Opinion - Marblehead Current

25 Oct

LETTER: Vote ‘yes’ on Question 4

Will Dowd1 CommentOpinion, Viewpoints

There has been enough misinformation on Question 4 that I hope together we might clarify for friends and family what it means. A yes vote keeps The Family Work and Mobility Act, sponsored by our Senator Brendan Crighton, and already passed into law by the legislature. A yes vote means Massachusetts joins 17 other states in ensuring that our roads are safer, by allowing undocumented immigrants to apply for a driver's license. Undocumented applicants will have to pass the Massachusetts drivers test and get their…

25 Oct

Seaglass Village celebrates one-year anniversary

Will Dowd0 CommentsCommunity Resources, Local News, Nonprofit corner, Opinion, Viewpoints

Isolation and its accompanying loneliness is a public health issue and a predictor of poor health in seniors. According to an AARP study, social isolation is as dangerous as obesity or smoking for seniors. Seaglass Village, celebrating its first anniversary on December first, is helping to alleviate loneliness while assisting its members to age in their own homes. Lois moved to Marblehead in her early 90s to be near her daughter. An active senior and a talented artist, Lois didn’t have a single friend in…

22 Oct

ANCHORS AND SAILS: Thoughts on fake news

Will Dowd0 CommentsLocal News, Opinion, Viewpoints

"Trust me, Wilbur, people are very gullible. They'll believe anything they see in print." - E. B. White I may have become the opposite of gullible. I rarely believe anything I read unless I check the source out myself and research it. I understand that social media can be a sewer of satire sites that people think are real, inaccurate memes, and rumors. Lately, though, it's mind-blowing how gullible some people can be. Full disclosure, I've been caught out a few times, too, so that's…

20 Oct

REVIEW: Marblehead Little Theatre’s ‘Equivocation’ is a delightful romp

Will Dowd1 CommentCulture, Entertainment, Local News, Opinion, Viewpoints

A bit of advice that my first editor drilled in me: When writing for an audience, it is not about you. Writing may very well be a deeply solitary act, but when done properly, the final product - whether read or listened to - should make the writer's voice disappear, inhabit a narrative role. For playwrights, the focus should not only be on the audience but also the actors who manifest their words onto the stage. Equivocation-Online-ProgramDownload But in "Equivocation," playwright Bill Cain's writing voice…

12 Oct

ANCHORS AND SAILS: Going solo at the fair

Will Dowd0 CommentsLocal News, Opinion, Viewpoints

"The empty nest is underrated." - Nora Ephron OK, my nest is not yet empty. While my children are adults, one still lives at home, and it works out well. She's in school and working full-time, so anything I can offer to support her is fine with me. Recently though, I had the chance to do something I only ever did with kids. I went to the Topsfield Fair…by myself! For years I took the kids to the fair. We patted every bunny, mooed at…

03 Oct

ANCHORS AND SAILS: This little beast must go

Will Dowd0 CommentsLocal News, Opinion, Viewpoints

“You know when men use women's liberation as an excuse not to kill bugs for you? Oh, I justhate that! I don't care what anybody says, I think the man should have to kill the bug!” ---Suzanne Sugarbaker/Delta Burke, Designing Women OK, I might tick off the sisterhood here, but hear me out. I am a strong Irish woman, a redhead,a snarky beast, and someone who, on most things, should not be messed with. You come forme, my children, or my family, and it's going…

27 Sep

ANCHORS AND SAILS: Lunchtime memories

Will Dowd0 CommentsOpinion, Viewpoints

“I was always a junk food person, still am.” ----Dolly Parton I've always loved Dolly Parton. She does whatever the heck she pleases; she wears clothes she likes, has big wigs and red shoes, and tells anyone who doesn't like it just where they can put their opinion. Oh, she can also sing and write songs, and she donates money, time, and attention to good causes. What's not to love? I was chatting with a friend the other night over pizza, cheap wine, and other…

22 Sep

REVIEW: ‘The Bear,’ FX’s new kitchen dramedy, is top-shelf television

Will Dowd0 CommentsEntertainment, Local News, Opinion, Viewpoints

“The Bear” is fresh. But not just for its food. It’s the punch: eight episodes, each 22 minutes. Through star Jeremy Allen White’s arresting performance, protagonist Carmen comes off as relentless. Carmen will stop at nothing for a five-star kitchen. Anxiety-inducing at times, “The Bear” follows Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto as he is forced to takeover the family restaurant. After his brother, the owner of “Chicago Beef”, dies by suicide, Carmen gives up his five-star job to seize control. It’s a mess. Everything about this show…

20 Sep

INA’S INSIGHTS: A Marblehead story of a 2nd-generation exchange

Will Dowd1 CommentCulture, Local News, Nonprofit corner, Opinion, Viewpoints

When Marblehead resident Maura Phelan was a senior at Marblehead High School in 1985, she befriended Majo Amoros, an exchange student from Spain. She was staying with a family whose daughter went to Pingree, and Phelan and Amoros spent a great deal of time together and pledged one day their children would visit back and forth. This summer, on Aug. 5, Jacobo Llorens, Amoros’ nephew, arrived with a school friend, Jesus Martinez to live for a month with Phelan and her two sons, Conor and Owen Murnane.…

19 Sep

ANCHORS AND SAILS: Rest in peace, your majesty

Will Dowd1 CommentCulture, Local News, Opinion, Viewpoints

“We have always found the Irish a bit odd. They refuse to be English." Winston Churchill Winston Churchill saw a lot during his time in British politics and service. He led England through World War II and, after being defeated in an election in 1945, came back to power in 1951 for another four years. He was right about the Irish. We are all a little odd and do not want to be English. Given the two countries' history, back to Cromwell, it's not hard…