I just got an anonymous tip that supposedly, a major motion picture will be filming extensively on Penn's campus this summer.

Click to find out which film!

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By Michael Johns

It can be said that modern conservatism knows only two times. There was the time before him and there was the time after him, and those two times could not be more contrasting. In this stark contrast lies his larger-than-life legacy, and let there be no mistake: It is a legacy that will endure the ages.

As word of William F. Buckley, Jr.'s passing reached his many students, admirers and colleagues late last week, it seemed each had an account (some grand, some small) of how this intellectual giant memorably impacted and touched their lives, their vision, and their work. In the aggregate, they tell the story of a man whose immense collective qualities--genius, boldness, industriousness, persuasiveness, and (perhaps least appreciated) kindness and generosity--were without equal in modern American public life. Even in death, Buckley is bringing conservatives together more effectually than many conservative leaders are doing in life. It should surprise no one. To have had the good fortune to have brushed upon Buckley during this life was to leave impressed, inspired, and reinvigorated in the purpose-driven life that he lived admirably and which he cultivated in a whole generation of conservatives who, now in his absence, carry forward his torch.

It may be said too often of the recently deceased, but it must be said emphatically of Buckley: We will not likely see his type again.

Honestly, what is up with the Historic Landmark that is the Philadelphia Inquirer Building?

Read what Inga Saffron has to say on February 25th

Patriot Equities may not have fully sewn up the deal to buy the Inquirer Building, as Publisher Brian Tierney says in today's Daily News, but I'd wager a year's subscription to the Inquirer (what can I say, I'm partisan) that the building's two newsrooms aren't going to be packing up and leaving anytime soon. Philadelphia Media Holdings, which bought the Inquirer and Daily News in 2006, put the landmark white tower on the block last August. While no official price was disclosed, developers said the original number was upwards of $60 million.

It's not clear how much Patriot, a Wayne company that was assembled by alumni from Mike O'Neill's Preferred Real Estate, is offering now, but many suspect the sale price will be much less. The big question now is what will Patriot do for PMH. We know that Patriot specializes in lease-back deals. For all Tierney's broad hints about being courted by New Jersey Gov. Corzine for a a high-profile spot on the Camden waterfront, one suspects the talks are nothing more than a strategic flirtation. Why else would architects from H2L2 be prowling the newsroom here all last week, with clipboards and blueprints in hand? They're getting ready to renovate.

Now see this thing from the Daily News:

Deal or no deal? Tierney disputes report of newspaper building's sale
By STEPHANIE FARR
Philadelphia Daily News
farrs@phillynews.com 215-854-4225

A Delaware County real-estate investment and development firm has emerged as the leading suitor for the venerable Daily News and Inquirer building, at Broad and Callowhill streets.

Two officers of Patriot Equities LP, of Wayne, said yesterday that a deal had been reached, under which both newspapers would remain in the building and share it with other tenants.

But Philadelphia Media Holdings chief executive Brian Tierney cautioned that negotiations were just beginning.

"We're negotiating, but until a deal's a deal, it's not a deal," Tierney said. "We're not negotiating with anyone else, and we're not soliciting any other offers, but there's no definitive agreement."

Patriot Equities, which specializes in underutilized corporate real estate, was among 300 developers nationwide that had expressed interest after the building was put on the market last year, Tierney said.

And we'll throw this out there: what's up with what we saw on the Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia website?

I went to Philadelphia's Constitution Center last night to hear Dave Isay, founder of StoryCorps and regular radio producer for NPR talk about his work as a gatherer of stories. He said this is his life's work. How refreshing to hear of a man who has found his work, and that work is helping other people find their own stories and share them with the people they love. This is the human experience at its best.

