💜 #ILoveSomeoneWithDementia

Internet Safety Guide For People w/ ASDs

Click on image or this text link to access this resource and share w/ others!

😇 The Peace of Heaven

😢 🚎 ❤️ #EndOfAnEra

Letter From Owner Ken Weinstein
Regarding Closure of Trolley Car Diner

I am deeply saddened to share the news that Mt. Airy’s Trolley Car Diner will close its doors on October 15, 2019. We made this decision after much thought and consideration, and with much sorrow. I am extremely proud of our hardworking team of employees, and what we accomplished together in nearly 20 years of operations.

Our goal, when we opened Trolley Car Diner in 2000, was to provide a family friendly restaurant and a community gathering spot and reduce blight in Mt. Airy. At that time, our neighborhood had very few casual dining options, and the former Roy Roger’s building which we adapted to accommodate our design sat vacant and deteriorated for nearly a decade.

My wife, Judy, and I brought our three boys to the diner often. It was always a friendly place that had a strong sense of community and we took much pride in turning a blighted property into a thriving business that served thousands of customers a week. Since then, our NW Philly neighborhood has blossomed and grown. There are now many more places to eat, drink, and gather today. Many of these establishments are within a walk or short drive of the diner.

These new dining destinations have slowly eaten into our customer base. With significantly more options, the diner’s sales have steadily declined and they’re down by more than 20 percent since 2013. At the same time, many other costs associated with running a restaurant have continued to rise. Unfortunately, the diner is no longer financially sustainable.

We are confident that our community will continue to grow and that our customers will find many new dining options in the future. We will honor all gift cards at the Trolley Car Café in East Falls, which will remain open. Our main concern at this time, however, is reducing the negative impact of the closure on our employees, many of whom have been with us for years.

Here are a few steps we are taking:

• We are providing employees with two months advance notice prior to closure.
• We are setting aside $100,000 for bonuses to employees who stay until closure. All staff who stay through October 15th will receive a severance payment based on their current wages and a bonus based on the number of years they have worked at the diner. 
• We will offer workshops to assist employees with resume writing and interview preparation. We will also provide letters of recommendation for all employees who request one.
• Employees at Trolley Car Diner will have first chance to apply for any open positions at our sister restaurant, Trolley Car Café in East Falls, which will remain open for breakfast, lunch, and private parties. 
• Trolley Car Diner will organize a job fair with other restaurants in the area to encourage local hiring.

We know these measures will only mitigate the negative impact of the closure on our employees, but we hope to make it easier for them to find future employment with as little disruption as possible. Our employees have been the face and backbone of the diner during the past 19 years and we want to make sure they continue to grow and thrive.

My family always enjoyed going to Trolley Car Diner and seeing many friends, neighbors, and acquaintances during our visits. We appreciate all the friendship and patronage throughout the years.

#JusticeForAtatiana

CNN
Former Ft. Worth Police Officer Charged With
Murder for Killing Atatiana Jefferson in Her Own Home

Ft. Worth Mayor Betsy Price said Monday the killing of Atatiana Jefferson was unjustified. "I'm so sorry. On behalf of the entire city of Ft. Worth, I'm sorry," Price told reporters. To Atatiana's family, it's unacceptable. There is nothing that can justify what happened on Saturday morning. Nothing."

Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day?

USA TODAY
Celebrating Cultural Heritage or Colonization of  Native Americans

Indigenous Peoples Day is a holiday that celebrates and honors Native Americans and commemorate their history and culture. It is celebrated across the United States on the second Monday in October, and is an official city and state holiday in various localities. It began as a counter-celebration held on the same day as the U.S. federal holiday of Columbus Day, which honors Italian explorer Christopher Columbus.

Many people now reject celebrating him because he represents the violent history of the colonization in the Western Hemisphere. Many activists believe that this holiday is a sanitation or covering-up of Christopher Columbus' actions such as enslaving Native Americans. This holiday can be seen as a recognition of Indigenous people who were oppressed by Christopher Columbus and other colonizers.

Scripture of the Day

⏰ Quality Time w/ The Grands

Fairwell visit to Trolley Car Diner and

last hoorah before it closes on October 15th!

Signs of Harvest Time

Manayunk Brewery & Restaurant, Philadelphia

Meme of the Day

Steve Jobs & Bill Gates are on the list of 22 Dyslexic Billionaires!
Click on the image to learn the names of the other 20 billionaires...

To My Father...

Dear God: Please tell my Dad happy birthday for us! He would have been 83 years old today and it's hard to believe that he's been gone from here for 17 years. We still love and miss him very much, but we know that he's at peace and in a better place with You now. Until we see each other again... Amen!

⏰ Quality Time w/ The Grands

This is a shout out for the #TrolleyCarDiner in Mt. Airy (7619 Germantown Avenue) because they will be closing their doors forever on October 15th. We have enjoyed taking our grandkids there for many years and they love it too, especially the ice cream and water ice from the trolley in the summertime. The owner said rising operating costs and competition from other restaurants in NW Philly are the reasons for the closure. We're going to try to take the gang there one more time for a final goodbye, but this is one of our "grandspots" that will truly be missed. Thanks for all of the memories with the grands!

🎅🏾 Countdown to Christmas

Christmas in October? Do you believe Cracker Barrel in Plymouth Meeting has four displays with trees set-up already? But, as always, the decorations are beautiful!

😇 Meme of the Day

Blue Belt Test w/ Sensei Colin

"A BLACK BELT IS A WHITE BELT THAT NEVER QUITS"

Sleep Well, Diahann...

R.I.P. to this beautiful lady who made an unforgettable impression on me at 10 years old when she starred in the TV series "Julia". She was the first black female I saw on TV who had her own weekly show. I also enjoyed her return to TV several years later as Dominique Deveraux in "Dynasty". When it comes to movies, I loved her in "Carmen Jones", "Porgy & Bess", "Paris Blues", and my all-time favorite, "Claudine". She was always a class act, on and off screen, who will be forever loved and missed by her legion of devoted fans! 🌹

Throwback Thursday

John Bartram High School Class of 1976
Senior Class Trip to the Downingtown Inn

💙 #ILoveSomeoneWithAutism

2019 Autism Speaks Philadelphia Walk
Saturday, October 19, 2019 @ 8:30am
1 Citizens Bank Way, Philadelphia, PA 19148

It's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

NATIONAL BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION

Breast cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast. One in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. It is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer death among women. Each year it is estimated that over 245,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 41,000 will die. Although breast cancer in men is rare, an estimated 2,200 men will be diagnosed with it and approximately 460 will die each year. On average, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 2 minutes and 1 woman will die of breast cancer every 13 minutes. Over 2.8 million breast cancer survivors are alive in the United States today. Click on the image or text link underneath for more information.