How the Youngest Ever French PM was Replaced by the Oldest As a rule, French politics are full of surprises but the summer of 2024 took the country into unchartered waters. For weeks the search was on to find a new Prime Minister. All attempts led to an impasse. People started getting really worried: was there even a pilot on the plane? And then, on … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: A European Comes to Paris
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A View from My Porch: A 2024 Election Epic—Part Two: Content of Character (Section 3 of 3)
Editor’s Notes: i) We have divided Part Two of Thomas Gotowka’s essay into three sections. We published Section 1 on Sept. 13 at this link and Section 2 on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at this link. This is the third and final section.ii) This is the opinion of Thomas D. Gotowka.The Lady May Caper Former Trump senior adviser, Steve Bannon, was collected by the USCG … [Read more...] about A View from My Porch: A 2024 Election Epic—Part Two: Content of Character (Section 3 of 3)
A View from My Porch: A 2024 Election Epic—Part Two: Content of Character (Section 2 of 3)
Editor’s Notes: i) We have divided Part Two of Thomas Gotowka’s essay into three sections. We published Section 1 on Sept. 13 at this link and will publish Section 3 on Thursday, Sept. 19.ii) This is the opinion of Thomas D. Gotowka. Access Hollywood Interview On Oct. 7, 2016, The Washington Post published an article on TV host Billy Bush’s 2005 taped conversation with … [Read more...] about A View from My Porch: A 2024 Election Epic—Part Two: Content of Character (Section 2 of 3)
A View from My Porch: A 2024 Election Epic—Part Two: Content of Character (Section 1 of 3)
Editor’s Notes: i) We have divided Part Two of Thomas Gotowka’s essay into three sections. We will publish Sections 2 and 3 on Tuesday, Sept. 17 and Thursday, Sept. 19, respectively.ii) This is the opinion of Thomas D. Gotowka. If you read Part 1 of this “View,” (which was serialized in three parts in LymeLine at these links: Section 1, Section 2 and Section 3), you would … [Read more...] about A View from My Porch: A 2024 Election Epic—Part Two: Content of Character (Section 1 of 3)
Literature in the Lymes: ‘The Devil’s Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among Great White Sharks’ by Susan Casey
I think it’s safe to write about sharks after Labor Day. I try not to do this earlier on in the summer for obvious reasons. It isn’t nice doing it early on. We all like sharks but we all like the beach too. I watched Jaws for the umpteenth time the other night and just thought, "Nope.” Susan Casey appears to not have these thoughts. She is an editor and sports writer for … [Read more...] about Literature in the Lymes: ‘The Devil’s Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among Great White Sharks’ by Susan Casey
A View From My Porch: A 2024 Election Epic—Part One: Why I Vote (Section 3 of 3)
Editor’s Notes: i) We have divided Part One of Thomas Gotowka’s essay into three parts. This is the third and final Section. Read Section 1 at this link and Section 2 at this link.ii) This is the opinion of Thomas D. Gotowka. “I Have a Dream” Bizarrely, during a press conference on Aug. 8 at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump lashed out at claims that Martin Luther King, … [Read more...] about A View From My Porch: A 2024 Election Epic—Part One: Why I Vote (Section 3 of 3)
A View From My Porch: A 2024 Election Epic—Part One: Why I Vote (Section 2 of 3)
Editor's Notes: i) We have divided Part One of Thomas Gotowka's essay into three parts. This is Section 2—we will publish Section 3 on Thursday, Sept. 5. Read Section 1 at this link.ii) This is the opinion of Thomas D. Gotowka. “Mein Kampf” at the Claremont, NH Rally In a nearly two-hour rambling speech on Saturday, Nov.11, 2023, Trump addressed a rally crowd in … [Read more...] about A View From My Porch: A 2024 Election Epic—Part One: Why I Vote (Section 2 of 3)
A View From My Porch: A 2024 Election Epic—Part One: Why I Vote (Section 1 of 3)
