Philadelphia Reflections

2006-05-01T22:31:54-04:00

William Penn's Quaker Colonies plus medicine, economics and politics

Albert Gallatin

2007-12-23T00:14:07-05:00

A magnificent but largely forgotten man.

Whither, Federal Reserve?

2006-07-07T11:51:04-04:00

The Federal Reserve seems to be a big black box, containing magic. In fact, it's high-wire acrobatics that must not be allowed to fail.

Credit Crunch 2007

2008-02-10T00:44:35-05:00

After 1982, house prices soared out of balance with rentals, because mortgages were cheap. The bubble burst in August 2007 in unexpected ways, with outcomes predicted to be bad for both house prices and mortgage lenders.

Theatre in Philadelphia

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

Theater has declined, everywhere in the western world. But in Philadelphia, even today if you attended every new play you would keep pretty busy.

Subcultures

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

A few reflections about the subcultures in and around Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Economics

2006-08-02T17:22:21-04:00

economics

Shakspere Society of Philadelphia

2008-01-31T12:15:06-05:00

Maybe not the first, but the oldest Shakespeare club in America or possibly even the world, has kept minutes for over a hundred fifty years.

Right Angle Club 2007

2007-03-01T14:34:01-05:00

A report, to the year 2007 shareholders of the Right Angle Club of Philadelphia, by their outgoing president.

Investing, Philadelphia Style

2006-07-06T15:51:16-04:00

Land ownership once was the only practical form of savings, until banking matured in the mid-19th century. Philadelphia took an early lead in what is now called investment and still defines a certain style of it.

Musical Philadelphia

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

Quakers never cared much for music, but the city has nonetheless musically flourished into international fame. At the same time, quarrels and internal battles have also been world class.

Literary Philadelphia

2006-08-02T18:10:47-04:00

Literary

Conventions and Convention Centers

2006-08-02T17:58:44-04:00

When you have a big convention center, some circus is always coming to town. Philadelphia has always been a convention town, has had and still has lots of convention sites, and hopes to have more of the kind of famous convention we have had in the past.

Art in Philadelphia

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

The history of art, particularly painting and sculpture, has been a long and distinguished one. If you add in the art schools, the Philadelphia national influence on artists has been a dominant one.

The Franklin Inn

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

Hidden in a back alley near the theaters, this little club is the center of the City's literary circle. It enjoys outstanding food in surroundings which suggest Samuel Johnson's club in London.

Legal Philadelphia

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

The American legal profession grew up in this town, creating institutions and traditions that set the style for everyone else. Boston, New York and Washington have lots of influential lawyers, but Philadelphia shapes the legal profession.

Volunteerism

2007-03-05T17:08:08-05:00

The characteristic American behavior called volunteerism got its start with Benjamin Franklin's Junto, and has been a source of comment by foreign visitors ever since. It's still a very active force.

Quakers: The Society of Friends

2006-07-03T16:10:52-04:00

According to an old Quaker joke, the Holy Trinity consists of the fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man, and the neighborhood of Philadelphia.

Medical Economics

2006-07-14T19:41:55-04:00

Some Philadelphia physicians are contributors to current national debates on the financing of medical care.

Indigents

2007-03-08T17:04:30-05:00

With a long history of welcoming and assisting the poor, Philadelphia has always risked swamping the lifeboat by attracting more of them than it can handle.

Government Organization

2007-12-23T00:37:11-05:00

Government Organization

Academia

2006-08-02T17:00:49-04:00

Higher education is a source of pride, progress, and aggravation.

The Clinton Health Plan of 1993 - Part Two

2007-08-10T16:15:35-04:00

After the Clinton Plan was dropped, and then after fifteen years of aftermath, public dissatisfaction with the health financing system is no better, probably worse. Here are some fresh ideas.

The Clinton Health Plan of 1993 - Part One

2007-07-08T18:43:13-04:00

Mistaking Senate re-election of Harris Wofford to mean the country demanded reform of the medical system, newly-elected President Clinton announced he would create one. When stakeholders surmised he was making it up as he went along, they deserted him.

Health Insurance

2007-12-22T23:41:45-05:00

Clinton Health Plan and its replacements.

Financial Planning for a Long Retirement

2008-01-28T12:40:07-05:00

How should an individual investor ensure they have enough money for retirement?

Such a person is often a professional or entrepreneur who has worked to accumulate wealth. Legions of "advisors" are lined up to take this money and manage it or else to sell "products" that promise to solve some problem or other.

A person who has created their career and their wealth from scratch by intelligence and hard work can also manage their investments themselves, or at least supervise the process from a position of strength created by knowing what needs to be done.

