Listening to Greenlanders tell stories about the dramatic effects of climate change is an illuminating experience.
opinion
The Conversation: How not to solve the climate change problem
THE CONVERSATION — When politicians talk about reaching “net zero” emissions, they’re often counting on trees or technology that can pull carbon dioxide out of the air. What they don’t mention is just how much these proposals or geoengineering would cost to allow the world to continue burning fossil fuels. There are many proposals for removing […]
Dick Polman: Don’t be too quick to say no to Uncle Joe
I fail to understand why so many people have long made such a big deal about Joe Biden’s lousy poll numbers. Don’t they know their history? Haven’t they bothered to research recent presidents’ first-term performance ratings? It just so happens, for instance, that Bill Clinton and Barack Obama took deep plunges during their first terms, […]
Carl Golden: Playing right into Trump’s hands
Whether Donald Trump scooped up 15 cartons of documents and classified material and scurried off to his Mar-a-Lago compound 20 months ago is politically inconsequential. By carrying out an unprecedented raid on his Palm Beach home in search of the purloined papers, the FBI and the Department of Justice played directly into Trump’s hands, delivering […]
Giving Voice: The teachings of the Merrymeeting Gleaners
During my time working as a Bowdoin Common Good Fellow for the Merrymeeting Gleaners at MCHPP, I’ve learned a lot. Some of these teachings have come in the form of tangible skills, such as how to harvest kale or stack boxes of produce most efficiently in my 2007 Honda Odyssey. But one thing I’ve learned […]
Gordon Weil: What’s the matter with Kansas?
After that state’s vote to retain the state constitution’s protection of abortion, many might answer that “nothing’s the matter with Kansas.” Unless that vote was a fluke, what happened in Kansas has sent a signal about the future of American politics. The Kansas question was first asked by William Allen White in a classic 1896 […]
Just a Little Old: The bogus fear of critical race theory
When we were on the beach at Anna Maria Island last spring, we encountered a group of 30-somethings from Indiana with their young children. We learned that their kids all attended the same Catholic school back in Indiana. One of the parents said to me, “We don’t want our kids to go to a school […]
The Conversation: Politicians seek to control classroom discussions about slavery in the US
THE CONVERSATION — Of all the subjects taught in the nation’s public schools, few have generated as much controversy of late as the subjects of racism and slavery in the United States. The attention has come largely through a flood of legislative bills put forth primarily by Republicans over the past year and a half. Commonly referred to […]
Tom Purcell: On winning the lottery
I bought my first lottery ticket recently. It was a $20 scratch-off that paid me a $40 prize. Winning produced a nice little thrill, so I bought another $20 ticket right away. And lost. I put out $40 to win $40 that day. I’ve bought three $20 scratch-offs since then and won nothing. To date, […]
Douglas Rooks: ‘Build Back Better’ is dead; long live the ‘Inflation Reduction Act’!
In the canny way politicians have perfected, Senate Democrats took the pulse of public concerns, and moved toward the top priority: Inflation is, after all, on everyone’s mind. And we may have gotten “BBB-lite” already in the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill to rescue the nation’s decaying, outmoded transportation system over the next 10 years. […]