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This week, we bid a fond farewell to former state Rep. Elinor Z. Taylor, who represented her Chester County-based seat in Harrisburg for 29 years, along the way becoming the first female elected to a leadership post. Taylor passed away on Thursday at the age of 89. Rest in peace, E.Z.
You may have seen the Just for Men hair color ads, where prospective employers are choosing between the old, gray hair “experience” guy, and the younger dark-haired “energy” guy. The “experience” guy then slathers some JFM on his noggin’ and presto! He’s an experienced, energy hybrid!
Continue reading "P.R. and Experience in the Social Media Age" »
A federal judge today granted an injunction blocking the most controversial parts of the new Arizona immigration law from going into effect. The law was scheduled to take effect this Thursday. While we do not wish to argue the merits of the law or the lawsuit, what happens in Arizona might just have an effect on Pennsylvania politics this November.
Continue reading "Immigration Debate Could Shape PA Elections" »
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee this week voted in favor of Elena Kagan’s nomination to the Supreme Court, moving her one step closer to becoming only the third woman, and according to Fox News, the first Communist, to serve on the nation’s highest court.
This week, Governor Ed Rendell took the extraordinary step of testifying in front of a standing legislative committee on the issue of transportation funding. No sooner had Rendell finished than a robust round of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh-bashing (or more specifically, SEPTA and PAT-bashing) began.
Continue reading "Transportation Politics: Georgia on Our Minds" »
Last week, www.roywells.com studied the social media juggernaut that is the “Old Spice Guy.” The coordinated campaign of traditional and social media has really turned the marketing world on its ear, at least when one looks at the sheer number of followers it has engendered.
We awoke this morning to a news article informing us that Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is planning to explore a long-term lease of the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority to help his city balance the books and further boost its sagging pension fund.
The State Senate is poised to embark on a series of public hearings on how to solve the state’s looming transportation infrastructure funding crisis. This follows a month-long odyssey by House lawmakers, who did the same thing.
Continue reading "Voting Counting for a Transportation Fix" »
Hello, ladies, look at your man. Now, back to me.
Longtime New York Yankee owner George Steinbrenner shuffled off to the big World Series in the sky this week. Upon reaching the pearly gates, Steinbrenner was greeted by former Yankee great Billy Martin, who promptly kicked Steinbrenner in the shins.
Rarely do we get to see the National Rifle Association and Moveon.org used in the same article. Normally, those two fun-loving groups don’t reside in the same zip code.
Continue reading "NRA and Moveon.org, Together in Social Media" »
The fine folks at the Allegheny Institute today dove into the numbers surrounding Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl’s push to lease the city’s parking garages and spaces. The proceeds will go to boost the Steel City’s flagging pension fund, which is in jeopardy of state takeover if the deal doesn’t happen.
The back-and-forth over Tom Corbett’s recent remarks about the job market in Pennsylvania has cast a new light on what each gubernatorial candidate plans to do on the issue of corporate taxation in the state. Both Corbett and rival Dan Onorato agree on one point: Pennsylvania’s 9.9% Corporate Net Income tax is an extreme burden to job creation, and something must be done to lower the rate.
In York, Pennsylvania, you don’t need a police scanner or to attend city council meetings to know crucial information about the city’s police force. All you need is a computer and a Facebook account to become one of the force’s 700 (and growing) followers.
This week, the human race continued to struggle with the new placement of the earth, which has apparently been relocated to a position a scant 4 miles from the surface of the sun. Thank goodness global warming is a hoax, or we’d all be in really big trouble. Oh, and NBA star LeBron James decided to go to Miami and do something or another, saving us all from certain Armageddon.
You’ve no doubt heard it before. Going to church does not make you holy any more than standing in a garage makes you a car. Likewise, in the world of social media, signing up for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and starting a blog will not necessarily make you – or your business – successful. You gotta work at it.
Now that the Commonwealth’s $28 billion fiscal year 2010-2011 spending plan has been officially put to bed, let’s take a quick look at what it all means as we approach the dawn of the Corbett/Onorato era. In short, we got trouble, right here in River City.
Ed Rendell probably wasn’t thinking about songwriter Don McLean or humming the tune “American Pie” when he granted an interview to the Harrisburg Patriot-News last week, but for His Excellency, it was “the day the music died.” In that media interchange he let slip for the first time that he recognized that he was, truly, a lame duck governor. “I’m ready to get out … Everything is so partisan ... and nobody cares any more about doing the right thing. It’s mind-boggling to me that I’m looking forward to Jan. 18th, but I’m ready to go.”
For your Friday social media fix, hop on over the www.roywells.com and watch Roy’s exclusive interview with State Senator Daylin Leach( www.senatorleach.com). Daylin provides an entertaining overview (and if you know the Senator it will be well worth your time) of how he uses social networking platforms.
Roy still continues to be dedicated to bipartisanship, but the Senate calendar made it easier to fit the Senator in this week, so we will pick have a member from the House Republican Caucus next time.
Enjoy!
