Between the threat to our elections by the federal government, the illegal ICE raids, the rollbacks on environmental protection and health insurance—not to mention the chaos inflicted on businesses by our president's arbitrary economic whims, I couldn't imagine I could write anything helpful in this blog, but then I read this: "...it takes around 3.5% of the population actively participating in the protests to ensure serious political change ."  — Erica Chenoweth, a political scientist at...

In early January, a group of local and Philadelphia-area residents met at the Penn Wynne Library to break bread and build connections. If you've been following this blog, you know that the idea was to create a safe space for discussing the issues of the day but without arguments—even if we do disagree. If I count myself,10 people attended that first gathering. A few friends came to ensure I didn't have a zero-attendance public meeting. Others came because they're distressed about the state of...

On Front Street, under the thundering L train, if one passes through glass doors leading into American Grammar , there's the opportunity to pause, feel the calm, inhale the aroma of coffee, and take in the thoughtfully displayed artwork and books. And if one chooses, there's also the opportunity for conversation with owner/operator Terrance Wiley, a barista and associate professor of Africana studies at Haverford College, who happens to be very well read and appreciates the spirit of...