“Hulk” Blu-ray: Unlike this summer’s “The Incredible Hulk,” Ang Lee’s 2003 version is a long-winded disappointment that only finds its footing at the end – but by that time, it might as well be wearing clogs. This is a movie whose few gripping moments and technically superb set… Read More
I guess you have to call me just plain plum lucky. This year, when a scrubby shrub in my garden surprised me by bearing beech plums for the first time, I had a friend on hand to teach me how to make jam from them. Read More
The arborvitae Thuja occidentalis, a tree called cedar in Maine, can live for 300 years and lift its horizontal branches 60 feet or more into the sky. Its roots are anchored firmly in Maine’s past. In “The Maine Woods,” Thoreau described how Native Americans constructed… Read More
David S. Nealley has joined Webster Atlantic-Bangor Metro as chief operating officer. His primary functions are to facilitate current business activity and develop new business. Nealley has eight years of experience as an investment adviser. Previously he served for eight years as general manager of Snow and Nealley,… Read More
The process for consideration of Plum Creek’s Moosehead Lake development plan has gone badly astray and would set a dangerous precedent that Maine people would live with for years to come. That’s the substance of what I and seven other attorneys with decades of experience with Maine’s environmental… Read More
Editorial page readers had strong opinions about Sarah Palin and expressed them at the ClickBack section of the BDN Web site, bangordailynews. com. They also felt strongly about our question about the so-called elite liberal media. A selection of comments posted at the ClickBack page follows. Read More
Hold on, y’all. This might be bumpy.” The dozen passengers of the red pickup truck affectionately dubbed “the Roja” braced themselves as the road approached a creek bed in southern Arizona. The truck tipped into the gulch, tires growling against the gravel, then climbed back out triumphantly under… Read More
Director Michele Hall has announced Bangor Area Children’s Choir auditions will be held 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 540 Essex St., Bangor. Singers passing this audition return for a group audition from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, at the… Read More
Black Kids “Partie Traumatic” 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 var slot_sizes… Read More
On DVD and Blu-ray disc THE VISITOR, written and directed by Tom McCarthy, 103 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++) {… Read More
As I was leaving Wal-Mart on Wednesday morning with a cart full of groceries and other necessities, I experienced something rare in today’s fast-paced society. A little girl was walking beside her mother’s cart through the parking lot, one hand gripping the side so as not to get… Read More
Ryan Montbleau doesn’t travel with a tour rider, per se. The man and his band may crisscross the country several times a year, but they aren’t exactly Led Zeppelin. They won’t start chucking TVs off hotel balconies if they don’t have, say, three bottles of each flavor of… Read More
With so many issues facing us in a heated presidential campaign, including worries about the economy, the Iraq war, the housing markets and taxes, access to health care for children is one issue that’s at risk of being forgotten. Many working families in Maine do… Read More
The pro-life, pro-choice controversy continues to be a hot political topic, one of the most personal and passionately held views for so many women and men on both sides of the issue. From personal observation over the years, I can relate that some of the most passionate pro-life… Read More
What a wonderful program Belfast Garden Club president Diane Allmeyer-Beck and club members have for this week’s BGC Open Garden Day. Nan Cobbey reports that from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12, you can visit the gardens of Troy Howard Middle School, where… Read More
Do you know any curious student who delights in taking apart a mechanical apparatus and leaving the parts strewn over the kitchen table? I will admit to being such a child, and sometimes I did get all the parts back together and the device working again, but I’m… Read More
Recently, I went to Islesboro, an island in Penobscot Bay, to visit a college friend and her husband. I do this every year, and it’s a wonderful social event. They give dinners and I get to meet their friends. Additionally, they organize a bird walk, and that is… Read More
As summer dissolves into memory, it is time to think about taxes. Lest you think I have lost my calendar, let me assure you I am not referring to income taxes, but to tax and rent refunds from the Maine Revenue Service. The Maine Residents… Read More
Every so often, we should look back and remember those who have made history. Such as Dred Scott, the black man who lived for years, up north, with the white people who “owned” him. Because he lived in a state where slavery was illegal, Scott… Read More
A 21-year-old Veazie man was caught attempting to steal gasoline from a vehicle on State Street on Sept. 3, but he was not taken to jail because he had left his children home alone, Sgt. Keith Emery of the Veazie Police Department said Tuesday. Mark… Read More
