Be a B

One of my role models, Jay Coen Gilbert, formerly of AND1, is up to
some good again. B Lab is his latest thing, and it's part of a
growing movement that seeks to support private companies that do
public good. From what I know, it's seeks to be kind of like LEED
Certification has become for green buildings, a way for businesses to
earn a certification that denotes its ability to simultaneously be
profitable while generating positive social and environmental
outcomes.

Al Gore's Generation Investment Management is probably the most
well-known player in this "triple bottom line" space, but Al Gore
never supported my youth entrepreneurship program for ten years
straight like Jay did, so I'm not writing about Al Gore today. Check
it out . . . and if you're an entrepreneurship, you might want to
become a B too.

http://bcorporation.net/home.php

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2007/10/29/story3.html?b=1193630400^1540722

Campaign Stretch Drive

Next Tuesday in Election Day, so here in Philadelphia we're doing our
best to get the vote out for David Oh for City Council at Large. Some
are calling the seat David is running for the only real race this
year: the mayoral race is sewn up, most districted City Council
candidates are running unopposed, and the five Democratic survivors
for the At Large seats will win going away.

That leaves two At Large seats for five Republican primary winners.
One incumbent appears safe, and David is emerging as the strongest of
the three non-incumbents to try to wrest that second seat away.

So I'll be out this weekend with my kids, papering my neighborhood
with David Oh literature, and urging folks on both sides of the aisle
that David's the best bet for this seat. If you live in Philadelphia,
please consider going to the booths next Tuesday; and if you do, vote
for only one Republican candidate for City Council at Large: David Oh.

Move Here

I get a lot of random magazine subscriptions, but one rag that is
growing on me is Expansion Management, which deals with the world of
site selection. Over lunch today, I flipped through this month's
issue, quickly zeroing down on the issue's rankings of cities and
counties in various economic development categories. From there, I
made my way to a few other articles of interest, flipping wildly
through page after page of ads.

Until I realized that the ads themselves were the most intriguing part
of the publication. Most were for cities, counties, or states,
beckoning to me to relocate my business to their part of the country.
Indianapolis and San Antonio played on their sports teams' recent
championships, although noting that there was more to their cities
than just a great sports scene. Pittsburgh gave me a great view of
their gorgeous downtown area, while New Hampshire affiliated itself
with majestic pine trees and Topeka with its proximity to two major
highways. There were even ads from such bustling places as Hesperia,
California; Noblesville, Indiana; and Rutherford County, Tennessee.

No matter what the place or ad angle, the message was the same: move
here. It's a competitive world out there, especially as people,
commerce, and businesses become more and more mobile. Best if you're
a place to figure out what's unique about your place that no one else
has on you, and then tell the world about it. And, after lunch today,
I realize Expansion Management is a good place to do some of that
telling.

NBA Predictions

This is the year I'm going to stop making NBA predictions, I told
myself earlier this week. After all, last year I watched zero games
before the playoffs, I didn't follow what happened with Kobe this
summer, and in general I've had little interest in anything hoops.
But then I read some of these so-called professional sportswriters'
predictions and I think, "High on the Heat? Sleeping on the Raptors?
No, no, no, all wrong." So what the heck, here goes nothing once
again.

Atlantic - 2 Celtics, 4 Raptors, 7 Nets
Central - 1 Bulls, 5 Pistons, 6 Cavs
Southeast - 3 Magic, 8 Heat

Northwest - 3 Jazz, 5 Nuggets
Pacific - 1 Suns, 7 Warriors
Southwest - 2 Spurs, 4 Mavs, 6 Rockets, 8 Hornets

1st Round - Bulls, Celtics, Cavs, Raptors; Suns, Spurs, Jazz, Mavs
2nd Round - Bulls, Celtics; Suns, Spurs
Finals - Spurs over Bulls in 4

Facebook is Not the Next Google

Microsoft recently bought a stake in Facebook that puts Facebook's
market valuation into the tens of billions, making founder Mark
Zuckerberg look awfully smart for turning down $1 billion last year.
As a member since 2005, I've found the site to be a delightfully
entertaining way to keep in touch with friends and an awfully
interesting mechanism to observe social networks.

But the Economist rightly points out the Facebook isn't the next
Google: http://economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9990635&CFID=18941739&CFTOKEN=19080171.

Importantly, these and other social networks don't have the same kind
of multiplier effect as things like fax machines, where the more
people that are in, the more being in is worth. Most Facebook users
will attest that all the information and users can get a bit
overwhelming, extra noise that distracts from rather than enhances the
networking experience.

Contrast Facebook with Ning, a hot new generator of now 100,000 social
networks, which allows users to create their own groups within groups,
so they can socialize amongst one another. I'm not a user myself
(although, incidentally, I went to junior high with one of the
co-founders), but I'm told this function is less clunky than
Facebook's groups function, which are either too siloed, too broad, or
just plain silly. In fact, you're already starting to see
mini-Facebooks pop up that serve just this purpose: big corporations
are setting up sites for staff and alum, and there is at least one,
invite-only site for the rich and famous.

In the meantime, I'll keep friending people on Facebook and checking
out their goings-on on my news feed. But I'm appreciative of the
Economist for providing some context to Facebook's recent massive
run-up.

Sharing Cars in Philly

A nice piece in yesterday's Inky on Philly Car Share's rapid growth in
its five years of existence:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/10858352.html.

As the
article rightly points out, it's expensive to own a car, so high gas
prices notwithstanding, once you own one you feel like you should use
it. PCS turns that mindset on its head: pay for the car only when you
use it, and you'll find you'll use it less. And that means less
congestion on the roads, pollution in the air, and natural resources
out of the ground.

It doesn't hurt that the fees are cheap and the cars are cool - the
last time I used it was when my wife was using our car and I had to
drive out to the far burbs for a client presentation, so I got to
drive a brand-new blue Honda hybrid. So keep up the good work, PCS,
and let's get more people out of their cars and using yours.

Bicycles in Philadelphia

You might be surprised to find out how preeminent biking is in Philadelphia.  But we host the nation's most prominent cycling race, Fairmount Park is mountain biking utopia, and Philadelphia has more bike lane miles than any other city on the East Coast.  And now there's a groundswell of interest in initiating a "Philly Bike Share," much like Velib in Paris, which would be freaking sweet:

http://theilladelph.blogspot.com/2007/09/phillycarshare-say-hello-to-your-new.html

http://bcgp.blogspot.com/

Bicycle riders, unite to make this happen!

