To an outer-space alien, it might appear that Columbus Day has something to do with big sales at the local malls. In truth, the observance is intended to serve as a reflection of the accomplishments of Italian-Americans. The wave of Italian immigrants, which came to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, led to enclaves throughout many Eastern Pennsylvania communities. Italian immigrants were confronted with unspeakable stereotypes and harsh treatment. Many native-born Americans shunned them, associated them with the Mafia or tried to make them out to be dim-witted …

I am hoping to survive another Christmas without being confronted with questions about the existence of Santa Claus. With nine grandchildren, I have lived in mortal fear that one of them would ask with wide-eyed innocence, "Grandpop, my friend told me there is no Santa Claus; is that true?” The simple way around this is to vehemently deny the friend’s hard-hearted revelation, but I have made a promise: Never lie to my grandchildren. "You’re not really lying,” says my wife, Marie, but I disagree. "But it’s a lie for a good cause,” she counters. Teaching a course in Communication Ethics, I am …

To an outer-space alien, it might appear that Columbus Day has something to do with big sales at the local malls. In truth, the observance is intended to serve as a reflection of the accomplishments of Italian-Americans. The wave of Italian immigrants, which came to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, led to enclaves throughout many Eastern Pennsylvania communities. Italian immigrants were confronted with unspeakable stereotypes and harsh treatment. Many native-born Americans shunned them, associated them with the Mafia or tried to make them out to be dim-witted …

Each year at this time, as thousands of 5-year-olds experience their first day of kindergarten, I know the mix of joy and dread they are feeling. I’ll always remember my first day of school -- that sunny September day in 1944 in Summit Hill in nearby Carbon County -- with pain and embarrassment. For days before, I chattered non-stop about starting school. My mother had bought me new clothes for the big day. She wanted to take my photo before we left, a precious keepsake to be tucked away for the ages. My father ceded matters such as discipline and logistics to my well-organized mother. In a …

Reflecting on good memories accumulated over a lifetime is one of the joys of retirement. Our memory is kind to us in enhancing some of the unusual or key moments of a long and productive life. I have spent 51 years working as a newspaper, radio, TV and online  journalist. During that time, I have had numerous brushes with greatness. Although I have had "brushes” with Grace Kelly (Princess Grace of Monaco), Sophia Loren, Jimmy Stewart, Bob Hope, Meredith Baxter-Birney, Reba McIntire, Ricardo Montalban, Gloria Estefan, skater Peggy Fleming, Carrie Underwood, ex-Vice President Dan Quayle and …

Senior citizen Dale Schneck of Schnecksville reached into the beer cooler at Weis Market along Route 873 in North Whitehall Township, took out a 12-pack and presented it to clerk Linda Henninger for purchase. “I’ll need your driver’s license,” she said. “Don’t think I’m old enough?” frowned the 82-year-old Schneck as he opened his wallet. Henninger explained that everyone who wants to buy alcoholic beverages at Weis, regardless of age, must present a driver’s license or a valid photo ID. As Schneck attempted to show her the license that was still in the wallet, she said, “I’ll need it out of …

As we are in the heart of commencement season, I am reminded of how I got snookered – big time – 14 years ago. As publisher and editor of a newspaper in Oswego, N.Y., I wrote two weekly columns. Always on the lookout for good ideas, I decided to use as the basis for one an e-mail I received from a close journalist friend. It was said to be the commencement address at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1997 by well-known novelist Kurt Vonnegut, author of Slaughterhouse-Five. I was smitten by the practical and irreverent tone of the message. In it Vonnegut is alleged to have said: “Do…

I have just come back from the mountaintop with my suitcase. If I were to be one of the chosen few when the world was to end, I at least wanted to have a fresh change of clothes and some toiletries. Not knowing how long the Rapture journey might take, I didn’t want to be disheveled and unshaven when I arrived. Well, as we now know, Harold Camping has miscalculated – again. The self-proclaimed Family Radio prophet had guaranteed that the world would come toan end at 6 p.m. EDT Saturday, May 21, 2011. Camping is the 89-year-old retired civil engineer who has built a multi-million-dollar non-…

