I was surprised — and delighted — to see my scarecrow on the front page of the Provincetown Independent’s July 22 issue. Readers might enjoy the story behind the creation […]
Op-Eds
COUNTY LINE
The Covid Cluster: What We Must Do Now
We cannot be ‘back to normal,’ no matter how much we want to be
We had been so careful, keeping our distance, and doing all the right containment measures. Then came an explosive Delta-variant Covid outbreak in Provincetown. For a while, case counts doubled […]
REPRIEVE
Take Me Out
Rooting for the home team at Eldredge Park
Take me out to the ball game Last week, for my wife’s birthday, we went to an Orleans Firebirds baseball game. It was a beauteous evening, the skies clear, with […]
BACK SHORE JOURNAL
Tern on the Beach
An easy remedy for avoidable suffering and tragedy
We had just returned from voting in Wellfleet on the warmest day of the June heat wave. My wife and I voted for selectmen and for expensive new equipment for […]
OP-ED
There’s No Good Reason to Dredge Nauset Estuary
The goals of the project can be achieved more cheaply and easily
Climate change has intensified storms over the past decade, shifting coastal dynamics and accelerating erosion of the Outer Beach. This has driven more sediment into the Nauset Estuary, affecting access […]
INDEPENDENCE
What We See in the Flag
Is America’s brand tarnished?
I remember a time before the Vietnam War when the American flag evoked only positive feelings in me. When JFK was president, when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, I […]
COUNTY LINE
We’ve Learned to Collaborate. Let’s Keep Going.
What if the pandemic response were to be expanded and broadened?
The more stories I hear from friends and colleagues, the more I am convinced that the numerous changes in our lives resulting from the pandemic response have not been all […]
HISTORY OF SCIENCE
How Critical Race Theory Explains a Harvard Professor’s Error
Reflections of a retired English teacher
In June 1935, Wellfleet summer resident Carleton Coons, a Harvard University professor and archeologist, helped supervise the excavation of Native American remains, stone weapons, and shell fragments in the Hemenway’s […]
OP-ED
Alloparenting and Survival
An evolutionary perspective on cooperative caregiving
Surrounded by juveniles, that’s what we are. Whether it’s the ruffled chickadee balancing on the railing or the catbird that can’t stop singing. One of the thrilling things at this […]
COUNTY LINE
The Machine Guns on the Horizon
Voices opposing the National Guard’s plan were not heard
A well-worn definition of insanity is repeating the same mistake and expecting a different outcome. Seems like our Mass. Army National Guard never heard that one. They have lately resurrected […]
CANCELING EACH OTHER
My Little Sister, the Republican
An estrangement that mirrors a divided nation
My relationship with my sister, my only sibling, may have ended as a result of the Trump presidency. She was always a little strange. My parents thought it was due […]
CLIMATE CHANGE
Young Activists Want a Voice in Local Policymaking
Another regional youth-led climate summit is in the works
A year of isolation and mask mandates has fostered a new appreciation for fresh air. Whether it’s to find peace and quiet or a place to safely reconnect with friends, […]
OP-ED
A Collective Maternity Leave
Finding the compassion we need in our stories
Sharing stories in a group of 15 friends and strangers on Mother’s Day revealed something to me about how we have been affected in different ways this past year. Let’s […]
OPEN MEETING
The Flawed Governance of the Herring River Restoration
Announcing plans isn’t the same as involving the community in planning
An article in the April 22 Independent reminded us that the Herring River Restoration Project has progressed to the phase of seeking state and federal approval. The project’s nearly completed […]
COUNTY LINE
We Need a Stronger, More Integrated Public Health System
Some powerful lessons learned from a year of pandemic
The daily Covid updates from the Barnstable County Health and Environment Dept. epidemiologist Vaira Harik continue to trend very favorably, with a few exceptions, and give us a genuine basis […]
