Robert DiGiacomo

Alex Prud'homme's new book covers everything from Eisenhower's love for squirrel stew to Obama's penchant for arugula, and dishes on state dinners, diplomacy and the White House kitchen
U.S. presidents — they're just like us, at least when it comes to their quirky tastes in food.
During the Civil War, Abe Lincoln would snack on apples, cornbread, raw honey on the comb and other favorites from growing up on the Kentucky frontier, while at the onset of the Korean War, Harry S. Truman chose a co...

Two former industrial neighborhoods––one in Philadelphia and the other in Pittsburgh--beckon with top restaurants, cafes and bars.

6 Money Reasons LGBT Couples May Not Want to Marry

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes had one. So did Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries did, too.
The three now-divorced couples all had prenuptial agreements. But prenups are hardly just for Hollywood celebrities.
Any couple who brings personal or business assets to the marriage can benefit from a prenup. The most basic of these contracts lists an inventory of premarital assets that in the event of a divorce will remain the property of their original owner.
“Prenups are g...

Over the course of a normal week, SAGE: Advocacy & Services for LGBT Elders provides a lifeline—both real and virtual—to people in New York City and around the country.
Through its New York City-based CyberCenters, SAGE offers free access to computers and tech support to several hundred older adults at five locations, as well as virtual services.
“When you look at older LGBT adults that are receiving services, these are the older adults that have faced years of discrimination that have result...

Chances are the “fresh” catch at your local fish counter got there with a tech assist. Facing the twin headwinds of climate change and sustainability, the fish and seafood industry is using research-driven tactics and emerging technologies to improve—and maximize—their catch.
Today, robots are harvesting tuna in Maine, shrimp farmers in Vietnam are tapping an app to improve the sustainability of their product, and U.S. government scientists are deploying mapping technology to locate the next ...

For queer scientists like Lauren Esposito, one can be the loneliest number. Esposito, curator and Schlinger Chair of Arachnology at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, was not only the first openly queer curator at her institution, but she has rarely met an LGBTQIA+-identified member in her field.
This sense of professional isolation prompted Esposito to launch 500 Queer Scientists, a visibility campaign and community for LGBTQIA+ people and their allies who work in STEM and ...

'The Curious Movie Buff' is a new book filled with random facts about 80+ 'must watch' and 'must watch again' movies
If you're a giant movie fan like Jennifer M. Wood, coming up with your list of all-time favorite films is a big ask.
For the new coffee table book, "The Curious Movie Buff: A Miscellany of Fantastic Films From the Past 50 Years," Wood and a team of writers at Mental Floss, managed to cull a list of some 80-odd films to spotlight; from blockbusters like "Jaws," "Black Panther" a...

“I am a homosexual. I am a psychiatrist.”

When these words were uttered in 1972 at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in Dallas, the medical group still considered homosexulity to be a mental illness. The man who stood up and made this proclamation did so wearing a Richard Nixon mask and oversized suit to protect his identity — that’s how dangerous the admission felt.

The short but shocking speech, given by Dr. John Fryer, then known only as Dr. H. Anonymous, hel...

If you haven't been to Atlantic City lately, you might assume that the storied resort's luck might have finally run out.
Five casinos –– including the once fabled Trump Taj Mahal and a multi-billion-dollar flop called Revel that lasted just over two years –– shut down, leaving seven remaining. The city flirted with bankruptcy amid the lingering recession and unprecedented competition from casinos in neighboring states.
But like a player whose cards are suddenly hot, Atlantic City could be on ...

Always looking for 'a good idea,' the 'Pink Flamingos' filmmaker — now a novelist — has come up with many memorable ones
In the world of John Waters, a bad character is always better.
Whether it's Dawn Davenport, who ruined Christmas in Waters' 1974 cult classic movie, "Female Trouble" because she didn't get her cha-cha heels; the title character of "Serial Mom," who killed someone just for wearing white after Labor Day; or Marsha Sprinkle, who makes a living stealing suitcases from airports ...

In recent decades, LGBT people in the U.S. have gained unprecedented civil rights. We can marry our partners, serve openly in the military and fully participate in government civil service.
But for most of the 20th century, same-sex love dare not speak its name if you wanted to serve your country in almost any official capacity — LGBT people weren't welcome in the federal government or in the armed services, unless we remained closeted about our lives.
This policy reflected the prevailing att...

Chefs Greg Vernick and Drew Parassio source seafood with flexibility and a minimum waste philosophy.

For author Neal Thompson, researching and writing his new book, "The First Kennedys: The Humble Roots of An American Dynasty," hit close to home.
As the second-generation grandson of an Irish immigrant named Bridget, who worked as a maid, and after the death of her husband, had to raise three children while living in public housing, Thompson could relate to the similarly inspiring story of President John F. Kennedy's great-grandmother.
Bridget Murphy arrived in the U.S. in the 1840s, during a...