Trox's Tracks, Tacts, & Facts

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-223286992011-04-21T23:27:12.486-04:00Trox's Tracks, Tacts, & FactsThis blog is meant to be an open discussion about things of importance in PA - everything politics (Yes, I'm conservative), sports (Go Phils, Eagles, Flyers and Sixers! - see, I really am Right-leaning :-) ), to just downright fun topics . Feel free to post your comments (slander, vulgarity and non-constructive posts will be deleted) and lets have some fun.DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.comBlogger381100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-24629887027901849762007-04-25T11:29:00.001-04:002007-04-25T11:54:00.782-04:00Admiral Rickover

I was going through some old records when I found some words of wisdom from Rear Admiral H. G. Rickover. This man responsible for creating the modern nuclear-powered Navy and served later as Admiral and head of the Naval Reactors division. Some of his thoughts are listed below.1) More than ambition, more than ability, it is rules that limit contribution; rules are the lowest common denominator

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-79090306293392120612007-04-20T12:42:00.000-04:002007-04-20T13:09:57.594-04:00Standing on the Shoulders

"If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulders of giants." - Isaac NewtonAlas, it has been a long time, too long, since I last sat in the confines of my humble office and spent some time pondering and musing over the happenings of the day and sharing those paltry thoughts with

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1153601172766067932006-07-22T16:37:00.000-04:002006-12-21T12:22:28.973-05:00Thank you

First let me thank all those of you who sent messages, phone calls and or emails wishing me a speedy recovery - I appreciate it and am doing much better. I am out of the hospital and survived working in downtown State College over Arts Fest. I am moving this week and setting up a new....everything: phone, address, computer hook-up, etc.while there is definately much to discuss, I am also moving

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1151409887476349482006-06-27T07:57:00.000-04:002006-07-01T00:18:55.960-04:00One eye open

I am just posting to warn you that I may not be on for a few days. It appears that I have contracted some sort of eye infection and need to see a doctor. As such, staring at a computer screen kinda gives me a headache. I guess this is the price of working to keep both eyes open when searching for the facts and the truth that the media often tries to hide or spin. So, I'll give it a rest for a bit

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1151290123479894202006-06-25T21:52:00.000-04:002006-06-25T23:15:06.043-04:00Undue Blame

In typical fashion, the CDT and its bloggers attempt to place blame on Senator Rick Santorum (presumably in a feeble attempt to undermine his reelection campaign) for a recently declassified military report about WMDs in Iraq. Also in typical fashion, they again can't seem to get their facts straight.First, Mr. Frank seriously downplays the report (which he undoubtedly and evidently did not read)

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1151196771196846852006-06-24T20:05:00.000-04:002006-06-24T21:00:08.946-04:00Cook says "can't have your cake ..."

According to a recent CDT article, Senator Jake Corman has agreed to serve as a mediator between the State College Area School Board and State High Vision over the proposed $102 million dollar high school renovation, which I have blogged about previously and will continue to do so in the future as the situation, and its projected price tag, inflates....In the meanwhile, I want to comment on a few

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1151193740526429592006-06-24T19:51:00.000-04:002006-06-24T20:03:45.300-04:00Olympics coming to a city near you?

Okay - I'm sure that local interest in international sports is likely to drop off now that the US loss to Ghana has eliminated them from the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but chew on this for a while...I know its the 2016 Olympics....And I know this is just the presentation to the US Olympic committee....And I know that the International Olympics Committee will not decide until 2009, but...the Olympics

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1150843722237495552006-06-20T18:09:00.000-04:002006-06-20T18:48:42.460-04:00The E-divide

Most of the time, when you hear someone talk about the "e-divide", it generally has something to do with the comparison between those that have access to the internet in their home (own their own computer) and those that don't. In Centre county, however, e-divide refers to a different division...over what types of voting machines people want. The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 was designed

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1150766119904828882006-06-19T20:34:00.000-04:002006-07-21T13:47:03.446-04:00And so it begins, again.

