How Blogging Might Keep Me Sane

I have published an independent newsweekly for fifteen years in the IA and IL Quad Cities -- The River Cities Reader. Despite being the publisher, I don't publish a weekly column, but as my friends and family will tell you, in the past 18 months, I've sent out enough BCC emails with links, excerpts, essays, rants and raves to start a blog.

My managing editor, Jeff Ignatius, has counseled me to start a blog for some time now. Jeff has his own very well put together and well written blog called Culture Snob. I encourage you all to check it out, especially the phenomenal recording Jeff did of Alejandro Escovedo at River Roots Live in Davenport, IA.

Anyway, here's my attempt at a blog and we'll see where this takes me, if anywhere. My goals are:

a) reduce the unsolicited emails folks receive from me, cause I think they might care.

b) posterity for thoughts i have previously and would typically commit to the old fashioned, non centralized email system.

c) contribute to a more informed public, even inspire folks to get involved, make a difference on these third rail issues -- cause if we don't, no one will.