ Hi-Tek will fuck you in the ass, punk ass white boy

Look at you scared/Scared of a real man

Fuck it 'til you love me, [F-word]

So, was this song Hi-Tek's coming out party? What a bummer party.

Of course, the crowd (sold out to the gills -- I had press credentials and still had to beg, borrow, and perform mild thievery to get in) ate it all up. Die Antwood's stage show is less weird than its videos, because matching them would entail wearing coats made of live rats, which would be hard to get through customs.

Emcee Yolandi Vi$$er without her album cover blood-soaked visage is massively sexy on stage (the whole group looks like they hit the gym hard together). By the end of the show, she had stripped down to running shoes, spandex shorts, and a midriff-bearing pink tee with "zef" printed inside a heart. She always looks like her clothes are about to fall off. Next to Ninja in his orange running shoes and signature Dark Side of the Moon underwear (infamous jiggling penis beneath), they looked like they were hosting a really agressive workout video. Ninja crowdsurfed, constantly. Let no one say that Die Antwoord doesn't work it out on stage.

Yolandi Vi$$er at the Regency last night.

And, Ninja. Guardian photos by Caitlin Donohue

And it is a good show. Yolandi hype-chirps after Ninja's every line. She spins around five times and picks up her verse right on cue, and the two reverse roles with Ninja cooing after her lines end. New single "I Think You're Freaky" was a huge hit, particularly, one imagines, with the guy in a rubber pig mask sweating balls in the front row, a couple in the middle of the crowd wearing the hooded plushie onesies that Die Antwoord rocked -- weirdly, always weirdly -- in its "Umshini Wam" video. The front lighting blacks out after songs, silhouetting Ninja and Yolandi's distinctive haircuts. They are unapologetic in their stage presence, crowd love.

Earlier that day, afraid of not getting on the list for the show, I lurked outside Upper Playground's Fifty24SF gallery, where Ninja had spent the day painting the walls with the black chicken scratches and Evil Boy engorged penis characters that now adorn Die Antwoord merch, stage sets, and his own body. At 4 p.m., there was a line of Die Antwoord fans lined up to greet Yolandi and Ninja. You could cut the line if you bought a $200 Evil Boy latex toy.

Few people did. First-in-liner Stephanie Farrell, who came straight from school for the signing didn't. But she got what she wanted out of her wait: a really awkward experience with her idols. 

"What was your interaction with them like?" I asked her while looking at the Die Antwoord's signatures, written in her wire-bound, lined notebook. 

"They didn't say anything, it was really awkward. I was like 'hey,' and they were like 'hey.'"

"But are you still a fan?"

"Absolutely. I didn't expect it to be a normal experience whatsoever."

In the "[F-word]" video, Ninja says that people from the United States who are upset by the way they use that and other (N-word) offensive bullshit should quit being a little less PC and learn from "your brothers and sisters here in the dark depths of Africa," where a local saying is translated into "we are one." He then grabs his Evil Boy dolls, a black one and a white one, and knocks their monster toy dicks together while repeating the "we are one" phrase in a high-pitched voice. "That's why they say South Africa is a rainbow nation."

Weird. 

Photos of Die Antwoord's Ninja painting the inside of the Fifty24SF gallery are by John Orvis

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Die Antwoord's athletic use of the F-word

WATERLOO --- It turns out Rick Kimbley's next-to-last day as acting postmaster in Waterloo was a productive one.

After Friday, Kimbley will return to the Des Moines after three months in Waterloo, and he leaves behind a processing center that will remain open and active.

On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley announced that mail processing facilities in Waterloo and Cedar Rapids are no longer being considered for closure by the U.S. Postal Service.

The move preserves 150 positions at the Waterloo post office. Had a closure been ordered, those workers probably would have had to be placed elsewhere, perhaps out of town.

"It's a great day for the workers," said Kimbley, who Monday will give way as acting postmaster to Ron Ralph from the Cedar Rapids Post Office.

Kimbley was asked how long the local postal processing operation would remain open.

"The only information we have is it’s not being considered for consolidation at this time," he said.

The Waterloo center processes 300,000 to 500,000 pieces of mail daily, "depending on the day,” said Kimberly Karol, a 19 1/2-year employee who in January became local president of the American Postal Workers Union.

"We’re very pleased that it’s going to continue to process mail here," she said. "That’s really good news for the community and people that work here,” Karol said. "It’s also good for the communities we service, because we do processing for a large part of northeastern Iowa."

Karol, who became the top union representative in January after 15 years as vice president, also noted her colleagues have not gotten any indication how long the center will stay open.

"The postal service continues to have financial challenges, and they’re going to look at ways to meet those challenges," she said. "We still have some things to get resolved."

Braley made the announcement today “after multiple conversations with the United States Postal Service” according to a press release from his office.

