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What's up?

Lovers of the English language might enjoy this ..The guy who sent it to me surely did.

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is 'UP.'

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP ?

At a meeting, why does a topic come UP?

Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?

We call UP our friends.

Back Again

What's up?

Lovers of the English language might enjoy this ..The guy who sent it to me surely did. There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is 'UP.' It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or...

The positive side of life

By BOB URBAN rurban@tnonline.com Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Gal. 6:9, (NIV) Here are some thoughts sent on by a loyal reader. Living on Earth is expensive, but it does...

Speaking English you think it's easy?

You think English is easy? Check out these examples sent in by one of my favorite readers. 1) The bandage was wound around the wound. 2) The farm was used to produce produce. 3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse. 4) We must...

Early Times Capsule

'Super' boxing show attracted the pickpockets

It may not have had the population base of a Boston or New York, but Tamaqua had its own Super Bowl-like atmosphere for a prime-time sporting event during the winter of 1912. On Monday, Feb. 3, the town hosted a middleweight boxing match between...

Auto trivia: Car No. 1 went to Port Carbon man

On March 24, 1898, Robert Allison a 70-year-old Schuylkill County industrialist, became the answer to a huge part of early automobile trivia. That day, he purchased the first commercially manufactured automobile at the Winton Motor Carriage Company...

Two priests made the headlines early in 1912

By JIM ZBICK jzbick@tnonline.com The first month of 1912 was quite noteworthy for two special priests in the region. First, the Rev. Hayes, rector of St. Mary's Church in Coaldale, became the talk of the area when he wrestled with an intruder who...

Education & Family

Ducks and blue skies

I'm a sucker for similes. In case you forgot your English lessons from high school, a simile is a statement that compares two things - for instance, "My grandson is as active as a volcano" - or - "My snoring sounds like a jet plane." One simile that...

Some tips on classroom behavior

Dear Dr. Smith, More than half of the school year is over. My son is in second grade and is having a bad school year. He comes home in the afternoon and is very unhappy. He gets yelled at all the time, has recess taken away, and sits on the "bad"...

Carcass, anyone?

Those of you who read this column regularly know that I am enamored of little lizards, geckos, anoles, or whatever. Since moving to South Carolina in 1998 and Florida in 2010, we have had quite a few experiences with the little critters. I recall my...

Guest Columnist

Money can buy political victory

My grandfather told me that any politician could be bought. He would cite examples of well-known politicians who were manipulated by the rich and famous. Once he pointed these politicians out, I would follow their actions over time to see if my...

The sorry state of the union

Earlier this week, the President painted a rosy picture in his State Of The Union address. I believe that he does not recognize the reality of our current situation. Listening to his speech, I would think that America is well on the road to recovery...

New laws strip Americans of their citizenship

The current Congress and the President are usurping our constitutional rights. The new National Defense Authorization Act (NDAP) originally permitted the military to arrest and indefinitely detain anyone including American citizens without a warrant...

Don't Blink

Paterno's energy will remain on campus

It is hard to believe one month of 2012 has past. It seems like yesterday we celebrated New Year's Day and here we are in the month of February and what is even most unusual is we really did not have a major snowstorm all month. While this may seem...

Strange sounds in the sky

I was sitting at home late last week watching some television when a friend called me excitedly to ask if I heard about the strange sounds in the sky. I had to admit the only strange sounds I heard up to that point was the cat racing through a...

Interesting parallels between Italian Cruise ship and Titanic

In an unnecessary tragedy, the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia was run aground by its irresponsible captain last weekend resulting in numerous deaths as the ship capsized on the rocks off of the coast of Giglio, Italy. News reports claim the...

Linda's Letters

The wonders of emails

Whatever did we do before we had email? I can't imagine my life now without it. It has, of course, replaced "snail mail" for many of us. But as in everything, if something is good, it also has some "bad" in it. If you have email, you probably get a...

Ode to another birthday

Birthdays come every year, I try not to shed too many a tear. Things are getting harder as the years go by, Even so, I'm still glad to be alive. Mornings take me forever to get dressed, Blue or black slacksdeciding makes me stressed. This blouse fit...

Biggest Loser

I signed up for the Biggest Loser contest at Dedicated Fitness for the next 12 weeks. I went to the kick-off to get "pumped up" and immediately upon leaving, got into a fender bender. Nobody got hurt, thank God, but my car had to be towed. Went home...

