"All of us who turn our eyes away from what we have are missing life."
- Norman Rockwell, 1894-1978
The image is as much a part of Thanksgiving tradition as turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie.
Grandpa and Grandma stand at the head of the table; he decked out in a suit and tie and she wrapped in a matronly apron. The calloused hand jutting from his crisp, white cuff rests inches from a carving knife as Grandma presents a huge bird expertly cooked to a mouth-watering brown. God's own light shines through the drapes behind them.
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"We make our friends; we make our enemies; but God makes our next-door neighbor." G.K. Chesterton, 1874-1936
They were just boys, young, hungry souls who would not be afforded the luxury of becoming men in their own time.
Most had never traveled more than 50 miles from home and some had never kissed a girl or legally sipped a glass of beer. Suddenly, they were boarding planes and ships on their way to save a world they knew only from history books and the stories of their immigrant parents and grandparents.
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Batman would rather see Gotham City razed than admit it, but without the Joker, he'd be just another middle-aged misanthrope acting out his rage fantasies in latex pajamas.
Without Lex Luthor, Superman probably would have bolted Metropolis for Vegas, opening for Celine Dion and struggling to explain to Lois Lane why Wonder Woman's number keeps coming up on his cell phone. Sans Doctor Octopus, Spider-Man would be just another chemistry class creep and minus Doctor Doom, the Fantastic Four just wouldn't add up.
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"Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in." - Mark Twain, 1835-1910 She looked so peaceful. I know everyone says that at funerals, but it was true. She lived a long, full life and although those who gathered to say goodbye were bitterly sorry to see her go, all agreed she had earned her rest.
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Mudslinger
Editor: State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler County, made a recent tirade in response to an invitation to meet with the Operation Free Veterans. It is totally unacceptable.
The party of Abe Lincoln has always been very supportive of members of the armed forces and needs to chastise him for his disregard of the veterans' First Amendment rights.
While I respect his First Amendment rights, I believe he had a choice to agree or disagree with their opinion. Instead he chose mudslinging and depicting fellow veterans as traitors, likening them to Benedict Arnold. His response to this invitation is absurd and not in character for a member of the state Legislature.
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For climate change deniers who preach the fossil-based gospel of "Drill, baby, drill" and deride alternative energy advocates as unpatriotic Chicken Littles, Glenn Kunkel is an inconvenient man.
Like legions of activists who trust the fact-backed word of scientists over the empty rhetoric of energy-industry apologists, Mr. Kunkel is convinced that the greatest threats to American national security over the next 20 years are our dependence on fossil fuels and the social, political and economic effects of climate change.
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Video: Chris Kelly's journey down the Lackawanna
Chris Kelly per diem supermarket challenge
Stocky: Chris Kelly boxes
Cooking with Paulie
The Trouble with Kelly
12 Days of Christmas 2007
12 days of Christmas
Pigeon
