When The Man from U.N.C.L.E. debuted in the mid 1960’s, I was too young to understand the cold war between the U.S. and Russia, but old enough to enjoy this hit “spy versus spy” TV series.  Blonde David McCallum and dark-haired, dark-eyed Robert Vaughn played good guy espionage agents Illya Kuryakin and Napoleon Solo, respectively.  […]

Virtually all of you, no doubt, are acquainted with the adventures of the comic book superheroes, Superman, Batman, Spiderman, and even The Fantastic Four.  But, are any of you familiar with the legendary exploits of the most unlikely superhero of them all, “Stoveman?”       Contained herein is the never before told story of how a […]

If “thirty is the new twenty” today in terms of people’s maturity, could ten be the new five?  It might be, given that children seem more overindulged and pampered than ever before.  Today’s youth benefits from freedoms never enjoyed by prior generations.  In the past, youngsters were forced to grow up quickly, assuming much more responsibility […]

  Apparently, this video is a Russian commercial for an insurance company under the country’s laws mandating that all car owners have some level of auto insurance coverage (yes, even in the former Soviet Union, one cannot escape mandatory auto insurance).  In this regard, New Jersey is a lot like Russia, or vice versa.  Regardless of the […]

By the winter of 1946, the Japanese people had come out of hiding.  They no longer feared the American forces occupying their country, including the 24th Signal Company, to which I was attached.   For a price, the natives were attempting to unload their old underwear on the U.S. military.   Because of linguistic differences, communication with […]

Wandering through my local library on a recent visit, I stumbled upon “The Yankee Years” by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci.  A lifelong Phillies’ fan with an anti-New York sports team bias, I am probably among the least likely candidates to read a book like this one.  Yet, as an enthusiastic baseball fan (it is […]

My sister and I have been doing a little traveling lately.  One of our favorite places to visit is Savannah, Georgia.  To me it is the ideal city in which to live.  It is so picturesque.  As many of you probably know, there is a square every so many blocks, and most of the houses […]

Have you ever wondered why male birds are always more brightly colored than the females?   The answer is both simple and ingenious.  Nature has equipped the males with dazzling plumage with which to attract their ladybirds and thereby ensure the continuance of the species.   Nature has not been so kind to homo sapiens.  Lacking […]

When multi-state lottery prizes rise to tens and even hundreds of millions of dollars, all ticket holders aspire to win.  Until the winner is announced, you ride a wave of hope, fantasizing about attaining the status of millionaire.  Don’t you?  The wheels in your brain keep spinning as you envision the fancy new car or […]

As we approach the 64th anniversary of the official end of World War II, you will, like the troops barraged during that long, bloody conflict, be blitzed by the history surrounding this commemorative date.  What you may not read are the personal, eyewitness accounts of soldiers such as me, who helped write that history.   When […]