Gentrification in Philadelphia

A nice, balanced piece about gentrification in Philadelphia in today's
Inky: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/currents/10848357.html.

It rightly notes that while suburbanites cheer when property values go
up, a lot of city folk who have lived through "urban renewal" are
leery when it happens to them. It rightly points out that there are
places and people who need help dealing with shifting real estate
markets and financial vehicles. And it rightly calls for education
and transparency and good public policy to help such places and
people. Keep an eye out.

How to Really Serve in the City

Recently, I was asked by a friend of mine to share with her church's
college group about being a Christian in a big city. I think she and
others were expecting me to sound the usual themes of volunteering in
a soup kitchen or serving among the homeless or working with the
addicted.

But I didn't go that route. After all, not many of those I spoke to
are going to work full-time in a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter or
a substance abuse clinic. Encouraging them in those directions might
make for an eye-opening night of service, but likely not much more.
Even worse, it might reinforce peoples' stereotypes of urban folks, or
make people feel like they could check "did my urban thing" off their
Christian checklist and go on with their lives.

But even for those whom God has not called to live, work, and play in
urban settings, there's more that can be experienced. Free-market
capitalist that I am, I still understand that there are inefficiencies
in the economic system, not to mention the residue of countless cycles
of personal and systemic evil, that have led to pockets of misery,
injustice, and ruin in our cities. Misery, injustice, and ruin that
God surprisingly has a lot to say about in the Bible, to the point
where if you read it enough, you begin to realize that maybe it
matters a great deal to Him.

And so it should for us too, urban Christian or not. And so I held
court on tax policy and transportation funding and economic
development. Because I wanted my listeners to understand how cities
work, how decisions that you read about in the paper have consequences
for the least among us, and what tangible things we as Christians - if
in fact we care about what and who God cares about - can do to get
involved and to do right.

So let people serve in soup kitchens and homeless shelters and
substance abuse clinics. I don't downplay such opportunities; in
fact, they are an important part of putting a human face to the
misery, injustice, and ruin that result from broader forces. But if
you ask me to share about what it looks like to be an urban Christian,
I have to start by telling you about those broader forces.

Christians: Move Towards Need, Not Comfort

Over ten years ago, John Piper, Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church,
gave a sermon in which his Bible test was the 13th chapter of Hebrews,
verses 12 to 16:
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByScripture/26/1011_Let_Us_Go_With_Jesus_Bearing_Reproach/

How do I know? My friend interned there during the time, and sent me
the tape. He thought I'd enjoy it. He was right.

The sermon was entitled, "Let Us Go With Jesus Bearing Reproach," and
the central exhortation was for Christians to "move toward need, not
comfort." The passage in the Bible notes that just as priests
sacrificed animals outside the camp (verse 11), so Jesus died outside
the camp (12), and that we therefore should also go bearing His
reproach (13), and we could do this because this life is not what
we're living for (14).

Whew, that's a lot there! But it speaks to a mindset that says no to
hunkering down for this world's material comforts, and yes to
radically following Jesus for the prize that awaits us in the life to
come. Here in America, comfort is king; or, to put it in more
spiritualized terms, comfort is a god, a god that competes with the
one true God for our attention and allegiance.

When I first heard this sermon, in my mid-twenties, the fork in the
road was a job that paid well and offered prestige and accolades
versus a job in which I could advance the Kingdom of God. A decade
later, in my mid-thirties, the fork in the road is a life of comfort
and happiness with my wife, kids, and house, versus a life in which I
can advance the Kingdom of God.

Of course, I shouldn't be so black-and-white as to say these divergent
paths are actually divergent. One can pursue the Kingdom of God in a
well-paying job, and one can pursue the Kingdom of God with a wife,
kids, and house. To call one road disobedient and the other obedient,
and then to choose the obedient road, can easily become yet another
way in which we exalt and trust ourselves instead of God.

Nevertheless, there is something to be said about the seduction of the
comfort of this world. Especially after 9/11, Americans did a lot
of hunkering down; and, thanks to a booming economy, upper- and
middle-class folks like me had the dough to buy nice houses, fix them
up real good, and "cocoon" ourselves with ever more elaborate garages,
backyards, and home entertainment centers.

And yet how does the money and effort we've invested into our earthly
residences compare with that which we've invested into our heavenly
ones? When the Bible is clear that the call to the follower of Jesus
is to move toward need, not comfort, how many of us are found going
the other way? When given the choice between worldly riches and
praise and following in the reproach of our Savior, do we have the
faith to see that in fact the latter offers the far better payoff?

This morning concludes my study of the book of Hebrews, and
coincidentally brings me to a section of the Bible that I heard a
sermon on almost exactly ten years ago. The message contained within
it hit me like a bolt of lightning then, when I was in my twenties,
and so it hits me today, when I am in my thirties. And as I learned
yesterday, Jesus is the same throughout it all, such that when I am in
my forties and fifties and sixties and on, I can hear this same
message and trust that the One who is calling me to move toward need
and not comfort can be trusted to make such a path pay off for
eternity.

Le Livre De Visage

Penn's student-run paper ran a nice piece about Facebook's explosive
growth outside the US:
http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com/media/storage/paper882/news/2007/10/26/News/Friend.Me.In.A.Dozen.Different.Languages-3059564.shtml.

What a nice way for students abroad for the summer/semester to stay
in touch with the happy haps of their friends back in the US:
pictures, milestones, and "pokes."

When I was a child, my mom would show us holiday newsletters from
friends and family from around the world: once-a-year updates with
pictures to give us a sense of what everyone was up to. Now we can do
this in real-time via social networking sites, blogs, and cell phones.

Of course, it's no replacement for meeting face to face; but it's
still nice to catch up in cyberspace on how the kids are doing and
who's working where and what fun things people are up to. You know
where to find us; where can we find you?

