The Portland Daily Sun, Tuesday, February 8, 2011 by Daily Sun

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2011

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A domestic amnesty plan for Mainers See Bob Higgins’ column on page 4

Ironman shares nutritional tidbits See Margo Mallar’s Locavore column on page 7

Love in the Sun High school peers ﬁnd love together — The story, and for what to do on Valentine’s Day, see pages 8-9

Robert Doyle said he was a Marden’s store manager in Gray, and on many occasions, he dealt directly with then-Marden’s general manager Paul LePage. And while the content of Doyle’s blog (http://mspaulapage.blogspot.com) is meant to be strictly policy-oriented, Doyle occasionally reﬂects on LePage’s governing style. Doyle said the “Ms. Paula Page” name helps draw attention, adding that he couldn’t achieve nearly the same impact with his own identity. (DAVID CARKHUFF PHOTO)

Who is Ms. Paula Page? Blogger, former LePage employee, skewers powers that be BY DAVID CARKHUFF THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

Blogging about an old boss is nothing new. But what if that old boss happens to be the newly elected governor of Maine? Then, you coin a clever blog name, “Ms. Paula Page,” and track the legislation of the day on your website, while skewering the powers that be in Augusta, including Gov. Paul LePage. For Robert Doyle, the road to blogging under the name, “Ms. Paula Page” ran through Portland. “In Maine, you take what you can

Maine’s blogosphere roars into overdrive Republican takeover ignites left — See story on page 6 get,” Doyle said, explaining his stint as a store manager at a Marden’s store in Gray. “Originally I started out up here on Monument Square, at Loring, Short & Harmon, I ran their accounts payable

department,” Doyle said. (The company later changed owners and became Boise Cascade Office Products.) Today, living in Poland but working as a contractor across the state, Doyle finds himself in a unique position. As an employee of Paul LePage’s when they both worked at Marden’s, the salvage and surplus store that LePage helmed before his successful run for governor, Doyle can reflect on the new governor’s personality and management style. see BLOGGER page 3

Council nixes sculpture’s relocation BY MATT DODGE THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

The city council may well have sealed the fate for the controversial “Tracing the Fore” sculpture last night, voting unanimously to deny a resolution to support relocating the piece.

Without the support of the council, the Portland Public Art Committee (PPAC) must now decide whether to remove the piece from their collection or continue with plans for relocation or storage of the piece. “It’s time for us to move for-

ward and let Tracing the Fore go,” said city councilor Dave Marshall before yesterday’s meeting. Marshall, himself an artist, also serves as a member of the PPAC and sponsored the resolution.

“I’m going to ask the council to vote in the negative,” said Marshall, adding that “if it seemed like a close decision, I would want the committee to proceed [with relocation plans].” see ART page 2

Page 2 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Snubbed fans get Super Bowl tickets DALLAS — The 400 ticketholders who were denied seats at the Super Bowl Sunday when temporary bleachers erected inside Cowboys Stadium were deemed unsafe were offered free tickets to next year’s Super Bowl as guests of the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday. “We apologize to those fans that were impacted,” Goodell said during a news conference at a downtown hotel. “We are going to work with them and we are going to do better in the future. We will certainly do a thorough review and get to the bottom of why it all occurred, but we take full responsibility.” On the morning after the Packers’ 31-25 victory over the Steelers, the most sought-after figure for comment was not the Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was presented with the most valuable player award, but someone who normally is more anonymous than an offensive lineman. Eric Grubman, the NFL’s executive vice president of business operations, was called on to explain how roughly 1,250 people holding tickets for the game at Cowboys Stadium were displaced or turned away because sections of temporary bleachers were declared unsafe and unusable. The N.F.L. said that about 850 of those ticket holders were relocated to other seats in the stadium. The others were invited to watch the game on televisions inside a club at the stadium and were promised refunds by the N.F.L. worth three times the face value of their tickets, which were mostly $800 or $900 apiece. “This was an installation issue, and a failure, a shared failure, and it is as simple as that,” Grubman said. “We felt in the middle of the week that it was going to be a problem. We did not feel until the game day that we had an issue where there was a distinct possibility that we wouldn’t be able to accommodate fans.” The temporary bleachers were still under construction the afternoon of the game, Grubman said, adding, Asked why the fans in the affected seats were not made aware of the situation before they arrived at the stadium, Grubman said, “We made a judgment that we had a very good shot to be able to complete it. We made a judgment that it was the right course of action to bring the fans in, rather than discourage them, or create a sense that they wouldn’t have the information necessary.”

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– DIGEST–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Tomorrow High: 26 Low: 5 Sunrise: 6:48 a.m. Sunset: 5:03 p.m. Thursday High: 24 Low: 5

Tonight Low: 4 Record: -19 (1993) Sunset: 5:01 p.m.

“

People say they’re not like apes. Now how do you explain football then?” — Mitch Hedberg

DOW JONES 69.48 to 12,161.63 NASDAQ 14.69 to 2,783.99 S&P 8.18 to 1,319.05

LOTTERY#’S

THETIDES

DAILY NUMBERS Day 4-1-1 • 7-8-2-4 Evening 8-5-7 • 3-3-1-9

MORNING High: 1:59 a.m. Low: 8:09 a.m.

1,474 U.S. military deaths in Iraq.

records are from 3/1/74 to present

EVENING High: 2:19 p.m. Low: 8:22 p.m. -courtesy of www.maineboats.com

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Singing, Aguilera trips o’er ramparts The Green Bay Packers scored gameclinching points in a 31-25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV Sunday. The New York Times analyzed some of the other aspects of the game.

Singer muffs ‘Banner’ BY ELIZABETH A. HARRIS THE NEW YORK TIMES

The Star-Spangled Banner can be a notoriously difficult song to sing, with its broad range and piercing high notes. But usually, the lyrics work out just fine. At the opening of Super Bowl XLV, less than a minute into the song, Christina Aguilera mangled some words of the national anthem. Instead of “O’er the ramparts we watch’d, were so gallantly streaming,” Ms. Aguilera belted out, “What so proudly we watched at the twilight’s last reaming.” That line was a repeat of one she’d already sung a few seconds earlier, except with some personal embellishments, like her replacement of the word “gleaming” with “reaming.” Ms. Aguilera’s flub was heard by tens of millions of viewers. Twitter was immediately abuzz with talk of her mistake, and by the third quarter her Wikipedia page was changed to include the incident. “I can only hope that everyone could feel my love for this country and that the true spirit of its anthem still came through,”

Aguilera said in a statement after the performance, The Associated Press reported. While it may be of little comfort to Ms. Aguilera, her slip-up was less dramatic than some recent Super Bowl displays, most notably at the 2004 halftime show when Justin Timberlake tore off Janet Jackson’s top at the end of their performance. And Ms. Aguilera’s mistake is less likely to end up in court, as Ms. Jackson’s episode did, when the courts struck down a Federal Communications Commission fine against the network that broadcast the performance.

Ad bowl taps pop culture BY STUART ELLIOTT THE NEW YORK TIMES

The advertising bowl that took place inside Super Bowl XLV on Sunday offered a wild — and somewhat welcome — ride through six decades of popular culture. Thankfully, many viewers had probably fastened their seat belts before tuning in to Fox, considering that almost half the companies that bought commercial time in the game had something to do with the auto industry, among them nine car brands from A (Audi) to V (Volkswagen), along with Bridgestone, CarMax and Cars.com. The traffic jam may be another sign of the postrecession recovery on Madison Avenue, but it made for occasional diffi-

culty in distinguishing the Elantras from the Optimas. It would also have been difficult to figure out most of the 60-plus commercials without a working knowledge of Americana or, at least, access during the game to Wikipedia (if not WikiLeaks). The spots dished up a dizzying — and at times ditzy — mélange of celebrity star turns, movie references, homages to television shows, snippets of songs and even hat-tips to other spots. To fully appreciate the commercials, it helped to be at least passingly familiar with “Almost Famous,” “Back to the Future,” Roseanne Barr, Busby Berkeley, Justin Bieber, Adrien Brody, David Bowie, Diddy, the “Dogs Playing Poker” paintings, Howdy Doody, early video games, Thomas Edison and Eminem (who turned up in two spots, for Chrysler and Lipton Brisk). Also, Facebook, geeks, “Glee,” Jimi Hendrix, Faith Hill, home-improvement TV series, Timothy Hutton, Janis Joplin, Kenny G, “Lassie,” Richard Lewis, nerds, “1984” (the novel) and “1984” (the Apple commercial from the 1984 Super Bowl). Plus, Joan Rivers, silent movies, the Snickers spot from the 2010 Super Bowl, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, spy movies, “Star Wars,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” “Tiny Dancer,” “The Twilight Zone,” western movies, the “Where’s the beef?” commercial for Wendy’s and yuppies.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– LOCAL BRIEFS––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Police make weekend drug arrests in Libbytown Two people were arrested on drug charges in separate incidents over the weekend near the Amtrak station in the city’s Libbytown neighborhood, The Portland Press Herald is reporting. The first arrest happened on February 5, at around 3 p.m., when officer Thomas Reagan stopped a vehicle for running a red light, Portland Police said in a post on its Facebook page. During subsequent investigation, officers found that one of the passengers in the car, Leon Nelson, of New York City, had over 400 30 mg Oxycodone pills without a prescription. Police charged him with Class A Aggra-

vated Trafficking in Schedule W Drugs. In a second arrest at around midnight that same night, police stopped Christopher Palmer, 22, of Gray as he was walking away from the Amtrak Station on Sewell Street. The paper said Palmer was on probation and gave police a false name. Palmer was taken to Cumberland County Jail, where he was found with an ounce of crack, the paper reported.

Dead body found on Oxford St. PORTLAND — Police have asked the state medical examiner’s office to determine the cause of death of a man found dead yesterday in Portland’s Bayside neighborhood. The Press Herald said the man, who was

found on the 200 block of Oxford Street, appeared to be in his 40s. Police don’t believe foul play is involved, the paper said.

Bill aims to legalize ﬁreworks AUGUSTA — A GOP state representative from Bangor has submitted a bill to the Legislature that would make fireworks legal in Maine. The Associated Press reports that Rep. Douglas Damon’s proposal would end the state’s longstanding ban on the sale and use of consumer-grade fireworks. The proposal will come before the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee Monday, AP reports. AP says a similar bill came up in 2009 but failed to gain traction in the Democrat-controlled State House.

Tracing the Fore sculpture sparked public backlash ART from page one

SAYWHAT...

THEMARKET

3DAYFORECAST Today High: 34 Record: 51 (2009) Sunrise: 6:49 a.m.