The title above, taken from Adam Smeltz's cover story in today's CDT, summarizes both the reality and the vision.The reality:The Act 34 hearing process begins again after a botched attempt by the State College Area School Board. Public concern had been raised about the hearing prior to it being cancelled. Concerns about a lack of parking, the size of the facility, the time frame, and the ability

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1150682807028109252006-06-18T20:07:00.000-04:002006-06-18T22:20:35.133-04:00Overdue on the Center

The Catholic Student Center in College Heights is long overdue - as is my coverage on the updated story, unfortunately. On May 23, the lead story in the CDT was titled "Court backs Catholic Center", referring to the two-year dispute between the Altoona-Johnstown Roman Catholic Diocese and the "sovereign Nation" of College Heights. (my apologies, the link is in the archives by now) The three-judge

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1150584087068404512006-06-17T17:34:00.000-04:002006-06-17T18:58:29.440-04:00The World Cup - How can the US advance?

Ok - so granted this is central PA and soccer is not nearly as favored a sports as say...football.., but, having played professional soccer down in South America (Vive Chile!) - I enjoy the sport. And if the growing crowd at Bill pickles Taproom on S. Allen St in State College is any indication, support for soccer (or Futbol to the rest of the world) is growing in this country. But there is a lot

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1150500255806692672006-06-16T19:01:00.000-04:002006-06-16T19:36:12.456-04:00Looking for Tail

Two posts in one day! Its amazing, I know so try to contain your excitement - but I just couldn't let this one go without comment. Russell Frank, in his CDT blog today, has a piece entitled "I like Ike, But", referring to the fact that the new State College Spikes Mascot, Ike the Spike, has a tail. okay... ...so a deer, or more completely named a "white-tailed deer", that roams all over

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1150498762111880652006-06-16T18:19:00.000-04:002006-06-16T20:29:08.123-04:00Road Rage

Anyone who knows me, listens to me speak, or perhaps even reads this blog on a semi-regular basis knows that I am definitely for lower government spending. I believe that our federal, state, and definitely local (State College) governments overspend; and do so on projects that government(s) should never be involved in.Section 8 of Article 1 of the US Constitution lays out the powers that the

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1150408611731258132006-06-15T17:37:00.000-04:002006-06-15T17:56:51.743-04:00Here we go again!

Ok - I think I am back and running again - but we'll see... I had to take some time off after the elections and then had some computer problems (I hate fixing a network!!!) and then had the joy of losing several posts that I assumed (and there we have the crux of the problem :-) were posted correctly. BUT - after all that, I'm still here and have several things to discuss (this is, after all,

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1148004820837379612006-05-18T22:13:00.000-04:002006-06-09T19:30:06.426-04:00And the results are in....

As I am sure that you have all read by now, we had this election on Tuesday that had some astonishing and extraordinary results, not just hear in Centre County, but across the state as well. It was an election full of firsts, surprises and shocking disappointments. I am sure that you all know about our results: Santorum vs Casey, Swann vs Rendell, Corman vs Eich and Spencer vs Conklin are the key

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1147776484058886842006-05-16T06:07:00.000-04:002006-05-16T06:52:25.236-04:00

Primary Election Day 2006First and fore most, if you are reading this today and are eligible but have not already done so - go out and vote. It is our responsibility to take the actions necessary to ensure that our government is serving our wishes. But before you go - if you are not sure who to vote for do your homework so that you can be a properly informed voter. There are voter guides on the

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1145583401241832692006-04-20T20:47:00.000-04:002006-05-12T16:12:49.550-04:00PA Senate (34th Dist) - Laying the Groundwork

In Centre County, we are represented by the 34th District (unless you live in Phillipsburg or Rush Township) in the Pennsylvania House. Currently, there are three candidates: Democrat:Jon Eich - http://www.joneich.com/bio.html (note: other links do not currently work)Jon Eich served as a chief clerk for the Centre County commissioner's office from 1999-2003 and the Centre County planning

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1145255687347718522006-04-16T16:30:00.000-04:002006-04-17T02:34:47.450-04:00Happy Easter!

The Lord is Risen....He is risen indeed! On this day when we celebrate with family and friends around the dinner table, or by the sharing of eggs, candies and other goodies, let us each pause one moment and reflect on a few things, and give thanks to the Giver of all things: - Let us celebrate Life. On this day, those of us who are Christians remember was Christ who rose from the dead and, in

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1144383348268515092006-04-06T19:40:00.000-04:002006-04-20T20:43:46.300-04:00PA Governor - Laying the groundwork

Ok - soooo, there's this race for governor this year.....just in case you haven't heard.I really don't know what I can say about this race that hasn't been said already. It is perhaps best summarized by saying that it is a race of opposites. West vs East; Eagles vs Steelers, Career politician vs political rookie; Black vs white; a Governor for Philadelphia vs a Governor for the rest of the state.

