“This priest lent wisdom to others” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (November 27, 2005). My uncle buzzed J. Edgar Hoover. Growing up in Washington in the 1940s, as a young schoolboy he found himself on a school trip to FBI headquarters. During the tour, all the …
Read MoreHail Mary and the ‘Times Tables’
Hail Mary and the ‘Times Tables’ in the Philadelphia Inquirer (September 25, 2005). The siren behind me causes me to look into the rearview mirror, and I am instantly transported back to my youth. Sitting near the back of the classroom, I remember our second …
Read MoreMust See TV?
“Without TV, time to spare” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (June 10, 2005). I’m willing to bet you’ve said it in the last week. Perhaps even this morning. I know I have. And together we’ll say it again next week, telling others – and ourselves – …
Read MoreWhen the barber is your father
“Locks of Love” in Main Line Today (June 2005). Perhaps it’s a bit odd, but my brothers and I only ever had one barber: our father. Businessman by day, barber by night, Dad cut the hair of his seven sons like only a father can. …
Read MoreWindmills on the horizon
“Peco’s wind program needs your help to work” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (April 14, 2005). Driving through Somerset County in Western Pennsylvania, my eyes are drawn to the giant turbines ahead, which loom over the horizon like apocalyptic watchtowers. To some, they are scars upon …
Read More“Zip code, please…”
“Customers’ private data are none of business’ business” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (December 8, 2004). When Gwyneth Paltrow walks into Babies R Us to buy her daughter, Apple, the latest LeapFrog LeapPad, I wonder if she gives out her phone number to the cashier who …
Read MoreAt War with the Leaves
“Not sure about this leafy endeavor” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (September 22, 2004). Nature has an interesting way of regenerating itself. It drops seeds in the form of acorns, “helicopter petals” and the like, with the hope of bringing another tree into existence. Moreover, these …
Read MoreRaising Old Glory
“Our responsibility to the flag” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (July 2, 2004). My father was a trash collector supreme. One never knew what he would find on his nightly walk back from the trolley stop. A toy kitchen one day, a bicycle the next. Of …
Read MoreThe Wawa Hoagie Machine
“Technology keeps us wired, but we’re getting disconnected” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (June 15, 2004). I spend most of my day sitting in front of a computer typing words onto the screen in front of me – like right now. I’ve got a laptop so …
Read MoreVacation time, not at Shore
“Vacation time, not at Shore” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (May 14, 2004). It’s 3 p.m. on Friday, and all throughout the region computers are being shut down, ATMs are being tapped, and gas tanks filled. Radio dials are frantically scanned for John Brown or John …
Read MoreI must be part dog
“It’s a dog’s life in the suburbs” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (April 5, 2004). I always thought my father was part dog. His hearing was so good that he had a special knack for hearing the howling, whimpering, woofing, yapping, yelping and barking of every …
Read MoreTree Jousting and Other Winter Games
‘Winter memories” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (February 6, 2004). As the region finds itself in the midst of winter, I am gently reminded that the greatest playground of all sits right outside the foggy windowpane my eyes look through in the February dusk after snow …
Read MoreSnowy with a Chance of Winter
“TV and snow, a silly mix” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (December 22, 2003). Welcome, winter. You gave us a glimpse of your snowy self in weeks past, but now you’re back, officially, till March. Sadly, to many, your arrival means the wintry pains of icy …
Read MoreCaroling 24/7
“Too many ‘Jingle Bells’ can jangle” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (November 21, 2003). A trip to my dentist’s office usually is painful enough; but now that the holiday season – which seems to have begun shortly after midnight on Halloween – has rolled around, I …
Read MoreFarewell to Veterans Stadium
“Vet memories get him back to the old ball game” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (September 4, 2003). After the 1994 strike, I pretty much stopped watching baseball for almost a decade. I was turned off by the constant power struggles between owners and players, the …
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