Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Under My Hat

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Mayor Michael Bloomberg's food paranoia is getting worse. He's flipping out.

At this point, he wants New York City to outlaw any sugary soda over 16 ounces. This would be the first such law in the country. He says it'll help the obesity problem.

So if you visit the Big Apple you'd be denied a large soda. You still can order a 40-oz. beer. You also can order a 40-oz. fruit juice or a milkshake the size of Godzilla. Bloomberg thinks those drinks have no calories. It's only Coke and Pepsi that make us fat.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Guilty as sin

"I'm sick of hearing about this Sandusky thing," said a man at the supermarket.

Nobody can blame him. It's been plastered in the news since last year. But don't expect it to go away with a guilty verdict. This case has only just begun. There will be civil suits brought against Penn State, Dottie Sandusky and others.

More criminal charges likely will come, too. And books will be written.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Remembering a diamond

He was a country boy, a description that, for many, might conjure up preconceived notions.

But don't ever stereotype country folk because you'd probably be wrong.

Dad was quite a character. He knew how to ride horseback but also played the violin. For country folk, it's a fiddle.

He was a wiz at math and had exceptional penmanship. Interestingly, he was neither left-handed nor right-handed, but completely ambidextrous.

Dad had blond hair, and so do I, but otherwise the apple fell far from the tree.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

A look at plant parenthood

Charles Darwin went to his grave without knowing the answer to a puzzling question. It was so troubling to him that he called it the 'abominable mystery.'

What Darwin wanted to understand is this: Why did flowering plants appear 140 million years ago with such an abrupt start and amazing diversification?

The fossil record just didn't have clues. The question has stumped scientists for years. But many now feel it's being answered in our lifetime.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Poison at the pulpit

The Rev. Sean Harris has made himself the most reviled pastor in the country.

The Fayetteville, N. C., man took to the pulpit at Berean Baptist Church on Sunday, April 29, and wildly ordered his flock to punch and assault children and break their bones.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

The long good-bye

Family members are calling it an "act of profound love."

Others less understanding might use words like murder and suicide. But those with compassion and empathy know better.

Charles Snelling, 81, had been married to Adrienne for 61 years. True love for the Upper Macungie Township couple.

But when Adrienne developed Alzheimer's, dementia took over and Charles had a hard time watching it happen.

The family says Charles struggled to manage the effects of the illness, which some call "the long good-bye."

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Healthy eating can kill you

There is a new warning for those people overly concerned with eating healthy.

You could end up developing orthorexia.

It's an illness that begins with an extreme obsession with healthy eating and then turns into obsession.

At its worst, the illness causes orthorexics to cut out entire classes of food, such as carbs or fats.

It can lead to malnutrition, say medical experts.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

The honest truth about fine dining

I'm convinced that Olive Garden is a culinary dividing line.

There are those who love the place, especially the breadsticks. And then there are those who despise it, calling it phony Italian, microwaved food.

For some, a trip to Olive Garden is a special treat. But others say the place is a fraud because the food is unlike anything served in Tuscany, contrary to the restaurant's promises.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Good fences make good neighbors

Robert Frost questioned the need for fences.

He said: "Before I built a wall I'd ask to know what I was walling in or walling out." But Frost's neighbor made it very clear that "Good fences make good neighbors."

I couldn't help but think about that idea while participating in two recent St. Patrick's Day parades where new walls are making a big difference.

I rode my antique highwheel in the big parade in Scranton and then in another large parade in Wilkes-Barre.

It's nothing new. I've been doing it for over 10 years. But in that time things have changed.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

No spark for the Volt

Government Motors has stopped production of its semi-electric Volt.

That's because sales are lagging.

So GM has laid off 1,300 workers. The basic problem is that the Volt seems to lack spark with consumers.

The car was ballyhooed by Obama and was supposed to be a game changer. It was supposed to use electricity backed by a gas engine to reach 230 miles per gallon.

With gas prices hovering at $4 a gallon and predicted to go to $5, you would think the Volt would be selling faster than cotton candy at a kindergarten convention.

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