Category Archives: Philadelphia
Scribblegal signs off
I retired to Costa Rica in 2009 with my husband, Jack Kaiser, his two cats, Hobbes and Noir, and my dog Buddha. A year later, I wrote my first blog. Rereading it today, I’m a little embarrassed, but Scribblegal eventually … Continue reading
Lunch with Maestro Carl St Clair
The first time I saw Carl St Clair conduct the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, (Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica), the performance was held at Teatro Meliko Salizar, just a few blocks west of the National Theater, the … Continue reading
Is Progress our most important product?
Lancaster Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia, is home to some 237,000 Plain people, including the Amish, Mennonites and Brethren. These folks eschew modernity in favor of keeping the old ways and traditions. You’ll see them, if you visit, as I used … Continue reading
Life without Google
I slipped off my anti-Google wagon yesterday. It would have been day four of my life without Google if I hadn’t regressed. Like other addictions, Google use becomes a habit before the unsuspecting victim even realizes it. Every morning, and … Continue reading
White Privilege
In 1997, I passed the Philadelphia School District’s test for English teachers, and picked my first school from among the openings. The choices seemed bleak: each position was at one of the persistently dangerous schools- that’s to say, schools that … Continue reading
Vote, or else!
Back in July I spent some time in my home town, Philadelphia, with David, one of my two brothers. David lives in a house in the middle of a park in South Philly. He works for the city, and helps … Continue reading
Chipping away at public education
I’ve seen how public education is being destroyed firsthand, and I can tell you that Bill Gates, Arne Duncan, Congress and presidents past and current are wrong about how to fix it. Instead of attempting to improve the underlying problems, … Continue reading
Just like Jake
I couldn’t help thinking about my nephew, Jake-o-rama, when I read the article in the Philadelphia Inquirer. The headline on my Google News item read: Medical debate: Should autism block a man from getting a heart transplant? The man, Paul … Continue reading
My body, my battleground
When I found the lump, I began to regard my left breast as my enemy. I really didn’t want to look at or touch it. Until forced to acknowledge the appendage as mine, I’d ignore it. I discovered the intruder … Continue reading
Nuns off the leash
Nuns were a big part of my life for the eight years I attended Catholic school in a neighborhood in Philadelphia called Manayunk. At St. John the Baptist, we were taught by Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary … Continue reading
