”˜I’m calling with condolences for your lost youth,” I said sarcastically. “Happy Birthday!” And so went the message I left on my friend’s voicemail on the occasion of her 40th. Susan had a rough year. She had moved into a new house, a new marriage, and a new body, thanks to an unwanted, extra 20 […]

Supporters of Proposition 8 in California must soon answer a key question: What legitimate interest do they have in preventing same-sex couples from marrying? Last month, U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker ruled that Proposition 8 was an unconstitutional denial of due process to two same-sex couples. As judges in other state and federal courts have […]

Anyone looking for good local causes to support should find a spot on their list for a recreational facility that has stood the test of time ”“ Biddeford’s Westbrook Skating Rink. Generations of skaters have practiced their steps, glides and puck-handling on its ice. Inside the old warming shed perched at the edge of West […]

The latest unemployment claims figures show that the economic slump is not over. Worse, the government has not seemed to know how to create jobs. Politicians on both sides of the aisle keep talking about the need to create jobs, and that helping small business is the key to rebuilding our economy. That is true, […]

Expectations are not high for the latest round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, due to begin tomorrow in Washington. The talks will bring together an Israeli prime minister known for his hard-line resistance to making concessions, and a Palestinian president whose political support among Palestinians is weak. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Mahmoud Abbas will […]

I still treasure the memories of the two decades that elapsed between the end of my childhood and my reluctantly becoming an adult. I spent 15 of those years calling radio play-by-play for several different minor league professional baseball teams, which was just one of the reasons I jumped at the opportunity last week to […]

A federal judge has created a crisis in medical research with nothing more than a temporary injunction. Lets hope the crisis itself is temporary. The order by Judge Royce Lamberth invalidates federal policies for regulating embryonic stem cell research. In a mere 15 pages, it threatens research seeking cures for diabetes, Parkinson’s and many other […]

The FDA reports on the Iowa egg farms reveal many possible sources of salmonella contamination.

I swear by the sun and its brilliance/And the moon when it follows the sun/ And the day when it shows it/ And the night when it draws a veil over it. ”“ From Surah XCI-The Sun, The Qur’an Kenneth Mehlman came out last night. No, he’s not the kid down the street whose mom […]

Thumbs up to the City of Biddeford for investing in the Williams Court neighborhood and breaking ground on a new park there last weekend. The quarter-acre area was formerly the site of three apartment buildings that the city acquired and demolished with federal stimulus funds. The park will include a community garden, a playscape and […]