The Founding Fathers were not perfect. They made a major omission in the Constitution that led to the deaths of more than 600 thousand soldiers in the battle for slavery in the Civil War. The Fathers did not give women the right to vote. The Fathers did not really implement the idea of “All men are created equal.” It is in the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence that was written by Thomas Jefferson that was released on our birthday, July 4, 1776. However, they

… a little history of Lilly basketball Just 25 years after their memorable season, members of what is arguably the greatest basketball team in its history met to recall those years. The old clipping from 71 years ago, circa 1950s, shows members of that team and its coaches at a reunion in March. The story is one that is special because the team compiled the best record of any team in history. The Raiders, though they were not called by that moniker in 1924, started their bask

The loneliness of Elizabeth Eckford Elizabeth Eckford demonstrated courage in 1957 when she walked through a group of outraged parents and students in Little Rock, Arkansas. It was a lonely trek for the young 15-year-old who was one of nine African-American high school students who were entering the all-whie Central High School in September. What made Elizabeth’s walk different from her other black classmates was that she did not go together with them because she had no phone

RIP Ron Segada Lilly, Pa. was a coal-mining town in its early days, and many of the men in the community spent their time working underground to provide that resource and earn a good living for themselves and their families. The work was difficult, challenging, and dangerous, and in the early years, the miners had to fight for their rights. That meant that they had to join together to pursue their benefits in those years even if that meant going on strike. When I sadly read i

My beautiful parents at a dance, at either Sunset Ballroom or St. Francis College When I was born on March 29, 1947, my father was 41 years old. My mother was just short of 40 and was able to reach her birthday in a few months. That means that my parents had lived four decades before I came into existence. We had a pre-war and post-war family. My brother Jim was born in 1938 and my sister Patsy in 1939. It was almost like we were from different generations — and we were. I kn

Beaver Stadium, Penn State University Who could have thought that I would ever be celebrating the 55th anniversary of my undergraduate commencement on June 12, 1971. That was a joyous day, but today’s celebration is also very happy. Maybe I can reach 60. What I distinctly remember is that it was a beautiful, sunny day in front of about 35,000 people at Beaver Stadium. Today, PSU no longer has the entire class together for commencement, but that was what made it special. We di

General Dwight D. Eisenhower The Code Name for the invasion of Normandy, France on June 6, 1944, was “D-Day,” and history reveals that the Allied invasion was the major event in bringing down Adolf Hitler and Germany in World War II. What history does not always reveal is how the British were strongly opposed to the plan for the invasion devised by General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the supreme commander of the Allied troops, and other generals. The plan was meticulously designed.

Because of privacy, I cannot use photos of my own students. This is a stock photo I returned to Pennsylvania and Cambria County earlier this year, and thus have renamed my tutoring business “English Tutoring From the Alleghenies.” As a gift to students who are seeking some help with their preparation for college, I have decided to give students an opportunity for two free sessions this summer on areas that they might choose. You can see more about my services on my website:..

The reality is this: Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani Mayor is a very popular leader of New York City. And this is reality: Jeff Bezos has an approval rating of 19 percent. So, when the mayor says that he is going to issue a “tax-the-rich program for billionaires, guess who the American people — and those in NYC — favor? To prove who is stronger in the city, Mayor Mamdani sent the Amazon owner a bill for 9 million dollars, along with this message, Amazon is worth $2 trillion. But i

From an undocumented immigrant to wife of U.S. senator Her background and beliefs are unique for the wife of a U.S. senator, and she is hardly reluctant to express them. However, Gisele Barreto Fetterman is now wading through her husband’s worst period of his life, and while standing by his side, does not always agree with him philosophically. What makes her unique is that she was at one point in her life an undocumented immigrant, and she discusses that pain and fear very re

The dark reason for the collapse: Their corrupt leader The United States has always been a tremendous supporter of Israel. President Harry S. Truman made us the first country to recognize the state of Israel on May 14, 1948, just 11 minutes after the country declared its independence. That has been the case for decades, as we have spent trillions of dollars in support of our country as we have always hoped for peace in the Middle East. Now, that support has evaporated, and so

Pennsylvania has a first-class operation One of my first tasks upon returning to Pennsylvania earlier this year was to ensure that I renewed my voting rights. I was amazed at how easy the process way and how effective it is, compared to the debacles that I had in my experience in the Midwest. First, since I was still in Cambria County, though at a new address, all I had to do was fill out a county registration form online from the election office. I immediately received email

The most powerful man in the world? Xi Jinping What a difference 16 months has been. The argument in 2025 was that the United States was going to decimate China economically — and in every other respect. The reality is quite different today as talks begin between the two leaders, one with his tail between his legs and the price of oil over $100 a barrel. The Chinese are licking their fingers waiting for a pacified US to meet with the powerful Chinese leader. Here is reality

The greatest health danger to America Remember when the Kennedy name used to bring pride to the American people instead of wrath and despondency? The names of Jack and Bobby Kennedy were very important to American progress from the 1950s to 1970s. How far that hallowed name has fallen. In fact, it is despised in medical circles, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has even been called an outcast by his siblings and other relatives. He has absolutely no medical background, yet somehow i

“Blessed are the Peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God” Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:9 The questions of the morality of war and love for one another are best found in the words of Jesus Christ, according to Pope Leo XIV. Who better to explain the value of those beliefs to the world than a man with this impressive educational resume in the area of theology: Minor Seminary of the Augustinian Fathers Villanova University, B.A. mathematics and philosophy — 1977

Paul and his wife Kathy in the store in 2017 -- Photo Altoona Mirror Some aspects of childhood stick with you, and our weekly trips to Porinchak’s Store in Portage are one of them. As a youngster, I was not certain why my father bought his rib roast and chicken and ground beef at Porinchak's Store, along with bananas and other essentials , but I learned that he and Paul became friends because the store was on his route as a mail carrier on the hills of Portage. They treated m

Pope Leo makes clear Jesus’ words about immigration The bishops of the Catholic Church are finally starting to live up to the words of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, and one of the new church leaders arrived in the U.S. in the trunk of a car trying to escape persecution in El Salvador. Washington Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar was named by Pope Leo to leader West Virginia’s one diocese of 100,000 Catholics. He is replacing a bishop who made clear that Jesus Christ himse

Les Miserables the musical Ambitious, but with the start of May, enticing Join with me this summer with your own list. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo — finished April A true classic: being read by one of my students so I read it again--finished it this week. A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan A great work about the KKK in the 1920s The First Populist by David S. Brown Biography of Andrew Jackson Amiable Scoundrel by Paul Kahan Biography about former Sen. Simon Cameron [c

I originally posted this 11 years ago on a previous site. It was partly in jest, partly just looking at some strange cases. It is now 21 years. Repost from Blogspot April 14, 2015 D.A. may be overseas Now that the 10th anniversary of Ray Gricar's disappearance is upon us, I have identified the missing link to solving that case: Joseph O'Kicki. Remember Cambria County Judge Joe O'Kicki, who was convicted of a vast array of crimes in Cambria County Court but who escaped from j

For a city like Pittsburgh to lose its only newspaper was a devastating blow, but that was what appeared to be on the horizon in just a few weeks. However, yesterday, the skies over Pittsburgh brightened brightly with the news that a non-profit from Baltimore had bought that paper and would continue it under the same name. The Block family owned the paper and said that they could no longer manage to lose money over its operation. However, they found a buyer who appears to be