Editor's Notes: i) We have divided Part One of Thomas Gotowka's essay into three parts. We will publish Parts 2 and 3 on Monday, Sept. 2 and Tuesday, Sept. 3, respectively.ii) This is the opinion of Thomas D. Gotowka. We are almost at the final stage of the two dueling campaigns leading to the 2024 presidential election; which initially had all the hallmarks of being just … [Read more...] about A View From My Porch: A 2024 Election Epic—Part One: Why I Vote (Section 1 of 3)
Gardening Tips for Late July/Early August from ‘The English Lady’—”Deep Summer is When Laziness Finds Respectability”
Watering is so important during the heat of summer. If you planted trees or shrubs this spring, particularly evergreens, these plants require extra moisture to establish a strong root system. We have had an abundant amount of rain this spring and into the summer, however it is important to keep an eye on the weather. Here in New England, plants require at least … [Read more...] about Gardening Tips for Late July/Early August from ‘The English Lady’—”Deep Summer is When Laziness Finds Respectability”
Literature in the Lymes: ‘Piranesi’ by Susanna Clarke
I just know I can’t really do this book justice. I love it and writing about it immediately takes some of the magic away but I suppose if Susannah Clarke could do it, I can at least try. Who is Piranesi? Where is he? He is writing this book as a journal from a place that is both a world and a house. This house has tides. This world has floors and wings and grand halls. … [Read more...] about Literature in the Lymes: ‘Piranesi’ by Susanna Clarke
A View from My Porch: More on Idioms — “Wassup?”
Dateline: July 31, 2024 (less than 100 days to the election) Last May, LymeLine published a “View” wherein I detailed my quest to determine the origin of the expression, “Let’s blow this popsicle stand;” which I began to satisfy my nine-year-old grandson, Will’s curiosity. I did not determine “popsicle’s” absolute origin for Will; but did help him begin to appreciate idioms … [Read more...] about A View from My Porch: More on Idioms — “Wassup?”
Literature in the Lymes: ‘In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife” by Sebastian Junger
Editor's Note: We are delighted to welcome Jen Petty Hilger back to LymeLine. She wrote a very popular 'Literature in the Lymes' column for us until 2014. One could suppose this is the afterlife of a book reviewer. Welcome to review Number 101 ... after a brief 10-year hiatus. Sebastian Junger is a very smart man. He is a well-educated man. He is a brave man, a … [Read more...] about Literature in the Lymes: ‘In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife” by Sebastian Junger
Letter From Paris: French Populists Surge in Euro Parliamentary Elections, But Are Unexpectedly Denied Victory in France
The elections to the European Parliament on June 9, 2024, raised more interest, but also more concern than ever because of the rise of the populist movement in the continent. Every five years, the 720 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are elected by universal suffrage in a number proportional to the size of the states' population, e.g., France is allotted 81 … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: French Populists Surge in Euro Parliamentary Elections, But Are Unexpectedly Denied Victory in France
The Movie Man: ‘Inside Out 2’ is a ‘Warranted Sequel,’ Continues the ‘Creative Spark’
Inside Out 2 is a warranted sequel. So often studios will crank out sequels for business reasons, despite the fact there is either no way to continue a story that has already been resolved; or that the sequel could not live up to the standard set by the original. Thankfully that is not the case, here. In 2015’s Inside Out, Pixar gave, what I consider, to be one of their most … [Read more...] about The Movie Man: ‘Inside Out 2’ is a ‘Warranted Sequel,’ Continues the ‘Creative Spark’
Gardening Tips from ‘The English Lady’ for May: ‘The Month of Expectation, Wishes and Hope’
“The darling buds of May” is such an apt phrase for one of the most enchanting months with bloom on spring bulbs and flowering trees, the Amelanchier, the Dogwood and the Cherry to name a few and the new awakening red foliage of Maples winking in the sun. By now, you have probably removed most of the winter debris, pruned broken branches and re-edged borders. Do … [Read more...] about Gardening Tips from ‘The English Lady’ for May: ‘The Month of Expectation, Wishes and Hope’