Thank You!

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We thank you for visiting - and for returning again and again.
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'Soprano State' Meets Philly

We joined The Soprano State authors Bob Ingle and Sandy McClure (pictured) for a wonderful party in center city Philadelphia last night at the world famous Irish Pub where Bob, Sandy and their friends celebrated their emergence as New York Times bestselling authors. Among the notables at the event were New Jersey 101's irreverent Jersey Boys, Ray Rossi and Casey Batholomew, the redoubtable Renee from nearby Rouge and Willie Nelson's piano and guitar tuner, introduced to us simply as "Tunen Tom."

If you haven't yet purchased The Soprano State rush out and get this NYT bestseller which details the true story of corruption that has pervaded New Jersey's politics, government and business for the past 30 years. Everything in the book is [sadly] true but it reads like fiction. The Associated Press called it a "page turner" and noted: "You start out laughing and end up pounding he table for reform."

Well, as you may have noticed we are among those pounding the table for reform. And we couldn't think of finer people than Bob and Sandy to lead the way - and more inventive rascals than The Jersey Boys to share the journey. If Jersey is to have any chance at all to climb out of this mess, we need more people like these folks.

After we dined on Irish stew and shepherd's pie at the Irish Pub we relaxed and enjoyed the balmy weather in Rittenhouse Square for awhile before heading over to Marathon-On-The-Square for dessert. There we walked into Philadelphia Museum of Art Director and CEO Anne d'Harnoncourt (looking regal as usual) and her husband, senior museum curator Joe Rishel. You can listen to my podcast interview with Anne d"Harnoncourt by clicking here.

We told the folks at Marathon how much we were longing for waffles and ice cream and even though it wasn't on the menu they quickly obliged with a heavenly version that sent us home ready for sweet dreams.

It was a truly wonderful evening!

Dems To Banish Joe?

From Robert D. Novak:
Sen. Joseph Lieberman's friends are certain that if Democrats expand their one-vote Senate edge in this year's elections, they will kick him out of the Senate Democratic caucus and, therefore, oust him as Homeland Security Committee chairman.
Lieberman risked the usual punishment of ejection from the party caucus when he endorsed Republican Sen. John McCain for president and actively campaigned for him. But with Democrats in a Senate majority of only 51 to 49, they would lose control if Lieberman defected to the Republicans.
After being defeated by an anti-Iraq war candidate in the 2006 Connecticut Democratic primary, Lieberman kept his Senate seat in the general election by running as an independent and now calls himself an "Independent Democrat." He became Homeland Security chairman under the Democrats' strict seniority rules by remaining in the party caucus.

NJ: Vote 'No' This Tuesday

Jersey voters get to vote on their school budgets this Tuesday, April 15.
I'll be voting 'No!'
It's not that I don't care about schools. It's not that I don't care about kids. I care deeply about both.
But school budgets climb year after year and they represent the bulk of our property taxes - the nation's highest property taxes. Politicians must get the message that these increases simply have to end. And voting 'NO' on the school budget is one of the only ways we have to get the message across - it's one of our only vehicles to drive the point home.
So much money is wasted at all levels of government that we must demand thrift and accountability. Every board, agency, commission - every elected official - must hear our voice loud and clear. Until we use our muscle at the ballot box, nothing will change.
Send a message - vote 'NO' on Tuesday!

Bravo, Bonnie!

Our friend Bonnie Grant is back where she belongs - at the helm of an important Philadelphia agency and ready to tackle the sort of Big Challenge that she excels at.
The Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Congress (GPLSC), a division of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, has named Bonnie Grant as executive director, effective April 1.
The GPLSC grew out of Philadelphia hosting the 2005 BIO convention, which had more than 18,000 attendees and an economic impact of $35 million.
The GPLSC strives to connect leaders in higher education and research institutions, venture capital entities, the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, and the health care communities to position the Philadelphia region as a world-class destination for meetings and conventions.
Grant has more than 20 years experience in marketing and communications in the education, government, corporate and non-profit sectors, including nine years as deputy city representative under Mayors Rendell and Street. Most recently, she served as director of communications for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition.
“The life sciences affect everyone,” said Grant. “From research to finding a cure for a disease and new drugs to treat it, to attracting new and innovative businesses to our region – this sector provides passionate and provocative topics that drive policy making and touch people on every part of the planet, all of which require the meeting of great minds. We want those minds to meet here in Philadelphia.”
And you're the one to make it happen, Bonnie. Congratulations!