Radio personalities are "different" from the bigger than life celebrities on television. Even though they have influenced me for much of my life, since I don't see them they don't project an overpowering sense of celebrity. So for example, Terri Gross introduced the evening. Wow. Terri Gross. I listen to her as many days as I can. She is like intellectual and cultural oxygen in an underwater world. And there she was a few feet away (I was sitting on the front row.) And Jane Eisner, Vice President for National Programs at the Constitution Center did the interview. I just stared at her, trying to understand how she could speak so intelligently, in complete sentences no less. Unlike politicians who speak in routine phrases or actors who read scripts, these public figures actually come up with intelligent observations. I love it. It turned out the "founder of Public Radio" was in the audience, an unassuming man, in an overcoat who started All Things Considered in 1971. (I didn't catch his name. Anyone know it? Bill Semring?) And he was just there, sitting in the audience.

Going into Philadelphia and sitting in a live audience a few feet away from live performers seems so retro, and yet so real. It's an treat, amidst my busy life, to occasionally experience these rather esoteric benefits of living within the orbit of this major metropolitan community.

If you're interested in storytelling or memoir writing, check out my blog entry on the topic at Memory Writers Network

I drove down to Philadelphia to participate in a Boomervision conference at WHYY, sponsored by the good people of Coming of Age, to help me figure out what I'm supposed to do with the rest of my life. While I was there I ran into a guy who grew up near me, so in addition to the panel, I got some memory sparks out of the evening. If you want to read my blog entry about the panel discussion, or the interview I did with the StoryCorps van parked outside, check out my blog:

Memory Writers Network

Jerry Waxler

Friday, November 9, 2007
8am-5pm
PA Convention Center

The time has come for us to stop talking about the problems in our neighborhoods and start acting. This year’s conference is inspired by the community activists and youth leaders who work hard to make our neighborhoods places of opportunities where people excel, ideas grow and dreams are realized. By bringing together young people ages 14-21 and adults from around the region, we will begin to create real solutions to the many challenges in our communities. Workshops and interactive sessions will empower youth to effectively address the challenges they face everyday and enhance adults’ capacity to nurture the potential of every youth. We invite everyone, both youth and adults, interested in making a positive and lasting impact in their community to “Step Up!” and “Be the Change”.

**This year’s conference will feature an exciting keynote speech by Ephren W. Taylor, CEO of City Capital Corporation and the youngest African-American CEO of a publicly traded company ever!**

*The conference will also feature a lunchtime comedy performance by Philadelphia’s own Keith from Up Da Block!*

For more information, or to register, visit us online at www.greatsettlements.org or call Amanda at 215-925-7875.

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.

What Do You Do After You Pray:
The Church's Response to Gun-Violence in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA, PA – With more than 250 murders after the first half of 2007, the city once known as the City of Brotherly Love has instead quickly become known as Kill-a-delphia, forcing many residents to live and operate in fear as a result of the gun-violence inflicting the city.

On Saturday, August 25, 2007, Philly Koinonia Ministries (pronounced koy-no-NEE-yah) will organize its initial effort dealing with this problem, the "2007 Gun-drive and City Fellowship". This will be an outdoor effort beginning at 10 a.m. taking place at the Dorothy Emmanuel Recreation Center, located in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia. To effectuate a change in our culture, we must not solely rely on the power of prayer, but also take responsibility with our actions to address the stronghold embattling our city; for our actions speak louder than our words. The organization identifies fear as the stronghold that simultaneously creates gun-violence, and results from gun-violence, and therefore will focus using this effort to present an understanding of God’s love to combat the stronghold of fear dwelling in this city as a result of gun violence; for God is love (1John 4:16) and in love there is no fear (1John 4:18).

In addition to the gun-drive (individuals will receive a gift card in exchange for their gun), this effort will also include an appearance by Mayoral Candidate Michael Nutter; messages given by local Pastors, such as: Bishop Keith W. Reed, Pastor Kevin M. Aiken, Pastor Chandra I. Williams, Pastor Daniel Sutton, Pastor Larry Anderson, Pastor Eric Mason, among others; performances by local choirs and other guest artists; and also a nonprofit/vendor area featuring more than 30 tables of advocates, businesses, and non-profit organizations that offer programs and services related to the focus of this effort.

For more information, please visit www.PhillyKoinonia.org.