"Braley has been fighting to save these facilities for months," the release continued.

"Rain, snow and sleet don’t stop our postal workers, and I’m proud to say that Washington bureaucrats won’t, either," Braley said. "I’m glad to see that the U.S. Postal Service has finally gotten the message that now is the wrong time to lay off hundreds of workers. We still have a lot of work to do to save more post offices around the state, but this is good news today for Iowa workers."

The USPS confirmed with Braley's office earlier this morning that the mail processing facilities in Waterloo and Cedar Rapids will remain open. Braley is a member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which has legislative authority over the USPS.

In September 2011, Rep. Braley sent a letter to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe urging him not to close these facilities.

Evansdale

Evansdale residents also received good news recently, as far as postal service goes. A ruling by the Postal Regulatory Commission resuscitated hope the city’s post office could re-open.

The U.S. Postal Service and a related agency recently delivered some good new to the metro area.

The commission on Jan. 18 remanded the U.S. Postal Service’s decision to close the Evansdale Post Office for further consideration. A postal service spokesman says the agency is reviewing the decision.

Mayor Chad Deutsch, who appealed the closing along with resident Craig Chilton, is optimistic the office in the Evans Crossing strip mall will open again soon.

"I’m just ecstatic about the decision," Deutsch said. "It evidently confirms our arguments that it’s a busy post office and it wasn’t going to save money by closing it. I have faith the postal service will look at the facts and open it back up."

Whether that will happen is undetermined. The commission’s ruling only requires the postal service re-evaluate its decision to shutter the facility last October.

"(The Postal Service) is taking it under advisement. ... I’m waiting to see where we go from here," said Richard Watkins, USPS spokesman for much of Iowa.

Kimbley, said agency officials haven’t talked to him about the future of the Evansdale Post Office, which is a branch of the Waterloo Post Office.

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UPDATE: Postal workers relieved by word that mail processing operations staying open

The entire Netherlands is on a knife's edge this week, holding its breath to see whether a near-mythical ultra ice skating race on frozen canals will become a reality for the first time in 15 years.

Called the Elfstedentocht (Eleven Cities Race), more than 16,000 skaters are expected to brave the canals of northern Friesland province as soon as its organising committee gives the green light that ice conditions are safe.

'The Elfstedentocht is an icon of Dutch skating culture,' said Dutch ice-skating historian Marnix Koolhaas, who has written several books on the subject.

'The race has become a religion,' he told AFP this week.

But the 'Race of Races' is dependent on climatic conditions and to add to its mystique, has been run only 15 times since it began in 1909.

The Society for the Frisian Elf Steden (Eleven Cities), which organises the race told eager journalists at a press conference, broadcast live on national television on Monday -- its first since 1997 -- that conditions 'looked good'.

But chairman Wiebe Wieling added : 'At this point we cannot set a date. It all depends on the weather'.

'Although we have excellent quality ice in northern Friesland, there is a problem area in the south -- the ice is simply too thin,' Wieling said in the northern city of Leeuwarden, the race's start and finishing point.

To stage it, the ice needs to be at least 15cm thick along the entire route to guarantee skaters' safety.

Since Monday an army of Frisian volunteers have been hard at work. Armed with shovels and brooms they have been clearing snow, which hinders ice formation, from the canals on the 200km route.

'This race is so popular that if you ask the Frisians to help, they'll be there,' Wieling told AFP.

'It takes about 10,000 volunteers on race day -- and there are never any problems to find them.'

Elfstedentocht-fever has gripped the country, with several professional Dutch speed skaters already saying they would give the Allround world championships in Moscow a miss if the Elfstedentocht was held on the same dates, 18 or 19 February.

Dutch extreme right Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders has called on Dutch Premier Mark Rutte to declare race day a public holiday 'so everybody could enjoy it'.

In Friesland, hotels are sold out, despite the fact the race may not even take place, Wieling said.

If it does, organisers will give 48-hours notice that it's on.

Skaters leave the start at 5.15am (1515 AEDT) on race day and must return before midnight to receive the coveted Elfstedentocht cross.

The record is held by skate legend Evert van Benthem, who won in 1985 with a time of 6 hours, 47 minutes and retained the title the following year.

Tales of hardship, frozen limbs and frostbite strengthen the race's romance.

'The hell of 1963', a movie released in 2009, tells the story of the toughest race so far, when only 69 of almost 10,000 racers finished in brutal conditions.

In the the Skating Museum in the Frisian town of Hindeloopen, an amputated toe from one of the contestants who got frostbite in 1963 still bears testimony to its extreme nature.

'The tradition began in the 16th century when metal ice skates started to develop,' said skate historian Koolhaas.

'Since this is a water-rich area, skating became an efficient way of transport in winter to quickly link Friesland's cities.

