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The hobby continues to change, and change isn't always good. With change often comes discomfort, and I was thinking that maybe we're not having as much fun in this hobby as we used to. In a recent letter sent along with his membership renewal in the Philadelphia A's Historical Society, Bob Weiss, of Elkins Park, Pa., commented: "Thanks for creating the A's Society, it made the hobby fun again . . . and that's what it's supposed to be. " And...

Profits fell 98 percent last year at Provident Mutual Life Insurance Co., but company officials said yesterday that the decline was in line with expectations. The company has been scaling back in recent years, shedding some of its non-insurance operations to concentrate on its core business. That, coupled with a nearly $6 million dividend increase to policyholders, added up to the huge drop in net income to $22,000 last year from $14.3 million in 1988, according to the firm's annual report.

So, you have to catch a flight at the airport but don't want to take your car. What do you do? You could take a cab, but why spend $25 or more for a bumpy ride in a jalopy with a driver whose idea of good manners is sitting idly as you heave your bags into the back seat? You could reserve a seat aboard a passenger van, but being packed in like a sardine with a dozen strangers and half a ton of luggage isn't especially appealing, either. How about a stretch limousine?

Barry S. Slosberg Auctioneers will sponsor a three-day sales spectacular this weekend of catalog antique items, and a fleet of top-of-the line used automobiles. The Saturday auction will be made up of the inventory of more than 30 automobiles owned by Bergman Brothers Auto Sales & Service in Lansdale, Montgomery County. The owners are retiring. "At least 80 percent of all vehicles will be sold absolute, to the highest bidder, regardless of price," vows auctioneer Barry S. Slosberg Late model sedans to be placed on the block include two 1991 Turbo Saabs, one a convertible with low mileage, and some classic Volvos and BMWs, among them a 1989 BMW 325I convertible.

Associated Auctioneers on Wednesday will slim down the assets of 10 Nutri System Weight Loss Centers with an absolute business termination auction of Nutri System's office equipment, scales and examination tables. "We're talking six tractor-trailer loads of top-of-the-line merchandise, all to be sold to the highest bidder, regardless of price," said Associated floor manager Ed Barkowitz. Other items from the 10 recently shuttered centers include fax machines, floor safes, hand carts, storage cabins, computers and security systems.

LET US NOT ENSHRINE EASTERN STATE We read Kenneth Finkel's May 24 Op-ed Page article about the Eastern State Penitentiary with great interest. He raises some important points about the future use of this significant structure. However, Mr. Finkel has painted a very romantic view of the facility and has glossed over several important points. The 1855 lithograph reproduced with the article shows the prison cell blocks radiating from the central control tower within the great enclosing stone walls.

For those familiar with the sour pungency of low-grade sake, usually served hotto mask its flaws, a sip of a premium-quality brew served cold might be a revelation to crave in the summer. Though novices like me will inevitably have difficulty at first detecting some of the subtleties in this usually crystal clear, generally lean alcohol, the more one tastes the more one realizes that the universe of sakes is filled with an incredible variety of complex flavors. Sakes can be dry and crisp, sweet and milky, or assertively sour or bitter.

With a single, quick, surprise move earlier this month, a Philadelphia-area trucking company put itself in position to become the nation's biggest revenue producer in its highly specialized business. If Chemical Leaman Corp., based in Lionville, Chester County, does take over the number-one position in the bulk-commodity hauling industry, it would do so by taking over the equipment and facilities of a failed Ohio trucking company. The move could enable Chemical Leaman to displace another area company, Matlack Inc., a division of RLC Corp.

The 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT that will debut in showrooms in mid-April is a full-size SUV that weighs 21/2 tons and is capable of towing 31/2 tons. The idea that such a big beast of burden could acquire Corvette-like qualities might strike you as fodder for an automotive tale from the Brothers Grimm. You know, off-road frog turns into the prince of speed. But, in fact, the fun-loving mad scientists at Jeep have wrought something as Viperish as it is SUVish. "It feels and drives like a sports car, but it happens to be an SUV," says a smiling Dave Cottrell, the SRT's chief engineer.

Question: In a recent "Haven" article in the Sunday Home section, a woman referred to having her more colorful, period ceramic tile reglazed white. Is such reglazing cost-effective in refurbishing bathrooms, and what is the reglazed tile's life span? Additionally, if retiling completely, that tile may well have a more modern appearance, so is it possible to conclude whether, in resale value, updated tiling is likely to be more advantageous? Answer: I called the homeowner, Chris Winterer Ryan of Ambler, and posed your questions to her. First, Ryan and husband, Rod, had the pink-and-gray 1950s tile in both upstairs bathrooms of their 55-year-old split-level reglazed white about three years ago. At $950 to $1,000 for each bathroom, it was a lot less than the $15,000 it would have cost to gut and redo them, she said.