New Year, No Scale: A few simple steps will start you on the right path to weight loss.

December 31, 2013 | by Brenda Hoover

By now, you may have heard the new trend of healthy lifestyle vs. dieting.

I have worked with clients in this capacity for so many years. Diet’s ruin us! There are so many statistics that support that statement, but I will just give you this to think about: If dieting worked, we would be the healthiest country on the planet. We are far from the healthiest, and, yet, we spend $60 billion or more on the diet industry every year.

I want to caution you on programs that claim to be a healthy lifestyle yet are really another diet. The diet industry has an amazing way of catching on to something new but never really changing its approach. If it walks like a duck…

Having said all of that—let me get to my real point. I have coached hundreds of clients through lasting, healthy behavior changes, and the one thing that never changes is that the scale is our enemy. I’ve encouraged my clients to never use a regular scale, one that doesn’t measure your body composition, from the very beginning. However, my next challenge to everyone is to not even step on a body composition scale for a while.

If you are deciding to make changes that support a healthy lifestyle (and trust me, most likely everyone could use a change here or there), then make those changes your measurement, not the numbers on any kind of scale. Numbers can make you crazy and become so discouraging. They change at very different rates for different people. Each of us, regardless of what we read or how we may be coached, has some ideal number burned into our brain. That number may not be realistic or may take a lot longer to reach when creating real, healthy behaviors, than we expect. You can lose weight fast, but it doesn’t mean you will be healthy.

What can you measure? Start with the behaviors you need to change. Set goals over the course of four to six weeks at a time. Reassess your behaviors against this timeframe. Here is an example using some typical behaviors that my clients need to modify:

Behavior 1: Eat more vegetables (or just eat them…so many people eat zero!).
Goal: In the next four weeks, eat three to four cups of vegetables every day.

Action: Measure out and eat three to four cups of vegetables every day. Keep track of the days you meet this goal.

After four weeks, reset the goal to four to six cups of vegetables every day with a final goal of six to eight cups. Note how you are feeling at each point (energy levels, digestions, sleep, etc.).

Behavior 2: Start an exercise routine.
Goal: Exercise (inclusive of resistance training) 10 to 15 minutes, five days a week.

Action: Set up time in your calendar every day with a specific set of exercises that you will complete. Keep track of the days you meet this goal.

After four weeks (maybe sooner depending on your fitness level), increase the time to 20 to 30 minutes. Note how you are feeling (energy, digestion, sleep, etc.).

Behavior 3: Remove all obvious sugars from your diet (I am starting with “obvious” because there are a lot of hidden sugars in our foods, and this often requires some learning on the part of the individual).

Goal: Make a list of all sugar items you consume on a regular basis. This may require you to keep track of your food for a few days. Select at least three to start removing. I will challenge you to select the hardest one first!

Action: Do not consume these three items for the next four weeks. Keep track of the days you meet this goal. Note how you are feeling (energy, digestion, sleep, etc.).

My hope for you in all of this is that you really start to focus on healthy behaviors, first and foremost. If we can get it right 80 percent of the time, we are likely to feel so good that we do it right 90 percent of the time.

Our behaviors are critical to this success—real, lasting healthy behaviors. This may require you to become more educated about nutrition, exercise and even stress management. Do it! It is up to us to take care of our health. Seek information from credible sources and do your research.

One thing for sure: most of the food we consume is not REAL food and especially “diet” food. How long can we last eating chemicals, preservatives and who knows what else? (And I mean this, we really do not know what is in all of our foods.) Without the right fuel (food), we will shorten our lives and quality of life. Make it about your health—your life!

Brenda Hoover is a partner with Absolute Wellness Group in Harrisburg, https://absolutewellnessgroup.com.

With a Compass in the Stock: Kermit triple-dog dares you to give air rifles a shot.

December 31, 2013 | by Kermit G. Henning

“You’ll shoot yer eye out, kid.”

Ever since Ralphie Parker pleaded for a new Daisy BB gun for Christmas, despite the numerous warnings, the Daisy Red Ryder has become the iconic first gun for millions of youth. Introduced in 1938, the Daisy Red Ryder was modeled after the Winchester 94 lever action rifle, named for the comic strip character Red Ryder, and is still in production today. This simple, air-powered rifle is the standard gun used by the NRA in its youth shooting programs, as well as the Boy Scouts of America and the 4H clubs.

BB guns are a type of low-powered air gun designed to shoot projectiles named BBs after the birdshot pellet of about the same size. These projectiles are usually spherical but can also be pointed or triangular; those are usually used for bird hunting. Modern-day BB guns usually have a barrel with a bore and caliber of 0.177 inches (4.5 mm). There are many different shapes of BB guns. BB shot for modern BB guns are usually steel, plated either with zinc or copper to resist corrosion. Some manufacturers also still make lead balls of slightly larger diameter and that are generally intended for use in rifled BB gun barrels, as were formerly used in BB guns. Although being low-powered, these guns sometimes can be lethal.

While air rifles cannot compare to modern, high-powered firearms, air guns have a rich and storied past. Lewis and Clark carried a .46-caliber air rifle on their exploratory expedition in 1804. In the 1890s in England, competitive air rifle matches were held in public houses, which led to the creation of the National Small Bore Rifle Association in 1899. They are still used in the Olympics, governed by the International Shooting Sports Federation.

The earliest air guns were more effective compared to contemporary early firearms for many hunting and military uses, but, as firearms improved, the air gun became largely relegated to sport target shooting and plinking. Neither of these uses required much power, so air guns came to be seen as a safe, less threatening alternative to firearms and typically treated differently by legal systems. In recent times, there has been a resurgence of interest in more powerful air guns. Most modern air rifles are low-powered because of legal restrictions and safety concerns. These types of firearms are used primarily for teaching new shooters, plinking, some small game hunting and backyard pest elimination.

A step up from the BB gun is the pellet gun. These guns fire a lead pellet, most in .177-caliber, used for target practice and small game hunting. Gamo Industries has been producing high-powered precision pellet rifles, pistols and ammunition for more than 120 years for use in small game hunting and pest control. They manufacture both lead and non-lead alloy pellets in .177-, .22- and .25-calibers.

