The Rooney Bin

Labor Day has come and gone as well as Sept. 22, the first day of autumn. As we lurch toward the end of a very stormy year, weather-wise, politically and virus-wise it sometimes seems we’ll never make it through 2020. The time has come to put away your sandals and white ... Read More

“Less than a month ago all of August still stretched before us - long and golden and reassuring, like an endless period of delicious sleep.” –author Lauren Oliver Goodbye August, the last full month of summer and, if you live in the northern hemisphere, one of the hottest months of the ... Read More

“Boredom can be a lethal thing on a small island.”—Christopher Moore, author Today is “Relaxation Day,” time to sit back and chill. Unfortunately, this year Relaxation Day began in early March and hasn’t stopped since. Boor-ring! We’re mid-way through the heat of August, a time when folks usually look forward to winding ... Read More

“Liberty is always dangerous, but it is the safest thing we have.”—Harry Emerson Fosdick, liberal protestant minister  On Saturday, Americans feted the war that gave birth to this country with fireworks, picnics, parades and protests. Due to a resurgence of Covid-19 cases fireworks displays and parades were limited or virtual. Picnics ... Read More

AND THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DINOSAURS! “I wish it need not have happened in my time, said Frodo. So do I, said Gandalf, and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do ... Read More

“Virtual reality was once the dream of science fiction. But the internet was also once a dream, and so were computers and smartphones,” Face Book founder Mark Zuckerberg said.             Zuckerberg’s virtual reality dream has turned into a nightmare. Repercussions from Corona virus have plunged folks into a bizarre virtual world ... Read More

These days I’m often asked (from a distance, of course), where has the Rooney Bin been? “Social distancing,” I reply. The Bin column was created about 19 years ago to cover social news on Florida’s First Coast. Sometimes I think it’s time to retire, but can’t seem to find a way ... Read More

 “The essence of life is to serve others and do good.”—Aristotle April is National Volunteer Month, but March is the peak of volunteerism in Ponte Vedra Beach as The PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP swings into action. More than 2,200 people from the U.S. and seven foreign countries—Germany, Argentina, Columbia, Canada, The United Kingdom, Scotland and Switzerland—perform  a ... Read More

“Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘let’s party.’”—Robin Williams             If each month of the year was assigned a different color, there is no doubt March would be spring green, the color of nature, health, growth, fertility and shamrocks. March 1 is generally considered the start of spring by meteorologists, who divide the year into ... Read More

It’s a bird. It’s a plane, It’s Superman, and the comic book superhero’s birthday is today…or so some say. The Man of Steel is one of about four million people known as “Leaplings,” because they were born on Leap Day. The Earth circles the Sun once every 365 days, five hours, 48 minutes and 45 ... Read More