Columns

The rise and fall of the shopping mall

My buddies Ayres and Klinger and I walked its crowded corridors for hours on Friday nights, hoping to meet girls. That’s what we did at South Hills Village Mall in the late 1970s, when we were teens and the American Mall was in its heyday.

Joe Biden versus the press

The White House press corps is in a snit again because President Biden, who many reporters openly cheered on in last year’s election, has stiffed them repeatedly, refusing to answer their questions and — most recently — and tossing them unceremoniously out of the Oval Office.

Is your safety plan up to date?

One of my many duties at my “day job” is serving as point man for our workplace safety program. Since I have a hair-trigger for gabbing about bloodborne pathogens, bodily fluids, corrosives, and other appetizing subjects, we no longer have a Christmas party or even a holiday party.

Ruined eyesight didn’t deter old soldier

After Napoleon Bonaparte was forced from power in 1815, many of his soldiers had to leave France for political and economic reasons. A good number of them found their way to French Louisiana, including an officer who is called the founder of Ville Platte.

Why I think feminism is a farce

Whenever I write about abortion, I get a lot of pushback from people who disagree. I fully admit that I’m an extremist when it comes to whether a child has a right to be born. There is no wiggle room for me, no negotiation, no gray areas.

Is it autumn for America?

The autumn leaves are expected to be extra vibrant this year in Pennsylvania, though they are changing colors a week later than is normal. That’s fitting. Very few things are “normal” this year.

Are you bathing too frequently?

When I worked at my late uncle’s junkyard during junior high school, one of the regular customers (a crusty coot who resembled a cantankerous Roy Rogers sidekick wannabe) assured us that he luxuriated in a steaming bathtub each and every night.

Pay or punish the un-vaxed?

When society seeks to influence behavior, is it better to pay people to act a certain way, or to penalize them if they don’t? The pandemic and the urgent need for COVID-19 vaccinations brings the question into focus.

Murder wasn’t part of the act

It was sensational news when actress Julia Morrison walked onto the stage and shot her leading man dead.

When America follows its better angels

I recently filled in hosting a local Philadelphia talk show, which gave me the opportunity to interview Lt. Col. Jonathan P. Meyers, a retired Marine who’d recently written a memoir about his almost three decades in service: “American to the Corps.”