Unlike modern firearms, which use a propellant charge to fire its projectile, air guns use a variety of propulsion systems: spring piston, gas spring or CO2. Spring piston guns can achieve muzzle velocities greater than the speed of sound from a single cocking of the barrel. Spring-piston guns operate by means of a coiled steel, spring-loaded piston contained within a compression chamber and separate from the barrel. Cocking the gun causes the piston assembly to compress the spring until a small hook on the rear of the piston engages the sear; pulling the trigger releases the sear and allows the spring to decompress, pushing the piston forward, thereby compressing the air in the chamber directly behind the pellet. These are single-shot, breech-loading guns with long service lives and are relatively easy to maintain.

Gas spring guns incorporate a gas spring instead of a mechanical one. Consequently, they require higher precision to build, have less recoil and are more expensive.

CO2 guns use a disposable carbon dioxide cylinder, called a powerlet, that is purchased often pre-filled with 12 grams of pressurized carbon dioxide. These guns are generally lower powered, but more expensive to use due to the purchase of the cylinders.

If you are interested in purchasing a simple gun for target shooting, plinking, pest control or competitive shooting, spend some time researching the options. Air guns, rifles or pistols come in many types and configurations for many different applications. A Daisy Red Ryder is still a great choice for a youngster’s first gun—an inexpensive and safe way to teach proper gun handling and safety. A Gamo precision rifle, on the other end of the spectrum, is a high-powered, highly accurate rifle that will set you back several hundred dollars and produce superior results for hunting and pest control.

Whatever type you choose, be sure to practice the same gun safety as with a high-powered firearm. Proper training and supervision, eye protection and a safe backstop will ensure many years of fun for a minimal cost.

Cause for Optimism: In addition to resolving its financial crisis, Harrisburg may benefit from a growing preference for urban life.

December 31, 2013 | by David Butcher

We are at a promising time in our city’s history.

This is due, in no small part, to the obvious and recently well-publicized reasons: the election of a new mayor; the imminent resolution to a debt crisis caused by the city’s incinerator; and the outline, at least, of a comprehensive foundation laid out by the receiver’s team to address a decades-long structural deficit. Optimism, after several difficult and uncertain years, is finally, welcomingly warranted.

There is, however, an additional and more fundamental reason to be optimistic about our city. For the first time in more than 60 years, certain trends in residential preferences and business location decisions—or economic geography, as it is sometimes called—favor urban centers like Harrisburg.

These trends have been well-documented and analyzed, most notably by the urban economist Richard Florida in his book “The Rise of the Creative Class” and, more recently, by journalist Leigh Gallagher in her book “The End of the Suburbs.” As Florida, Gallagher and many other observers have pointed out, these trends are animated by a few key, interconnecting factors:

1) The shift in the economy to increasingly creative, knowledge-based industries.

2) The emergence of a generation—born between 1979 and 1996, known as Millennials—whose living and work preferences favor walkability, access to mass transit, unique architecture and design, close proximity to restaurants and shops and a diversity, authenticity and overall “coolness factor” generally not found in the suburbs.

3) The labor market alignment of Millennials with the knowledge, technology and innovation industries, which together fashion a new “creative-class” economy and metropolitan geography.

Anyone who has visited New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Boston or Washington, D.C., lately will have seen the impact these trends are having on their downtowns and surrounding neighborhoods. After six decades of decline, each of these cities has registered significant gains in new residents in the 2010 census. In fact, according to the Pew Research Center, the 30 largest U.S. cities (not metropolitan areas, which are sometimes conflated with the word city, but actual center cities) have gained population by a median of 5.5 percent from 2000 to 2010. And the Brookings Institution recently released a report showing that, between 2011 and 2012, center cities within the 51 largest U.S. metropolitan regions (averaged together) grew more than their surrounding suburbs for the first time since 1920.

Talk of a national urban revival is no longer just wishful thinking by city boosters. The trends and supporting data are real. We are at an inflection point in metropolitan migration patterns throughout the country, driven in large part by the living and work preferences of young adults ages 20 to 34. Charles Lesser & Co., a real estate consulting firm, recently surveyed the preferences of this age group and found that:

31 percent prefer to live in a center city (twice that of previous generations of the same age cohort).
Two-thirds seek walkable places or town centers.One-third are willing to pay a premium to be within walking distance to shops, restaurants, bars and other amenities.
Half are willing to give up living space in order to live in a walkable neighborhood.
Diverse neighborhoods, close proximity to jobs, “authenticity” and places that foster social connectedness are highly valued.

In other words, the places with attributes that Millennials prefer (walkability, social amenities and “cool factor”—i.e. cities) have an inherent competitive advantage to their surrounding region in growing their economy and population. Furthermore, unlike the “old economy” model of labor-market geography, where workers tended to follow the jobs, now the jobs, at least in the creative, knowledge-based industries, are increasingly following the workers. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal entitled “Companies Say Goodbye to the ‘Burbs,” stated that, “…U.S. firms have begun a new era of corporate urbanism… The bottom line: companies are under pressure to establish an urban presence that projects an image of dynamism and innovation [to attract younger workers].”

Despite being a smaller, “third-class” city, Harrisburg is not immune to these trends. In fact, for the first time since 1950, Harrisburg registered a modest, but still meaningful, population gain in the 2010 census. Not surprisingly, the gain was driven by young adults. The 2010 census reveals that Harrisburg increased its share of 20- to 34-year-olds by 8.7 percent, or 979 residents. In fact, this increase in young adults is actually larger than the total population gain of 578 residents, underscoring the trend’s strength in offsetting losses in other age groups. As this census data indicates, Harrisburg, despite popular negative perceptions, actually offers many of the positive qualities that young adults now prefer.

Our real estate development company, WCI Partners, has witnessed this trend firsthand with our Olde Uptown neighborhood redevelopment project. In 2007, we began renovating vacant, historic row homes in a blighted part of Midtown that had suffered from four decades of disinvestment, decline and concentrated poverty due to the aftermath of the Agnes flood. Since that time, we have renovated more than 100 properties and built 16 new ones within a four-block area, in addition to completing numerous neighborhood improvements like new sidewalks, streetlights, street trees and banners.

