Our primary focus in December of 1999 was Y2K. Would the computer systems handle the millennial change? Might we suffer from serious computer snafus? In the midst of the Y2K hype, we knew, though sometimes forgot, that the year 2000 was, in actuality, the last year of the 20thcentury and the second millennium, rather than […]

The biggest problem facing the U.S. is not immigration, health care or a trade war. It is uncertainty. The inability of business leaders, pension fund managers, foreign government heads, Congress and individuals to count on usual practices and policies has created deep worries. The stock market is not a reliable measure of all these concerns, […]

The last of the geese went by the other day. The late ones. The big dark geese. Headed south noisily. I used to envy them, somehow. They go down there to the warm coastal areas where the jacks swim and the nights are chilly but livable this time of year. If they’re especially sensitive geese, […]

They emerged from the dark side of the moon at a dark moment in American history, and with one click of a Hasselblad 500E camera and 10 verses from the Book of Genesis, three explorers, farther from their home planet than any humans had ventured before, made a statement of peace on Earth and goodwill […]

Now that the election is behind us, it is time to look forward to the upcoming legislative session, which begins Jan. 2. With Maine State government, on all levels, under the control of the Democratic party, many have suggested that, as a Republican, clearly in the minority, we will have little to say or do […]

If it’s the Christmas season, it’s time for the Fred and Beverly Santa photo. Our two basset hounds have passed, but the Santa photo lives on — a family classic. I defy anybody to look at it without smiling: Beverly lolling happily in St. Nick’s lap, with Fred indignant and under restraint: “Never mind taking […]

For many years, on Jan. 1, I resolved to practice a more active and healthy lifestyle; instead, I experienced consistent failure. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 20 to 60 minutes of continuous aerobic activity (biking, walking, jogging, dancing, swimming) three to five times a week, at 60 to 90 percent of maximum heart […]

“They must kill and continue to kill, strange as it may seem, in order not to know that they are killing.” — Rene Girard, Things Hidden since the Foundation of the World Socially sanctioned killing is called war. The word “war” may be the most powerful word in human history, because it creates a mask of respectability […]