Your dreams drive your life, but it's not always easy to remember those dreams. To figure out how you got here, check out my blog about Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Michael Vitez's book Rocky Stories. In my blog entry, I show how you can use the famous stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art as a writing prompt to get in touch with your dreams, the way so many visitors to the museum do every day.

Memoir Writing Prompt: Your Rocky Story

News Item:
Journalistic Fraud Damages 'Mainstream' Credibility

It's not that long ago that fabricating the news was absolutely unheard of. When Walter Cronkite appeared on our TV screens, people listened. When a major US publication put something in print, it was like being carved in stone. More and more these days, that's just not the case. It's getting harder to believe what you see. Even photographs, once considered to be proof of an incident occuring, can now be manipulated on any home computer.

The New Republic magazine, for the second time now, has come under scrutiny in this regard. The publication has been featuring a column called The Baghdad Diarist, reportedly written by an Army private in Iraq. When supposed facts contained in the column began to be questioned, the Army launched an investigation. It seems now the author of the articles has signed a sworn statement that quite a bit of what he wrote was made up. Back in 1998, this same magazine fired a writer for using imaginary sources and non-existent events in many of his stories.

That same year the Boston Globe lost two of their columnists when their integrity came into question. In 2003 The New York Times fired a high profile reporter for wrting articles that just weren't true. Also in 2003, The LA Times fired a staff photographer for manipulating photographs posted from Iraq. In 2004, CBS News dumped their long time evening anchor for basing reports on documents that were forged. That same year, the Boston Globe published photos of US soldiers allegedly raping Iraqi women. The photos were actually downloaded from a pornographic website, and showed neither US troops or Iraqis. In 2006, Reuters published pictures of the Israeli/Hezbollah conflict that were such obvious fakes it made insiders wonder how they ever got published at all.

The list goes on and on, stories are slanted and pictures are altered, to fit both the liberal and the conservative point of view. The American public deserves better than that. Politics, it's well known, is a very dirty business. Reporting the news should never succumb to a political slant. If an editorial statement is made, it should be labled as such. Editorials are opinions, but not necessarily a statement of fact. The image below is neither editorial nor fact, but you figured that out for yourself, didn't ya...

News Source: CNS News

Cartoon from Sid in the City

Philadelphia Inquirer: Putting the map on Philadelphia:

A multidisciplinary group of professors and graduate students is mapping and graphing job dispersal, incomes, health-care coverage, arts-related business, and about 100 other quality-of-life measures in the Philadelphia region's 353 towns and municipalities.

Temple is tackling the gargantuan project with the help of $2.1 million in two grants awarded in 2003 and 2006 by the William Penn Foundation. The nonprofit focuses its philanthropy on the Philadelphia region.

Magazine-style top-10 lists of the best places to live, or to raise kids, or to own pets, or to party, are not the goal, say project leaders. "It's not up to us to say certain community conditions are the ideal set," said Carolyn Adams, professor in the department of geography and urban studies and codirector of the project with Temple professor David Bartelt.

The goal is to make information available from many sources, and, in so doing, present a data-based picture of current conditions on this mosaic of nine counties, with about five million people, two million jobs, vast wealth and distressing poverty. "It brings public data to the public," said Elizabeth Halen, a Temple graduate who massages the torrent of data.

Check out this important local, informational resource here.

I think that a healthy democracy depends on interested people acting as watchdogs over the politicians they elect. That's why I started Keystone Politics in 2004 and it's still our mission today. Since then, the site has grown from being a place where only I contribute to a place where several regular contributors join the dozens of commenters and bloggers create great discussions about Pennsylvania.

Now, we're looking to become more aggressive in challenging the mainstream media, asking tough questions, and participating in open government and oversight initiatives. With that in mind, we're looking for regular contributors to help us in our mission. Above and beyond blog posts and comments, we rely on this group of core contributors to provide comprehensive coverage of PA politics.