As a result, we have seen an influx of about 250 new residents to the area over the last six years (which, in turn, has created a vibrant community with a 90 percent drop in crime). The majority of these new residents (but certainly not all) fit the Millennial profile of professionals and creative types ages 24 to 34, who prefer the walkability, diversity, interesting design and architecture and proximity to bars, restaurants, coffee shops and downtown jobs that the neighborhood affords. The trend (if not quite the magnitude) is as real in Harrisburg as it is in Philadelphia or Washington D.C. As we say in the real estate business, there is demand for city living, at least from a certain (not so insignificant) segment of the market.

Consistent with the “creative-class economy” model of geographic preferences described above, there is also demand from knowledge and technology-based businesses to locate in the city. We have seen this trend at WCI Partners, as well. In fact, over the last half-year, we have been renovating an historic Front Street mansion in Midtown for WebpageFX, an Internet marketing company currently located in Carlisle that will be moving about 50 college-educated employees (almost all of them in their mid-20s) to the city this spring.

WebpageFX began its search almost three years ago, considering locations around the central Pennsylvania region. The company ultimately decided to locate in Harrisburg due to one overriding factor: the city—and its attributes that Millennials prefer—provided the strongest competitive advantage in attracting and retaining young, place-conscious talent. As WebpageFX’s owner Bill Craig told me, “The city is where our employees want to be. They want the proximity to restaurants, bars, coffee shops, the riverfront and other amenities that it offers. Everyone is really excited for the move.”

This and broader examples (andCulture, Red Privet, Pavone, WebClients and others) demonstrate the virtuous cycle that these “new economy” trends generate. Vibrant cities attract creative, young people who, in turn, attract creative businesses that together create more vibrant cities.

This virtuous cycle can be seen more widely in recent development projects and the emergence of “creative-class” services and amenities in the city. Projects like COBA and LUX by Brickbox serve to confirm the demand created by the trend in urban living preferences. New student housing projects, like International House, in concert with the emergence of the HACC Midtown Campus and Harrisburg University as educational anchors, reinforce the city as a “new economy” location. Millennial preferences for urban amenities have driven the development of 2nd Street in downtown, as well as the emergence of neighborhood businesses like Little Amps, Midtown Scholar, Midtown Cinema, Stash, TheMakeSpace, St@rtup and others. And continually growing organizations like Harrisburg Young Professionals help to provide the scaffolding of social activity, civic engagement and consumer spending necessary to sustain and bolster this positive cycle of urban growth.

To be sure, most cities, like Harrisburg, still have a variety of serious challenges to overcome, many of which cannot be easily solved and some of which serve as obstacles to the very trends that would alleviate them. And it often seems that the smaller the city, the bigger the challenges, due to less critical mass and a smaller pool of resources to marshal. Nonetheless, it remains encouraging that the prospects of meaningful growth for cities (including Harrisburg) are real and even seem to be strengthening. For so long, cities have struggled, with frequently frustrating results, against the predominant trends of suburbanization. Now that some of these trends are reversing, it will be the job of public officials, business leaders and various other stakeholders to implement the policies, initiatives and strategic partnerships that will effectively harness them.

David Butcher is president of WCI Partners LP.

Community Corner: Notable Events in January

December 31, 2013 | by Admin

Cars & Christmas Celebration

Jan. 1–Jan. 15: The galleries of the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum are transformed into a wintery wonderland featuring Christmas trees and a variety of themed special exhibits for the holiday season. Special exhibits include a display of snowmobiles, sleds and sleighs and “Sammy The Snow Plow.” Standard admission prices apply. For more information on special exhibits and ticket pricing, visit aacamuseum.org.

Penguin Plunge

Jan. 1: Welcome the New Year by getting your feet wet in the Susquehanna River with hundreds of other supporters of the Humane Society of Harrisburg. The event begins at 10 a.m. on City Island Beach in Harrisburg with the actual plunge at noon. An after-party follows at Flinchy’s in Camp Hill. For more information, visit www.humanesocietyhbg.org.

Craft Beer & Bacon Bash

Jan. 4: FedLive in downtown Harrisburg is the site for the Craft Beer & Bacon Bash, featuring tasty pairings of bacon-inspired cuisine with craft beer from area breweries. Doors open at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. For more, visit www.federaltaphousehbg.com.

Movement Center Open House

Jan. 9: Get those jitters out at The Movement Center as it hosts an open house. Take part in hands-on demonstrations and explore the various programs offered by the center, as well as refreshments and good conversation. The open house, at 2134 N. 2nd St., Harrisburg, begins at 9 a.m. and will conclude around 3 p.m. For more information, visit www.themovementcenter.net.

Detox Retox

Jan. 11: From noon to 3:30 p.m., practice your best mountain pose with a pint in hand as the Federal Taphouse in downtown Harrisburg presents the unique combination of yoga and beer. Tickets are $27 in advance and $30 at the door. For more information, visit www.federaltaphousehbg.com.

Bollywood-Bhangra

Jan. 12, 19, 26: Learn Bollywood dancing from the best as Sujata Goel, yoga instructor, dancer and choreographer with more than 10 years experience, introduces the basic elements of the Bollywood-Bhangra dance. The three sessions will be held at The Movement Center, 2134 N. 2nd St., Harrisburg, at 5:45 p.m. General admission for the three sessions is $25, $20 for Susquehanna Folk Music Society members. For more information, visit www.sfmsfolk.org.

Second Sunday at the Mansion

Jan. 12: Enjoy a lecture by Wayne Motts, executive officer of the National Civil War Museum, as he speaks about the treasures that the museum offers. The talk begins at 2:30 p.m. in the Harris-Cameron Mansion, 219 S. Front St., Harrisburg. A tour of the mansion will be offered after the lecture. Admission is free, but a donation of $5 is recommended. For more, visit www.dauphincountyhistory.org.

Fredricksen Library Book Discussion

Jan. 14: Sit beside avid book lovers for the monthly “Reads” discussion at Fredricksen Library in Camp Hill. This month’s book is “The Piano Shop on The Left Bank” by Thad Carhart. Event starts at 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.fredricksenlibrary.org.

Legislators’ Forum & Breakfast

Jan. 14: The West Shore Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with Harrisburg Regional Chamber and CREDC, will host a forum breakfast that gives attendees the opportunity to hear directly from Pennsylvania House representatives. The breakfast runs 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the Hilton Harrisburg. Attendance is $35 for members, $40 for non-members. To register and for more information, visit www.wschamber.org.

