the smedley log - suburban scrawl

So this means I’m legitimate?

Today’s Philadelphia Daily News carries a story about bloggers and politicians. In the same room. Specifically, it sheds a little light on a meeting held three weeks ago in State Senator Vince Fumo’s South Philly office.

The three local bloggers in attendance were Albert, Tulin and some guy with the same name as me.

As usual, Albert got most of the good lines in (as well as the prominent photo in the dead tree version of the story). I spent something like fifteen minutes answering questions and talking to the reporter about the meeting, and the only line I got in the whole story was about Carol Campbell being out of touch and not too tech-savvy.

I just hope that isn’t the most relevant thing I offered during the whole exchange, but I guess most my focus didn’t jibe with what the story was really about anyway. In reading local blog reactions to the story, I don’t get the impression most people have any idea what was really going on at the meeting.

Some people seem to think it was something of a coordinated strategy session, which it definitely was not. There were no agreements to promote unfiltered propaganda. What did occur was a tiny bit of dialogue, including suggestions on how to engage younger people in civic debate. There were even some criticisms, but overall, we kept it civil. It was actually a little more productive than I had expected going in.

Maybe I’ll tie some of those ideas into my response to Jane’s question, which I should be nailing down over the next day or so.

Every time I say “YouTube”, I think “U2″

Ooh – a use for YouTube I hadn’t thought of, until now: watching video footage of U2. (Why I hadn’t thought of it before escapes me, because every time I read “YouTube” to myself, I immediately think “U2.”)

(Hat tip: It’s good to know I can always turn to Kim for the Bono/U2 material – sometimes I think she’s almost as big a fan as I am, and probably for the same reasons…)

Civic curiosity: any takers?

Jane has an excellent conversation starter regarding what our civic duty is – at least that’s the way I read it. But don’t take my word for it when you can read it for yourself. Read it, and then respond for yourself if you have any thoughts on the subject. Jane will be attempting to catalogue the responses. (As I also will at Philly Future.)

I may be wrong, but I think most people who read my blog will have already given some thought to this topic, and I’m curious to see what you all think (yes, all six of you).

Education, entrepenuership & opportunity

Thom, a local blogger working in Senegal, West Africa, has become involved with a lot of young women.

No, not romantically. He’s been trying to draw some online attention to 10,000Girls.org, an effort enabling Senegalese girls “to develop as self-reliant and capable women, through a self-sustaining organization run by the girls themselves.”

He’s asking for help over at Philly Future, so if you have a blog or website and could promote 10,000girls.org with a link or even a small banner, I’m sure he’d appreciate it. The girls probably would too.

Decoration Day

Cziltang offers some fine recollections (and photos) on Memorial Day (a.k.a. Decoration Day). Every once in a while it’s good to remember that the day isn’t just about kicking off the summer season or getting a great deal at the mall.

Another item that struck me was this site which, among other things, pushes for a reinstatement of Memorial Day to May 30, instead of “the last Monday in May” (-found via ALa.)

And finally, a running tab of Philly area Memorial Day posts should accrue here.

Goodbye, Goodnoe’s

This sad news comes from the Bucks County Courier Times:

After more than 30 years in the restaurant industry, Raymond “Skip” Goodnoe is calling it quits and closing the historic restaurant and dairy bar that has carried the family name for five decades. …(full text)

The Bucks County landmark will close its doors to the public this coming Labor Day. If it seems a cruel irony that such a business should announce its fate over the Memorial Day weekend, which has become the popular symbol of summer’s start, then at least it’s fitting that the establishment will remain open until summer’s symbolic end.

Here’s to one more summer with that delicious, locally-owned, locally-produced Goodnoe’s ice cream. If you live in the area and you haven’t ever been there, or you haven’t been there in a while, you’ll still have the chance over the next few months before it’s gone.

Happy being lonely…

There seems to be this unspoken (and often unconscious) assumption so many of us espouse. It’s the uncanny belief that “most people think like me.”

It’s most apparent in the words of pundits and partisans of a certain level, but it exists in many, many other people as well. It probably explains why I used to be so mystified at the popularity of the shallow brand of debate regularly occurring in a wide range of political media—I wrongly assumed people would be disgusted by it, as I tend to be. (It’s still possible I was correct on that one, but the cable news channel offerings don’t yet bear it out.)

It’s probably also the reason for the grossly over-used assertion that one group or another is “out of the mainstream.” It’s not that the assertion is wrong, so much as it often bears the implication that the speaker’s position somehow better represents “the mainstream.” What strikes me odd about this assertion is its predominant use by people who are themselves out the mainstream.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Seriously, what’s the inherent value in being like everyone else? But back to the political realities. [Read more →]

Friday Random Ten
(only just light years to go)

1. Whisper – Coldplay (A Rush of Blood to the Head)
“Come back and look for me,
look for me when I am lost”

2. Find the River – R.E.M. (Automatic for the People)
“Hey now little speedyhead,
the read on the speedmeter said it’s time to go to task in the city…”

3. Long Day – Matchbox Twenty (Yourself or Someone Like You)
“Reach down your hand in your pocket.
Pull out some hope for me;
It’s been a long day…”

4. To Cover You – Lost Dogs (Mutt)
“I would do anything to cover you body and soul, girl;
I would give everything in the world to cover you…”

5. Told You So – Barenaked Ladies (Stunt)
“I had myself fooled into needing you,
did I fool you too?”

6. Extraordinary Girl – Bill Mallonee (Perfumed Letter)
“And she’s not an ordinary girl.
She’s a million miles away in an extraordinary world.”

