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In 1950, British mathematician and logician Alan Turing proposed a test to determine if a computer was as intelligent as a human. He called the test the “Imitation Game.” You may recall a 2014 movie of the same name. It dramatized Turing’s role during World War II in breaking Enigma, the Naz…

Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York’s Sun in 1897. The response, written by Francis Pharcellus Church, is the most reprinted newspaper editorial in history. We reprint it here today in the spirit of the season.

In my book “True Confessions of a Retired Preacher,” not to be published anytime soon, if ever, I have considered including a discussion of what I dislike about the Lectionary. For the uninitiated, the Revised Common Lectionary is a three-year compilation of Scripture passages used in many m…

Warning: please don’t read this column out loud to your really young children or grandchildren for obvious reasons of Santa-fication and reindeer protection.

Every so often during this time of year when Christmas trees are being sold on the street and I happen to be driving on Eastern Avenue near the intersection of Main Street, I’ll look at where Mondello’s garage used to be, next to the old VFW and H.C. Brown Co. and I’ll remember Uncle Frank. …

Jewish tradition makes a big deal about gratitude. The first words (or at least, the first official words) that we say each morning are words of thanks. Modeh ani l’fanecha — I am grateful before you, eternal giver of life, who has mercifully returned my soul to me. Your trust in me is great…

What a privilege to be able to sing with the likes of Yoichi Udagawa and his Cape Ann Symphony over this past Thanksgiving weekend.

Being a king isn’t what it used to be.

I, along with many others, are glad the strikers and the city of Gloucester have reached a tentative agreement. That is good news.

I’ve still got the dust of Rome on the tips of my shoes. And why shouldn’t I, since my intrepid wife lead us about 45 miles up and down hills, across bridges, around ageless monuments under construction, up marble staircases through hundreds, no, through thousands of years — to 800 B.C. and …

The U.S. Census Bureau’s latest statistics reveals that 13% of all kids in Gloucester under the age of 18 live in poverty.

As city councilors we have no role in the on-going negotiations between the School Committee and the unions. However, as a parent of three children who attended and graduated from Gloucester Public Schools, and a long-standing advocate for our schools, our teachers and our support staff, I d…

I recently read an article on pronouns. On the front page of a newspaper! The nuns who taught me grammar all those decades ago would say that pronouns on a front page were a heavenly sight. I am not so sure.

The two sisters often lived in different convents and took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Each sister served as abbess of their respective convents. Each exercised almost absolute authority, but their shared model of servant leadership endeared them to both their communities and t…

Congratulations to former President and President-elect Donald J. Trump. His win spares the country another protracted, nasty legal battle, and maybe more, because of a contested election.

Joel Favazza is a local real estate attorney without any academic background in engineering, economics, government, or any of the several other fields necessary to provide the following opinion(s) with any real authority. However, as he is quick to point out: there are no bad ideas in brains…

As former chairpersons of the Gloucester Planning Board, we had a privileged opportunity to serve the people of Gloucester. As members of a permit-granting authority, one of our jobs was to see that permits were issued in harmony with the general purposes, spirit, and intent of the Glouceste…

As I write this, the presidential election is four days away. I can only imagine what your state of mind might be as you read this. Prior to yesterday, “election anxiety” was felt intensely by so many people. Not only that, there has been a grave concern about whether or not the election res…

I’m going to go have a good cry.

“Paint a prayer for me.”

In the aftermath of two “once in a lifetime” hurricanes in rapid succession, it makes sense to reflect on how one becomes a migrant. From North Carolina to Florida, homes have been destroyed. People have suddenly found their lives upended, their futures uncharted. Livelihoods, communities, a…

The bald eagle is one of the most iconic birds in North America. Known for its striking white head and tail contrasting against its dark brown body, this bird has come to symbolize freedom, strength, and resilience. As the national bird and symbol of the United States, the bald eagle has a r…

With the Head of the Charles regatta coming up, I’m thinking about my time rowing crew in college. I was pretty much a couch potato until my junior year abroad, when a friend invited me to a rowing regatta. She was a coxswain for a men’s eight, meaning she steered the boat, relayed orders, a…

Floods, fires, wars, invasions, rate cuts, 3A zoning changes, dogs and cats in Ohio — what are people coming up to me to talk about? Is it the Patriots, the election, the stock market, global warming, the United Nations, the mayor’s bass-playing, truck traffic, fried clams?

My name is Joel Favazza. I am a local real estate attorney without any academic background in engineering, economics, government, or any of the several other fields necessary to provide the following opinion(s) with any real authority. But I’ve always believed: there are no bad ideas in brai…

One Sunday morning 20 years ago, a call went out from the altar of St. Joachim’s Church in Rockport for any students who would like to volunteer on a trip to work among the poor in a place called Cevicos.

On the first official day of autumn, a nearby maple tree let go of a couple of gorgeous red leaves. The gentle sea breeze brought them to a soft landing on my porch. They were the only leaves on my porch that day, speaking a clear message that the summer of growth, produce, green and warmth …

The sky is frescoed with mare’s tails, pulverized clouds streaking their tops off into an imaginary stratosphere. Across the harbor, the boats stand motionless, but meaningfully, as in all great paintings. The sails of the great schooner dwarfing the other sailboats and dories as an old-time…