Ruins

Overwhelmed, depressed, frustrated - no one ever said that being a Catholic schoolteacher, parent or student these days would be a cakewalk. Looming over the Catholic school hallways, faculty lounges, households and blogs is talk of school closings by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and endless "what if" scenarios. Archbishop Charles Chaput met Tuesday with an advisory panel tasked with developing a plan for Catholic education, which has been plagued by dropping enrollment and rising tuition.

AN 84-YEAR-OLD ex-university official savagely attacked by four young punks during a walk in Wissahickon Valley Park earlier this week theorizes that the beating he endured was a cruel game of "get the old geezer. " Jim Shea, a former vice president of university relations for Temple, from 1968 to 1983, walks up to five miles on Forbidden Drive, in Fairmount Park, three times a week, but that type of stamina wasn't enough to stave off the lowlifes who not only beat him bloody, but dealt a blow to one of the things he holds most dear - his pride.

When Wall Street banks hit rock bottom three years ago and investors across the nation were crying uncle, members of one American subculture emerged relatively unscathed: the Amish. "Their whole worldview is based on living below their means, never ever above their means," said Lorilee Craker, author of the book Money Secrets of the Amish: Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing and Saving (Thomas Nelson, $15.99). "They are so much more prudent than the rest of us," Craker said.

PETRONELL-CARNUNTUM, Austria - They lived in cells barely big enough to turn around in and usually fought until they died. This was the lot of those at a sensational scientific discovery unveiled this month: well-preserved ruins of a gladiator school in Austria. The Carnuntum ruins are part of a city of 50,000 people 28 miles east of Vienna that flourished about 1,700 years ago, a major military and trade outpost linking the far-flung Roman empire's Asian boundaries to its central and northern European lands.

Question: My partner and I returned from a six-day vacation at Barcelo Puerto Vallarta in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. While we were there, many guests were afflicted by a serious illness. We began hearing about it soon after our arrival, and within two days, we were both violently ill with vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. For the last four days of our trip, we were barely able to eat or drink and wouldn't dare take the chance of leaving the resort for any excursions. Judging by the large number of complaints posted online, many other guests were also affected.

Geoff Cameron silenced a Philadelphia Union sellout crowd, not to mention a team that was prepared to celebrate a win. Cameron's low shot from 25 yards out in the 85th minute not only quieted the crowd but gave the Houston Dynamo a 1-1 draw with the Union in Saturday's Major League Soccer game before 18,524 at PPL Park. For the Union, this one felt like a defeat. "I think frustration and disappointment are the two biggest feelings we have right now," said assistant coach John Hackworth, who guided the Union as team manager Peter Nowak missed his second game following a back procedure, although he was in attendance.

Fire marshals are investigating a fire that ripped through a house in Gloucester County early today, leaving it a smoking, charred ruin. Two children reportedly were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene while firefighters battled the blaze in the 2-story house at 22 Stanger Court in Clayton. The fast spreading fire apparently started before 5 a.m. in the attached garage of the house bordering Scotland Run Park and it took firefighters about a half-hour to bring it under control.' Contact the Online Breaking News Desk at online@phillynews.com or 215-854-2443.   

By Leonard Boasberg There they go again. The Senate Republican leadership has again proposed a constitutional amendment to require that the federal budget be balanced every year. And here I go again. This idea is crazy. Irresponsible. Unworkable. Irrelevant. Foolish. Did I say crazy? The push for a balanced-budget amendment comes amid the artificial crisis over raising the debt ceiling - a crisis caused by the Republicans' obstreperous refusal to countenance anything that can be called a tax increase, as well as their threat to let the U.S. government default on its obligations if they don't get their way. "A balanced-budget amendment would require that lawmakers stop spending money that we don't have," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.)

Question: I need your help to resolve a situation that I encountered recently when my family and I stayed at the Brussels Marriott. I generally book directly on the hotel's website. So in this case, I went to Marriott.com and entered the number of guests - my wife, two young children, and me. My reservation was for three nights. When we tried to check in, the clerk said that the room had a king bed and could not accommodate us. I mentioned that my kids are quite young and can easily share the bed, as we do this often when staying at Marriott properties in the United States.