Historic Harmony Hall on Kennebec Road in Hampden will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, for an indoor yard sale to benefit the Christina Parrish Medical Fund, reports Hampden Garden Club member Martha Whitehouse. Whitehouse wrote that her neighbor “is… Read More
Fair pub fare Paddy Murphy’s, the popular downtown Bangor restaurant and pub, retooled its menu recently, thanks to new chef Stephanie Reynolds. It reflects the establishment’s Irish aesthetic even more than before, with the addition of such items as scotch eggs (eggs, ground beef and… Read More
In my hometown of Millinocket, this was a difficult Labor Day. More than 200 workers at the Katahdin paper mill will be laid off as the mill closes in the coming days. The closure of this mill is devastating not only for workers but for the entire community. Read More
As the father of daughters, I agree we should keep our public mitts off Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s pregnant 17-year-old daughter. That pregnancy, however, injects a dose of reality into modern political debates that has been missing for a long time. The pregnancy is not our… Read More
An Old Town man was arrested Sunday afternoon and charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol after he allegedly abandoned his motorcycle on a neighbor’s lawn. According to a spokesman from the Old Town Police Department, the department received a call at about… Read More
The list of auction items is impressive, reports organizer Angela Conrad, who invites you to Bid Against Cancer beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at Sea Dog Brewing Co. on the Bangor Waterfront. The event, which benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, features a… Read More
I hate to say this – it’s not too soon to be thinking about keeping warm this winter. The fact is, given the dastardly news about the high cost of heating in the coming cold months, it’s time to make certain enough warm woolies will be on hand,… Read More
During this active hurricane season, our hearts go out to people who have lost loved ones, homes and property. Before we open our wallets, we should take a hard look at those who solicit funds in the name of helping storm victims – they may be simply helping… Read More
Doris Watkins’ letter, “Two-way street” (BDN, Aug. 27), regarding Lee Academy’s expansion into China, suggested some great ideas for cross-educating students in both countries. So, I felt it would be helpful to better explain the school’s agreement with the Chinese and our plans for the future. Read More
The high price of fuel is changing how we think about commuting. I remember in 1980 reading Alvin Toffler’s prediction that the price of petroleum-based fuel would increase while the cost of ever more sophisticated telecommunication tools would decrease. At some point, said Toffler, it would make no… Read More
This is the first time I am writing to you from my new home in Bangor, Maine. “My new home in Bangor, Maine”; I’m still getting used to that. Likewise, my boys are at the moment running up and down the sidewalk in fleece sweat… Read More
What a challenge is being set before the community by Bertha Mahon, acting director of the Bangor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center Auxiliary. Mahon is coordinating the effort to resurrect this organization that for many, many years was directed by such capable and outstanding leaders as… Read More
Poor Eugene Powers. Like most notable actors of yesteryear, he has been forgotten. His memory has been so erased by the cruel passage of time that the keepers of the State House art collection almost forgot who he was, or so it seemed from recent comments in the… Read More
In the 1900 census for Oxbow Plantation in Aroostook County, Canadian-born William Atkins, 42, is listed as a taxidermist. The census enumerator could have gone on and on – hunter, trapper, guide and founder of sporting camps at the Millinocket Lake above what is now Baxter State Park,… Read More
BANGKOK DANGEROUS, directed by the Pang brothers, written by Jason Richman, 98 minutes, rated R. File it under “What was he thinking?” And then file that file in the trash. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
The recent one-year anniversary of the tragic bridge collapse in Minnesota once again brought attention to the inability of many states to keep up with the cost of maintaining their roads and bridges. This becomes an even more serious problem in many parts of northern and eastern Maine,… Read More
When the governor of Hawaii delivered her agonizingly slow-paced speech in support of Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin at the Republican national convention Wednesday evening, the delegates in the St. Paul convention hall literally cheered her every sentence. “I once attended a conference with Gov. Read More
On Aug. 6 the world took pause. Sixty-three years ago the United States became the first, and – so far – only country in history to detonate an atomic bomb in anger. The bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima and another on Nagasaki a couple days… Read More
Yesterday I talked to a woman named Cinnamon Sweets. She was hesitant about letting me print her name, but agreed since it was also the name of her escort service and since she did nothing illegal and she had been running this respectable business in the Bangor area… Read More
