Pennsylvania

The sentencers have become the sentencees in a Pennsylvania courtroom, where two judges pleaded guilty yesterday to accepting over $2.6 million from private detention centers in exchange for handing down long sentences to hundreds of juveniles.

Between 2003 and 2006, teens who came before the judges received time in detention centers for minor crimes. In exchange, the judges got paid. One teen received three months for shoplifting.

These individual judges are nothing less than criminals, but perhaps their crimes expose the bad incentives involved with the whole system of private prisons. For each prisoner they house, a private company receives money from the government. Just like every other business, private prisons want to make as much money as they can.

Thus there's an incentive to keep more people in prison for a longer period of time. The well-financed and organized prisons can lobby to make sentences harsher. Last November, the prison lobby in California helped kill a plan for recidivism-reducing programs that could have saved $2.5 billion in spending and reduced the prison population.

Do you think privatizing prisons is part of the problem?

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The night is still early, but NBC is saying Barack Obama has started off with a lead in the Electoral College by winning Pennsylvania. Both parties targeted the so-called "Keystone State" as crucial to winning the race, along with large Eastern and Midwestern states like Florida and Missouri.

It's projected that Obama also won Massachusetts, New Jersey, and his home state of Illinois.

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Update: The whole video of the presentation can be found below.

Tonight
at 8 p.m. most networks in America will become Obama TV. The campaign has purchased a half-hour block of airtime on NBC, CBS, FOX, and Univision, to air Barack Obama: American Stories, during which he will make a closing argument for his candidacy. It will include a live segment from Florida, where Barack will lay out his plans for specific problems raised by voters.

While it could seal the deal by drumming up enthusiasm and turnout, the hefty price tag may make the appeal look like overkill. Perhaps the historical precedent for primetime appeals softens the feeling of extravagance.

Plus, two demographics — voters in the crucial states of Florida and Pennsylvania — will surely be tuning in at a high rate. The start of the World Series game five, between the Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays, has been postponed from 8:20 to 8:37 p.m., so Fox can carry Obama's address. The special will be shown after the game on the West Coast. If you're tuning in, share your reactions here!

To see the whole video, read more

Self-declared "anti-decorator" RJ Thornburg, one of our Designer Spotlights, brought his design talent and a lot of flea market finds to his Pennsylvania 1860s farmhouse weekend retreat, which was in need of major renovation. Before then, though, the bathroom was decorated in typical Pennsylvania country style — lots of florals, dark tones, knick-knacks, and (gasp!) a toilet seat cover. Thornburg transformed it into a relaxing, light-filled escape with clean, white walls, a classic, freestanding tub, and lots of artwork. And, he turned the small alcove area into a lounge by setting a comfy cushion there.
To see the transformation, read more

Blah, blah, sports, blah. Not a popular sentiment, I realize — I mean they're fun to watch and all (I hear) but I'd rather know the names of the leaders of Zimbabwe than whether the World Series has happened yet. I just get concerned over the culture of idolizing athletes — because when has a touchdown ever cured cancer?

That's why I'm particularly excited over Penn State's new line of academic trading cards. Just like baseball cards (or the media heroes cards), the glossy collectables tout the top faculty members. According to the university president, "We have many great faculty, and they are surely worthy of the accolades our society often lavishes on athletes, coaches, and celebrities in the entertainment world." Hear, hear!

To take a peek at what they look like and whose featured, read more

If you're on your couch right now recovering from last night and wondering whether you should hit church or give your thanks over a Sunday brunch Bloody Mary instead, your prayers have been answered. The Phyrst Church in State College, PA, part of Penn State’s Christian Student Fellowship, is taking their message to the Phyrst Bar to preach the word. That's right. Church in a bar.

“We’re taking it to them, just like Jesus did in his time,” said Buzz Roberts, a minister with CSF. Seconding this is a Penn State student: “It’s about hearing a message and getting to congregate.” The relationship between God and alcohol didn’t start out on calm seas, however. The CSF contacted several area bars and few were keen to allow religious services to be held inside their establishments, until they reached the Phyrst Bar. “All I wanted was an hour on Sunday nights to share the word and they were cool with it,” said Pastor Kingshipp, also of the CSF.

The services are relaxed, offering a sermon, singing, and even a shot of Stoli. So far nearly 50 students and locals attend, and the church hopes the good times will continue to roll. What do you think? Is this a perfect shake-up of fellowship and the word, or does it stir you up?

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Years of neglect, a house fire, and a tree fallen through the chimney left this elegant 1902 Pennsylvania Victorian, which was featured on This Old House, in dire shape. Many would knock it down instead of facing the difficult task of restoration, but the owners decided to hire a local contractor who knew the house's history, as well as landscapers and a mason, to get it back in shape. To see it restored to its former glory, read more