Breeders Sale of Morgan Horses

Jan. 14: Thousands of horse lovers will meet up at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg to view, purchase and sell horses. This year, the event will coincide with the Pennsylvania Draft Horse and Driving Sale. For more details, breeder and seller information and tentative schedule, visit www.morganhorseauction.com.

Peregrine Falcons Program

Jan. 14: Art McMorris, coordinator of the Peregrine Recovery and Management Program of the PA Game Commission, discusses the natural history of peregrine falcons, the population history in North America and re-introduction and management efforts. The free program begins at 7 p.m. at the Olewine Nature Center at Wildwood Park. More information at www.wildwoodlake.org.

Autumnal Vernal Ponds

Jan. 16: Observe and learn as the Appalachian Audubon Society sponsors a program charting a full year’s activity at an autumnal vernal pool on nearby South Mountain. Dickinson College instructor Gene Wingert will present the program at Christ Presbyterian Church, 421 Deerfield Rd., Camp Hill. Refreshments and time to socialize begin at 7 p.m., followed by the program. For more details and events, visit www.appalachianaudubon.org.

Juniata County Winter Birding

Jan. 18: Join the Appalachian Audubon Society in search of short-eared owls, Lapland longspurs, pine siskins and other winter birds on a field trip to Juniata County. For more information about the trip, contact Aden Troyer at 463-3117 or Chad Kauffman at [email protected]. For more details and events, visit www.appalachianaudubon.org.

Squash Hunger

Jan. 19: Farmers from across the state come together to donate excess produce to be made into delicious soup for those in need. The event is organized by the Greenhouse, a community organization dedicated to saving and sharing healthy food, and LEAF PA, which teaches youth about leadership education and farming. Stop by Mechanicsburg Presbyterian Church during the day to lend a hand in sorting and preparing the bountiful meal. For more information, visit the Squash Hunger event page or Greenhouse on Facebook.

Capital Region Council of Governments Annual Meeting

Jan 20: Hosted by the West Shore Chamber of Commerce, this year’s annual meeting and dinner will include keynote speaker Bradley Mallory, as well as the opportunity for attendees to network with local area officials. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. followed by a dinner at 6:30 p.m. Cost to attend is $40. To register and for more information, visit www.wschamber.org.

New Member Luncheon

Jan. 23: Connect with a diverse group of business owners from around the Harrisburg area through the Harrisburg Regional Chamber and CREDC. The new member luncheon will begin 11:30 a.m. at the Chamber building, 3211 N. Front St., Harrisburg, and end around 1 p.m. For more, visit www.harrisburgregionalchamber.org.

Harrisburg Symphony Society Fashion Show

Jan. 23: A brand new spring collection by designer Mi Jong Lee will be featured at the New York-style runway show at the Hilton Harrisburg. Tickets are $100 per person and include an open bar and luncheon. Proceeds benefit the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra. For more information, visit www.harrisburgsymphonysociety.org/Emmelle.

Pennsylvania Auto Show

Jan. 23-26: Motor Trend Auto Shows Co., the nation’s largest auto show production company, will showcase hundreds of new-model cars, trucks, sport vehicles and many more at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg. Hours of the show will be 1 to 9 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. the following days. Admission is $9 per person. Children and senior discounts are available. For more information, visit www.motortrendautoshows.com.

Foreign Film Friday at Fredricksen

Jan. 24: Fredricksen Library in Camp Hill is showing “From France,” the winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and a Golden Globe nominee. Screenings will be 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.fredricksenlibrary.org.

“Beyond the Footlights”

Jan. 25: Enjoy a program rich with cabaret performances highlighting the Hershey Theatre Apollo Awards nominees and recipients. The evening will also include a silent auction. All proceeds support the Hershey Theatre Apollo Awards. The show begins at 6:30 p.m., and admission is $75 (includes appetizers, dinner, dessert and program) or $10 (includes dessert and program). For more information, visit www.hersheytheatre.com.

Smallmouths & the Susquehanna

Jan. 28: Geoffrey Smith, fisheries biologist for the PA Fish and Boat Commission, will discuss the latest information on smallmouth bass and the Susquehanna River. Event begins at 7 p.m. at the Olewine Nature Center at Wildwood Park in Harrisburg. More information is at www.wildwoodlake.org.

Nature Book Pre-Sale

Jan. 30: Wildwood Park in Harrisburg will host a preview to its annual Used Nature Book Sale, 5 to 7 p.m. The pre-sale is for Friends of Wildwood members only, but memberships will be available on site during the event, held downstairs in the nature center. For more information and membership opportunities, visit www.wildwoodlake.org.

Musical Notes: Music in “Man”uary–Wintertime is guy time.

December 31, 2013 | by Dan Webster

It’s Manuary here in Musical Notes, unintentionally so.

Not to worry, I will make it a personal mission next month to balance the scales. That being said, what a stellar line-up we have in the wings of our winter. I’ll be advertising The Hold Steady early (editor’s order), Keller Williams and Todd Snider. The mentionables would be stealing the headlines any other month, but be sure to do your research on those footers.

TODD SNIDER, YORK STRAND CAPITOL, JAN 6, STARTS AT 8 P.M.

This guy is prolific, writing nearly a tome of records over the last 20 years. He’s unabashedly crass in his folksy lyrics and, on-stage, his talking blues style works perfectly into his bit. Storytelling is his cash crop, and my recommendation is to stream his “Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables” album, a severe and honest repudiation of the 1 percent. His stoner delivery, meshed with a strong flavor of twang, makes his songs equally funny and sad.

KELLER WILLIAMS, FEDLIVE, JAN 26, DOORS AT 8 P.M.

The one-man band has put his solo act in the closet temporarily, teaming up with More than a Little for his most recent album, simply entitled “Funk.” Think George Clinton meets Talking Heads. The first cut of the album, “I Told You I Was Freaky,” is a nonsensical rhyming romp, and Keller applies this absurdity generously over the 10 tracks. Get ready for the weird and funk at this concert.

THE HOLD STEADY, ABBEY BAR (APPALACHIAN BREWING CO.), FEB 7, DOORS AT 8 P.M.