Eric is a young boy, born in 1995, with a big heart and a great smile. Eric is fun to be around. He does great impersonations that will surely get you laughing. On top of that, Eric is incredibly caring. He will go out of… Read More
Tuesday Forum vice president and membership chair Melissa Huston extends an invitation to area working women to “Meet Us for Lunch,” at noon Tuesday, Sept. 9, at the Muddy Rudder Restaurant in Brewer. “Tuesday Forum is a women’s networking organization designed to provide professional and… Read More
This whole high-cost energy thing happened before, back in the 1970s when my wife and I rented a home in Stockton Springs after I got out of college. Oil was skyrocketing to 28 cents a gallon and we were all frantic. Back then, there was… Read More
Don’t believe T. Boone Pickens when he claims his wind farm will supply 20 percent of U.S. electricity in 2030. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that in 2030 the United States will need 1 billion kilowatts of electric generation capacity to provide about 5,000 billion kilowatt-hours of… Read More
My timing couldn’t be worse. Blame it on the weather – and why not? I’ve been blaming everything from my lack of exercise to my horrendous tomato plants on that rainy spell we had a few weeks back. But my yen for autumn trends started… Read More
Main and Limerock. My friends are an undependable lot, prone to being fashionably late or, in the case of Jefferson Phil, not showing up at all. So I arrange to meet them, when I must, at bars and restaurants where, truth be told, I don’t… Read More
Has summer’s end got you down? Is romance waning, too? Does a hard look at your budget make you quake? Does a new enterprise scare you? Do you feel like a loser at the game of life? Your challenges may be real – and really… Read More
“Baby Mama” DVD, Blu-ray: Goes down like a tall bottle of warm Similac – and that’s a good thing. Tina Fey is Kate Holbrook, a successful, 37-year-old businesswoman living the high life with a barren womb. Since she can’t have children, she goes to an agency that specializes… Read More
You all have been very generous with your zucchini bread and cake recipes. It is an interesting lot. I heard from 11 of you and have six unique recipes, since one of those was repeated four times. I plan to do two weeks of recipes because as it… Read More
Cornell horticulture professor Mark Bridgen has a list of 87 plant species that he will guarantee deer will not eat. His list, published in American Nurseryman (Aug. 15, 2008), is based not on scientific research but on 22 years of gardening in Connecticut and New York. Read More
Rep. Tom Allen, a Maine Democrat, is already airing television advertisements in his uphill battle to unseat Sen. Susan Collins in November. He’s working hard. But if Maine voters are going to hear what he’s doing, and hear what he thinks Collins isn’t doing in Washington, he’ll have… Read More
News reports have indicated that a large-scale war maneuver called Operation Brimstone took place from July 21 to 31 off the U.S. east coast. According to Stephen Lendman, writing at www.populistamerica.com, the operation was carried out by a joint task force of warships mostly from the U.S. but… Read More
Since 9-11 Islamic terrorists have been debating grand strategy. Osama bin Laden theorized that the United States would crumble after a series of spectacular attacks. In a recent book published by al-Qaida theoretician Skeik Abu-Bakar Naji, Naji advocates a new, more diabolical strategy. He suggests… Read More
As I sit with Andrea in her small house on Calle Chopo, talking about her family members in Maine, she suddenly looks at her watch. It is almost 7 o’clock in the evening. “Hang on,” she tells me. “I have to get out my job.”… Read More
A Bangor man driving a motorcycle alone on Pierce Road in Brewer was severely injured Thursday evening when his bike went off the roadway and he struck a telephone pole. “The injuries were serious and significant,” Brewer police Lt. Chris Martin said Thursday. “He suffered… Read More
Army National Guard Pvt. Timothy R. Corry has graduated from the Infantryman One Station Unit Training at Fort Benning, Columbus, Ga. The training consists of Basic Infantry Training and Advanced Individual Training. Corry is the son of Mike Brooks of W. Burrough Road, Bowdoin, and… Read More
Brandon A. Joy has joined the United States Army under the Delayed Entry Program. A 2008 graduate of Glen Oak High School, Canton, Ohio, Joy has reported to Fort Benning, Columbus, Ga., for basic training in 2008. He is the son of Tammy Moorehead of… Read More
Conductor Joshua Schmersal and members of Bangor Community Chorus “extend a cordial invitation to women and men of all ages and voice ranges to attend the BCC Guest Night,” which begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9, at First United Methodist Church, 703 Essex St., Bangor, wrote Carolyn… Read More
On DVD and Blu-ray disc MARRIED LIFE, directed by Ira Sachs, co-written by Sachs and Oren Moverman, 91 minutes, 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… Read More
It finally happened. Howie Mandel crowned the first $1 million winner on Monday’s episode of “Deal or No Deal.” It doesn’t seem like it has been three years since the game show first came to our television screens, but it really has taken that long for someone to… Read More
