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CentralMaine Sunday

398 episodes - English - Latest episode: 15 days ago - ★★★ - 2 ratings

Audio from CentralMaine Sunday - from centralmaine.com.
J.P. Devine performs his weekly column.

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Episodes

J.P. Devine: Our 58th anniversary is about faith and hope — Oct. 20, 2019

October 14, 2019 20:46 - 5 minutes - 7.76 MB

With the "big one" in sight, J.P. Devine reflects on anniversary gifts over the years and what they mean.

J.P. Devine: Cristoforo, we hardly knew ye — Oct. 13, 2019

October 10, 2019 18:09 - 6 minutes - 9.51 MB

Controversies over Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day are divisive and clumsy choices, J.P. Devine says, so how about Amerigo Vespucci Day?

J.P. Devine: Darkness at noon, October on the move — Oct. 6, 2019

October 04, 2019 13:49 - 6 minutes - 9.25 MB

The end of summer is usually brutal, but the change leaves us with the sweetest month of autumn, J.P. Devine says.

J.P. Devine: The best man for the job in 2020 is gay — September 29, 2019

September 24, 2019 17:33 - 6 minutes - 9.07 MB

Harvard and Oxford educated, a former U.S. Navy officer in intelligence, married to a junior high teacher, multilingual and the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg will never be president, J.P. Devine laments, because he's gay.

J.P. Devine: The light in Joe's eyes — Sept. 22, 2019

September 19, 2019 13:45 - 6 minutes - 8.88 MB

Joe Biden's Irish eyes dimmed as he took a beating at the Democrats' most recent presidential debates, a sign of old age and getting tired, J.P. Devine says.

J.P. Devine: Lessons from the Good Book - September 15, 2019

September 12, 2019 13:16 - 7 minutes - 9.68 MB

Pondering the meaning of an apocalyptic figure and the end times, J.P. Devine looks ahead to an election sequel of cinematic proportions.

JP Devine: Dining with the stars - Sept. 8 2019

September 05, 2019 21:02 - 7 minutes - 10.2 MB

Where the elite meet to eat when they're working.

J.P. Devine: Is it really OK to wear white after Labor Day? - September 1, 2019

August 27, 2019 21:09 - 6 minutes - 8.32 MB

J.P. researched this sartorial issue and found out some people look good in white whatever the season.

J.P. Devine: You can't go home again — August 25, 2019

August 20, 2019 14:08 - 6 minutes - 8.44 MB

According to NBC, St. Louis, Missouri, home town to JP, is the most dangerous city in the U.S.

J.P. Devine: Where I'm writing from, Part 3 - August 18, 2019

August 15, 2019 18:44 - 7 minutes - 10.4 MB

J.P. Devine is in his "cafe," watching and listening so he can write the next column.

J.P. Devine: Then, it was August 9th - August 11, 2019

August 06, 2019 13:05 - 7 minutes - 10.3 MB

J.P. Devine rarely thinks about the murders that happened Aug. 9, the murders that Greg Keisich said ended the '60s.

J.P Devine: Four Sisters Waiting - August 4, 2019

July 31, 2019 20:56 - 6 minutes - 9.54 MB

J.P. remembers waiting for Japan to surrender in 1945.

J.P. Devine: A tale of 'The Assisters,' part one – July 28. 2019

July 23, 2019 14:54 - 6 minutes - 8.64 MB

J.P. Devine did some research into places called “assisted living” homes.

J.P Devine: Days of the Dead - July 14, 2019

July 11, 2019 20:02 - 6 minutes - 9.2 MB

Hot summer days are for the dead, says JP Devine.

J.P. Devine: Include me out - July, 7 2019

July 03, 2019 20:00 - 5 minutes - 7.57 MB

Travel is a nightmare, and hotels are the monsters in those bad dreams, JP Devine says.

J.P. Devine: The tie's the thing that's telling about a candidate - June 30, 2019

June 25, 2019 17:42 - 6 minutes - 9.32 MB

J.P. Devine takes a gander at the neckware of the current crop of male presidential candidates, but as yet finds no bolo ties.

J.P. Devine: Life is a drag - June 23, 2019

June 21, 2019 18:34 - 6 minutes - 8.86 MB

The recent confrontation in downtown Waterville over a drag queen story hour for children drew metaphorical spears and rattles, the latest in a fabulous tradition of performances, J.P. Devine says.

J.P. Devine: Home is the sailor — June 16, 2019

June 10, 2019 19:45 - 7 minutes - 11 MB

A tribute to the old man, the officer of the day, 'your father,' Pop.