This collection of articles explains to the individual investor how to take control of their wealth. They may eventually decide to look for help from an advisor but they will retain control of their assets and they will know what to do.

Financial Planning videos on YouTube

Philadelphia Medicine

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

The first hospital, the first medical school, the first medical society, and abundant Civil War casualties, all combined to establish the most important medical center in the country. It's still the second largest industry in the city.

Website Development

2006-08-05T15:04:19-04:00

The website technology supporting Philadelphia Reflections is PHP, MySQL and DHTML. The web hosting service is Internet Planners.

Sights to See: The Outer Ring

2006-08-01T17:05:19-04:00

There are many interesting places to visit in the exurban ring beyond Philadelphia, linked to the city by history rather than commerce.

Sixth and Walnut
over to Broad and Sansom

2007-05-04T22:22:50-04:00

In 1751, the Pennsylvania Hospital at 8th and Spruce was 'way out in the country. Now it is in the center of a city, but the area still remains dominated by medical institutions.

The Park and Beyond

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

Fairmount Park is large enough to split the City from its suburbs, and is partly a playground, partly a museum. East Falls, Germantown and Chestnut Hill are almost a separate world on the far side of the park.

To Germantown, a Short Appreciation

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

Seven miles from the heart of Philadelphia, Germantown was once a separate town, the cultural center of Germans in America. Revolutionary battles were fought here, it was briefly the capital of the United States, and it still has an outstanding collection of schools and colleges.

Tourist Walk in Olde Philadelphia

2007-03-29T22:09:07-04:00

Colonial Philadelphia can be seen in a hard day's walk, if you stick to the center of town.

Up Market Street
to Sixth and Walnut

2007-05-04T22:12:48-04:00

Millions of eye patients have been asked to read the passage from Franklin's autobiography, "I walked up Market Street, etc." which is universally printed on eye-test cards. Here's your chance to do it.

Up the King's High Way

2007-05-02T21:22:07-04:00

New Jersey has a narrow waistline, with New York harbor at one end, and Delaware Bay on the other. Traffic and history travelled the Kings Highway along this path between New York and Philadelphia.

West of Broad

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

A collection of articles about the area west of Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia's West Country

2007-04-10T15:43:18-04:00

Like all cities, Philadelphia is filling in and choking up with subdivisions and development, in all directions from the center. The last place to fill up is the Welsh Barony, a tip of which can be said to extend all the way in town to the Art Museum.

Philadelphia's Middle Urban Ring

2006-08-01T11:39:27-04:00

Philadelphia grew rapidly for seventy years after the Civil War, then gradually lost population. Skyscrapers drain population upwards, suburbs beckon outwards. The result: a ring around center city, mixed prosperous and dilapidated. Future in doubt.

North of Market

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

The term once referred to the Quaker district along Arch Street, and then to a larger district that had its heyday after the Civil War, industrialized, declined, and is now our worst urban problem area.

New Jersey (State of)

2007-09-19T11:41:04-04:00

The Garden State really has two different states of mind. The state motto is Liberty and Prosperity.

Land Tour Around Delaware Bay

2007-04-04T19:43:36-04:00

Starting in Philadelphia, it takes two days to tour around Delaware Bay. Down the New Jersey side to Cape May, ferry over to Lewes, tour up to Dover and New Castle, visit Winterthur, Longwood Gardens, Brandywine Battlefield and art museum, then back to Philadelphia.

Historical Motor Excursion North of Philadelphia

2007-04-03T17:17:48-04:00

The narrow waist of New Jersey was the upper border of William Penn's vast land holdings, and the outer edge of Quaker influence. In 1776-77, Lord Howe made it the focus of his attempt to subjugate the Colonies.

Haddonfield

2006-07-06T11:49:53-04:00

Haddonfield is a bit of a secret. It's Philadelphia's "Main Line, East".

Downtown

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

A discussion about downtown area in Philadelphia and connections from today with its historical past.

Delaware (State of)

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

Originally the "lower counties" of Pennsylvania, and thus one of three Quaker colonies founded by William Penn, Delaware has developed its own set of traditions and history.

Custom Tour of Private Philadelphia

2006-06-22T17:43:15-04:00

Philadelphia Hospitality, a non-profit group, puts together the following tour for visiting bigwigs. A good guide to what's best around here.

Computers and Websites

2006-08-02T15:01:53-04:00

Much of the early development of the electronic computer took place in Philadelphia. We lost the lead, but it might return.

City of Rivers and Rivulets

2006-07-17T16:45:05-04:00

Philadelphia has always been defined by the waters that surround it.

Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Bucks Counties

2007-09-19T11:44:49-04:00

The Philadelphia metropolitan region has five Pennsylvania counties, four New Jersey counties, one northern county in the state of Delaware. Here are the four Pennsylvania suburban ones.

Architecture in Philadelphia

2007-02-20T16:07:41-05:00

Originating in a limitless forest, wooden structures became a "Red City" of brick after a few fires. Then a succession of gifted architects shaped the city as Greek Revival, then French. Modern architecture now responds as much to population sociology as artistic genius. Take a look at the current "green building" movement.

America's Historic Square Mile (pre-1800)

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

Society Hill: Philadelphia's authentic colonial area, from the Delaware River west to 8th Street the limit of settlement in 1776, but for a while the center of America. The richest, most famous men in America lived within a few blocks of each other. Things happened here.

Arch Street: from Sixth to Second

2007-05-04T22:02:59-04:00

When the large meeting house at Fourth and Arch was built, many Quakers moved their houses to the area. At that time, "North of Market" implied the Quaker region of town.

Personal Finance

2006-12-26T21:37:50-05:00

The rules of financial health are simple, but remarkably hard to follow. Be frugal in order to save, use your savings to buy the whole market not parts of it, if this system ain't broke, don't fix it. And don't underestimate your longevity.

Dislocations: Financial and Fundamental

2007-12-22T17:29:12-05:00

The crash of 2007 was more than a bank panic. It was a collision of several revolutions which were all ripples from the same splash.

Pacifist Pennsylvania, Invaded Many Times

2008-04-29T16:54:27-04:00

Pennsylvania was founded as a pacifist utopia, and currently regards itself as protected by vast oceans. But Pennsylvania has been seriously invaded at least six times.

Curtis

2006-07-22T17:46:40-04:00

To Cy Curtis, magazines were just vehicles for advertisers. In fact, his mags taught former farmers how to manage urban life, more or less accidentally creating a focus for American books, authors, politics and literature. The fall of his empire teaches the lesson that antitrust laws against vertical integration are probably unnecessary.

Connecticut Invades Pennsylvania!

2006-07-15T16:30:28-04:00

The rest of the world fights wars about national grievances, both recent and long past. Meanwhile, Connecticut once waged a serious war with Pennsylvania, and we don't even remember it.

Working Topic

2006-07-05T10:44:25-04:00

Preliminary space for author use.

Philadelphia's River Region

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

A concentration of articles around the rivers and wetland in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia Physicians

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

Philadelphia dominated the medical profession so long that it's hard to distinguish between local traditions and national ones. The distinctive feature is that in Philadelphia you must be a real doctor before you become a mere specialist.

Revolutionary Philadelphia's Patriots

2006-10-31T15:27:14-05:00

Hotheads in the London Coffee House got stirred up about an inoffensive Tea Act, Scotch-Irish had come here to escape the British Crown, both the local artisan class and the local smuggler class had unexpectedly prospered under non-importation, and the local gentry were offended to be denied seats in Parliament like other Englishmen. But Pennsylvania wavered until the day Ben Franklin stepped off the boat from London with a grievance.

Customs, Culture and Traditions

2006-08-01T19:13:20-04:00

Abundant seafood made it easy to settle here. Agriculture takes longer.

Causes of the American Revolution

2006-11-03T18:02:42-05:00

Britain and its colonies had outgrown Eighteenth Century techniques of governance. Unfortunately, both England and America also lacked the sophistication to make drastic changes smoothly.

Deaths of the Shah, by Donald Hough

2007-03-20T14:31:09-04:00

Black Philadelphia

2006-08-08T11:39:05-04:00

The City of Philadelphia is only a part of the region, but within that part, the black population holds political power. That's definitely not true in the rest of the region. Discordances like this create problems until political evolution smooths them out.

Philadelphia Politics

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

Originally, politics had to do with the Proprietors, then the immigrants, then the King of England, then the establishment of the nation. Philadelphia first perfected the big-city political machine, which centers on bulk payments from utilities to the boss politician rather than small graft payments to individual office holders. More efficient that way.

Religious Philadelphia

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

William Penn wanted a colony with religious freedom. A considerable number, if not the majority, of American religious denominations were founded in this city.

Foreign Affairs

2007-12-23T00:28:34-05:00

This topic is under construction. Feel free to watch it evolve.

Outlaws

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

Even the criminals, the courts and the prisons of this town have a Philadelphia distinctiveness. The underworld has its own version of history.