He asked his fellow councilors to vote against the resolution. They did so Monday. At a meeting on Jan. 19, the PPAC had begun looking for a new site for the sculpture when Marshall, a member of the committee, suggested the PPAC float a resolution to the

council to gauge interest in spending more money on the maligned sculpture. “I thought it would be a good idea for the committee to check in with council before committing a lot of time and energy of a volunteer committee and city staff,” said Marshall. “There was some passing conversation

with a couple city councilors and it seemed as though there were some concerns about the idea of spending a lot of money moving Tracing the Fore,” said Marshall. The PPAC voted 7-3 in November to remove Gillies-Smith’s sculpture after an outcry from Boothby Square business see TRACING page 3

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Tuesday, February 8, 2011— Page 3

Marshall: Artwork ‘didn’t work out for us’ TRACING from page 2

owners, who circulated a petition to have the jagged-metal landscape sculpture removed. The sculpture initially cost the city $135,000 in materials, labor and artist fees — $71,000 more than the project’s original estimate. “We’re kind of at the point where we need to accept that Tracing the Fore didn’t work out for us in our collection,” said Marshall. “Outside of Marshall the public art committee, I’ve heard very few voices saying we should spend the money to relocate this,” he said. The PPAC had been exploring relocation to a site along the Fore River Parkway Trail in the northerly

open space of the Mercy Hospital campus plan on land owned by Mercy Hospital which is subject to an open space and public access easement to the City of Portland as a conditional rezoning. The likely cost to relocate the piece is expected to be in the range of $30,000 to $50,000 according to the city’s website. “The cost has already exceeded what everyone expect by far. I don’t feel as though it the best expenditure of public art funds to be relocate this piece when we have a lot of pieces in our collection that need maintenance and we have some good opportunity to add some other pieces,” said Marshall. Marshall said the money that would be required to relocate the sculpture would be better spent on future public art project, such as the Bayside Trail seating project, which aims to install unique artist-designed benches along the city’s newest walking path.

“If we decide to move forward with that, it will take up a good amount of funds,” said Marshall. Before Monday evening’s vote, councilor Cheryl Leeman said she was also wary of relocation, especially given the cost. “We have enough money invested in a failed art project,” she said, calling the $30,000 to $50,000 price tag for relocation, “outrageous.” “That’s taxpayer money, and at some point you have to be realistic,” said Leeman. “It’s like any project in the private sector of personal life, you get to pint where you need to make a decision if you keep spending money on it,” she said. “It looked good on paper, but it might be time to bite the bullet and say this didn’t work,” she said. Leeman said that ideally she would like to see a private collector or organization step in and buy the piece. “That would be a nice option,” said Leeman.

Building contractor tracks the news, lodges opinions BLOGGER from page one

“Having worked five years for Paul LePage, (I know that) he cannot temper his speech, he’s going to say what comes to his mouth first. He’s not used to somebody else having a say. When you run a company, you’re the king, what you say goes, you don’t have to have discussion, there’s no votes. He got used to that. This is a different game,” Doyle said. Doyle is perhaps not what many would picture in a blogger — he’s a bearded native Mainer whose gruff, direct style runs at odds with his genteel online pseudonym: “Ms. Paula Page.” Both on his own blog (http://mspaulapage.blogspot.com) and on a Facebook page, simply titled, “Paula Page,” Doyle seeks to “discover, discuss and disrobe the political clown parade of Politics today,” according to his blog’s slogan. Now that LePage is governor and a frequent target for bloggers, Doyle counts himself among LePage’s critics. “I started my blog at the end of December when it was official that he was the governor-elect,” Doyle said, adding that the parody name and tenor of his blog aren’t meant to be personal, however. “This isn’t anything about me, it’s about Maine, I was born here, I care about Maine,” he said. Doyle traffics in legislative links to stories that reveal what the GOP-led

Maine Legislature and new Republican governor are up to. An example is a Monday Facebook entry, which reads: “Now we get to pay for Background checks and added security details. What a waste of money. Really, Stop, just pay the bills. Stop the Waste ... cut, cut what don’t you get about cut, pay cut!!!” Doyle provides a link to a story that explains that LePage’s office issued a memo to lawmakers asking permission to open the State House on Saturdays so the governor can meet with the public. Doyle says these kinds of exercises, such as the governor’s redtape meetings — a circuit of forums about how to cut government regulation — are an unnecessary expense that fail to address real problems. Doyle said he’s wary of other LePage policies such as “subsidies” to business that leave workers on welfare and government health insurance. He said LePage is not running his governorship any differently than Marden’s, and he criticizes legislators who are trying to change the makeup of Maine’s state government. “If you want to run a government as a business, you need to change the constitution,” he said. Since the blog’s launch, Doyle has tried to straddle the political divide, linking up with a blog of the Maine Tea Party/Maine Refounders (http:// themaineteaparty.com) while attracting a host of erstwhile Democratic gubernatorial candidates to his Facebook page.

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“I’ve always been an Independent, I’m not enrolled in any party,” Doyle said. He ticked off personal gubernatorial votes, which include Republican John McKernan, Independent Angus King, Democrat John Baldacci and Independent Eliot Cutler. In this gubernatorial campaign, Doyle said he did some campaign work for Cutler — putting out signs and handing out bumper stickers. Big-business interests drive development in Maine that Doyle describes as ill suited to the Pine Tree State. “I was born here, I’ve watched the farms get paved over, I’ve watched subdivisions come in, and wondered who the hell is going to live there?” Doyle said. “Why would they want to? Maine is a wide-open state, you can go build your own house on a big plot of land.” Doyle said he has no illusions about Maine’s economy — it’s limited by the state’s geography, he noted. “It’s a place where stuff can start and be sent out and the place where stuff ends. We’re bordered by one state, another country and an ocean,”

he said. Doyle got a taste of corporate American when he worked at Marden’s. He said he went from managing personnel to working in a warehouse in Lewiston. Managing employees was something he described as frustrating due to internal politics and inequities, such as limits on what he could offer to reward employees. “Marden’s, as a mom and pop Maine business, wonderful. The idea of growth is a little different,” Doyle said. “Just like in most companies that are for profit, the top grows, the bottom just expands. Most of my employees while I was at the store were on MaineCare, were at-home moms, you’re dealing with people that can barely afford to work, working and never getting ahead.” Doyle takes issue with a top-down economy that leaves some people stranded. “It truly is a sad State of affairs, today at Hannaford a business sign see LEPAGE page 6

Page 4 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Tuesday, February 8, 2011

––––––––––––– LETTERS TO THE EDITOR –––––––––––––

Peaks Islanders should oppose secession bill, hear the other side Editor, Open letter to the 125th Legislature: Peaks Island does NOT want to secede! Dear Senators and Representatives, You will soon be asked to support and pass a bill, which we believe would: 1) create a special EXEMPTION for the community of Peak Island to BYPASS the established and carefully-considered statutory process for secession — a process that would have required the promoters of secession to garner the support of at least half of the registered island voters on the island AT THIS TIME — something which they have not been able to do. Instead, they point to an out-dated petition collected five years ago. 2) Authorize the community of Peaks Island to secede from the City of Portland. Please understand that the voters of Peaks Island have never cast a vote to secede. This whole island secession effort is being pushed NOW by a small group who has never in 20 years been able to prove that secession was financially viable. There IS another side! ON behalf of all the voters, myself included, who have moved to Peaks Island since 2005 when that out-dated petition was collected, and on behalf of MANY islanders who fervently want to REMAIN part of Portland, and NOT secede, I ask you to OPPOSE this bill. Not only has most of Peaks Island been excluded from the conversation, we have not even been permitted to SEE this bill before it was secretly submitted (to date, it has STILL not been made public, despite requests to see it). Secession is not SUPPOSED to be easy. Circumventing the established process not only robs the broader community of the opportunity to create consensus, but it establishes a destabilizing precedent, and you may soon see secession bids in your own districts as a result among wealthy neighborhoods who seek to lower their tax burden by seceding. The promoters of secession, and the media as well, have repeatedly mis-characterized various votes to explore secession as votes FOR secession (including the recent bogus Straw Poll). Let me make this very clear: Peaks Island has NEVER — EVER — voted in favor of secession. It’s a verifiable fact. Respectfully, on behalf of the community for a United Peaks. Lisa Penalver, Peaks Island

Portland’s FREE DAILY Newspaper Curtis Robinson Editor David Carkhuff, Casey Conley, Matt Dodge Reporters THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN is published Tuesday through Saturday by Portland News Club, LLC. Mark Guerringue, Adam Hirshan, Curtis Robinson Founders Offices: 181 State Street, Portland ME 04101 (207) 699-5801 Website: www.portlanddailysun.me E-mail: news@portlanddailysun.me For advertising contact: (207) 699-5801 or ads@portlanddailysun.me Classifieds: (207) 699-5807 or classifieds@portlanddailysun.me CIRCULATION: 15,100 daily distributed Tuesday through Saturday FREE throughout Portland by Spofford News Company jspofford@maine.rr.com

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– COLUMN ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The amnesty plan, non-international For reasons of my own, I’ve been checking int0 my sordid past. Living life looking over your shoulder for an unexpected surprise warrant for your arrest isn’t a fun thing. I’d been involved in so much debauchery over the years, I was quite frankly surprised to find out that there was nobody looking for me in the legal system. For many in Portland, that is the crap-shoot. You might have gone straight and given up your evil ways — but the haunting prospect of a 10-year-old warrant will still have you looking over your shoulder. We all either know that person or have even BEEN that person. A small fine in the court system, left unpaid. Then a bench warrant is issued by the courts. One day, you are driving down the road with a broken tail-light, and suddenly find yourself a guest of Sheriff Kevin Joyce down at County. Here is what I propose. The numbers folks down at the County Jail did a quick tally, and came up with a total of 604 arrest warrants for Cumberland County. According to Sheriff Joyce, and “... those numbers don’t include all the member communities like Portland and South Portland. They hold the paper warrants

Bob Higgins ––––– Daily Sun Columnist themselves, so we have no record of them here at County. There has been some talk of a central warrant repository, but that is still in the works.” That is 604 people who might run from the cops, and plow into a crowd. Every year, the Sheriff’s office has a want and warrant detail. “We tend to go after the worst ones, pick the serious cases or public safety issues, not the minimist issues.” But those minimist ones are still in the system, waiting to shock people. Why not have a general amnesty? Years back, there was an “open” computer terminal down at the courthouse. Folks could wander over to it, run their name and birthdate, and find out quickly and anonymously if they had any outstanding issues. That terminal was taken out about six budget cycles ago. Here is what I propose. Let’s get a few of the judges down at

the county courthouse, and pay them a few extra bucks for some weekend work. Let people call in, or in some way find out what the total damage is. Then, hold a “bring your own kangaroo” court, and let folks who want to start fresh in life pay off the fines they owe, for as little as a dime on a dollar. Clear the books, clear the air, clear your fines, and clear your mind. The US Marshall Service tried a similar program in New Jersey where they expected 2,500 people to take advantage of the opportunity. Over 4,000 showed up. And 98 percent of those folks went home that day, not arrested, with their fines cleared. The Sheriff COULD take the easy road, and do one of those “free sneaker” things, where those with warrants are offered some incredible deal, but this solution is a lot easier. When asked if there were other plans, he did confirm that the Sheriff’s Department is planning on continuing the “Fugitive Files” on local CBS affiliate WGME. “It was a good program really getting the community involved. We are scheduled to be bringing that back on February 24th, and I hope to do it more often.” see HIGGINS page 5