Paul Waring wasn’t working on the railroad or the chain gang when he started singing the blues. He was doing it Pine Tree State style. Back to that same old place – sweet home Brooklin, Maine. Waring is the guitarist and lead vocalist for the… Read More
It’s hard to believe the general election is just two months away. The Bangor city clerk’s office has been preparing since January. All indications point to a busy election season … but we’ll be ready. You need to be ready, too. In Bangor, we are… Read More
Mobile dental vans have never worked, regardless of gas prices, hard economic times, shortages of dentists or low MaineCare reimbursement rates. Vans simply aren’t cost effective especially in northern climates. I was the director of the Bangor Children’s Dental Clinic for 32 years as well… Read More
There is great news for supporters of the FUTURE MSAD 3 Golf Tournament planned for Saturday, Sept. 13, at Country View Golf Club on Route 7 in Brooks. And that news is the field of 18 teams is already full, Barrie Fernald wrote. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
Eastern Area Agency on Aging is governed by a dedicated board of directors, some of whom have been with us for many years. But term limits instituted a few years ago mean these wonderful people are leaving. “We will miss them,” said Noelle Merrill, executive… Read More
Last weekend I finally got a chance to explore a small stream in Mattamiscontis, near Lincoln. I had admired the stream often from a bridge, but I didn’t dare explore it by myself in my tippy little canoe. Over the years, I had observed two… Read More
Winter is fast approaching. Time is running out. We need to identify and implement a solution to the heating oil crisis. With the Farmers’ Almanac now projecting a colder than normal winter season ahead, efforts to make heating oil more affordable cannot sit on the back burner. Read More
The first time I can remember feeling personally insulted by a political commentator was back in 1988. It was the Republican Convention and they named George H.W. Bush their nominee for president. He chose the little-known Dan Quayle as his running mate and some wonk commentator said that… Read More
The public has an opportunity to help raise funds for the Warren Center for Communication & Learning by participating in what Mary-Anne Saxl describes as a “Don’t Cook: Eat Out” day during regular business hours, Thursday, Sept. 4, at UNO’s at the Bangor Mall. Saxl… Read More
Kitchen athletes If food were an Olympic sport, we’d have some serious contenders for the gold right here in Maine. Bangor’s next Ultimate Chef will be crowned later this month, after the final two rounds of the Chamber of Commerce-sponsored competition are held Sept. 15… Read More
There have been some major developments in the presidential race recently, namely Barack Obama named Joe Biden as his running mate and officially accepted the nomination. Joe Biden is a great pick. He’s a good match for Obama, who shares Biden’s working-class roots. Like Obama,… Read More
Another Labor Day has passed. If you were lucky, this was a day of leisure. For many Maine workers, however, the day and the summer revolved around work. Why do so many work so hard and with what consequences? Hard work is supposed to be… Read More
September is National Sewing Month. There won’t be parades and fireworks to mark those weeks, but there are many things one can do to celebrate – besides buying more fabric, thread and gorgeous buttons. For example: googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
Q: My brother from California was visiting me here in Maine over the holidays and was charged with an OUI and has a court date here in Maine next month. Of course he’s gone back home. His job requires him to drive and he can’t risk losing his… Read More
Last week’s announcement that three dams on the lower Penobscot River have been purchased from PPL signifies clearance of one major hurdle in the auspicious plan to restore 1,000 miles of world-class salmon spawning territory. It is the result of a perfect storm of cooperation over many years. Read More
Every day in Maine, seven people die from tobacco use, one of whom is a nonsmoker who has been exposed to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals and more than 50 cancer- causing agents. There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Even… Read More
This week, I was in Pensacola, Fla., for the release of my new book, “I’m Just Saying … .” I left Pensacola in June, after having lived there for five years (unusual for a military family). My return was an enlightening experience in many ways. Read More
Labor Day, for many U.S. citizens, is a day off work, but for others it is a workday, so in truth, it is a day that recognizes the contributions made by everyone who labors at any endeavor. For example, thanks to the outstanding labors of… Read More
One night last February, I was already in bed and about to fall asleep when I looked at the clock. It was just after 10:30. At 10:40, I suddenly remembered, the totality of a total eclipse of the moon was due. I have to go,… Read More
Five years after the Wright brothers took off at Kitty Hawk, Bangoreans watched the practical prospects for flight develop with great excitement as well as skepticism and trepidation. It seemed that for every report of a successful flight in an aeroplane or a dirigible, there was a report… Read More