Medical Malpractice

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

The medical system is on the point of abandoning the city to escape abusive lawsuits. A series of observations about shared blame, ultimately assigns responsibility to the mistake of allowing this matter to be covered by insurance, thus creating a financial target.

The British Attack Philadelphia

2006-07-03T17:32:35-04:00

Fighting in the Revolutionary War lasted eight years; for two full years (June 1776 to June 1778) Philadelphia was the objective of military attack. Only the Civil War killed a larger proportion of the population.

Nature Preservation

2006-08-02T18:37:29-04:00

Nature preservation and nature destruction are different parts of an eternal process.

Science

2006-08-02T18:17:09-04:00

Science

Benjamin Franklin

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

A collection of Benjamin Franklin tidbits that relate Philadelphia's revolutionary prelate to his moving around the city, the colonies, and the world.

Sporting Philadelphia

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

A few reflections about sports in and around Philadelphia.

Evolving Philadelphia

2006-08-02T15:20:07-04:00

The city changes.

Nobel Prizes

2007-05-11T22:05:06-04:00

Some Philadelphians won Nobel Prizes for work done here, or elsewhere. Some prize winners would deny they are Philadelphians, but their work was nevertheless done here.

Historical Preservation

2006-07-14T17:04:05-04:00

The 20% federal tax credit for historic preservation is said to have been the special pet of Senator Lugar of Indiana. Much of the recent transformation of Philadelphia's downtown is attributed to this incentive.

The Proprietorship of West Jersey

2006-07-28T16:40:25-04:00

The southern half of New Jersey was William Penn's first venture in real estate. It undoubtedly gave him bigger ideas.

Revolutionary Philadelphia's Loyalists

2006-10-31T13:33:24-05:00

History is written by the victors, so the Tory Loyalists of Revolutionary Philadelphia have mostly fallen from view.

Quakers: All Alike, All Different

2006-07-25T14:56:38-04:00

Quaker doctrines emerge from the stories they tell about each other.

Articles of Confederation

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

For thirteen years the country was ruled by the Articles of Confederation, and by Philadelphia. We learned many lessons during that episode, and we are beginning to forget we learned them.

Tourist Trips Around Philadelphia and the Quaker Colonies

2007-04-06T17:40:19-04:00

The states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and southern New Jersey all belonged to William Penn the Quaker. He was the largest private landholder in American history. Using explicit directions, comprehensive touring of the Quaker Colonies takes seven full days. Local residents would need a couple dozen one-day trips to get up to speed.

Philadelphia Fish and Fishing

2006-06-26T16:29:36-04:00

Less than a century ago, Delaware Bay, Delaware River, Schuylkill River, Pennypack Creek, Wissahickon Creek, and dozens of other creeks in this swampy region were teeming with edible fish, oysters and crabs. They may be coming back, cautiously.

Philadelphia, A Running Commentary

2006-06-15T22:31:54-04:00

A series of observations in and around Philadelphia by notables over the last three and one-half centuries.

Insurance in Philadelphia

2006-08-02T15:11:18-04:00

Early Philadelphia took a lead in insurance innovation. Some ideas, like life insurance, flourished. Others have faded.

Favorite Reflections

2007-05-07T18:51:22-04:00

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The Constitution

2006-08-02T15:52:33-04:00

The Constitution is not just a paper signed at a convention in Philadelphia. Its full significance lies in the difficulties which forced its creation, and the difficulties which soon emerged after it was implemented. All of that belongs to Philadelphia.

Reminiscences

2007-06-18T15:49:02-04:00

Watching the constantly passing scene, occasionally opportunities arise to change its flow.

Particular Sights to See:Center City

2006-07-17T15:09:24-04:00

Taxi drivers tell tourists that Center City is a "shining city on a hill". During the Industrial Era, the city almost urbanized out to the county line, and then retreated. Right now, the urban center is surrounded by a semi-deserted ring of former factories.

Japan and Philadelphia

2006-06-26T15:58:44-04:00

Philadelphia and Japan have had a special friendship for 150 years.

Touring Philadelphia's Western Regions

2007-04-09T18:24:08-04:00

Philadelpia County had two hundred farms in 1950, but is now thickly settled in all directions. Western regions along the Schuylkill are still spread out somewhat; with many historic estates.

Food and Drink in Philadelphia

2006-08-02T15:25:33-04:00

A flowing abundance of food sources made Philadelphia the capital of food and drink, right from earliest times.

Quakers: William Penn

2006-07-05T14:38:09-04:00

Although Ben Franklin lately gets more ink, William Penn deserves at least equal rank among the most remarkable men who ever lived.

