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Thoughts

BY BOB URBAN

The following was a "letter to the editor" that appeared in August in a Jackson, Ms. newspaper. It's worth sharing with readers of any newspaper.

Dear Sirs:

Back Again

Thoughts

BY BOB URBAN burban@tnonline.com The following was a "letter to the editor" that appeared in August in a Jackson, Ms....

Thoughts

How much is a judgeship worth? One courthouse veteran told me that the two Carbon County candidates, Carole Walbert and...

Thoughts

Halloween! I remember a time when I visited nearly 30 Coaldale bars on Halloween night. And came away cold sober. Of...

Thoughts

"Jeepers, creepers, where'd you get those peepers? Jeepers, creepers, where'd you get those eyes?" Ever get a silly...

Two thoughts

Just two thoughts for today, both sent to this writer by loyal readers. The first, sent to me by an old friend, Jack...

Thoughts

All of a sudden, funnyman David Letterman, embroiled in a sex scandal involving interns in his television production...

Early Times Capsule

Weather extremes, floods to droughts, during the fall of...

By JIM ZBICK jzbick@tnonline.com In the fall of 1909, many Pennsylvania farmers were looking to the skies for help from...

Survivor of Quebec bridge collapse had an amazing story

One day in late October 1909, a man wearing a heavy steel and leather harness to support his head and neck visited the...

Tamaqua native sat under Wright Brothers' tutelage

After making history with the first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C., on Dec.17, 1903, brothers Wilbur and Orville...

Conditions shocking at disease-infested Allegheny prison

Pennsylvania's prison reform efforts are rooted in the state's early history. To encourage humane treatment of inmates...

Treatment for the insane improved in the early 1900s

Before psychoanalytic techniques were introduced during the first decade of the 20th century, there was no help for the...

Affairs of the heart made good news copy a century ago

Affairs of the heart have always been a good source of news copy. Local newspapers a century ago often ran stories...

Education & Family

Good old Ben

Benjamin Franklin was a smart man. Not only was he an inventor, but he also wrote beautiful, meaningful words. One of...

Pulling a Chucky

I pulled another Chucky recently. Wondering what I mean? Well, do you recall the film about a little redheaded doll...

Oh, Gloria!

Poor Gloria Ballard of Ohio. She's in big trouble. As a matter of fact, she could face six months in jail and a $1,000...

Talk matters

A schoolteacher friend of mine from Pennsylvania wrote to me and told me about a study that opened her eyes to a...

Little ears

Children learn things from birth. A newborn learns quickly that crying can bring relief – from hunger, wet diapers, and...

Two beautiful blondes

I don't normally write obituaries. But, two friends died this past week and I feel impelled to tell you about them. Let...

Guest Columnists

Happy Birthday to 'wo'

BLOGGER'S NOTE: "Wo" is Mandarin for "I" or "me" As Oct. 6 drew near, I found myself in a state of near panic. It was a...

The worst holiday

Before you think that I am some kind of religious nut who thinks that Halloween is the "devil's holiday," let me tell...

At the gym: The final week, true health care reform

It's sort of a fraternity type of thing - the way senior citizens acknowledge each other at the fitness gym. You know...

A tax that could hurt us all

The U.S. Senate is considering a $4 billion per year tax on manufacturers of medical devices and diagnostic products...

Afghanistan: History repeats itself

(Jim Castagnera is a university attorney and author of Al Qaeda Goes to College [Praeger 2009]. The Jim Thorpe native...

Don't Blink

Watching and learning with Kathryn

There are some cool things to having a two-year-old daughter that I'm learning as we journey through this marvelous...

Humor found in funerals

We typically believe funerals are sad. But many funny life moments can happen during the most solemn and sad times....

A presence in the house

It was a summer day in the mid 1990s when a phone call resurrected my interest in ghosts. I was in the office meeting...

An unexplained encounter

My interest in ghosts waned a bit through early adulthood and any personal experiences that I had if, any, either went...

Houdini and the paranormal

I have had a long time interest in the paranormal that started as a pre-teen and has lasted until today. Part of this...

October is 'my month'

Welcome back to my favorite month of the year, October. It's a time when the world transforms from the living to the...

