Philly Swim Club Invites Disinvited Kids Back Following International Outrage

The Valley Swim club — the "private, exclusive" swim club that turned away 65 inner-city day care children — is reaching out to the Creative Steps Day Care Center and inviting them back to use their facilities.

According to a story on CNN.com, the "private, exclusive" Valley Club came to the decision during a "hastily called Sunday afternoon meeting." The club voted "overwhelmingly" to make the peace offering.

The club originally said they canceled the contract with the day care center, thus dashing the hopes of 65 children who just wanted to swim, because they couldn't handle all the extra kids, despite accepting their check for $1,950. And the checks of two other day care centers.

Needless to say, Creative Steps is a little leery about the invitation, since they maintain that some of the members of the "private, exclusive" club made racist comments to the black and Hispanic children.

"As long as we can work out safety issues, we'd like to have them back," Bernice Duesler, wife of club director John Duesler, told CNN.

Duesler told CNN the club had been subpoenaed by Pennsylvania's Human Rights Commission as part of a fact-finding investigation (translation: "we're climbing SOOOOO far up your backside"), so they were given legal advice to "try to get together with these camps."

Alethea Wright, Creative Steps' director, told CNN, "They should have done that before."

No, they should never have backed out in the first place. Now they're claiming they're "very diverse" with some sort of "but some of my best friends are black" apology? If you want to see if they're sincere, see if you get a warm and friendly or chilly reception.

"These children are scarred. How can I take those children back there?" said Wright.

Good question. Whether it was the club's official response, or they made up some crap about safety because their snooty members didn't want their precious snowflakes swimming with people who looked different, the damage was done.

Said snooty members of the "private, exclusive" club made some pretty horrible statements, asking why "black children were there" and worrying "they might steal from us."

While John Duesler has told several media outlets that he had underestimated the number of children (translation: "planning and forethought are not my strong suits"), Wright has called bullshit on the director of the "private, exclusive" club. CNN even cited some emails from the club saying they accepted a 10-to-1 ratio of children to adults, and was actually considering adding three lifeguards to assist with safety.

Now, having said all this and making fun of the Valley Club, I think Wright and Creative Steps need to take Valley Club up on their offer. Be the bigger person. Show the children that while there are still bigots and racist A-holes in the world, they can be better than them. Show that they don't need to run away whenever someone says something bad about them.

As the father of two black children, I have taught my children to be proud of who they are, and to not take crap from anyone. I have also had a few strong words with people who thought they could use certain other words around me. Racism is something I won't put up with, and I don't expect my kids to run from it as they grow up.

And better yet, Ms. Wright, use this as a learning opportunity. Not just for your kids, but for the people of the Valley Club. Show them they're wrong about their stereotypes and beliefs that the kids are going to cause trouble.

And Valley Club, take them up on that opportunity. Don't just let the kids swim on certain days. Go above and beyond that. Feed the kids lunch, let them come some extra days, do some extra things for them to show that you're truly sorry.

If you want to truly repair the situation and show your diversity, then put your money where your mouth is. Prove it. Don't just ask them back on the advice of your attorney and public relations adviser, try to truly make an effort to get to know someone outside your "private" walls.



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D.C. Police Chief Denounces iPhone Speed Trap App as "Cowardly"

Washington D.C. police chief Cathy Lanier thinks people who use the PhantomAlert iPhone app are cowards who are trying to circumvent the law.

According to a story in the Washington Examiner, several Washington area drivers are using PhantomAlert to find speed traps and speed cameras in the metro D.C. area, and slow down to an appropriate speed, or avoid the area entirely.

Chief Lanier told the Examiner, "I think that's the whole point of this program. It's designed to circumvent law enforcement — law enforcement that is designed specifically to save lives."

She called the iPhone app a "cowardly tactic," and promised D.C. drivers "people who overly rely on those and break the law anyway are going to get caught."

