Neighbors Oppose Subdivision, Council Approves Ballot Box

Neighbors Oppose Subdivision, Council Approves Ballot Box

Guest User
Borough Council

At the Swarthmore Borough Council meeting on September 8, five neighbors from surrounding houses expressed their concerns over Cavalier Homes’ plan to subdivide the lot at 686 N. Chester Road. Also, the county council has asked each of the county’s 49 municipalities to install a ballot box 5 feet high and 2 feet wide in a place that is ADA accessible, well-lit, and subject to 24/7 video surveillance. The box will be emptied by county election bureau employees, and will remain in place for five years.

Unscientific Survey: Ghosts

Unscientific Survey: Ghosts

Ben Yagoda
Survey, Unscientific Surveys

Sparked by Jon Cohen’s article about the spirits in his house, and in anticipation of the upcoming Halloween season, the Swarthmorean’s latest Unscientific Survey probed your beliefs about ghosts. The results show that, on this topic at least, Swarthmoreans are completely aligned with their fellow Americans.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Swarthmore Trees

Everything You Wanted to Know About Swarthmore Trees

David Page

Not sure what species that tree by the curb is? Wondering how many pounds of pollutants the oak on the corner absorbs? Now you can find out. The Swarthmore Street Tree Survey, which compiles information on all the street trees and public-park trees within the borough, is now complete. Collected by the Davey Resource Group, the data, together with a software program called TreeKeeper, will allow better planning, planting, and care of our tree canopy.

Could Smaller Houses Enrich Our Community?

Could Smaller Houses Enrich Our Community?

Rachel Pastan
Editorial

As houses in the borough keep getting bigger, they fetch higher sale prices when they turn over. This means that the people who can afford to move to this town have to be increasingly rich. But while the property belongs to one person or family, the town belongs to all of us. This is about me. It’s about who I want my neighbors to be. This is about us, and what kind of community we want to be.

Formica in Virtual Dance at the Fringe

Formica in Virtual Dance at the Fringe

Swarthmorean Staff
People of Swarthmore

Dancer Bethany Formica of Swarthmore is performing virtually in David Gordon’s new work “The Philadelphia Matter 1972/2020” at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Gordon, a celebrated choreographer who is now 84, invited 30-plus Philadelphia artists working remotely to record video material on everything from iPhones to professional cameras. He then dissected, assembled, and collaged this material together with archival work in collaboration with video artist Jorge Cousineau.

Friday Night Live at CAC

Friday Night Live at CAC

Swarthmorean Staff

Friday Night Live concerts are back at the Community Arts Center. The Dave Manley Trio will play on Friday, September 25, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., on the center’s side lawn. (RAIN DATE: Saturday, September 26). Dave Manley will perform with an electric jazz trio featuring Nimrod Speaks (bass) and Khary Abdul-Shaheed (drums). Typically held in the Duke Art Gallery, this concert, and the rest in the fall series, will all be presented outdoors.

Something to Read

Something to Read

Guest User

“Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You” by Lin-Manuel Miranda, illustrated by Jonny Sun, is a book of affirmations meant to inspire, encourage, and uplift.

Is Our Democracy Eroding?: The State of American Self-Government in 2020

Is Our Democracy Eroding?: The State of American Self-Government in 2020

Swarthmorean Staff
Swarthmore College

Brendan Nyhan, professor of government at Dartmouth College, will present new research on the state of American democracy in a talk on Tuesday, September 22, at 7:30 p.m. Drawing from expert surveys conducted by Bright Line Watch, a watchdog group he co-founded, Nyhan will assess the extent to which the protections in the U.S. Constitution are preventing the erosion of key democratic principles and norms.

What’s in Your Attic?

What’s in Your Attic?

Swarthmorean Staff

What’s in your attic? Or your jewelry box — perhaps that gold bracelet you no longer wear? How about the bottom kitchen drawer — a sterling silver bon-bon dish? Maybe there’s an oil painting stashed away in a closet, or an old car, perfect for a teenager, in your garage, or a musical instrument no one ever plays. The Swarthmore Public Library may be interested, according to Betty Dowling, president of Friends of the Swarthmore Public Library (FOSwPL).

