Reality Check

CHARLES SCHAAL'S letter criticizing Chaka Fattah for accepting oil from Venezuela is in no way rooted in reality. He offers no evidence of Hugo Chavez attempting to "destroy our way of life" because there is none, but there is evidence of U.S. involvement in the attempt to overthrow the democratically elected Chavez in 2002. Venezuela is the fourth-largest supplier of oil to the U.S. Venezuela (not Chavez) owns CITGO. While ex-oilman Bush thinks it's OK for oil companies to gouge record profits out of our pockets, Chavez is offering deeply discounted oil to needy families.

ARNOLD Schwarzenegger, Larry Flynt, Gary Coleman, Arianna Huffington, Cruz Bustamante, and let's not forget current Gov. Gray Davis - all contending for the position of governor of California in a historic and unprecedented event. We've got well over 100 people running for this coveted position, so why don't we make it interesting and entertaining for the American public? "Who Wants to Be Governor of California" can be a prime-time, star-studded spectacular highlighting the entire process and featuring all of the candidates.

Deanna sat up and bit her cranberry-colored fingernails when the man with the chain around his waist and handcuffs on his wrists walked head-down into the courtroom. The man wasn't much older than Deanna, but he stood before the district justice, rough-faced and alone, hoping his bail would be reduced from $100,000 to $20,000. Deanna's eyes stayed on the handcuffs until the man, guided by a constable with a 9mm semi-automatic on his waist, was put in a small holding room. Deanna wasn't related to the man. She wasn't a victim of his crime.

The double-your-money charity scandal was a bomb tossed into the midst of Philadelphia's cultural community, and the epicenter of the blast could well be the Avenue of the Arts on Broad Street. Up and down the proposed arts and entertainment district, the challenges were daunting enough before the little-known Foundation for New Era Philanthropy in Radnor folded - taking with it millions from major institutions like the Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as museums, charities, schools, and churches.

Philadelphia's mayoral candidates appear only too happy to agree with many residents that it's time, as the stump speech goes, to pay attention to the neighborhoods. The men and women running for mayor better watch out, though. Voters just might hold them to their promises. Not only is it tempting to over-promise, it's also tempting to seize upon the obvious steps, and miss subtler, more productive ones. All neighborhoods are not alike, and voters must beware of a one-size-fits-all approach.

The Phillies' clubhouse was unusually quiet early in the morning. Part of the reason was that a group of players was missing, already departed on a three-hour bus trip to Fort Myers and a scheduled exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox. But part was that the normal conversations also were missing yesterday. Nobody was talking about baseball, or what they'd done the night before or if they could get in some golf that afternoon. Around the room, whispered phrases seemed out of place.

The Dream Team got a dose of reality yesterday, trailing a bunch of college kids by 17 points at halftime before rallying for an unconvincing 96-90 victory in the opener of a five-game exhibition tour. "That was the best kind of game we could have had to open the exhibition season," said guard John Stockton, a member of the first Dream Team in 1992. "They showed us we're going to have to play. Hopefully, it was a good wake-up call. " The Select Team - a group of 22-and-under players - strutted off the court with a 59-42 halftime advantage.

Andre Iguodala has already made a lot of money playing basketball in the NBA. By my calculations, he has bagged about $30 million, not counting the $13.5 million the Sixers are paying him this year and the $14.3 million and $17.5 million he will get in the next two years of his contract. But the one payment he has never received, apparently, is a reality check. In Sports Illustrated last week came a lament from Iguodala hinting at his lack of appreciation from Philadelphia fans.

Real estate executives and city officials - professionally disposed to accentuate the positive - took turns predicting the region's economic future yesterday. What they saw was rosy. Mostly. The cast was Mayor Rendell; his economic development chief, William Hankowsky; analysts from a local real estate firm; and one economist. The economist, the recently ubiquitous Mark Zandi of Regional Financial Associates of West Chester, forecast some clouds on the horizon, but said he was "hard-pressed to find a time when the Philadelphia [regional]

CHUCK VOLPE PARTY: Democratic AGE: 34 HOME: Pittsburgh CURRENT JOB: Heads three family-owned insurance businesses POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Helped organize New Hampshire primary for Jimmy Carter CLAIM TO FAME: Rich young businessman FAMILY: Wife and three children CRIME Basic Philosophy: Criminals know that if they get caught, they'll be back on the street in no time. Approach: Toughen sentencing. No possibility for parole or early release for violent crimes.

