The city of Biddeford takes its politics seriously. Elections in this city are complex and vibrant, and they too often reveal a community at odds with itself. Biddeford is a city in transition during difficult economic times. It is a city brimming with potential and possibility, yet it too often remains as one of its own … Continue reading Space Oddity
My Picks: Biddeford 2013
While a handful of folks have put a lot of energy into telling the world who not to vote for, I decided to share who I am going to vote for in Biddeford's municipal election on Tuesday. All of the 29 candidates on the ballot deserve our thanks and appreciation for their willingness to step up to the plate and serve their … Continue reading My Picks: Biddeford 2013
Where are you going?
As he always does, General Wallace Nutting answered the door with a grin and his blue eyes sparkling. We agreed to meet at his home, and he apologized for "being a bit disheveled." He had just finished his daily workout, and was still wearing his workout sweats. He is 85 years old. To be in the … Continue reading Where are you going?
Paper Thin
It was one of the worst places to watch the final game of the World Series. But it turned out that it was the best place to watch the final game of the World Series. I would dare say that watching the World Series from the confines of an in-patient psychiatric unit is about the most … Continue reading Paper Thin
‘Round here
Obviously, there are a lot of correlations between politics and football. In both, I have been little more than a spectator. I know my limitations, but I admire those who suit up, take the field and are willing to take some hard hits to accomplish their objective. Today our community celebrates the annual Battle of … Continue reading ‘Round here
Mark Johnston: Rocket Man
Former Saco Mayor Mark Johnston/ Marlee Hayes photo Something strange is about to happen on the other side of the Saco River. It's as rare as a blue moon and perhaps more difficult to understand. Mark Johnston will not be running for mayor in Saco. Johnston, 61, says he has spent nearly 40 years in … Continue reading Mark Johnston: Rocket Man
Who do you love?
There is only one subject I find more fascinating than politics: psychology. Some of us spend so much of our time focused on the candidates or those elected to public office, yet we barely scratch the surface when it comes to examining the people beyond the headlines and the hype. Who are those people? You … Continue reading Who do you love?
If you believe in forever
And so it was --- amidst all this talk of a government shut down, an "unfair" system of health care delivery and a skyrocketing national debt --- that my youngest son was assigned to read Animal Farm. As so many of us learned in high school, George Orwell wrote Animal Farm as an allegorical reference to … Continue reading If you believe in forever
Alpacas, Obamacare and the thin line
It's been a tough week for a lot of us. The days are getting shorter, the economy remains anemic and political rhetoric is intensifying in the face of a so-called government "shutdown." Just in the last seven days, our nation has witnessed some stunning and bizarre examples of citizen unrest. On Thursday, a woman suffering from … Continue reading Alpacas, Obamacare and the thin line
I think I’m turning Japanese
Two stories I found on the pages of the Portland Press Herald today: [Maine's] Riverview Psychiatric Center faces the loss of an estimated $20 million in federal funding because the federal government has decided that the hospital in Augusta has not solved staffing and governance problems." Full story The mother of a Connecticut woman who was … Continue reading I think I’m turning Japanese
NOTES TO CARL | LESSONS IN MEDIOCRITY 