Gala 'Electile' Premiere

Last night we attended the world premiere of the new political documentary "Electile Dysfunction" along with a capacity crowd at the Philadelphia Film Festival.

This new film by Mary Patel (pictured) and Joe Barber is really a crash course in the modern-day business of politics and it uses the 2006 Pennsylvania Senate campaign between Santorum and Casey as its frame. The production values are first rate and the film moves at a lively pace as it travels to Washington, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, rural Pennsylvania, Hollywood and many other places. One of the fun aspects of the feature is a series of TV exaggerated TV spots for fictional candidates. They're fresh, funny and just-this-side of believable. In addition to Casey and Santorum some of the notables featured in the film are legendary Philly PR guy Elliott Curson, political consultants Neil Oxman and Joe Trippe, actor Ed Asner, presidential grandson and son-in-law David Eisenhower, former Philadelphia Inquirer editor Gene Roberts, White House correspondent Helen Thomas and Philly TV anchor Larry Mendte.

Patel and Barber have high hopes for getting the film distributed and/or picked up by HBO or some other outlet. Voters can gain ample insight into how propaganda, persuasion and advertising are brought to bear on a campaign and what to watch out for as they decide how to vote. And the film is a must-see for students of politics and communication. Plus, it funny and entertaining.

After the showing we joined others at the post-premiere party upstairs at One just a few blocks from the theatre. At the party were we saw more friends including Penn State Abington criminology prof and author Sean Patrick Griffin, former Philly City Controller Joe Vignola, Philly PR Hall of Famer Nessa Forman and ubiquitous Philly lawyer Scott Sigman.

There They Go Again

By a single vote the New Jersey State Senate has passed yet another piece of tax and spend legislation and the Governor has said he will sign it.
No matter that the state is deeply and debt. No matter that we are one of the highest-taxed states in the nation. No matter that the state legislature and the Governor have done nothing to tackle the state debt or lessen the burden on taxpayers.
This time it's the paid family medical leave bill which will create a new state fund and tax the typical worker an additional $33.00 per year. Understand, that's just the starting point. It's a new fund for the state to raid and a new agency for the state to run.
Businesses in the state begged the Senate not to pass this legislation -- especially now -- but it all fell on deaf ears. So what if businesses are leaving New Jersey because the state is overtaxed and over-regulated. Why worry about that?
The vote was pretty much along party lines except that one wimpy Republican (isn't there always at least one?) crossed over to vote for the bill and a couple of Democrats got cold feet.
The bill's sponsor, Democrat Senator Steve Sweeney has been yelping and crying for passage for a couple of years. Sweeney's the guy who holds two state jobs (Freeholder and Senator) and also holds another job with the Iron Worker's Union. Sweeney said he would give up one of the state jobs but, guess what? He changed his mind.
Meanwhile, here in Camden County Congressman Rob Andrews will give up his seat in the U. S. House to run in the Dem primary against Senator Frank Lautenberg. And while that's happening, Andrews' wife will likely be nominated by entrenched Dems to fill his House seat.
The Inquirer reports: "The entry of his wife into the congressional race while he is running for the Senate set off a wave of criticism, with some analysts questioning his commitment to the Senate race and others wondering how voters would feel about being asked to vote for two Andrewses on June 3. Camille Andrews declined to comment yesterday. She is of counsel to the powerful law firm Dilworth Paxson, an associate dean at Rutgers University's law school in Camden, and works for an investment firm in Bala Cynwyd." (THREE jobs, again!)
So, if Andrews loses the Senate bid, his wife can conveniently step aside and he can move back into his House seat. Course, Andrews says that's not why his wife is running and we shouldn't interpret it that way. Sure....of course not....mmm hmmm......
You see, with unaccountable one-party rule you can indeed give new meaning to the term "arrogance of power."

Today's Hollywood Greats

Because I revere many of the great Hollywood stars of yesteryear people keep asking me if there are any current stars who would rival the likes of Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford or Carole Lombard, to name a few.

