One of my favorite weekend rituals is a Saturday morning trip to Philadelphia’s Italian Market. This outdoor market is the oldest of its kind in the country, having been started out of necessity by the large Italian immigrant population that settled here in the late 1800s. The market runs along 9th Street in South Philly, [...]
As a community-college English instructor, I spend a great deal of time commenting on student essays. If you’ve ever graded a stack of 25 or so freshman composition papers—or better yet, spent a weekend grading, say, 75 or 80 papers—then you understand just how much monotony (and mediocre writing) that can entail. But, then again, [...]
Do you believe in ghosts? I have no particular reason to. But I don’t feel like I should rule them out, either, although I don’t believe in things like God or even an afterlife.
Part One: I want my FMU.
The WFMU marathon is fast approaching — so bear with me while I wax evangelical about the radio.
For going on five years, just about as long as I’ve lived in New York, Jersey City’s freeform radio station (91.1; wfmu.org) has provided a near constant soundtrack to my work life — [...]
I really like music recorded by kids. Some of my favorites include “Daddy What If” by Bobby Bare and Bobby Bare Jr.; 1970s UK novelty hit “I Am an Astronaut” by Riky Wilde; and just the other day a WFMU DJ played some great tracks by middle school students making electronic music. Kidz Bop offers [...]