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1144290427925018372006-04-05T21:27:00.000-04:002006-04-21T12:24:14.923-04:00Smoldering Embers

It is almost a year and I still remember...It was the day after the Blue and White Game, (24Apr05) when a fire on 500 East Beaver Avenue broke out in the early morning and claimed the life of my friend and co-worker, Christopher Raspanti. I had sat next to him at the game the day before and had shared a drink with him at a party that he hosted the night before he was killed. His death was mourned

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1144027249191276172006-04-02T20:27:00.000-04:002006-04-02T21:20:49.456-04:00The Dead Horse

I just couldn't believe it and so I am going to beat another dead horse today.State College politics at its finest was on display today when my former opponent (not the specific dead horse that I'm beating today), our current Mayor, Mr. Bill Welch came out in the Centre Daily Times and claimed that members of the State High Vision group were "beating a dead horse." (read story here - and check

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1143616097658210582006-03-29T01:21:00.000-05:002006-03-29T02:17:22.360-05:00Part One - the Responsibility of Knowledge

The title above refers to a short video clip given at the A Woman's Concern dinner held last evening at which Scott Klusendorf was the keynote speaker. Mr Klusendorf's comments regarding the pro-life view on abortion are paraphrased and summarized below. My response and a description of the event are listed in the next blog: Part Two - the Apathy of Ignorance.Scott Klusendorf contends that the

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1143613272946792642006-03-29T00:35:00.000-05:002006-03-29T02:18:51.233-05:00Part Two - the Apathy of Ignorance

I am writing early this morning after arriving home from a fundraiser dinner last night hosted by A Woman's Concern: Pregnancy Resource Clinic. Located at 423 S Pugh St in State College, the clinics mission is "to educate, encourage and empower men and women to make informed life choices." In their 22nd year of operation, the clinic has provided free help, hope and counseling to members by

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1143515996438236472006-03-27T20:50:00.001-05:002006-03-27T22:42:52.170-05:00US Congress (5th Dist) - laying the groundwork

Okay - so I am going to take a break from local politics today in order to review the current candidates for the 5th Congressional District of the US House of Representatives. As with my review of the US Senate race, I will give as much information as I can based on what the candidate(s) actually have published - either online, or in print. Editorializing will be saved for a later date. (okay....

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1143339495952121012006-03-25T21:01:00.000-05:002006-03-25T23:09:16.296-05:00...and the pursuit of happiness.

There is little in America's history that demonstrates "the pursuit of happiness" so much as the repeal of prohibition. (amendment XXI of the US constitution)In celebration of that event, I congratulate the staff of Zeno's pub on another successful beer festival, a monthly event held "directly above the center of the earth" [at the corner of College & Allen].To those that would object, let me

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1143137128948653882006-03-23T11:57:00.000-05:002006-07-08T12:17:04.666-04:00State High vision

I have been researching this story for some time - unfortunately, facts are hard to come by. It seems that some members of the State College High School Board prefer to hoard information rather than share it....but I will do my best with what I could find.I am speaking of course of the State College High School renovation project. For those not familiar, currently the school consists of 2

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1143091126682954932006-03-22T23:44:00.000-05:002006-03-23T00:22:43.993-05:00Small Games of Chance in PA

Sooo...I am a member of a political group focused on empowering young people and getting them involved in the civic process. We need to raise funds to help cover the cost of operations. We decided, since we are a conservative group, to hold a raffle. We could raffle off a nice hunting rifle over the next several months, giving it away right before hunting season, in conjunction with raising

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1143000699722078512006-03-21T22:15:00.000-05:002006-03-21T23:11:39.800-05:00Standing for...something!

Just a quick one today as I am busy doing some research for some larger issues later this week."You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anythingYou've got to be your own man not a puppet on a stringNever compromise what's right and uphold your family nameYou've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything"-Aaron Tippin (first 2 lines are also from John Mellencamp)I sat

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1142908664548740452006-03-20T20:10:00.000-05:002006-03-23T10:56:24.806-05:00Supporting Civil Liberties...Except Religion!