Images of the 1881 Canadian Census are now online, free, at www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/census-1881. You can look for someone countrywide, or narrow your search by province, city or town, etc. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner =… Read More
In theaters HAMLET 2 directed by Andrew Fleming, written by Fleming and Pam Brady, 92 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
Not long after the Phoenix landed on Mars, it found indirect evidence for the existence of water. A few small pellets found in a trench dug by Phoenix’s robotic arm vanished two days after they were exposed, leading researchers to believe they were ice that vaporized in the… Read More
The amusements in watching the televised melodrama of the national conventions of this country’s two major political parties are many. One is spotting the contrived lines that have been scripted into a speaker’s performance by the professional choreographers and image makers who have labored to make the remarks… Read More
It’s hard to believe soon it will be seven years since 9-11. It is even harder to believe there are those who still think the attack was planned and executed by Iraqis and the reason we are in Iraq is “so they won’t attack us again.” Yet maybe… Read More
If Greenpeace called for more whale hunting or if a white supremacist group called for civil rights, would you question the messenger? In Maine over the past four months we have been bombarded with ads from big business out to “defend worker rights” by defeating… Read More
The start of any school year is usually met with promise and great expectation by kids and parents alike. For kids, there are new haircuts, new clothes, a new backpack and maybe some hope for a fulfilling new year. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
Born in 1994, James is polite and well mannered. He enjoys activities that most boys his age enjoy. Among them he lists video games, television and being outside as favorites. James has an ambitious goal for his future: He would like to develop video games… Read More
While many of us thought the Bangor Y was already and officially one organization and that the YMCA and YWCA serving Greater Bangor had already merged, that isn’t quite true, Bangor Y Chief Executive Officer Rob Reeves told us during a meeting this week at the Bangor Daily… Read More
A typical home may have a volume of 20,000 cubic feet. At least 4,000 cubic feet per hour should be exchanged with the outdoors to control odors, humidity, etc. A kitchen or bathroom exhaust fan (60 cubic feet of air per minute) may force the induction of sufficient… Read More
One day a few years ago, I spotted one of the ugliest cats I’ve ever seen in my life. It was prowling near our property with an evil eye trained on our bird feeder. I said to my wife, “Look at that thing. It’s disgusting. It appears that… Read More
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I’m beholding, and I have to say, ShopGirl readers are the fairest of them all. A few weeks back, I asked you to tell me about your favorite beauty products. The response was overwhelming –… Read More
Guilty as charged, your honor. I admit that I am an unabashed Kennedy supporter. Always was, always will be. I was getting all misty as Ted Kennedy addressed the Democratic convention this week, for the last time. From the beginning I never had a chance. Read More
When I was a boy – I’m going back 45 years here – I hunted bobwhite quail with my father and our English setter, Priscilla. Every Saturday from November to February, we followed Prissy through South Georgia cornfields, sometimes just the two of us, more often with one… Read More
It wasn’t a sight I wanted to see. The garden seemed to have developed a dip overnight. 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
Now is the time when many have dropped off or will shortly deliver children to college. And that means it’s time to come home to the empty nest. Having faced this myself, I learned that the empty-nest experience need not be simply the emotionally sad… Read More
OK. We’ve been doing a lot of dessert lately; it’s time for some vegetables. Our garden drives the menu this time of year, and I suspect some people around this house wish there was more pasta or rice amongst all that zucchini, broccoli and green… Read More
“The Brotherhood of the Wolf: 2-Disc Director’s Cut”: Not your typical horror movie – not even close – and that’s what sells it. Loosely based on French legend, the director’s cut of this 2001 film can best be described as an 18th century version of “The Matrix” shot… Read More
These are tough times. Many people are having trouble paying for groceries, gas, health care and home heating fuel. Labor Day is traditionally a time of transition and reflection. History instructs and inspires us. One compelling lesson is the story of the Bread and Roses… Read More
This week, ClickBack asked readers about the American Folk Festival in Bangor and the potential for developing tidal power in Maine. To see the comments of editorial page readers on these and other questions, visit the BDN’s redesigned Web site and used the “Opinion” pull-down menu to find… Read More
The taxi takes us to Ana Santamaria’s house, not far from the University in Mexico where she teaches. “We just have a little bit to do today,” she says to me, turning around from the front passenger seat and smiling. “Noon to 3 or so.”… Read More