Jesus Christ is the Same Yesterday and Today and Forever

Our firm recently completed a study on transit-oriented development, in which one of our main points was the necessity of transit certainty for meaningful development to take place near transit stops.  In other words, being near a transit stop, whether to live, work, or play, is only as valuable as you are certain that the line(s) served by that stop will continue to operate into the future.  And so developers, whose job is to make money by providing value to those who will use that which they develop, despise uncertainty; minimize or eliminate that uncertainty and you will create a much more conducive environment for developers to build in.

I am reminded of this concept this morning as I get the the 13th chapter of the book of Hebrews, and particularly to verses 5 through 8:

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you," so that we confidently say, "the Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.  What will man do to me?"  Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

In life, as in real estate, risk is bad.  This passage seems to suggest that we can live lives of faith precisely because there is no risk involved in Jesus being Jesus.  You may know that this book was written to Christians during a time of great persecution.  To be a Christian during this period was to incur a great deal of risk.  And yet the author's message in that light is that we ought to respond to that risk by anchoring ourselves on the certainty of Jesus being Jesus.

When there is uncertainty associated with the future survival of a transit line, as has often been the case here in Philadelphia, developers are reluctant or outright resistant to building anything that is intended to capitalize on the accessibility associated with that transit line; they choose instead to diversify their projects, mixing in other sites or avoiding transit-proximate locations altogether.  And in life, when we doubt that Jesus will be Jesus, we can tend not to build our lives around His truths and His purposes, opting instead to diversify our commitments and allegiances to other "gods" that we can turn to if the one true God lets us down.

But the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's recent long-term funding commitment to SEPTA signals an era when much uncertainty regarding transit service has been eliminated and thus when developers can have confidence that projects near transit stops will enjoy the value that access provides.  And this morning, I am reminded that Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever, so I can confidently build my life around Him.  It may seem a risky move, but it is the surest thing around.

Character Counts

A nice piece in the Grey Lady about the decency of the Colorado
Rockies baseball players:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/23/sports/baseball/23rockies.html?ref=baseball.

It sounds trite, but character counts. Even my toddler daughter Jada
knows that, from watching a musical DVD called "Character Counts."
Would that people of faith be people of character, and thus have a
leavening effect on their workplaces and communities. After all, not
everyone can work towards winning a World Series, but everyone can be
a good co-worker and neighbor.

Transit-Oriented Development in Philadelphia

This past week, we presented our report on transit-oriented
development in Philadelphia to a packed audience at the Cira Centre.
If you're familiar with the term, you probably think first of suburban
locations or else infrastructure investment in newer cities like
Denver or Phoenix. A gritty, old, decaying city like Philadelphia is
probably the last image that would cross your mind.

Except transit-oriented development is as old as Philadelphia's oldest
neighborhoods. Where I live in University City wouldn't be what it is
today if it weren't for the trolley lines that connected the area to
Center City. When this City peaked in population before World War II,
residential, retail, and commercial uses clustered around transit
stops, as people used foot and rail to get to their jobs and to
shopping.

Of course, in the 50 years that followed, the car became king, the
Northeast bled population, and cities emptied. So areas around
transit were in the worst shape, physically and visually. And with
our transit agency perpetually at the brink of financial catastrophe,
nobody wanted to live near transit and no one wanted to build near
transit.

But we still have that transit infrastructure, which our firm recently
valued at north of $15 billion; newer cities are spending into the
billions for the sort of infrastructure that we already have.
Center City is as vibrant as ever, as a hub for housing and commerce
and cultural and recreation, creating value for transit stops that can
quickly get you down there. And, largely spurred by a ten-year tax
abatement, development is booming in Center City and in the
neighborhoods. Even better, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania just
stepped up with a long-term funding commitment for SEPTA, releasing
them from the anxiety associated with having to constantly function in
survival mode.

In other words, the time is right to push for transit-oriented
development, and to make it work for Philadelphia's neighborhoods.
The Cira Centre, which is literally perched on top of 30th Street
Station, and which is the second busiest train station in the US, is a
great case study in capturing the value of being able to get places.

Neighborhood stops might not be able to run you to New York or DC in a
straight line, but their access to Center City and other locations
means access to jobs and shopping for working families, and the
opportunity to minimize or even eliminate the expense of owning a car.
And it's not just about where you can go - clustering retail options
and pedestrian walkways around these stops means they become
destinations just as much as gateways.

Look for our report at www.neighborhoodsnowphila.org, and make your
contribution to seeing that we do more of this in Philadelphia. We
have all the raw material, and we are building the will; now all that
is left is execution and endurance.

RETIRING IN OAKLAND

Some people want to retire to exotic places like Costa Rica, Trinidad,
or Greece. Me? Give me Oakland.

Growing up in the Bay Area, Oakland was the ugly blue-collar
step-sister to San Francisco's refined wine-and-cheese set. San Fran
won Super Bowls with class and style, while Oakland said, "Just win,
baby." And while pockets of the Bay Area boomed during the tech
run-up, Oakland's real estate market and political environment
stumbled along.

It's still not one of the ritzier parts of the Bay Area, but it is on
the upswing. Thankfully, these positive developments haven't taken away
from the character or diversity of this historic city; they've just
enhanced the existing quality of life.

Even better, from what I've read, transit is starting to get its due
in terms of use and orientation; I guess even Californians have a
threshold for traffic-related aggravations. And thank goodness;
hemmed in by water and mountains and still growing in population,
there's simply no better way to develop that greases vibrant commerce
and sustains healthy neighborhoods.

So others can take their tropical, mountaintop, or high-rent
retirement destinations. I'll take dense, urban,
neighborhood-centric, and ethnically rich Oakland. If you need to get
to me, you'll find me working the infield as a groundskeeper for the
A's.

Harder Issues

One of the fun things about working where I work is getting to work on the issues that are really important for the City of Philadelphia. And with a new Mayor coming in, there's an even greater chance that our reports will get read and put into action. So studies on affordable housing and waterfront management and transportation financing and workforce development take on new urgency, which makes for a rewarding 9 to 5.

Of course, these sorts of topics are relatively easy to cover, in that while the details may be quite complex, the general sentiment is in your favor. Today's City Paper, on the other hand, highlights some of the harder issues the next Mayor will have to slog through: http://www.citypaper.net/articles/2007/10/25/congrats-mayor-nutter.

