Lori Falce stories, Page 14
Lori Falce: Voting for a woman president
I once stood on a mountain of shale at a strip-mine site the day before Thanksgiving with several local politicians and one female state official. As the guys took their time, yukking it up with all the time in the world, she stood further back with me, impatiently glancing at...
Lori Falce: Why we write about sex abuse
“But why do you have to put it up there in black and white? Why does there have to be a headline? Why can’t you just let it go?” I‘ve had this conversation before. “Why do you have to write about Jerry Sandusky? It makes Penn State look bad.” “Why...
Lori Falce: Washington, the reluctant president
George Washington did not want to be president. He was a good general, as his victories in the Revolutionary War proved. He was a keen businessman. He thought of himself primarily as a farmer. “While I realize the arduous nature of the task which is conferred on me and feel...
Lori Falce: Does love really never fail?
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It...
Lori Falce: Super Bowl lessons about politics
When I watch the Super Bowl, I do it with an eye toward what I love. If the Steelers are playing, my allegiances are easy. If the Patriots are playing, yeah, that’s easy too, although in a year like 2018 when New England faced off against Philadelphia? There’s just no...
Lori Falce: Groundhog Day all over again
Groundhog Day isn’t here until Sunday but I feel like I’ve been living it for months. Remember the Bill Murray movie where Groundhog Day never ended? Where no matter what happened when he got up in the morning, no matter how he screwed things up or fixed what went wrong,...
Lori Falce: Stop believing campaign promises
It is a time-honored staple of sitcoms and school-set movies that kids are gullible, especially when it comes to elections. There has never been a television or film representation of a student body presidential race that didn’t include the most outlandish of campaign promises. Perhaps the best comes from the...
Lori Falce: ‘Little Women’ and boys who don’t read
I am an equal opportunity story lover. I love books and movies and television shows that are a chocolate box of options. I like rom-coms and chick lit and sweeping Jane Austen-esque tales of love and duty and sacrifice. I love action movies and comic book heroes. I embrace science...
Lori Falce: The political peril of buzzwords
I kept a little running tally in the corner of my notebook while the meeting went on. Interspersed with the critical business of running a university, the Penn State trustees and administrators would drop certain words so often I started to wonder if there was a cash prize or a...
Lori Falce: Real resolutions for 2020
It’s January 2020. Resolution time. Are you too fat? There are dozens, if not hundreds, of apps, books, programs, subscription-based meal delivery services and trendy diets out there waiting to tell you what you’ve done wrong, what you should look like and how to change — for a price. Not...
Lori Falce: The rights and wrongs of a decade
Just what is a decade? Who knew that was a complicated question? One of the most humbling parts of writing for a news organization every day is the never ending stream of people willing — nay, eager — to tell you exactly what you got wrong. We even make it...
Lori Falce: Impeachment strikes back
It is blockbusting. It is epic. It is the massive story years in the making that closes out the decade. And depending on the reviews you read, it’s a terrible failure or a stunning masterpiece. I might be talking about “Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker.” I might be talking about...
Lori Falce: Term limits are half the story
Joe Biden might be thinking about the presidency as a one-term option. Or not. Politico’s reporting on the issue has since been denied by Biden, who is running for commander in-chief for the third time. But it’s an interesting question, not just for the 77-year-old former vice president and longtime...
Lori Falce: Blaming moms for screen time
Screen time can be the measure of a good parent. At least, that is what you might think if you spend much time on parenting websites. Screen time — the amount of time your child spends with evil modern devices like cellphones and tablets and video games and sometimes even...
Lori Falce: My Black Friday not-shopping list
I have to plan ahead. I have to make lists and I have to plot ideas. I need to know the best way to go. I will avoid Black Friday the way survivors in a post-apocalyptic wasteland will avoid zombies. Because I’ve done Black Friday before, and sometimes the difference...
Lori Falce: Conversation at Thanksgiving table
When I plan my Thanksgiving menu, I do it with the people who will fill their plates in mind. My mom loves turkey, so I give the bird its starring role with juicy brined meat and crispy skin. One sister wants her mashed potatoes pure and unadulterated by the sour...
Lori Falce: Pay attention to government
On Wednesday morning, it seemed like every television camera in the world was pointed at the House of Representatives for the first Trump impeachment hearings. As almost anyone could have predicted, the Democrats advanced questions in one direction while the Republicans pulled the other way. I watched the testimony with...
Lori Falce: The politics of parties
Everyone loves a party, right? Not true. Sure, a party can be a lot of fun, if you are meeting new people, eating good food, listening to great music. A party can also be really stressful. It can feel like an obligation. It can make you tense and uncomfortable and...
Lori Falce: Picking sides and changing minds
We live in a time where you can change absolutely anything about yourself. If you would like to make your brown hair blond or your blond hair black or your black hair neon pink, you can do it. If you want to be thinner, you can have fat sucked out....
Lori Falce: Pink sprinkle doughnuts and rules
Explaining the rules to a child isn’t easy. Kids learn fast that a cute grin and an “I love you, Mommy” can be a shortcut around a “no.” They learn just as fast that a well-timed fit in the right venue can motivate an exasperated, embarrassed parent to give some...
Lori Falce: Women with 4 jobs exist, O’Reilly
Bill O’Reilly doesn’t think working four jobs is a thing people do. While live-tweeting during the Democratic presidential debate on Tuesday, the former Fox News host dismissed a statement from candidate and former congressman Beto O’Rourke. “Beto says he met a woman working FOUR jobs. And raising a special needs...
Lori Falce: Bugs are little problem with big lesson
I sat at my desk, reading the story, feeling tiny pinpricks of dread running down my spine. It wasn’t a crime story — something bloody and unthinkable. It wasn’t the latest volley in the political war of words. It wasn’t a tragic human interest tale of heartbreak and loss. Nope....
Lori Falce: We all need more team players
This week, I was reminded of how old I am because of a football player. Jon Condo retired. You might not recognize that name. Condo is a Pennsylvania native, a graduate of my own high school, Philipsburg-Osceola, that straddles the line between Clearfield and Centre counties. And he was a...
Lori Falce: Vaping defense is up in smoke
Vaping was supposed to be better than smoking. That was the idea. It was vapor. Not smoke. All the nicotine with none of the risk. What could go wrong? A lot. People are dying. Not from cancer that they contracted after 40 years of sucking on smoke. Not from old...
Lori Falce: No offense intended
I don’t mean to offend. I try hard not to make people feel like I’m targeting them personally when I write. My goal is to make people think, not wince. I want to plant a seed and water it and see what grows, rather than have people close down and...