Yes there are. But with this one caveat: No one has been as beautiful or as compelling as Greta Garbo. No one. Garbo stands alone.

Now, having said that, let me name a few of today's stars who measure up:

Tom Hanks - This back-to-back Oscar winner chooses his roles carefully while cultivating his well-crafted image as a modern-day everyman.

Diane Keaton - A deft comic touch reminiscent of Lombard.

Danzel Washington - Reliably excellent and eminently watchable.

Penelope Cruz - So beautiful she takes your breath away.

Leonardo DiCaprio - A great public persona; really looks and acts like a movie star.

Diane Lane - Elegant, classic beauty and nuanced, understated acting.

John Travolta - A star through all the stages of his life.

Meryl Streep - Among the truly great actresses of our time

Daniel Day Lewis - Right up there with Brando and Olivier.

Jodie Foster - Maintains a versatile star quality, great range.

Jack Nicholson - An irresistible rogue.

Julia Roberts - Statuesque, with an intense vulnerability.

Will Smith - Endearing, and always memorable.

Others: Adrien Brody, Edward Norton, Javier Bardem, Julianne Moore, Emma Thompson, Juliette Binoche.

Maybe you can think of some yourself. Who are the great stars of today?

Writers Who Teach

. . . and teachers who write.
It's time to hail two winning professors from opposite ends of the generational spectrum.

The first is Dr. Maya Angelou of Wake Forest University. As USA Today writes:

She has been a professor of American Studies at Wake Forest since 1981 and owns an 18 room home in Winston-Salem, NC.
Now, she adds, "I'm not a writer who teaches. I'm a teacher who writes. But I had to work at Wake Forest to know that."
She describes the joy she finds in a classroom: "I see all those little faces and big eyes. Black and white. They look like sparrows in the nest. They look up, with their mouths wide open, and I try to drop in everything I know."
She has no plans to retire. She teaches one course each semester at Wake Forest. (Currently it's World Poetry and Drama Performance.)
She writes on yellow legal pads and says that even after all these years, a clean sheet of paper scares and thrills her: "I see a yellow pad, and my knees get weak, and I salivate. I know that sounds like coyness, but I have less coyness than modesty, and I have none of that." She laughs.

And then there's upcoming writer and novelist Tony Earley who is also a "writer who teaches" and a "teacher who writes." Dr. Earley is the Samuel Milton Fleming Chair in English at Vanderbilt University. He received his M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Alabama and has taught at Vanderbilt since 1997. He has been named one of the twenty best young fiction writers in America by The New Yorker and one of the Best of Young American Novelists by Granta. His first book, Jim The Boy was widely acclaimed. That was followed by "mostly true" stories called Somehow Form A Family. His new novel, The Blue Star has just won additional acclaim. here's what USA Today says about Earley:

Tony Earley didn't plan to take eight years to write a sequel to his debut novel. But after the acclaim for Jim the Boy in 2000 -- Newsweek called it "dazzling" -- Earley says he was "afraid to write for a while," worried he might not be able to match his earlier success.
Then, he tried "to do something post-modern, just to prove I could, but apparently I couldn't." After three years, "having figured I'd sabotaged my career, I decided to go back to Aliceville (his fiction setting) and see what happened."

These two professor/writers and their respective universities are at the top of my list.

And, BTW: I happen to know a couple of fine young writers myself who benefited greatly from their studies at Wake and Vandy!

Recall Effort Underway

The effort to recall Joisey's wacky Governor Jon Corzine is now underway and gaining steam.
You can download recall petitions at recallcorzine.now. All of the instructions are there at the web site.
As you might expect the law in Joisey makes recall very difficult. But if Caleeefohhnyaaahh can do it, why can't we? And remember that nobody gave Californians a chance to succeed when they started their recall effort. Yet, they did succeed in recalling one of the nation's worst governors (Can you even remember the guy's name?) and finding their way out of a financial mess.
Go to recallcorzinenow.com, read the directions carefully, download the petition and start collecting signatures. BTW: Every petition needs to be notarized but you can have a document notarized at your local bank or by any attorney licensed to practice in New Jersey. It's not difficult.