I am foregoing what I intended to write today to respond to what I am currently watching (live) on TV - the State College Borough Council meeting.US Constitution, amendment 1:"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1142806560271928192006-03-19T17:15:00.000-05:002006-03-19T17:46:51.563-05:00Summer days are on their way....

It's a cool breezy Sunday afternoon in State College...but spring is officially just around the corner. And for this small city, it means a new tradition is just around the corner.And just what might that be?Why, America's favorite pastime, of course!!! A minor league baseball team is scheduled to arrive in June, 2006, and I, for one, can't wait!I have been playing ball in some fashion for about

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1142728810129335202006-03-18T18:41:00.000-05:002006-03-18T21:41:01.280-05:00The title says it all...

I am renewed in hope this day. In State College, the snow has disappeared for another year (knock on wood), the grass is green (well, okay - its still brown, but green is such a better image), minor league baseball is coming to town ...GO SPIKES!..., Penn State looks to have several football players enter the NFL Draft, and a local State College elected official has shown some common sense. A new

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1142645655735416622006-03-17T18:38:00.000-05:002006-03-18T21:42:42.086-05:00US Senate Race - laying the groundwork

Over the next few days (and weeks and months...), I am going to be discussing all of the races that Centre County voters will have the opportunity to vote on, whether in May or later in November. I start the list today with the race for US Senate.The Right Side: Senator Santorum (Incumbent)The Senator appears to be well on his way to securing the Republican nomination after his only primary

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1142571581183158732006-03-16T20:15:00.000-05:002006-03-18T21:11:44.623-05:00Voter ID Veto

While I know that this may be a little late to speak to the Governor - butits never too late to do whats right; and it speaks volumes to why PA has a reputation for being one of the most corrupt states in the country for voter fraud when we fail to do so. An independent study shows Philadelphia, PA to be the 2nd most corrupt city in the country - where voter fraud in the city accounts for over 2%

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1142558112697431062006-03-16T20:03:00.000-05:002006-03-18T21:13:47.716-05:00My apologies

I first want to apologize to ...anyone who actually reads my blog :-SI wanted to post on a regular basis, and I have not done so - for that, I am truly sorry.In my own campaign, I ran with a vision of Unity, Accessibility, and Accountability; it was a friend who is holding me accountable for not posting here. For that, I thank you - you know who you are!!! It is this sort of accountability and

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1140073236351897482006-02-16T01:24:00.001-05:002006-02-21T18:25:17.400-05:00State College = Anti-Patriots?

As per the Centre Daily Times and The Daily Collegian, this past Tuesday:State College to become the 9th city in Pennsylvania to oppose the Patriot Act?Ok -Let me first start by saying that I am not in 100% agreement with the Patriot Act as it was origninally approved. In fact, I certainly would not argue with anyone who claimed that parts of it are unconstitutional (or marginally legal at the

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1140019347340123072006-02-15T10:43:00.000-05:002006-02-15T11:02:27.353-05:00Valentine's Day - Lowering the Standards

I heard some disturbing news the day before Valentine's day - that an estimated 40% of Americans planned to celebrate this years Valentine's Day, not with the traditional candy, flowers, or cards - but with a text message on their celular phones!Now, I generally oppose the over-commercialization of every major holiday. St. Patty's Day is nothing but an excuse to drink! Easter is only for the

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1140017750473624922006-02-15T09:57:00.000-05:002006-02-15T10:35:50.493-05:00Ferengi Fun for Political Trekkies

Although this was written for another site, I thought that I would also post it here for others to enjoy!After discussing the same topic on two seperate occassions with different individuals each time, I thought that I would post the question here for discussion.Are Republicans in today's world comparable to the Ferengi (as seen in the various Star Trek television series) of the 24th

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328699.post-1139888748730400322006-02-13T22:26:00.000-05:002006-02-13T23:03:53.190-05:00Intro - Who am I?

Well, as I start off this blog, I thought it only fair to let you know a little about me so that you can get a feel for where I am coming from and what to expect.I am a 30 yo male living and working in State College, PA - a small city in centre-al PA where I actually ran for mayor last year. I spent about 7 years in the US Navy as a submarine volunteer (nuclear Machinist's Mate specializing in

DJ Troxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05408120626133022793noreply@blogger.com0