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Tuesday, February 8, 2011— Page 5

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– OPINION ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Obama the realist emerges amid turmoil in Egypt On the campaign trail in 2008, Barack Obama played to two very different foreign policy constituencies. Often he presented himself as the tribune of the anti-war left — the only candidate who had opposed the invasion of Iraq from the beginning, the man who could be trusted to civilize the global war on terror, and the perfect figure to smooth the transition to a post-American world order. To more bipartisan audiences, though, he cast himself as a cold-eyed realist — the rightful heir to George H. W. Bush, if not Henry Kissinger, who would pursue America’s interests without pretending (as the younger President Bush often did) that they matched up perfectly with America’s democratic ideals. This two-step worked during the election season because realists and left-wingers were united in their weariness with the Bush administration, and their distrust of John McCain. But to govern is to choose, and after two years in office we can say with some certainty where Barack Obama’s instincts really lie. From the war on terror to the current unrest in Egypt, his foreign policy has owed far more to conservative realpolitik than to any left-wing vision of international affairs. Many Republicans have been loath to admit this. In the first year of the Obama

Ross Douthat ––––– The New York Times presidency, conservatives rushed to portray the president as a weak-kneed liberal who would rather appease terrorists than fight. They accused him of abandoning the Bush administration’s counterterrorism policies, taking the pressure off Iran, and playing at being president of the world while giving his own country’s interests short shrift. They insisted that his distrust of American power and doubts about American exceptionalism were making the country steadily less safe. But this narrative never really fit the facts. On nearly every anti-terror front, from detainee policy to drone strikes, the Obama administration has been what The Washington Times’s Eli Lake calls a “9/14 presidency,” maintaining or even expanding the powers that George W. Bush claimed in the aftermath of 9/11. (Dick Cheney himself admitted as much last month, effectively retracting his 2009 claim that Obama’s terrorism policies were undermining national security.) Time and again, this president has proved himself a careful custodian of both American and presidential

prerogatives — and the most perceptive critics of his policies, tellingly, have been civil libertarians rather than Republican partisans. On Israel-Palestine and Iran, the Obama administration did briefly flirt with new strategies, putting more pressure on the Israeli government and attempting outreach to Tehran. But the White House soon reverted to the policy status quo of Bush’s second term. Indeed, from the twilight struggle over Iran’s nuclear program — featuring sanctions, sabotage, and the threat of military force — to the counterinsurgency in Afghanistan, this White House’s entire approach to international affairs looks like a continuation of the Condoleezza Rice-Robert Gates phase of the Bush administration. Obama’s response to the Egyptian crisis has crystallized his entire foreign policy vision. Switch on Rush Limbaugh or Fox News, and you would assume that there’s a terrible left-wing naïveté — or worse, a sneaking anticolonial sympathy for the Muslim Brotherhood — at work in the White House’s attempts to usher Hosni Mubarak out the door. But look closer, and it’s clear that the administration’s real goal has been to dispense with Mubarak while keeping the dictator’s military subordinates very much in charge. If the Obama White House has its way, any opening to democracy will be carefully stage-managed by an

insider like Omar Suleiman, the former general and Egyptian intelligence chief who’s best known in Washington for his cooperation with the C.I.A.’s rendition program. This isn’t softheaded peacenik dithering. It’s cold-blooded realpolitik. Cold-blooded, and probably correct. Obama might have done moreto champion human rights and democracy in Egypt before the current crisis broke out, by leavening his Kissinger impression with a touch of Reaganite idealism. But there isn’t much more the administration can do now, because there isn’t any evidence that the Egyptian protesters are ready to actually take power. There are moments when American presidents can afford to stand uncompromisingly with democratic revolutionaries. But they need someone to stand for. In the Soviet bloc of the 1980s, Ronald Reagan had Lech Walesa, Vaclav Havel, Pope John Paul II — and ultimately Mikhail Gorbachev. In Egypt, Obama has Mohammed ElBaradei, the Muslim Brotherhood and the crowds: the first dubious as a grass-roots leader, the second dangerous, and the third perilously disorganized. This is a situation that calls for great caution, rather than grand idealistic gestures. And it calls for a certain measure of relief, from the American public, that this liberal president’s foreign policy instincts have turned out to be so temperamentally conservative.

Washington’s leading jerk! Years ago, two gifted New Snyder, a self-made multimilYork writers and Brooklyn lionaire, has owned the Rednatives, Pete Hamill and skins for 12 years, during which the late Jack Newfield, met they have had a total of three for the first time and spent winning seasons, even though the evening getting to know their rabidly loyal fans fill each other over cold drinks. every seat for every game and After several hours, as the franchise’s market value is the story goes, Hamill asked the sport’s second highest, at Newfield to write the names $1.6 billion. of the three worst men of the The Washington City Paper ––––– 20th century on one piece is an alternative weekly newsCreators of paper and said he would paper that covers local city Syndicate do the same on a separate life, politics, arts and sports. piece. The names on each Last November, City Paper man’s list turned out to be identical: sportswriter Dave McKenna wrote, Hitler, Stalin and Walter O’Malley, the “The Cranky Redskins Fan’s Guide owner who moved their beloved Dodgto Daniel Snyder,” a thoroughly ers out of Brooklyn to Los Angeles. researched compilation of the owner’s Here in Washington, a city with widely recognized record of meddling more than its fair share of jerks, we and incompetence. have Washington Redskins football Now two months later, Goliath team owner Dan Snyder — who sinDan Snyder wants to use his deep gle-handedly makes O’Malley look pockets to terrorize this journalistic like Albert Schweitzer and proves David through an expensive lawsuit going away that he is the entire East— unless some unrevealed action is ern time zone’s (yes, that includes taken by the City Paper. Donald Trump) Leading Jerk. (Would that be the firing of Dave You want evidence? Here it is. McKenna, Mr. Snyder?)

Mark Shields

Here is a paragraph from the intimidating letter from the Redskins general counsel to the minorleague hedge fund that owns the City Paper: “Mr. Snyder has more than sufficient means to protect his reputation. We presume that defending such litigation would not be a rational strategy for an investment fund such as yours. Indeed, the cost of litigation would presumably quickly outstrip the asset value of the Washington City Paper.” Does the word shakedown ring a bell? Of course, everybody agrees that it is unjust to abuse the little people, but most of the time the little people are the easiest to abuse. But maybe not this time. The bullying of Dan Snyder has provoked a spontaneous sense of outrage that continues to grow. Snyder and the Redskins not only look mean but also dumb. As a public figure, Snyder has basically no chance to win a legal suit unless he could prove that both the facts were wrong and that the reporting involved malice. Because the City Paper piece

included a picture of Snyder with devil’s horns and a mustache and beard, his general counsel writes, “How would you react if you were vilified by an anti-Semitic caricature of you?” In an as yet unsolved mystery, Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Weisenthal Center in Los Angeles seconds the charge, which has been rejected as baseless by a number of prominent journalists who are Jewish, including national sportswriter John Feinstein, Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic and Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post. You can easily find for sale online neckties, aprons, T-shirts, coffee mugs, key chains and posters featuring devil’s horns, mustache and beard imposed on the image of the president of the United States, who nobody, not even Glenn Beck, has suggested is Jewish. Indeed, Dan Snyder is Washington’s Leading Jerk. (To find out more about Mark Shields, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.)

Clear the books, clear the air, clear your ﬁnes, and clear your mind HIGGINS from page 4

According to the U.S. Marshal Service website, since their program began, over 25,216 people have taken part in the “Safe Surrender” program. All we need to do to make it work here is find the will, and the ways and means. “I would be interested to see if the program would

work up here. They (U.S. Marshall Service) have had some really good results down in New Jersey, and I was kind of intrigued about how it would work,” said sheriff Joyce. The jails are full, the court system is clogged, and the backlog of really minor stuff out there is a paperwork blizzard. Money collected by the court system is tossed into the general fund budget, but I’m will-

ing to take a bit less tossed that way if you are. Let folks get their lives together and move on, and stop those who nervously look over their shoulder. It’s a small step, but a step in the right direction. Isn’t that how most thousand-mile journeys begin? (Bob Higgins is a regular contributor to The Portland Daily Sun.)

Page 6 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Tuesday, February 8, 2011

In Maine, blogosphere ignites as GOP takes over BY DAVID CARKHUFF THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

A day in the life of a blog reads something like this: • 2:55 p.m. Monday, Jan. 31 — A post on Gov. Paul LePage’s Facebook page, “Paul LePage Maine’s Next Governor,” announces that the page will keep its name so LePage can position himself for a second term. “A note about the name of this page ... to fully turn Maine around Paul may need to serve more than one term — he would be Maine’s next Governor,” the post explains. “And, to be successful he needs our help pushing and fighting for a new course for Maine.” It didn’t take long for followers on Facebook to react. • 2:59 p.m., Monday, Jan. 31 — “Isn’t the fourth week on the job a bit early to begin campaigning?” • 3:33 p.m., Monday, Jan. 31 — “Not if I can help it ... One and done.” • 3:43 p.m., Monday, Jan. 31 — “It is inappropriate and tactless, in the extreme, to insult someone in their own home. If you are uncomfortable or disagree with the content or intent of this page, you should respectfully withdraw, and discontinue your visits.” A string of 36 comments ensued over the name of Gov. LePage’s Facebook page. And that’s just a taste of the online political discourse in the era of LePage, which many feel largely began with a boost from tea party style websites and social media before growing into more mainstream techniques. A Facebook post about the governor’s “red tape” tour — a series of meetings aimed at reducing government regulation — sparked 127 comments, most of them supportive but a few voicing dissent. By 12:11 p.m. last Tuesday, blogger “Ms. Paula Page” was writing on Facebook: “Attention, everyone in the Auburn area: Please plan on attending this meeting on Thursday Feb. 3, It is your local Red Tape lecture series. Have Your Voice Heard, ‘You Are The Business Of Maine.’” While the blogosphere is bubbling over with commentary about Maine’s new governor, the goal at the governor’s office is to harness the Internet, according to Dan Demeritt, director of communications for Gov. LePage. “We do not track blogs or any kind of

“The Governor has his website and we have used Facebook. We are looking to do more through email newsletters and by pushing information about the Governor’s agenda and successes through existing groups (i.e. Chamber Distribution Lists).” — Dan DeMeritt, Gov. Paul LePage spokesman new media activity directly,” Demeritt wrote in an email response to The Portland Daily Sun. “My sense is that blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other mediums are certainly being utilized more by people who want to share their opinions or distribute information. New mediums provide great opportunities for specialization that cannot occur in traditional forms of media that must target the public-at-large. If you care strongly about an issue, there is probably a niche source of information available to you.” “The Governor has his website and we have used Facebook,” DeMeritt wrote. “We are looking to do more through email newsletters and by pushing information about the Governor’s agenda and successes through existing groups (i.e. Chamber Distribution Lists).” In a controversial Dec. 18 memo titled, “incumbent protection,” DeMeritt was more explicit about how the Internet might help the governor seek re-election. In the memo, he wrote that email, Facebook and “word of mouth” should be ways to “push information into communities” in a strategy to “put 11,000 bureaucrats to work getting Republicans re-elected.” The progressive blog Dirigo Blue (www.dirigoblue.com) published the memo from Demeritt, igniting a brief media flurry and plenty of online discussion. DeMeritt later said the memo was not meant to be taken literally but called it a “public relations strategy,” according to the Maine Political Pulse (http:// politicalpulse.sunjournal.com). As failed Independent gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler can attest, online discussion can expose an ugly underbelly. Live by the blog, die by the blog, could be one cautionary response to the murky world of Internet politicking. On Sept. 1, in the heat of Maine’s gubernatorial election, the blog Pine Tree Politics (www.pinetreepolitics. com) noticed an attack site launching anonymous charges against Cutler.

