Author Archives: Brent

Pilgrim shutdown and the real role of the NRC

Today’s big front page story suggests that the shutdown of Pilgrim may be imminent now that this antiquated plant has fallen to worst-in-nation status. This is heartening new to the great majority of Cape Codders who want to see the end this upwind threat defused at long last. But any celebrating would be premature. Governor […]

September 3, 2015 – 12:34 pm | By Brent | Posted in Posts | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Birds: that amazing fact of life

For some reason this year the towhees didn’t show up. I keep track of this sort of thing. They usually arrive in the last 10 days of April, a punctuation mark of spring. First heard, their distinctive “drink-your-tea-hee-hee.” Then seen, black on top, reddish sides, making their distinctive move in the underbrush, raking back leaves […]

August 26, 2015 – 8:49 am | By Brent | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

The meaning of the Trump phenomenon

Along with everyone else, it seems, I’ve been trying to come up with an explanation for the Trump phenomenon. Phenomenon because it’s impossible to imagine that anyone would vote for the man himself. And of course not everyone is mystified; not, for instance, the millions who apparently crave him above all other fellow humans for […]

August 14, 2015 – 1:49 pm | By Brent | Posted in Posts | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

The Fate of High Toss Road

For quite a few years a major re-shaping of our town has been in the works. It’s called the Herring River Restoration and, mainly by removing a dike installed at the mouth of the estuary in 1909, will restore natural tidal flow to one of the largest wetlands in New England. A large portion of […]

August 7, 2015 – 12:33 pm | By Brent | Posted in Columns | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

GPS: yet another delegation of power

My wife and I were in Boston recently, driving to a French restaurant where we were looking forward to having lunch. The city is complicated territory to us country mice, but the GPS lady –nice, if a bit of a know-it-all—seemed to have it under control. Do this, do that, turn here, turn there, turn […]

July 31, 2015 – 12:13 pm | By Brent | Posted in Posts | Tagged , | Comments (0)

GPS: Another delegation of power

My wife and I were in Boston recently, driving to a French restaurant where we were looking forward to having lunch. The city is complicated territory to us country mice, but the GPS lady –nice, if a bit of a know-it-all—seemed to have it under control. Do this, do that, turn here, turn there, turn […]

July 28, 2015 – 2:55 pm | By Brent | Posted in Posts | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

The brave aren’t necessarily heroes

The discussion of the meaning of the Confederate flag has called attention to the crucial distinction between bravery and heroism. Confederate soldiers were famously brave fighters; but it was bravery in the service of racism and slavery. If it was heroism, it was heroism to those who wanted to continue that racist slavery- based way […]

July 23, 2015 – 8:55 am | By Brent | Posted in Columns | Tagged , , | Comments (1)

Death: we can’t get there from here.

Death’s bad reputation (see 5 June blog) as an obscene, scandalous social disease is one form of denial. Death is made into such a dreadful specter it is unacceptable, not as manner of speaking, but actually: as in “I won’t accept it.” (This works better when you are at an age where one’s own death […]

July 18, 2015 – 12:45 pm | By Brent | Posted in Posts | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Reconstructing Ocean View Drive

Earlier this year I wrote a column on the mysterious origins of Ocean View Drive in Wellfleet, the road paralleling the ocean and connecting four town beaches, from LeCount’s Hollow (aka Maquire’s Landing) at the southern end to Newcomb Hollow at the northern end. The real mystery, for me, was why the date and circumstances […]

July 13, 2015 – 10:03 am | By Brent | Posted in Columns | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Creativity isn’t (necessarily) good

In an early radio report of the recent upstate New York prison break, the reporter made a point of emphasizing that Governor Cuomo “seemed truly impressed” with the sheer accomplishment of the escape. Vicious murderers they may be, the governor seemed to think, but you have to admire the creativity. There was a touch of […]

July 4, 2015 – 2:45 pm | By Brent | Posted in Posts | Tagged , | Comments (0)