Edgar Allen Beem wrote in his column about the demise of books, reading and libraries. Certainly libraries and the ways people access books and information are changing, but we are far from the last throes of a dying civilization. Although Beem spoke as a former librarian, he actually hasn’t worked in a library for almost […]

Perry B. Newman’s gushing column on India’s education system leaves out a few important points. India’s exceptional performance over the past two decades is amazing and can largely be attributed to the strength of India’s traditional family values. The divorce rate is less than 2 percent and educators at all levels are among the most […]

My mother repeatedly tells me Facebook is evil, and I’m starting to believe her. I am referring to Facebook, a “social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them.” I defended my Facebook use by declaring the site keeps me “connected” and “in touch” with people I otherwise […]

On the first Sunday of Advent, I was typecast as a skeptic in a little church skit about watching and waiting for the coming birth of Christ. One of my lines, condemning the Black Friday holiday shopping frenzy, was “That’s not a religious celebration. It’s rampant consumerism. It’s the Church of the Almighty Dollar having […]

Several years ago, I was lucky enough to go skiing in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Cortina is a town in the Dolomite Mountains of northern Italy near the Austria border. In addition to the beautiful natural and man-made scenery, the warmth of the Italian people and the good food, one of the things that I liked best […]

The velocity of change these days is breathtaking and, for an old media guy entering his seventh decade, rather frightening. My New Year’s resolution for 2010, therefore, is to do everything I can to slow down and resist change. Each week as I carry an armload of old newspapers out to the car, then drive […]

I am appalled at  the “comeback” of the term “Redskins” (Southern Forecaster of Dec. 18, 2009) and the racism of far too many voters in Scarborough. Why not the “spearchuckers” or the “Hebes” or the “wetbacks” or a long list of other terms used to denigrate groups of people in the past? I guess those […]

A short summary of Maine’s gay marriage fiasco: 1) A majority of voters motivated by homophobia. 2) “Yes on 1” arguments: silly, coming from a desperate need to create something to cover up the anti-gay bigotry. 3) Concept of a majority vote on majority rights: a travesty. 4) What to do now: pressure the president […]

Not a word from Edgar Allen Beem about why there was so many problems getting health care passed – after all, Democrats are in the majority, at least until the next election, and many Democrats started asking question like the Republicans did, about what really is in the Pelosi and Reid monstrosity and why was […]

I would like to thank Richard Sullivan for his many years of service to the people of Scarborough. Richard served on the Town Council for the past three years. He previously was a volunteer fireman for many years. Richard was a sound voice for fiscal responsibility and used a common-sense approach to town business. But […]