“Something is happening over here,” the bloggers at Pine Tree Politics wrote. “It appears that some one out there has decided it is time to target Independent Eliot Cutler with an attack site and oppo dump. Cutlerfiles.com was brought to my attention yesterday by a high level staffer in the Maine Democratic Party, and buzz about the site has been circulating since then. It rather mercilessly attacks Cutler on three main issues: his residency in Maine, Thornburg Mortgage, Inc., and some supposed campaign lipstick which they are offering a rather humorous reward in response to.” The site was taken down shortly before the election, but the damage, according to pundits, was done. Cutler lost to LePage by less than 8,000 votes in a race that included Democratic candidate Libby Mitchell. Four months later, Thom Rhoads, the husband of former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rosa Scarcelli, would admit his involvement in the Cutler Files site, after the Ethics Commission voted to impose a fine of $200 on political consultant Dennis Bailey for failure to disclose information. A letter from the authors of Cutler Files by their attorney, Dan Billings, said the goal of the site was “to provide information to the public about Eliot Cutler that has been largely ignored by the mainstream media,” adding that “the blog was not intended as a campaign vehicle but rather an exercise in citizen journalism.” Robert Doyle, who blogs under the pseudonym Ms. Paula Page, wrote, “The Cutler files, ‘it’s information,’ they’re saying, ‘if the press had done their job ... ‘ , but the job they did was to smear somebody. If Rosa Scarcelli actually wants to have a political career, she needs a divorce. That’s the only thing that would prove she did not approve of what her husband did.” Is there any blogger remorse over the medium’s excesses? Derek Viger, until recently the editor

in chief at the blog Pine Tree Politics, told The Sun that blogging requires commitment and consistency. “Ultimately, sites may get a one time burst by posting big news, but that isn’t easy to maintain,” Viger wrote in response to an email inquiry from The Sun. “The quality and content of a political blog has to be consistent or readers will look elsewhere.” “Blogs can be a great source of information to the public,” he continued. “On Pine Tree Politics, I tried to write deep policy analysis that would educate readers, and hopefully policy makers, that stopped by. I was honest about my biases and tried to be as objective as possible. It is far to easy for someone to set up a blog and present extremely biased information, without acknowledging their leanings. This can put a reader who isn’t careful at a disadvantage. So blogs can educate, but only if people are willing to consider how credible the information is that the blog is putting out.” “Blogs are also limited in their scope,” Viger wrote. “The traffic on Maine’s political blogs vary widely between the sites and on any given day. Those direct hits are necessarily where they make their impact. Blogs can often drive the discussion. Pine Tree Politics, for example, broke several major news stories during the last gubernatorial campaign. Other major news outlets then picked up these stories.” Viger has seen the blogosphere ignite after LePage’s election. “While I don’t know about specific traffic details, I have seen Maine’s Left Blogosphere and Tweeters pick up since the election,’ he wrote. “I think that is to be expected. Maine has a GOP governor who has a huge presence and came right out of the gate with a bold conservative agenda. I think everyone who was paying attention knew it was coming, but maybe not so quickly.” Viger said GOP blogs “could become echo chambers for the governor’s policies,” but noted that those on the left are the ones reveling in their role as outsiders. He also says that the LePage legacy might be a net gain for left-leaning sites. “Dem/left bloggers should thank LePage every day, as he will give them plenty to write about, driving lots of readers to their sites,” Viger wrote.

‘There is a lot of echo chamber going on,’ political blogger says LEPAGE from page 3

reads: Please Donate a dollar to support our local farms....Thus, Our farms are reduced to a charity. Perhaps they should qualify as nonprofits?” he wrote on his blog. Rep. Paul Davis, R-Sangerville, sponsor of a bill to make the whoopie pie the official Maine dessert, came into Doyle’s sights. “Who asked him to go find a state dessert?” Doyle pondered during a recent interview. “It’s enough that we have a motto, and a flag, and a bird, and a tree. We don’t need a dessert.” LePage communications director Dan DeMeritt told The Sun that LePage doesn’t monitor political blogs, and Doyle admitted that the quality of online discourse can vary. “There is a lot of echo chamber going on, there are some people who really don’t want to hear anything,” he said.

He called the tea party a “special interest group ... which is angry” but noted his involvement with one of the tea party’s online forums. “The reason that I joined the Refounders page is because I’m an Independent,” Doyle said. “I don’t believe in hugely overspending politics that the liberal, Democratic party has always stood for, I do believe that we have a responsibility to take care of poor people. That’s just common sense. I do believe that the government is responsible for what they spend, and the bill should be paid.” How to choose what’s on the blog is a matter of instinct. “Some of it’s just random, some of it is people talking about it. When you look at Facebook or you look at the newspaper, you can see where there’s contention, where it either goes against the grain of a state or where it makes good satire. Some of what I blog about is meant to be satire,” Doyle said. One post that he wrote, urging attendance at

meetings as an act of political expression, caught on. “I got 150 hits in two days on that page, which was a call to action, Maine goes for civil disobedience,” Doyle said. “Basically, the people of Maine have to stand up, they’re going to have to flood the red tape hearings, I put a link on there for the legislative sessions that discuss each bill. ... This state is in the majority with the minority running it.” Doyle said he tries to exercise caution, noting that the blogosphere is a public record. “People don’t understand that what they’re putting out there is actually out there and staying, they just say anything and on they go. But it is out there,” he said. What makes a building contractor qualified to be a political blogger? Doyle said it doesn’t take any special credentials. “I care, and if you start to care about something, you follow it, you see where people are,” he said.

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Tuesday, February 8, 2011— Page 7

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Ironman shares nutritional tidbits He eats the same breakfast every morning: organic milk ––––– over Post Great Daily Sun Grains cereal with raisins, Columnist dates and pecans and a banana. He waits until getting to the office before getting his first cup of French Roast coffee from the office Keurig machine. This is the off-season so he’s much more haphazard in what he eats the rest of the day- a sandwich, a plate of chicken wings, a huge mound of steamed vegetables or the barley burger casserole that his Mom makes when he visits her in Readfield. Tim Keene is a five-time competitor in the Ironman, the grueling full length triathlon consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a full 26.2 mile marathon. This past November he competed in the Western Australia Ironman for the second time, returning by way of Hawaii, where he and his girlfriend of 8 years Tina Curcuru, celebrated their honeymoon. It was there that Tim last ate what he considers the meal most emblematic of who he is: steak and potatoes. “I grew up in a middle class

Margo Mallar

Caucasian family outside Augusta and steak and potatoes is a lot like who I am. It’s a meal that can be made with a good cut of beef, cooked beautifully. It can be overcooked and disgusting. It can be plain or you can throw in some seasoning so that it’s not boring. It’s all of that.” You could call him an All-American guy if it weren’t so trite. Baseball? He loves the Red Sox to the point where he belongs to a group of guys who travel to stadiums around the country to watch the Sox play. A standout high school player, he played summer ball while at college and still sits behind the plate as catcher in the over 30 summer league in Deering Oaks Park. Hot dogs and apple pie? He’s omnivoracious; if they’re in front of him he’ll mow them down. The stereotype ends with the car. He drives a Toyota Prius. Tim graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering from UMO in 1995, returning for a second bachelor’s in economics which he finished in 1997. Soon after graduation, he joined Merrill Lynch as a financial advisor, working for the wirehouse for 12 years before a 2009 Friday the 13th resignation to join Ameriprise, where he now happily hangs his shingle as a Certified Financial Planner. He starts training in earnest in late spring, six months prior to the race. Running, swimming and biking between 15 and 20 hours a week during that period is essentially a part-time job. But this time of year is downtime. He’ll run or bike for an hour a day. Every now and then he’ll pop in to the Y for a swim. The allure of far-flung races has worn a little since there’s so much gear that needs to be schlepped so he plans to compete closer to home. He’s a fixture in local triathlons, and a pre-race pizza from Ricetta’s is another important ritual. “I get the Grecian with feta, black olives, spinach and roasted chicken before any local race and try to replicate it as best as possible for out of town races,” he said. When he’s in training, he can eat upwards of 6,000 calories a day and still lose weight but getting enough to eat is not his only nutritional challenge. He’s currently taking Lipitor for high cholesterol, something he attributes as much to his love of cheese as to a family history of the condition. At the Lake Placid Ironman, he developed hyponatremia, electrolyte disturbance caused by consuming too much water during an endurance event. He gained 9 pounds during the bike ride and had to pull out of the competition. His drink of choice? Some sort of fruit juice. If he’s drinking a beer, it’s probably because the Sox are on.

(Margo Mallar’s Locavore column Tim Keene is a ﬁve-time competitor in the Ironman, the grueling full length triathlon consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a full 26.2 mile marathon. appears each Tuesday in the Portland (COURTESY PHOTO) Daily Sun.)