If you're interested in PA politics and want to contribute, we'd like to hear from you. General contributors are great, but we're also looking for some specialists in:

• Western PA
• 2008 Presidential Race
• 2008 Congressional Races
• and more if you have suggestions!

E-mail admin@keystonepolitics.com to learn more about contributing to Keystone Politics.

You won't hear about it on Digg. It's not on Newsvine. Good luck trying to find relevant links on del.icio.us. It's nowhere to be found on popurls, or OriginalSignal. It's not being talked about on the blogs Memeorandum, Megite or TailRank track. There isn't a page on Wikipedia. And little reference on WikiNews. On Topix.com or Netscape.com, nary a peep.

Can any writer, editor, etc. at the Inquirer write from the heart what they are feeling or reporting any more? Or is the paper forever hobbled at the knees and forced to be just one big bad ad, compulsory blog (those writers don't seem to blog because they want to it seems they are doing it because they are told to as per the Philadelphia Magazine article for April), and press release?

Seriously, our newspapers are dying. I had this fabulous rant all done, and PhillyFuture saved me from myself and crashed for a while. I will start this ramble with have you read this? And....remember way back when Mr. Inquirer made a pledge? A pledge to save the newspapers and not monkey about with the editorial page? Remember? he came riding in like Richard the Lionheart from a crusade (or was it "Superman" with the appropriately placed sock? I guess it depends who is asking, or recounting, huh?)

I guess I shouldn't have believed a spin doctor, eventhough I wanted to believe him, huh? But seriously, is he finished? Has he exacted enough revenge yet? And is it not so obvious that the Inquirer is as much a vanity paper for someone's ego as the dude who owns the Bulletin? (I think I can gag enough at "the right time" there without adding this man 's carefully crafted version of the media...no wait, I am being redundant am I not ?)

I guess I shouldn't be shocked that voices like John Grogan were silenced and so many other have been laid off, fired, retired, reassigned? I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you would ask the carnival side show freak that is Rick Santorum to become an op ed columnist? I mean seriously, we already know where women stand in Rick the Dick's book - barefoot, pregnant, in the kitchen and chained to our men by nose rings. What more do we need to know, other than will he now finally admit he no longer lives in that damn house in Pittsburgh??

And then I discovered that Michael Smerconish has become the Double Mint Twins...I can now be treated twice as nice as Michael is cloned both in The Daily News and the Inquirer. Sweet. I'm seeing double...I wonder, is that a "two-fer" pay scale/salary?

And if that isn't enough, people like John Grogan, Karen Heller and christ knows who else have been replaced with voices like Lisa Scottoline ? Chick Wit? Is that or is that not the dumbest name for a column? I actually used to like reading Lisa's books, never thought she'd become a Chick Dim-wit. But after reading that first column I think I could make a better effort...scratch that, I know I could...but I am not politically correct, am I? Pssst, Lisa? I love ya, but seriously, this Inquirer gig was a dumb choice (you've gone to the darkside Princess Leia)...try a blog of your choosing instead (here is good)....and I am not the only one who thinks so as Citizen Mom has taken a stab at another Lawyer-turned novelist-turned Columnist...oh wait, that's Michael too, isn't is? Yikes, do I sense a theme here?

I guess I have an Inquirer headache...Gail Shister does too apparently as she no longer has a column as per Dan Gross at the Daily News who says:

LONGTIME Inqwaster television columnist Gail Shister has been stripped of her assignment, in a move that's been met with surprise and disapproval by many at that paper and at the Daily News.

On Tuesday, Shister was told she would no longer be writing her widely read column, and would instead be asked to do more pop-culture television features, she confirmed yesterday.

