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By Michael Goldman
Lowell Sun
January 26, 2015

Back from my first vacation in seven years.

Of course, in honor of my friend and client Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, I took my four-day, three-night sojourn on the French side of St. Martin island in the Caribbean.

My major takeaway?

Some French men think it's cool to wear thong bathing suits, which allows them the joy of exposing their derrieres (a French word) to the rest of us.

My second major takeaway?

These men are very, very wrong.

Cool isn't the word.

Yucky (not a French word) is.

My third takeaway?

The French hate Fox News as much as I do and strongly support the mayor of Paris in her attempt to sue that news organization, claiming their coverage of the Paris bombings was "wildly inaccurate" and "wildly insulting."

By Michael Goldman
Lowell Sun
January 4, 2015

I've reached the point in my life where I check the death notices almost every day, in large part to make sure I myself didn't make the list.

As I approach my 50th high-school reunion, however, I always assume it is possible to occasionally see the name of a former classmate or two, or maybe the name of some old colleague from the past, listed.

This is how I found the name of Mike Ralph a couple of months ago. Ralph, a former aide to House Speaker Tip O'Neill, for whom I also once worked, was later a longtime senior administrator at the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority.

I hadn't seen or heard from Mike in decades, but seeing his name gave me pause anyway, both because he was a very good man with whom I had shared some pretty good times, and because he was yet one more person I once knew who was no more.

By Michael Goldman
Lowell Sun
December 29, 2014

Trust me. You can take these to the bank. In 2015, I predict neither Mitt Romney nor Elizabeth Warren will announce a run for president, but Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton will.

In 2015, I predict the Republicans will continue to be on the wrong side of history when it comes to immigration reform, global warming and Cuba, just like they were on the wrong side in the past on Social Security, the minimum wage and equal pay for equal work.

In 2015, I predict The Interview will become one of the top grossing films of the year.

By Michael Goldman
Lowell Sun
12/01/2014

Part one of my list of best reads for the year ahead is loaded with books from the past as well as books published just this year.

For example, the best single volume examining the entire American Revolutionary remains The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789 by Robert Middlekauff, which was first published in 1985. If you've never read it, and are interested in this era of American history, you should.

That said, there was a great addition to the history of that extraordinary period just this year.