Fanny Kemble

2006-07-21T18:33:55-04:00

Fanny Kemble was more than the toast of the town, she was the most glamorous woman in the English speaking world. But far beyond that, she was a famous author, Shakespearean scholar, and had a major influence on the Civil War.

Premature Solutions to the Credit Crisis of 2007

2008-05-07T18:21:43-04:00

Proposals for reforms which would prevent another credit crunch are starting to surface. Even in a presidential election campaign, people are pretty hesitant to suggest dramatic reforms. At least, once said Hippocrates, please don't make things worse.

Philadelphia Reflections forum

2008-05-07T11:38:20-04:00

An interactive addition to this group of articles

Detroit Makes, Philadelphia Takes

2007-11-30T16:30:35-05:00

The heap of crushed auto bodies at the foot of Philadelphia's Platt Bridge is an important part of the regional economy.

Volunteerism Needs a Business Plan

2008-05-06T14:38:29-04:00

Volunteerism has declined in recent years because of conflicting demands made by gainful employment. The spirit of volunteerism has not diminished, it just needs a different business plan.

Native Habitat

2007-03-23T17:31:32-04:00

Increased foreign trade, especially to Asia, has brought us some new plant types. Lacking natural enemies, they are taking over.

Proposal: A Second Federal Reserve

2008-05-05T19:21:05-04:00

Henry Kaufman recently made a number of wise observations about the monetary situation, followed by a radical proposal that might be rather hard to implement.

Flanders & Swann

2008-05-05T18:07:24-04:00

And who, pray, hasn't heard of this duo?

Asset Allocation and Portfolio Rebalancing

2008-01-16T14:33:15-05:00

The steps to take to invest a lump sum and maintain the investment with portfolio rebalancing.

Mortgages From the Bank's Viewpoint

2008-05-05T00:13:50-04:00

When a bank issues a mortgage, there are lots of bumps in the road it starts to travel.

Linking Oil Prices to the Credit Crisis

2008-05-04T22:32:23-04:00

For a while it seemed we had two unrelated crises at the same time, a housing crisis, and soaring oil prices. The two may be the same thing.

Retirement Planning Video

2008-05-04T11:16:54-04:00

The retirement situation and how much to save for yourself.

Retirement Planning

2008-01-28T11:44:45-05:00

A process to determine the amount of investment portfolio to accumulate for retirement.

Broad Street North and South

2008-05-03T22:35:43-04:00

Broad Street in Philadelphia stretches due north from the old Nary Yard on the Delaware River, past City Hall in the center of town, to the northern edge of the city at Elkins Park. Further North of the City Route 611 continues straight on through Doylestown to Easton, where it rejoins the Delaware River.

The Value of Large Law Firms

2008-05-02T16:26:00-04:00

Young lawyers clamor and strive to be employed by huge law firms, but most of them complain bitterly once they achieve the goal. What's this all about?

The Nation's Capitol

2007-02-20T17:10:41-05:00

George Washington himself may have stated the vision of the Capitol building in the city named after him; Thomas Jefferson stated strong views. But the original building was designed by Bulfinch of Boston, rather like the Massachusetts General Hospital. After the War of 1812, a succession of Philadelphia Architects took over and made it what we know today. Benjamin Latrobe set things moving, then Thomas U. Walter reset the proportions under the influence of William Strickland. If Philadelphia was to lose the capitol in a polical deal, at least it could define the outcome.

Robert Adams, Jr.

2008-04-25T16:17:32-04:00

Robert Adams Jr fought what is thought to be the last duel in Philadelphia. His opponent was the dashing eccentric J. William White M.D., who is much better known. Adams, however, was later a State legislator, an Ambassador to Brazil, and a U. S. Congressman.

Curing Stagflation

2008-05-01T11:26:28-04:00

More than a century ago, Walter Bagehot succinctly told us what to do about the dilemma of stagflation. We'll get back to him, after politicians make us try everything else first.

Geo Positioning

2007-09-22T11:21:55-04:00

With the advent of Google Earth, the tagging of websites, blogs and photographs with latitude and longitude information has taken a great leap forward.

Calendar of Local Events

2008-04-30T21:47:39-04:00

Dates maintained by Dr. Fisher for his readers

HowTo Create A Subprime Derivative

2008-05-01T06:42:45-04:00

It's easier than you thought

The Cause of the Subprime Crisis

2008-04-30T18:20:15-04:00

Things you suspected but kept to yourself

Financing a Research University

1990-06-21T16:58:17-04:00

Responding to staggering financial temptations, our most prestigious universities are beginning to put both themselves and the rest of the country at unacceptable risk.

