Glory

The Civil War historian Shelby Foote says that the suicidal charge on the Confederate position at Fort Wagner on July 18, 1863, by the black soldiers in the 54th Massachusetts Regiment had little military value but enormous meaning. "It has relevance today because it's yet another instance of a black man proving what white man never had to prove," Foote said. "They took a giant step forward that day. " But as Edward Zwick's magnificent Glory so movingly reminds us, the price was terribly high.

NEW YORK - Carnival Cruise Lines prices have taken a dip this spring, according to pricing data, and some industry observers blame headlines about problems on several Carnival ships. Todd Elliott, owner of Cruise Vacation Outlet, said his agents had seen a drop in price of 20 percent or more for equivalent cruises. "Rates are far lower than I have seen in a while; for example, the Carnival Dream, seven nights, Eastern Caribbean out of Port Canaveral, May 4 is $299 per person," he said.

An unidentified youngster is lost in a sea of flags during the Pledge of Allegiance at the opening of last night's session of the Republican National Convention in Houston, Texas.

Last time the Phillies won the World Series - the only time, we're sorry to remind you - was in 1980. Twenty years ago. Seems like only yesterday, does it? Not to anyone under, say, 25, it doesn't. More than an entire generation has grown up aware only tangentially - from what Dad's told them or what they've read in the papers - that a Phillies team was ever good enough to go all the way. The sorry performance of the current Phillies does cast a shadow on this weekend's 20th-anniversary festivities commemorating That Championship Season.

The Rage's renewed progress came to a stop here last night as the Glory romped to an 88-73 victory at Morehouse Olympic Arena. It was the first time in four meetings this season that player-coach Teresa Edwards' squad defeated the Rage (7-11), who had won their last two games. Atlanta (9-9), which reached .500 for the first time this season, is beginning to play like the title contender it was expected to be because of the strength of its post players. That was apparent to the crowd of 3,575 who saw the Glory grab their sixth victory in their last seven games.

TO WHAT end is cloning? As do many people, I agree with Ms. Christine Flowers' Jan. 2 op-ed article ("I Love You Just the Way . . . I Am") regarding cloning humans. Even if every human being alive today were given the power to change his or her appearance, the human race would still be as versatile and beautiful as it is today. Jews and Christians believe that man was created in God's image. Muslims believe God created mankind in various colors, shapes and sizes, speaking a myriad of languages as testimony to his artistry and power.

A NY SISTAH GIRL knows that hair care is at the root of many an issue for some black folks. "The Tenderheaded Diaries" will explore this territory at the Painted Bride beginning tomorrow. The show will include skits on such familiar topics as "The Art of Greasing the Scalp" as well as video diaries of real people telling "unbeweavable" hair stories. The production, which premiered in Philly in December, was inspired by the book, "Tenderheaded: A Comb-Bending Collection of Hair Stories" by Juliette Harris and Pamela Johnson, (Pocket Books, $14)

Glory, an account of the first black regiment organized to fight the Confederacy, is a splendidly cast film that examines two kinds of courage. The volunteers needed the valor to face the enemy and the strength to confront the massive prejudice they encountered behind their own lines. They acquitted themselves nobly on both counts. At once moving and inspiring, the movie is Hollywood's finest - and most accurate - look at the war. "Glory" at the Free Library of Philadelphia, Central Library, Montgomery Auditorium, Logan Square, at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Ridley senior defenseman Steve Naumowich has proved Sean Ralph wrong. Ralph, a former standout Ridley goalie, was Naumowich's youth-lacrosse coach back in sixth grade. "At the time, everybody wanted to be attackmen or midfielders," Naumowich said. "They wanted to score the goals, get all the glory. "Coach Ralph was looking for some people to make the switch to defense. I remember him telling us that defensemen never get their names in the paper, never get any attention.

WITH THE passing of Bobby Thomson yesterday, I started to think about the importance of his Great Home Run. Sure, many others are just as much or more prominent for winning bigger prizes, like Bill Mazeroski's and Joe Carter's, both ending the World Series. And who could forget Kirk Gibson's painful but joyous romp around the bases after his bolt ended a World Series game? And, true, Thomson's "Shot Heard Round the World" only put the New York Giants in the World Series, which they would eventually lose.

TIM O'CONNOR OWNS Humphrys Flag Co., one of the nation's oldest custom-flag manufacturers. O'Connor, 65, of North Coventry, Chester County, bought the company in 1976. It's known for its artistry and variety of flags . The retail store is on Arch Street near 3rd in Old City. Q: How many American flags do you sell in a year? A: I'd say 2,500 to 3,000. We make them in our 30,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Pottstown. Q: How many flags of all kinds do you sell annually?