So, let me make sure I have this right:

1. This is about driver safety, not generating revenue.


2. People who are aware of speed traps will slow down to avoid them.


3. Slowing down in your vehicle will save lives.


4. But people who slow down to avoid speed traps are still cowards.


5. And we're still expected to believe it's not about revenue.

Photo: William Hook
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Phone It In Sunday: Who Reads British Newspapers, According to "Yes, Prime Minister"

Even if you're not familiar with the British newspapers, this is still a pretty funny clip. Still, it's helpful to know that The Sun is famous for its Page Three Girls — women who appear topless on the third page of the paper.




You can get a rundown on what the papers are from anglophile Jon Thomas, from Northwest Indiana and fellow VisitIndiana.com blogger, in his Anglotopia blog, "Which British Paper Are You? A Guide to British Newspapers."

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Philly Swim Club Doesn't Want You to Think They're All Racists

The president of the Valley Club swim club doesn't want us to think they're all racists, even though the entire country now thinks so.

Earlier this week, 65 inner city kids from the Creative Steps summer day camp were disinvited from swimming at the Valley Club, despite paying $1,950 for the chance for the kids to swim there.

After the first visit, there were supposedly a lot of mothers who were shocked — SHOCKED! — that black kids would be allowed to swim with their precious little babies. One student even reported hearing a mother ask why there were so many black kids at the pool.

So, because of pressure from the members, the Valley Club refunded the day campers their $1,950.

Then things got all racisty.

Club president John Duesler issued a statement on Tuesday that said, "There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion. . . and the atmosphere of the club."

Not smart.

The next day, protesters marched in front of the club carrying signs that said "'Privately' excluding some stains everyone's complexion" and "Good enough for the White House, but not the swim club." There has even been a probe launched into racist allegations.

Club member Lori Slowinski told Philadelphia's NBC news station, "This has nothing to do with race. I paid my money for a private swim club…if they're gonna have it out to camps, then I want my money back."

("Private" being rich white people's code for "no poor and/or minorities allowed.")

In other words, it has nothing to do with race, it has everything to do with being forced to be around poor people.

On Friday, Duesler apologized profusely to the world, saying he used the wrong words to say why they weren't allowing inner city kids to swim in their pool.

"This is a terrible misinterpretation of what I stand for. This is just wrong," Duesler said in a United Press International story. "That was a terrible choice of words, I admit."

What Duesler said he meant to say was his site does not have enough lifeguards to safely watch over the 65 extra kids.

Muh-huh. So you're not a racist, you're just incompetent?

In other words, he meant to say that he overcommitted his pool, that he failed to plan properly, that he couldn't find any way to fix the problem without becoming a pariah, that he wasn't able to marshal his resources properly, and basically can't properly run a private swimming club for a bunch of snooty rich people without sticking his foot in his mouth.

Here's a quick lesson in PR 101. If you don't have enough lifeguards to watch over 65 extra kids, you say this:

"We don't have enough lifeguards to watch over 65 extra kids."

It doesn't help when the students said they overheard mothers complaining about black kids in "their" pool, or people who say it's not about race, just about being exclusive. (Which is usually rich white people's code for "race.")

But unfortunately, this may be too little, too late for the Valley Club. With discrimination probes, protests, a state complaint by the NAACP, and worldwide notoriety, you need to do something to clean up your image.

Ironically, they call it "whitewashing."


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My Brush With Wildlife

My Brush With Wildlife

Erik Deckers
Laughing Stalk syndicate
Copyright 2009

When I first moved to Syracuse, Indiana 16 years ago, I wasn't quite prepared for the rural life of northern Indiana. I was a city boy. I grew up in the burgeoning metropolis of Muncie, Indiana, home of Ball Jars and Ball State University. I even lived on Ball Avenue, completing the Ball Family's trifecta.

I thought milk and eggs came from the grocery store, that only rednecks and moonshiners lived out in the country, and that there were still places outside of town that lacked indoor plumbing and electricity. The only time I ever visited the country was when we were driving to other cities.

Needless to say, I was out of my element when I first moved to north central Indiana, and started working as the marketing director for a company that sold poultry equipment around the world. For one thing, I quickly learned that eggs didn't just come from the grocery store.

In 2005, I worked about an hour away from home, and was driving back one summer evening when my cell phone rang. It was my wife.

"There's a bobcat in the front yard," she said. "I just pulled into the driveway with the kids, and there's a bobcat just sitting there."