7. Trip thru Your Wires – U2 (The Joshua Tree)
“Angel, angel or devil,
I was thirsty and you wet my lips.”

8. Didn’t I – Jayy Mannon (mp3)
“Keep a lot of pictures in my memories of you,
never understanding why you didn’t follow through.”

9. Crash into Me – Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds (Live at Luther College)
“Who’s got their claws in you my friend?
Into your heart I’ll beat again…”

10. Noah’s Dove – 10,000 Maniacs (Our Time in Eden)
“In your reckless eyes, it’s never too late
for a chance to seize some
final breath of freedom.”

list linkage:
Ben, Brian, Ellen, Jess, Kate, Luna, Marisa, Sherri

Jack and Jill: the backstory

Coming from the typically talented Maria…

Featured blogging nominations

From Philly? Have a Philly blog you enjoy reading?

Why not nominate it? Offer stands until noon tomorrow.

Ken, Jeff, Cat and Matt

First, the encouraging news. Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling are finally poised to serve as apt scapegoats for the Enron debacle—quelling society’s customary fear that with enough money and powerful friends, you can skate past any consequence.

And since I knew the subject du jour was going to include aging men who have spent parts of their lives in varying states of baldness, I decided to take a jaunt to the local Hair Cuttery for what is now, inexplicably, labeled a “Signature Cut”. (In my case, the signature would be an easy one to forge.)

My hair cutter this time was a young man named “Matt.” My last visit featured a hair cutter named “Cat” – which leaves me with two lingering questions:

1. Does a really short haircut emphasize my lack of hair, or does it make it seem less pronounced?
2. What are the odds my next hair cutter will be named Pat?

Sorry – that’s all I’ve got.

Philly Newspapers sold

for a bit over half a billion dollars.

Stories from the newly-purchased here, and here.

Also Dan and Will (both blogging from the inside out) have thoughts and lists of relevant links for the curious.

I’m still forming my thoughts on this, but here’s one thing: after reading (politically) conservative responses to the news, I’d like to point out that the op-ed pages are for opinion, so they don’t really make such a great basis for accusations of media bias.

Everything old is new again

Something in my mind’s not making sense…

I saw a girl at Wawa today. She was singing “Your Love” by the Outfield. Well, she was singing along to the piped-in music in the store, which happened to be playing that lonely Outfield hit. But she knew every word, and she seemed to be genuinely enjoying herself. I guess it seemed odd to me mostly because this young woman was singing along to a song that was recorded when she was, at most, an infant. Though I didn’t bother to ask her age, or explain that the song she was singing was so old I’d almost forgotten it existed.

I joked to her that the song must’ve been on muzak a lot for her to have actually gotten the lyrics down so well. She responded with a smile, “Oh no, I have this CD at home.”

It reminds me a little of my niece, who was born in 1991. She discovered Green Day last year. It struck me odd that she was so into music that was as old as she was, a little older even. Almost like Green Day was to her what groups like the Beatles or Simon and Garfunkel were to me. Pretty scary when you think about it… on one hand, despite the qualms I’ve always had with Green Day, they’re lightyears better than most of the new garbage out today. Still, I’m not ready to think of them as oldie material, much less as any kind of equivalent to Simon and Garfunkel or the Beatles.

I’ve found that as time passes, the epiphanies I have are increasingly related to things that I’ve grown used to viewing as being current, when they’re actually far past their prime. It isn’t like I’m one of those people who stopped finding new music or experiences at the age of 22, but it seems those things that dominated the radio when I was a teenager will always have this twisted grip on my cultural perspective.

But I guess it’s that way for every generation.

Wild-eyed wonder

Another weekend is upon us, and as such, so is another Philly Blogger Meetup. Barring an unforeseen opening in my schedule, I don’t believe I’ll be in attendance at this afternoon’s festivities. But if you’re local to Philly and interested in meeting intriguing people, a visit to the Ten Stone on South Street might be just right for you…

In a surprising twist following yesterday’s Friday Random Ten quiz, I received close to a dozen responses, a few of which even had all three correct answers. Congratulations to those who found the right responses.

Well, the first 20 words were sort of gracious…

There really wasn’t much to elicit a strong visceral reaction from me regarding this November’s PA-08 Congressional race. There wasn’t, until I read this. It’s Mike Fitzpatrick’s initial sucker punch for Patrick Murphy, hastily set up by less than two sentences of congratulations. Then came the nauseating phrase too many politicians with no military background like to parrot: yep, the old “cut-and-run” line.

