Monthly Archives: April 2011

The Indiana Farmer

Years ago, I read about an elderly Indiana farmer who had recently died.  He was a bachelor who rarely traveled far from his farm, but when they went through his possessions, they found he had kept a list of everyone … Continue reading

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Robinson Crusoe and the Novel

In a recent article in the New Yorker, novelist Jonathan Franzen (who made the cover of Time last August) describes his retreat to a tiny volcanic island off the coast of Chile to test his resourcefulness and to rediscover himself.  … Continue reading

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The Cira Centre

Some readers have asked what is that ephemeral large building beside the 30th street station in the April 10th posting. It is the Cira Centre, a new building on the Philadelphia skyline, just completed a few years ago. (See 4/28/2008 … Continue reading

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Conceptual Art

Many years ago, I sent a thank-you note to our company physician who had done me a favor. It was a small note in the upper corner of the large computer printer paper that was used back then. It read: … Continue reading

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The Waving Flag

My last speculation on the rippling of a waving flag (September 25 posting) was at the end of the summer when windy days were rare.  We have had plenty since, and these have given me new insights. As anyone can … Continue reading

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Bharat Gajjar

Recently our local newspaper had the obituary of Bharat Gajjar who was our neighbor for a few years back in the 1980s.  He was born in India, but had been in America for perhaps forty years. He worked for DuPont … Continue reading

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Bad Drivers

After the posting on the blue-haired ladies (3/14/2011), people have been sending me stories and photos from the Internet of other bad drivers.  But I think I can top them all. When my wife and I were first married, we … Continue reading

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Hollering

In rural parts of the country, particularly in the eastern Carolinas, hollering is a recognized sport, and “hollering” is the correct term, not “screaming,” “screeching,” “yelling” or “calling,”  although hog-calling is a closely related specialty. In hollering, the only criteria … Continue reading

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