Editor's Note: Patch is again featuring this column first posted last year in honor of Dick Clark and generations of "American Bandstand" Fans. For every recent generation, music has been the soundtrack of our youth. I was lucky to be a teenager during arguably the most important music upheaval of our lifetime: the advent of rock ‘n’ roll. Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel” and Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock” were two of the big hits that ushered in the rock era in 1954. Share your memories of "American Bandstand" and Dick Clark in the comments section below. Just before the rock …

At a time when the Easton Area School District can ill afford to throw money down a rathole because of gaping budget deficits, it saw fit to suspend two middle school students for wearing ``I Love Boobies” bracelets, virtually daring First Amendment advocates to intervene. And so they did. Predictably, the sanctimonious action led to a federal lawsuit against the district – one it was destined to lose because of its flimsy premise, and, in the process, cost the district thousands of dollars in legal fees it badly needs, especially now. The school administration reasoned that these bracelets, …

Yet another Superman movie is due for release in 2012, with Henry Cavill as the legendary Man of Steel, Amy Adams as feisty reporter Lois Lane and Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Superman’s parents Faster than a speeding bullet; More powerful than a locomotive; Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound. Look! Up in the sky. It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman! Yes, Superman, strange visitor from another planet, who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American way. Jettisoned from …

Rock ‘n’ roll legend Elvis Presley was an expert on fantasies. Not only did he live one with his climb from obscurity to become one of the most recognizable persons in the world, but he was famous for fulfilling the fantasies of others, sometimes even total strangers. Imagine you are Menni Person, who was window-shopping in 1975 for a brand new Cadillac at a Memphis, Tenn. dealership. She is struggling with one of the most important buying decisions of her life. With entourage in tow, Presley walks in, plunks down $140,000 for 13 new Cadillacs for family members and employees. And, oh yes, he…

I don’t know about you, but the never ending number of passwords and personal identification numbers (PINs) we need to operate our computers, do our banking and perform other vital life functions is driving me nuts. I live in mortal fear of forgetting some key password when I need it most. Of course, I am warned nonstop not to carry the password or PIN for my bank and credit cards in my wallet because some nefarious individual will steal them, and, with them, my identity. Just for fun, I counted all of the passwords and PINs I have to operate the various accounts associated with them. I was …

When I hear or see the word “free,” I become tingly all over, but, increasingly today, ecstasy has given way to skepticism, wariness and, yes - I admit it - cynicism. You see “free” no longer seems to mean free. Just to make sure the word hadn’t undergone a definition shift in recent years while I wasn’t looking, I consulted the newest Webster’s dictionary. There it was – still the same unequivocal definition: “no charge.” Can’t get much more specific or simpler than that. When I watch TV, I hear commercials for scores of products, but the new rage these days is upselling. Annoying pitchmen, …

With the 100th anniversary of former President Ronald Reagan’s birth being celebrated this month, I recall the day I met him at the White House nearly 30 years ago. It all started with the Mailgram that arrived on July 2, 1981, signed by Reagan, and inviting me to join him other administration officials for a briefing and luncheon at the White House on Monday, Oct. 5 to discuss the economy, other domestic issues and foreign policy. At the time, I had been the editor of The Express (now The Express-Times) in Easton for only three months. The president had survived an assassination attempt on …

When Wilson Borough Council appointed Edwinna Howey to a vacant council seat last week without advertising its availability, Council President Leonard Feinberg defended the move by saying that Howey was the best person for the position. He also justified the decision by saying it saved the borough the cost of advertising for potential candidates. Howey found out about the vacancy – created by Councilman David Schug’s resignation -- because she hangs around the borough office from time to time, heard about the vacancy and applied. Faster than you can say "Is anyone else interested?" the …

Have you been keeping abreast of the chest-beating going on over the wearing of ''I Love Boobies" bracelets? The flap has wound up in U.S. District Court where the Easton Area School District is defending its decision to suspend two Easton Area Middle School students who, with their parents' backing, refused to remove the bracelets when ordered to do so by school officials. Enter the American Civil Liberties Union, claiming that the students' First Amendment rights have been compromised by the administration's actions. For their part, the students claim that they wore the bracelets to call …