If you’re one of the many who still have to get a gift for an older relative or friend, it isn’t necessary to plan a huge shopping trip. Sometimes, a visit to a corner store or post office is all that’s needed. Through the years I’ve listened to my peer group, and here are some […]
American Journal Opinion
Posted inAmerican Journal, Web
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR – Breath of fresh air
I recently read of the passing of Rodney Quinn and his wife and was saddened by the news. I did not have the privilege of knowing Mr. Quinn personally but I had a great deal of respect and admiration for him and thoroughly enjoyed and looked forward to “Quinn’s Corner” each week. It was evident […]
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Posted inAmerican Journal, Current, Lakes Region Weekly
EDITORIAL – Wreaths effort speaks eloquently for Maine
The Wreaths Across America convoy passed through southern Maine early this week, with Scarborough and Westbrook among the stops on the way to Arlington National Cemetery, where for the 20th year wreaths from Worcester Wreath Co. in Harrington will be placed at the sacred site. Each year since 1992, thousands of wreaths from the Washington […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Current, Lakes Region Weekly, Web
DOWN THE ROAD A PIECE – Let’s hear it for the Stellas
My invitation must have been lost in the mail, so I knew nothing about this year’s event until I read about it in the paper. I’m talking, of course, about the Stella Awards held recently without me. At least I was spared the cost of renting a tuxedo.? For readers who don’t chase ambulances for […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Current, Lakes Region Weekly
QUINN'S CORNER – Stretching out free speech
Lucius Flatley, the well-known raconteur, recently suggested to his coffee klatch that machines should have a constitutional right to free speech. He based his proposal on the Supreme Court ruling that corporations have the same right to free speech as individuals. In today’s world, we have delegated many of our daily decisions to computers. At […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Current, Lakes Region Weekly
QUINN'S CORNER – Stretching out free speech
Lucius Flatley, the well-known raconteur, recently suggested to his coffee klatch that machines should have a constitutional right to free speech. He based his proposal on the Supreme Court ruling that corporations have the same right to free speech as individuals. In today’s world, we have delegated many of our daily decisions to computers. At […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Current, Lakes Region Weekly, Northern Forecaster, Web
POLITICS AND OTHER MISTAKES – Something in my genes
Republican state Rep. Bernard Ayotte of Caswell admits he can’t help himself. Ayotte confessed in a recent op-ed that ran in several Maine newspapers that he’s compelled to vote 100 percent of the time for GOP Gov. Paul LePage’s agenda because he’s “genetically programmed” to be a conservative. “Just as one inherits physical characteristics, mannerisms […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Current, Lakes Region Weekly, Web
QUINN'S CORNER – For-profit jails? C’est dangereux
Louisiana and Maine share some similarities. Religion and the Acadian French language, plus an affection for high-cholesterol foods, are those of first cousins; scratch a Biddeford St. Cyr and a Cajun will bleed. One has a governor who is inarticulate, the other a governor who is insensitive. Because of this cultural relationship, at the coffee […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Current, Lakes Region Weekly
POLITICS AND OTHER MISTAKES – Finding balance
Balancing the state budget is easy. If by “easy,” you mean “ridiculously difficult.” All it takes is a genius-level grasp of finances, the political acumen of Abraham Lincoln and negotiating skills not seen since 1919, when Jacob Rupert of the New York Yankees convinced Harry Frazee of the Boston Red Sox to sell him Babe […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Current, Lakes Region Weekly, Northern Forecaster
ESPECIALLY FOR SENIORS – What the new year will bring
The closing of the Hostess Brands bakeries, the makers of Twinkies, has affected thousands. In my town, the closing of a bakery outlet, resulting from the demise of Twinkie confections, is devastating, particularly to senior citizens. The savings realized on a loaf of bread could buy a gallon of oil – that’s as basic as […]