Linda's Letters

Tale of the short navy blue slacks

Wednesday morning, I clipped the sales tags off my new navy blue slacks. I slipped them on, put on my shoes and looked...

World Kindness Day

Emails are such an educational tool. Just this week alone I've learned: some clean jokes for twisted minds; how to tell...

House of Horrors

I live in a House of Horrors. It's true. Evil lurks in every corner. I am filled with fear and dread entering my own...

In case of an emergency

You'll never guess what I saw on my way to work Thursday morning. Snowflakes! On Oct. 15! That's just wrong. I'm so not...

Belly dancing to belly laughs

A couple weeks ago I received an email from a friend inviting me to sign up for Belly dancing classes. After I picked...

Dessert first

Life has a way of placing people in our paths that somehow enrich us. I've learned that everyone has a story to tell....

Under My Hat

Remembering the amusement parks

I was thrilled to talk recently with people associated with Lakewood Park. Peg Guinan Grigalonis of Mahanoy City wrote...

Home, home on the ranch

For many of us, there comes a time to downsize. The first step is to realize when the time is right. For many empty...

Thoughts about Michael Jackson

I never understood Michael Jackson. But neither did anybody else. It's just one reason why we're seeing endless stories...

Blood test results trickle in

About 350 local residents are learning whether their recent blood test results show if they've acquired a mutation...

Warmest Regards

Little things mean a lot

Somewhere out there today someone will do something spectacular for others. Perhaps it will be someone who donates...

What kids can teach us

A few weeks back Parade magazine ran a short piece about what kids can teach us about eating. According to the magazine...

Cherish the love; Cherish the life

Maybe it's the time of year. Autumn is often a time when we realize beauty is fleeting and so is life itself. Or maybe...

Celebrating life every day

I went to a birthday bash last weekend that was rather special. Val, the birthday girl, invited all her friends to join...

The changing role of grandparents

When a local pastor told me he was planning to hold a five-session course on grandparenting, I told him I was surprised...

Celebrating a writing milestone

This week marks a personal milestone for me. I'm celebrating 30 years of writing Warmest Regards without missing a week...

Where we live

The flu, andmuch more

On Dec. 15, 1976, I got my first-ever flu shot. It was for the swine flu. On Dec. 16, 1976, the government suspended...

The swine flu of '76

The year 1976 wasn't the healthiest for my generation. Consider: Ÿ In the winter of 1976, the Hong Kong flu struck and...

Providing both roots and wings

It's late Sunday afternoon, and we're sitting around the old dining room table, chatting, chuckling and reminiscing....

The seashell

It was the most amazing moment of my life. During our recent end-of-summer vacation to Ocean City, Maryland, Bob, my...

Fall season a favorite

Pennsylvania is gorgeous this time of year. Spring, summer and yes, even winter, has its beauty but the fall season is...

Things actually said in court

Staff member Chris Parker emailed me this article about lawyers because she thought I would enjoy it since I cover the...

The baby boom

At the age of 25, my friends and I are entering a fun stage in life. Nearly all of my friends are now out of college...

A September to remember

Today is the final Saturday in September. The first full month of the football season has quickly passed. September is...

We are going to be Caroline's village people

We're three weeks into grandparenthood and loving it. Caroline's arrival was anticipated for months, yet the day she...

Be what you want

What a difference a year makes. Well, not really. Last month was the worst for soldiers in Afghanistan since we started...

On The Job

Think before you ink

Tattoos and body art were once something that only rebels, outcasts, or military enlistees did. The "good kids" would...

Get the facts at an information interview

Like many college students, I faced a harsh reality check a few months before graduation-what am I going to do with my...

Put your résumé to work for you

It doesn't take an economist to explain some cold, hard facts to the American public. The statistics are grim, folks....

Customer service = common courtesy

I was on a bus trip to New York recently, and had to deal with a salesgirl whose attitude should go on a Top 10 List of...

Never stop learning

Someone wise once said that we learn something new every day. I know that I've had a pretty good track record....

Layoff, or second chance?

A July 2009 article on Yahoo! Hot Jobs said that most out of work Americans have given up on the job search for now....

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