Monthly Archives: January 2017

Preppers

Posted on January 29, 2017 by Roger Walck

“Survival Of the Richest,” by Evan Osnos. The New Yorker, 1/30/2017. What is a prepper? An old classmate of ours is one. A prepper is someone who expects an imminent disaster, natural or man-made, that will quickly result in a … Continue reading →

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Pussy Hats

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Roger Walck

When I was in Philly last week, the same day as the Women’s March On Washington (the Philadelphia branch) I saw many knit hats, mostly in pink or red, with little cat ears. I just thought this was a popular … Continue reading →

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Epictetus

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Roger Walck

“Visionaries: Epictetus,” by Elif Batuman. The New Yorker, 12/19/2016. My major at Penn State was chemistry, but much of what I remember was from the few non-technical electives that were required. I could select anything that sounded interesting, and I … Continue reading →

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Philadelphia’s Women’s March On Washington

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Roger Walck

I took the SEPTA train into Philadelphia this past Saturday, January 21, not to join the march, but to examine the train steps. The steps going up into the train are steep, and my wife was having trouble climbing them … Continue reading →

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The Continuing Legacy of John Raskob

Posted on January 20, 2017 by Roger Walck

“Comment,” by Harry Themal. The News-Journal, 1/15/2016. (Harry Themal is a long-time, respected journalist in the Wilmington, DE, area. He is now retired, but still contributes a weekly column.) John Raskob was hired just out of high school by Pierre … Continue reading →

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The Seabrook Reunion, 2004

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Roger Walck

“My Father’s Cellar,” by John Seabrook.  The New Yorker, 1/23/2017. (NYer article titles often differ slightly in the digital and print editions.) My wife grew up in rural Seabrook, NJ, that had a sizable Japanese-American community. It is in the … Continue reading →

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Baldness and Food Emulsifiers

Posted on January 16, 2017 by Roger Walck

I began my long-term employment with Atlas Chemical in Wilmington, DE, back in 1960. They manufactured “specialty chemicals,” that includes food emulsifiers, those products among the other mysterious ingredients listed in fine print on processed food labels. You can think … Continue reading →

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Mosul Dam: Bad News For Iraq

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Roger Walck

“A Bigger Problem Than Isis?” by Dexter Filkins. The New Yorker, 1/2/2017. So how could any news for Iraq get any worse? Well, how about a huge dam that could burst, any day, any minute? Maybe before you finish reading … Continue reading →

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Avoiding the Sun

Posted on January 11, 2017 by Roger Walck

Almost invariably, native-born Asian women look 15 years younger than they are. In our travels to Japan, and later China, and in talking with visitors at Longwood Gardens, we would often talk with women who appeared in their mid-30s, and … Continue reading →

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The Mummers Parade Or The Rose Bowl Parade?

Posted on January 8, 2017 by Roger Walck

It’s New Year’s morning, and I’m eating an early lunch in my jammies watching the Mummers Parade on TV. It’s not even noon yet, and the parade is on all day. As I recollect, in my day, the parade  was … Continue reading →

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