Fernery

2007-07-18T18:35:24-04:00

Around 1840, there was a brief world-wide craze for ferns, related to the exciting discovery of their complicated reproductive process. Only one Victorian fernery still exists in North America, at the Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia.

Fairmount Park Historic Preservation Trust

2006-06-26T13:58:58-04:00

First you must learn how colonial buildings were made, then you have to learn how to do it yourself. And after that, this imaginative preservation society has branched out to helping other regions restore colonial buildings.

Equal Pay for Equal Work

2007-07-10T18:23:17-04:00

Sometimes the representatives of political interest groups try, just a little too hard.

Edward Hicks: Peaceable Kingdoms

2006-06-23T16:34:13-04:00

This uneducated Bucks County farm boy has steadily risen in reputation as a painter of primative art, just as he and his cousin have become spiritual leaders of non dogmatic religious thought.

Economics of La Cosa Nostra

2006-12-31T21:46:18-05:00

Organized crime in Philadelphia has always seemed a little quaint. The most famous local godfather seems to have designed an organization that made lots of money without annoying the public.

ZTo Germantown: A Short Appreciation

2006-06-26T14:38:35-04:00

The Western World was long defined as a province of Rome

Gettysburg

2008-04-29T14:50:47-04:00

The strategy of both sides in the Battle of Gettysburg was shaped by the type of weapons in use.

Mussolini in South Philadelphia

2007-01-03T00:10:22-05:00

The American public had scarcely heard of Benito Mussolini before World War II, but Italian immigrants in South Philadelphia were agitated by news from the old country.

The Kimmel Center: Comments On The Economics of Music

2006-06-26T13:42:32-04:00

Philadelphia needs more than one concert hall, but two of them may be more music than we can manage.

Main Line School Night

2006-06-20T12:06:11-04:00

There are a lot of continuing education courses, but few are as successful as Main Line School Night, with 14,000 students, hardly any of whom need education.

Murky Crisis

2008-03-01T22:49:48-05:00

Six months after the credit crisis began, it's still not clear how bad it is.

Market Street, East (3)

2006-06-23T11:30:22-04:00

Philadelphia built a White House for George Washington at Ninth and Market, a block from the place Franklin once flew his kite.

The Housing Bubble

2008-04-23T15:54:32-04:00

For now, let's call the economic upheavals of 2007 a housing bubble. It followed a dot-com crash, and both bubbles were part of the electronic revolution, beginning in 1975.

Blackball

2006-06-20T11:51:05-04:00

To blackball someone has nothing to do with billiards. At one time, most Philadelphia social clubs required unanimous agreement for the admission of a new member. There actually was a wooden box into which voting members dropped either a white ball or a black one.

Plain Speech

2006-06-20T11:57:34-04:00

A visit to a neighboring city.

Parliamentary procedure(2)

2002-11-14T16:58:17-05:00

Parliament once was the model for civil discourse, but the corporate model supplanted it. Now, it's all the lengthened shadow of one man, the CEO. King George III learned what happens when you annoy Americans with that style.

The Philadelphia Bay (1)

2006-06-26T14:11:17-04:00

In geological times, New Jersey and Delaware were barrier islands of the Atlantic, and lower Delaware Bay was the inlet between them. Then, we silted up and formed land bridges, leaving a twisting extension of a river which ought to end at Trenton. Upper Delaware Bay is Philadelphia Bay.

Frozen Markets

2008-04-21T19:37:55-04:00

After August 17, 2007, it was widely reported that financial markets froze up. What in the world does that mean?

The Heirs of William Penn

2006-10-05T18:41:25-04:00

The death of William Penn left his heirs the largest land holdings in America. Although they managed it fairly well, it proved to be more than a single family could cope with.

Making Money (6): The Laffer Curve

2006-06-22T11:59:32-04:00

The first President Bush called it Voodoo Economics. His son embarrassed him with the truth.

Urban Termites

2006-06-23T17:05:44-04:00

Slums are occasionally created deliberately ... when skyscrapers are conceived

Philadelphia Food: Ingredients

1996-07-04T16:58:17-04:00

The region has always been surrounded by abundant fishing, hunting and farm products.

Please Don't Lose Any Sleep Over This

2006-06-20T12:11:05-04:00

New research suggests that when medical Resident physicians stay up all night working, they get sleepy. When a minimum sleep requirement for doctors was suggested, administrators were a little stunned to find doctors were annoyed.

Zane Grey, Dentist

2006-06-19T21:18:36-04:00

Owen Wister may have invented the theme of the noble cowboy, but Zane Grey made it famous.

