Snarky Tom's Rants, Raves and Ruminations

As the title states, I believe the Electoral College is broken. It’s antiquated and has not changed or kept up with the times or the changing nation or emerging technology. How do we fix it? Let’s make it so it makes sense. Should a state’s electoral votes be winner takes all? No. Absolutely not. It does not reflect how that state’s voters voted. With computerization, we should be able to break down the votes by counties or what I prefer, Congressional Districts. Currently, there is a total of 538 electors, there being 435 representatives and 100 senators, plus the three electors allocated to Washington, D.C. The six states with the most electors are California (55), Texas (38), New York (29), Florida (29), Illinois (20) and Pennsylvania (20). [Wikipedia] Let’s examine my theory using Pennsylvania as an example. PA has twenty electoral votes. Eighteen congressional districts and two senators. If the Congressional Districts are drawn fairly, the population would be spread among the...

First, this piece is not reporting as much about SEPTA as it is about some of its passengers or their mentality and a typical travel day without involving my car. Every morning I take the 66 bus to Frankford Transportation Center (FTC). I usually try to catch the Express. It saves me about five minutes travel time. Most of the time it’s standing room only. Everyone packed in like sardines. When I don’t crave that closeness with my fellow Philadelphians, I take either an earlier bus or the one just after the Express. One morning, I chose the earlier.  Now. There are a fair amount of seats. On off-peak (non-rush hour) travel, there are plenty of seats. In the morning or afternoon/evening, not so much. However, this particular morning there were five seats in the back of the bus which I wormed my way through the dozen of standing strap-hangers to reach those empty seats. I don’t know if people are skitchy about sitting next to strangers or they just like to stand. All I know ...

Today is the fifteenth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the United States. It is signified by a national day by presidential proclamation, Patriot Day observed as National Day of Service and Remembrance. It was designated in memory of the people killed on September 11, 2001 by the cowardly terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C. and in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. I took this photo when I visited Ground Zero on 10/12/2015. There are four original Federal holidays: New Year's Day Independence Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day In 1968, the Monday Holiday Act of 1968 shifted several holidays to always fall on a Monday and saw the establishment of Columbus Day. In 1983, the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. became the nation's most recently established holiday. [Wikipedia] As of this date, there are eleven Federal holidays. The other three Federal holidays not listed in this list or the list below are: Inauguration Day (every four years), Wash...

Politics. Yes, it's time I weigh in on this year's presidential election. (I sort of have all year, but now I really must commit.) At this writing there are seventy-three days until election day. I went back in my personal history and worked through who I voted for and how many "wins" I had. It wasn't abysmal. My presidential election success rate equals somewhere around the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves average this season. Here's my record: 1976 - Ford (R) Loss 1980 - Reagan (R) Win 1984 - Mondale (D) Loss 1988 - Dukakis (D) Loss 1992 - Clinton (D) Win 1996 - Clinton (D) Win 2000 - Nader (Green) Loss 2004 - Kerry (D) Loss 2008 - Obama (D) Win 2012 - Obama (D) Win At this time my record shows five wins and five losses. I'm batting .500. Okay, so my record is a little better than the Phillies and Braves. I voted Republican twice, the Green Party once (c'mon it was Ralph Nader. You gotta love the Nade!) and Democratic a bunch. I am a reg...

Sex on the Beach. It looks like a Tequila Sunrise. Bartenders, Barmaids, Servers, Waitresses and Booze Slingers. Call 'em what you will. They have an interesting job and have to learn an arsenal of drinks. Me, I stick to beer, but there is an array of alcoholic beverages with names that, no doubt, someone sat up all night (possibly while intoxicated) dreaming up these names. For instance: Slippery Nipple -  is a layered cocktail shooter invented by Asra Arif of Queens most commonly composed of Baileys Irish Cream and Sambuca. When prepared properly, the ingredients remain in two distinct visible layers due to the relative densities of the ingredients. [Wikipedia] Sex on the Beach - is a cocktail that has many variations. The first type is made from vodka, peach schnapps, orange juice, and cranberry juice. This is an International Bartenders Association Official Cocktail. The second type is made from vodka, Chambord, Midori Melon Liqueur, pineapple juice, and cranberr...

Some time back I critiqued or skimmed the surface of James Bond  (#9). Last weekend I found myself in a funk. I was melancholy and in need of something to pull me out of my doldrums. As a guy, chick flicks are not the cure. Action, manly-man, adventure, overkill kills, spies, and SEX!!! James Bond was the answer. Bond has always been a male oriented film product specifically designed and targeted for men. I am sure there are many women who like the sex appeal of the Bond character (actors), but most women could live without the violence and excessive naked and/or dead body count. More on body count later. So. Starting last Saturday I began my binge watching Bond Fest. I started with the first film, Dr. No (1962) and finished up this afternoon with the most recent film (I own) Skyfall (2012). I intend to get SPECTRE (2015) shortly. There is, to-date, a total of twenty-four Broccoli and Saltzman (EON Productions) produced films. There are two other non-EON films, but I ...

Job searching is not a pleasurable process. It stimulates me negatively. I feel I have to be the CANDIDATE. You have to tell people what you think they want to hear. I can't do that. I don't know what people want to hear. I can only be who I am. Which may not be good in an interview. Where I think I sound confident and empowered may come off as conceited and arrogant. It's not my fault I am so great! I don't like the dog and pony show aspect of the interviewing process. You dress the part. I always "Suit up" as NPH would often tell Ted in How I Met Your Mother . I put on a cheerful persona and a happy face, even though, I'm miserable and dying inside. I understand the hiring process requires this uncomfortable pas de deux . My issue is after forty years in the workforce when do you get to cut to the front of the line and just get the goddamn job based on the merits of your resume and a few phone calls to former employers. The answer is: Never. Face ...

As many of my readers here know, I'm a reader. I like my books and eBooks. I finished a book, Faithful , written by horror-master, Stephen King and fellow novelist and avid Red Sox fan, Stewart O'Nan. Written like a daily diary, we follow the 2004 Boston Red Sox's season to their first World Series victory in eighty-six years. This got me thinking about the World Series in general. Many sportswriters in March or April make their predictions for which team is going to the "Fall Classic." I believe they're all premature and the majority of them look foolish with egg on their faces when they're not even close. Personally, I like to wait until just after the All-Star break and around the trade deadlines. By then you can take into consideration, injuries, slumps, trades and the remaining schedule. Before I set down my predictions, I researched the history of the World Series. The World Series started as far back as the 1880s. That was between the National L...

Now before we get too deep into this subject. I have absolutely no intentions in marrying any cousin be it first, second or third or first cousins once or twice removed. If you don't know the levels, more on this shortly. Many years ago, I used to make crude jokes about people from Arkansas and other southern states marrying their cousins. Because those of you know who have read my blogs or know me, know that I have no love for the south. I still blame them for much of the grief in this country dating back to the  secession  from the motherland. I did some research and was amazed by the things I learned about marriage, our country, our states' laws and feelings about marriage between blood relatives. I was quite unimpressed and underwhelmed. And of course anybody who is a fan of Game of Thrones knows about the incestuous marriages among some of the families in that fictitious world. That brought me to seek out more information about our real world. I don't ...