A recent Quinnipiac University poll found the vast majority of Americans – 68% of Republicans and 95% of Democrats – support stay-at-home orders in order to protect vulnerable citizens from the coronavirus. And then there is that selfish minority that refuses to be inconvenienced in order to protect others. I have never referred to Donald […]
Forecaster opinion
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: Give us liberty, or give us death
Founding Father Patrick Henry’s famous words still ring true today as Mainers’ personal and economic liberties are trampled by an overreaching state intent on preventing further deaths by the coronavirus. “Give me liberty, or give me death” is what Henry said to the Second Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775, helping to motivate the American […]
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Posted inForecaster Opinion
Life Unwound: Let’s not forget the good parts
The words “social isolation” fail. Maybe bodies apart/people connected succeeds as a term for this time. Isolation wouldn’t be healthy. Don’t people need people? Hunkering down works. Hunkering down would include aloneness without loneliness, would include sorting old photos, doing puzzles. Solitude might bring benefits. Maybe in these at-home hours, we could grow more creative, […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
The Universal Notebook: Happy (belated) Earth Day!
If I had been on the ball, this column would have appeared last week, just in time for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. But I’m getting old and forgetful. On Wednesday, April 22, in order to atone for this oversight, my lovely wife Carolyn and I walked around the middle school playing field behind […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: Maine ingenuity aiding coronavirus fight
Many residents would probably be surprised with just how much manufacturing is taking place in Maine. Sure, we hear a lot about well known, large scale operations such as L.L.Bean, Poland Spring and General Dynamics, which are awe inspiring and jaw dropping in scope, but we have many small and medium sized companies providing awesome […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Mainewhile: Fill in the blanks by chronicling a unique journey
Paul Romer, the Nobel Prize-winning economist, once famously said, “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.” Now, please don’t misinterpret that as being happy about this state of affairs, let alone having wished for it. If any of us could make this virus disappear, I am quite certain we would. However, as eradication does […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Forum: Now is the time to appreciate local food producers
Times like this make one remember what really matters in life. They cause us to refocus on core values and reflect on the essentials: family, friends and food. In an age of superstores and online shopping, food seems to magically appear with ease and in huge variety. That variety matters when we are all cooking […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Over Easy: My life with doctors
For as long as I can remember, I have loved and admired those in the medical profession. Dr. Goldman was our family doctor and he made house calls, which was normal in those days (a time known as Early Pleistocene). I remember how he sat on the bed and placed the cold stethoscope on my […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
The Universal Notebook: COVID-19, 24-7
Are you as sick and tired as I am of COVID-19 news, and nothing but, 24-7? I ask this even as I embark on yet another coronavirus commentary, this one looking forward to what we may have to look forward to. While state and federal health officials caution against optimism, the Trump administration seems hell-bent […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Life Unwound: Time to rebel against the inner rebel
I’ve been called a maverick. Every psychological test I’ve taken yields results that say people with my personality type thrive with options and yearn for independence. We do best when we have freedom to be creative and innovative. True. For odd reasons, I’ve adopted the zebra as my power animal. It turns out that even […]