Rosencrantz and Gildenstern (4)

2006-06-21T13:43:16-04:00

After an idea "grows legs and runs around", it no longer belongs to its originator

IRA ... Individual Retirement Accounts (3)

2006-06-21T13:41:57-04:00

A legislative proposal gets started, beginning in the right place.

Easy Ride: Perth Amboy to Trenton

1992-07-23T16:58:17-04:00

The British Army romped down the narrow waist of New Jersey, from New Brunswick to Trenton. But it's not safe to go too fast too far into enemy territory.

July 4, 1776

2008-04-09T11:14:20-04:00

Patients in Pennsylvania Hospital on Independence Day, 1776.

Philadelphia Gardens

2004-07-28T16:58:17-04:00

Philadelphia loves its gardens, particularly boxwood and azalea.

Wall Art in Philadelphia

2007-05-29T16:22:14-04:00

Several thousand Philadelphia buildings now display outdoor paintings by local artists, encouraged and funded by the City government. In the summer, bus trips with guides tour around the town, explaining things.

The Savoy and the Orpheus

2006-06-21T12:39:22-04:00

Two amateur singing groups are fixtures of the Philadelphia musical, and social, scene. Their success is partially due to high costs of union labor.

The Blue Cross Discount (6)

2006-06-21T13:46:31-04:00

Hospitals customarily inflate many charges so far beyond their costs that you must buy insurance to protect yourself. Whatever the dominant health insurers may be doing to encourage that practice, they are the main ones to benefit from it.

Nation's First Hospital, 1751-2008

2008-04-11T19:08:56-04:00

The nation's oldest hospital changed more from 1948 to 2008 than it did from July 4. 1776 to 1948.

Manna

2006-06-26T14:28:45-04:00

It's heartening to see Philadelphians as unlike each other as show biz, and the City Troop, coming together to help the victims of HIV/AIDS.

Germantown and the French and Indian War

2006-06-23T11:55:05-04:00

In 1750, the frontier was not very far from Germantown, and the pacifist Germans were as conflicted as English Quakers about Scotch-Irish behavior, Indian warfare techniques, and Benjamin Franklin

Greenwich, Where?

2006-06-23T15:56:59-04:00

A charming little colonial village in the Pine Woods of New Jersey has a long history, few visitors, and nothing reconstructed. It's the real thing.

The Richest Men in America

2006-06-26T15:17:28-04:00

In ten minutes, you can walk between the Society Hill homes of Robert Morris, William Bingham, Stephan Girard, and Nicholas Biddle.

Dedication: Deaths of the Shah

2007-03-22T17:26:39-04:00

....

Andrew Hamilton (1676-1741)

2007-03-16T20:07:11-04:00

The original Philadelphia Lawyer, Andrew Hamilton gets confused with Alexander Hamilton, no relation. Judged from his life accomplishments, Andrew was one of the most influential people in pre-Revolutionary America.

Marian B. Sanders, Quaker Activist, 87

1993-11-04T16:58:17-05:00

Mrs. Sanders wasn't famous, even among Quakers. Her obituary records a fairly representative life among seriously dedicated members of the Society of Friends.

Betsy Ross on Hard Times

2006-06-26T14:16:15-04:00

The famous Revolutionary seamstress lived a long time into the 19th Century, and apparently outlived her savings. A useful tale, perhaps, for Social Security reform.

Henry Mercer's Rathskeller

2006-06-15T19:45:24-04:00

The Racquet Club's basement resembles a rathskeller, and is the famous origin of the Mercer style of architecture.

The Godfather

2006-06-26T14:26:24-04:00

The chief thug in town turns out to be quite a wit.

Curtis: The Business Plan

2006-06-21T14:25:03-04:00

Magazines are sold for less than they cost to print, just as grand opera costs more to produce than the ticket price. Therefore, both survival and failure can have misleading causes.

Contemporary Germantown

2006-06-23T12:13:03-04:00

"Well," said Bockus, "Every famous surgeon I know, has a house on an island, somewhere. Where's your island?"

The Swedenborgian Church

2006-06-23T15:18:29-04:00

The Swedenborgians belong to the Church of the New Jeruselem, following the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg, and strongly emphasizing personal responsibility, individuality, and good works. The Philadelphia branch is particularly strong, centered around a magnificent medieval cathedral in Bryn Athyn. Johnny Appleseed and Helen Keller were notable adherants, and a driving force has been the Pitcairn family of industrialists.

Nature Preservation

1999-07-08T16:58:17-04:00

Philadelphia shares the nation's confusion about what to do about animals, when people need the real estate for their own purposes.