Should we be shocked? Nope...but if I worked at the paper, I'd be floating my resume....Seriously, should we start the pool now? How many years will it take before the two newpapers that used to define us as Philadelphians cease to exist? Or at least one ceases to exist? How long before the landmark building that houses them all on North Broad street is sold or converted to condos, à la Corinthinan or Naval Square? When will they silence Inga Saffron for having taste and sense that runs contrary to the opinions of those who are in the newspapers' owners pool who might not like the fact that Inga correctly tears apart dumb plans and ugly architecture? When will they perhaps demote someone like Michael Klein over an "inqling" someone upstairs doesn't like? Who is really safe at home at the Inquirer other that management? Who has noticed things disappear from the Inquirer like the drop dead excellent reporting they did on pedophiles in the Catholic Church and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia? And the investigation into former Republican Congressman Curt Weldon? When did that story stop getting reported on and followed? Seriously, the Inquirer is more at risk than the Daily News because it still seems like management and ownership is still afraid of the Daily News.

And Bill Marimow? Even he has been touched by the special curse at the Inquirer as he apparently has to take a break to fight prostate cancer...Not that I am making light of that, as I sincerely hope he gets better soon.

But I will leave you kids with a recommendation. Read the article on Brian Tierney and the Inquirer in Philadelphia Magazine. Is he the next Walter Annenberg? What do you all think? Here's an excerpt:

Press Lord 2.0
Can a self-made adman with big ideas and a Walter Annenberg fascination save the Inquirer and Daily News? Maybe. But when Brian Tierney's finished, the newspaper business may never be the same
By Jason Fagone

Mr. Thatcher: Is that really your idea of how to run a newspaper?

Charles Foster Kane: I don’t know how to run a newspaper, Mr. Thatcher. I just try everything I can think of. — Citizen Kane, 1941

.....Before he raised $150 million in equity. Before Tierney actually won the papers — then threw a party, complete with string band, and promised his journalists he wanted to build the business, not cut it. Before the ad market started tanking. Before he told this magazine in late August, and his own newsroom managers in late October, that he might have to lay off up to 150 people after all. Before he showed up at a Halloween party dressed like Superman, complete with the red underpants and attendant red bulge. Before journalists started programming his cell number in their phones under the name [bad word deleted] and gossiping about the caricature somebody had drawn of Tierney’s head in the shape of.....Not that Tierney had expected a slick operation. He’d run the city’s largest advertising and PR agency for years, so he knew how far the papers lagged behind the ad industry’s best practices. He also knew that the Inky was too important to avoid. If you were buying media for a client, you couldn’t buy around the Inky. For Tierney, it was infuriating, because as America was becoming this paradisical place for entrepreneurs, an entrepreneur’s autobahn, there was this tanklike thing blocking the road, with thousands of guys like Tierney riding the clutch behind it, in their black Benzes, yelling stuff that would have made their grade-school nuns turn red — and what’s worse, the Inky acted like it knew it was this immovable tanklike thing, and didn’t care.

.....When I meet Tierney for lunch, six days before Christmas, the Annenbergs are on his mind. I don’t have to ask him a question. Unprompted, he starts talking about Legacy, the Annenberg biography by Chris Ogden....A few weeks earlier, Tierney had invited Walter’s widow, Leonore, to come visit. She looked at Tierney’s office and told him that Walter’s desk had been in a different spot. Tierney moved his desk. “I want all the good vibes, good ideas, I can get,” he says. But in other ways, Tierney has made the publisher’s suite his own. On the wall, a new sign reads YOU GET THE CULTURE YOU’RE WILLING TO ACCEPT.....Tierney says the CareerBuilder guy “was so rude to us. He kept saying, ‘Tony Ridder, Tony Ridder.’ I said, ‘With all due respect ... I’m not Tony Ridder. I’m a little bit more like Tony Soprano.’”

....Tierney is such a pitchman that he will keep selling himself to someone he’s been paid to smear; it doesn’t compute with Tierney that anyone might actually dislike him. .....Tierney is a master of the bluff. Sometimes it’s a small bluff, specific to a crisis situation — for instance, in late February, when I called Tierney to confirm a tip I’d heard that the Inky’s next opinion columnist would be Rick Santorum, Tierney objected vehemently....He left me with the impression that my tip was bunk. I found out later that the talks were actually pretty far along....Tierney lied to back me off a story...