This concert, and in fact, this tour, is wholly dedicated to the memory of Harrisburg’s Mike Van Jura, fondly and almost ubiquitously known as “Jersey Mike.” The band decided to raise money in honor of this change-maker, who championed The Hold Steady via The Unified Scene, a hardcore fan board. Not only are these guys dedicating all the proceeds from this sold-out show to a foundation for Van Jura’s kids, they are kick-ass rock ‘n’ rollers. Go back to their “Boys and Girls in America” (2008) for some gritty and witty messages. And, if you can somehow score a ticket, you and a couple hundred others can uphold Jersey’s creed that “Live music can make a city.”

Mentionables:

Marc Cohn & Paula Cole, Whitaker Center, 1/11, Starts at 8 p.m.
Skogen, The MakeSpace, 1/23, Starts at 8 p.m.
The DuPont Brothers, Stage on Herr, 1/30, Starts at 8 p.m.

Friendly Fire: Amid department upheaval, the Harrisburg Fire Bureau searches for new people, new ideas.

December 31, 2013 | by Paul Barker

Photo courtesy of Brian Bastinelli. BrianBastinelli.com

In my high school, in the office of a well-loved, lefty Jesuit priest, where all the lefty kids hung out at lunchtime, there was a poster on the wall with a picture of a firefighter, soldier, policeman and teacher under the caption, “We Say They’re Our Heroes, But We Pay Them Like Chumps.”

At the time, I didn’t know the pay scales of any profession, let alone emergency responders and members of the military. That was more the province of the weird kid who traded stocks in the library instead of going to lunch. Nonetheless, I liked the sentiment, and—without any supporting evidence, really—I absorbed it as one of my own. Somewhere, in their depraved chambers, I reasoned, members of the “Other Party” were whittling down the paychecks of people whose bravery they touted at parades.

This fall, in Harrisburg, the question of compensation for emergency personnel became a point of contention. There were the endless negotiations between the receiver and the firefighters’ union over benefits and pay, which, as of this writing, had still not been resolved. There were the departures, in September and October, respectively, of the deputy fire chief and fire chief, both of whom had been on the payroll for less than five years, and both of whom left with lifetime benefits for their families. And there were the eye-popping payouts for accumulated overtime, including the single, $19,000 paycheck paid to Acting Fire Chief Michael Horst in October, as reported in the Patriot-News.

In the midst of all this turmoil, TheBurg thought it might interest readers to see the department at the other end, from the perspective of the young people entering the profession. One reason for the high volume of overtime is that the department is understaffed: during the budget crisis, senior firefighters retired and weren’t replaced. Earlier this fall, the city requested applications to fill 14 open positions.

On Dec. 7 and Dec. 8, 54 applicants who passed the written exam moved on to the Candidate Physical Ability Test, or CPAT, which is essentially a 10-minute, pass-fail obstacle course for aspiring firefighters. The CPAT took place at the state Farm Show Complex, in a cavernous exposition hall with a cement floor and a livestock odor. The day before the test, TheBurg visited the complex for a demonstration. Our guides were the new acting chief, Brian Enterline, and two firefighter-EMTs, Nate Martin and Josh Winters.

For both Martin and Winters, fighting fires was a lifelong dream, not to mention a bit of a family business. Martin’s father was a volunteer fireman; Winters’ grandfather was a chief at a volunteer company in Quakertown, where his brother is now a battalion chief. They both wound up taking the CPAT three times, waiting for the city to go forward with its hiring process. (A candidate’s passing score expires after one year.)

“The nice thing about this test is, it’s backed by two national agencies, so there’s less controversy,” Enterline said, as Winters and Martin set up at the starting point of the exam. “Back in Altoona, they used to make you chop through a log with an axe. And the issue with that is, OK, I got an oak log, you got a pine log. The way things are laid out here, there’s consistencies through every station.”

Station 1: The Stair Climb

To simulate ascending a high-rise, candidate climbs on a StairMaster for 3 minutes and 20 seconds, wearing 75 pounds of weight representing the firefighter’s protective equipment and air pack.

Enterline: “High-rises are sprinklered, so your chances of survival in them are absolutely phenomenal. Your odds of dying in a high-rise building in Harrisburg are basically zero. I can’t say that for state buildings, because they’re not sprinklered. The state didn’t have to comply with our mandatory sprinkler ordinance that was enacted in the ‘80s.”

Martin: “You do three minutes on the stairwell with a 20-second warm-up. You can’t hold on to the handles. You can use them for balance if you feel like you’re gonna fall, but just to tap them. If you fall off, it’s a failure.”

Enterline: “We won’t make Winters go through the whole three minutes. You’ll get the idea.”

Martin: “I think we should, captain.”

Station 2: The Hose Drag

Candidate lifts one end of a fire hose over the shoulder and runs it 75 feet past a barrel, then heads right, takes a knee and gathers 50 feet of it, pulling fist over fist.

Winters: “Going around the barrel, you get some friction, which is the same as when you’re going through a house. Hose line can get caught on doorways, things like that.”

CPAT Manual, 2^nd Edition: “Running beyond the marked path gives the candidate a mechanical advantage by decreasing the distance required to pull the hose by hand. This advantage may not be available on the fire ground.”

Station 3: The Equipment Carry

Candidate carries a chainsaw and a circular saw, about 30 pounds each, to a barrel 75 feet away and back.

Martin: “You can set the saws down to readjust your grip. If you drop the saws, that’s a failure.”

CPAT Manual, 2^nd Edition: “Running with saws could cause injury if the candidate trips.”

Station 4: Ladder Raise/Ladder Extension

Candidate raises a 24-foot aluminum ladder, one rung at a time, until it rests stationary against a wall. Candidate then fully extends a second, secured ladder hand over hand, then collapses it again in a controlled fashion.

CPAT Manual, 2^nd Edition: “Skipping rungs would give a taller candidate an advantage over a shorter candidate and is therefore not permitted.”

Station 5: Forcible Entry

To simulate opening a locked door or breaching a wall, candidate uses a sledgehammer to strike a measuring device until a buzzer sounds.

Martin: “Realistically, by the time you get here, you’re a little tired. I mean, this looks easy, but now you’re tired, you’re stressed out, and—it is easy, but it’s not easy, because you’re a little mentally stressed.”

Winters gives the device three quick whacks with the hammer, and something like a tiny police siren sounds.

Winters: “In the test you’ll be going nonstop. We’re stopping and talking.”

Station 6: Search Maze

Candidate crawls through a 64-foot tunnel, navigating obstacles.