I know the Distinguished Gentleman from my home district has a baby face, but does that mean he has to act like an eight year old? Until Fitzpatrick became the latest to trot out this pathetic schoolyard line, I harbored no ill thoughts toward him. As of this idiotic statement, respect for him is going to be much harder for me to muster.

I know people who have served overseas in various periods of conflict. Some of them display all the chest-thumping bravado of politicians like George W. Bush. Others sound a more cautious tone, eerily similar to those often accused of wanting to cut and run. I try to always respect the views of those who’ve stepped into harm’s way for this country, even when I disagree with them. Why can’t Mike Fitzpatrick do the same?

(News of the press release reached me via Jane)

Friday Random Ten
(what about Headman Shabalala?)

A quiz, with possible prizes, at the tail of this post.

1. Changed – Fountains of Wayne (Out-of-State Plates)
2. Backseat of a Greyhound Bus – Sara Evans (Restless)
3. Exit Music (for a film) – Radiohead (OK Computer)
4. Kites without Strings – 77’s (Live at the LPPOA)
5. Celtic Aggression – Tonic (Lemon Parade)
6. Nada – The Refreshments (Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy)
7. Plowed – Sponge (Rotting Pinata)
8. Worldwide – Adam Again (Dig)
9. WWOZ - Better than Ezra (Friction, Baby)
10. Red Hill Town – U2 (The Joshua Tree)

Running with lists: Ben, Brian, Ellen, Jess, Luna, Marisa, Matthew, Sherri

And did I say something about a quiz with prizes? [Read more →]

So tired

I’ve been neglecting this space for a couple days, but despite my weariness, I wanted to note that my previous post unwittingly underscores the fact that hell can freeze over from time to time, as two of the top members of PA’s legislature lost their re-election bids in Tuesday’s primary.

Primary day tomorrow

Which can only mean one thing in PA: another opportunity to see a whole bunch of challengers getting trounced by the entrenchment (because here in PA, “entrenchment” is actually a little more accurate than a mere “establishment”)

America’s Hometown points out a study to this effect as it pertains to state legislative leaders.

But I guess it doesn’t have to be this way if the voters actually wake up someday…

In with the cool kids (local blog stuff)

One of my Philly Future comrades is in the news again, so to speak. The ever photogenic (and photographic) Albert adds to his already impressive string of media clippings. This time it’s the metro, helping celebrate his two-year blogiversary. You might want to congratulate him (or tease him a little – he generally dislikes being photographed).

Also, Tulin is seeking input from readers on how to make Politics Philly even better.

And last, but not… well, yeah, it probably is least: another round of featured blog nominations ends today at 3 p.m. Anyone who cares about Philly area blogs or blogging should feel free to add suggestions for the upcoming bi-weekly poll. (Blogs on the PF blogroll that haven’t been featured
are eligible.)

Friday Random Ten
(like an unopened letter)

(This list is dedicated to Aaron Rowand’s emergence as a Philly sports deity)

1. Fair – Remy Zero (Garden State soundtrack)
“When you’d hide your songs would die,
so I’d hide yours with mine.”

2. Helena – My Chemical Romance (Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge)
“Burning on, just like the match you strike to incinerate
the lives of everyone you knew.”

3. Your Precious Love – Marvin Gaye (The Very Best of Marving Gaye)
“And I, I’ve got a song to sing,
tellin’ the world about the joy you bring.”

4. I Should Get up – Teddy Thompson (Paste 21)
“I should get up;
I should go out;
I’m sure there’s something I can’t do without.”

5. Killermont Street – Fountains of Wayne (Out-of-State Plates)
“There’s a message for us
We can get there by bus
From Killermont Street”

6. Troubled Man – 77’s (Live at the LPPOA)
“You were a simple friend
I complicated you, then
I lost a simple friend – - all complications unending.”

7. Whoah – Midnight Oil (Diesel and Dust)
“Who maintains the drunken machinery
before we dream of a time
when those men come from West Point?”

8. Jimmy – Lost Dogs (Green Room Serenade – Part Tour)
“You asked if I was happy;
I wondered, were you sad…”

9. I Love You – Barenaked Ladies (Gordon)*
“I love you and you love me.
I love you, so let’s make a family tree.”

10. Give You Back – Vertical Horizon (Everything You Want)
“And as the vision fades
I’ll say I was blinded by your eyes – I felt them burn.”

Favorite: 6 (or 7, maybe 8… ?)
Least: 1 (and it’s still not that bad)
Seen live: 5, 6 & 8

The title quote is one of my all-time favorite song phrases—I like the imagery of it. Does anyone know which song? (if all else fails, I’m pretty sure this guy will)

The others:
Ben, Brian, Ellen, Luna, Marisa & Sherri (glad you’re still breathing, btw)

*Corrected, thanks to Melissa