http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky RSS Feed for DN Col Stu Bykofsky en-us Fri, 25 May 2012 18:17:21 GMT 2012-05-25T18:17:21Z en-us http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/153802895.html An author-signed book, a Hootie and the Blowfish CD, a Baltimore Orioles batting helmet, a curled newspaper with the look and feel of parchment, a certificate of journalistic excellence, a 1989 city-issued municipal telephone directory, a press kit filled with lies, a Howard Eskin bobblehead. That was the top layer, the crust of one of the trash bins standing like corrections officers around our newsroom, a/k/a public housing for several generations of interracial mice. We are about a month from moving day and, for many reasons, this is not a happy shop. Fri, 25 May 2012 18:17:21 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/153802895.html 2012-05-25T18:17:21Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/20120525_Moving_is_moving_for_this_old_newshound.html An author-signed book, a Hootie and the Blowfish CD, a Baltimore Orioles batting helmet, a curled newspaper with the look and feel of parchment, a certificate of journalistic excellence, a 1989 city-issued municipal telephone directory, a press kit filled with lies, a Howard Eskin bobblehead.That was the top layer, the crust of one of the trash bins standing like corrections officers around our newsroom, a/k/a public housing for a several generations of interracial mice. We are about a month from moving day and, for many reasons, this is not a happy shop. Each year one in six Americans moves, usually voluntarily, but in this time of underwater homes and pop-up foreclosures, many people are forced into it. Fri, 25 May 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/20120525_Moving_is_moving_for_this_old_newshound.html 2012-05-25T07:00:00Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/20120521_Byko_judges_bikes_in_Kensington_Kinetic_Sculpture_Derby.html What do you get when you combine edgy scientific ingenuity and the beautiful sensibility of art, or maybe cross Marie Curie with Pee-wee Herman? I don’t know exactly, but it might look like some entries in Saturday afternoon’s sixth-annual Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby, folded into the seventh-annual Trenton Avenue Arts Fetival. The event has a lot in common with the Mummers — it pulses up from the community, it’s in the street, it’s in your face, it has color and music and laughs. Tue, 22 May 2012 01:04:44 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/20120521_Byko_judges_bikes_in_Kensington_Kinetic_Sculpture_Derby.html 2012-05-22T01:04:44Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/20120518_Time_for_pols_to_joke_for_charity.html With warm weather bringing out swimsuits, it’s time to think about fitness, and a return to the gym. So there I was at the gym, and there it was, up against the wall, a gleaming new machine I hit hard for half-an-hour. It had everything I wanted: Fri, 18 May 2012 13:35:48 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/20120518_Time_for_pols_to_joke_for_charity.html 2012-05-18T13:35:48Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/151302195.html THE DEAD Sea Scrolls, in short (which they are not, running longer than a politician’s promises), are the oldest known biblical manuscripts in existence. Perhaps the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century, they made their North American debut Saturday at the Franklin Institute, where they’ll stay through mid-October. To many atheists, they are the Chronicles of Riddick, or a graphic novel. To most believers, the Dead Sea Scrolls — more than 900 parchments and fragments — offer proof (or at least evidence) that events they believe in actually happened. Tue, 15 May 2012 01:43:15 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/151302195.html 2012-05-15T01:43:15Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/20120511_No_church__no_marriage.html Marriage is a sacrament. A function of the church, not the state. Given all that we are up against today, the state should not perform “marriages” for anyone. Only religious institutions should do that. The state should offer civil unions for anyone. I’ll explain the italic later. Fri, 11 May 2012 14:13:07 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/20120511_No_church__no_marriage.html 2012-05-11T14:13:07Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/20120509_Lane_reversal_is_a_win_for_sanity.html THE DRAGON ROARED and was heard. For the first time since Michael “Green Genie” Nutter started surrendering whole lanes of traffic to the fragment of a morsel who commute to work by bicycle, the city is reversing course. Thu, 10 May 2012 01:05:02 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/20120509_Lane_reversal_is_a_win_for_sanity.html 2012-05-10T01:05:02Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/20120507_Mail_problems_should_be_addressed.html CONTRARY TO what you may have heard, I don’t enjoy kicking people when they’re down. The U.S. Postal Service is down — in employees, post offices, revenue and first-class mail it moves — but I’m not kicking here. I’m reporting on the minority of USPS employees who don’t seem able to put on a hat without instructions. Mon, 07 May 2012 10:34:29 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/20120507_Mail_problems_should_be_addressed.html 2012-05-07T10:34:29Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/20120504_Rogue_cop_proof_that_department_needs_more_fire_power.html THE PHILADELPHIA Parking Authority is spotlighted in an A&E cable TV show titled “Parking Wars.” If A&E were to do one on the Philadelphia Police Department, I suggest the title “Fireproof.” Just what do you have to do to get yourself fired, if you’re a Philadelphia cop? Just how bad to the bone must you be? Fri, 04 May 2012 22:23:42 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/20120504_Rogue_cop_proof_that_department_needs_more_fire_power.html 2012-05-04T22:23:42Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/20120502_Hot_under_the_collar.html TWO GREAT streams of American political thought converged Tuesday outside the Daily News — strippers to protest a month-old story about strippers and prostitution, the other, Occupy Philly, to protest everything else. There were maybe a dozen dancers (none in their work attire) on hand, fewer Occupiers, and — wouldn’t you know it — more reporters wanted to talk with the strippers. Wed, 02 May 2012 10:47:14 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/20120502_Hot_under_the_collar.html 2012-05-02T10:47:14Z