Martin: “These guys have had plenty of time to learn this. As somebody watching them do it, our job is not to lead them through. We’re just staying behind them, because they should have learned it by now.”

CPAT Manual, 2^nd Edition: “The candidate can return into the tunnel if they exit through the entrance. Failure to finish the event indicates a lack of confidence in dark or confined spaces.”

Station 7: Rescue

Candidate drags a 165-pound dummy around a barrel and back.

Enterline: “Obviously, the dummy drag is what it is. A dummy drag, to simulate pulling a victim out of a fire.”

Station 8: Ceiling Breach and Pull

Candidate uses a 6-foot pike to push a 60-pound hinged door up through the ceiling, then yank an 80-pound device downward, for several repetitions.

Enterline: “The push-pull simulator is for pushing through the ceiling and then pulling ceilings down, exposing hidden pockets of fire in houses.”

At the end of the demonstration, Enterline expressed a need to reach out to students in the Harrisburg School District. Among the applicants for the 14 positions, only three were residents of Harrisburg. “We need to get them invigorated to become firefighters in the next testing process,” he said.

He also reflected on the exodus of Harrisburg’s veteran firefighters. “We lost nearly all our senior staff through retirement, so we don’t have that senior guidance that we used to in the rank and file,” he said. “When I say ‘senior,’ I’m talking about folks that have been on the job 20, 25 years.”

When he joined the department, in 2000, there were still firefighters on the force from the ‘50s and ‘60s. Today’s most senior firefighter came on the job in 1985. “They’re all gone now because of the contract issues and all the unknowns.”

The evening after the test, I happened to run into a couple of firefighters at a holiday party. They had plenty to say about firefighting; a little about the politics of it, particularly the negotiations with the receiver’s team (“They don’t scare me. I run into burning buildings for a living”), but mostly about the art of fighting fires.

Everything in the field was changing, they told me. The manual of best practices was built on the combustion of wood, wool and cotton. But now things were made of petroleum products, and they burned faster and more intensely. One of them recommended a few websites, where he regularly looked for updates to techniques and technology.

Before we left the testing ground, Enterline had said something about the new hires being an “opportunity to rebuild and rebrand.” Perhaps what the department had lost in institutional knowledge, he said, it could make up for in new ideas.

“In my opinion, the way we’ve looked at the nine new guys we hired two years ago is, they’re our most important asset,” he said. “I mean, all of our employees are our most important asset. But these nine are a breath of fresh air.”

Financial Resolve: Start out the New Year on firmer footing by making these 3 resolutions.

December 31, 2013 | by Alison Bach

With the holiday season behind us, we can begin to think about what lies ahead. As we ring in 2014, we create resolutions with the best of intentions. The New Year brings us a new chance to make the changes we want to see in our lives.

Although money can’t buy happiness, having a grasp on your financial situation can make for a much smoother and more confident daily life. If you have room on your list for any more New Year aspirations, here are three financial resolutions that you really should keep.

1. Track your spending

Tracking your spending is the foundation for many other financial goals, including making a budget, controlling debt, implementing a savings plan and the list goes on and on. You must walk before you can run, and it is important that you have a good understanding of how much you spend and how you spend it.

There’s no time like the New Year to start fresh and build the foundation upon which a plan can be assembled.

2. Pay down your debt

Specifically, pay down your “bad” debt. While you may be enjoying the tax deductibility and low interest rates of your mortgage or student loans, there are some types of debt that you don’t want to keep longer than absolutely necessary.

Credit cards typically have high interest rates, and the interest you pay on what you borrow is not tax deductible. If you have multiple credit cards, your repayment plan should start by paying off the card with the highest interest rate.

In addition, talk to your financial professional about any debt consolidation options that may be to your advantage. This could be in the form of a personal loan, refinance or home equity loan, credit card transfers and more.

Tracking your spending and paying down your debt are two resolutions you don’t want to put off for another year. Why? The sooner you start chipping away at these goals, the better. If you get your finances in order now, you will have more time to grow your nest egg and take advantage of the compounded interest. Compound interest is the concept of earning interest not just on your original investment, but also earning interest on interest by letting those earnings “compound.” If you save $1 every day for 30 years at 7 percent, and you let the interest accumulate and compound, your $1 a day will turn into approximately $36,890. That is the power of compound interest.

3. Review your estate plan

Essentially, estate planning is the process of planning the distribution of your estate, and it is an important part of any financial plan. There are many tools that can be used in estate planning, such as wills, trusts, beneficiary designations, life insurance and gifting. This can be a complex process, and you should consult your financial planner and estate planning attorney to help you navigate the terrain.

Why is estate planning important? And why is it important enough to add to our list of New Year’s resolutions? Tomorrow is never promised, and you are not too young or too old to start thinking about getting your affairs in order. The benefit you provide to your family by having an estate plan in place is incredibly impactful. Having a plan in place can prevent family disputes, minimize taxes and give you peace of mind in knowing and understanding what your death or incapacity might mean financially for your loved ones.

Perhaps the most important New Year’s resolution you can make, however, is to take ownership of your finances. You should not feel shy or embarrassed to openly seek help and discuss your financial situation. Just remember that everyone has the same amount. You have 100 percent of what you have, regardless of what dollar amount that represents, and now is the time to get on the right track.

Wherever 2014 takes you, whatever your goals may be, let the motivational and rejuvenating spirit of the New Year empower you to make positive and lasting changes in your life.

Alison Bach is a certified financial planner for Conte Wealth Advisors in Camp Hill, www.contewealthadvisors.com.

We All Profit: Our new Community Publishers are ensuring the future of the social good we call TheBurg.

December 31, 2013 | by J. Alex Hartzler

The New Year brings a sense of re-birth, excitement and hope to Harrisburg and our region.

With a new mayor and a “Strong” plan for a new fiscal reality, there is a palpable sense of optimism in the air around town. As Dave Butcher points out in his excellent article in this issue, national demographic trends that favor the re-birth and renaissance of cities nationwide are also beginning to have a small, but perceptible, impact here at home. These trends, coupled with focused, effective leadership, a re-invigorated citizenry and a business community that believes in the promise of better days ahead, bode well for 2014.

