The family histories are 929s, and the town histories are 974s. Knowing that will help you navigate facilities such as Bangor Public Library and Maine State Library in Augusta. But Special Collections at the University of Maine’s Fogler Library in Orono has its own numbering… Read More
After a while you get the feeling the solar system is a pretty strange place. Not only from looking at otherworldly pictures of moons and planets sent from spacecraft, but also because scientists say so. At least a half-dozen objects, probably more, have been described… Read More
Old newspaper editors don’t fade away – they just keep on playing editor. Thus it is that I find myself doing mental edits of strange things I hear on television newscasts these days. Sentences that surely make strict grammarians wince in pain are being cranked… Read More
Our nation is facing two crises – high energy costs and deteriorating credit markets – both of which require congressional action. Congress should not be rushing to adjourn without carefully considering and passing legislation to address each crisis. Congress is continuing to work to correct… Read More
America has always been a beacon of hope and opportunity, where anyone who works hard can get ahead. That was certainly true for my family. My father was a janitor at Colby College and my mother worked in a textile mill after immigrating to the U.S. at the… Read More
Although some days some of us may find it unfortunate, it isn’t legal to kill someone simply because he’s an SOB. If it were, chances are 48-year-old Carol Graves wouldn’t have spent a day in jail. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
James, born in 1993, likes to watch sports games. His favorite sports are basketball, soccer, and football. He likes to play football at recess with his friends. James also enjoys spending time at camp. In the winter he likes to ice fish and snowmobile. In… Read More
The Millinocket Community Garden of Hope, wrote Jan Moore, will be a Pink Tulip Garden “in honor of all the women who have touched our lives who have been affected by breast cancer.” The Women’s Fellowship of the First Congregational Church of Millinocket has ordered… Read More
The U.S. Department of Energy has just published (on Sept. 17) the mix of energy sources to generate U.S. electricity: coal, 49.5 percent; nuclear, 19.6 percent; natural gas, 19.2 percent; oil, 1.8 googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
There are some things that are trade secrets that people use in their day-to-day life and business. Mine is physics. Not the Albert Einstein, E=mc2 type of theoretical, lots-of-math-and-calculus physics, but rather the observed day-to-day stuff that we all tend to take for granted. One… Read More
Big plastic flowers that look like they’re buttons. Sleek silver spoon bands that hardly cost nothin’ googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if… Read More
What is your favorite song? Anybody who is anybody has a favorite song. I would call it a flat-footed tie between “Midnight Hour” by Wilson Pickett, “Hold on, I’m Comin'” by Sam and Dave or possibly Aretha’s “Chain of Fools.” When I once sang that… Read More
Is religion responsible, at least in part, for the ongoing collapse of the private financial sector in America? Unrestrained greed has proven once again that the “invisible hand” of unregulated economics is, if anything, the devil’s hand – justifying unbridled avarice as the scheming alternative to the generous… Read More
As a boy growing up in rural Alabama, just across the Chattahoochee River from Columbus, Ga., I often spent my late summer afternoons following an English setter through a cornfield. We would go into the corn, Prissy and I, at the edge of the pasture that came with… Read More
It was a while ago, but you may recall that I asked for a recipe for Butter Tarts. This is a Canadian sweet, one that my Ontario-born husband fondly remembered from his youth and he requested it especially. Mostly, truth be known, I hate making tarts, all that… Read More
Are you one of those people who can never get enough good weather, free time or money? If so, you’ve probably spent the recent fine weather weekends accomplishing end-of-summer outdoor chores, with a smidgen of playtime thrown in. The last thing you were going to do is spend… Read More
“Forgetting Sarah Marshall” DVD, Blu-ray: A romantic comedy about getting dumped by the love of your life. Where are the laughs in that, you say? They’re in here. The film follows all of the heartbreaking ugliness that occurs when Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) decides to end her 5-year… Read More
This week, editorial page readers commented on the U.S. Senate race between Susan Collins and Tom Allen and the financial crisis. To participate in the discussion or to see more of the answers to this week’s questions go to bangordailynews.com, pull down on the Opinion tab and look… Read More
Maine Coast Memorial Hospital has chosen to take its contract dispute with Anthem Insurance public. In so doing the hospital clearly is hoping for public support for its position. What are the issues? Health care in Maine is relatively expensive for many reasons, such as… Read More
