Front Row Center By Michael Warren Social SecurityBy Andrew BergmanDirected by Phil Shepherd   Social Security is a light comedy by Andrew Bergman, who is better known as a screenwriter. New York magazine in 1985 dubbed him “The Unknown King Of Comedy.” There’s not much meat to the story, however there are plenty of smart […]

UNCOMMON COMMON SENSE By Bill Frayer Fair Pay for Fair Work?   Now that baseball season is back, I am reminded of the fact that Alex Rodriguez’ suspension will save the Yankees lots of money this season. His salary for 2013 alone was $28 million. That’s almost $173,000 a game, approximately four hundred times the

The Patron Saint Of Safe Travel By Bill Deanwww.mexicojourney.info   There is a lot of talk these days about whether it is safe to travel in Mexico. That kind of talk is nothing new. Saint Christopher (the “Patron Saint of Safe Travel”) shrines used to be found at Mexican bus stations and Saint Christopher medals

Expecting The Worst By John Thomas Dodds   Here’s how you play the game of preparing for the worst of anything and everything. Number of Players:  There are no limits to the number of players. Group dynamics, however, will considerably extend the playing time with the introduction of blame, indecision and lack of introspection.  Rules

Welcome to Mexico! By Victoria Schmidt The Real World   As I sit at a stoplight, I am dreading my upcoming trip to the United States. I see a man cross the street carrying a block of ice on his shoulder. And I think, “Now there’s something you never see in the USA at an intersection.” 

Home Is The Warrior By Robert Bruce Drynan   She watched as the blue clad troopers escorted the horse drawn caisson. Bearing the flag draped coffin it moved slowly among the ranks and files of America’s fallen. She had been four years old when she last saw him. She cherished memories of him holding her,

Dear Portia Advice to the Lovelorn the Overfed and the Deeply Disgruntled   Dear Portia, HELP!!! I am being stalked by an elderly Brunhilda, who twice daily (when I keep track) lingers at my doorway staring in, mouth agape.  Trust me – this is not a pretty sight!  If, in a wild flight of fantasy I

Anyone Can Train Their Dog By Art Hessartthedogguy@yahoo.com   Last time we discussed people inadvertently teaching their dogs to pull on the leash and reinforcing the action every time they allowed the dog to continue the action. People also do this with many other unwanted actions but that’s a subject for another day. There is

Hearts at Work A Column by James Tipton “The simplicity of the everlasting truth”   John G. Whittier, the “Quaker Poet,” concluding his introduction to the 1871 edition of the Journal of John Woolman, “the Quaker Saint,” wrote:  “I am not unmindful of the wide difference between the appreciation of a pure and simple life

Hurt Hawks/Broken Herons —The Dark Vision of Robinson Jeffers Continues to Challenge Us By Dr. Lorin Swinehart   It was a cold but sunny afternoon in February of my fifteenth year when I found the injured heron. I had been wading up the small stream that trickled across my grandfather’s pasture, when I caught the