Local blogger Brian Conley, of Alive in Baghdad was one of two people arrested while reportedly trying to tape protestors in China yesterday. The story first hit my radar yesterday afternoon via a post on Twitter. Details were sketchy, but today's Inquirer has a few more details:

Brian Conley, 28, of West Philadelphia, and Jeffrey Rae, 28, of Wayne, Delaware County, went to China hoping to videotape protests staged by Students for a Free Tibet, according to Conley's wife, Eowyn A. Rieke. (See Conley's video blog at Alive in Baghdad.)

"We knew that the Chinese government is extremely repressive and that they might respond to any effort to get the word out about Tibet strongly," said Rieke, who is a doctor. She is 31 weeks pregnant with what will be her first child. "So I have been stressed and worried, but overall, in the context of things, what he is experiencing is pretty minor compared to what many people have at the hands of the Chinese government ...

Read the entire story at Philly.com

Today's Daily News prominently features a story on the role PA could play deciding the Democratic candidate for this year's Presidential election. Two thoughts spring to mind as I ponder the possibility:

1. Finally - The first election in my memory where a Presidential primary vote in PA might actually have national implications!
2. I wonder which of the two Democratic contenders, Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, has the most bias to overcome in the Keystone state.

While it would be nice for Pennsylvania to matter in national politics, it's the second idea that really captures my thoughts.

A songwriter from Kentucky apparently gets our strange sports pessimism, via Blinq:

And this one came along just in time for our latest Sunday afternoon unraveling.

Just like last week, Will Bunch is once again set to take to the airwaves. And if his pre-show post is any indication, a lot of folks are bound to have opinions on the question he tossed out:
"Is it time to get over 9/11?"

Answer in the comments, or if you're still up for the show (1-3 a.m.), chime in on the air.

I was driving home shortly before 2 a.m. when I heard a familiar voice on the radio. I soon realized I was hearing the launch of Will Bunch's next career as a talk radio host. That's when I picked up the phone and made my first call to the "Big Talker" in ages.

The experience stirred some thoughts on the future of traditional news media, about which I go into more depth at the smedley log.

Even more eloquent thoughts on the future of the news can be found at Slacktivist, written by another local blogger employed in the field of journalism.

The Modern Letter currently features an interview with Philly native Samara O'Shea. She's spent a few years out of the area, but it appears she's finally come back home.

O'Shea's recently published book, For the Love of Letters: A 21st-Century Guide to the Art of Letter Writing, is a primer of sorts on what many think of as strictly old-fashioned correspondence. And given how lost that art has become to most of us, a guide like Samara's might actually come in handy.

Click here to read the interview.

It seems Pax Romano has a worldwide fanbase, including one contractor on the ground in Iraq. Click here to sample the ground level perspective of one of Pax's readers.

I came to the conclusion a couple weeks ago that constantly asking players like Chase Utley, Cole Hamels or Ryan Howard about the approaching specter of 10,000 franchise losses was a bit like asking a newborn about the structural integrity of a house built by his great grandfather. It was really a pointless question, apparently posed by sports journalists with little imagination or creativity.

Yet, as our boys faced off against a much more mediocre Cardinals team last night, they did so under an ESPN spotlight - just as they'd played a Fox Game of the Week a day earlier. At least ESPN seems to have gotten their money's worth. But was this really the best draw a network could think of for featuring a ballgame? And does anyone in Philadelphia really think the 124 year history of this club, no matter how futile, should continue to be part of the thought process of players who were born in an era where the franchise was, if anything, slightly less futile than its historic average?

Or is that just the sort of thing that makes us Philly fans?

Other local voices in the wake of the five-digit milestone include:

• Balls, Sticks & Stuff: 10,000
• I've Made a Huge Tiny Mistake: 10,000: A Meaningless Number
• Phillyist: 10,000
• The 700 Level: Phillies Get That Pesky 10,000th Loss Out of The Way

In the fall of 2003, Fred Clark (Slacktivist) began gracing the internet with his clever online analysis of the world's most inexplicably popular book franchise, the Left Behind series. Still in the closing stretch of analyzing book one of the series, Fred recently announced this longtime Slacktivist staple will continue for the foreseeable future. This, thanks to the generosity of a friend who purchased books two through eight of the series for his review.