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Page 8 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Love In The SUN

High school peers find love together BY JEFF SPOFFORD SPECIAL TO THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

Erin Pride already knew her future husband the first time she and David met, but at the time he didn’t know her. “We went to high school together in

Windham,” Erin says. “He was a year ahead of me and just didn’t notice me, I guess.” When David entered Erin’s parents’ pet supply store in Scarborough on a break from work to buy his pet Chihuahua a sweater, he knew he

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“I could tell he wanted to ask me out, so ﬁnally, after nearly an hour and deciding he couldn’t work up the nerve, I asked him.” — Erin Pride, on her future husband, David wanted to strike up a conversation with the young lady behind the counter, and did. He spoke to Erin for over an hour, mostly small talk. “I could tell he wanted to ask me out, so finally, after nearly an hour and deciding he couldn’t work up the nerve, I asked him,” she said. Erin and David went on their first date the next evening and really hit it off. Soon after, Erin learned from David the behind-the-scenes significance of the first outing. David, who had been using online dating services, had lined up a date with an online

prospect on the very same night. “I stood her up for Erin,” he says. “At first I thought it was a weird thing to do,” Erin added, “but after thinking about it found it kind of flattering.” The date was the beginning of a relationship that has endured the last five years. Eight months into it, David asked Erin to marry him. She accepted and knowing they wanted to exchange vows right away, David asked Erin, “If I can plan the wedding in two months and all you have to do is show up, will you be there?” Erin was all in. see next page

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The couple was married in August of 2006 and honeymooned in Bermuda. They returned home to Portland to begin their married life together, when a week later Erin experienced severe pain and needed to be rushed to the emergency room. She had never been seriously ill before, but after a series of tests, it was determined she had Pancreatitis, the inflammation of the pancreas. A year would go by with trips to the emergency room at least once per week. Surgeries to alleviate the pain finally starting helping, but Erin would remain ill for the next three years. Through all the stress and the frustration of not being afforded the honeymoon period, David was Erin’s “rock,” to which she added, “I don’t know what I would have done without him.” Finally, after three years of hospital visits and sur-

geries, Erin began to feel some sense of normalcy with regard to her health, but her marriage, which never had a chance to begin, was feeling the stress of the situation. “We knew we needed some outside help,” says David. The couple went to counseling to “learn how to be married.” Having only been married a week before adversity struck, the counseling provided a fresh start and a new approach. Today, Erin is still scared about getting sick again, but says “the feeling goes further away every day.” Their marriage has grown stronger as a result of their tribulations and they both feel that over the last year they have grown closer than ever before. They frequently go to movies together and out to dinner throughout greater Portland. Though not currently expecting, David hints at a possible little one, saying, “there may be a new addition in the future.”

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By Holiday Mathis have impressive skills, but you still need to add a few more to your arsenal in order to succeed in your chosen arena. Consider learning new software or taking a course in public speaking. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You don’t always feel that you fit into the conventional molds that others seem to embody so easily. You’ll express your more unique and possibly unpopular views today and will be accepted anyway. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). When someone says you can’t do it, that’s precisely when you think you absolutely must do it. In this context, proving someone wrong is one of the supreme pleasures of life! AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You have a one-track mind, though today it is not likely on the track that others want it to be on. Instead of fighting it, see what happens when you indulge your strong will to see where it will lead you. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Three is the magic number for you, and you will excel in a trio of some kind. There really is a value to you in this regard that cannot be duplicated by you alone or with only one other person. TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Feb. 8). You give so much of yourself, and this year loved ones give back twofold. You’ll make a magnificent discovery in March. April brings emotional sunshine and satisfying work. May is your chance to spread your wings. There’s an unexpected windfall in July. Someone needs you, and you deliver in October. Aries and Sagittarius people are crazy for you. Your lucky numbers are: 30, 1, 22, 9 and 18.

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Page 10 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Tuesday, February 8, 2011

ACROSS 1 West Point student 6 Fair; balanced 10 “Phooey!” 14 Give one’s two cents’ worth 15 5,280 feet 16 Vase-shaped jug 17 Rudely brief 18 Widemouthed stew pot 19 Cab rider’s fee 20 Make a rough guess 22 Flourish 24 __ up; surrender 25 Swollen 26 Shade of brown 29 Deviously 30 Upper limb 31 __ hoot; care 33 Nuts 37 Hideaway 39 Dog restraint 41 Italy’s dollar before

the euro 42 Penetrate 44 Made an opening bet 46 Ruby or topaz 47 Saw & hammer 49 Ascends 51 Registers 54 Drain stoppage 55 __ up; matched in twos 56 Deep-toned and echoing 60 __ to be trusted; won’t keep a promise 61 Creative notion 63 __ bear; arctic creature 64 In __; lest 65 Lather 66 Clear the slate 67 Toboggan 68 Rubber tube 69 Al __; cooked, but still ﬁrm

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 21 23 25 26 27 28 29 32 34

DOWN Sheep shelter Gorillas Soil Naval rank Abounding Overact Loathsome Building wing In a tidy way Payment for part of the cost Look for Gall Avarice To no __; fruitlessly __ on to; clutch Explosion Business transaction Middle East nation Give off, as fumes Connery and Penn Cuts of calf meat Desert fruits

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Unchained Sweet potatoes Replied sharply Cures Acting part Sagged Rather ancient Disregard Heroic tales

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Of the schnoz Dishwasher cycle Stop Cincinnati team __ Greenspan Cartoonist Thomas __ 59 Palm or pine 62 Singing pair

Saturday’s Answer

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Tuesday, February 8, 2011— Page 11

––––––– ALMANAC ––––––– Today is Tuesday, Feb. 8, the 39th day of 2011. There are 326 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Feb. 8, 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was incorporated. On this date: In 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in England after she was implicated in a plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. In 1693, a charter was granted for the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg in the Virginia Colony. In 1837, the Senate selected the vice president of the United States, choosing Richard Mentor Johnson after no candidate received a majority of electoral votes. In 1924, the first execution by gas in the United States took place at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City as Gee Jon, a Chinese immigrant convicted of murder, was put to death. In 1960, work began on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located on Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Los Angeles. In 1968, three college students were killed in a confrontation with highway patrolmen in Orangeburg, S.C., during a civil rights protest against a whites-only bowling alley. In 1989, 144 people were killed when an American-chartered Boeing 707 filled with Italian tourists slammed into a fog-covered mountain in the Azores. In 2007, model, actress and tabloid sensation Anna Nicole Smith died in Florida at age 39 of an accidental drug overdose. One year ago: Endeavour and six astronauts rocketed into orbit, hauling a new room and observation deck for the International Space Station. The Nielsen Co. estimated that 106.5 million people watched the New Orleans Saints upset the Indianapolis Colts, beating the 1983 “M-A-S-H” finale, which had 105.97 million viewers. U.S. Rep. John Murtha, 77, died at a hospital in Arlington, Va., of complications from gall bladder surgery. Today’s Birthdays: Composer-conductor John Williams is 79. Former ABC News anchor Ted Koppel is 71. Actor Nick Nolte is 70. Comedian Robert Klein is 69. Actorrock musician Creed Bratton is 68. Singer Ron Tyson is 63. Actress Brooke Adams is 62. Actress Mary Steenburgen is 58. Author John Grisham is 56. Actor Henry Czerny is 52. Rock singer Vince Neil (Motley Crue) is 50. Rock singer-musician Sammy Llanas (YAH’-nus) (The BoDeans) is 50. Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa P. Jackson is 49. Actress Mary McCormack is 42. Rock musician Keith Nelson (Buckcherry) is 42. Retired NBA player Alonzo Mourning is 41. Actor Seth Green is 37. Actor Josh Morrow is 37. Rock musician Phoenix (Linkin Park) is 34. Rock musician Max Grahn is 23. Actor Ryan Pinkston is 23. Actress Karle Warren (“Judging Amy”) is 19.

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10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30

Community Haskell-House

Bulletin Board

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CSNE World Poker Tour

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ESPN College Basketball

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CNBC Mexico’s Drug War

60 Minutes on CNBC

Mad Money

Greta Van Susteren

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FNC

The O’Reilly Factor (N) Hannity (N)

TNT

Movie: ››› “The Bourne Supremacy” (2004)

LIFE “Boy She Met”

TLC

What Not to Wear

Kids

What Not to Wear (N)

Southland (N) Å

Memphis Beat Å

One Born Every Minute How I Met How I Met Fabulous Cakes (N)

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AMC Movie: ››› “Rocky II” (1979, Drama) Sylvester Stallone.

Movie: ››› “Rocky II” (1979)

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Hunters

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Bizarre Foods

Ghost Adventures

A&E The First 48 Å

The First 48 Å

BRAVO Real Housewives

Selling NY House

Real Housewives

Property

Real Housewives

HALL Little House on Prairie Movie: “The Good Witch” (2008) Catherine Bell.

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ANIM I, Predator (N)

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DAILY CROSSWORD BY WAYNE ROBERT WILLIAMS

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42 Seafarer 45 Bamboozle 48 Throw here and there 50 Fast fowl 52 Withdraw 55 REM sound? 57 Seaside 58 Moran of “Happy Days”

59 Nothing in Nogales 60 Guitarist/singer Clapton 64 Remote 65 Yokohama yes 66 Javelin’s path 67 Tongue-clucking sound

Yesterday’s Answer

Page 12 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Tuesday, February 8, 2011

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– OBITUARY –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Amos J. Link, 75 SOUTH PORTLAND – Amos Joseph Link, 75, passed away on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2011 at the Maine Veteran’s Home in Scarborough. He was born on Aug. 14, 1935 to Bernice and August Link of South Portland. He was educated in South Portland schools and attended SMVTI after a stint in the United States Air Force. Amos worked and retired from the Public Works Department in South Portland. After retirement he

worked as a security officer at Unum and Disney World. Amos was not a religious man but believed in the spirit of each person he met. He loved spending time with his family, playing softball and baseball, making motor home adventures with his wife Marlene and attending every family event possible. He was a lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox who measured all players by the standards of Ted Williams. He is predeceased by his parents, his brothers George and Frederick, and sisters Bernice Oldham and Dorothy Soucy. He is survived by his wife, Marlene A. Link of South Portland, of 52 years and sister Elizabeth Lothamer of Deer Isle, as well as Wayne and Gerry Upton and Joanne Gagnon. He is also survived by his sons and daughter-in-laws, David and Georgette

Link, Joseph Link and Stephen and Kathleen Link and his daughters, Angela Link, Cheryl Ouellette and Jennifer Link with partner Ronald Blankenship II. Amos has 16 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and an untold number of nieces, nephews, friends, co-workers and teammates. A Memorial Visitation will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 9 at the Hobbs Funeral Home, 230 Cottage Road, South Portland. Interment will be in Highland Memorial Cemetery, South Portland at a later date. Condolences to the family may be expressed online at www.hobbsfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Maine Veterans’ Home, 290 US Route 1, Scarborough ME 04074, whom his family is eternally grateful to for taking wonderful care of him for the last two-plus years of his life.

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN CLASSIFIEDS Animals

Autos

For Rent

Furniture

AKC Labrador retriever puppies black, yellow, M/F, $700 www.stargazerlabradors.com. Great family or therapy dogs (603)986-4184.

