Ugliest-home contest focuses on city eyesores

By Deborah Hirsch • Courier-Post Staff • July 29, 2009

CAMDEN — Call it an anti-beauty contest.

St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Cramer Hill is asking residents to vote for the neighborhood's ugliest home.

Earlier this month, Father Jud Weiksnar and staff from Camden Churches Organized for People photographed 13 of the most notorious eyesores in the neighborhood, all believed to be abandoned. They pasted the full-page prints on the doorway to the church with signs asking parishioners to cast their vote inside. Ballots were also distributed to other churches and the Cramer Hill Community Development Corp.

"It was just a tongue-in-cheek thing to try and get the city to start doing something with these abandoned homes," said Brother Jerry Hudson, of St. Anthony's.

That's been a perennial issue for the impoverished city. Stephen Singer, executive director of CAMConnect, estimated that the city has between 4,000 and 8,000 abandoned homes.

(For the complete article, please see the Courier Post.)

Ugly-house contest aims to draw attention to Camden's vacant-property problem

By JASON NARK
Philadelphia Daily News

It was built by one of South Jersey's founding families and once served as a station on the Underground Railroad. Nowadays the large, brick colonial at 22nd Street and Wayne Avenue in Camden's Cramer Hill section is just plain ugly, a local church group says.

But just how ugly is the vacant, 210-year-old Samuel Cooper house, compared to the thousands of other abandoned homes in Camden?

Cooper's house is among 13 of Cramer Hill's most burned, battered and broken-down homes designated by the Camden Churches Organized for People to compete in the first Cramer Hill Ugly Home Contest, which will culminate next month when votes are tallied.

(For the complete article, please see the Philadelphia Daily News.)

What a Dovely Picnic

Joshua and I have been enjoying our weekend picnics with the dog. Yesterday's picnic at FDR park was especially great because our neighbors, Randy and Erin, joined us and they always have good snacks.

While we were there, we found a domesticated dove who was stuck in the grass with clipped wings and an "eat me" sign on his back. Erin captured the dove to bring it to an emergency shelter. We love how much she loves animals! The dove, if it ends up living with them, will be the second of their odd rescues. Their first is a 4-foot iguana named Bud who likes to sun himself on the windowsill like all of the neighborhood cats.

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As an update to the dove story, I wanted to include text from an email Erin sent in response to my question of "how is the dove doing?"...

Doing great! S/he had a good vet exam yesterday at lunchtime, just needs a little medicine but nothing major. The vet says this is definitely a pet bird, and it does not know how to fly even though its wings are not clipped. They said it has not been outdoors long, and seems to have been attacked by something while still in captivity- it has a lot of feathers that were pulled out but are now growing back, and a scratch on its neck. :( But no mites, ticks, or internal parasites, which is very unusual for a bird if it's been in the wild a long time.

Not sure if it's a girl or boy, but it is probably a girl, the vet says. The vet gave us some samples of pet dove food, it's very colorful and looks like tiny crumbs of Fruit Loops. Well, the bird certainly knew what THIS food was, and started eating them. I guess that's the kind of food it's used to.

Randy and I put a clear tupperware of water next to it on the floor, and it hopped up on the rim and started drinking. It was so cute.

Randy has really come around to the idea of keeping the birdie and has even thought of some fun names. I think we'll see if its a boy or girl before picking- maybe you can help us vote for a name. :) Some front-runners at the moment are Pearl, Franklin, Percy, Pedro, Niblet, Pinky, Chloe, Sam, Henry, and Snowflake. Randy has also suggested Loki, Obi Wan and Jeff, all of which I like- Jeff is a hilarious name for a bird. My family suggests Powder, and thinks I am crazy to get another pet.

I've been checking lost ads online, and nobody seems to be missing this bird. I'll keep checking, but it doesn't seem likely. Tonight we're going to Petsmart to get a cage, some perches, and some more food. I tried craigslist and freecycle, but nobody has responded to my e-mails, so I think it's easier to just buy one.

I saw you in your yard yesterday and was going to tell you how the dove was, but you were on the phone and I didn't want to interrupt. We'll be out shopping tonight, but should be home around 9-ish- come over and see the birdie if you want!

E

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Joshua and I already voted for the name Jeff. Best dove name ever.

