It’s Gonna be one of those posts…..
As many of you know, I’ve been involved in local politics seriously since 2014. I became a local democratic zone leader in 2022. It’s been a big job, but it’s largely akin to running the PTO, but with more far-ranging consequences. You’ve got planning for events, wrangling volunteers, and keeping…
Guide to Gift Giving
It’s close to Christmas, and as we finish up our shopping, it’s worth reflecting on the purpose of gifts in the first place. I read an article this am about how millenial parents are frustrated that their Boomer parents are showering their kids with useless stuff that just ends up…
FFS
We’re living in interesting times. The lead candidate for the republican nomination for presidency just wants everyone to give up and anoint him their candidate now, despite finally starting to face the consequences of years of fraud and treating the legal system as a cudgel to use against anyone he…
AI is Going to Change Everything
Working in digital marketing, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and what it can and should be used for is all the rage right now. If you want to understand AI better, the best source is really Chris Penn– who has an excellent set of videos and regularly explains what’s happening in AI…
Podcamp 2023
A small group of us, die hards from Podcamp Philly and Podcamp East, came together this past weekend for Podcamp 2023 in Philadelphia. There were amazing sessions talking about how AI and Chat GPT will pose challenges to those of us who are involved in digital marketing, or looking to…
Glad to Leave Office? I get it.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney is getting into trouble because he spoke his truth, saying he’s looking forward to a time when he’s not mayor. As someone who was a Township Supervisor for 6 years, I understand this sentiment perhaps as much as anyone. Being a local elected official may look…
Almost 80 Best Movies of the 80’s
Rolling Stone just put out a post of the 100 best movies of the 1980’s- and there are a lot of obscure movies that as a teenager/college student during the 80’s I never heard of. As a child of divorced parents, I spent a ridiculous amount of time at the…
Losing but not Lost
I lost my bid for re-election as a Township Supervisor. Elections are like the world’s longest job interview. I knocked 946 doors, speaking with friends and neighbors; sending mail out to people about what I stood for, and what I believed. I chose not to attack my opponent, even though…
Running for Office
I am a local Township Supervisor in Pennsylvania, running for re-election this year. Supervisor is a part-time position, and comes with a statutory stipend of $2,500.00 a year. that equates to about $5.20 or less an hour of meeting time, and other work we put in to help guide the…
Dementia
My mother-in-law has dementia. She had been pretty good at hiding her slow cognitive decline for a long time, but gradually, not even those of us who would have preferred to be in denial could avoid the truth. We needed to move Nancy out of her home and into a…
Truthiness in the Age of The Internet
I come to blogging through Podcasting. As a podcaster, I've tried to model what I do in interviews on the work of Terry Gross and Ira Glass, who have a way of making an emotional connection with their interview subjects and their audience by getting people to be...
Objectification
One of the largest problems we face is objectification- literally, treating or turning people into things or objects, instead of seeing them as proxies for ourselves. There was an article in the New York Times about a marketing firm hiring homeless people and giving...
Discovery
A few years ago, when I started podcasting and blogging, I knew I was doing something unusual. Being on what turned out to be the "cutting edge" felt a little weird, but I had good company, with a band of fellow geeks and nerds. When the people we told about our...
How We Look at Kids
Gary Stager, an amazing individual in education, and someone who always tells it like it is, has an undying passion for education, and technology in education. But unlike the folks who see computers either as electronic typewriters or gadgets, Gary sees them as tools...
The Rush Problem
I like politics, because I like policy. While I think there's a lot of times when more rules gum up rather than smooth out the processes in our Country, there are some functions Government is just better at delivering than others. For example, we all pay taxes to...
Making A Difference with Kiva
I've been participating in Kiva for a few years now. Kiva.Org is the world’s first and largest microlending website where anyone, anywhere can help alleviate global poverty through loans as small as $25. To date, I've funded 19 separate loans to small business people...
The Complicated World of Prenatal Testing
I read an article recently where Rick Santorum decried having pre-natal testing being provided for free under the new health care law. He contends that it just ends up in more abortions and lessening health care costs by "culling the ranks of the disabled in our...
Overcoming Fear
We all get scared. Often when we don't want to do something, the core of the resistance is based on fear- fear of the unknown, fear of getting hurt, fear of making a mistake, of taking on too much- insert your favorite here. I've spent a lot of time being afraid in...
Remodeling versus Redesigning
Seth Godin put out an interesting manifesto on education yesterday, called Stop Stealing Dreams. It's a free download and can be read online, printed, or read in any ebook format. I strongly recommend it to anyone even remotely interested in education. I currently...
Brunch and Boobies
Like many women, I have a tendency to place myself last on my "to do" list. Things like haircuts and personal upkeep get put off until it becomes a more urgent matter. Even routine health checks occasionally get left by the wayside, small things brushed off as...
Whitney Hoffman
Hi There! I’m Whitney Hoffman. I currently work for Mingl Marketing and Comfort Media Group in Philadelphia, PA