.....More zero-sum choices. One Lisa Scottoline may equal two copy editors; one year of Mark Bowden’s political ramblings might pay for a Natalie Pompilio to be rehired.

The Philadelphia Magazine article is huge...read it...and if you need to comment on it e-mail thaas@phillymag.com with the subject "Press Lord 2.0, April 2007". If you want to reach Lord Tierney, my best guess is btierney@phillynews.com would get to him....but again that is just a guess....it's not like we meet for coffee on the square or nothin'....

Hear that sound? That is the life draining out of Philadelphia's newspapers....it's the drip, drip, drip of more spilled ink...life blood running down Broad Street..is it just me, or do you miss certain voices at the Inquirer and are terrified by the "shaping" of the voice of this paper? Are we to all be just MooniesCan any writer, editor, etc. at the Inquirer write from the heart what they are feeling or reporting any more? Or are Philadelphia's newspapers just one big bad ad and press release?

Recently, we brought you our take on the battle of the local magazines in a post Main Line vs. Main Line. Today Monica Yant Kinney brought us Act 2.

We still think Main Line Today showed poor sportsmanship with their "wah, wah, wah we want all the toys" lawsuits. We recently compared for a second time Main Line Today and Main Line Magazine - we put their recent issues side by side, and for what it is worth not being in their targeted demographic, we have to say Marni Manko's "Main Line Magazine" trumps "Main Line Today". Sorry if that might be an unwelcome review, but hey, we are entitled to our opinion.

We will further note that based upon some recent experience of some of our members, Main Line Magazine is much faster at getting back to folks about requests for coverage of scoial events, etc.

The Main Line is more than big enough for two of them. May the best magazine win, fair and square with no further whining to big daddy the court system. If you can't win playing with all the toys at your disposal, please...just get out of the sandbox...

Monica Yant Kinney | High-society turf war presses on
By Monica Yant Kinney
Inquirer Columnist

Whew, that one was close. Just weeks before the publishers of Main Line Today and Mainline were to square off in federal court, they've agreed to stop disagreeing about whether rich and fabulous suburbanites can tell the two magazines apart.

Both will continue to run ads for eye lifts, tummy tucks and laser hair removal. Both will keep covering charity balls and boutique fashion like an heirloom-quality Persian rug.

As part of a settlement reached last week, Mainline, the upstart, will change its cover logo ever so slightly. And Main Line Today will go back to griping in private about whether the brassy newcomer with the matte finish will banish the aging veteran to the first-wives club.

Now it's up to readers to decide which - if either - of these two magazines looks best in their manicured hands ...."If you are on the Main Line and are interested in this sort of Botox, hunt club, Mercedes Benz sort of world, you might find one or the other more suitable to your needs," Mainline's attorney Roberta Jacobs-Meadway, a partner at Ballard Spahr, explained yesterday.

But would she read either of them? The lawyer has a solid defense:

"I live in Center City."

More than a decade ago, someone at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office approved Main Line Today's land grab. This month, the government wised up and denied it...The lawsuit, for those who didn't memorize my previous piece about this catfight, centered on Main Line Today's claim that it had the exclusive right to utter the words "Main Line" while courting the most desirable denizens of the 610 area code....."Applicant must disclaim the geographically descriptive wording Main Line," the patent and trademark office ruled March 7, because it is a "primarily geographical descriptive of a particular geographic area located west of Philadelphia, noted for high standards of living."

Credit, or blame, Google.

Oy vey! Enough already...of course we wonder,based upon this news story last week (there is a video to watch too),which magazine will be first to cover Main Line Plastic Surgeons and their on the border of porno "before and after enhancement/reduction/correction" photographs because after all, we're used to seeing these folks full frontal glam in the society pages, not full frontal on local websites for all the world to see. Yikes! Wonder who can match the gowns and tuxes to these body parts? Further note we are pointing this out because it is in seriously bad taste and slightly hypocritical (parents crusade against porn, yet they have their own body parts out there like the very thing they despise?) to have these before and after shots out there like that. And that is an opinion shared by many.