Biography
A native of Pittsburgh and a graduate of Ohio University, Susan was hired by The Sun in 1979 as one of the first full-time women ...
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Susan Reimer
Both sides now: Judy Collins on life after alcoholism
May 24, 2012
It was April 1978, and singer Judy Collins hadn't had an inspirational thought in four years.
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Obama might wish he hadn't met 'Julia'
May 14, 2012
Meet "Julia."
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Maurice Sendak lit up dark corners of childhood
May 9, 2012
Not everything in childhood is bowls of mush and little old ladies whispering "Hush," and Maurice Sendak understood that.
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Religion and politics, but no fireworks
May 7, 2012
Unless you want a fight to break out at a cocktail party or a family reunion, conventional wisdom has it, don't talk religion or politics.
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What would Jesus do? Not stuff like this
April 30, 2012
It is no fun being a Catholic woman these days. In fact, it is almost embarrassing.
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Student loan debt traps parents, too
April 25, 2012
Just as parents and their high school seniors are about to sign those college acceptance letters, there is news that unless Congress acts by July 1, the interest rate on federal student loans will double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent.
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From Cartagena to Vegas, partying on the taxpayers' dime
April 23, 2012
It has been a tough news cycle for taxpayers.
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Being a woman is hard work
April 18, 2012
Well. I know I speak for many women when I say, "Thank heaven that's settled."
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Case closed: Teen pregnancy is poverty's offspring
April 16, 2012
There is good news — and some familiar bad news — in recent research into the stubborn question of why our babies have babies when it is such a spectacularly bad idea for both mother and child.
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Welcome return for boomerang kids
April 12, 2012
More young adults are moving back in with their parents than ever before, and if a recent think tank report is correct, both generations are OK with this.
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Keep your friends close, your enemies on a list
April 9, 2012
It used to be that only presidents had a list of their enemies, and if you were on it, it was a kind of a badge of honor — as long as you didn't mind having your tax returns regularly audited.
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You want fries with that lottery ticket?
April 4, 2012
Pink slime notwithstanding, sometimes the only fast food that will satisfy is a McDonald's hamburger.
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The driving force behind high gas prices: me
April 2, 2012
Gasoline prices continue to climb, and the Republican presidential candidates would have us believe that this is the direct result of President Barack Obama's energy policies.
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With Mega win, life would be a beach
March 29, 2012
I had the money spent before I bought the tickets. That's how sure I was that my friends and I were going to win the Mega Millions lottery Tuesday night.
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Sympathy for an accused murderer: What war will do to you
March 26, 2012
I am ashamed to admit that my heart aches for Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, and I feel almost nothing for the families of the Afghan men, women and children he is accused of killing.
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Closing the book on Britannica
March 19, 2012
In 1797, the Shaw of Persia received a set of Encyclopedia Britannica to celebrate his elevation. He read it in its entirety — it was shorter then — and in celebration of this accomplishment, he added "Most Formidable Lord and Master of the Encyclopedia Britannica" to his list of titles.
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Dads and diaper makers hug it out
March 14, 2012
A stay-at-home dad, offended by a television commercial that made dads look like dummies, has used social media — the same cudgel that forced Bank of America to back off last year from plans to hike fees — to get the makers of Huggies disposable diapers to take the ad off the air.
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Women will remember in November
March 12, 2012
Democrats must believe they are in the middle of a lovely dream — and they must hope they never wake up.
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New refrigerator brings chance to thaw old memories
March 8, 2012
My laptop was my most devoted companion during two months in a wheelchair with a broken ankle, so of course I took the opportunity to buy a new refrigerator. Online.
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After all these years, relearning 'please' and 'thank you'
March 5, 2012
"Please" and "thank you." Teaching those words are the first steps parents take in the civilizing of their children. How to ask for something politely and with humility and how to express gratitude for something freely given.
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Some memory changes in aging brain are normal
March 1, 2012
Dementia and its evil twin, Alzheimer's, may have moved ahead of cancer on the list of most feared diseases, especially among baby boomers, who have begun to believe it is their inescapable fate if they have the bad luck to live too long.
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Warmer winter wakes up the garden
February 22, 2012
If this warm winter weather has you confused, think of the poor plants.
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Women need to speak up about birth control
February 16, 2012
Where are the women?