Trade union spokesmen and their political allies are flat wrong when they say the North American Free Trade Agreement and free trade deals like the pending agreements with Colombia, Korea and Panama harm the United States. Contrary to Wendell Rafford’s complaints about Sen. Susan Collins’… Read More
Oh, I’d say I’ve lived just about everywhere in North and South America by now,” Skyfox told me. “But I’ve lived on the border longer than anywhere else.” Just crossing the threshold of Skyfox’s house, four miles north of the Mexican border in Arizona, is… Read More
Multiple myeloma patients and cancer survivors Rebecca Reeve and Irene Bartlett report the 2nd Annual 5K Fall Race for Research to benefit the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation begins with registration at 9 a.m. and the walk-run at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, at Paul Bunyan Park on Main… Read More
In theaters MY BEST FRIEND’S GIRL, directed by Howard Deutch, written by Jordan Cahan, 103 minutes, rated R. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++)… Read More
Although disrupted by the Olympics earlier this season, NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” is back on track and preparing for next month’s season finale. The final five gave the performances of their lives Wednesday night in hopes of winning the $1 million Las Vegas contract, and I’m prepared to… Read More
Wonder Bread. Wonder Woman. Wonderland. I wonder as I wander, it’s a wonderful life, and after all, you’re my wonder wall. And now, ladies and gentleman, we bring you: Wonder Jam. What’s Wonder Jam? It’s a daylong music and environmental and peace activism festival, set… Read More
Our national immigration policy is broken and Congress has given up trying to fix it. Illegal immigrants now number about 12 million, and more arrive daily. In some parts of the country, they are straining the capacities of schools and hospitals. Some economists believe that… Read More
Wherever I travel across Maine, families, small businesses and other hardworking people share with me their anxiety that the growing financial crisis threatens their economic security, their savings, their dreams for their children’s education and their plans for retirement. They are frustrated that the failed policies and negligent… Read More
The Friends of the Bangor Public Library are working with volunteer trip coordinator Nancy Ziegenbein of Bangor on their first fundraising and “friend-raising” coach tour. It is planned for Sunday, Oct. 19, when you will enjoy brunch at the Samoset Resort in Rockport, then view… Read More
Maine Audubon offers a pelagic (open sea) trip every year, and it occurred last weekend. Three birders and I set our alarms for 3 a.m., left home at 3:30 in the morning, met our carpool, went to Bar Harbor and arrived there in the dark. We boarded the… Read More
(As reported in the Bangor Daily News) 10 years ago – Sept. 25, 1998 googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) {… Read More
There is nothing like a new, slightly stiff backpack, shiny notebooks filled with clean white paper waiting for your thoughts and lethally sharpened pencils to ignite the thirst for learning. While the sound of a school bell may be a faint memory, these items could still be useful… Read More
Like a surprise comet, Alaska’s Sarah Palin is shooting across the American political sky, inspiring great hope in many and an almost apocalyptic fear in others. Some see her as the epitome of a very successful, even model woman, balancing family and career and staying true to her… Read More
Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. American, you now own a few investment firms, banking and lending institutions, and a really big insurance company. What a bargain! You practically stole them. You always get a great deal when you go to those “going out of business” sales. Read More
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Maine could certainly use your help, reports program assistant Jamie Brooks. The Ellsworth organization “is partnering with area elementary schools to provide on-site mentoring for children who could use a caring friend,” Brooks wrote of the program that is… Read More
For Smokey McKeen, the newly appointed Oyster Czar for this year’s Pemaquid Oyster Festival, drowning an oyster in cocktail sauce before eating it is akin to deep-frying filet mignon and then dipping it in ranch dressing – it’s just wrong. Among his first proclamations as czar, McKeen has… Read More
I often talk to my patients in the ER a little more than I need to, mostly because I like them. Sometimes I ask them what they do for work, or if they have kids. Sometimes I ask them how they are doing in school or at home. Read More
We hear more and more discussions about improving Maine’s economy. Intrinsic to those discussions are strategies to prepare future generations of workers to compete in the global marketplaces of today and the future. The majority of this effort is placed on the education and training of Maine’s young… Read More
The Hermon Fire Department chief declined Monday to provide any information about the condition of a 14-year-old Bishop Road boy who apparently put a paint can into a fire, causing an explosion that burned him Sunday. A member of the Fire Department confirmed Sunday that… Read More
