With student thespians busily rehearsing and building sets for the one-act Maine Drama Festival competition in March, as well as other upcoming school musicals and plays, there are great opportunities to see first-class shows in your local high school auditorium. If you’ve never been to a school production – whether it be middle or high […]
American Journal Opinion
Posted inAmerican Journal, Current
Politics and Other Mistakes: Personality test
Are you a hypocritical jerk? If you haven’t considered that possibility, you should. If it turns out you’re an obnoxious hypocrite, people may be talking about you behind your back and plotting to steal your credit card information. Wait, that’s if you’re a paranoid jerk. If you’re the sort of jerk who’s willing to sacrifice […]
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Posted inAmerican Journal, Lakes Region Weekly
Editorial: Death penalty, even for child killers, not a solution
State Sen. Bill Diamond’s attempt to reinstate the death penalty in Maine is an idea rooted in good intentions, but one that overreaches well-established precedent. In the bill, which is still being drafted, the Windham Democrat calls for the death penalty for child sexual predators when the abuse results in the murder of a child. […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Current, Lakes Region Weekly
Politics And Other Mistakes: Sausage party
It’s time for installment 431 (please note, all numbers in this column are fictional) in our award-winning (I’m afraid that’s also fiction) 2,700-part series called “How Does A Bill Become Law – And Why Should You Care?” The short answers are: Mostly it doesn’t and mostly you shouldn’t. Of the approximately 8,415,712 pieces of legislation […]
Posted inAmerican Journal
Letters: January 8
‘Goodness prevails’ Art’s Variety was robbed at knifepoint on New Year’s Eve by a perpetrator. I am grateful my employees are safe and no one was hurt. The outpouring of support from the Westbrook community has been remarkable. I commend the Westbrook Police Department members who responded to my call and who have worked tirelessly […]
Posted inAmerican Journal
Letters: January 8
‘Goodness prevails’ Art’s Variety was robbed at knifepoint on New Year’s Eve by a perpetrator. I am grateful my employees are safe and no one was hurt. The outpouring of support from the Westbrook community has been remarkable. I commend the Westbrook Police Department members who responded to my call and who have worked tirelessly […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Current
EDITORIAL: Maine in winter is no time to vegetate
Thanks to numerous derbies, festivals and other frozen events throughout the area, winter in southern Maine need not be a time to huddle near the wood stove and wait for spring thaw. It’s a time to get outside and defy that sometimes-cranky Old Man Winter. As we begin another winter season, now’s the time to […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Current, Northern Forecaster, Web
Politics and other mistakes: Lost children
The holiday decorations have been put away, which in my household means I’ve drunk the last drops of Christmas ale. I’m now ready to face whatever the new year has to offer (bock beer, I hope), and deal with any leftover issues from 2014 (I just found a couple of bottles of Oktoberfest in the […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Current, Lakes Region Weekly
DOWN THE ROAD A PIECE: Mixed metaphors and other responses
When it comes to the columns I write for this space each week, it’s the same thing. You’d never know that two readers reading the same column can come up with such different responses. But I suppose that’s what makes life worth reading about in the first place. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy getting […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Current, Lakes Region Weekly
ESPECIALLY FOR SENIORS: Food at your door
Lots of older people, especially if living alone, may find themselves eating less or not really up to getting meals. As we get older, often we simply don’t get hungry, and substitute a good meal with a dish of cereal or maybe some toast and tea. For these folks, Meals on Wheels can literally be […]