J.P. Devine: In search of his Mainah identity - June 9, 2019

June 07, 2019 13:12 - 6 minutes - 8.5 MB

How I got here, how I left, how I came back, and how I finally stayed in Maine, says J.P. Devine. 

J.P. Devine: And then he was gone - June 2, 2019

May 31, 2019 14:22 - 7 minutes - 10.5 MB

A memoir of the assassination of Bobby Kennedy, who for a brief moment in time and on this night stood in the silver light, poised to step into history.

J.P. Devine: Memorial Day, the heirloom — May 26, 2019

May 22, 2019 17:38 - 8 minutes - 11.6 MB

It wasn't much of a soccer ball, J.P. Devine says, grass stained and bruised, but it had been passed on from cousin to cousin and from brother to brother and bore the imprint of memory and association.

J.P. Devine: May Day 1952, the Movie - May 19, 2019

May 14, 2019 18:16 - 6 minutes - 9.6 MB

J.P. Devine writes about an occupier's view of a Japanese riot, or how best to avoid the animosity of a mob and embrace the discretion of a big guy.

J.P. Devine: The woman I'm calling today - May 12, 2019

May 07, 2019 20:40 - 6 minutes - 9.11 MB

No matter where he happened to be in his travels, J.P. Devine always had a bucketful of change to dump into a pay phone to call his mother on Mother's Day.

J.P. Devine: Everyone's job is a temp job - May 5, 2019

May 03, 2019 14:36 - 6 minutes - 8.93 MB

And it may only last from day to day or hour to hour, but the memories can last a lifetime, J.P. Devine says.

J.P. Devine: The world of 'stuff' April 28, 2019

April 23, 2019 14:52 - 6 minutes - 9.19 MB

"Guy stuff" are items you find in a hardware store that until recently, J.P says he had the advantage of, with help from his street friends.

J.P. Devine: An Easter morning only the stones remember - April 21, 2019

April 17, 2019 20:16 - 6 minutes - 8.9 MB

There are mornings that stick to our eyes like the pennies the old Irish put on the eyes of the dead, J.P. Devine says.

J.P. Devine: Pondering the women running for president - April 14, 2019

April 12, 2019 18:30 - 6 minutes - 8.65 MB

The Waterville writer finds all of them to be scary, brilliant, neat, handsome, fierce, honest liberal Democrats with jaw-dropping, breathtaking life stories and political resumes, and each deserving of your vote should you choose to vote for them.

J.P. Devine: It's an Irish Thing - April 7, 2019

April 02, 2019 18:39 - 6 minutes - 9.4 MB

Joe Biden, the hail fellow and well met Irishman, strides along inhaling hair as his Democrat competitors nip at his heels and the Republicans sing hymns, says J.P. Devine.

J.P. Devine: Ancient Chinese things are complicated — March 31, 2019

March 25, 2019 20:19 - 5 minutes - 8.05 MB

But that doesn't mean things can't work out for people born in a Year of the Pig and a Year of the Dog or for the Dog-born Trump either, says J.P. Devine.

J.P. Devine: J.P. Devine: Bernie and Beto, the sunshine boys running for president — March 24, 2019

March 20, 2019 19:35 - 5 minutes - 8.28 MB

Casting about for Democrat men to play the role of president, J.P. Devine likes the Jimmy Stewart knockoff Beto O'Rourke from El Paso, Texas, and the Vermonter with the Brooklyn accent Bernie Sanders.

J.P. Devine: An ornament to hang on Padraig's day - March 17, 2019

March 15, 2019 17:34 - 6 minutes - 9.1 MB

Since it's the celebration of St. Patrick's Day — his death, not his birth — J.P. decided to share his take on the many myths surrounding the holiday.

J.P. Devine: Learning to drive in Southern California - March 10, 2019

March 07, 2019 19:45 - 6 minutes - 8.71 MB

Driving lessons at age 43 took J.P. Devine in new directions and led him to meet Ramon, a Mexican-American from East L.A.

J.P. Devine: March 3, 2019

March 01, 2019 18:37 - 5 minutes - 7.69 MB

Recent debates at Waterville City Council meetings signal that we're getting a big city glamour face, J.P. Devine says.  

J.P. Devine: The curse of cursive — February 24, 2019

February 19, 2019 20:21 - 6 minutes - 8.32 MB

In the age of laptops and iPhones, memories of cursive handwriting recall a lost art that was once a pretty big deal, J.P. Devine says.