Victorian Broad Street

2006-06-26T15:39:52-04:00

Some massive beautiful Victorian buildings still dominate the City crossroads on Broad Street near City Hall.

Elizabethan Accents in Philadelphia

2006-06-19T20:07:30-04:00

In the birthplace of American independence, there's still a lot of Olde English buried in the speech patterns.

Falstaff Without Prince Hal

2006-06-26T14:02:40-04:00

The parents of W.C. Fields didn't treat him very well, but he always acted as though Philadelphia didn't treat him well. Philadelphia's main crime was probably that it disliked the Volstead Prohibition of Alcohol Act somewhat less than Fields disliked it.

Fanny Kemble

2006-06-26T14:01:15-04:00

Frances Anne Kemble had it all: fame, beauty, wealth, personal friendship with real royalty and literary royalty. Beyond that, she caused a major new understanding of Shakespeare, and was a major force in the abolition of slavery. Philadelphia wasn't big enough to hold her; perhaps no town was.

Finances of the Girard Estate

2006-06-20T12:24:43-04:00

When he died in 1830. Stephen Girard was the richest man in America. A quick review of the outcome of his life work suggests he was maybe the smartest man in America, too.

Further Acknowledgments (2)

2006-06-21T13:40:49-04:00

Finding a publisher is often hard, but sometimes easy.

Harriton House

2006-06-23T16:31:41-04:00

The original house in the old Welsh barony gave its name to Bryn Mawr, and once was the home of the secretary of the Continental Congress.

Harvard Men Suggest a Cold Place for Yale

2006-07-17T13:23:34-04:00

The northeast corner of Pennsylvania was once covered by a glacier.

International Visitors

2006-06-26T14:40:02-04:00

, The International Visitors Council does a great job welcoming visitors from abroad.

It Ain't Necessarily So

2006-06-26T13:54:05-04:00

James A. Michener (1907-1997)

2006-06-23T12:14:24-04:00

< James A. Michener was a birthright Quaker from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, where he made his home when he wasn't traveling. He wrote 40 books, most notably "South Pacific", but lived a fairly simple smalltown life, in spite of giving over $100 million to charity.

Joseph Priestley, Shaker and Mover

2006-06-26T14:05:08-04:00

The father of the science of chemistry was also the founder of the Unitarian Church.

Philadelphia Reflections

Philadelphia Reflections

Albert Gallatin

Whither, Federal Reserve?

Credit Crunch 2007

Theatre in Philadelphia

Subcultures

Philadelphia Economics

Shakspere Society of Philadelphia

Right Angle Club 2007

Investing, Philadelphia Style

Musical Philadelphia

Literary Philadelphia

Conventions and Convention Centers

Art in Philadelphia

The Franklin Inn

Legal Philadelphia

Volunteerism

Quakers: The Society of Friends

Medical Economics

Indigents

Government Organization

Academia

The Clinton Health Plan of 1993 - Part Two

The Clinton Health Plan of 1993 - Part One

Health Insurance

Financial Planning for a Long Retirement

Philadelphia Medicine

Website Development

Sights to See: The Outer Ring

Sixth and Walnut over to Broad and Sansom

The Park and Beyond

To Germantown, a Short Appreciation

Tourist Walk in Olde Philadelphia

Up Market Street to Sixth and Walnut

Up the King's High Way

West of Broad

Philadelphia's West Country

Philadelphia's Middle Urban Ring

North of Market

New Jersey (State of)

Land Tour Around Delaware Bay

Historical Motor Excursion North of Philadelphia

Haddonfield

Downtown

Delaware (State of)

Custom Tour of Private Philadelphia

Computers and Websites

City of Rivers and Rivulets

Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Bucks Counties

Architecture in Philadelphia

America's Historic Square Mile (pre-1800)

Arch Street: from Sixth to Second

Personal Finance

Dislocations: Financial and Fundamental

Pacifist Pennsylvania, Invaded Many Times

Curtis

Connecticut Invades Pennsylvania!

Working Topic

Philadelphia's River Region

Philadelphia Physicians

Revolutionary Philadelphia's Patriots

Customs, Culture and Traditions

Causes of the American Revolution

Deaths of the Shah, by Donald Hough

Black Philadelphia

Philadelphia Politics

Religious Philadelphia

Foreign Affairs

Outlaws

Medical Malpractice

The British Attack Philadelphia

Nature Preservation

Science

Benjamin Franklin

Sporting Philadelphia

Evolving Philadelphia

Nobel Prizes

Historical Preservation

The Proprietorship of West Jersey

Sixth and Walnut
over to Broad and Sansom

Up Market Street
to Sixth and Walnut