“Storm Wave” by Mark Adams
Opinion
From ed to op-ed and beyond.
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SURFING
Localism Is Surfing’s Dark Side
A protective instinct that unites us and can drive us apart
You’ve heard a lot about the wholesome, soulful side of surfing. That’s what draws most of us in. It is the current that runs strongest through surfing. It is the side that I choose to focus on. Yet, as with all things human, our less wholesome tendencies find a way in. We always bring ourselves […]
STEAMERS
Bong Appetit!
“Bong Appetit” by A. Crock
Charlie
“Charlie” by Mary DeAngelis
Eight Solid Ideas for Reducing Waste
Shifting the way we think about trash and recycling
Throughout Barnstable County, the Commonwealth, and the country, municipalities are struggling with the very real issue of too much trash with no place to put it, and the accompanying increase in handling costs. The Independent’s recent article on Provincetown’s town budget [Jan. 16, page 8] highlighted the fact that increased waste management costs are about […]
OP-ED
Time to Reverse Citizens United
Ten years later it’s clear that the Supreme Court decision was a bad one
Corporations may be run by people, and employ people, and be answerable to shareholders, but corporations are not people. For one thing, they command masses of cash and other assets that ordinary people cannot even dream of. This gives corporations advantages over ordinary people that need to be offset, not weaponized. January 21 marked the […]
EDITORIAL
As the Town Administrators Turn
When Wellfleet Town Administrator Dan Hoort, 65, submitted his resignation this month he explained, “There are times when this position can be very demanding and negative. At this time in my life I need to reduce the stress in my daily life.” Hoort added, “I believe it is time for me to step down and […]
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters, Jan. 23: Conversations and Deep Thoughts
Towns Should Buy Willy’s To the editor: Regarding what has been happening at Willy’s Gym [Jan. 16, page 1], which has been going on for years: employees not being paid and so on goes back to when I was a member in Orleans over a decade ago. The facility is very important to the Lower […]
VIGNETTE
Drones
“Drones” by Daniel Dejean
MILLION-YEAR PICNIC
Gems of the Night Sky
A beginner’s guide to the rainbow of star colors
Stargazing in winter is not for the faint of heart. Who would choose to stand out in the freezing cold for hours, staring up at the sky for a glimpse of some tiny wonder of the universe? Amateur astronomers, that’s who. But why in winter? Why not take a break for the season, polish one’s […]
Cafe
Are you sure…?
“Cafe” by Mary DeAngelis
ON THE LANDSCAPE
The Snowy Woods Drive
Winter nights reveal the hidden forms and footprints of this place
When I was a little kid, the first snowfall of the year meant something more than the arrival of winter. It signified the beginning of the season for a quiet and deeply satisfying tradition. It was time again for the long, slow, wandering nighttime woods drives that my dad would take us on. The snow […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Big Deal in Bird World
In winter MacMillan Wharf becomes a mecca
I have written about the centrality of MacMillan Wharf to Provincetown. I would get no argument in the summer, certainly, or even the shoulder seasons. Ferries first disgorge people, who stream down the wharf into town with great expectations, then take on the exhausted, partied-out vacationers for the return trip to Boston. The whale watch […]
OP-ED
End the Travel Exemption in Ethics Rules
The questionable logic behind the defense of a trip to Israel
I commend reporter Sophie Ruehr for her incisive story on state Sen. Julian Cyr’s December trip to Israel (“Cyr Defends Trip Funded by Pro-Israel Group,” Jan. 9). I also commend the senator for his transparency and frankness. Julian Cyr deserves even more praise for addressing such priority concerns of his constituents as affordable housing, mental health, […]
QUEER ‘I’
Signs of Hope for the Methodist Church
The Outer Cape awaits the lifting of homophobic rules
After the General Conference of the United Methodist Church (UMC) in February 2019 upheld the so-called Traditional Plan, which affirms the church’s ban on hosting and officiating same-sex marriages and on ordaining LGBTQ clergy, I had planned, as a writer, to take a look at how Methodists on the Outer Cape, straight and gay, were […]