I was excited. I mean, we lived out in rural Indiana, but I always figured we were close enough to town that most of the serious wildlife was further north and east of us.

"What does it look like?" I asked excitedly. I'd seen them in pictures, but never in real life. Especially in small town Indiana. This was really cool.

She paused for a minute. "Well, kind of big. It's kind of a white and black color."

"Huh. I didn't know they were that color." Maybe it was a special breed of bobcat.

"What color did you think they were?" asked my wife.

"I always thought they were grayish. Maybe white in the front, brown in the back."

"Nope, this one is mostly white."

"Wow, I wish I could see it," I said, smacking the steering wheel. I was still about 20 minutes from home. The thing was going to be gone by the time I got there.

My wife didn't say anything for a moment, studying the creature that was sitting in our front yard. It was probably staring at the strange creatures sitting in the car, wondering what was going to happen next. Then inspiration struck.

"Do you have the camera with you?" I asked.

"No."

"Shoot, I wish you did. I wanted you to take a picture of it."

"I suppose I could go get one." I always knew my wife loved me, but to put herself in danger just to get a picture for me was just too much. Besides, there was still a chance it would hang around until I got home.

"No, don't get out of the car!" I nearly shouted into the phone. "It might be too dangerous."

"What?"

"It could attack you. I'd rather you just waited there until I got home. Or drive to your parents."

"Why do you think it would be dangerous?" she asked, and then thought for a minute. "Wait a minute, what do you think is out here?"

"It's a bobcat. A wild cat."

The howls of laughter made me realize we weren't talking about the same thing. At all. I thought about faking going through a tunnel and hanging up, then I remembered there were no tunnels around for a hundred miles.

"No, it's a Bobcat. A big giant piece of machinery that's here to dig up our front steps. It's got a hydraulic jackhammer on the front of it and a scoop shovel sitting next to it."

Then it hit me: in the efforts to get our house ready to sell, we had hired a contractor to tear up and replace our front steps, since they were falling apart. He had delivered a Bobcat — not a bobcat — that day so he would be ready to go the next morning.

I didn't say anything for several seconds out of embarrassment, and in the faint hope that my wife would forget we had been talking.

"Erik?" Dangit.

"What?"

"You're such a city boy."

"I know."

Shakespeare's "Comedy of Errors" has nothing on my wife and me. I'd like to say this was the only conversation of its kind that we've ever had, but anyone who knows me knows this isn't the case.

I can only wonder what the Bard could have done if he had power tools to write about. Throw in a wood chipper, and "Hamlet" would have been hysterical.


Photo: ucumari
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British Shop Dummy Ordered Removed by City Council

Hamid Shahabi has been ordered to remove a mannequin dressed as a soldier from outside his window because it's supposedly giving local bank staff flashbacks of an armed robbery this past winter.

Shahabi, who owns an army surplus store in Bolton, said "Darren" has stood watch over the neighborhood for five years. He refuses to take the mannequin down, despite facing a fine.

According to the BBC, Shahabi says Darren attracts donations for a British charity, Help for Heroes. He named the mannequin Darren because it looks like a friend in the army — named Darren, one would suspect — so he dressed it in camouflage fatigues to commemorate troops in Afghanistan.

Lloyds bank was robbed in February of this year, although a spokeswoman for the bank refused to comment whether the mannequin was actually having any effect on the workers. However, a spokeswoman for the Bolton Council, who is apparently also a practicing psychologist, says this is causing all sorts of flashbacks for the workers who were in the bank when it was robbed five months ago.

However, the Bolton Council said that when a member visited Hamadi's shop, Darren was wearing dark clothing and a black balaclava.

Shahabi told the BBC, "The local kids love him, they often come round to play with him, we get a lot of passing trade from him too. He's a good-looking chap. I don't understand why anyone would be scared of him, but we have received a complaint from the local bank."

I think the Bolton Council went about this the wrong way. By ordering Shahabi to remove the mannequin, it's put him on the defensive. Because the bank didn't have the courtesy or intestinal fortitude to ask Shahabi directly, they've made themselves look like a bunch of whiners.

If I were Shahabi I wouldn't remove the mannequin under those circumstances either.

