‘Baltimore’ Archive
This entry was posted August 21st, 2008 and has 3 comments.
This week, John Berry penned a very interesting and thought-provoking piece for the Baltimore City Paper titled, “Press Release, The Sun’s Ever-Shrinking Newsroom Isn’t Good News For Baltimore“. In this piece Berry takes us through the last 10-20 years of staff cutbacks, branch closures, and formatting changes that have occurred at the Baltimore Sun. Berry makes many great points and shows why every major city needs a credible, well-researched, daily news periodical.
The vast majority of Baltimore citizens can agree with this. We need professional, full-time journalists to cover our city and bring all of the stories into the public eye. What Berry doesn’t discuss, and what many newspaper executives around the country are no doubt struggling with, is how do newspapers remain relevant and increase readership in the 21st century? How do newspapers grow and remain profitable so they can afford to hire and retain these journalists and run a paper that people want to read?
Advertisers are the major revenue stream for any newspaper. As all of us know, there has been an explosion of new media options over the past 5-10 years. Where advertisers used to only have to choose from TV, radio, magazines, and newspapers, their choices have been compounded exponentially by the options available on the web, mobile, and other digital platforms. Newspapers have been hit especially hard by the web and the accountability and tracking it offers.
Continue reading How do Newspapers Stay Relevant and Survive?
Posted in Baltimore, technology
This entry was posted May 14th, 2008 and has 3 comments.
On Friday evening I had dinner with my friend Jess at a new restaurant in Hollins Market, Baltimore Pho. I actually don’t think I’ve ever been to the Hollins Market before, and my only experience in that neighborhood has been at the Lithuanian Hall (Wow, a geocities website).
We made a reservation for our 7:45 dinner, but the place was surprisingly uncrowded for a Friday evening in the spring. The dining room has a nice cozy feel without being too small. The tables are a bit close to each other, but that wasn’t an issue at all. The only possible problem is the proximity of the bar to the dining room, which could make it quite noisy once it gets more crowded.
Now, on to the food. We got 2 orders of rice paper rolls, both the Vietnamese and vegetarian varieties. I preferred the Vietnamese rolls with shrimp. For our entrees we each got the beef pho. I’m not exactly sure why, but they are adamant about making sure you know it is pronounced “fuh”. It’s literally written everywhere the name is.
Continue reading Restaurant Review - Baltimore Pho
Posted in Baltimore, food
This entry was posted April 17th, 2008 and has 1 comment.
Last week I sat down with Baltimore hip-hop band Soul Cannon to discuss their new album, give us some insights into who they are, and try yet again to explain their sound. We talked for over an hour, but I managed to edit it down to a more approachable 9+ minutes. Make sure you watch the entire video. There are some real gems hidden in there.
Soul Cannon’s new album, aptly titled “Kaboom”, is out on April 22nd. You will be able to find the CD in various stores, but be sure to get your copy at the CD release show, which is being held on Friday, April 25 at The Ottobar.
I cannot stress enough how much you need to be at this show. This is your opportunity to not only see an excellent band, but to also have a great time. So check out the video, listen to the new songs on their MySpace page, come out to see them on the 25th at The Ottobar, and buy the new record, Kaboom!
Continue reading An Interview with Soul Cannon
Posted in Baltimore, music
This entry was posted March 12th, 2008 and has 1 comment.
The Wire has come to an end. After 5 seasons, the show has aired it’s final episode and is now a piece of our history. I’ve read numerous articles, blogs and message board posts of people arguing their disappointment or satisfaction with the finale. I don’t want to look at or discuss The Wire in the small scope of one episode or even one season. And I’m not left with either of those feelings. When that familiar song played at the end of episode 60, I was left with a mixture of sadness that the show was over and thankfulness that it existed in the first place.
After a lot of thought, I’ve arrived at a few reasons why I think The Wire has captivated the loyal audience it has and why people have reacted so emotionally to the show.
First, The Wire does not allow you to be merely a casual observer. You cannot sit down for an hour, watch an episode, and then just move on with your life. You have to form an opinion. You have to feel something about the characters, the situations, or the circumstances.