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Broken ankle fractures life as you know it
February 1, 2012
Forgive my absence from these pages, but I recently suffered a dislocated fracture of my ankle while saving a kitten from a speeding car.
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Eat, sleep and be merry
December 29, 2011
Holiday parties are just a fancy cover, and traditional family dinners are simply an excuse. The truth is, all we want to do at this time of year is … eat.
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Susan Reimer: Penn State has lost the high ground
November 8, 2011
Growing up in Western Pennsylvania, your college football loyalties were to one of two schools.
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Kardashian's wedding crasher is no surprise
November 2, 2011
It appears the National Basketball Association lock-out has claimed its first significant casualty: The fairy-tale marriage — and we mean that in every sense of the phrase — of reality TV star Kim Kardashian and New Jersey Nets power forward Kris Humphries.
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Baggage and blessings
September 11, 2011
It was the song "Greensleeves" that drew Shirley Dempsey-Kahn into the Goodwill store that December morning. It reminded her of her first trip to London as a child, with her father, a naval officer, and her mother.
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The power of balance
August 17, 2011
Serelee Hefler tells the students in her class, including a 66-year-old man and a woman who is six months' pregnant, that they are on a ship in the Chesapeake Bay and a storm has just blown in.
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Preventing teen pregnancy saves taxpayers billions
June 15, 2011
When it comes to teens having babies, it's a matter of pay me now or pay me later.
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A hard week for Michael Phelps – and for Mom
February 9, 2009
Last week was a tough one for Michael Phelps. I am betting it was equally tough for his mom.
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Videos of beatings a lesson for kids
April 15, 2008
The harassment of teachers and the intimidation of students by classroom bullies is nothing new.
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The deconstruction of Harriet Miers is filled with sexism
October 11, 2005
When the first news stories about Harriet Miers' nomination to the Supreme Court all used the same quote from President Bush describing her as "a pit bull in size 6 shoes," I decided I would listen carefully to this debate.
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Clinton redux revives that sense of betrayal
June 22, 2004
SEEING BILL CLINTON in the spotlight again is like - forgive the analogy - seeing an old lover after not enough time has passed.
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Stewart's attitude was on trial, too
March 9, 2004
MARTHA STEWART's conviction in federal court last week must stand as a warning to all future Marthas.
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No reason to recant support for Arnold
October 7, 2003
ACOUPLE OF weeks ago, I wrote a column saying that if I were a Californian, I would vote for Arnold Schwarzenegger.
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Schwarzenegger's zest for American dream counterbalances past of sex, drugs
September 16, 2003
IT MIGHT COST me my feminist membership card, but if I were a California resident, I'd vote for Arnold Schwarzenegger for governor - even if I'd have to wait a few more months to do so.
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Word war: `Marital' becomes `martial'
December 10, 2002
MY HUSBAND and I lead the split-shift, tag-team, crisis-du-jour lives so common among couples with teen-age children, and our paths are guaranteed to cross at only one moment: Sunday night at 9 o'clock for the latest installment of The Sopranos.
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Sniper is wrecking the games students play
October 22, 2002
The killings by the sniper in the white van have thrown the athletic lives of children and families into a holy mess of official overreaction and bureaucratic indecision.
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With everyone a target, fear is hard to avoid
October 9, 2002
IT IS DIFFERENT this time.
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Parents feel high school angst again, through teens
October 6, 2002
IT APPEARS THAT I am not popular in high school. Again.
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Lindh rage gives way to sadness
July 23, 2002
THE CASE OF John Walker Lindh has been resolved to the apparent satisfaction of both parties.
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Mourning loss of son's competitor
March 19, 2002
KEVAN Fletcher, a top-notch wrestler for Patterson High School, was found shot to death inside his East Baltimore rowhouse earlier this month, and a pair of teen-age acquaintances have been arrested and charged with his murder.
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All we can do for safety is embrace each other
September 30, 2001
IN THE IMMEDIATE aftermath of the World Trade Center and Pentagon explosions, I had one thought, and I bet it was almost universal.
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Our routines will keep us busy, but the sadness will stay with us
September 14, 2001
IN THE AFTERMATH of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, we are being told that we must recognize that life in this country will never be the same.
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And now, for a -- of local flavor, we bring you a taste of Art Donovan
January 31, 1993
Hey, Jim Kelly! Try some warm olive oil on top of your head, ya big crybaby.
