Last month, the Biden administration quietly abandoned its plan to force school districts to allow boys to compete against girls in sports. Before that about-face, districts across the country had been threatened with a loss of federal funding if they failed to comply with yet another revision of the Title […]
From the Editors: Pennsylvania’s crime statistics shouldn’t be open to retroactive edits
Collecting crime data has always been difficult and will always likely remain so. But just because collecting crime statistics is difficult doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done — it absolutely should. Yet one troubling fact about Pennsylvania’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) database stands out to us as needing a change. […]
Paul Davis: Schools need metal detectors to prevent classroom shootings
I was a student at South Philadelphia High School in the late 1960s. Southern, as the school was called locally, was a rough school back then. Race relations in Philadelphia were at an historical low and there were fights in the school nearly every day between black and white students. […]
Guy Ciarrocchi: Republicans will learn that governing is harder than winning
Governing is harder than winning an election. Governing effectively is even harder. We’re watching this in real time for Trump and congressional Republicans. Governing is even more difficult for Republicans who have to contend with opposition from Democrats — and their multiple deep-pocketed and confrontational allies. This includes governors, mayors, […]
Thom Nickels: Theosophists in Philadelphia
In the 1970s I lived for a time in a second floor apartment in a building that also served as the headquarters for the West Chester, Pennsylvania, Theosophical Society. In a deal with the landlord to lower the rent, I cleaned and swept the offices of the Theosophical Society rooms. […]
Stephen F. Gambescia: The changing place of the thoughtful op-ed
On March 13, 2005, the Philadelphia Inquirer published on its Commentary page an excerpt from “web pundit” Matthew Yglesias, in which he portends “The End of the Op-Ed.” He believed that these “short form” pieces will be replaced by the blogosphere. It was followed by twelve comments from readers of […]
Richard Koenig: 2024 in review
The new help at McDonald’s … vibrations everywhere … hyper-gender-expansion … pizza glue.
By Richard Koenig
Christine Flowers: Biden’s December surprise
To say that it was an interesting year is to say that the Earth rotates around the Sun, something that isn’t as much of a slam dunk as it would appear. Ask Galileo. But the truth is that every year is interesting in its own way, and this one included […]
Thom Nickels: Philly’s cultural revolution
The fallout from Philadelphia’s June 2020 George Floyd riots worked to radicalize the city’s cultural and arts communities. Shortly after the rioting, museums, art galleries, theater companies and historical societies sent out statements in support of Black Lives Matter. These messages of support grew exponentially until the tsunami had every […]
Frank Ryan: Leadership void – the dangers of an absent outgoing administration
The dangers of the drone activity over the United States have largely been ignored by an outgoing President and his administration despite a potentially plausible explanation. Because of this benign neglect, we, as a nation, have entered one of the most dangerous periods since World War II. The combination of […]