There is no way you can watch an episode where the police major legalizes drugs in restricted areas and not feel something or want to discuss the implications of such a policy. To me, this was one of the critical plotlines in the entire series. It showed not only the futility of drug enforcement policies, but also how devastating drugs are; not just to the users, but to the community at large. To watch the citizens of those neighborhoods try to live their normal lives in the hell of Hamsterdam was heartbreaking.
Continue reading In Memoriam - The Wire
Posted in Baltimore, television
This entry was posted March 3rd, 2008 and has 1 comment.
Sunday, March 9, 2008 will be a bitter sweet day for all Wire fans. This marks the final episode of one of the greatest shows ever to hit the small screen. I want to save a proper eulogy of the show for after the last episode runs, but to hold us all over is this preview of episode 60.
Continue reading The Wire’s Grand Finale
Posted in Baltimore, television
This entry was posted February 25th, 2008 and has no nomments.
Not only is Dustin Pfeifer a good friend of mine and a champion BSSC quarterback, but he is also an excellent web designer and developer. Dustin and I went to school together and also worked in the marketing department at our last company for about four years. During that time we worked on a lot of projects together, many of which I am still really proud of.
I left that company last April and in October, Dustin decided to work for himself full-time and focus on his company, Dustin Pfeifer Creative. He’s already done some great work that you can see on his brand new site, DustinPfeifer.com.
Continue reading The New and Improved DustinPfeifer.com
Posted in Baltimore, Chris Walbert, advertising, business, marketing, technology
This entry was posted February 11th, 2008 and has 1 comment.
After a week in China, I arrived back in Baltimore on Friday evening. The trip was so much fun as well as being an amazing experience. This is a trip that I won’t soon forget.
So, now it’s back to normal life and back to work tomorrow. But for one last blog on the topic, I’ll share some of my favorite photos from the trip. Just click on the thumbnail to see the larger version.
There are more after the jump.
The full gallery of photos is now on Picasa.
Continue reading Home Sweet Baltimore
Posted in Baltimore, Chris Walbert, travel
This entry was posted January 12th, 2008 and has 5 comments.
If you were at Soul Cannon’s show last night at The Ottobar, it is very hard to argue that statement.
Continue reading Soul Cannon is the Best Band in Baltimore
Posted in Baltimore, Chris Walbert, music
This entry was posted November 29th, 2007 and has 9 comments.
I guess this makes it official. Last night I got my non-refundable plane ticket to Shanghai. I’ll be flying American Airlines, leaving on January 31 and returning to the States on February 8. This will give me 7 full days and 2 half-days to spend exploring Shanghai and Beijing.
View Larger Map
My flight there leaves at 7:40 am, goes through Detroit and arrives in Shanghai at 3:25 pm. But, with the time change, that 3:25 pm (China time) will actually feel like 2:25 am. So all tolled, I will be traveling for about 18.5 hours. Jet lag anyone?
Continue reading Got my Plane Ticket
Posted in Baltimore, China, Chris Walbert, life, travel
This entry was posted November 25th, 2007 and has 3 comments.
The best part of any holiday is the time we set aside to spend with family. Over the years, some of my best memories are of times spent with my cousins during the holiday season. I’ve been blessed with a large extended family, including 18 first cousins on my mother’s side. As I grow older, the relationships I have with my cousins also grow, even if the amount of time we spend together does not.
Growing up, my cousins Ryan, Ellen and Kathryn lived right around the corner from my family. Ryan and I were best friends and spent just about every minute we could hanging out, especially during the summer. Whether it was riding bikes through the neighborhood, building forts, or just exploring, there was never a boring day. Over the years as our lives got busier, the amount of time Ryan and I spent together diminished. However, the significance of that time never has.
During the most recent Thanksgiving and Christmas family celebrations, I’ve really been struck with one thought. My cousins aren’t little kids anymore, they’re all real people that are genuinely intelligent and interesting. I would be friends with them even if we weren’t related. These are the same people that I’ve spent so many hours goofing off with, but recently we all hit this point where we were able to relate to each other as adults. My cousins are now getting married and having kids of their own, going to grad school, and following their various passions in life.
Continue reading Thanksgiving with Family
Posted in Baltimore, Chris Walbert, life