Which means, of course, someone is going to steal him.


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Controversial U of Colorado Professor Denied Job Reinstatement, Back Pay

Ward Churchill, the controversial University of Colorado professor, was denied the chance to get his job back by a judge, even though a jury said he had been improperly fired.

According to a story in the Denver Post, Churchill taught ethnic studies at U of Colorado - Boulder for years, but was fired after the University had "determined he had plagiarized and falsified scholarly work for years."

The firing came on the heels of an essay Churchill wrote, calling some of the victims of the September 11 attacks "little Eichmanns."

The University said they fired Churchill for academic misconduct, but he says he was fired for exercising his right to free speech.

"I regret that I have but one life to give for my career," said Churchill. "I have a dream that one day, little administrators and little professors will be able to join hands and walk together as colleagues."

(Okay, he didn't really say that.)

Churchill had won a jury trial, after a jury decided that he was fired in retaliation for his "little Eichmanns" essay. And he was handsomely rewarded for his efforts.

They gave him a buck.

So it was up to Denver District Judge Larry Naves to decide whether Churchill should get his old job back or get paid for the salary he had lost.

It took Judge Naves 42 pages to say "nuh-uh" on both counts. He also said that if Churchill were reinstated, it would show that the university tolerated moronic comparisons of terror victims to genocidal war criminal Nazis.

Only he called it "academic misconduct."

"The evidence was credible that professor Churchill will not only be the most visible member of the department of ethnic studies if reinstated, but that reinstatement will create the perception in the broader academic community that the department of ethnic studies tolerates research misconduct," Naves wrote in his decision.

Naves also did not order CU to pay for Churchill's lost salary, since Churchill has actually turned down several job offers, all while lecturing and speaking to supplement his income.

When reached for comment, Churchill made it sound like he wasn't going to give up that easily. "We shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."

Actually no, that's not true. Churchill was unavailable for comment.

It seems like Mr. Can't Keep Away From Controversy can't think of anything clever to say when he gets a judicial smackdown. Don't look for this to be over anytime soon.



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Twitter Meme Proposal: #1ThingWednesday

In the spirit of #FollowFriday Twitter meme, I'm starting #1ThingWednesday.

The idea is that on Wednesday you propose One Thing — one thought, one song, one piece of art, one book, one article, one big idea — that moves you.

It could be a song you really like, an article that taught you something new or led to a new opportunity, a piece of art that you enjoy, or one of the videos from TED or the Smaller Indiana, Bigger Ideas conference.

Just say what it is, give a headline or explanation, and a URL to the One Thing, and share it with your followers.

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Food Related Assault Epidemic Reaches Iowa, Man Attacks Girlfriend with Pizza

The food-related assault epidemic continues to grow. It started in Florida last year, with four sandwich-to-the-face attacks, three of them occurring within 15 miles of each other. Then it spread to Philadelphia and Illinois, with a meatball sub and McGriddle attack, respectively.

Now, a Des Moines, Iowa man was arrested on Sunday after smashing his girlfriend in the face with a slice of pizza.

According to the police report, Ron Reliford ". . . said he used some pizza to smash into her face." Poor editing notwithstanding, this is the first time pizza has been used in one of these documented attacks.

Police said Reliford had choked his girlfriend, Deneen Kilby, and hit her with the slice. He told police, "It only takes two minutes to choke a (expletive)." The Des Moines Register would not even give us a clue as to what the (expletive) was, but I'm guessing it was the B-word.

The Register said Reliford was charged with domestic assault causing injury.

Past food-related assault articles:

Food Related Assault Epidemic Reaches Philadelphia, Man Assaults Girlfriend With Meatball Sub
Food Related Assault Epidemic Reaches Illinois, Man Throws Defective McGriddle at McD's Employee
Two More Food Attacks in Florida
Third Sandwich Attack in Florida
Assault with a Burger, Food Related Assaults on the Rise

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Kid Rock Introduces New American Badass Beer. Gives Me a Chance to Say Badass in Headline

Kid Rock is bringing the level of beer discourse down more than a few notches with the introduction of his "American Badass Beer."

