For the past few years I have had all of my classes video-recorded (which enabled the capture of my "walking into glass door video"): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkUsiep4zxA I tell my students that they may find the videos helpful if they miss a class (and then they can judge whether or not they "missed anything important'), or when … Continue reading For Those of You Who Find Accounting Too Boring (or Exciting) →

Graduation is one of my favorite times of the year. Villanova's commencement is spread over two days; yesterday was the University graduation and today we had the ceremonies for the individual colleges. Weather was a major concern, and the University had contingency plans in place. However, adding a layer of difficulty to those contingency plans … Continue reading Graduation: the Best of Times, the Worst of Times? →

Just outside a Burger King on Market Street in San Francisco, classical music plays all night and all day, preferably to no one. The reason? To discourage the homeless from hanging around. Apparently many people, including the homeless, dislike how loud it can be and/or simply dislike classical music. And so it works, the homeless … Continue reading Bach, Beethoven, and Burger King →

How great were Saturdays as a kid growing up in the 60s? You'd start the morning off with a bowl of cereal (or two); here's a list of some of my favorites at the time: Cocoa Puffs Alpha-Bits (educational too!) Life (allegedly the healthiest one on my list) Lucky Charms Cap'n Crunch Fruit Loops Honey-Comb … Continue reading Now This Is How Kids Should Spend Saturdays →

"For sale: baby shoes, never worn." is the entirety of what has been described as a six-word novel, making it an extreme example of what is called flash fiction or sudden fiction. Although it is often attributed to Ernest Hemingway, the link to him is unsubstantiated and similar stories predate him. The claim of Hemingway's authorship originates in an … Continue reading Six-Word Stories. You’ve Been Warned. →

First, a disclaimer, I don't know anything about "emotional support animals". So when I heard today's story about American Airlines revising its policy regarding emotional support animals on their flights, I was somewhat taken aback. I can understand how a cat or dog could provide comfort to passengers who would otherwise find a flight too … Continue reading American Airlines No Longer a Noah’s Ark →

IDF troops are responding with riot dispersal means and fire, and are operating according to standard operating procedures — IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) May 14, 2018 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js The particular standard operating procedures (SOPs) being referred to by the Israeli Defense Forces have resulted in the killing today of more than 50 Palestinian protesters (including eight children), and … Continue reading Maybe You Need to Rethink Your SOPs →

I heard a blurb on the radio today about an event that DID NOT take place 55 years ago, May 12, 1963. That event was Bob Dylan performing on the Ed Sullivan Show. At the time, Dylan was a relative unknown, but appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show could change that overnight, like it had … Continue reading It Pays (Sometimes Literally) to Stand Up for Your Principles →

I don't know what's worse - my drawings or my attempts at humor. Or could it be that both are so bad that they work together in some sort of serendipitous way to create the next Calvin & Hobbes? Anyway, as part of the trip down memory lane blog post series, I came across these … Continue reading My SAD (Stupid And Dreadful) Cartoonist Portfolio →

Detroit has its 8 Mile Road, made famous by Eminem in the movie 8 Mile. Since the mid-20th century it has served as a physical and cultural dividing line between the wealthier, predominantly white northern suburbs of Detroit and the poorer, predominantly black city. Well it turns out we have our own version of 8 Mile Road right here in Delaware County, PA, … Continue reading What a Difference Fifteen Miles Can Make →