Girls, Food, and Body Image: A New Book and an Old Problem

Girls, Food, and Body Image: A New Book and an Old Problem

Rachel Pastan
People of Swarthmore

Issues around eating and body image are complicated. But the evidence is clear. Charlotte Markey, a psychology professor at Rutgers University-Camden who lives in Swarthmore says, that people with a poor body image are particularly vulnerable to anxiety, depression, and eating disorders — including anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating disorder. Markey had recently received advance copies of her book “The Body Image Book for Girls: Love Yourself and Grow Up Fearless” when she visited my porch one afternoon last month for a conversation with another visitor, Emma Borgstrom, a 21-year-old Temple University student and Strath Haven High School graduate, who struggled with an eating disorder for years.

The Post Office Reckons With Recent Changes

The Post Office Reckons With Recent Changes

Guest User
Politics

At 3 p.m. on Tuesday, August 18, the Swarthmore post office was empty. After a few minutes, clerk Nicole Scott emerged. Scott’s shift had been over for an hour, but she stayed on — without pay and against her postmaster’s advice — so the office wouldn’t have to close early. The Swarthmore facility had no one to cover the remaining hours, a problem the branch has been facing with increased frequency since overtime was eliminated over the summer. Lately, customers often find only one clerk behind the counter — if there’s anyone at all. What is happening in Swarthmore is happening in post offices across the country.

Street Tree Sale, Fall 2020

Street Tree Sale, Fall 2020

Swarthmorean Staff

Young trees are now available from the Swarthmore Borough’s Street Tree Committee for residents who wish to plant a new street tree this fall, or replace one that has been lost. The ordering deadline is Monday, September 28. A limited number of trees are available.

9/11 and COVID-19

9/11 and COVID-19

Stefan Roots
Opinion

Almost 3,000 people died on 9/11, and the cry has been to “never forget.” On each anniversary, solemn ceremonies recall that tragedy. Bells ring and someone reads out the names of the dead. Fast forward to 2020. So far this year, we have had the equivalent of 10 9/11s each in March, April, May, June, July, and August. That makes 180,000 dead courtesy of COVID-19.

Sage Advice

Sage Advice

Andrew Bunting
In the Garden

Many of the most ornamental annuals and perennials are part of the genus Salvia. This includes culinary sage, Salvia officinalis. I use several culinary sages for their ornamental foliage, like Salvia officinalis ‘Purpurea’ with its smoky purple leaves and ‘Berggarten’ with its broad oval ones. ‘Icterina’ is dark green with a soft yellow edge, and ‘Tricolor’ combines green, pink, and white. Like many sages, these are fairly deer resistant due to the aromatic leaves. If the culinary sages are given good drainage, they will be perennials.

Status Report

Status Report

Rachel Pastan
Editorial, The Swarthmorean

I could write a whole editorial about the decline of newspapers as a kind of found poem: a series of dire headlines. Even before the pandemic — even before accelerated attacks on the press by the occupant of the White House and police targeting of journalists during protests across the country — things were looking grim for newspapers.

A Butterfly Summer

A Butterfly Summer

Deb Bergstrand

Being home every day during this COVID-19 summer brought me a special opportunity: I started fostering monarch butterflies. First, one friend, Colin Purrington, inspired me to plant milkweed. Then another, Emily Hauze, urged me to bring these miracles of nature fully into my life. I now have three nursery boxes on our screened porch.

Senior Wellness Fair Reimagined

Senior Wellness Fair Reimagined

Swarthmorean Staff

Last winter, the Swarthmore Senior Citizens Association (SSCA) was gearing up for what they expected to be their best-ever Wellness Fair. That was in January, before the pandemic. Now, the Wellness Fair has been reimagined for the virtual world of COVID-19 precautions. It’s scheduled for Saturday, November 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and it will be held on Zoom.

A Bundle of Resources from SPL

A Bundle of Resources from SPL

Swarthmorean Staff

With the shift to virtual learning in district schools, many families are concerned about how much time their kids are spending in front of screens. Parents are worried, too, about their ability to support and help teach their kids. Swarthmore Public Library has put together educational “book bundles” on a range of topics to help. Each bundle contains four books from the juvenile or young adult nonfiction collection. They focus particularly on STEM themes, and on topics relevant to the election.

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