The current buzzword among those who buy fabric and sew at home is “sew green.” This is code for using textiles made of natural and renewable plant and animal fibers grown without pesticides, manufactured in a way that produces a minimum of polluting waste products and leaves a… Read More
The fourth quarter of each year is the time when charitable donations are traditionally the greatest. With that season of giving fast approaching, it’s time to take a look at the groups that ask for our money and ask them what they do with it. Read More
Does local government have a role to play in national and international issues? Or should it focus only on roads and sidewalks, school budgets and the daily details of municipal life? At the end of each Bangor City Council meeting there is a time set… Read More
Residents of Hampden, Winterport and Newburgh have an opportunity of a lifetime that could slip away without a favorable vote on Tuesday, Sept. 23. A “yes” vote will approve the building in Hampden of a new premier public high school, conceivably the best in Maine. The facility will… Read More
After the first few days in a new classroom, especially if it is in a new school in a new state, your child is likely to come home and claim he doesn’t know the names of any other students. “You can’t remember even one friend’s… Read More
A 14-year-old Bishop Road resident was burned when he apparently put a paint can into a fire and it exploded, a member of the Hermon Fire Department confirmed Sunday afternoon. The extent of the burns and other details about the incident were unavailable Sunday evening. Read More
FOREST FIRES RAGING ALL AROUND BANGOR, announced the lead headline in the Bangor Daily News on the morning of July 13, 1908. CINDERS FALL OVER CITY. Was the Queen City of the East doomed to a fiery death? Some thought so during that drought-ridden summer… Read More
I received a great question by e-mail the other day: Who am I supposed to track when working out family lines? Which ones matter? I say, the choice is totally up to the researcher. Follow your heart and look for the ancestors that interest you. Read More
In theaters IGOR, directed by Tony Leondis, written by Chris McKenna, 86 minutes, rated PG. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice())… Read More
As a highly trained observer, I long ago deduced that people who are prone to attach a sticker to the bumper of their motor vehicle can almost never stop at one. The operating mantra of these unfortunate addicts seems to be that one good bumper… Read More
As the presidential campaign enters the home stretch, the battle lines have been drawn in sharp relief. Policies and, more often, personalities have been the subject of harsh and loud criticism, to the extent that it can be difficult even to hear what the opposition is saying. Read More
During the long gasoline lines and higher energy prices of the OPEC-induced energy crisis almost 30 years ago – with the Vietnam War behind us and with the economy in a downturn – I suggested that what was needed to revitalize the American economy was what frequently had… Read More
Three years ago when Jeff Wahlstrom was elected to the Bangor School Committee, he had high hopes of bringing a fresh voice to the table and effecting changes to a committee that some felt worked in a bubble, disregarding the voices of parents and taxpayers. Read More
Matthew is an engaging, friendly child who is full of smiles and loves to laugh. Born in 2000, Matthew enjoys many activities consistent with most boys his age: SpongeBob, arts and crafts, and learning about insects. Although Matthew may be small in stature, his soft-spoken voice, charming personality… Read More
Denmark is often cited for its 25 percent use of wind energy. This can be misunderstood. The great bulk of wind energy generated in Denmark is sold to its Scandinavian neighbors: Sweden, Norway and Finland. They have strong hydroelectric systems that can buffer the uncertain energy from the… Read More
Let’s review the obvious. Since it is getting cooler way too soon at night, I thought I should talk about some ways to save money when heating with oil. We have beaten to death the idea of using a wood or wood pellet stove as… Read More
For once, and perhaps the only time, Heidi Klum and I have something in common. Unfortunately, it’s not dress size, salary or modelesque looks. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i… Read More
I’ve got seawater in my blood,” said David Blanchard recently, as he cradled Jake, his American cocker spaniel, in his arms. Pointing to ship models and ships’ clocks that he builds and repairs in his Camden workshop, Blanchard said: “The rich seafaring tradition that I was brought up… Read More
My new psychiatrist, Dr Jerald Block, seems to think I have a problem with addiction. He could be right. After all, it starts at 6 a.m. and normally runs, intermittently, until 10 p.m. when The New York Times finally releases its daily crossword puzzle. It… Read More
Chocolate zucchini cake is pretty variable, it appears. A couple weeks ago, we offered a dark, rich zucchini cake recipe that came from two readers. Today’s offering is more like a sweet bread than the earlier version. Six readers sent along the same recipe for… Read More
“Blow” Blu-ray: Here is a movie about the deglamorization of glamorous people living it up in the presumably glamorous world of drugs. Based on real-life drug smuggler George Jung (Johnny Depp), a boring dope from Massachusetts who ruled the cocaine market in the United States during the 1970s… Read More