Friends, family, parades, weddings and babies

July has been a busy month for us. Here are some highlights:

Tara, my Minnesota friend who I knew in Seattle who currently lives in Portland, OR (tracking her has become my hobby!), came to visit us in Philadelphia on the way to her brother's wedding in NYC. It was so great to see her -- she is such a great soul. We spent one evening touring Eastern State Penitentiary. It was fun and reminded me of when we toured Alcatraz together.

For the 4th of July, we joined Brian, his son and my parents at a parade. I love small town parades! Here's Brian, Joshua and Charlie the dog enjoying the parade. Last weekend, I was a pregnant groomsman in Patrick and Carrie's weddings. It was so fun to hang out with "the boys" from college while Joshua had a fun time hanging out with the wives. Highlights included Carrie's butt-wiggling excitement during the ceremony, Adam's best man toast (gosh knows he's done them enough!) and all the little touches that Patrick and Carrie did to make the wedding really special. What a great couple and a good group of friends and family.My cousin Tara and her fiance Brian had their wedding shower in Clinton, NJ at my aunt and uncle's house. It was fun to see some of my Thompson relatives and meet Brian. We are hoping to attend the wedding but are unsure of how I will be feeling about the long drive up to New England at the beginning of September.
In super exciting news, Brian and Bridgette welcomed a baby girl this past week. While she was born 11 weeks early, she is a fighter and seems to be doing well thus-far. I'm shy to say more since they are private about baby-related news when it comes to their own family, which I want to respect. Please keep them in your prayers as she continues to grow and develop.

In more baby news, Joshua and I had our 20-week ultrasound today. The baby was moving around so much they had a difficult time analyzing all the body parts. The baby was tucking its legs over its head along with its hands and then spinning around a bunch. I don't even know how that is possible!! But things look great and the baby is on track growth-wise. My parents came along to the ultrasound, too, which was fun. This past week I have started to feel the baby move around more often. It's beginning to feel more real these days.

Kloder Camping

This past weekend, we went camping with Kate and Neal at Shawnee State Park, which is approximately mid-way between Philly and Pittsburgh. It is always so much fun to hang out with them.
We got to do a long walk on Saturday and then a good bit of swimming with the pups before the DCNR came to shut down our fun. Supposively, they aren't down with skinny dippings pups. Or something like that.

In true Yoder fashion, Kate brought TONS of yummy food to make mountain pies on the campfire. We ate until Neal felt ill, which is always a good sign. Kate labeled the below photo: Laura at 20 weeks, Joshua after 20 mountain pies.

Pregnancy Update

As of Monday, I am in my 19th week of pregnancy. Everything is going really well thus far.

Morning sickness: As much as I hate to do it, I have to admit that my "morning sickness," which usually happens at night, has not gone away. During the day, I feel fine, but at night (around 7 p.m.) it kicks in again. While the ... shall we say "active" sickness has subsided substantially, I usually feel sick to my stomach most evenings. Although, I find that if I have a very strenuous workout during the day (i.e. yoga class, hiking, etc), I feel much better at night. Overall, it is not such a problem and I've come to terms with the fact that this may just be part of my pregnancy story.

Weight: During my first trimester, I lost 2 lbs. Between the 12th week and the 16th week of pregnancy, I gained 5 lbs, making me just 3 lbs over my starting weight. Recently, I think that I have gained another 3 or 4 lbs. The doctor advised that I should be gaining approximately 0.5 lbs per week, with most of the weight coming on towards the end of the pregnancy. Seems like I'm right on track, which is good.

Cravings: When I was newly pregnant, I craved meat. So I ate a lot of hamburgers and meatballs for a few weeks. Once that subsided, I've been craving fruit. Sometimes I get an odd metallic taste in my mouth and then fruit takes horrible; but for the most part, I cannot get enough. Plus, Joshua is a great garbage disposal so he is always willing to polish off what I don't finish.

Belly: My belly has been growing ever so slowly. Some days it seems larger than others. On days when it seems larger, looking at myself in the mirror is like seeing myself in a wedding dress for the first time -- know it is going to happen, but odd to see it actually happening. Luckily, my belly is growing straight out so I look more pregnant than "beer gut" which is nice.

Readings: When people ask which books and websites I've been using to track the baby and the baby's process, I don't have much of an answer. While this isn't wholly true -- I peek at a week-by-week book along with babycenter.com -- I do have to admit that I feel a little separate from my pregnancy and find the texts to be too scary -- I'm not one to revel in stories of all the things that can wrong -- or unrelateable -- the fact that the baby is the size of a bell pepper does not seem to relate to my pregnancy process. Maybe when I can feel the baby moving around a bit more then it will seem more "real" but for now I'm just doing my thing and the baby is doing its thing. That arrangement seems to work well for us thus far.