As with the sunnier topics, our firm is pretty involved here too. We've looked at or are currently looking at pension costs, physical infrastructure, parks, SEPTA, and tax cuts. The City Paper is right: these are harder topics to tackle for the next Mayor. Here's hoping he reads our reports on these issues as well as on the rosier ones.

David Oh Gaining Steam

My friend David Oh, who is running for City Council at Large, has a favorite saying, from Gandhi: "First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they attack you. And then you win." A sure sign that he is gaining steam in his campaign is that his opponents are no longer ignoring or laughing, but are attacking, oftentimes below the belt.

And then we win? We'll find out in two weeks, but today we got a great piece of news: an endorsement from the Philadelphia Inquirer: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/10785232.html. As well as a mostly positive piece in the City Paper: http://www.citypaper.net/articles/2007/10/25/costume-party. Go, David!

Not Your Grandfather's Dorms

A nice piece in the Inky yesterday about how nice college dorms have
become: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/10734077.html.

I'm
doing a study for a local school on trends it'll have to deal with in
the next 10-20 years, and certainly the increased sense of student as
consumer is a big one. It's easy to blame the boomers on this one,
for wanting it all and having the wealth to get it all for their kids,
who can move in to dorms with housecleaning service and fitness
centers. And since when did "back to school" mean new furniture and
plasma TVs, instead of a new pair of jeans and fresh underwear?

The article notes that Woodrow Wilson, who commissioned residential
buildings as president of Princeton in the early 20th century, saw the
university as a place walled off from the materialism of the outside
world. It looks like that materialism has long seeped in.

And not just on the part of students and their parents. Schools get
less federal support, so naturally they chase students who can pay
full freight. And who can win that crowd without the latest
residential perks, especially when your peer schools are all offering
the same? It's keeping up with the Joneses, only with ivy on your
walls.

I'm the last person to say everything has to be the same for everyone;
if you have more money than the next person, you have a responsibility
to share, but you also have a freedom to consume. But universities
need to be careful, lest they become country clubs for the children of
the elite, who graduate after the best four years of their lives and
then wonder why the rest of the world isn't the same.

Run to Jesus

For the past few years, our church has been in the habit of serving
communion every Sunday, and doing it by what is known as "intinction,"
which practically means we go up to the front to take it rather than
it being brought to our pews. I won't bore you with the theology
behind it; I write instead to report Jada's endearing habit of racing
down the aisle to the front to take part. Wiggling, giggling, and
then stopping on a dime to receive her bread and dip it into the cup,
as other congregants smile approvingly.

As her legs kick into warp speed, I can't help but think of Jesus'
rebuke to those listeners of His who once sought to shoo kids away for
distracting them from the spiritual discussion: "Let the children
alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of
heaven belongs to such as these" (Matthew 19:14). In other words,
Jesus turned that which many felt was a nuisance to the faith into an
example of the faith.

Does Jada fully understand what is going on in this profound and
serious rite? Hardly. Yet her participation moves her in that
direction, as does our explanation of it when we return to our seats.
And it is part of our responsibility as parents, having had Jada
baptized, to now teach her what it is she has been baptized into. As
I have written before:

"The notion of waiting until you can mentally assent to a particular
religion is a very postmodern one. The notion of parents making life
decisions on behalf of their families seems very old-fashioned, even
outdated. But it is what you see in the Bible. And as our pastor
points out, the invitation to participate in God's Kingdom has always
expanded over time -- from one man to one family to one people group
to all people groups. It would seem strange, then, for it to change
course and retract, such that children, once welcomed from Day 1 into
God's family, would now have to wait until they are old enough to
choose into this family for themselves." (Huang Kid Khronicles, 4/6/06)

Again, as Jada tears down the aisle, I do not often think of the
mechanics behind the theology. But I do often think that, for a 2 1/2
year old, this is what it looks like to run to Jesus, and I am
challenged and encouraged to do the same.

Faithful Friends

I've recently had conversations with two dear friends of mine, one of
whom is having major surgery later this month and one of whom is
experiencing complications in her pregnancy. In both cases, I was
quick to assure them of how far medicine has come these days, in terms
of procedures that used to be rare and clunky not being common and
easy. I was also quick to let them know I'd be praying for,
respectively, a successful surgery and a smooth delivery.

But both my friends pushed me further in my faith. The one having
surgery remarked of the calm he has felt throughout the prep process,
getting himself right with God in terms of knowing his place with Him
no matter what happens of the surgery. The one who is pregnant also
expressed serenity, considering it a small thing for God to fix what's
wrong, to provide another way if it isn't fixed, or to help her and
her husband deal with the consequences if there is no other way.

This, I believe, is true faith. It is one thing to acknowledge God
enough to remember to pray for good health and smooth living. It is a
deeper, better, realer form of faith to entrust oneself into God's
will no matter what the earthly outcome, and to experience a greater
measure of peace as a result. Well did Jesus speak of a peace He
could give that the world couldn't understand, for it truly is an
elusive thing, both in the abstract and in the real, to really and
truly believe in God - not as a cosmic Santa Claus who we ask for
things when we are in need, but as an all-loving and all-powerful God
who can be trusted even and especially in times of uncertainty,
difficulty, and loss. I'm thankful for friends who model such a faith
and such a lifestyle, and am challenged to myself be the same.

Penn Looks Eastward

A nice piece in Penn's student-run paper by the school's Executive
Vice President on the roll-out of their eastward expansion:
http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com/media/storage/paper882/news/2007/10/19/Opinion/Guest.Opinion.Craig.Carnaroli-3043618.shtml.

He had hired our firm earlier this year to do some work related to
this project, so I had gotten to see a sneak preview of all of these
plans. As an alum and a resident of University City, it's obviously
all of great relevance to me. It should be interesting to see just
how Penn, and the designers it hires, figure out how to take all of
this industrial space and use it to connect University City with
Center City. It should also be interesting to see what Penn's
relationship and approach is to its western border, with all of this
focus on its eastward expansion. The plan takes you out to the year
2040, but we should start seeing some substantive progress as early as
2010. Keep an eye out.

Stumping for David Oh

This afternoon, I took the kids with me on my door-to-door canvassing
with David Oh, my friend who is running for City Council at Large. I
was a little nervous about whether having the kids would cramp our
style, but David was gracious, noting that "at least people will be
less likely to yell at us."