While Fred's thoughts on this literary phenomenon are bound to rub some people the wrong way (and leave others wondering what on earth he's talking about), his reactions are well thought-out and effective vehicles for exploring some of the most compelling and controversial themes in modern day religion.

Click here for Slacktivist's Left Behind index.

Random notes and impressions on the 2007 ACORN Presidential Candidates Forum featuring Hilary Clinton, Dennis Kucinich and John Edwards

It all began (as Marisa noted) with a medley of mantras in organic surround sound. It all began in a church that's seen notable leaders, from Martin Luther King, Jr. to former Senior Pastor William Gray, pounding the pulpit many times before.

*
1:00 p.m. - ACORN volunteers poured in on the fringes of Bright Hope Baptist Church repeating various social justice chants in succession. It was a thematic element of the day's events, echoed by at least one candidate during his address to those in attendance. (At one point, low-toned voices in the press section could be heard making up their own chants as the crowd waited for Bright Hope Senior Pastor Kevin Johnson's belated arrival to the podium for an opening prayer. Instead of "No justice, no peace," there was a slightly mischievous, under-the-breath round of "No pastor, no prayer.")

For most of the next two hours, several speakers took the podium, starting with Democratic mayoral candidate Michael Nutter and U.S. Congressman Chaka Fattah. The crowd of hundreds was then regaled with first-person stories from folks who'd seen the underbelly of American society, folks who wanted to impress upon the gathered throng the worthiness of ACORN's mission.

For more comprehensive thoughts on each of the candidate's addresses, one might try John Morgan's rundown at Pennsylvania Progressive. Booman offered some thoughts, and ACORN had their own running tally of sorts.

But here are my impressions of the candidates, in order of their appearances:

Just a brief thank you note to all the fathers out there today, with the realization that fatherhood is a title much easier to get than it is to earn.

Hopefully all the dads out there are feeling appropriate levels of gratitude for the occasion.

(A few Father's Day related posts are out there on the wire already this morning.)

It's always fun when you spot a fellow blogger in the spotlight, especially when it's a friend. The Philly Future community now has two such sightings in the same week.

In the just-released edition of Philadelphia Weekly, Marisa McClellan is featured for her newly established Stories from Reading Terminal Market blog. There's even a recipe of hers in this week's issue.

And speaking of recipes, Marisa's partner in cooking over at Fork You, the inimitable Scott McNulty, was recently interviewed on CNBC's Fast Money during Monday's Face2Face segment (regarding his status as "the Apple blogger"). (Click here to view Scott's segment via iTunes.)

Kudos to two fellow Philly bloggers!

In a Sopranos note of local interest, Paolo Colandrea, owner of Penndel Pizza (find w/Google Maps), played the ambiguous role of the man staring down Tony Soprano in the final scene of last night's finale.

The front page of this morning's Bucks County Courier Times features Colandrea in a story about the much anticipated series closer, but all they seem to have online at the moment is a slightly different piece from Saturday's edition.

Today is the day we reflect on all the mothers (or mother figures) in our lives, letting them know how much we love and appreciate them.

What are you doing to show mom your love this weekend? Maybe breakfast or lunch? Or what about a jaunt in this years Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure?

Today is the day of the America's largest food drive. It's being held by the National Association of Letter Carriers - yes, the folks who deliver your mail. From the NALC website:

NALC President William H. Young noted that the upcoming summer months "are a particularly critical time for millions of children whose school lunch programs are suspended until fall and their families must find alternate sources of nutrition."

"Letter carriers see these families every day as they deliver the mail,” Young said. “This food drive is one way we can help alleviate their plight and we encourage our postal patrons to participate by leaving donations by their mailbox on May 12."

Residents will be asked to leave non-perishable donations—such as canned meat, fish and soup, and cereals, pasta and rice—in a bag near their mailbox on Saturday, May 12 before their letter carrier arrives. It will be taken to the local post office and then delivered to a local food bank, pantry or shelter.

Click here for more on the annual NALC food drive