Then Penn Central Became Conrail

A while back we wrote about Penn Central Railroad.

Then we got some great information from Victor Cyunczyk

PC was a flop, but the Erie-Lackawanna wasn’t. They all ran in the same area. Hurricane Agnes was what really killed the E-L. When the Erie and Lackawanna merged, it was a good idea. Erie didn’t reach New York City, and, alone, they didn’t stand a chance against the PRR or NYC. PC’s computer systems were not integrated well enough for proper car routing, so you might have, say, a car from Chicago to D.C. If it left from the NYC yard in Chicago, it would get misrouted when transferred to the former PRR and potentially end up back in Chicago or even in some other city. Lehigh Valley? Forget it. I agree that PRR should have bought the Reading and then sold off the NEC. NYC should have just held out and fixed its physical plant. NYC and/or PRR would be a cash machine today with the railroad renaissance.

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Saturday Night

We are lost in this land

down from Farm to Market Road

golden sinking slowness behind us

approaching Saturday night

at the cafe.

Catfish, ice tea

decor stuck in the seventies

you are out with the ketchup girl tonight.

Waitress has a wide gap grin

cramped feet and crumpled dreams

caring for these country people.

Red state like the salsa,

but I prefer guacamole

they’ll begrudge you a living

but help you fix a flat

pick you up for church

and bring you fried chicken.

But now, there’s the dark highway home

wild hogs roam the night

narrow road veers

through the abundance of this country.

Your wild heart beating

love in skipped measure

I touch your shoulder

understand the softness

of the side of your face

and appreciate all that

those brown eyes have seen.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

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Horrible!!!Heart Breaking!!!

Kind & Bold

Where this world is heading to with such violence? what kind of exchange do they get in killing people? what are they accomplishing by this atrocious act? Why can’t they use their intelligence to get what they want in peace? All this hatred, vengeance is not coming from someone who worships God. Everyone has their own right. What joy you get in hating people if they are homosexuals? If you have a problem, go and get yourself checked. I am a Christian and I do not have any difference of opinion about LGBT community. They are my brothers and sisters too. Whatever may be the choice of a person, if you believe in God, you will believe in loving your neighbors which is the first commandment.

Each person who is hatred against someone should be transformed into what they hate.

All these are not going to stop. I don’t see…

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The Woodchuck Revolt (Day 2)

The Lemonade Chronicles

He’s strategic. Executing a sophisticated plot to cut us off from the outside world. Pit us against one another. Pick us off, one by one. The woodchuck has not shown his face today, at least not yet. But his presence is unmistakeable.

Sliding the back patio door open, I now scan everything within view to ensure Grammie’s Gazebo is not overrun by the vermin. Or that the gopher is not lying in wait under the potted geranium. Even the slightest hint of the critter’s activity causes my heart to skip a beat. Once again, like Lazarus, he has managed to push aside a (relatively speaking) huge chunk of granite placed next to the Gazebo step, intended to keep the woodchuck where woodchucks belong and out of where people belong. Every time I check on the rock, it has been budged a few inches to one side or rotated a few…

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HALFWAY….BETWEEN ADULTS

By the Mighty Mumford

(A Don Juan Poem)

My love come away with me,

We’ll search for a love nest near the sea…

Topical stuff

Should be enough,

Is this satisfactory?

–

–J.E.C.

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Snarky Puppy: Festival Jazz des Cinq Continents

Jazz You Too

Same night, Snarky Puppy came to the stage and that’s what happened! Watch at: http://concert.arte.tv/de/snarky-puppy-auf-dem-festival-jazz-des-cinq-continents

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WeChat Has Taken Over China: Please Stop Looking at Your Phone While I’m Talking to You

Just Turn Left

All photos from unknown artist: Taken from WeChat. If anyone knows the link, would be happy to add.

The mindlessness of mobile phone overuse is a well-worn topic these days. It is however, something that has in recent years, accelerated in China to the point of being a phenomenon worth worrying about. The other day I saw a guy with

‘Fuck your phone keep your head’

defiantly written on his t-shirt. “Yes!” I thought “At least there are still a few of around.” At that moment he stopped, pulled out his phone and proceeded to walk across the road without even looking until a car swerved out of the way and blasted its horn for an unbroken five seconds. As the car sped past he returned to his phone, neck bent still utterly absorbed.

In China the issue is a mixed bag really. There are countless positives to be had…

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My radio debut. An Interview