Andre Iguodala has already made a lot of money playing basketball in the NBA. By my calculations, he has bagged about $30 million, not counting the $13.5 million the Sixers are paying him this year and the $14.3 million and $17.5 million he will get in the next two years of his contract. But the one payment he has never received, apparently, is a reality check. In Sports Illustrated last week came a lament from Iguodala hinting at his lack of appreciation from Philadelphia fans.

Question: I'm in college now, but I have two sisters who are still living at home with my father and stepmother. My mom died a few years ago after a long, drawn-out battle with cancer. This was extremely hard on my sisters, who were only 7 years old at the time. What made it more difficult is that my dad was married again within six months of the funeral. My stepmother had a conversation with us when she first moved in and told us that she was not our mom and would not be raising us. She told me, as she thought of me as an adult at the time, that she doesn't like kids and wanted nothing to do with me or my sisters.

MAYBE "bulge-bursting pleasure" is right up Joe Amendola's alley. Or more likely, Jerry Sandusky's attorney didn't realize what a boneheaded move he made when he cast doubt yesterday on assistant coach Mike McQueary's credibility. If you believe McQueary, Amendola said during a news conference after Sandusky's preliminary hearing, "I suggest you dial 1-800-REALITY. " The number is actually a gay chat line, offering recorded messages for 99 cents a minute or a live guy for $2.99 a minute.

SPEAKING for the masses, DeSean Jackson said, "Today I felt we were in great shape being up 23-3 - the second half was just brutal. " On a day when Jackson caught six passes for 171 yards, and dropped a couple of others, the Eagles still blew a 20-point lead and lost to the 49ers, 24-23. The team's third consecutive loss, and third consecutive second-half collapse, colored everything, even his personal success. Bittersweet, as the lady once said. "It was just that they were able to put points on the board [in the second half]

Councilman William K. Greenlee really doesn't get it ("Paid sick leave bill back on Philadelphia Council calendar," May 27). I own two businesses in Center City, and am struggling to stay above water. The economy is still in recession, and Greenlee is proposing paid sick days for all private-sector employees in the city. He says that "if sick days are good enough for government employees and the Comcasts of the world, then everyone should be entitled. " Well, look at what has happened in the public sector.

I was pleased to read in Friday's Inquirer that the Kimmel Center is entering a new chapter ("Philadelphia's Kimmel Center sets stage for major renovation"). The story, however, cites criticism of the Kimmel as cold, unfriendly, barren, even "acoustically wanting. " It's time for a reality check. When the idea of a Regional Performing Arts Center began to gather steam, doubting that it would ever be built became a sport in Philadelphia, right up there with W.C. Fields jokes. Fans of the Academy of Music tried their level best to choke off funds.

OK, I get it. We can no longer afford the social safety net; no more entitlements, no Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security. Let's look at the new reality, with low taxes and being all on our own. Ever priced individual health insurance? Take a real deep breath beforehand. How about saving for retirement? Every one will need about a million dollars. Fortunately there are about five jobs that pay well enough that saving a million is not difficult. The rest of us just have to put a little (maybe a lot)

The man in the dentist's chair wears a wool cap, a down vest, and gratitude on his sleeve. Markius Glover, a 35-year-old unemployed IT professional, has gone two years without health insurance, but just had his teeth cleaned for free by Community Volunteers in Medicine in West Goshen. Rarely does anyone seem this thrilled at the discovery of "a few cavities. " Glover scored the first appointment of the day and makes plans to return a week later for fillings. He says he's already had a physical and blood work done at CVIM, adding, "I'm really fortunate a place like this exists.

The military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy is just another in a long list of biases, prejudices, persecutions, and ignorance in American history. All cases are immoral and unethical. This most recent case is unpatriotic as well ("House OKs 'don't ask' repeal; fate in Senate still uncertain," Thursday). The clothing worn in colonial America was made from cotton picked by slave labor. The Capitol and White House were built with slave labor. The cross-country railroads were built by immigrant Chinese.

Faced with a staggering fiscal crisis, Camden Mayor Dana L. Redd has made tough choices to help the distressed city stand on its own feet. In the first big test of her leadership, Redd this week averted a potential catastrophe by brokering a workable solution to save the city's three libraries. A day later, Redd unveiled her first budget - an austere spending plan that cuts funding for all city departments. It also calls for raising taxes in the city for the first time in two decades.