Commentary
A ban on one, a ban on all
Friday, June 24, was supposed to be the due date for my identical twin girls. Instead, Friday marked eight weeks with our healthy twin, Lily, and eight without her sister, Iris, who passed away shortly after she was born. And now, it will also forever be known as the day the U.S. Supreme Court reversed […]
Does hardening schools make students safer?
The first real possibility for federal firearms legislation in decades has been sketched out by a bipartisan group of senators. It comes in the wake of the May 23 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in which an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 children and two teachers before himself being killed in a gunfire exchange with police. […]
Here’s what a bear market is and why it matters
A 16th-century proverb advises: “It’s unwise to sell a bear’s skin before catching it.” That’s one of the stories used to explain why, in modern times, Wall Street types call someone who sells a stock expecting its price to drop a “bear.” It follows that a market in which securities or commodities are persistently declining […]
New research finds social stress can speed up immune system aging
As people age, their immune systems naturally begin to decline. This aging of the immune system, called immunosenescence, may be an important part of such age-related health problems as cancer and cardiovascular disease, as well as older people’s less effective response to vaccines. But not all immune systems age at the same rate. In our […]
Decades of research document the detrimental health effects of BPA
Whether or not you’ve heard of the chemical bisphenol A, better known as BPA, studies show that it’s almost certainly in your body. BPA is used in the manufacturing of products like plastic water bottles, baby bottles, toys, and food packaging, including in the lining of cans. BPA is one of many harmful chemicals in […]
No longer ‘alien to our affections’ – commentary
At the invitation of Monadnock Family Services, writer David Blistein, co-director Erik Ewers, and producer Julie Coffman showed a 30 minute preview of the four-hour film they call “Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness” in Keene recently. Interesting as the filmmakers were to the audience, the impact in the room belonged to Yanerry, a […]
3-Minute Civics: Judicial discretion and the decision to set bail
Imagine you are a judge taking up your morning docket. The day starts with an arraignment and bail hearing for an individual charged with first-degree assault with a firearm. The prosecutor informs you the police received a 911 call at 10 the night before for a gunshot in the city center. The police sped to […]
COVID in Black and white: A Juneteenth reflection – commentary
“When white folks catch a cold, Black folks get pneumonia.” We’ve known this old adage for years but never before did it strike so close to home as it did last month when COVID finally caught up with our interracial family. First, a little background. Since the global pandemic began in March of 2020, my […]
Gov. Sununu needs to veto the ivermectin bill – commentary
Earlier this year, the New Hampshire Nurse Practitioner Association, representing licensed prescribers working in the state of New Hampshire, registered its members’ strong opposition to House Bill 1022, permitting pharmacists to dispense the drug ivermectin by means of a standing order to treat COVID-19. We wrote to the House and Senate with our concerns, noting […]
Editor’s Notebook: A win for the Bulletin, a win for New Hampshire journalism
Last week, the New Hampshire Bulletin took home 10 awards from the New Hampshire Press Association Distinguished Journalism Contest. As I said in a short story we posted on Friday to announce the awards, “I couldn’t be more proud of Amanda, Ethan, and Annmarie” – and I meant it. It’s not easy to keep track […]
Blaming ‘evil’ for mass violence isn’t as simple as it seems – commentary
The word “evil” circulates widely in the wake of terrible public violence. The May 24 massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, is a case in point. Texas state safety official Christopher Olivarez spoke of “the complete evil of the shooter.” Others expressed their resolve with the same word. “Evil will not win,” the […]
Decades after special education law and key ruling, updates still languish – commentary
It has been 40 years since the U.S. Supreme Court first took up a case about special education in public schools, Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley. In that case, the court ruled that a deaf student didn’t qualify for a sign-language interpreter because the student was doing well […]