Editorial page readers had some strong views about the upcoming election and the recent hurricanes. How do you choose a president – policies, personality, character, experience or judgment? googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner =… Read More
I was told while growing up that this is a nation of opportunity. Today, in Aroostook County, opportunities are fewer and further between. I’ve worked at the Irving Forest Products Pinkham sawmill in Nashville Plantation for the past 32 years. I’ve lived in the Masardis-Ashland… Read More
After just a few weeks in the Arizona-Sonora Desert, I realized I had learned the smell of water. It rains on average just 3 to 15 inches a year here; The cacti hoard the moisture, turning flowers hopefully to the sky. Hiking through the scorched canyons, I found… Read More
Get the popcorn ready because this is going to be a wild reality weekend. That’s right, it’s time for the Emmy Awards, and in past years reality shows have made a fair showing, but this year we’ve got a writer’s strike on our side. I… Read More
In theaters THE WOMEN, written and directed by Diane English, 114 minutes, rated PG-13. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) {… Read More
It takes guts to get up in front of a crowd and play music. Even if you’ve been doing it for decades and it “ain’t no thang,” it still takes a healthy dose of self-confidence to put yourself out there. Hey, I try to do it sometimes. I’m… Read More
As usual, the national political conventions pulsed with harsh rhetoric and wild claims. But both parties and their candidates shed little light on the most important single qualification that’s needed to bring this country out of the dark passage of George W. Bush: leadership. The… Read More
In the 1981 movie “Absence of Malice” a frightened young woman whose secret has been exposed by an aggressive reporter tiptoes up the sidewalks of residential Miami in the early morning, gathering freshly delivered newspapers from the doorsteps in a desperate effort to put the stopper back in… Read More
The cost of heating a home this winter is expected to be higher than at any time in recent memory. In preparation, many Mainers have tightened their homes through energy audits, and others have started using alternative heating methods, but the reality is that prices… Read More
Fran Mitchell called me up and said there was a big, dark bird and it was always sitting on the utility lines next to the former site of Home Depot. She saw it every day as she was going to work at Shaw’s Supermarket, in the vicinity of… Read More
Sometimes in my travels I hear, “Oh, I’ve heard of your agency. Just what do you do exactly?” My answer is always, “Oh, we do so much for seniors, adults living with disabilities and their caregivers.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
Last weekend the Massachusetts School of Law sponsored a forum. Some of the country’s greatest legal minds were there. Among them also were one or two brilliant Brits. They convened to discuss “Planning for the Prosecution of High Level American War Criminals.” The headliner of… Read More
I live in Lamoine. This budget season, we learned again the value of direct democratic participation in our school and budget. Twice since May, our school committee proposed a school budget. Twice it passed overwhelmingly at town meeting. And twice, under new state law rules, it was voted… Read More
Books and cooks If you count yourself as both a foodie and a bookworm, then you should probably head down to next weekend’s Maine Cooks! event, set for 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, at Mr. Paperback in Belfast. Four Maine authors will be on hand… Read More
What to make of Sarah Palin? Even some of my lifelong Republican neighbors are shocked by the choice, but she inspires enthusiasm among others. The pundits – even those on the left – have also expressed a broad range of views. Michael Tomasky of the… Read More
That John McCain endured five years as a POW in Vietnam is admirable, but determination and guts alone do not qualify him to be president of the United States. His judgment is all over the political map these days, though over the past eight years he voted with… Read More
Fall is the time to gather in the fruits of one’s labor. Nowhere in this many-splendored season is there a better time or place to celebrate that concept than at the Common Ground Country Fair, Friday through Sunday, Sept. 19-21, at the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association… Read More
Q: My daughter wrote a check to herself on my checkbook for $3,000 and forged my name, and the bank cashed it. This caused other checks to bounce. The bank says it’s not their fault, and won’t reimburse me, but aren’t they responsible for making sure the signature… Read More
Dishonest people try all kinds of tactics to steal our money. We’ve talked about a number of them in this column, from Nigerian scams to work-at-home schemes. It’s bad enough when these people try to take our hard-earned dollars. When they try to scare us… Read More
