WASHINGTON – On his first day in office, President George W. Bush issued the global gag rule, saying, “American taxpayers don’t want their money going to pay for abortions in developing countries.”I believe what he really meant was “Americans are willing to risk the lives of millions of women and children in order to ensure […]

Internet bloggers are pushing U.S. soldiers in Iraq to offer the ‘real’ news from the front. If you rely on newspapers and TV networks for your news, chances are you have no idea that the controversial performance of Western reporters in Iraq is emerging as a big issue. The mainstream media have virtually ignored the […]

NEW YORK – The recent news that the number of manufacturing jobs fell by 93,000 in August rocked the stock market and dumbfounded members of the Bush administration.President Bush, in an effort to put the best possible face on this downturn, said it was a cyclical adjustment and he is working steadfastly to ameliorate the […]

n Pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes.n Pain that spreads to the shoulders, neck or arms.n Chest discomfort along with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath.

n Central Maine Medical Center, Lewistonn Maine Medical Center, Portlandn Mid Coast Hospital, Brunswick Area hospitals that do not currently perform angioplasty n Bridgton Hospitaln Franklin Memorial Hospital, Farmingtonn Parkview Hospital, Brunswickn St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, Lewistonn Stephens Memorial Hospital, Norwayn Rumford Community Hospital, Rumford

NEW YORK CITY – Are you confused yet? Two weeks ago, President Bush said, “There’s no question that Saddam Hussein had al Qaida ties.” In September 2002, he said, “You can’t distinguish between al Qaida and Saddam.” But Bush also said two weeks ago, “We have no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the […]

Charlie took friendship to the level of family. KINGFISHER, Okla. – I had arrived early for the church service in which my friend Charlie was being installed as pastor here. So I sat quietly in the empty sanctuary to catch my breath after a six-hour drive from Kansas City.The stained-glass windows were out of the […]

Recently I was singing a paean of praise – a redundancy, perhaps, for aren’t all paeans in praise of something? – of the period, but the column suffered (a common failing when a column runs more than 750 words) from omission – it did not consider the em-dash. Aaargh!The foregoing hash of a sentence is […]

Question: Does your telephone belong to you or to the telemarketers? Give them the answer. I’ve been writing columns for a long time now, two or three centuries at least. I’ve written on topics that touched a nerve among you readers – the moronic-TV-commercials nerve, the loud-cell-phone-talkers nerve, and of course the low-flow-toilet nerve. I […]

Q My friends and I are big fans of karaoke. Can you tell me where the word “karaoke” comes from? – J.K., Reading, Mass. A: The word “karaoke” names a device that plays instrumental accompaniments for people to sing along with. It also names the activity of using such a machine for entertainment. Japanese speakers […]