Archive for ‘Opinion’

  • Uppermost House: Shouting into the fog

      By S. Peter Lewis BN Columnist Each morning, I awake and sit up and swing my feet over the side of the bed and stomp them onto the floor and rub the sleep from my eyes and stand up and stare into the horrible face of dementia. It was the last thing I was […]

  • Small World: Wordsmiths to the rescue

      By Henry Precht BN Columnist A friend of mine, one who had risen through the ranks from bottom to top, once said, “I never delivered a speech I wrote and I never wrote a speech I delivered.” That sentence almost certainly could be spoken by most of our national politicians today. In fact, who was […]

  • Earth Notes: We are failing to preserve Mother Earth

    By Rev. Robert Plaisted                                                     My wife Sue and I recently traded our old gasoline-powered automobile and bought a hybrid. We went from about 25 miles per gallon to over 50 mpg in one jump. That’s not only good for our finances, but also good for the earth. How much difference will our decision make in […]

  • Small World: Hands in the official cookie jar

      By Henry Precht BN Columnist The subject for today’s inquiry is corruption — the official variety. A recent Gallup poll survey reported three-quarters of the citizenry believe corruption is widespread in the government. Not the Brazilian government, nor the Afghan, Russian or Nigerian regimes (where in some cases the percentage of accusers might be even […]

  • Small World: A word or two for Donald Trump

      By Henry Precht BN Columnist Uninformed and incurious, arrogant and scornful, untruthful and unapologetic, ill-advised and declining advice, wealthy and uncharitable, disrespectful of religion, nationalities and other vulnerable groups — let’s put aside for a moment Mr. Trump’s “personal flaws and political shortcomings that would have once derailed would-be presidents.” (NY Times) Just for […]

  • Earth Notes: Effects of rapid growth

    By Kenneth Roy My love of the outdoors was first felt when in the late 1940s when we moved from our city home each year for three months to our lakeside summer home in New Bedford, Mass. Each year, I looked forward to leaving the city environment with its house-to-house crowding, and noisy, rowdy neighbors. […]

  • Small World: Joining the world of work

      By Henry Precht BN Columnist Not many more weeks before school is out for the summer. That used to mean — when I was in high school and college — time to find or start thinking up a summer job. Not that our bunch didn’t have jobs year around — using our red wagons […]

  • Small World: Learning our lessons from others

    By Henry Precht BN Columnist Last week, I attended a lecture on the challenges facing Germany delivered by a ranking officer of that embassy. Her remarks easily led to reflection — despite the distractions of spring with flowers bursting forth on trees, bushes and bulbs. Much easier to doze off, coaxed by sweet breezes. But […]

  • Small World: A time of testing

      By Henry Precht BN Columnist There is a school of political scientists that argues candidates for high office ought to be selected by examination rather than ballot.  Not a very significant or noisy school, to be sure, but it’s a thesis that bears examination. Let’s say those in the presidential contest were sat down […]

  • The Reading Life: Boiling Point

      By Peter Bollen BN Columnist In an exclusive interview for The Bridgton News, Pulitzer Prize winning reporter and author, Ross Gelbspan explains the present state of climate change and global warming. Gelbspan authored two groundbreaking books, The Heat is On and Boiling Point, including many articles and features over the past two decades dealing […]