Political advertisements about the Employee Free Choice Act, sometimes called “card check,” are burning up the airwaves in Maine. Think it’s just another squabble between the left and the right? You’re wrong. If card check passes, it would be a sweeping change in labor law… Read More
Until you’ve moved to a completely different area of the country, you might not realize the nuances you’ve become accustomed to in your home region. If you’ve lived your entire life in Alabama, for instance, grits are as much a part of breakfast as orange juice. If you’ve… Read More
Air Force Airman Patricia L. Morris has graduated from basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio. She is the granddaughter of Jesse Morris of Bangor. Read More
Since Bangor Community Theatre has not put on a show for a while, wrote board member Stephanie Erb, “we are trying to get the word out about this one in order to make it a success.” A success it should be, since the show is… Read More
BY DANA WILDE OF THE NEWS STAFF googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0] googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
Voting must have seemed more important to Mainers (male Mainers, at least) a century ago than it does today. The polls opened at 6 a.m. On the day on which the election for state offices was held – Sept. 14, 1908 – the Bangor & Aroostook Railroad delayed… Read More
It’s a compliment when people who attend your meeting say they want more time to look at the displays. That’s the comment that organizers of Maine Old Cemetery Association meetings are hearing – and they’re listening. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
In theaters BURN AFTER READING, written and directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 96 minutes, rated R. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++)… Read More
Asters start appearing everywhere in August hereabouts and go well into fall. The biggest and brightest are the sunflowers, leaning east to west from morning to night and soaking up sunlight with big yellow-gold wheels that look for all the world like stars, which is… Read More
The Associated Press news story in Monday’s newspaper was every bit as bewildering to me upon reading it the second time as it was on the first go-around, and I suspect that other readers may have been puzzled as well. In a situation that had… Read More
Listen to people talking now and what you hear are discussions about getting fire wood or installing a wood pellet stove or shutting off rooms in a house. There’s no talk about late summer picnics or days at the beach. Maine people are spending the… Read More
I have been a Republican most of my life, but after watching the Bush administration commit itself to a failed path over the last eight years, I do not believe America can take four more years of the same. From our nation’s security, to our energy policy, to… Read More
During elementary and middle school my daughter took a risk every time she raised her hand or was chosen randomly to read aloud in her classroom. She’s dyslexic, and as much as she wanted to read out loud to her class like so many of… Read More
When you think of siblings, perhaps several words spring to mind – bickering, arguing, playing, laughing, running, tattletaling, loving and hating, and lots of energy. Meet Zachary and Essence, brother and sister, friend and rival, separated by approximately 15 months in age, yet sharing a… Read More
Army Pvt. Vincent W. Tourville has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. Tourville is a 2004 graduate of Maine Central Institute, Pittsfield. Read More
Barbara Fister, executive director of My Friend’s Place, an adult social program in Bangor, has announced the introduction of a new program, Memory Joggers, which is specifically designed for people “experiencing early memory loss,” she said. An informational meeting for Memory Joggers will be held… Read More
Do you know about Japanese knotweed? It is an invasive species that grows on disturbed soils. Many Mainers call it bamboo. It was imported into this country and is recognized as one of the world’s most invasive species. You probably know that if you have… Read More
If we exclude the United States, worldwide average electric consumption is 2,200 kilowatt-hours for each person each year. The average U.S. electric consumption is 13,000 kilowatt-hours each year for each person. Read More
Despite my fading Irish charm, plus the accelerating aches and pains, there are some days that I feel pretty good about myself. Then I hear about somebody such as, say, Simon Spurr, and I realize what a pathetic charade I am living. I know you… Read More
I was thrilled to discover my column for this month fell on the weekend of my father’s birthday. I felt a tribute to him was in order, but how do you squeeze 79 years into 790 words? That’s 10 words per year, or 0.027 words per 28,835 days… Read More
It’s not the most scientific of experiments, but I believe my theory on menswear can be proved by one photo: a man strutting down the catwalk in a floral embroidered linen shorts-suit. One look at The New York Times’ fashion-week coverage, and it was clear… Read More
Don’t put 2 teaspoons of salt in the Deep Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cake and please don’t worry that something was left out. That was a hiccup. Also, that nice Janine Pineo stepped up to say that it was she who first put that wonderful cake in this paper… Read More