BUYING all unwanted metals. $800 for large loads. Cars, trucks, heavy equipment. Free removal. (207)776-3051.

CASH for clunkers, up to $500. Top dollar for 4x4s and plow trucks. Clip this ad for an extra 10%. (207)615-6092.

NEED ITEMS GONE, FAST CASH?

BUXTON- 1 bedroom apt, no smoking, no pets. $650/mo. Heat, lights included. (207)939-4970.

3PC King mattress set new in plastic with warranty $215 call 396-5661.

MARK’S Towing- Paying cash for late models and free junk car removal. (207)892-1707.

We’ll help you get cash for your unwanted vehicles and metals. High prices, very honest and fair. Haulin’ Angels will help. (207)415-9223.

ANNIE’S MAILBOX Dear Annie: Every year, we invite our extended family for the holidays. Last year, we had our nephew, “John,” and his wife, “Jane.” John is a terrific, lovable, normal 30-something. Jane, on the other hand, is not nearly as normal. For example, John removes his coat after arriving, but Jane keeps hers on for the entire visit. John participates in the conversation, while Jane shies away from talking. Dinner, however, is the strangest part. We have never seen Jane eat a single bite. She doesn’t even pretend to eat. She simply places her napkin on her plate. At first, we thought she was a germaphobe, except we have been guests in their home for meals and Jane does not join the guests at the table. I once found her alone in the kitchen with a plate of food. When I asked her to come into the dining room, she replied, “The dog likes my company.” Do you think she has some fear of eating in front of other people? How can we make her more comfortable in our home? Is this something we should be concerned about? -Worried Relative Dear Worried: Jane seems to be suffering from a not-uncommon social anxiety disorder, which is a fear of being judged by others or embarrassed in front of them. It likely stems from an incident in her childhood. If she is willing to examine her fears, she may be able to overcome them. Some people have found success with behavior modification, hypnotherapy, counseling and/or medication. If you are close to your nephew, suggest that Jane discuss it with her doctor. John also can get more information through the National Institute of Mental Health at 1-866-615-NIMH (1-866-615-6464). Beyond that, please don’t make an issue of this. She intends no offense. Dear Annie: I have been married for 25 years. When my

husband and I go somewhere and have to walk from the car, he always walks in front of me. I feel like his servant. I have told him I hate it and to stop, but he continues. What is up with this disrespect? How should I handle this? -- Following in His Footsteps Dear Following: Most men have longer strides than women. In order for your husband to walk by your side, he needs to slow down to a pace that apparently does not feel natural to him. Still, it’s rude and inconsiderate not to make the effort. The next time you get out of the car, ask the King of England to assist you, grab his arm, and don’t let go until you reach your destination. Dear Annie: This is in response to “Midlife Marriage,” who said the spark has left her marriage. I have been happily married for almost 20 years. I, too, miss the passion of our youth, but at the same time, I have found comfort in the stability of our years together. Early in our marriage, we had trouble, and I didn’t know if we’d make it. A friend advised me to focus on what I loved about him -- not what he could do for me, but the qualities he possessed that caused me to fall in love with him. Remembering that has kept me satisfied all these years. We’re raising several children, so time alone is rare. However, we flirt regularly and make time to talk, cuddle and be together. It’s easy to get caught up in the kids, career and other outside activities, and neglect the marriage. But the kids will grow up and leave, the career will end, and hobbies change. Your spouse will still be with you. It starts with me. I have to make our marriage a priority. I’d advise “Midlife” to surprise her husband and put her best foot forward, just like she did in the beginning. It takes time and effort, but it will be worth it in the end. -- Satisfied Wife

Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to: anniesmailbox@comcast.net, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Ste. 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045.

Prickly City

by Scott Stantis

PORTLAND- Danforth Street, 2 bedrooms, heated, newly painted, hardwood floors. $850/mo. Call Kay (207)773-1814. PORTLAND- Maine MedicalStudio, 1/ 2 bedroom. Heated, off street parking, newly renovated. $475-$850. (207)773-1814.

A new memory foam mattress all new will take $275 396-5661. ABSOLUTE bargain new twin/ full mattress set $110 call 396-5661 CHERRY sleighbed still boxed w/ mattress set- new worth$899 asking $399 call 899-8853.

PORTLAND- Munjoy Hill- 3 bedrooms, newly renovated. Heated, $1275/mo. Call Kay (207)773-1814.

MICROSUEDE sofa set for sale new includes recliner only $450 call 899-8853.

PORTLAND- Woodford’s area. 1 bedroom heated. Newly installed oak floor, just painted. $675/mo. (207)773-1814.

POSTURE support pillowtop queen mattress all new $130 call 899-8853.

WESTBROOK large room eff. furnished, utilities pd includes cable. Non-smokers only $195/weekly (207)318-5443.

For Rent-Commercial PORTLAND Art District- 2 adjacent artist studios with utilities. First floor. $325-$350 (207)773-1814.

For Sale BED- Orthopedic 11 inch thick super nice pillowtop mattress & box. 10 year warranty, new-in-plastic. Cost $1,200, sell Queen-$299, Full-$270, King-$450. Can deliver. 235-1773 BEDROOM7 piece Solid cherry sleigh. Dresser/Mirror chest & night stand (all dovetail). New in boxes cost $2,200 Sell $895. 603-427-2001 CUSTOM Glazed Kitchen Cabinets. Solid maple, never installed. May add or subtract to fit kitchen. Cost $6,000 sacrifice $1,750. 433-4665

Services DUMP RUNS We haul anything to the dump. Basement, attic, garage cleanouts. Insured www.thedumpguy.com (207)450-5858. MASTER Electrician since 1972. Repairs- whole house, rewiring, trouble shooting, fire damage, code violations, electric, water heater repairs commercial refrigeration. Fuses to breakers, generators. Mark @ (207)774-3116. PROFESSION male massage therapist in Falmouth. $55/hr. Pamper yourself in the New Year. tranquilescape.webs.com (207)590-0119.

Wanted To Buy BASEBALL Cards- Old. Senior citizen buying 1940-1968. Reasonable, please help. Lloyd (207)797-0574. I buy broken or unwanted laptops. Cash today. Up to $100 for newer units. (207)233-5381.

CLASSIFIEDS • CALL 699-5807 DOLLAR-A-DAY CLASSIFIEDS: Ads must be 15 words or less and run a minimum of 5 consecutive days. Ads that run less than 5 days or nonconsecutive days are $2 per day. Ads over 15 words add 10¢ per word per day. PREMIUMS: First word caps no charge. Additional caps 10¢ per word per day. Centered bold heading: 9 pt. caps 40¢ per line, per day (2 lines maximum) TYPOS: Check your ad the first day of publication. Sorry, we will not issue credit after an ad has run once. DEADLINES: noon, one business day prior to the day of publication. PAYMENT: All private party ads must be pre-paid. We accept checks, Visa and Mastercard credit cards and, of course, cash. There is a $10 minimum order for credit cards. CORRESPONDENCE: To place your ad call our offices 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 699-5807; or send a check or money order with ad copy to The Conway Daily Sun, P.O. Box 1940, North Conway, NH 03860. OTHER RATES: For information about classified display ads please call 699-5807.

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Tuesday, February 8, 2011— Page 13

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– EVENTS CALENDAR–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Tuesday, Feb. 8

‘My Israel — Revisiting the Trilogy’

‘Condoms, Contraceptives and Coca-Cola’

7 p.m. College of the Atlantic will be screening Yulie Cohen’s most recent film, “My Israel — Revisiting the Trilogy,” in the college’s Gates Community Center. The 78-minute film will be followed by a talk by the director, who will be present. “In 1978 Yulie Cohen was an El Al crewmember on her first flight. Upon arriving in Britain, she boarded an El Al bus along with her colleagues and headed for London-only to be ambushed by two Palestinians. A crewmember died; others were seriously injured. Shrapnel flew into Cohen’s arm. One of the Palestinians also died; the other received four concurrent life sentences. The attack propelled Cohen into reflection, reconsideration, and a life of filmmaking.” Gates Community Center at College of the Atlantic, 105 Eden St., Bar Harbor, nandrews@coa.edu or 2885015. Free.

