http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish RSS Feed for Inq Col Michael Smerconish en-us Sat, 18 Feb 2012 05:12:36 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish/20120217_The_Pulse__Now_we_know__Van_Halen_s_M_M_rider_was_just_a_test.html So it wasn't about the candy after all. This week, lead singer David Lee Roth resolved a question of rock lore: why Van Halen wanted no brown M&Ms backstage during its concerts - and it turns out there is a Philadelphia/Spectrum connection. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish/20120212_The_Pulse__How_to_define_a__hate_crime__.html Further investigation of a recent attack in Center City might justify the filing of hate-crime charges against teenagers who sparked the melee. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish/20120210_The_Pulse__Life_inside_the__class__bubble.html Charles Murray thinks I live in a bubble, and it worries him. He believes that people like me are influential but detached, and that the level of isolation in which we live jeopardizes the well-being of society. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish/20120205_JoePa_was_not_real_trustee_of_Penn_State.html Nike cofounder and chairman Phil Knight delivered quite a broadside to the Penn State board of trustees on Jan. 26 during the memorial service for Joe Paterno. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish/20120203_The_Pulse__Rethinking_paths_to_wealth.html If one ambition for your children is to see them join the 1 percent, you might want to reevaluate their career paths. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish/20120129_The_Pulse__Fighting_chance_for_Gingrich_.html That which is propelling Newt Gingrich's Florida surge will imperil his general election bid, should he make it that far. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish/20120127_The_Pulse__Lessons_from_the_cheap_seats.html I haven't been interested in the 76ers since the run at the Lakers in 2001. However, despite lacking a superstar, this year's young, passionate team is off to a tremendous start in an abbreviated season. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish/20120122_The_Pulse__Decency_standards_still_vague__outdated.html An exasperated Mayor Nutter recently reacted to the news of a shooting that took the lives of three Philadelphia teens by saying: "The first way for young people to stop this stuff is for young people to be home, where they're supposed to be home, and for adults not to act like idiots and assholes out in the streets of our city shooting at kids in a car." http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish/20120120_The_Pulse__Amid_outcry__a_larger_truth_of_war_is_ignored.html I'm not convinced that U.S. Marines actually urinated on Taliban corpses. I sure hope they didn't. Having watched the video many times, I'm still not sure what I'm seeing. At first blush, it looks like servicemen desecrating the dead bodies of battlefield opponents. But I can't be positive. Pardon my coarseness, but I don't see a stream, I don't see a splash, and I don't see any stains. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish/20120115_The_Pulse__Huntsman_s_odds_grow_longer__but_appeal_is_clear.html That a nonideologue would pose the strongest challenge to President Obama has just been reinforced. First, there was an August survey by the Wall Street Journal and NBC News, in which 40 percent of respondents identified their approach to issues as "moderate." Last month, a USA Today analysis of voter-registration figures detailed how more tha