This month, TheBurg turns 5, and we have much to celebrate. Larry Binda has led a transformation of our publication over the past year. Together with our lead writer Paul Barker, our designer Megan Davis, our sales manager Lauren Mills, our web designers and managers at WebpageFX (who will move their company and their 50-plus employees into the city in early 2104) and all of our many contributors, TheBurg has gone from good to great in under a year.

Equally important, leading individuals and businesses in the region have noticed our work. These community-minded leaders appreciate the importance of the public service TheBurg provides through engaged reporting. More than noticing, they have agreed to join with me as “Community Publishers.” Their names include: Select Capital Commercial Properties, Integrity Bank, Greenlee Partners, Capital Blue Cross, Sutliff Chevrolet (who also continues to support 3rd in TheBurg), WCI Partners (where I am also a partner), Consolidated Scrap Resources, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney and RE/MAX Realty Associates Ray Davis and Wendell Hoover.

Inside this month’s front cover and inside the cover of every month and on our website, you will find these leading brands and individuals. Each month, they— along with our advertisers—will bring TheBurg to you, free of charge. Through their annual commitment to TheBurg, they will allow us to write the stories, publish the pictures and distribute the paper you have come to know and expect.

In effect, these Community Publishers are joining with me to create an entirely new business model for a local monthly print publication. Implicit in their support is the realization that advertising alone is not enough to sustain a publication. At the same time, they understand that the entire community benefits from engaged news reporting—and that someone has to pay for it. The problem, in the age of the Internet, is that other media and venues are taking advertising dollars once directed to print. It is equally hard to efficiently mail or distribute paid subscriptions. The “free-rider” problem is endemic. Many, if not all, would like to see a quality product— particularly one that mentions their name and good work from time to time—but many more would prefer if someone else pays for it. Fortunately, these leaders have the vision to see and support this reality.

I call this new model the “all-profit” model, as in “we all profit” from having TheBurg around. Even though I have pledged to my fellow publishers to take zero profits (as in “none”) out of TheBurg personally, I know that I profit along with the community. Even though no one makes monetary profits, our lives are greatly enriched as we open and read the stories of our neighbors each month and follow along on the web and through blogs and social media.

In the end, our community life—and quite a bit of our personal lifestyle and standard of living—is greatly influenced by the stories we tell ourselves, about ourselves, in the public sphere. If those stories are undeservedly negative, as they have been in Harrisburg for some time, the community suffers. If we tell the real story—about the 95 percent that goes right every day instead of the 5 percent that goes wrong—we all benefit.

Let’s be perfectly clear: this is not about charity. This is enlightened self-interest that recognizes that doing well and living well are not measured by bottom-line profits alone. Conversely, it is the recognition that, while there are other measures of success, conducting a business that can pay all its bills is a necessary condition to ensure long-term sustainability.

Our community publishers “get it.” And, since they do, you too will continue to “get” TheBurg. We have room and, in fact, a need for more of them. You will know that we have reached our goal of financial sustainability only when each logo box is occupied by an actual logo. If you know anyone who shares our vision and loves TheBurg, please tell them about us and encourage them to join us. Most importantly, please join with me, as we say “thank you” to all of our community publishers for their wonderful support.

J. Alex Hartzler is publisher of TheBurg.

Leading Ladies: For HYP, 2014 will bring new, mostly female leadership–but that’s just part of the story.

December 31, 2013 | by Daniel Smyth

Renee Custer

Catherine Hoover

For organizations, a New Year can mean many new things—a new budget, new priorities, a renewed focus.

The changes ahead for Harrisburg Young Professionals are especially profound.

This month, HYP will have its first new president in two years and, for the first time in its history, the top leadership will be mostly female as Catherine Hoover takes over as president and Casey Curry as vice president. HYP also has a female executive director, Renee Custer, holding the only non-volunteer position in the organization.

“By the nature of our organization, being young professionals, we constantly bring in new, fresh ideas, and, really, that’s what speaks to us as we continue to evolve—having the new ideas and new membership,” said Hoover, who will lead about 1,500 civic-minded professionals working to better our region, taking the helm from Meron Yemane, who served two terms.

Hoover is the perfect example of this continual elevation and fresh thinking.

“I was first introduced through our sports leagues… then started getting involved in the outreach committee, and I did that for a couple years,” she said. “Then I chaired the outreach committee, and then got on the board of directors. Two years ago, I was the secretary, and, last year, I was the vice president.”

Since its founding 16 years ago, HYP’s primary mission has been, as its slogan says, to make Harrisburg “a great place to live, work and play,” a concept Hoover is passionate about.

“We are here to outshine some of the negative press Harrisburg receives,” she said. “We believe we’re in a unique position to really make a difference in Harrisburg.”

While HYP’s new leadership is largely female, the organization’s membership is still roughly split in half in between men and women. A similar ratio is represented in HYP’s executive board. There is also another male vice president, Ace Reddy.

HYP is actually designed so that leaders change often, with the presidency usually a one-year term. This fluid structure helps keep ideas fresh and, importantly, helps cultivate future leaders and foster leadership skills for the Harrisburg area in general.

“The second half of our mission is developing and retaining future leaders, and I think that’s largely what you see in our leadership,” explained Custer.

Hoover noted that the vibrancy of the organization also has helped attract new members, feeding the cycle of leadership and, more generally, helping the city prosper.

“Fifteen years ago, the need that HYP saw was to bring young people into the city and show them there is a quality of life here and continue to work to improve that,” said Custer. “As that happens, you continue to grow and grow. We do so many different things now than we did at our inception, and I think our impact is very wide.”

She told a story of economic development generated early on.

“This is a cool story. When HYP started, one of its first projects was to bring a Starbucks to Harrisburg, and that shows the city climate of that time. There was no coffee shop for people to go to in the city.”

Laughing, she explained the basic necessity of it.

“We have to do our work, we need coffee,” she said. “So, they started this Starbucks campaign. They got stickers, buttons, signs, flyers, this whole thing, and that’s how Starbucks came to the Whitaker Center/Strawberry Square complex.”

Though just one example, it’s a perfect demonstration of how HYP promotes positive change and economic development. This important role, in fact, was recently officially recognized, as HYP received the 2013 Catalyst Award from the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC for helping to make the region a better place to be and do business.

In its maturity, HYP now hosts a multitude of events and initiatives, including city beautification, outreach, arts, economic development and many sports leagues, along with other committees, social occasions and community events, all with a focus to enrich the capital city.