4 p.m. “Condoms, Contraceptives and Coca-Cola: The human ecology of public health” will be College of the Atlantic’s Human Ecology Forum in the college’s McCormick Lecture Hall. Cait Unites, a 2003 graduate of COA will be talking about her work in public health in Africa. Unites spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Madagascar, working in rural public health before receiving a master’s in public health at Emory University. While at Emory, she interned at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. Unites now is working in international public health for a nonprofit in Washington, D.C. Her focus is on AIDS prevention in eastern and southern Africa. For the Human Ecology Agatha Christie’s ‘The Forum, McCormick Lecture Hall, 105 Eden St., Bar Harbor. Mousetrap’ at PHS jga@coa.edu, 801-5717, or 7 p.m. “Despite all of the 288-5015. Free. www.coa.edu. Heart transplant survivor and American Heart Association volunteer Amanda Lawton drops the opening face-off at Saturday’s game budget cuts, especially in the against the Connecticut Whale. Pirates captain Matt Ellis (left) and Kris Newbury of the Connecticut Whale take part in the face-off. Arts, a dedicated group of stuLittle League Lawton credits research by the American Heart Association as key to saving her life. The Pirates will be back in action at the Civic dents is staging Portland High registration in Gray Center on Wednesday, February 16th at 6:30 p.m. against the Providence Bruins. Snoopy will be making a special appearance at the School’s 2011 play.” Thursday, 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. The Gray game, and kids can meet and have their pictures taken with the famous Peanuts beagle courtesy of MetLife Auto and Home. (Photo Feb. 10 and Friday, Feb. 11 at Little League board of direcPortland High School Theater/ courtesy of Derek Philippon/Portland Pirates) tors would like to announce Auditorium. “It is quite unusual the opening of Little League read. The venue is also host to Maine’s only official Poetry for the school’s annual play to registration for the 2011 season. New players should come Slam. The slam is also open to all who wish to compete and be student directed. Their choice this year is the world’s lonto Russell School, in downtown Gray, between 5 p.m. and is held on the second Tuesday of every month. FMI please gest continously running professionally staged production (in 8 p.m. on Feb. 8 and 10 to fill out paperwork. Paperwork visit www.portveritas.com London since 1952). ... Everything is being done by the Drama can be downloaded ahead of time at www.graylittleleague. Club members.” Tickets: adults, $5; students and seniors, $3. org. New players must bring a birth certificate with them on Wednesday, Feb. 9 Disney on Ice presents Princess Classics initial sign up. Returning players may come to the sign-up 7 p.m. Disney on Ice. February 10 to Feb. 13, Thursday days or download forms at www.graylittleleague.org and at 7 p.m.; Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 11:30 a.m., 3 p.m. WENA annual meeting send them in with registration fees to P.O. Box 1236, Gray, and 6:30 p.m.; and Sunday at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. West End Neighborhood Association annual meetME, 04039. T-Ball is $40 for the 2011 season, Minor and Tickets: $55 (Front Row), $45 (VIP seats), $23.50, $18.50 ing, Reiche School. Meeting to elect governing board, officers, Major softball and baseball is $70. Junior Softball is $100. and $12.50. All seats reserved. Cumberland County Civic and discuss spring events. FMI call Dennis at 415-3877. Fees have been kept the same as last year. The fee for the Center. Opening night tickets $12 (excluding Front Row and third member and beyond of any family is waived. FinanLemmy Kilmister film VIP seats). 775-3481, ext. 348 for details. www.theciviccencial hardship scholarships are available. Send information 7:30 p.m. Screening of a film about Lemmy Kilmister. ter.com/events requests to loriholmquist@rocketmail.com. The deadline for Rescheduled from last week due to the weather. “Over four sign-up is March 1. Please see the website for all details Thom Pain (based on nothing) by Will Eno decades, Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister has regabout who qualifies for which league and much more. Vol7:30 p.m. Thom Pain (based on nothing) by Will Eno. Feb. istered an immeasurable impact on music history. Nearly unteers are also needed. Send general information requests 10-20. Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays at 8 65, he remains the living embodiment of the rock and roll to graymaineLL@aol.com. p.m. and Sunday nights at 7 p.m. at Lucid Stage. Starring lifestyle, and this feature-length documentary tells his story, James Hoban; directed by Adam Gutgsell. “Will Eno is a one of a hard-living rock icon who continues to enjoy the life Rape Aggression Defense course Samuel Beckett for the Jon Stewart generation ... To sum of a man half his age. Shot on a combination of High Defi 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Portland Police Department will offer up the more or less indescribable: Thom Pain is at bottom nition and Super 16mm film, ‘Lemmy’ includes interviews its Rape Aggression Defense training class. R.A.D. provides a surreal meditation on the empty promises life makes, the with friends, family, bandmates past and present and such women with the tools they need to both avoid dangerous way experience never lives up to the weird and awesome admirers/peers as Metallica, Slash, Dave Grohl (Nirvana/ situations and escape them. The course is specifically fact of being. But it is also, in its odd, bewitching beauty, Foo Fighters), Ozzy Osbourne (‘Blizzard of Ozz,’ ‘Diary of a designed to help women survive situations in which their an affirmation of life’s worth.” — Charles Isherwood, New Madman’), Peter Hook (Joy Division/New Order), actor Billy lives are in jeopardy. This class is open to all women, ages York Times. Ticket prices are $12 for adults and $10 for stuBob Thornton, wrestling superstar Triple H, Alice Cooper, 13 and older, in the Greater Portland area who would like to dents/seniors. Purchase tickets online at www.LucidStage. Mick Jones of The Clash, and many more.” SPACE Gallery. develop real life defensive tools and tactics. The Basic Selfcom or by calling 899-3993. www.space538.org/events.php Defense Course consists of a series of four classes and one scenario day. The class is scheduled for Feb. 8, 10, 15 and 17, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Feb. 19 from 8 a.m. to noon. All classes must be attended to complete the course. The classes will be held at the Portland Police Department, 109 Middle St. A donation of $25 for the course is suggested. All donations support the Amy St. Laurent Fund, which sponsors the R.A.D. trainings. Due to attendance issues, all donations must be paid prior to the first class. Deadline for registration is Feb. 1, 2011. To sign up for the class or receive more information about Portland R.A.D., e-mail ppdrad@portlandmaine.gov or call 874-8643.

‘Motorcycle Camping’ 6:30 p.m. “Motorcycle Camping.” Gordon Longsworth ’90, director of the college’s GIS laboratory talks about his month-long motorcycle journey across the continent. McCormick Lecture Hall, 105 Eden St., Bar Harbor, ME. Free. glongsworth@coa.edu or 801-5677.

Port Veritas open mic 7 p.m. Port Veritas hosts Portland’s longest running spoken word open mic, at Blue, 650 Congress St. All ages, $3 suggested donation (venue requires two purchase min.); youth slam is held the fourth Tuesday of each month at Coffee By Design on India Street. The event is open to all who wish to

Visiting Writers Series at UMF

Thursday, Feb. 10 A City Life with Joe Gray 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Portland City Manager Joe Gray will be retiring after over 40 years of public service and the last 10 years as City Manager. He will reflect on the significant changes made during his tenure and outline the most difficult challenges Portland will face in the future at Eggs and Issues, Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce. Networking: 7 a.m. Breakfast 7:30 a.m. Program at 8 a.m. Holiday Inn By the Bay, Portland; $17 members / $27 nonmembers; call 772-2811. www.portlandregion.com

Wisdom At Work Series noon to 1 p.m. Portland Public Library is hosting a fourpart series on work each Thursday in February in Rines Auditorium. The series is sponsored by Heart At Work Career Counseling and Amy Wood, Success Strategist. The second in the series is titled “Boost Your Emotional Intelligence to Attract Success,” presented by Amy Wood, PsyD. The public is invited to this free series. Heart At Work Career Counseling, Outplacement Services & Second Half of Life Planning, 25 Middle St. 775-6400.

7:30 p.m. University of Maine at Farmington’s notable Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program presents 2009 National Poetry Series winner Erika Meitner as the first reader in its spring Visiting Writers Series. This free and open-to-the-public event will take place in The Landing in UMF’s Olsen Student Center, and will be followed by a signing by the author. Recognized as “the new voice of intelligent and emotional poems,” Meitner was chosen as a winner for the 2009 National Poetry Series for her second published work, “Ideal Cities” (HarperCollins, 2010). Her first book, “Inventory at the All-Night Drugstore” (Anhinga Press, 2003), won the 2002 Anhinga Prize for Poetry and was a finalist for the 2004 Paterson Poetry Prize. “Makeshift Instructions for Vigilant Girls,” her third book, will be out in February 2011.

Jim McCue at the Portland Comedy Connection 8:30 p.m. Half-price showcase hosted by weekend headliner Jim McCue at the Portland Comedy Connection, 16 Custom House Wharf. Reservations: 774-5554. $7.50. Schedule and information: www.mainecomedy.com. Box ofﬁce open Thurs.-Sat., noon to 10 p.m. see next page

Page 14 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Tuesday, February 8, 2011

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– EVENTS CALENDAR––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– from preceding page

Friday, Feb. 11 Portland’s WinteRush kicks off 5 p.m. The second annual WinteRush winter festival in Portland starts with the Downtown Showdown in Monument Square. For a full schedule, visit www.winterush.com.

Maine Children’s Cancer Program beneﬁt 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. The Kiwanis Club of Scarborough is selling tickets to its 12th annual fundraiser for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program. The event will take place at the Pulse Ballroom Dance Studio in Scarborough on, from The beneﬁt is organized by Kiwanis each year and made possible through voluntary donations from local businesses and ticket sales to the public. All net proceeds are donated to the Maine Children’s Cancer Program, organizers reported. A contribution of $25 per person or $175 for a table of eight includes an evening complete with live dance music by the Tony Boffa Band, showcase dancing, dance lessons, hors d’ oeuvres and desserts along with a silent auction. Kiwanis of Scarborough continues its support for the MCCP, a modern facility in Scarborough under the umbrella of the Maine Medical Center and the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital. Entering its 22nd year with over 800 children as part of its family, the MCCP continues to provide comprehensive, clinical research-based medical care and support to children with cancer throughout the state of Maine and eastern New Hampshire. Tickets can be purchased at the following businesses: Ron Forest & Sons Fence Company, 354 Payne Road, Scarborough; Biddeford Savings Bank, 360 U.S. Route 1, Scarborough; and Pulse Dance Studio, 865 Spring St., Westbrook. Purchase tickets online at www. mmc.org/mccpdance.

‘Harvest’ at the PMA 6:30 p.m. Portland Museum of Art Movies at the Museum series features “Harvest” on Friday, Feb. 11, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 12, 2 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 13, 2 p.m. NR. “Gathered one summer in a beautiful shoreline town, three generations are drawn together by their patriarch, played by Academy Award Nominee Robert Loggia. With endearing moments of humor and uplifting spirit, Harvest is a portrait of a family awkwardly yet delicately hanging on to what was, what now is, and to one another. A superb ensemble cast, including Tony Winner Victoria Clark, Arye Gross, newcomer Jack Carpenter, and featuring Academy Award Nominee Barbara Barrie tugs on heartstrings and reminds us of a love that can weather all storms in this poignant yet amusing story. Harvest brings to mind how we all come of age, in our own stumbling yet loving ways, often again and again.”

Art with Heart Hootenanny 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Art with Heart Hootenanny — Silent Auction beneﬁt for Mayo Street Arts. Over 100 items of art, goods, and services up for auction. Live music by The HiTides. Snow date Feb. 12.

‘Topkapi’ 7 p.m. St. Mary’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 43 Foreside Road, Falmouth. St. Mary’s invites all its neighbors to view selected ﬁlm classics on the big screen in the Parish Hall on the second Friday of each month at 7 p.m., directly following the free “Souper Supper” that evening. The feature of the evening will be “Topkapi” (1964). “A small time con-man with passport problem gets mixed up with a gang of world-class jewelry thieves plotting to rob the Topkapi museum in Istanbul. Starring Melina Mercouri, Maximilian Schell, Peter Ustinov, and Robert Morley.” Admission is free. FMI: 781-3366.

Fun-A-Day art show 7 p.m. The Apohadion, 107 Hanover St., Portland, presents this free art display. “Participants choose a project and produce one piece of artwork every day for the entire month of January. The 31 resulting pieces create a narrative outlining each artist’s journey through the ﬁrst month of the year. Projects vary from lighthearted to serious, high-brow to low-brow. This year’s list of mediums includes photos, drawings, haircuts, comics, dances and more!” The FunA-Day show will be held at The Apohadion, 107 Hanover St. in Portland. (note: participants in the show can drop their work off at the Apohadion during designated hours the week of the show--see www.artclash.com for exact times.) The show is free and all-ages and will feature performances on opening night.

Open Mic/Poetry Slam in Auburn 7:15 p.m. The Pleasant Note Coffeehouse presents Open Mic/Poetry Slam at the First Universalist Church of Auburn. “For almost ﬁve years, this free monthly event draws people of all ages from the L/A community to share the spirituality of song, music, spoken word and dance. Refreshments and children’s room available.” First Universalist Church is located at 169 Pleasant St. (enter on Spring Street, across from Dairy Joy). Accessible. 783-0461 or www.auburnuu.org.