In fact, both of our kids came in handy. Aaron shot smiles all over,
winning points with everyone. And Jada would accompany David up the
steps of each house, pamphlet in hand, ready to wave it to the person
who would open the door. Kind of hard to reject a brochure when it's
coming from a cute 2 1/2 year old, you know?

I appreciate David's openness in letting my kids tag along. It was a
great way for me to kill two birds with one stone: help David while
getting the kids out of the house. Plus I want them to know that
these are the sorts of things you do as a resident of Philadelphia:
you wear out some shoe leather talking up a candidate who can do good
for the city.

Small Group

God willing, starting next month Amy and I will start gathering two
evenings a month with a small group of five other young couples from
our church congregation. Between the six families, 11 kids are in the
mix, but none will be around for our evening meet-ups, so it'll be
nice to dialogue as adults. For Amy and me, it's a good mix of people
we know well enough to want to get to know better, and people we
hardly know at all but seem like we'd want to know better.

Also, four of the five other couples are within walking distance, so
there's more opportunity for bumping into folks randomly or by design.
I am ever talking to Christian friends of mine who live in the
suburbs and who lament about how hard it is to have meaningful
interactions outside of Sunday morning with their fellow congregants.
Yet another positive thing about living / going to church / raising
kids in an urban setting.

Street Furniture and Advertising

Governing Magazine's blog is just the latest to chime in on bike
rental programs in urban settings:
http://governing.typepad.com/13thfloor/2007/10/look-we-get-it-.html.
Such initiatives could be publicly subsidized or raise some or all of
the money through selling ad space at bike parking areas.

I wonder if we might not instead look at ideas like this from the lens
of advertising first, instead of as a possible revenue-generating
add-on. In other words, advertising is needing to innovate or die,
given the splintering of TV channels and the death of many print
avenues. Times Square proved that ads needn't detract from the street
scene but can even be the street scene.

But rather than deciding what public infrastructure is desired, be it
rental bikes or street furniture or bus shelters, and then trying to
milk as much ad money as possible so as to lessen the bill to the
taxpayers, why not approach this as an ad-driven campaign, with the
achievable proceeds determining what amenities a city can offer its
users? Obviously, you get more bang for your buck if the advertiser
has some tie-in to the public amenity - say, an environmentally
friendly energy company sponsoring benches around newly planted trees
- but the point I'm making is that you start by maxing out on the
advertising potential and then you figure out what you can spend that
money on.

Predicting China

Five years ago, I had two separate conversations, one with a college
friend of mine and one with the younger brother of one of my best
friends, about China. My college friend was contemplating becoming a
missionary to China, and he predicted that in the grand scheme of
things, the first couple of decades of this century represented a
unique window for this nation's soul: "Before then, the country was
largely closed; by 2020, it'll be too rich to be hungry for the
gospel." The younger brother of one of my best friends was in the
middle of a two-year assignment in Beijing for a large Western
consulting firm. He predicted wide-scale class warfare: "Such
audacious wealth in the midst of so much poverty; something's going to
give."

I can't speak for the former prediction, but the latter has been
covered in the media a lot lately. Here are but two examples, one
from the Economist and one from the Philadelphia Inquirer:

http://economist.com/opinion/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=9947069

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/10568992.html

Everybody has their eye on China already, of course, tracking
everything from explosive growth to questionable product quality to
rampant counterfeiting to potentially catastrophic environmental
problems. Let's add two more topics to watch for, and see if these
two predictions I heard earlier this decade come true.

Revolving Credit for Non-Profits

This article is now over two weeks old, which gives you an indication
of how far behind I am in my reading and blogging, so bear with me.
But it is still worth chiming in on, well after the fact. A college
professor of mine is the mastermind behind an ingenuous mechanism to
provide non-profits with the same sort of revolving credit access for
capital expenditures that large corporations routinely use to manage
their cash:

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/homepage/20071002_PIDC_to_offer_low-cost_loans_to_nonprofits.html

Better yet, participating non-profits benefit in two ways by borrowing
through this vehicle. First, they get the tax-exempt rate PIDC has
access to. Second, they get an even better rate because the bond
issue that generates this money is backed by Citizens Bank and its AAA
credit rating. Good work by my old college prof, and good news for
local non-profits in their cash management.

Slaves in 2007

There are 27 million slaves in the world today. In the year 2007,
this is completely unacceptable. The Not for Sale Campaign and Geneva
Global are but two organizations you can get involved in to make a
difference for human liberty. Our church is hosting a Not for sale
Campaign event next week, if you want to learn more, and/or you can
visit some of the links below. Just do something.

http://www.woodlandpres.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=71&Itemid=1

http://www.genevaglobal.com/sector-priorities/human-liberty

http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/

Free Space for David Oh to Correct the Media

To the extent that readers of this space are also readers of the
Philadelphia Inquirer and/or residents of Philadelphia who plan to
vote next month, I wanted to give my friend David Oh the floor to
correct an erroneous quote in yesterday's paper:

***

Correction to "Heard in the Hall" piece about David Oh

While I am glad to have the publicity as a candidate, I think it is
important that I do allow myself to be misquoted in the press.
Fortunately, blogs give me the ability to set the record straight.

The statement below appeared in today's Inquirer (Heard in the Hall)
and while it makes for interesting reading, I did not say it.

"The Republican Party in this town is essentially controlled by
Democrats," Oh was quoted as saying by blog contributor Mike
Cunningham. "Candidates are hand-picked by the typical power brokers,
including Bob Brady, John Street and John Dougherty."

What I said was this...

Democrats historically decide which two Republican At-Large Council
candidates win. Therefore, it is important that "good government",
progressives vote for the Republican of their choice. Otherwise, their
influence will not be felt. In the last Republican At-Large election,
it is commonly understood that John Street and John Dougherty backed
one Republican while Vince Fumo backed another. If "good government",
progressives are going to have a voice in this city, it is important
that they do not "sit out" this election. Be involved and make a
difference.

A blogger wanted to interview me and he paraphrased my responses to
his questions. I posted the above-noted correction the same day the
interview was posted.

I pointed this out to Tom Fitzgerald (the writer) when he called, so
either he did not check the blog or he just liked the story better
with the misquote than with my actual statement. I can't blame him
because the piece really got a buzz going.

