The Table for July 20, 2012

Slideshow BruceInternational

We are a week from the start of the London Olympics, and the security company in charge is woefully understaffed. Britain is criticizing GS4 because they have trained only 4,000 security guards for the 444 million dollars given to make the world-sporting event safe. It sounds like England needs its own Batman. As the eyes of the world turn to London, the officials are calling in real military troops to help secure the venues. In the world of terror and Bains, Scotland Yard might have to unretire Sherlock Holmes for security and peace for our real-life superheroes.

 Are the Olympics too big a sporting event for the modern era’s security concerns?

National

The Dark Knight finally comes to theaters today. Batman has come to capture the imagination of generations of Americans and since the first mega movie with Michael Keaton in 1989, he has solidified his crown as America’s #1 Superhero. Sorry Superman. I remember the shirts, mugs, and hats that were so popular the last summer of the 80s. Though the marketing is different today, the same excitement exists. Here are a few of my favorite Batman pieces from the Lunch Break: The New Batman Villain is Society’s Too, DC vs. Marvel: A Summer Movie Rivalry, The Killing Joke and Life’s Random Misfortunes, and Thank You Mr. Nolan for Dusting Off My Brain.

What was your favorite Batman movie and villain?

Local

Finally, someone has given it to the villainous Parking Authority. For years I have been getting tickets because I refuse to pay the lot fees and well, I am pretty much lazy. But finally a judge is going to make PPA justify the tickets they give us innocent and benign citizens. Philadelphia Parking Authority has its day of reckoning and must allow 1) cross examination of their ticketeers, 2) the exact location of the vehicle, 3) requires the ticketeers to sign the violation (no more, I can’t do anything once I put it in the system) and finally, 4) and if a court upholds a given ticket, they must justify why.  This swings the pendulum in the citizens’ direction and though you might not be able to fight City Hall, you soon might be able to win against the PPA. That is a shame. It was the best run organization in the city.

What is your worst ticket experience?

Comments

[Patrick Edmonds]

1. This has been the past few Olympics, especially the Summer ones, and it also occurred with the last World Cup. Apparently the host city is never prepared to handle the security needs, but everything turns out fine. I'm not saying don't take the security seriously, but as long as the Brits are willing to use their military, which doesn't seem to be doing much else, then I think Olympic goers and Londoners will be quite safe. Although Batman and Sherlock Holmes would be nice. (Interestingly enough, the comic book Batman was actually based on Sherlock- A skilled detective more than an unstoppable martial artist- Batman would use his wits, more than his brawn, to fight crime. Now that's a hero to admire.)
2. The original Batman movie with Keaton and Nicholson as Joker was amazing and unlike anything I had ever seen. Burton took comic books in a whole new direction and made them cool again. However, the last installment, which I'm reading is still better than this final film, with Heath Ledger as Joker was truly disturbing. Ledger captured the pure insanity of the Joker, which had always seemed so cartoonish, and turned it into something so disturbing. However, the film definitely (unfortunately) benefited from the post-9/11 world we live in where such villains are entirely believable. Case in point, the shooting at a Denver Theater at the premiere of Batman, which left 12 dead and at least 50 injured, http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/20120720_ap_police14deadincoloradotheatershooting.html
3. Five minutes past the time limit and my ex-girlfriend's car was already gone. We assumed it had to have been stolen, since the mere towing alone would have taken 10-15 minutes on a crowded Center City street, so there was no way it could be the PPA. After calling the police, being told to call PPA, and then being told again to call the Police, we eventually learned that it had in fact been towed, after about two hrs. We went down to the PPA lot, paid the fine ($200+) and then attempted to retrieve the car, which was all the way in the back of a massive, pitch black, seedy parking lot, but only my Ex was able to do so. I asked if someone would go with her because she was freaked out, but no one would. Eventually, she got her car and pulled up, only to reveal significant damage to her car. I lost it at this point, but no one cared, and the attendants just laughed at me. I felt like Jim Carrey in Liar Liar, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qmaB4Im0tY&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL3BA0D40624A72115. 5 minutes overdue, $200 fine, hundreds more in damage, four + hrs. of inconvenience and rude service= PPA service!

[James Dugan]

The shooting in Colorado is so close to the insanity of Batman villains. It just doesn't make any sense to cause so much pain on innocent people.
The best story coming our of London is the military are putting missles on tops of apartment buildings. The residents are complaining but little is being done in the face of security concerns.
I know people hate the PPA, but I think parking and cars are horrible downtown. They have helped clean the streets of abandoned cars and unregistered vehicles. They actually have helped with parking with the new credit card paying machines. But more importantly, people will walk and take Septa for fear of being towed. I know the fear of the ticketeer heading toward your car and you are walking to get it. I know the fear of the meter being empty and watching the ticketeer write me up while I was standing there. But I think they do a great job with the trucks and moving vans that block up downtown. I hope this doesn't make walking and riding my bike more dangerous. Every ticket I received, and they are many, I have deserved. But I got away with a lot also.

[Nick Carraway]

Thanks for linking to my old post on the Batman comic "The Killing Joke". I went back and re read it because it sadly relates to random senseless violence that happened in Colorado. Here's what I said at the end of the post: "So when caught in the violent storm of life's randomness, it is important to remember that even if the outcomes of one's actions are unpredictable, it is still our actions which define us as people regardless of their consequences."

And here's what you commented Dugan: "The randomness of ill fortune is also a freeing experience. We can see that our behavior is something we must live with, regardless of the reaction from others. We have to stay by our morals and let nature and other humans do what they want with us."
I only rehash this discussion because I think the insights are particularly valuable whether taken in the face of tragedy or in the face of the mundane. However, Dugan, I wonder if your thoughts on the subject of unexpected misfortune remain the same two years later.

[James Dugan]

I was reading about how one man was trying to forgive the violence through his faith, but he was finding it difficult. You can not find reason or logic this close to a tragedy and your question is valid. So whatever I say will hurt the many who are hurting and scared. This was chaos -- just like the fear established by the Joker in the Dark Knight. We can't predict and we can't defend it. We can not stop people from doing harm to us or our loved ones all the time. We can only mourn and move on. Callous must meet tragedy, until we can grieve and find solace, which is unfathomable this close again to senseless violence.