Inquirer Columnists

TODAY'S COLUMNS

Bob Ford: For Paterno, a good stretch of football

By Bob Ford, Inquirer Columnist

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - They gave the old man a bouquet of roses after the game, and he kept himself from making the joke about how people his age really don't want to see someone coming with a flower arrangement.

Annette John-Hall: Filling need even while feeling it

By Annette John-Hall, Inquirer Columnist

It's not as if Susanne Whitehead is running around with a paper bag over her head. After all, she's not the only one who's had to swallow her pride in these harsh economic times. Everybody's hurting.

Blog: PhillyDeals: Daily riff on what's driving regional commerce

Worldview: Obama needs to focus on more than just bin Laden - 1:32am: By Trudy Rubin , Inquirer Columnist

Barack Obama has said there can be only one president at a time. But in this interregnum - when the White House has already given up on making foreign (or economic) policy - the words of the president-elect matter.
Head Strong: The high price of downsizing the news biz - 1:32am: By Michael Smerconish

Every election season seems to introduce us to a slew of new pundits, even if many have resumes that don't add up to the title on the screen underneath their television images.
The American Debate: Governing via Web: A tad 'pie-eyed' - 1:32am: By Dick Polman , For The Inquirer

The political community is abuzz about the imminent launch of Barack Obama 2.0, a cutting-edge plan for effective governance in the Internet era. The heady expectation is that the president-elect will usher in a brave new world of communication, using the power of the Web to conduct an unprecedented two-way conversation with citizens, all in the interests of providing the change they seek.
Inqlings: Guarini not alone on 'Love Train' - 1:32am: By Michael Klein , Inquirer Columnist

Doylestown-bred American Idol runner-up Justin Guarini has much going on: appearing Thursday on a Disney float at the Thanksgiving parade (for which he recorded the vocals of "Love Train" on Friday at Philadelphia International Records), a reprise in January of his TV Guide Network hosting work, a shot on the CMT series Gone Country, and a role coming up at a still-under-wraps attraction at Walt Disney World.
Web Winners: - 1:32am: By Reid Kanaley , Inquirer Columnist

Want to have a great funeral? Plan it and pay for it, or at least set aside the money - long before your date with destiny. These sites offer guidelines and specific tips on knowing the costs.
Sideshow: - 1:32am: By Tirdad Derakhshani , Inquirer Staff Writer

FCC to appeal Jackson case In what is sure to become a landmark in American jurisprudence, the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court may soon find themselves debating about Janet Jackson's breasts.
Back Channels: Keeping a promise - 1:32am: How Obama will fight a growing front in Afghanistan.

By Kevin Ferris , Editor of the Editorial Page

Barack Obama and John McCain agreed on at least one area in the campaign: More troops are needed in Afghanistan.
Phil Sheridan: NFL's overtime rule just plain stupid - 11/22/2008: By Phil Sheridan , Inquirer Columnist

One important point seemed to get lost during the weeklong roasting of Donovan McNabb for not knowing the NFL's overtime rule.
On College Football: If Texas Tech slips, dominoes will fall - 11/22/2008: By Ray Parrillo , Inquirer Staff Writer

One more time for Tech? The 2008 darling of college football, second-ranked Texas Tech, can take one more step toward the BCS championship game tonight when it visits No. 5 Oklahoma. A win would send the Red Raiders into the Big Twelve Conference championship game and make quarterback Graham Harrell the clear favorite for the Heisman Trophy. For all the great numbers he has put up this season, this one may be the best: five interceptions in 463 passes.
Dave on Demand: Wasting a perfectly good hour with 'NCIS' - 11/22/2008: By David Hiltbrand , For the Inquirer

By any measure, CBS's NCIS is a trouper: a show whose ratings continue to rise over time, a show that you can put on against the toughest competition - Dancing With the Stars, American Idol - and it will still perform reliably.
Sideshow: Tabloid says Jacko now Muslim named Mikaeel - 11/22/2008: By Tirdad Derakhshani , Inquirer Staff Writer

The Way You Mecca Me Feel. That's the clever headline of a tale in Britain's imaginative tabloid, the Sun, that claims Michael Jackson, who has spent quality time in Bahrain, has converted to Islam. (Not that there's anything wrong with that. Right?)