The misquoted statement makes for better controversy but my statement
makes for better government. We need everyone who cares about this
city to vote on Tuesday, November 6th!

Thank you,
David

www.DavidOh.org
www.YouTube.com/DavidOh2007
www.MySpace.com/DavidOh2007

Random Similarities

Interesting piece in last week's Economist (yes, I'm behind) on how
people with depression exhibit behavior that, if mapped, is strikingly
similar to the electrical activity of isolated nerve cells:
http://economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9861412&CFID=23190336&CFTOKEN=78989822.

How strange is that?

It reminds me of my sophomore year statistics prof, who had a snappy
retort to a hot-headed fellow Whartonite who wondered aloud why there
were liberal arts requirements in the business school at all and asked
our prof what the point of learn, saying, physics was. My stat prof
explained that the way in which a spring vibrates is identical in
pattern to an obscure bond pricing model, and that if this hothead
would just pay attention in physics, he might actually become more
successful in finance.

So it's good to learn lots about lots of different things. You never
know when the Creator of them all decided way back when to have some
fun with us by making two random things completely identical.

Equal Before God

I headed out of the house a tick earlier than usual this morning: I
had two big deadlines today, plus I'm still without my bike, so I'm on
foot for now. I wore my best suit, and walked with purpose as I
contemplated what I'd need to do as soon as I got to my office.

At the halfway point, I crossed paths with a fellow church member who
we'll call Phineas. Phineas was ill-dressed and ill-kempt, slumped
down on an outdoor bench. All the world would think I had it all
together and he didn't.

But I couldn't help but think of how we are equal before God. We are
fellow congregants. We are both sinners, unable to win our way back
to God save for the saving work of Jesus. If anything, Phineas is one
up on me: he came to my daughter's baby shower, and gave us two
pacifiers as a welcoming gift.

I've given him nothing in return, except for my respect as an equal.
I admit I look down on others far too often. But at least today and
at least with one fellow sinner, I looked across the way and saw an
equal.

Navy Yard

I met a colleague of mine for lunch today at the Navy Yard, which, as
the name suggests, was an old naval shipyard that is in the midst of
an impressive redevelopment by the public and private sectors. My
colleague told me that the Navy Yard wasn't just any shipyard, either,
but the main gathering point for people and ships before heading out
to Europe and points east. So there's a lot of history in that real
estate.

And, in true Philadelphia fashion, that history has been creatively
co-mingled with the present and future. Faux industrial looks are in,
but this place has a real industrial look: old iron girders, barracks,
and docks give the place a unique look and feel to it. Inter-mixed
with that is new stuff like Urban Outfitters' headquarters and an
inviting cafeteria run by Frog Catering. It's a really, really cool
campus to live, work, and play in. And that's exactly the goal:
commercial uses will soon be joined by housing units, retail, and open
space, with a main subway line being extended out to shoot people back
downtown.

What was particularly cool for me was to envision the economic
synergies that can take place in such a setting. Here you have, for
example, the confluence of three very different kinds of design work:
the US Navy's high-end engineering stuff, heavy manufacturing that
capitalizes on the infrastructure and waterfront, and chi-chi techy
stuff that the graphic design crowd is working on. The agglomeration
could make for some really out-there collabs and some really
interesting innovations.

I'm doing some work that's related to the location, so it's likely
I'll be back. And now I've got some visuals to associate with the
place. I encourage you to visit, too, and take in the sights for
yourself.

http://navyyard.org/MasterPlan.htm

We Live in the Richy Rich Suburbs

We had friends visit from out of town this past weekend who have a
good eye for architecture, and walking around our neighborhood, they
marveled at the intricacy of the woodwork and metalwork. I have sadly
become oblivious to the beauty around me, so it was good to be
reminded of how pretty the houses in our neighborhood are. After all,
West Philadelphia was once the richy rich suburbs, where people who
could afford to escape the stench of downtown built up mansions on the
other side of the Schuylkill River. They sure did make houses to last
and to look good back in the day. 100+ years later, here we are
taking up residence, and at least after yesterday's stroll, more
appreciative of the history and architecture within our midst.

A Week in the Life

Every so often, I like to document my goings-on for a week, just for
future enjoyment. That enjoyment is usually in the form of me looking
back and saying either, "Wow, look at all I did when I was young and
energetic," or else, "Wow, I thought I was busy then - who knew how
easy I really had it!" Either way, life can be such a blur that it's
good to take stills, so you can remember what it was really like.

Monday, October 1
4a-5a wake up, pray
5a-6a run on the treadmill while watching football from the day before
6a-7a shower, work-related reading
7a-8a get the kids up and fed
8a-9a get the kids set up, get to train station
9a-10a train to Trenton
10a-1p client meeting in Trenton
1p-2p train back to Philly
2p-4p client meeting downtown
4p-6p subway home, work-related email
6p-7p dinner, get Aaron down
7p-8p bicycle ride with Jada, get Jada down
8p-9p personal mail/email
9p-5a sleep

Tuesday, October 2
5a-6a wake up, pray, push-ups/sit-ups
6a-7a personal email, work-related reading
7a-8a get the kids up and fed
8a-9a get the kids set up, walk to work
9a-10a orient new intern
10a-3p work-related email, write work reports
3p-4p phone meeting with client
4p-5p internal project meeting
5p-6p wrap up work, walk home
6p-7p dinner, get Aaron down
7p-8p get Jada down, walk to church
8p-10p Session meeting
10p-11p church-related email, personal email
11p-5a sleep

Wednesday, October 3
5a-6a wake up, pray, push-ups/sit-ups
6a-7a personal email, work-related reading
7a-8a get the kids up and fed, walk them to day care
8a-9a subway to train station, train station to Trenton
9a-3p client meeting in Trenton
3p-5p train back to Philly, work at train station
5p-6p subway to day care, walk kids home
6p-7p dinner, get Aaron down
7p-8p get Jada down, personal email
8p-9p leisure reading
9p-4a sleep

Thursday, October 4
4a-5a wake up, pray
5a-6a run outside
6a-7a shower, work-related reading
7a-8a get the kids up and fed, drive them to day care
8a-9a pick up package at post office, drop off car for oil change
9a-10a work-related email
10a-12p client meeting
12p-1p lunch with Amy
1p-5p work-related email, write work reports
5p-6p pick up car, drive kids home
6p-8p fundraiser at The Enterprise Center
8p-10p write work reports
10p-11p leisure reading
11p-5a sleep