This year, HYP is working on a beautification project for the Market Square Transfer Center.

“We are partnering with Capital Area Transit on a large beautification of that area,” said Custer. “HYP is contributing new planter boxes and lighting in the area.”

Hoover also shed light on a few projects.

“Our arts committee will be starting new initiatives on cultural revitalization, and there’s also a big Forster Street cleanup, which our founder started 15 years ago,” she said.

This month, HYP will participate in a regional Young Professional event, where similar organizations from across the midstate will come together to network.

Later this year, HYP will conduct its Civic Survey, which it holds every year to take the pulse of its membership on a wide range of issues. While discussing the results of the 2013 survey, Custer explained what she found most interesting.

“We ask two questions, one after the other,” she said. “The first is, ‘on a scale of one to 10, rate the quality of life in Harrisburg.’ The next is, ‘on a scale of one to 10, rate the potential of Harrisburg.’ The quality of life question gets sixes and sevens; the potential of Harrisburg gets nines and 10s.”

In other words, people feel already feel pretty good about Harrisburg, but are very optimistic for its future. It’s the continuing mission of HYP to help to close that gap between potential and reality.

Learn more about Harrisburg Young Professionals by visiting www.hyp.org.

Music Traveler: Miles and miles gone by, Harrisburg native Koji stops at home.

December 31, 2013 | by Samantha Moore

On the odd occasion he rolls into town, Andrew Koji Shiraki (Koji) spends most of his time at Little Amps on Green Street in Harrisburg or the Climbnasium in Mechanicsburg. A coffee shop seemed more conducive to steady eye contact, so here we sit, beside the giant red roaster.

I ask Koji to “tweet” me his bio face-to-face: “Artist and activist, born and raised in Harrisburg, who works out of Philadelphia but spends most of the year traveling for music.” He’ll avidly tell me later that people can’t be neatly packaged into 140 characters.

In his army-green pullover, tall collar and wide Ray-Ban glasses that nearly match his almost-black goatee, Koji, 26, explains his history with the DIY (“do it yourself”) ethic. As a kid, he made punk rock zines (small circulation, self-published magazines), organized a fourth grade petition to change the dress code punishment at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, and set up his first music show at age 12. Later, as a teenager, he attended punk shows in D.C., New York and Boston, which gave him a feel for DIY punk subculture movements, such as riot grrrl, which addressed feminist issues starting in the early ’90s.

Today, Koji tours around the world doing music he hesitates to classify. “I can’t pare it down to a genre,” he says. “Call it punk, call it indie, call it folk. I think what it comes down to is that I make ‘people music.'”

As ambiguous as that sounds, most of Koji’s lyrics are based on improvisation—there’s no real formula to his writing—and his influences are sundry. He tries to be “as soulful as Otis Redding, as hard and as vast as The Clash, as direct and artful as my favorite rap records,” he explains. “And I want to make a statement like Pete Seeger or Bob Dylan.”

Koji’s rhetoric is so smooth that it’s easy to forget the diverse paths he’s traveled to get to where he is now. In high school, Koji helped start the Lower Paxton Youth Center, which organized poetry readings, music nights, visual art shows and food pantry collections. For a brief time after high school, he attended Philadelphia’s Tyler School of Art. At 18, he dropped out to join a band, but left shortly after due to a messy contract clash with the record label. For a couple of years, Koji attended Harrisburg Area Community College. He left HACC before graduating and decided to settle back into Harrisburg temporarily, still disillusioned with the music industry, he says.

During that period, Koji officially founded COLORMAKE, a Harrisburg-based arts and activism collective/screen printing shop/studio space that coordinated music and gallery shows, skate and bike jams, political demonstrations and more—think Lower Paxton Youth Center for young adults. Its headquarters was a warehouse on S. 10th Street, which closed after a four-year run following a blowout Halloween party. Still, COLORMAKE remains an online destination for artists and activists worldwide. Its Facebook page has more than 2,000 likes and its Tumblr page chronicles Koji’s latest jaunts. Currently, COLORMAKE is undergoing a makeover and is set to relaunch soon, so keep your cursor on the refresh button.

While managing the collective, Koji continued to write music and play guitar. In 2010, around when the warehouse was on its way out, Koji said to himself, “Forget it. I’m just going to go on tour.” (The “it” refers to his lingering disdain for the music business, not COLORMAKE). “So I put my head down and went on tour. Before the end of it, someone [Run For Cover Records] hit me up and said, ‘We want to put out your record.'”

Koji says he initially lied to his parents about how little money he made and about sifting through dumpster trash for food. Most of the cash he did make flowed into his gas tank. “Now I do tours that are [more than] two months long, 70 shows in 74 days,” he says.

In January, he will have just wrapped up a multi-country European tour with Into It Over It and Slingshot Dakota. But he’s already eager to play a homecoming holiday show when he gets back, his first Harrisburg performance in more than two years.

Despite having completed a handful of U.K. tours, Koji tells me that his favorite place to play is Michigan. “When I’m singing there, I look at people that are frustrated because they [outsiders] define Detroit by the decay and statistics, just like Harrisburg and Philly,” he explains. “It shakes me emotionally. It’s an underdog place. We have the same chip on our shoulder, the same unbreakable spirit.”

This compassion for others is what has inspired Koji to keep art and activism together. In addition to COLORMAKE, he’s worked with larger humanitarian projects, including Resolve and Invisible Children on the issue of child soldiers in Uganda, the Congo and Sudan. He also speaks and performs at universities, children’s hospitals and inner-city youth programs on topics ranging from international politics and lobbying to the music industry.

Above all, Koji says he wants kids to know that their voices matter. Just being able to engage in dialogue—to inspire young people to speak and stand up for social and political change—is a step in the right direction, he says. He excitedly adds that art has the power to open up this dialogue.

It’s clear that whatever paths present themselves in the future, Koji will continue to merge his advocacy with his music. And he encourages others to be equally proactive. “People really take for granted the gravity of what it takes to just live a life of intention,” he says, stretching down his goatee. “Whether you’re writing or making art or starting a small business or trying to be an excellent son or daughter, [strive] to not be passive—to really have a direction or trajectory.”

“I think maybe that’s what my art serves to represent.”

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