Journalism
After six decades of writing journalistic nonfiction, it’s time for my first novel. Years in the making, you might say. Press Card is fiction, but it reads like fact. They say journalism is a search for answers. This is a little different: As an author, I know the answers,
Bicycle Lanes
You ever start reading a newspaper story and think, “Wow! They get it!, ” but read a little further and realize, nope, it’s more of the same crapola. The old “bait and switch.” That was my experience with an Inquirer story headlined (in the print edition) “There’s got to
Race Relations
Thank you, Gold Medalist Tamyra Mensah-Stock, for providing me with the most indelible image of the delayed 2020 Olympics. Yeah, I know it is not over yet, but nothing, nothing can top the interview she gave after becoming the first African-American woman to win gold for freestyle wrestling. If you
Democratic Party
It's fun being right. It’s even more fun proving an adversary is wrong. A rift between fellow Philly Democrats Congressman Kevin Boyle and city Councilman Isaiah Thomas presents an opportunity to confound my enemies. Well, at least the jackasses who claim I am racist (cough, cough, Helen
Sexual Assault
Did I get this right? New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s defense against groping at least 11 women is, “It can’t be sexual assault — I do it to everyone.” He seems to be saying he’s just friendly. I hate to go there, but this guy is the
Uncategorized
Philadelphia’s The Big Talker has a smallish mouth, but that’s OK with the bosses who have signed off on significant changes at our region’s leading conservative broadcaster. Bigger isn’t always better, they say. WPHT/1210-AM knew change was coming for a while. We all did, after
Uncategorized
Because of a saboteur in my mailing list, the company that sends out notifications of a new post is suspending service while the tech crew tries to identify and eliminate the culprit. That means you will have to check in on your own. I am sorry for the inconvenience.
Uncategorized
Baseball is boring, that’s one reason I like it. It is slow moving, and doesn’t require much concentration. If you don’t believe me, watch the Phillies play, or listen to TV color man John Kruk. They barely seem to be paying attention. The Phllies lose track of
Crime
A local lawyer, a frenemy, told me he had written a book about the death penalty, and asked if I would read it. It was anti-death penalty, a dozen essays opposing the penalty rather than a book with a singular narrative thread. I told him I would read it if
Coronavirus
Sometimes I am almost too willing to compromise. That will come as a surprise to some who know me, but it's true. Sometimes. In my last column, I said I was willing to mask up again, in light of the delta version of COVID-19 sweeping the nation. In
Coronavirus
With the city now recommending that even vaccinated people, like me, wear masks indoors and in crowds, I had some questions, which I put to the city Health Department. Here are my questions and edited versions of the replies from the Health Department's Matt Rankin. Q: I am
Jim Kenney
Ernest Owens is a smart guy, very smart. He’s probably smarter than I am. I know he is better educated. He got a full ride to the University of Pennsylvania. I know that because he has written about it, about how Penn is racist, and Penn is homophobic. Owens