Monthly Archives: March 2016

What’s This Pole Thingy For?

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Roger Walck

Okay, classmates, we have all seen this many times, but what’s it for? I found this nicely shaped wooden pole with a brass end in the corner of a closet at the Peirce–du Pont House at Longwood Gardens. I know … Continue reading →

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Early Nonsense Songs

Posted on March 27, 2016 by Roger Walck

Sometimes I don’t understand my brain. Often, actually. Today, for no reason, I woke up with the nonsense song, Chickery Chick, in my head, one of the first popular songs I remember. The lyrics go: Chickery chick, cha-la, cha-la Check-a-la … Continue reading →

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Yo, Bro!

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Roger Walck

“It’s the Sweet 16 of ‘Bro’ Campuses” by Andrew Beaton. The Wall Street Journal, 3/24/2016. More and more I find myself reading the sports page for the high quality of writing and to keep up with popular culture that has … Continue reading →

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Champion Trees

Posted on March 23, 2016 by Roger Walck

“Tree Hunters Go Out on a Limb to Topple Records,” by Kat Long. The Wall Street Journal, 3/18/2016. Back in 1940, a lumber-company employee, Joseph E. Stearns, urged forest lovers—professionals, retirees, housewives, anyone—to find the largest American tree of each … Continue reading →

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Nudist Nomenclature

Posted on March 20, 2016 by Roger Walck

“Body Politic Rebuffs French Island’ Nudist Past,” by Noemie Bisserbe. The Wall Street Journal, 3/11/2016. Ile du Levant is a small French island in the Mediterranean where nudity has had a long tradition and acceptance—everywhere except in the town square. … Continue reading →

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Tikkum Olam

Posted on March 17, 2016 by Roger Walck

“Sanders and the Jewish Identity,” by Charles Krauthammer. The Wilmington (DE) News-Journal, 3/12/2016. This syndicated columnist is writing about Bernie Sanders’s Judaism, but this posting is nothing about Bernie.  Like you, I have heard enough politics. The article introduced me … Continue reading →

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Exploding Wisteria Pods

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Roger Walck

Wisteria can be seen in several places at Longwood Gardens, and visitors often comment on these growing along the outside conservatory balcony of the Peirce–du Pont House. (Wisteria was once very popular. Other places at Longwood Gardens where they can … Continue reading →

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Hocus Pocus: The Vanished Half-Dollar

Posted on March 13, 2016 by Roger Walck

“The Half-Dollar’s Accidental Demise,” by Bob Greene. The Wall Street Journal, 2/29/2016. Your grandchildren may never have seen a half-dollar coin, may not know there ever was one. The mint stopped making them 13 years ago. We never noticed. It … Continue reading →

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1954 LAHIAN Senior Class Pictures

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Roger Walck

Many of you no longer have your LAHIAN yearbook, so here are the eight pages of our class, in black-and-white, just as in the original. (All yearbooks now are in color that I find startling.) I blurred the images just … Continue reading →

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DNA Studies On Penn State’s Nittany Lion

Posted on March 8, 2016 by Roger Walck

“Gimme a D! Gimme an N! Gimme an A!” by Miriam Jordan. The Wall Street Journal, 3/5/2016. Now that DNA sequencing has become so cheap and available, many school mascots are being studied. Penn State’s Nittany Lion is a particular … Continue reading →

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