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The New Hampshire Bulletin’s 2022 year in review
2022 began with a lot of big questions – for the world, the nation, and New Hampshire. Would this be the year that COVID-19 loosened its grip on a weary public? Would the political anger and violence of Jan. 6, 2021 be replicated in the aftermath of the November 2022 midterm election? And, here in […]
Editor’s Notebook: Do the right thing
In the late 1990s, T.M. Scanlon – then the Alford Professor of Natural Religion, Moral Philosophy, and Civil Polity at Harvard University – wrote a book that likely sold far more copies than were actually read. The title is among the most arresting I have ever seen: “What We Owe to Each Other.” Who wouldn’t […]
Editor’s Notebook: The times they are a-changin’ every few hours
When I woke up Monday morning, Nov. 14, Republicans held a 203-197 majority in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. By dusk, and after a handful of recounts, the Democrats had gained a seat to cut the margin to 202-198. Who knows what the score will be in an hour, or tomorrow, or next week […]
Editor’s Notebook: The day after
The morning of Nov. 9 felt like any other day. It was glorious. I’m not sure what I expected the day after Election Day to feel like, but on my way into the office there was joy in watching the mundane. The line of cars dropping off their treasures at my daughter’s high school. Workers […]
Editor’s Notebook: The most important Election Day is the next one
If you ask quarterback Tom Brady, winner of seven Super Bowls, which championship ring is his favorite, he always answers the same way: the next one. It’s the answer I would give if someone asked about the most consequential election of my lifetime: the next one, always the next one. But I also have a […]
Editor’s Notebook: Our teenagers deserve a better path
My younger daughter started her first job this week. She was nervous on Monday but excited to begin earning her own money instead of waiting for birthday cash or the glacial accumulation of a small allowance. I’m excited, too. As long as the after-school job doesn’t interfere with her class work and sleep schedule, I […]
Editor’s Notebook: The rocket science of renewal
My family and I have big plans this weekend: We’re heading to a local pharmacy to get the latest COVID-19 booster along with a round of flu shots. Back at home we’ll toast to good health with Smartwater and Gatorade in hopes of avoiding the worst of the vaccine hangover. And then, through autumn and […]
Editor’s Notebook: Another chance to say goodbye
When our daughters were young, my wife and I worked opposite schedules – she during the day and I at night. It wasn’t a bad situation for a young family that couldn’t afford day care – and it worked for us right up until both girls were old enough to be in school all day. […]
Editor’s Notebook: A plot twist in mid-August
We’re using blankets again. For most of this scorching August, nighttime meant waking up every hour or so to kick away any bit of bedding touching feet or legs. We would turn our pillows – and turn them again – searching in vain for a cool spot to rest our damp heads. But then, just […]
Editor’s Notebook: A natural balance
I repaired a small retaining wall on Saturday. The decorative concrete blocks stacked in rows in front of the workshop were undermined by the spring melt, and the right side had been toppling in slow motion ever since. A more willing landscaper would have addressed the problem as soon as the ground thawed, but I […]
Editor’s Notebook: Five days at the edge of the world
Earlier this month, on the day the Bulletin published the first of two Amanda Gokee stories about how climate change is already affecting coastal communities in New Hampshire, I drove northeast for nearly five hours with my wife and daughters. We were headed toward the sea – not for science but spirit. Every day there […]
Editor’s Notebook: A field of white clover
“What I want to do as a musician is provide a soundtrack. Life is the film, and I’m doing the soundtrack.” – George Winston George Winston, a brilliant musician with an affinity for “Charlie Brown” composer Vince Guaraldi, was the first performer I saw in concert. My older brother had discovered Winston in college and […]