I greatly appreciated “A show of hands,” which honored Edgar Allen Beem’s aging parents. (But) the Limbaughs and Becks of conservative mindset are the very ones who revealed the “end of life counseling” in the (Obama) health-care bill. I’m hearing now, “no, they won’t kill grandma.” Maybe our congressmen (and women) would have recognized that, […]

Last week I attended a party to celebrate the long career of one of my former colleagues. I worked at Portland Public Library for eight years, 1972 to 1980. Rachel Smith has been employed there for 50 years! I was just 10 years old when she was hired in 1959. And, believe it or not, […]

In his recent column “Let them eat Whole Foods,” Edgar Allen Beem lambastes CEO John Mackey for criticizing Obama’s health care plan. Beem called Mackey “predatory,” “self-centered,” “cynical” and “arrogant.” He goes on to write that Mackey “is not the sort of person customers or employees would agree with, like, or admire.” How does he […]

I urge residents of Cape Elizabeth to support the Shore Road Path. There are compelling reasons to do so from the standpoints of how it will improve pedestrian safety, restore some country-road walkability to Shore Road, and connect some of Cape’s community assets and parks. The project is also an excellent candidate for funding through […]

Recently, I drove 12 hours over two days to take my son, a life-long Red Sox fan, to the new Yankee Stadium to see a game with his grandfather, a die-hard Yankees fan. Their inter-game, pre-game, mid-game, and post-game telephone calls to one another are the source of much amusement for our family, as one […]

As someone who has been involved with the Maine Children’s Cancer Walk for the past 18 years, I have had the good fortune to meet and see many wonderful children, their families and a number of volunteers over the years. Their attitudes, spirit and commitment is an inspiration to everyone and reminds everyone why we […]

My roommate has been showering in the dark all week. Why? The light bulb burned out. Why didn’t she replace it? Because we had a neurology exam on Friday. Replacing the light bulb would have taken seven or eight minutes, and that’s seven or eight minutes less looking at brain MRIs, memorizing the primary and […]

The November referendum to ban dog owners and their dogs from Willard Beach for six months a year certainly attests to the power of the written word and alarmist claims about what is happening at our beach. My observation of the situation since the late 1980s, and the gentrification of the beach, is that there […]

We’ve known for many years now that Whole Foods founder and CEO John Mackey is not the sort of person most of his customers or employees would agree with, like or admire. He’s a predatory, conservative free-marketer who’s been able to corner the progressive organic health food market. Even if you give Mackey the benefit […]

It has been said that if one repeats a lie often enough folks will believe it to be true. This seems to have been the strategy of the Pine Point Residents Group concerning the land swap of Depot Street in Scarborough. Inundating newspapers with letters and storming council chambers with dozens of citizens doesn’t make […]