Climate change skeptics like columnist Matthew Gagnon seem to believe bad things are not already happening because of climate change. They need to get out of their recliners and take a trip along the Maine coast.

With the orange stand-up paddle board under my right arm, my swim gear and paddle in my left hand and under my left arm, I walk down the weathered wood steps to the sandy beach. It’s a short hop to the water’s edge. I step in, ankle deep, lowering the SUP board onto Bear Pond.

Columnist Matthew Gagnon downplays the threat posed by global warming. However, in its report "Catastrophe Modelling and Climate Change," Lloyd's of London states that the 8 inches of sea-level rise off the tip of Manhattan increased Superstorm Sandy’s surge losses by 30 percent, and that "Further increases in sea level in this region may non-linearly increase the loss potential from similar storms.”

On Monday, the United Nations held its 2019 UN Climate Action Summit, which was intended to push the world into advancing "climate action" on greenhouse gas emissions. It featured government officials, speakers, activists, intellectuals and academics, and of course plenty of scientists.

On Monday, Sept. 23 I received an email from the Piscataquis Observer which contained “1-Minute Hike” by Aislinn Sarnacki. I am a huge fan of Aislinn’s column and on Wednesday, Sept. 25, I hiked the Shaw Mountain trail which was her subject on the 23rd. I had a wonderful hike and her detailed explanations of the trail, which I had printed and carried in my pack, made navigation easy.

Signers beware. That’s the first lesson all Mainers should take away from the recent people’s veto effort targeting vaccine regulations in the state.

After intently watching the Democratic debate on Sept. 12, I wonder if anyone is really listening to what they are proposing. Free health care for all, but where will the money come from? Do we really think that free health care is not going to come out of our paychecks? No wonder Democratic candidates want to raise the minimum wage.

Here’s a contrast in the speed of communications: I am reading “James Marshall: Definer of a Nation,” by Jean Edward Smith. Marshall was, among other things, Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, largely responsible for shaping that court and, to a great extent, our nation.

Just read the article about dropping the Mount from the name Katahdin. Makes perfect sense when you learn what the word means, many words have a meaning derived from early civilizations, cultures and nationalities. As a native of Millinocket, I stopped using the word Mount at an early age when I learned the native meaning from my grandparents, some of the earliest 1900s Millinocket settlers.

I am pleased to learn that Governor Mills has appointed a task force to study ATV changes and trail use. I find it especially interesting that it is also at a time when decisions are being made about where electric bicycles may be used. Intentionally or unintentionally, there also seems to be a push to attribute improper or illegal use as the reason for the need.

I will admit that I have not been a regular viewer of “Saturday Night Live” for a long, long time. In my opinion, it has been about 15 years since it was consistently funny and featured cast members whom I actually like. But I do still keep track of what they do occasionally, and will check in once in a while to see whether they've turned a page and it is worth my watching again.

We no longer have a two-party system in American Democracy. We have an asymmetrical system where one party continues to comport itself largely along traditional lines with deference to the law, the Constitution and Democratic norms, and the other has declared total and complete war on any institution or check that would constrain its power.

You have to be wary of what you post online these days and that is also true for genealogists.

Maine teacher certification is seriously flawed as Paul Stearns pointed out in his OpEd, and has been for years. Maine's restrictive and simple-minded requirements are keeping the highly qualified individuals mentioned, as well as others, out of our schools that urgently need the best teachers we can find.

Bob Mallard, in a letter to the editor, once again states that the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife does not fully embrace catch and release. While C&R is undoubtedly an effective management tool, there are many other options required for different situations.

Catch-and-release is an invaluable management tool. It’s the regulation that comes closest to allowing a fishery to be what it naturally is. Per the Department of Environmental Protection, Maine has nearly 6,050 lakes and ponds. Approximately 2,435 are listed on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s lake and pond database, indicating they contain fish.

This past Wednesday, September 11th, Eileen and I were in Freeport, ME, standing an hour in the rain for the farewell watch of the great Freeport Flag Ladies. The three ladies — Carmen Footer, Elaine Greene, and JoAnn Miller — stood on their Main Street corner every Tuesday, for 18 years, commemorating 9/11.

I don't remember Pearl Harbor. Nor should I. I was born in 1980, three days after the 39th anniversary of the event. I wasn't alive when it happened. I didn't see it. I didn't feel it. My knowledge of Pearl Harbor comes from news footage, dozens of documentaries, and some famous lines uttered by an American president.