Here we go again. Gov. LePage is petitioning the federal government to keep junk food out of the hands of those receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamp) benefits. As a former public health educator, I’m as alarmed as anyone else regarding the obesity epidemic. It’s also easy for me to understand that someone who […]

As Americans wrestle for political (tribal?) control of our congressional bodies, health care mandates and corporate tax rates, a more urgent drama unfolds halfway around the world in southern Bangladesh, where the Muslim Rohingya minority is being systematically eradicated by the ruling militia. I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t know anything about the origins […]

One recent morning, I both read a story in this paper and watched a story on local news about separate domestic violence cases, where the perpetrator was accused of “choking” his victim. Did the perpetrator stick his fingers down his victim’s throat? No. He most likely placed his hands around her throat and squeezed to […]