As Independence Day rolls around each year, I always find myself contemplating three things. The first is thinking about the traits and characteristics that make America unique. The second is trying to define a “real” American. And the last is wondering whether we’re measuring up to the Founders’ vision. July 4, 1776, of course, was […]
Lakes Region Weekly opinion
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Voters should adopt a preschool mindset
The most basic, fundamental, bedrock principle of our democracy (or republic if you prefer) is the power of the vote. Everything about how we say we work as a nation – and I acknowledge there is a larger conversation lurking behind that sentence – rests on the vote. It was the guiding star of those […]
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Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Life Unwound: Pride comes from unlikely people
As I drive, I listen to a playlist made for Pride Month. The songs don’t directly tackle harassment, job insecurity, bullying or equal rights, but the lyrics ring true today, now. I sing along. Judy Garland’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors”: “And I’ll see your true colors/Shining through/I see your true colors/And […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Summer solstice a time to pause and reflect
Happy solstice! Derived from the Latin words for “sun” (sol) and “still” or “stopped,” solstice marks the point at which our planet’s relationship with the sun once again alters. It is the opposite point from the equinox, literally “equal night,” and it is a time of extremes. At the solstice, the Earth is at its […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Through My Lens: Juneteenth shows history needs reckoning
The word freedom was mentioned many times this past weekend. But the attention is on rewriting history itself from the perspective of the marginalized who have experienced the pain of oppression, injustice, the effects of slavery. Addressing historical amnesia, the vanishing of crucial memories, is necessary for bringing together histories that could be lost. The […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: Lakeside living is so overrated
For years, and especially during the pandemic, lakefront real estate throughout Maine has boomed as urbanites and suburbanites, especially from the wealthier greater Portland area, seek peace and quiet for their weekend and vacation retreats. Generations of Mainers have looked to lakeside camps in the Lakes Region and elsewhere for solace, but that solace is […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Staying power
Hello, summer! Not usually my most favorite season, I find that I am really looking forward to this one. All my friends are posting graduation photos of their kids, school is on the verge of letting out, and, thanks to vaccination rates on the rise, families are able to gather again. There is hope. I’ve […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Life Unwound: Out of the mouths of babes
I sit at a diner munching salad and overhear a young boy in the next booth ask, “Dad, can I have some fries and do you see that rainbow flag over there?” “Yes, Donny, and yes.” “If I wanted to learn to sew, would that be OK?” “Sure, why?” “Well, when I played at Jimmy’s, […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Class of ’21 has rallied in the face of uncertainty
Oh, gracious! Here we are at graduation time again! This year … well, it’s a bit odd this year, isn’t it? Arguably, last year was even stranger. For most of the academic year, everything was tooling along as per normal, and then wham! Right before graduation and in the space of a few weeks, really, […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Through My Lens: Some low-income students could not make the grade during pandemic
Many low-income families are not celebrating graduation this year. Graduation photos are all over social media these past few weeks, with students seemingly looking happier and stronger as they emerge out of the pandemic. On Sunday, June 6, I had the opportunity to be the keynote speaker for my town’s high school graduation. Yarmouth High […]