Less than an hour before the 8 p.m. tip-off, 76ers employees are scurrying around the Wells Fargo Center, hoping this Saturday night will unfold as planned. It is late March, and the team is handing out Allen Iverson bobblehead dolls. Iverson himself is scheduled to attend, a rare public appearance for the 37-year-old former NBA superstar. He will be introduced during a pregame ceremony and then watch the game from Sixers chief executive Adam Aron's suite. But Iverson isn't here yet, and a troubling rumor is passing through the arena's arteries: Iverson has missed his flight.

Bruce Springsteen blared on the sound system at the end of the sixth inning Monday night at Citizens Bank Park. I had a friend who was a big baseball player . . . He could throw that speedball by you, make you look like a fool, boy . . . Glory days, well, they'll pass you by . . . Roy Halladay wasn't around to hear it. His latest ominous outing had ended after three consecutive batters reached base in the top of the fifth inning....

Like musty heirlooms in an attic, La Salle's basketball glory had been stowed away and largely forgotten during two decades of mediocrity. But now that the 2013 Explorers have leaped back into the national spotlight with their unanticipated NCAA tournament success, La Salle's remarkable hoops history is being dusted off and proudly displayed once again. "La Salle has a really proud tradition in basketball," said Speedy Morris, who coached the Explorers from 1986 to 2001, including six straight postseason appearances from 1986 to 1992.

PARIS - Mud, money, and more security: The U.N.'s cultural agency said Friday that not much more is needed to help rebuild 11 mausoleums that Islamic extremists "totally devastated" in the fabled Malian city of Timbuktu. UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said she plans to send experts to Mali to assess the full extent of the damage left by al-Qaeda-linked Islamists who ran Timbuktu and the rest of northeastern Mali for months before being chased out by French-led troops. "We have to make an assessment about what the real situation is," said Bokova, who accompanied French President Francois Hollande to Timbuktu on Feb. 2. Of the mausoleums, "there are 11 that are totally devastated," she said.

An Ocean County man on Tuesday apparently climbed the Seaside Heights roller coaster that was swept into the ocean by Hurricane Sandy and planted an American flag at its peak. Authorities said they received a report about 9 a.m. of someone on the Jet Star, which has been partially submerged since Sandy swept it off the Funtown amusement pier in late October. The man surrendered to New Jersey state police, who brought him to shore, said Lt. Stephen Jones, a State Police spokesman.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Manti Te'o is not Tim Tebow minus a few letters in his last name and a few million sonnets written about his amazing exploits. That's too shallow a description for the inspirational leader of Notre Dame's No. 1 football team. It puts Te'o in competition with another man's legend, which isn't fair, and suggests that there is some kind of blueprint that the purest and most humble of college football heroes must follow. There isn't. Fact is, there has never been anyone like Te'o, who forged a path from Oahu to Notre Dame; a Mormon among Catholics; a Samoan among Hoosiers; and, here at the golden end of his Irish career, a linebacker among Heisman Trophy finalists.

RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas returned triumphantly to the West Bank on Sunday, receiving a boisterous welcome from thousands of cheering supporters at a rally celebrating his people's acceptance to the United Nations. An Israeli decision to cut off a cash transfer to the financially troubled Palestinian Authority, following an earlier decision to build thousands of new homes in Jewish settlements, failed to put a damper on the celebrations. But Palestinian officials acknowledged they were undecided on what to do with their newfound status, and were waiting for Israeli elections and new ideas from President Obama before deciding how to proceed.

ATLANTIC CITY - With the buzz of Boardwalk Hall, the chill in the air and the familiar sound of skate blades carving into the ice, if you closed your eyes for 1 second, it would have been easy to believe you were basking in the glow of the Wells Fargo Center or Madison Square Garden. Forget about the bickering and the billions. Forget about the 72 days of strong-arming and spin. Remember the sounds of the "oohs" and "ahhs" you hear when Simon Gagne or Bobby Ryan dances past another defenseman.

The American Circus Edited by Susan Weber, Kenneth Ames, and Matthew Wittman Yale University Press. 472 pp. $65 Reviewed by Glenn C. Altschuler In 1835, the citizens of Salem, Mass., assembled en masse on Main Street to watch a parade that marked the start of the unofficial holiday called Circus Day. "One pair of eyes seemed hardly sufficient" to take in all the attractions advertised by the troupe, a reporter...