Doctor's appointments: The results of my blood work/the initial screening for amniocentesis (i.e. to check for genetic disorders like Downs Syndrome) were good. While this doesn't mean that there is a 0% chance that the baby could have a genetic disorder, it does mean that the levels are such that the odds are very low. On the 20th of this month, we will go for another doctors appointment and then an ultrasound at the hospital. Both of my parents are coming along, which will be fun. This is the ultrasound where they count the number of fingers and toes. We are hoping to keep the gender of the baby a surprise.

Other baby news: My cousin David and his wife Jess had a 9 lb 11oz baby a week ago. Congratulations to them! Soon we will have three more babies added to the Whelihan side of the family = Mike and Alexis, Megan and Scott, Brian and Bridgette. All are due before our due date of November 30th.

Make care available to those in need

By WILLIE ANDERSON and JEFFREY BRENNER • For the Courier-Post • July 5, 2009

This month, as Congress releases preliminary versions of health care reform legislation, families around the country are watching anxiously hoping that reform actually translates into better, more affordable and accessible coverage.

We both are working to improve health care in New Jersey -- one of us as a health care provider and the other as a clergy leader engaged in community organizing with Camden Churches Organized for People (CCOP) -- and we both regularly hear from families about their struggles to afford health care. Many have no coverage and others have bare-bones plans that don't cover the care they need and come with high out-of-pocket costs for deductibles, co-pays and steep premiums. High costs are leading families to delay care that they need, especially in these difficult economic times.

CCOP leader and Camden resident Zoraida Gonzalez-Torres is facing this very situation. Both she and her husband are retired and have a five-year limit of benefits. She is dealing with a variety of health conditions that require long-term medication including arthritis, chronic stomach issues and glaucoma. She needs to see the eye doctor every three months, and each visit now costs $200. When her husband recently retired, they were offered a chance to maintain their insurance through COBRA at a cost of $927 per month, which they could not afford.

She recently told us, "We're looking at options right now and there aren't any good ones out there. I'm due for a mammogram, colonoscopy, an upper GI exam and follow-up for the arthritis. Thank God my husband's health is good."

While the momentum on health reform is a cause for much hope, it is crucial to remind policymakers that legislation won't work unless it addresses the number one reason people don't get the care they need: it is too expensive for everyday Americans.

The PICO National Network has been working with New Jersey Consumer Voices for Coverage to identify what families can really afford to pay for health care. They will be releasing a report next week based on family budget data collected from more than 600 families across the state. The sobering headlines are that most New Jersey families have expenses that outstrip their income, and concerns over cost are leading too many families to delay getting the health care they need.

And so it is particularly worrisome that the U.S. Senate, in its effort to reduce the overall cost of legislation, is considering reducing subsidies for low- and moderate-income families. Health reform will not succeed if it fails to make coverage accessible and affordable for everyone. That message must continue to be heard, even as special interest groups pressure Congress to scale back and water down the scope of reform.

Of course, people need both affordable and quality health coverage. Too many insurance plans currently exclude important health care services (prescriptions, mental health coverage, etc.) and have low lifetime benefit limits. Therefore, the legislation should also grant a comprehensive set of benefits that cover the care people need and deserve.

While there will be up-front costs associated with making these changes, the American people know that this investment will pay off over the long-term, with more families able to purchase quality coverage and able to afford to access care to stay healthy and prevent costlier illness in the future.

As New Jersey's congressional delegation weighs in on health care reform legislation this summer, we hope that key architects such as U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and U.S. Reps. Frank Pallone and Rob Andrews will champion the issue of affordability. Otherwise, we'll miss the mark of providing quality care to everyone.

Gold Star Day for Simon

To celebrate July 3rd, we went to the Wissahickon to do some hiking and let Simon wade in the water. However, to our surprise and delight, Simon started swimming! He has always been cautious of water that was above his head. But today he started fetching sticks that were in deeper water. Moreover, he was really enjoying diving into the water to grab sticks that were on the bottom of the stream. He cleared a lot of lumber; maybe, with some more practice, the beavers will hire him!

Here Simon is made to pose for a picture of our backyard. Look at that tomato plant -- one little seed has lead to a huge fruit-bearing plant. It's awesome.