J.P.Devine: February 17, 2019

February 12, 2019 18:46 - 6 minutes - 8.87 MB

Unfortunately, this year's state of the union was uninspiring, says J.P. Devine, and the next two don't look appetizing unless some changes are made.

J.P. Devine: February 10, 2019

February 07, 2019 20:31 - 6 minutes - 9.28 MB

At the Waterville Starbucks, the mood is struck by the baristas, one of helpfulness and service, but also of warmth and tolerance, a combination that may well reflect the sentiment on the sign at the border: Welcome Home, says JP Devine.

J.P. Devine - February 2, 2019

February 01, 2019 19:53 - 6 minutes - 8.76 MB

Looking to declutter his abode and discard long forgotten memorabilia, J.P. Devine discovers a trove of religious object of pre-Vatican II vintage.

J.P. Devine: January 27, 2019

January 23, 2019 20:52 - 7 minutes - 10.2 MB

Reaching a warning depth of self-pity spurred J.P. Devine to return home where his sister Eileen poured a draught of hope and provided paints that paid off in dollars.

J.P. Devine: January 20, 2019

January 18, 2019 19:28 - 7 minutes - 10.3 MB

Serenity, shine and soft voices provide the setting for a big, metal box of delicious American dream, a Toyota SUV, where J.P. Devine is inspired to write.

J.P. Devine: January 13, 2019

January 07, 2019 22:07 - 6 minutes - 4.81 MB

After extended Christmas vacations, the commentators of the television world are back to satisfy the needs of news hounds with time on their hands, says J.P. Devine.

J.P. Devine: January 6, 2019

January 02, 2019 20:53 - 7 minutes - 5.04 MB

Does it smell like bacon? Does it have the aroma that accompanies a happy tune? Or is it more a feeling you get from seeing the celebrations that accompany a swing in politics to what you yourself espouse, says J.P. Devine.

J.P. Devine: The good, the bad and the ugly in 2019 - December 30, 2018

December 26, 2018 18:26 - 7 minutes - 9.8 MB

Everyone, they say, has their own dreams and scripts they favor, J.P. Devine says.

J.P.Devine: Magic, mourning of the white stuff — December 23, 2018

December 18, 2018 21:42 - 6 minutes - 9.38 MB

After spending many Christmases around the map, it’s easy to appreciate the enchantment of winter in Maine, J.P. Devine says.

J.P. Devine: Donald's letter from Santa's helper — December 12, 2018

December 11, 2018 18:58 - 6 minutes - 9.46 MB

Flash: Private correspondence from the secretary of a red-suited violator of borders to POTUS 45 has been leaked to the dark forces of the press, says J.P. Devine.

J.P. Devine: Hope in a big red suit — December 9, 2018

December 05, 2018 14:26 - 5 minutes - 7.76 MB

Make no mistake: Santa Claus, the one who popped a cap off a bottle of Coca-Cola after delivering the presents, is the big fella closest to his heart, says J.P. Devine.

J.P. Devine: Searching for the next best-seller — December 2, 2018

November 30, 2018 22:17 - 5 minutes - 8.09 MB

J.P. Devine says that he has second thoughts on his next book, tentatively titled “Everybody I Know Is Dead,” and considers an alternative — or two.

J.P. Devine: Thanksgiving from birth to now remembered — November 25, 2018

November 21, 2018 16:16 - 7 minutes - 9.95 MB

J.P. Devine lists several notable instances when life has seated him at a variety of tables at Thanksgiving, since 1932.

J.P. Devine: Blue is my Favorite Color — November 18, 2018

November 13, 2018 19:45 - 6 minutes - 9.31 MB

Not a midnight blue, but a “Blessed Mother Blue,” as Sister Rosanna would say, sweeping into the halls of legislatures and executive offices, including a growing number of women, says J.P. Devine.

J.P. Devine: Live from Canada — November 11, 2018

November 07, 2018 21:28 - 6 minutes - 9.06 MB

With no cable or internet available in remote Canada, the results of the election have yet to reach J.P. Devine, who is checking out yurts with hot plates should the vote go the wrong way.

J.P.Devine: Darkness at noon musings — November 4, 2018

October 31, 2018 14:03 - 7 minutes - 9.94 MB

Nature’s seasonal darkness is descending, made even darker and scarier by the coming midterm elections, but we can turn on the lights of truth, J.P. Devine says.

Books

Darkness at Noon
2 Episodes
A Christmas Story
1 Episode