Raj is a word that should be in everyone’s vocabulary. Out of style for a generation or so, it is now creeping back into usage, this time to define a different set of characters. Raj (“reign” in Hindustani) referred to the 100-year British rule over India and assorted principalities – a reign that ended in […]

The other day I was standing alongside a country road, looking like a character in a Down East story, when a car full of confused tourists drove up and asked if I could direct them to “a beach.” I was tempted to have some fun with these naive visitors from away, but I didn’t. Instead, […]

National observances were created so that the president or the Congress by special proclamation could bring attention to an issue of widespread importance. A statement or press conference recognizing Black History Month (February), National Domestic Violence Awareness Month (October) or Military Family Month (November) guarantees that the country sets aside a moment in the spotlight, […]

Debt is a fundamental part of American life. Car payments. Mortgages. Partially unpaid bills from irate Colombian hookers. In that way, the state of Maine is much like you or me. Except it has a lot more debt – about $1 billion – owed mostly to bankers and investment houses, but also to Quebec, New […]