By Jeffrey Page
Who knew that the correct spelling of “schmuck” begins with a-n-t-h.

By Gretchen Gibbs
The ubiquitous flea, with which my cat is covered despite how much toxic chemical from the vet I spread on him, also transmits many viruses dangerous to humans.

By Michael Kaufman
“What if instead of my being a 64-year-old, grey bearded white guy with a big black dog, I had been an 18-year-old effeminate Black guy with a French poodle?” asks Bennett Weiss.

By Ken Goldfarb
Scoring the winning run in extra innings

By Michael Kaufman
I loved the All-Star Game Tuesday night despite the fact that my team lost and in spite of all the annoying ways the game has changed.

By Bob Gaydos
There’s no back sports page where I get much of my news today, on the Internet, but Tuesday night I found myself turning figuratively to the back page of Facebook. The social media site’s front pages, if you will, screamed with anger, hatred, bigotry and ignorance prompted by the not guilty verdict on George Zimmerman. I needed relief.

By Jeffrey Page
Only at the Red Apple Rest would a grown man happily dance in tribute to his chocolate ice cream cone.

By Carrie Jacobson
The new paintings that I’m making have come out of nowhere – and brought challenges and delight with them.

By Michael Kaufman
The New York Times has been biased against the Mets since the beginning of the season and frankly, I’m sick of it.

By Bob Gaydos
When the computer spies forget that they, too, are American citizens and also suffer from any erosion of individual privacy along with the rest of us, the slippery slope to total control of the citizenry has begun.