Friday, October 5
5a-6a wake up, pray, push-ups/sit-ups
6a-7a write work reports
7a-8a get the kids up and fed, walk them to day care
8a-9a subway to work, write work reports
9a-10a internal HR meeting
10a-11a write work reports
11a-2p Fels 70th Anniversary celebration
2p-3p client meeting
3p-7p write work reports
7p-8p walk home, dinner
8p-9p personal mail/email
9p-4a sleep

Saturday, October 6
4a-5a wake up, pray
5a-6a run outside
6a-7a shower, work-related reading
7a-8a get the kids up and fed
8a-10a pray with accountability partner
10a-2p take Amy and kids to brunch with friends
2p-4p get kids down for nap, get haircut, run errands
4p-6p indoor play with kids
6p-7p dinner, get Aaron down, get Jada down
7p-9p electronics store, hardware store, groceries
9p-10p personal mail/email
10p-6a sleep

Sunday, October 7
6a-7a wake up, pray
7a-8a push-ups/sit-ups, personal email
8a-9a get the kids up and fed
9a-10a indoor play with kids, off to church
10a-12p morning service, hit CVS on way home
12p-1p lunch, get kids down for nap
1p-2p house-related chores
2p-3p try in vain to get new VCR set up
3p-7p have friends over for dinner
7p-8p get Aaron down, get Jada down
8p-9p try in vain to get new VCR set up
9p-10p leisure reading
10p-4a sleep

School Pride

The Fels Institute of Government, where I went to grad school, had its
70th anniversary celebration today. And even though I was jammed with
report deadlines, I figured I had to go, if only to catch up with
fellow alum who were coming in from around the country.

I got so much more. I heard from Governor Rendell, a Fels professor,
who said the same thing he says every time he speaks at Fels, but no
matter - it always inspires me. I was reminded by Fels director Don
Kettl that the state of the program is quite good, since a lot of
topics we're in the know on are things in demand nowadays - things
like transportation infrastructure and education reform and homeland
security and public finance.

Most of all, I basked in the glow of being with other Fels alum. I
had decided to go here for grad school because I kept bumping into
Fels grads and admired them so much I wanted to be one. And this
afternoon, everywhere I turned, I bumped into alum who were doing
interesting things and whose accomplishments and expertises were
things I wanted to learn more about.

So I'm feeling not a little school pride today, to be among such
distinguished alum, and to be affiliated with a school that has done
so much, and that threw such a good party to celebrate it. To my
fellow alum, see you at the 75th - and at countless events and
organizations around the City and around the world where important and
meaningful things are going on.

http://www.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/UPN/events/event_order.cgi?tmpl=events&event=2096398

Transit-Oriented Development: A Philadelphia Story

If you've heard of transit-oriented development (TOD), the images in
your mind may be of snooty car-haters with too-cool-for-school glasses
who sign their names in all lower case and free-hand draw their latest
idea for a mixed-use project with elegantly landscaped walkways. But
I'm here to tell you TOD is as authentically Philadelphian as it
comes. The development of this old city, after all, followed the
development of transit lines. Where I live in University City was
nothing but trees until trolley lines connecting the area to Center
City were built.

With little if any investment in the City in the fifty years after
World War II, not only did sites near transit not experience any
renewal, they were the most crumbly around because they were the
oldest. So here you had sites from which you could extract the
notable value resulting from transit access, and they were the most
likely to be in really bad shape.

For the sake of the City's competitiveness, and for the sake of
healthy neighborhoods, we have to turn that around. If you're
interested in finding out more, we're about to publish a report on the
subject, which was commissioned by Neighborhoods Now and paid for in
part by Citibank. We'll be presenting the highlights of the report at
a kickoff at the Cira Centre later this month. RSVP to this free
event, as space is limited and I'm told we're already at standing room
only.

http://www.neighborhoodsnowphila.org/transit/Transit-OrientedDevelopmentSavetheDate.htm

Race Matters

A nice piece on ESPN.com today about the flak Donovan McNabb took
earlier this season for observing that black QBs are held to a higher
level of scrutiny than white QBs:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=boyd/071004.

Replace
"black" with other ethnicities and "QB" with other professions, and
you get similar dynamics, albeit more often than not in much less
volatile and public settings.

One of the most insightful experiences I have had on the subject of
race in America was a workshop I attended five years ago, in which
white people were asked to comment on what it means to be white, men
on what it means to be male, and straight people on what it means to
be straight. More often than not, the interviewees (myself included)
struggled to say anything meaningful. And that was the point: when
you're in the majority, you never have to think about what that's
like. No one asks you to speak on behalf of your entire group, and no
one assumes that your opinion represents that of your entire group.
In short, there's no pressure, no worries. By that logic alone,
McNabb's observation is correct.

I believe we can deal with the issue of race in America. But we won't
get anywhere in that effort until we are ready to accept that when we
are in the majority, we can take things for granted, ready to
empathize with those who are in the minority, and who must bear the
additional pressure and scrutiny associated with it.

Passing the Torch

Crazy busy this week, but was still able to make The Enterprise
Center's annual fundraiser, Passing the Torch, and, as with all events
there, I was not disappointed. The concept is to honor minorities who
successfully build companies and then pass them on to the next
generation. And as several prominent speakers, including Democratic
mayoral nominee Michael Nutter, Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown,
and Dr. Randal Pinkett (Season 4 winner of the Apprentice and the
event's MC), pointed out, it's all about wealth creation in the
minority community - if you think income disparities are bad, you
should hear some of the wealth disparity stats.

I was moved by some of the testimonies tonight. Parents spoke humbly
about the hard work they put in to build their business, and glowingly
about their children and their business acumen. Children spoke
equally humbly, realizing as adults how fortunate they were to have
parents who were so committed to building wealth and creating a
legacy. And everyone left feeling more hopeful that while minorities
continue to struggle towards a level playing field, there are genuine
success stories out there - meaning it can be done, has been done, and
should be done even more in the future.

