h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A160976

OK, so I'm finally submitting this bloody thing! I've been working on it and tweaking it for the past 18 months and here it is.

There's over 20 entries about various parts of Pennsylvania and its history in the Edited Guide, so I reckon it's about time I submitted an overview entry for inclusion.

I'm still not happy with this entry, but I'm rather sick of looking at it!

Cheers!

- X

OK, so that wasn't a ringing endorsement. But I figured somebody would have looked at this one...

Not a ringing endorsement, this is true, but it is a very fitting endorsement for the article, which isn't a ringing endorsement for Pennsylvania.

It's a nice article, as usual, but there are a few things I'd like to see mentioned. When you talk about that "America starts here" slogan, it is worth mentioning that Philly functioned as the national capital through most of the Revolution, and beyond. I suppose that gives the slogan a measure of legitimacy.

When you mention the high-water mark of the Civil War, it's probably a good idea to name the location, at least in a footnote. Europeans accuse of us of being insular, but I bet they couldn't name the battle, much less what state it was in.

When I think of Pennsylvania industry, I don't automatically think of farming. The first thing that pops into my mind is the steel factories of Pittsburgh. In my mind, the association is about the same as that for Milwaukee and (awful) beer or Detroit and cars. Does this deserve a mention?

Hello,

Col. Sellars makes some excellent points. It's an amusing but hardly flattering article. I think there are some other things you could mention. I myself didn't know that farming was the #1 industry, but there are some other things you could mention.

1. Besides steel from Pittsburgh (an industry sadly in decline), Penn is also famous for Heinz and Hershey, perhaps the 2 most famous companies from Pennsylvania.

2. Doesn't Penn have the largest Amish community in the USA, or has Ohio or some other place overtaken them?

3. It's true that Philly was a key site in the Revolutionary war, since it's where the Declaration of Independence was drafted and it's the location of the Liberty Bell. Still, I suppose you could say that Massachusetts is just as easily a place where America started, thanks to the whole Lexington-Concord mess. So it's still a silly slogan.

4. Not as silly as "You've Got a Friend in Pennsylvania" though. Or Philly's new slogan "The City That Loves You Back". Ironic, since Philadelphians are the surliest people I've ever met, and I live in New York.

5. Don't forget it's the Keystone State. I still don't know what that means.

6. Isn't there an abandoned town in Penn which has been the site of a large underground mine fire since the 60s? Creepy.

Yours,
Jake

LOL! OK, you guys win. It'll be easy enough to make those changes and I'll leave a little note when I do so.

I wrote this ages ago and never really bothered to do much of an update to it when the Writing Guidelines changed.

Good points all!

So good that I incorporated a lot of those points into the revised entry.

I'm going to leave out the bit about Centrallia (the town with the fire underneath) because people really shouldn't be encouraged to go there it's super-dangerous.

As for Heinz and Hershey, I'm leaving that out too because it's too much. Same for Philadelphia and the Liberty Bell. Though I might do an entry on the bell, especially now that some lunatic attacked it with a hammer.

Anyway, do give this another read. I was unfairly harsh methinks, writing in the 'old guide' style rather than working on a fair entry.

Great comments guys! Thanks so much!!

Cheers!

- X

Well,

Now I actually know why it's called the "Keystone State". That's good. Of course, my own name for it would be "The Angry Highway Trooper State," but that's just personal experience.

Yours,
Jake

LOL!

My father was one of those angry state troopers until he retired this past year.

Of course, with all the tourists wandering around aimlessly, you'd be an angry highway trooper too.

btw: Did you know that the Pennsylvania State Police are the oldest state police force in the US? (So much wasted knowledge...)

Hello,

Well, they're always surly when they catch you going at well, let's say, a slightly exaggerated speed on the Turnpike. Of course, it's often because it's such a long, long state to cross on the way to anywhere else (I always forget how big it is).

Yours,
Jake

Speaking of the Turnpike...

*wonders if that subject would work better as a Uni project or a really, really, really long Guide Entry*

Congratulations! You'll be excited to hear that your entry has been approved for inclusion into the Edited Guide. After it has been edited (which takes a while, be patient) it will appear on the front page and you'll get an email letting you know. Thanks for writing this one and keep up the good work!

I'm beginning to feel that we should perhaps change the categories above to be "Life | The Universe | Pennsylvania | Everything" to cover the exhaustive research into all things Pennsylvania you've done.

Yours,
Jake

Editorial Note: This thread has been moved out of the Peer Review forum because this entry has now been recommended for the Edited Guide.

If they have not been along already, the Scout who recommended your entry will post here soon, to let you know what happens next. Meanwhile you can find out what will happen to your entry here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/SubEditors-Process

Congratulations!

Pah!

I'm just trying to keep up with Bluebottle's work on the Isle of Wight.

Shouldn't be too hard, there's more Penn than there is Isle of Wight

Oh, you're article's been sent out now so I'll get it turned around quick, I know that you're facts'll be right, they always are