professorlarry

    Once again, the Philadelphia Writers Conference was a great success. Keynote speaker Nelson Johnson, author of Boardwalk Empire, gave an interesting Powerpoint presentation about the history of corruption in Atlantic City government in the early part of the 20th century. Opening speaker Solomon Jones gave a riveting description of his rise from homelessness and drug abuse to becoming a best selling author. I attended the nonfiction workshops, which included great presentations by Ellie Slott Fisher on nonfiction book writing and Denise Foley on magazine writing. I gave a workshop on Op-Ed writing and also spoke on a closing panel session on the writing industry. As usual, the conference was a great experience. For those of you who couldn’t make it this year, hope to see you next June.

   While most Republicans have consistently urged Congressman Anthony Weiner to resign, Democrats seem to be split. Many have called for the initiation of a House Ethics Proceeding, yet most of them have not urged him to resign. While Weiner could become a poster child for Republican campaign ads, they would be hypocritical in doing so. Just think of Republican sex scandals involving Larry Craig, David Vitter, Mark Sanford, Mark Foley, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chris Lee, Mark Souder, Bob Packwood, Newt Gingrich, John Ensign, Rudy Giuliani, and Jim Gibbons. No doubt, there should be a House Ethics investigation, but at this point should Democrats force Weiner to resign? What are your thoughts?

  The 62 nd Annual Philadelphia Writers’ Conference will take place on Friday, June 3 rd through Sunday, June 5 th at the Holiday Inn at Fourth and Arch Streets in downtown Philadelphia. This year’s theme is: A Year of Living Creatively: Words Matter.

Here’s the link to my latest Huffington Post article on how the Big East should not get 11 bids to the NCAA Tournament and that the NCAA should limit total NCAA Tournament bids to five teams per conference.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-atkins/big-east-shouldnt-get-11-_b_832007.html

On Wednesday night, March 30th from 6 p.m. to 7:45, I’ll be giving a magazine writing workshop at the Elkins Park Library as part of the Philadelphia Writers’ Conference’s Free Forums series. I’ll give more details in the next few weeks. The Conference’s website is www.pwcwriters.org .

I have an article on Arcadia University’s Grey Towers Castle in the latest issue (January-February) of Pennsylvania Magazine. The article is not available online, but the magazine is sold at most bookstores and newsstands in the Philadelphia area. The magazine’s website is www.pa-mag.com

Everyone loves an underdog, but not the sultans of the BCS, which have created a rigged, unfair bowl system. This year, it is conceivable that a Boise State team with zero or one loss will be left out of the BCS bowls, while the Big East Champion will get a BCS bowl bid with three or four losses. Right now, the only way that Boise State could play for the National Championship is if Auburn or Oregon lose one of their last regular season games. If Auburn and Oregon win out, it is possible that the BCS would snub Boise State due to the number of predetermined bowl selections that are guaranteed to the six BCS Conferences. On one hand, I’m rooting for Auburn or Oregon to lose, so that Boise State can get its chance. On the other hand, it might be better for college football in the long run if Boise State gets snubbed. Hopefully, this would be the last straw for frustrated college football fans who want a National Championship Football Playoff. Maybe it would be achieved by a lawsuit, or Congressional action, or by public outcry, but a snub of Boise State this year would be outrageous and should cause a widespread plea for change.  Don’t mess with the blue turf.  Should Boise State be left out of the BCS party? Comment below. (Photo from azsportstalk.com)

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton went on the morning talk shows on Sunday to urge the Republicans in the U.S. Senate to stop playing politics and to ratify the START treaty with Russia. The treaty has bipartisan support as well as support from many world leaders and former U.S. Secretaries of State, including Henry Kissinger. The agreement would allow U.S. inspectors to continue to have access to Russian nuclear arsenals. Arizona Republican Senatory Jon Kyl has been one of the main critics of the START treaty, and he said last week that he doubted that the pact would be brought up during the current lame duck session of Congress. Unfortunately, Republicans had a great deal of success in just saying “no” to nearly everything that President Obama has attempted to do. Their success in the midterm elections has convinced them that opposing the President, even in matters of utmost national security, is in their best political interest. It’s a sad state of affairs. This is too important of an issue to play politics with. What’s your opinion? Please comment below. (Photo from the New York Daily News).

With the 2010 Midterm Elections approaching, the polls don’t look good for the Democrats. Right now, it appears that Democrats will lose up to 70 seats in the House and around 8 in the Senate. Despite these trends, Democrats still need to go to the polls and make a statement, especially in Pennsylvania. Right now, Pat Toomey has around a 2 point lead over Joe Sestak. A huge turnout in Philadelphia and the Suburbs is needed to pull out a come from behind Sestak win. To his credit, Toomey has run an effective campaign that portrays himself as a sensible moderate instead of the crazy, right wing Republican that he really is. Television ad money made a big difference, as Toomey had around eight times more television commercials than Sestak in the Philadelphia market. However, as John Belushi said in Animal House, “It wasn’t over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor.” We can’t give up yet. Go to the polls and spoil the Tea Party by voting for Democrats.

Roy Halladay waited many years to pitch in the playoffs, but the wait was worth it. Earlier today, Halladay gave one of the greatest pitching performances of all time, n0-hitting the Reds and giving up only one walk. Halladay joined Don Larsen of the Yankees as the only pitcher to throw a no-hitter or perfect game in the postseason. Carlos Ruiz saved the day with a game ending fielding play. I’m hoping that the parade will be on a weekend so that I don’t have to cancel class. What were your feelings as you watched the game? Comment below. Photo from Philly.com