Don’t know what to get your difficult-to-buy-for loved ones this Christmas season? Why not a gift that will help elevate their social status within the Pine Tree State? Every culture down through the ages has had status symbols. Everything from tanned skin to powdery white skin, a fat belly to a Twiggy-thin waist, a castle […]
Forecaster Opinion
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Guest Column: An immigrant and Thanksgiving
How often do you hear about Eid, or Ramadan? Probably not that many times, unless you are reading about it or have a neighbor who celebrates them. In the six years I have been in the U.S. I can barely remember going through the week without hearing the word Christmas or Easter; they are on […]
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Posted inForecaster Opinion
Over Easy: Giving thanks for Thanksgiving
“Thanksgiving: Where Hunger Goes to Die” is upon us. It’s been almost a full year since the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in China and the situation is horrendous. We’ve spent almost a year in lockdown, trying to remember our face masks, our gloves and not to give or receive hugs, while staring out […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Sacrifice now to celebrate the future
We’re doing Thanksgiving a little differently in my family this year. Well, OK, a lot differently actually. Like you (I hope), we are staying apart in order to be able to be together once this virus is under control. Ethical qualms about the origins of the holiday aside, I love Thanksgiving. Love it. I know […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: Don’t lock ME down
There’s been a lot of talk of renewed lockdowns as coronavirus cases rise here in Maine and around the nation. For all our sakes, let’s hope it’s just mere talk. Joe Biden’s prediction of a “dark winter” during the final presidential debate was one of the bleakest things the Democrat said during the never-ending campaign. […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Life Unwound: Listening for lightness
I remember the Indigo Girls’ song with the line “Darkness has a hunger that’s insatiable but lightness has a call that’s hard to hear.” I wonder if what we hear is a matter of attention. I wonder if my focus, if our focus, gets pulled to the darkness, fed by the 24-hour news cycle, these […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Superintendent’s Notebook: Curriculum coordinators are leaders in learning
To help our students succeed in a diverse and ever-changing world, the Portland Public Schools constantly works to improve what we teach and how we teach it. Our curriculum coordinators lead this work, developing instructional materials, making sure they meet standards and helping bring curriculum to life by supporting teachers. This month, as part of […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Superintendent’s Notebook: Every minute counts
“Over 30,300 or 16.8% of Maine students are missing so many days of school that they are academically at risk. Chronic absence, missing 10% or more of school due to absence for any reason – excused or unexcused – means students are less likely to read proficiently by third grade, more likely to fail in […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Guest column: Seen from afar
Have you asked yourself how much our election matters to those outside of the United States? It may depend on who they are. But the refugees who were approved but then rejected due to the Trump travel ban see our election as a lifesaver for them. A Biden presidency is their only hope now. For […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Hard truths, hard work have to be faced
Election 2020, possibly the longest, most stressful election in our nation’s history, has finally come to a close. We have a new president-elect. You can be forgiven if you thought of the election as an end point, the finish line. We have a habit of talking about it that way in our national conversations. But […]