THE CONVERSATION — Long lines of Russians endured subzero temperatures in January 2024 to demand that anti-Ukraine war candidate Boris Nadezhdin be allowed to run in the forthcoming presidential election. It was protest by petition — a tactic that reflects the legacy of Alexei Navalny, the longtime Russian pro-democracy campaigner. Authorities say Navalny, a persistent thorn in the […]

Readers of a certain age will remember the mid-1950s when Elvis Presley first crashed onto the music scene, voice crooning, lips sneering, hips wagging. Proper adults, especially the fathers, were outraged by this bold display of raw sexuality, this descent into decadence. Teenagers, especially the girls, had a slightly different take on Elvis. When Elvis […]

Anybody out there know what the deal is with gold? I mean why it’s so valuable? Is it because it comes from rock and requires some effort to chop it out and then bang and cook it into different shapes so people can wear it? Or spend it? Or flaunt it?  It must be one […]

A vocal contingent of passengers on planet Earth has convinced themselves that we are all doomed. Doomers may disagree why — whether it’s capitalism, climate change, population growth, gene editing or AI that will trigger the apocalypse — but they agree that sustainable futures are just fantasies. On the other side, we have a chorus […]

At the end of January, we at Oasis Free Clinics did something groundbreaking: we kicked off the construction and renovation of our new and expanded clinic. Located at 331 Maine St., this expansion will significantly increase the size of our clinic. We are doubling the number of medical and dental exam rooms and adding lab […]

Can an official of the United States who undertakes insurrection against their country again hold office? Recently, 25 nationally renowned historians submitted a ‘friend of the court’ brief to help the Supreme Court decide this question. These historians marshal solid historical evidence to conclude that the framers of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment (the […]

Once again, it’s time for Presidents Day. If you ask people what it celebrates, you may get a shrug or the easy conclusion that it recognizes all the presidents since the beginning of the country. In both federal and Maine law, the holiday is Washington’s Birthday, intended to recognize the person called “The Father of […]

I’m guessing my brother-in-law was underwhelmed by the recent earth-shattering announcement from ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery. I mean, he’s the family member who posted a Facebook meme of Snoopy joyously dancing under the headline “This is me not caring about the Super Bowl.” Back to the trio of media powerhouses: in case you […]

Amid the fickle, ever-shifting currents of presidential politics, here’s the moment to consider the candidates’ ages. Speculation followed a condescending report from a special prosecutor that cleared President Biden for retaining classified documents as vice president but depicted him as a doddering figure with a poor memory. Biden’s subsequent outburst in which he conflated the […]