Kid Rock will introduce said Badass Beer, under the name the American Badass Beer Company, later this month. It will be uncapped at his concerts at Detroit's Comerica Park, July 17 - 18.

In an interview with the Detroit News, Kid Rock said, "People that like premium beers and Guinness is their of choice, they will not like this. I want this to be like the beer I drink. You grab it, you share it with your friends, it's refreshing, it's cold, it gives you a good buzz. Done."

Lovely. Of course, most people who drink premium beers and Guinness probably don't listen to Kid Rock either, so he can just suck it.

So what beer don't you grab, share, enjoy cold, or get a good buzz? If that's his criteria for what makes a good beer, might I also recommend Coors (Kid Rock's favorite), Pabst Blue Ribbon, Budweiser, and that nasty crap your neighbor made but you don't have the heart to tell him tastes like cat pee.

"Hey, it's cold, it's refresing, and. . . I love you guys!

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Indiana Fever - Atlanta Dream Live Blogging - 4th quarter

Quarter #4 starts out with Tenacious B tangling with Iziane Castro Marques from Brazil. Marques does a behind-the-back dribble and gives Tenacious a little schooling. B responds a couple minutes later by stealing the ball.

My 6-year-old son is cheering along with the crowd, "Wet's go Fevew! Wet's go Fevew!" A real awwww moment.

Man, it's a whole flock of boo birds as the ref blows another call against the Fever. Where's Gene Hackman when we need him?

Center Tammy Sutton-Brown is taking several for the team as she gets knocked on her butt twice — make that three times now — either shooting or going for the ball. She's tough. Any minute now, she's going to say, "Erika de Souza, dont make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

The Fever are turning it up and mounting a comeback, thanks in part to Sutton-Brown's iron backside.

This is turning into a real brawl. Tenacious B gets tripped, Jennifer Lacy trips over her sprawled body. Then Tamika Catchings goes toe to toe with Chamique Holdsclaw and Angel McCoughtry, coming up with the ball for a jump ball.

There's 4:30 to go, and the Fever have from being down by 2 to up by 5, 68 - 63.

The Dream are a tough squad. We lost to them — notice I said "we" there; I'm a big Fever fan now. Thanks, Julie! — during the first game of the season by 1 point in double overtime.

I think some of the fans here are also fans of the United States Auto Club (midget racing) league, because they keep screaming "U SAC" at the refs. Or something like that.

2:50 to go, 72 - 65, Fever.

You know what? This game is too damn exciting to keep writing. You're on your own until the final buzzer.

The game ended with a bunch of timeouts. It's times like this that you realize basketball can turn into a real chess match. Who do you foul, when do you foul them?

Final score: Fever 78, Dream 74. Excellent game, ladies. 8 consecutive wins, this puts them at 8 - 2 on top of the WomeNBA Eastern Confernce.

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Indiana Fever - Atlanta Dream Live Blogging - 3rd quarter

Blogger is giving me fits today. Not fun when I'm trying a new writing venture like this.

Atlanta's Michelle Snow and Erica DeSouza are tall for a human being, man or woman. They're both 6'5", which is not that uncommon, but still 3" taller than me. It's normally not a problem, but Michelle Snow is on the bench, and the Dream are all supporting their team by standing up in front of me. Hey, down in front!!

Now that DeSouza is on the bench with Coco Miller and Ivory Latta — 3:00 remaining — there's close to 20 feet of Dream standing in front of me whenever Atlanta's on their end of the court.

Julie Graue, VP of Business Development for the Fever, came down for a visit. We're talking about basketball ops, the team, and 4th of July fireworks.

I realized I haven't been watching as much while Ive been writing, so I'm spending more time paying attention to the game. I don't know how the sportswriters do it. Watch the game AND write about it?

You know, I think I may have passed Tammy Sutton-Brown in the downtown Marsh parking lot on Friday. Tammy, if you're reading this, I was the guy who passed you in the parking lot. You were on your cell phone, didn't make eye contact, and I don't think you even noticed me. You remember, right

Briann January sank a 3 pointer right at the buzzer, halfway between the halfway line and the 3 point line.

Score is Fever 58, Dream 59. There was a couple minutes where we weren't sure if the officials were going to score it.



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