Culture
Stu Bykofsky
Joe Biden
Biden’s state was pretty damn good
Shaving 20 years off his age, President Joe Biden came out with force and vigor in a sweeping State of the Union, the highlight of which was successfully baiting the MAGA Republican members, although he avoided use of the term. About a half-hour in, he carefully said “some” Republicans would
Animals
The law says pets are property. The law is wrong
Which one of these does not belong? Your car Your bed Your dog Your carpets —- Under U.S. law, they are all the same: they are property. Your dog, or cat, or parakeet, or hamster — all living, breathing beings on which you shower love — are considered to be property
China
The Chinese big balloon theory
I tracked the Chinese balloon story for several days, and floated away with some questions about what we were told. Like U.S. reluctance to shoot down the balloon over Montana because of concerns about the safety of people on the ground. Have you ever been to Montana? What people
Culture
Defining Woke down
Today I voluntarily walk into the quicksand of Woke, which I generously award a capital W, so we can easily spot it. The danger in discussing Woke, like its ally CRT, is that we don’t have a universal definition. So I will invent one, as I did with CRT,
Cancel Culture
Don’t submit to woke, academic urges
"Diversity based on race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity are foundational sacraments in the Cult of Diversity. On the other hand, intellectual and political diversity are heretical ideas that need to be expunged.” That one paragraph sums up the heart of Gad Saad’s 191-page “The
Education
Major complaints against DeSantis are BS
Did the Union League get a fair shake from protestors and most of the Philadelphia media? Don’t be shocked, but the answer is no. Ditto Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Personal disclosure: I have never been a member of the Union League, nor do I plan to become a member,
Culture
What happened to Girl Scout Samoas cookies?
It was believed that in it’s forward slither to cleanse any offense, real or imagined, from American life, Wokeism had attacked a cherished (and tasty) institution — the Girl Scout cookie.. Funds raised by the sale of cookies fund various Girl Scout activities, as well as community projects. Each year,
Police
Lockdown is for YOUR “safety,” cops say
It’s like the Pope is back in town! Remember when he visited Philadelphia in 2015 and the police turned a huge area of Center City into a fenced-off, no-go zone? It’s ba-ack. The Philadelphia Police Department has created a traffic box that will be implemented during the third
Entertainment
The day the music died in Philadelphia
The words “icon” and “legend” are easily thrown around, applied as freely as suntan lotion in July. With Jerry Blavat, they were nearly an understatement. He was one of my first friends in Philadelphia, and here’s how that came about. In 1973, I was the features editor of the
Uncategorized
Voter ID alters the perception of cheating
As political strategist Lee Atwater said, perception is reality. First, some numbers. An alarming number of Americans believe that the U.S. election system is not trustworthy, according to a recent poll. While a majority of Americans (58%) have a “great deal” or “good amount” of trust that elections are
Entertainment
Colorizing history is not always a good idea.
One thing I like about the days around and following Christmas are the proliferation of old hit movies. I just finished watching “The Wiz,” which was really enjoyable — I had seen it before — and realized it would have been bathed in woke controversy if released today. Why? Although the cast