A century later, after the Reformation, which deprived Dutch Protestants of carnival, the ice quickly became 'the place were anything was permitted'.

'On the ice, everybody was equal,' Koolhaas added.

In 1986, crown prince Willem-Alexander, then 18, skated the race.

Exhausted, he collapsed into the arms of his mother Queen Beatrix at the finish line.

See the article here:
Dutch on edge for word on ice race

Bill Press has a new book out called "The Obama Hate Machine." To read the blurbs, you might wonder if Press thinks no one should be allowed to criticize the president. Here's Nancy Pelosi touting the book: "In a poisoned political climate, negative personal attacks on President Obama must have no place in our public discourse."

What's next? A mandate forbidding inappropriate free speech? These tolerant liberals are out of control.

Press appeared on C-SPAN's "Washington Journal" on Feb. 12 to plug his book, and he did say "there's legitimate criticism of any president, which I think is very healthy, and I welcome it, and I've been a part of it. Right?" But then he went off the rails.

"I don't know that anybody ever said that Ronald Reagan was a terrorist, or George W. Bush was a terrorist. Right? This isn't a slight difference. It's a huge difference, the level of attacks we've seen against President Obama."

It's proof positive that Bill Press knows very little. Just like in his last embarrassing book, "Toxic Talk," Press claims all the ugly rhetoric comes from conservatives. But this is — I'll be blunt — dishonest, and you don't even have to look back in history to prove Press wrong. The Daily Kos had an entry headlined "Ronald Reagan, Terrorist!" on Reagan's 100th birthday last year. Cindy Sheehan called George W. Bush a terrorist routinely. The term is used against conservatives of every stripe.

But let's turn the spotlight back around to Bill Press. How has he performed on the "hate machine" scale? Let's explore the record. Oh, yes, Press has a record, too.

1. On Jan. 13 — 18 days before his anti-hate book was first issued — Press called Newt Gingrich a terrorist on MSNBC's Al Sharpton program, "Politics Nation": "He's the suicide bomber of the Republican Party. ... He's in it to take down as many people as he can as he goes down, and he has that same silly grin on his face when he pulls the plug as a suicide bomber."

2. On his radio show on Aug. 6, 2011, in a funding dispute over the Federal Aviation Administration, Bill Press attacked the Republicans: "These guys are terrorists! I'm sorry; I'm sorry; you know, you know Joe Biden; they say he's getting in a little trouble 'cause he called them terrorists. That's exactly what they are!"

3. On June 16, 2010, Press complained that Glenn Beck was granted permission to have a rally at the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. "If you ask me, that's like granting al-Qaida permission to hold a rally on Sept. 11 — at ground zero."

4. How about death wishes? On his radio show on July 22, 2011, Press played a clip of Speaker John Boehner suggesting Obama "needs to step up and work with us on the spending cuts." He then replied: "You know, it's a wonder lightning just doesn't strike people dead on the spot when they say stuff like that."

5. Nazis? In an Aug. 6, 2009 column, Press slashed at Tea Partiers opposing Obamacare at town hall meetings: "Taking a page right out of a Nazi playbook, organizers bus in professional protestors and arm them with instructions on how to take over meetings, shut down discussion, shout over any pro-health care reform speakers and then post video of the resulting chaos on YouTube. It's mob rule, pure and simple."

6. On Oct. 10, 2008, Todd Palin's reported support for a secessionist party in Alaska drew this radio blast from Press: "What's the difference between a secessionist and a terrorist? Isn't a secessionist just another form of a terrorist? Ask Abraham Lincoln. ... Let's find out what the 'First Dude' was going to do in order to secede from the Union. I tell you it wasn't going to be peaceful."

7. And then there's the good old-fashioned insult. On July 25, 2006, Press declared who was the dumbest president ever: "George W. Bush, with his rock bottom IQ of 91: seven points lower than his Daddy. ... He's just plain dumb — the dumbest president in the last 50 years. And probably, the dumbest president ever!"

Press's alleged IQ information by the "Lovenstein Institute of Scranton, Pa." was a hoax, entirely made up, which underlined just who shouldn't be calling other people dummies.

8. But Bill Press really thinks American voters are also morons. On his radio show on Nov. 4, 2010, Press proclaimed: "Just once ... I would like to hear somebody say, 'The voters have spoken, the bastards.' Or, 'The voters have spoken. What a bunch of idiots.' 'The voters have spoken. God, they're dumb. Dumb as hell.'"

Most Americans won't be dumb enough to buy Bill Press's book or believe a word he says against other people building their "hate machines."

L. Brent Bozell III is the president of the Media Research Center. To find out more about Brent Bozell III, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at http://www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2012 CREATORS.COM

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The Bill Press Hate Machine