My youngest son is in his senior year of high school. The fundamental questions of “Who am I?” and “What am I going to be?” loom large. Ever since he was fairly young, he’s wanted to go to college and become a sports journalist. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve never doubted he could do […]
Forecaster opinion
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: Virus, election exacerbate personality traits
2020 has been a psychologically hard year. We’ve had the pandemic, the lockdowns, the election, the race riots and the general fear and anxiety these monumental events have caused. People handle stress differently, and they deal with fear and worry differently. The most basic of reactions is the fight or flight response, but that doesn’t […]
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Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: We should welcome knowledge, not reject it
When I was a teenager, my sister lived in Scotland for a year and made friends with a brilliant pianist from China who had defected to the west. When he eventually moved to the U.S., he came to visit our family and we all got to hear stories of what his life had been like. […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Over Easy: Why you should vote
During my years living abroad I got to spend time in places where the politics and the government rules were dissimilar from when I was raised. As an American living abroad I seldom came in direct contact with the local governments in the places where I landed. At most a check with the passport, a […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: Truths about Trump, part II
Last week, Here’s Something featured the first of two columns exploring 10 foundational truths about President Trump. This week’s column concludes the series with six additional truths: The fifth truth about Trump relates to the coronavirus pandemic and his reaction to it, namely that his reaction wasn’t perfect, but it was better than the Democrats’. […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: The idea at the heart of our nation is getting lost
Hang around folks who study governance long enough and you will undoubtedly encounter the debate over whether our nation is a democracy or a republic. I often find myself hesitating before using either term, knowing that somewhere out there, lurking in the shadows ready to pounce, is an individual who feels strongly about it and […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Life Unwound: Voting is a right, a privilege, an honor and a duty
My grandmothers told me they were thrilled when women were granted the right to vote. My mother’s mother said, “Women unable to vote made no sense to me. It is such a privilege, so important. I would never miss it.” My father’s mother said, “I cried the first time I voted. We matter. You’ll see.” […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Superintendent’s Notebook: Portland Public Schools grateful for our school nurses
I was thrilled this month when Talbot Community School teacher Cindy Soule was selected as Maine’s 2021 Teacher of the Year. I wasn’t surprised, however, that a Portland Public Schools educator won such an honor because we have so many exemplary staff members. The people goal in our Portland Promise commits us to attracting and […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: Truths about Trump, part I
I have a little confession to make. I didn’t vote for President Trump in 2016. Yep, this conservative columnist who defends Trump didn’t even vote for the guy for whom he willingly and routinely goes out on a limb. (I didn’t vote for Hillary Clinton, either. I wrote in Mike Pence’s name, because, simply put, […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Happy, belated, Indigenous Peoples Day
Maine officially adopted Indigenous Peoples Day, celebrated this past Monday, in April of last year. Brunswick was even earlier, making the change from Columbus Day back in 2017 (along with several other Maine towns), though the United Nations beat us all to it back in 1977. This is a good thing. Italian culture has given […]