Ed

NEW YORK - When Ed Koch was mayor, it seemed as if all of New York was being run by a deli counterman. Mayor Koch was funny, irritable, opinionated, often rude and prone to yelling. And it worked, for a while at least. With a Bronx-born combination of chutzpah and humor, Mayor Koch steered New York back from the brink of financial ruin and infused the city with new energy and optimism in the 1970s and '80s while racing around town, startling ordinary New Yorkers on the streets by asking, "How'm I doing?"

DEAR ABBY : I'm a 20-year-old college student with a great job, life ambitions and parents who love me. A few months ago I met a wonderful young man who is in the Army. We met on the Internet, communicated online for several weeks, then took the next step to meet in person. "Jack" is 10 years older than I am and has a son from a previous marriage. I did a background check and everything he told me is true. But I'm afraid to introduce him to my parents. They are leery about people meeting on the Internet.

The point spread. The line opened at 4 1/2 and the early money went on Baltimore. It was an understandable reaction after the way the Ravens flustered and frustrated the Patriots. But the insertion of Colin Kaepernick has injected a juice through San Francisco's roster that would make Lance Armstrong blush. The only time he has really looked handcuffed in the last month was when the Seahawks hammered the 49ers up in Seattle. The stat that just jumps off the page: The Ravens are 1-5 indoors with Joe Flacco.

Q: I find it to be a pain in the butt when I am on the highway and the person in the left lane is driving 40-50 mph. It is called the passing lane, buddy. At what point can I hit the horn or flash my lights? - In a Hurry but not a Rush from Ridley A: Slow down,'bro. It's not worth getting worked up with road rage over some slow driver, because these days you've got a lot of crazy people out there, and there's no telling what they'd do if confronted. Keeping a safe distance and flashing the brights once is cool, but if you keep doing it and the driver still doesn't move to the right, then it could turn into a game of wills.

AFTER GOING MORE than 8 months without hockey, Flyers chairman Ed Snider could not wait to get back. In fact, one of his first orders of business after returning from his 80th birthday celebration with family in the Caribbean was a stop at the Flyers' practice facility on Tuesday. It was Snider's first appearance at a practice since last April during the Flyers' epic first-round playoff series against Pittsburgh. "I was sick that this thing took so long," Snider said, referring to the NHL's 119-day lockout.

Q: I am a single mother of four boys. How do I get them to pick up after them? Do you guys and boys not understand what a hamper is? - Airing Out Dirty Laundry in Lawndale A: I'm with you mama because I'm a clean freak. Never met a vacuum cleaner I didn't like. I didn't have much growing up as a kid but my mom and grandmom taught me to be appreciative of what I did have and to clean up after myself. It's a simple matter of self respect. Maybe your guys just assume that you'll continue to pick up after them.

WE Philadelphians hold these truths to be self-evident, that Ed Rendell, our former mayor and governor, is an irrepressible flirt who loves to be spoken about in terms of future potential rather than accumulated legacy. Proof could be found in Tuesday's New York Times , which cited "high-powered advisers" to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg who are now searching for the city's next mayor. Among the big-league names floated: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, New York Daily News owner Mort Zuckerman and . . . our own New York-born Rendell.

Flyers founder Ed Snider usually sleeps until 8 a.m. on the weekend, but for whatever reason, he woke up at 5 a.m. in his suburban Philadelphia home on Sunday, checked his cellphone, and learned the NHL's 113-day labor dispute had ended. For Snider, it was the perfect way to celebrate his 80th birthday. "This ranks right at the top, as far as birthday gifts," he said in a telephone interview. "What a great birthday!" When Snider read that the lockout was over, he immediately sent an e-mail to Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner.

Q: What advice would you have for anyone on a New Year's resolution, from stopping smoking to losing weight? - Curious in Camden A: My best advice is to forget about making a New Year's resolution. Seriously, if you need to stop smoking and lose weight to improve your health, why is waiting until Jan. 1 the magic date? Do it right away, dude. You don't need a resolution! If you want to be a better person or nicer to strangers or want to help little old ladies across the street, don't wait . . . just do it. One time I helped a little old lady across the street because I thought it was the right thing to do. She wasn't even planning to cross the street, so it was kind of embarrassing and a long walk back to the corner.

THE DEATH of 20 little children and six courageous adults at Newtown, Conn., has managed to do what no other killing spree could - it has caused heretofore wuss politicians to take a stand and speak out about the need for sensible laws controlling the access to assault weapons and mega-capacity ammunition clips, and it has galvanized national public opinion in support of these efforts. It didn't happen after Tucson, where we saw the heartbreaking tragedy of the 9-year-old girl killed because she wanted to meet her role model, U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, or after Aurora, when a crazed gunman assassinated 12 people and wounded 58 more, shockingly using a 100-bullet clip to create this carnage.