Lehigh Valley's Blogosphere Getting Bigger and Better

Since the last time I've written about the Lehigh Valley blogosphere, there have been lots of changes. Musings from Mudville, Naked Lehigh County Blogger and Wilkins Times have disappeared. LVDem, trying to adjust to a new job, is on hiatus. But others blogs have risen to take their place.

The Express Times has a new blog - Jim Deegan's Around Town. Until recently, Jim moonlighted as a talk radio host who constantly threatened to streak down Northampton Street. Needless to say, this is a newsman with opinions. For example, he claims the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs logo looks like a "pack of lunchmeat." Deegan is also something of an intellectual. Get this. He's already two-thirds of the way through "Charlotte's Web." Managing editor Deegan joins eclectic and edgy Joe Owens as the second member of the Express Times editorial board with his own blog.

Another interesting new entry is Northern Lehigh Valley Logic, blogged by an unnamed "public official" from Northern Lehigh County. He also happens to be an attorney. He leaves enough clues for you to figure out who he is, so I won't spoil your fun if you want to take a stab at his identity. His latest logical complaint? We don't pay sales tax for water or vitamins, so why do we pay sales tax on vitamin enhanced water? Doesn't 1 + 1 = 2? Hey dude, isn't the whole greater than the sum of its parts? Sometimes 1 + 1 = 3. It's called synergy. I learned that from Jim Deegan.

It's very nice to get a female's perspective. We suffer from a lack of female bloggers. Look Out Lehigh Valley changes that dynamic. She's a young Allentonian who lives in the west end. Her latest post is a complex description of Allentown's attempt to redefine itself, as told from the perspective of a young woman. It's quite powerful.

Another very strong woman is Pissed Off Naked Blogger. In her latest post, she condemns the fraud she sees everywhere, whether it's a local woman who pretends she has Aids, an Attorney General who can't remember what he had for breakfast, or a governor's reform agenda that is widely considered a crock. Frankly, she scares the hell out of me. But she's refreshing and very real.

Another new blog, Silkwerks, was until recently a chronicle of the trials and tribulations of Allentown business owner Pat Gray. He wrote about his favorite topic - himself. He's the dude who went ballistic after being fined for some code violations. He thinks the public owes him a handout. I kid you not! "We have brought jobs to Allentown, we have created vibrance and interest in Allentown, we have done our job. Is there no help so that we may continue? Is there no interest in assisting this kind of project?" Would you like some cheese with your whine?

Silly Silkwerks. If he wants handouts, he needs to contribute to political campaigns. God, everyone knows that! I'm sure Koz King Abe Atiyeh could give him as few "pay to play" pointers ... for a price. Unfortunately, Silkwerks rejects all criticism, not a good quality in a blogger. When someone anonymously suggested that Gray stop calling his community a ghetto, he unleashed an obscenity-laced tirade and stopped allowing anonymous comments. He did a repeat performance when Look Out Lehigh Valley registered a complaint. Now he's changed his name to Nothing-Werks, deleting all previous posts. I've got a better one. Silk-Jerks.