For those of you reading this column for the first time, or for those who simply missed last week, my apologies. Like that awkward moment at a party, you’re about to join a conversation already underway: that of the deeply ingrained ideas of Rights and Responsibilities, with a heavy emphasis on the first half. This […]
Forecaster Opinion
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Life Unwound: Opinions and preferences change, so can judgments
I’m thinking about autumn. I’m thinking about how the leaves paint and brighten the sky, how foliage rainbows reign everywhere, in the azure blue above, in the yellows and oranges, in the burning-bush reds, and how, as poet Mary Oliver wrote, “Look, the trees are turning their own bodies into pillars of light, are giving […]
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Posted inForecaster Opinion
Portland Superintendent’s Notebook: The Portland schools want you to work for them
The iconic poster in which Uncle Sam urges service to our country by pointing a finger and saying, “I want YOU,” is familiar to most Americans. In this column, I want to borrow Uncle Sam’s words and say “The Portland schools want YOU – as substitutes, volunteers and regular employees including educational technicians, teachers and […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Rights get all the attention, but what about responsibilities?
We are a nation that revolves around “rights.” Which makes sense. Our government was literally founded in opposition to a monarchy. The founders of this system took up arms and fought a bloody, long, and daunting war in order to be done with authoritarian rule. It is hardly surprising then that the language of the […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Through My Lens: More bombs in Mogadishu, more resilience
My least favorite words in the Somali language are “deg deg.” They mean “breaking news.” Anytime I see this, I worry for my family and old friends. The words made their way to me Oct. 29, another dark day for the people of Mogadishu as twin bombings killed over 100, including a friend. I called […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Meaningful gun reform, school reform daunting but doable
Another school, this time in Maine, has now had to endure a day of trauma and anxiety as they were forced into lockdown due to the threat of violence. Thankfully, no one was hurt. I am grateful to everyone who worked so selflessly to keep the kids safe. Mostly though, I am just so angry […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Brunswick Superintendent’s Notebook: Teaching our kids how to be good digital citizens
Parents have been struggling for a decade or more to “control” what their children see and do online: Do I “allow” connections with others? How do I keep my children from being “exposed” to online bullying or sexual references? How can I provide context if I don’t know what they are seeing? It’s not easy. […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Let go of the Thanksgiving lie and learn the real story
You can take the snow-topped Swiss Alps, the azure seas of the French Riviera, the wide-open vistas of the African veldt. For my money, there is nowhere on Earth prettier than Maine in September and October. Nowhere. I am so very thankful that this is my home. Which is most appropriate given that Thanksgiving is […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Life Unwound: Seeking stillness within the whirlwind of activity
Many beautiful quotes invite us into stillness. T.S. Eliot offers this: “At the still point of the turning world. … at the still point, there the dance is, … Except for the point, the still point, There would be no dance, and there is only the dance.” What is the still point? And the dance? […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Sustainably Speaking: As holiday shopping begins, consider the planet
Growing up in rural Argentina, our family hardly ever went shopping. My father had been raised in the same solid brick house where my six siblings and I grew up. The land around it was forested with eucalyptus, willow and poplar. To the east, wheat and sunflower fields bloomed in the spring. From our open […]