Kudos to the staff of The Enterprise Center, whose hard work paid off
in the form of yet another top-notch event. I'll be looking forward
to what press coverage emerges, and hoping the good feeling lasts long
enough to keep people motivated to light the fire and pass the torch.

http://www.theenterprisecenter.com/events/ptt/

Healthy Competition

Walmart's logistics are legendary, mobilizing on a dime in crises like
Katrina or Rita and making the federal government look like a turtle
to its hare in the process. Amazon and other e-tailers have mined
their customer info so finely that their recommendations are becoming
better than those of our own friends and family. Say what you want
about advertisers - you may hate their messages and predict their
demise, but their struggle for survival has spawned some spectacularly
creative campaigns.

Nothing against these businesses, but I'd have to think society valued
more greatly the education of its own children. And yet there isn't
nearly enough innovation in the way we deliver education. It's not
for lack of tools - Governing Magazine points out schools and school
districts are starting to bring to bear the same kinds of data tools
as the private sector, in an effort to customize curricula to
individual students' learning styles:
http://www.governing.com/articles/9nclb.htm.

Would that there were more insights like this in the public education
arena. Yet you have to wonder where the impetus is going to come from
to think outside the box like this. In the private sector, it is the
carrot of profits and the stick of bankruptcy. For-profit companies
don't invest in R&D, fight to the death to sell a better mousetrap,
and trip over themselves to win you as a customer because the
government tells them to. They do it because of the carrot and the
stick.

I know that school choice is a loaded topic, and that the mechanics of
free-market capitalism don't as easily apply to the distribution of
education. And yet, I wonder, when the technology and the know-how is
out there to make a quantum leap in the quality of our children's
educational experience, why there isn't the same hunger and
desperation to innovate. Maybe a little healthy competition would
inject the thrill of success and the fear of failure - and of real
consequences either way - and get more people mobilized towards
something more important to society than selling detergent or DVDs.

When I Knew the Phillies Were Going to Make the Playoffs

I didn't say this before lest I jinx them, but I knew the Phils were
going to make the playoffs. For me, they clinched their spot not when
Brett Myers fanned Wily Mo Pena yesterday, not when they took 7 out of
7 from the Mets this month, but more than two months ago.

July 8, rain delay in Colorado. All of a sudden, the tarp blows out
of control and a groundskeeper is caught underneath. Instinctively
and to a man, the entire Phillies dugout empties in a carefree,
we-are-a-team fashion to assist the groundskeeper and get the tarp
under control. Here's the video if you haven't seen it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDpiEFHHeHo.

Any team that acts as one, in such an innocent, helpful way has to be
loose enough to go far into October. Hats off to you, Phils, not just
for a great run in the last two weeks, but for showing your true
colors on a random, rainy day in Denver. May it be said of whatever
team we're a part of in our lives, that when the moment arises to
react with goodness and camaraderie, we'd act like you.

Other Peoples' Money

Governing.com pointed me to a Washington Post chat with political
reporter Shailagh Murray
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2007/09/28/DI2007092801282.html)
that goes to the heart of why I tend to be fiscally conservative:

***

Tampa, Fla.: What is it about D.C. that makes it such a thoroughly
corrupt city, professionally and socially?

Shailagh Murray: Very simple. Everyone here is spending other people's money.

***

It's easy to be generous with other peoples' money. You get to say
that you're taking action, and can get righteously huffy when others
prefer to be stingy. This apparently is the point of a book that's
been recommended to me:
http://www.amazon.com/Who-Really-Cares-Compassionate-Conservatism/dp/0465008216/ref=sr_1_2/105-3444724-4362851?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191281608&sr=8-2.

Makes sense to me, now I just need to get through the eighteen books
ahead of it in my queue.

Make Stuff

It can be easy to relegate manufacturing to second-rate status in
today's economy. After all, everybody's about bits and not atoms; and
it's the West Coast and Sun Belt that's hot nowadays, while Rust Belt
cities are still recovering from massive factory job losses in the
second half of the 20th century.

But much of the global economy is still about making stuff. Machinery
might mean it takes less humans to make it, and the proficiency of
many developing nations might mean most of the cheap stuff is made
somewhere else. But the US is still far and away the largest producer
of things in the world.

And Philadelphia can still carve out a thriving niche in the business
of making stuff. Witness the transformation of the Navy Yard, a plot
of land south of downtown that is as large as downtown, where big
ships used to be made and serviced, and which is now being positioned
as a hub of 21st-century manufacturing practices:
http://www.philly.com/philly/business/10149442.html.

Full disclosure: some of the orgs involved here are clients of our
firm, and some of the leaders involved here are people I hold in high
regard. Still, I believe it's a true statement and not just my
personal slant to say that this is a good move for our local economy,
both in terms of job creation and commercial activity, but also in
terms of positioning ourselves competitively in the region, nation,
and world.

Once upon a time, we made Stetson hats and Baldwin locomotives and
William Cramp and Sons ships, so many of them and at such high quality
that "Philadelphia" became synonymous with high-end production.
Here's hoping the agglomeration of manufacturing activity at the Navy
Yard makes that a true statement once again.

University and Neighborhood

Temple is following in Penn's footsteps and offering cold hard cash
for employees to buy houses near campus:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/10150052.html.

I personally
wonder if the amount is too small ($4000-$5000) or the catchment area
too big (the 8 zip codes around campus), but the sentiment is
commendable. When campus and community blend into one another instead
of one erecting a wall to keep the other away, there's more
opportunity for genuine, two-way dialogue. Here's hoping this
mortgage incentive program is an important contribution to an
important conversation in North Philadelphia.

Who's Reading

And now for a meta-blog moment: an educated guess about who's actually
visiting this space. (Please chime in with comments to verify or
negate my conjectures.) Judging by the title, here's hoping it's
other urban Christians who seek to find commonality in the struggle to
live lives that are true to the urban and to the Christian. I also
assume some is the Philadelphia diaspora, checking in on what's the
happy haps on the City of Brotherly Love. Or maybe it's just my mom,
who feels sorry that I spend eight whole minutes a day blogging and if
she doesn't read what I write, no one will.

Well, from my perspective, I'm writing for all three audiences, as
well as for my current and future self: my current self, to help
organize my present thoughts, and my future self, to look back at what
I once wrote. But if there's anyone else out there, and you're
enjoying what you're seeing here, that's cool too.