Ed

Tobias Peter is a political reporter and news editor at the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger in Cologne, Germany College students in Germany won't be going into debt too deeply for their education any time soon. Consider the mass protests that erupted on campuses when several German state governments called for the end of free tuition. "Education is a human right," said Katharina Marth, a protest organizer who is studying law at the University of Rostock. "It should be free to everybody.

Q: I have a 10-year-old who is looking for a Kindle. I have a hard time getting him to read books (says it is for nerds) but he swears he will read books if gets some kind of an e-reader, like a Kindle. I will do it if he is sincere but I am not sure that he just isn't looking for an expensive gadget. What do you think? - Getting scammed in Scranton A: Dude, you have a kid who wants an e-reader for the holidays and you think you're being scammed?!? That is terrrri-bull. Give the kid a chance.

IN 2008, ERIC HINSKE sent rabid Phillies fans dancing into the streets by making the final out of the World Series. In 2012, an Eagles rookie is returning the favor. Bryce Brown has been the talk of the fantasy world the last few weeks and Hinske is among those who have profited greatly. If Hinske would have hit that Brad Lidge slider like he has hit on Brown, the World Series would have gone back to Tampa. Hinske, who won World Series rings with the Red Sox in 2007 and the Yankees in 2009, is in seven fantasy leagues.

WASHINGTON - House Republicans Monday put forth a $2.2 trillion "fiscal cliff" counteroffer to President Obama, calling for raising the eligibility age for Medicare, lowering cost-of-living hikes for Social Security benefits and bringing in $800 billion in higher tax revenue - but not raising rates for the wealthy. The White House declared that the Republicans still weren't ready to "get serious. " With the clock ticking toward the year-end deadline, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and other Republicans said that they were proposing a "reasonable solution" for negotiations that Boehner says have been going nowhere.

IT WAS THE winter of our discontent. Let history show our beloved Eagles had reached a 14-year low. Our equally beloved Phillies were 4 months away from taking the field at Citizens Bank Park and, worse still, we had just learned that our most beloved player, Carlos "Chooch" Ruiz, had been suspended for the first 25 games of the season because of substance abuse. Our not quite so beloved Sixers were not reaching anywhere near their full potential, because their newly acquired savior, Andrew Bynum (for whom we paid a king's ransom)

IT'S NO SECRET that former Gov. Ed Rendell disagrees with Gov. Corbett on how to tax natural-gas drillers in the Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania. But people at the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center's fifth anniversary fundraiser Friday afternoon were surprised to see just how far Rendell would go to make that point. Rendell, sporting what can only be called a "Moe" wig in the style of the one-time Three Stooges actor, explained that PBPC Director Sharon Ward did a presentation in December 2008 on state revenue.

FORMER PHILADELPHIA City Councilman, civic leader and piano player Ed Schwartz died Thursday morning at age 69. Schwartz had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2010 but had been feeling better and was frequently spotted attending Council's weekly Thursday sessions. He last attended two weeks ago, before the Thanksgiving break. The cause of death has not been determined. Jane Shull, Schwartz's wife, suspects that he died from a heart attack. "He had a pretty serious heart condition that could not be addressed anymore," Shull said.

Q: Maybe I am just old-fashioned, but all my friends are giving me grief about Facebook and Twitter and stuff. Doesn't interest me. Think I should get on the bandwagon? - Socially Media Shy in Media A: Hey, shy guy, I'm with you. To me, Facebook is like going back to junior high and getting in contact with people you didn't want to be in contact with in the first place. I'm not interested in playing Farmville or Mob Wars or having people send me little smiley faces. Don't send me pictures of what you're eating for dinner.

Michael Vick's career as a Philadelphia Eagle ended on March 27, 2012. That's the day that Jason Peters ruptured his Achilles' tendon. Any chance of Mike leading us to the promised land went up in smoke, because the long-range passing game integral to the Birds' success in 2010 and during the tail end of last year depended on Vick having the time to let our wideouts go deep. When Peters went down, it opened up more holes and subjected Vick to as horrible a continuous beating as any NFL quarterback may have ever endured.

Q: I have no idea or not if you know how to sing but trust me: My spouse does not. We only have been married for two years and I don't know how to tell her it's hard to be in the car with her at times. She sure thinks she is good. - Hard of Hearing in Havertown A: I think I'm a great singer around the house but others don't hear it that way. My go-to song is "My Way. " I'm not as good as Sinatra but my way sounds pretty good to me. And I do a mean robo-dance to "Electric Avenue," even though others don't agree on that either.