Under My Hat

Trying to make sense of news

Sometimes the daily news can be difficult to figure out. Eastman Kodak has filed for bankruptcy. Analysts say the company's decline began long ago when foreign rival Fujifilm started cutting into the market long held by Kodachrome and other Kodak...

What would Jesus do?

The year 2011 was interesting and the week of August 21, particularly so. Pennsylvania was hit by an earthquake and hurricane within four days. For me, the unusual week began when I stopped at our local community center for a New Age Expo held that...

Goodbye Edith

I was introduced to her years ago at a newspaper conference in Harrisburg. Friend and co-worker Pattie Mihalik said, "Donnie, I want you to meet my friend Edith." I was impressed from the start. Edith Hughes lived in Monroeville and worked for...

Warmest Regards

Never pay to be depressed

My husband and I enjoy most of the same activities. We both relish kayaking, biking, dancing, nature walks and photography. That's fortunate because neither of us has to sit home alone while the other is out having fun. Togetherness can be a blessed...

When Mom is gone, recipes disappear

Did you ever notice the January hypocrisy of so-called women's magazine? Scan the covers of these magazines while you wait at the supermarket checkout line to see what I mean. This month, headlines scream: Lose weight in the New Year. Unfortunately...

Tim Tebow a true winner

My husband wishes I were more of a football fan so I would sit with him to watch NFL games. I enjoy football and have always liked to watch the Philadelphia Eagles. But I can't sit there in front of the TV and root for any old team. When the Eagles...

Where We Live

Squash or eat?

We've all seen the "brown marmorated stink bug" in our homes and gardens in the last few years. According to the Penn State website, this insect was not previously seen on our continent. It was apparently accidentally introduced into eastern...

Not for human consumption

Move over, bath salts. The dangerous narcotic that had been all the rage has since been replaced by the newest designer drug to hit the market. That would be in the form of jewelry cleaner. Yes, you heard that right. Jewelry cleaner. Also known as '...

Memories

On Thursday my parents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Sixty years is a really long time. My parents were an odd pairing to begin with. My mother is from a large Italian family, growing up with her mother and father, both Italian...

The Generation Gasp

Get in line

JIM:

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has a special Van Gogh exhibit running right now. Don't imagine that you can go to see this exhibition on the spur of the moment. No, to the contrary, the museum's website admonishes us, "Your tickets will be issued for the date and time you choose, based on availability, and include a complimentary exhibition audio tour and Museum general admission to both the main and Perelman Buildings. Select your dates carefully, as tickets are nonrefundable and subject to a $2.50/$3.50 exchange fee prior to the selected date." Adult admission is $25.

Mommy dearest

JIM:

"Alma Mater" is Latin for "nourishing mother." The term is usually applied to some school or college from which we graduated. In my case, it's Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster. When I attended in the late 1960s, F&M was a men's college. We students joked that the letters stood for "Frustration & Masturbation." The fall semester after I graduated was the first time F&M admitted female students. We frat boys joked that, once we were gone, it was safe enough to let them on the campus.

Going to the dogs

CLAIRE:

I spent most of my childhood begging my parents to let me get a dog. For years I dreamed of having a furry friend that would follow me everywhere, be my constant confidante, my defender and guardian. But the fact is, there are two types of people in the world: dog people, and everyone else. Dog people not only love dogs, they need to have a dog in their lives.

My parents are not necessarily what I would call dog people.

In fact, it's possible that my mother could be described as anti-dog - particularly when it comes to the dog peeing on her oriental rug.

Daddy, can you spare a dime?

Claire:

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few years, you're probably aware that student loan debt is at an all-time high - somewhere around 865 billion dollars, last time I checked. You know what else is at an all-time high? College graduates moving back in with their parents.

This is no coincidence.

The American way of death

JIM:

My wife and I recently met with our lawyer to update our wills. This, by the way, is a good idea for everyone. Remember the guy with the hit record of a graduation speech that began and ended, "Whatever you do, use sun block"? Let me paraphrase him: "Whatever you do, make a will." According to a 2010 Forbes Magazine survey, 65 percent of American adults don't have one. And if you don't have one, you probably won't take this advice either.

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