Local Blogging Events

In NEPA we have Blogfest and BlogCon.  I know some folks who work hard on both events, and I've actually attended Blogfest a time or two.

(Blogfest 2010:  One of Mary Borthwick's sons, me, and a former Congressman; photo credit to Joe Valenti)

I've never been to BlogCon though, despite the fact that I actually think I write more than most other bloggers in NEPA.  A notable exception would be that over-achiever Andy Palumbo, but in all fairness, I think his postings that just have train pictures shouldn't count.

Anyway, and in complete honesty, I feel like I'm too old for BlogCon.  That's not a knock against the event, as I know that the topics are well thought-out.  However, I'm not interested in monetizing my blog and I don't really care about SEO (I barely know what SEO actually is*).  Should, by the way, I actually care about SEO?  It certainly sounds like very serious stuff, the kind of thing that younger types ponder as the sit and drink Pabst Blue Ribbon while simultaneously listening to Arcade Fire.

The above is actually far more about my insecurities as an audience member than anything else.  Words can not describe how incredibly uncomfortable I would feel sitting in a classroom during a blogging event surrounded by people younger than my oldest daughter.  My thought bubble imagines someone sitting next to me thinking "why's the old guy here?  At his age shouldn't he already know about SEO?".

Anyway, you can link to BlogCon HERE.  Note that the proceeds from BlogCon go to help fund a very worthy endeavor for local girls, SO PLEASE DO SUPPORT IT.
  
A close second on the uncomfortable scale for me is usually my attendance at Blogfest.  I don't mingle well, that is unless I'm doing it professionally (I stink at it then too, but at least I know I'm getting paid...).  Then there are the politicians, most of whom I don't really know.  That leads to the inevitable awkward conversation about me and my blog, where the politician tries to figure out if I'm worth spending time with; the answer is, by the way, NO.  Granted (and as previously noted), I have actually attended Blogfest though, which at least shows that I'm willing to try and engage in cross-human interactions every once in a while.  As for Blogfest 2017, well, I'm not sure.

I'd link to Blogfest as well, but there isn't a page for it yet.







(*) Search Engine Optimization

Blogger Meeting

Well it's nearly nine thirty on Friday night.  I just got off the phone with a friend and before that I was at the semi-annual blogger meeting in the thriving metropolis of Pittston.  Oh, and have I mentioned that I am running on about 3 hours worth of sleep last night?  

Maybe this kind of condition doesn't lend it self to any form of objective observational reporting, so I'll keep it to a short bullet list:

• It was a pleasure having something to eat with Mary Borthwick's son.  Speaking of Tom, since he is the most popular political blogger in Lackawanna County and there is only one other political blogger in Lackawanna County, does that mean I can lay claim to the title of "Second most popular political blogger in Lackawanna County"?  Just wondering.
• It was nice meeting Big Dan and Mrs Big Dan.  
• I had a great conversation with former Scranton Times reporter Jessica Durkin (you can find her work HERE).
• There is a picture of me speaking with Congressman Kanjorski somewhere out there.  It was nice meeting the Congressman again.
• Frank Scavo was there with some kind of bodyguard.  He must need protection from all those "Islam-o-fascists" that apparently are running amok all over the place.
• It was very nice meeting the face behind the blog of Loreley's Musings.  And a hardy "arrrrrggggggghhhhhhh" goes out to her.

All told, it was a somewhat thin crowd.  Rumor has it that Lou Barletta was going to stop by, but perhaps one of his scouts poked his head in, saw Frank Scavo, and immediately assumed he was an illegal immigrant (and we all know how Lou feels about "those people").

Have I mentioned how exhausted I am?

Anyway, that's about the best I'm going to be able to come up with in my current state.  Perhaps tomorrow I'll be rested enough to put more than a few errant phrases together.

Jobs? We Don't Need No Stinking Jobs!

Congressman Paul Kanjorski announces the prospect of 1,000 jobs coming to the area and Hazelton Mayor Lou ("beware of the great brown horde") Barletta immediately announces that he is opposed to the project.

Article link HERE.

Apparently Barletta wants to protect the pristine former mine land or something like that, and he believes that a "military style training camp" would be disruptive.  Now this facility would be run the by U.S. State Department, not the Marine Corps, but I suspect that Barletta would be opposed to Christmas if it could somehow be proven to be a Kanjorski idea (which makes no sense at all, because Christmas, in and of itself, doesn't involve sending public money to the Kanjorski family, but so I digress...). Regardless, while I'm not entirely convinced that this project will happen here, if it does it would be a great, great thing for the region.

I also think this is yet another example of how Barletta is a one-trick pony:  he sounds good when he is busy trying to scare the bejesus out of a certain audience worried about illegal immigration, but he falls flat when he talks about just about everything else, including his tenure as Hazelton's mayor.

After reading the story of Kanjorski's announcement yesterday on NEPArtisan I was skeptical about the project's prospects and worried that it might make the Congressman look bad if it didn't happen.  Well Barletta just solved that problem.  By immediately coming out against 1,000 jobs (in an area with unemployment in the 9.5% range and layoffs & outsourcing coming right and left) Barletta has just negated any advantage he could garner if this project doesn't come to fruition.  People are now going to be debating why Barletta is opposed to this, not whether Kanjorski is engaged in wishful thinking.  If this whole thing was Ed Mitchell's idea, then I have to hand to to the guy, as it's a stroke of genius.

This brings to mind a certain scene in a favorite movie...

On Thin Ground: Kanjorski & Outsourcing

I've been fighting the urge to comment on this all week, but alas, I'm going to give in.

Kanjorski's ire...local financial services company job outsourcing

The story appeared in the July 13th edition of the Scranton Times.

What's my take? Well it's hard not to view the Congressman's comments as being much more than the sort of posturing one would expect from a politician facing a tough re-election campaign. Of course I could be wrong, and if I am it will be clear as day for all to see, as the Congressman will be successful in doing something to stem the tide of the outsourcing. I doubt it though. Why? Well while Congressman Kanjorski enjoys the benefit of simply reacting to something he hears, the business referenced has no doubt been planning this action for a significant amount of time. As a result, I highly doubt that the business leaders in questions are going to react by saying "well Paul Kanjorski is mad at us now, so we had better scrap these plans".

For the record, it's not as if this kind of action hasn't happened before (both at this company and others, such as Met Life), without any noticeable results stemming from the harsh words of political leaders.

On the other hand, I think any kind of reaction on the Congressman's part is better than no reaction at all. What's more, I'm thinking that Paul Kanjorski probably does have the clout to actually arrange a meeting with the executives involved, which would provide something of a voice for those being displaced. About the only thing Lou Barletta could do in this situation would be to somehow blame illegals for the outsourcing.

For me, the events of this past week don't dramatically change my view of Paul Kanjorski. Opportunist? Yes. In the pocket of the Financial Services industry? Well maybe, but at least now he has the perfect opportunity to refute that charge.

Batter-up Paul: It's time to put up or shut up.