On Friday night, as we watched Thursday night’s taped version of Jimmy Fallon, we slouched on the soft sofa, laughed and ignored unidentified calls. But at 8:30-ish, when our son’s name and number appeared on the top left of the screen, we paused Jimmy Fallon in the middle of his TikTok impression, clicked on speaker […]
Forecaster Opinion
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Neighborliness needed now more than ever
I have a new neighbor. Actually, I have several. Technically, they are the neighbors; I am the one that’s new. It’s hard to know how to behave in this situation, given the pandemic. I mean, in the old days (by which I mean last year), I’d have baked a little something, walked over and introduced […]
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Posted inForecaster Opinion
Superintendent’s Notebook: Vote 2020 – lead by example
In our country, turning 18 is important for many reasons, but in my opinion, the most significant is that it activates the right to vote. That’s even more exciting when it happens in an election year. As a seasoned voter and an educator, I have tried to instill in this year’s newly minted voters the […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Check out Banned Books Week
This week is special. From now until Oct. 3, we celebrate and pay homage to one of our most basic freedoms: the right to “seek and express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.” That’s right, it’s Banned Books Week! The official celebration (check out bannedbooksweek.org, site of the above quote) began in 1982. […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: Mind your P’s this election season
Hard to believe it’s October already. It’s getting colder, the leaves are turning and falling and there’s only one more month until the ugly political commercials are off the air, the slanted coverage of President Trump’s every action is gone and the political left’s four-year temper tantrum is mercifully over. One can only hope. We’ll […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Over Easy: When does spring sprung?
A voice on the radio the other day told me we’d be welcoming in “meteorological autumn” on the first day of September. Our calendar shows Sept. 22 as first day of the new season. Does autumn really not begin until the third week of September? Does anyone care? These are questions that beg for answers. […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Judicial system must remain strong and independent
My college adviser only really ever “advised” one thing: take a Meiklejohn course. Donald Meiklejohn, a living legend in the fields of governance and education, was only at my college part of the year, fall and spring trimesters. The rest of the year he taught at Syracuse University, so you had to grab a course […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: God should be a source of peace
I had an interesting experience while visiting a public school recently. On a wall was a dry-erase board with the following question written above: “Where do you find your peace?” Inscribed below were a dozen answers, ranging from in the garden, woods and walks to ocean and beach. I enjoyed reading through the various answers, […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Life Unwound: When life feels out of control
What if we can control only how and on what we focus? Could we pay attention to what is not wrong, to what and who we love? That awareness opens doors to gratitude. Gratitude softens anxiety’s grip. What if, when complaining about the unpleasant is easy, we turn our thoughts toward what’s pleasant and away, […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion, Northern Forecaster
The Superintendent’s Notebook: Learning together – back again
It is safe to say that this fall is going to be one of the hardest, most anxious and most exciting school starts we have ever experienced. On March 14, superintendents in Cumberland County made the difficult decision to switch to remote learning for what we hoped would only be two weeks to help “flatten […]