Hooray, it's January!
No, really, I'm not being sarcastic here. It's a new year, and a new blawg entry, and a new chance to wax pedantic about Philadelphia (referring to my stalwart writing style, not the city).
Oh, by the way, today was Benjamin Franklin's 300th birthday. In Philly, (since all the marketing started) he's just known as Ben. But I must say that Tom Ferrick Jr. wrote a nice column about Mr. Franklin for today's Inquirer. Many cities elevate their heroes, placing them on a pedestal - but in Philly, we like to pull them down to street level and if we really like them we consider them one of us. We did it with David Bowie when he recorded Young Americans at Sigma Sound, with "Bruuuuuce" Springsteen when he hung out on South Street, and of course with Ben on his 300th. But then again, Philadelphia has always liked the guy - Franklin left a trust fund for educating young apprentices that was active until 1990! He wanted to provide for educating young people, but felt he could only forsee its usefulness for 200 years into the future - he was not sure how radically different the world would be after that amount of time. From an original investment of $4,400 in 1790, the fund grew to $2,000,000 in 1990. He provided a similar trust fund for Boston - theirs grew to $5,000,000. Amazing.
Switching gears, I came across this astonishing automotive aution site: http://www.barrett-jackson.com. They are located in Scottsdale, AZ, and I actually drove past them while I was down there years back (my friend Jay pointed out where they do the auctions), but I didn't realize they sold such amazing stuff. It makes sense, since Phoenix is the perfect climate (warm & dry) for keeping rare cars in pristine condition. (Choose the pop-up menu under "list by make"). There aren't really any prices listed because firstly, it's an auction, and secondly, if you have to ask... (ahem) - but it's still nice to window shop!
And last but not least, a thank-you to the guys at Two and a 1/2 Pounds of Bacon for the very nice mention in their blog article on Philly Style #7! I remember the first time I heard of the Wishniaks as a band - Manhardt said "Man, that's the BEST name for a band! Who doesn't like wishniak!" (or something like that...) ... I had to agree. Anyway, read the article for the great links at http://www.anditgoes.com for the likes of Alan Mann, The Daves and Beru Revue (who we used to go see at the Galaxy Bar in Somerdale, NJ when we were 17!)
And while I'm at it, I'm putting in a plug for Philly transplant Skip Heller - http://www.skipheller.com - Skip used to give me free coffee when he worked at a coffee shop I frequented... even then, the guy was a walking encyclopedia of jazz and rock'n'roll. He's matured into an amazing guitarist - definitely visit his site.
Well then! That's a lotta yak! See what happens when I don't write for a month?
Oh, by the way, today was Benjamin Franklin's 300th birthday. In Philly, (since all the marketing started) he's just known as Ben. But I must say that Tom Ferrick Jr. wrote a nice column about Mr. Franklin for today's Inquirer. Many cities elevate their heroes, placing them on a pedestal - but in Philly, we like to pull them down to street level and if we really like them we consider them one of us. We did it with David Bowie when he recorded Young Americans at Sigma Sound, with "Bruuuuuce" Springsteen when he hung out on South Street, and of course with Ben on his 300th. But then again, Philadelphia has always liked the guy - Franklin left a trust fund for educating young apprentices that was active until 1990! He wanted to provide for educating young people, but felt he could only forsee its usefulness for 200 years into the future - he was not sure how radically different the world would be after that amount of time. From an original investment of $4,400 in 1790, the fund grew to $2,000,000 in 1990. He provided a similar trust fund for Boston - theirs grew to $5,000,000. Amazing.
Switching gears, I came across this astonishing automotive aution site: http://www.barrett-jackson.com. They are located in Scottsdale, AZ, and I actually drove past them while I was down there years back (my friend Jay pointed out where they do the auctions), but I didn't realize they sold such amazing stuff. It makes sense, since Phoenix is the perfect climate (warm & dry) for keeping rare cars in pristine condition. (Choose the pop-up menu under "list by make"). There aren't really any prices listed because firstly, it's an auction, and secondly, if you have to ask... (ahem) - but it's still nice to window shop!
And last but not least, a thank-you to the guys at Two and a 1/2 Pounds of Bacon for the very nice mention in their blog article on Philly Style #7! I remember the first time I heard of the Wishniaks as a band - Manhardt said "Man, that's the BEST name for a band! Who doesn't like wishniak!" (or something like that...) ... I had to agree. Anyway, read the article for the great links at http://www.anditgoes.com for the likes of Alan Mann, The Daves and Beru Revue (who we used to go see at the Galaxy Bar in Somerdale, NJ when we were 17!)
And while I'm at it, I'm putting in a plug for Philly transplant Skip Heller - http://www.skipheller.com - Skip used to give me free coffee when he worked at a coffee shop I frequented... even then, the guy was a walking encyclopedia of jazz and rock'n'roll. He's matured into an amazing guitarist - definitely visit his site.
Well then! That's a lotta yak! See what happens when I don't write for a month?
posted by kenkramar at 9:01 PM
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