Germany’s Auryn Quartet at Bates

Valentine Tea and Book Sale

7:30 p.m. Germany’s Auryn Quartet, whose recordings of the complete Beethoven string quartets were called “the set to beat” by a reviewer for Gramophone, returns to Bates College to ﬁnish its three-year survey of the Beethoven cycle in performances at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 11-12, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13, in the Olin Arts Center Concert Hall, 75 Russell St. The ensemble also offers an open rehearsal followed by a reception at 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 12. Tickets for the performances cost $10/$4 and are available at www.batestickets.com. Attendance at the rehearsal is open to the public at no cost, but seating is very limited and must be reserved by calling 786-6163.

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Friends of Feral Felines will hold a Valentine Tea and Book Sale. Stop in to browse the books and Thrifty Kitty shop, enjoy a cup of tea and sweets and support the TNR (trap, neuter, return) work of this volunteer group who assists the neediest of cats in Cumberland and York counties. The Thrifty Kitty is located at 651 Forest Ave. in the Woodfords area, Odd Fellows Block. FMI call 797-3014.

Maine Poets Read: Beyond ‘Leaves of Grass’

7:30 p.m. “Who, what, when, how, and why have you longed for someone or something? On Friday, February 11th, in honor of Valentine’s Day, The Telling Room will try to answer that question as a series of writers, artists, and notable community members tell ten-minute stories about longing to a live audience without notes or props. ... Storytellers will include Oscar Mokeme, the founder of the Museum of African Culture; Karen Morgan, a comedian who was a ﬁnalist for the Funniest Mom in America; Samuel James, a blues musician; Seth Rigoletti, a former teacher and communication consultant; Taffy Field, a writer, longtime teacher, and frequent contributor to Maine Public Radio and Monitor Radio; and Jeffrey Thomson, an award-winning poet and professor at the University of Maine at Farmington. The Slant Series is inspired by The Moth, a live storytelling organization established in New York City in 1997 and featured on Maine Public Radio. A podcast of stories from the ﬁrst Slant is available at www.tellingroom.org.” SPACE Gallery. Free and open to all ages.

11 a.m. to noon. To celebrate poetry and the exhibition Weston: Leaves of Grass, join four distinctly different poets in the galleries at the Portland Museum of Art as they read their favorite Whitman poem from “Leaves of Grass,” paired with their own contemporary poems. Portland’s Poet Laureate Steve Lutrell, along with Russ Sargent, Meagan Grumbling and Michael MacKlin, will each read from this epic celebration of American life. The art exhibit runs from Dec. 30, 2010 through March 13, 2011. “In early 1941, Edward Weston was approached by the Limited Editions Club of New York and invited to make photographs to illustrate its deluxe edition of Walt Whitman’s epic poem ‘Leaves of Grass.’ Although he balked at the suggestion, the opportunity the project offered to travel cross-country and visit parts of the U.S. that were new to him convinced Weston to undertake it. This exhibition of 53 photographs by Weston follows the route of his cross-country trip. The Whitman photographs, mostly made with a large 8x10 format camera, are exceptionally wide-ranging with particular emphasis on the man-altered landscape rather than images of untouched nature. The exhibition will feature images from the West, the South, the Mid-Atlantic and New England, including two images from Maine.” www.portlandmuseum.org

‘The Vagina Monologues’ at Bates

‘Crazy Lil’ Thing Called Love’

7:30 p.m. For the 11th year, Bates College students are supporting efforts to reduce domestic violence with a production of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues,” in performances at 7:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday, Feb. 11-13, in Gannett Theater, Pettigrew Hall, 305 College St., Lewiston. Tickets are $5 and available at the door. Proceeds will go to Safe Voices, an Auburn nonproﬁt that supports victims of domestic violence. Formerly known as the Abused Women’s Advocacy Project, the organization changed its name to emphasize its gender-neutral mission. The play is produced by the Robinson Players, a student-run theater group. This year’s show debuts the directing skills of Marketa Ort ‘13 of New York City. Ort has done much acting at Bates, including the 2010 production of “Vagina Monologues” and theater department productions of “All the World’s a Grave” and “Fuddy Meers.” For more information about this production, please contact srooth@bates.edu.

2 p.m. and 8 p.m. “Crazy Lil’ Thing Called Love” an adult comedy about love, sex and relationships. February 11-27, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. All seats $15. Old Port Playhouse, 19 Temple St. Box Ofﬁce 773-0333, oldportplayhouse.com.

Slant Series — Session 2 at SPACE

‘Crazy Lil’ Thing Called Love’ 8 p.m. “Crazy Lil’ Thing Called Love” an adult comedy about love, sex and relationships. February 11-27, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. All seats $15. Old Port Playhouse, 19 Temple St. Box Ofﬁce 773-0333, oldportplayhouse.com.

Jim McCue and friends at the Comedy Connection 8:30 p.m. Founder of the Boston Comedy Festival Jim McCue with Carolyn Plummer & Kate Ghiloni. Tickets $15. Portland Comedy Connection, 16 Custom House Wharf. Also Saturday. Reservations: 774-5554. $7.50. Schedule and information: www.mainecomedy.com. Box ofﬁce open Thurs.-Sat., noon to 10 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 12 Natural beekeeping class 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Natural beekeeping class in Top Bar Hives. Two full days, Sat. and Sun., 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Freeport Middle School, 19 Kendall Lane, Freeport. Gold Star Honeybees, 449-1121. Enroll online at www.goldstarhoneybees.com/shopdisplayproducts. asp?id=20&cat=Classes

Spindleworks at Brunswick’s Winter Farmer’s Market 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Fort Andross, 14 Maine Street, Brunswick. “Spindleworks will be adding to the color and festivities of the day. Local artist and staff member Catherine Worthington will be at the Spindleworks booth with several of our artists and a selection of artwork from our center on Lincoln Street. We hope this will be the ﬁrst of many occasions where we can bring a sampling from our store to this weekend venue. Stay tuned to our website (www.spindleworks.org) for more information on our Farmer’s Market appearances!”

Valentine’s Brunch at the Parsonsfield Seminary 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Treat your Valentine to an elegant brunch at Parsonsfield Seminary (Snow date Sunday) $10-$5 (10 and under), 504 North Road Parsonsfield. FMI: (603) 539-5233 or 793-8519.

Church of All God’s Children potluck supper 4:30 p.m. Church of All God’s Children potluck supper, Washington Gardens Community Hall, 66 Churchill St., Portland. $4 admission.

Port Authorities vs. Queen City Roller Girls 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Happy Wheels; Hate the Love AfterParty at 9 p.m. at Empire Dine and Dance. Maine Roller Derby announces the 2011 Spring Season. Maine Roller Derby is excited to announce the 2011 Season, the league’s ﬁfth season since inception in 2006. In the past, the season has been split (April-June and Aug-Oct). This year, the league is jamming seven home bouts into one season (Feb-June) at two locations: the Portland Expo and Happy Wheels. Both teams — the Port Authorities and the Calamity Janes — take on opponents from all over New England and, well, the world. The Port Authorities play teams from Montreal, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Washington DC and Connecticut. The Calamity Janes play teams from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island. The season opens with the Port Authorities, MRD’s all-star team, taking on the Lake Effect Furies, Queen City Roller Girls’ all-star team. Currently, the Port Authorities are ranked No. 11 in the WFTDA Eastern Region, while the Lake Effect Furies are unranked. The team, based in Buffalo, N.Y., was recently accepted as a WFTDA member and was not eligible to be ranked in the last quarter. (For more information on team ranking, go to www.wftda.com.)

Lincoln Club 126th annual banquet 6 p.m. The Lincoln Club 126th annual banquet at the Italian Heritage Center, dinner of baked haddock or prime rib. Social hour, dinner at 7 p.m. Colby Colllege featured speaker. For tickets, call ofﬁcers of the club, including Halsey Frank, 772-6949; G. Phil Stanwood, 571-4049; Glenna Carter, 883-2826.

Portland Club Sweetheart’s Valentine Soiree 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. The Portland Club, 156 State St., is hosting a Sweetheart’s Valentine Soiree in the grand ballroom to beneﬁt the preservation of the 1805 Hunnewell-Shepley mansion that is home to the Portland Club. “Classic Americana to contempory music for your listening and dancing pleasure by Laurence Kelly and Flash Allen with the Love Train Express.” $20 per person, free parking, cash bar, jacket and tie. Tel: 761-4477, amarcoux@aol.com, or pay at the door.

Romantic songs at Anthony’s Dinner Theater 7 p.m. Kelly Cauﬁeld performs romantic songs at Anthony’s Dinner Theater. Free rose to every lady all month. $39.95 per person. Feb. 12, 19 and 26. Call for Reservations. 2212267. www.anthonysdinnertheater.com see next page

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Tuesday, February 8, 2011— Page 15

7 p.m. Susan Conley will celebrate the launch of her debut memoir, “The Foremost Good Fortune,” at Longfellow Books. “Chosen as one of the top 10 reads for February 2011 by O, The Oprah Magazine, ‘The Foremost Good Fortune’ is already poised for bestseller status. In her breakthrough memoir, Maine author Susan Conley chronicles her family’s move from Portland, Maine to China where they spend two years learning the ways of their new home. Conley gives her readers an honest, complex glimpse into her own experience of China, navigating the world of parenting in a foreign land.”

tic Night of Songs” starring Kelly Caufield, star of the “Magic of Christmas,” Best of Broadway at Merrill Auditorium, and “The Life of Judy Garland.” Caufield is a native of Gorham and a graduate of the University of Southern Maine School of Music. Caufield recently won first place in the musical theatre division in the Boston chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing competition. She also won in the same division in Maine. Caufield is known to Maine audiences through her sining with the Portland Symphony Orchestra and performance with the Good Theatre in Portland. Anthony’s offers a five-course dinner, plus show for $39.95, free rose to every lady all month. 2212267. Feb. 12, 19 and 26.

‘A Romantic Night of Songs’

Women in Harmony Valentine’s Day dance

‘The Foremost Good Fortune’

7 p.m. Anthony’s Dinner Theater presents “A Roman-

7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Women in Harmony, a Portland-

based chorus, presents Hearts for Harmony, a Valentine’s Day fundraising dance, at the Italian Heritage Center, 40 Westland Ave., Portland. Dance to your favorite tunes played by the Deejay Thunder and to the music of the Blueberry Pancakes steel drum band. There will be a cash bar and light snacks. The suggested donation is $15. For more information and tickets, please call 4412507.

Franco-American Heritage dance concert 7:30 p.m. The Franco-American Heritage Center and Bates College dance program are partnering to offer the sixth annual F.A.B. dance concert at the FAHC, 46 Cedar St., Lewiston. Tickets are $14 for general admission and $12 for students and seniors. To learn more and order tickets, please visit the center’s website: www.francoamericanheritage.org

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Page 16 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Pharmacies besieged by addicted thieves Robbers are brazen and desperate; Maine among the hardest-hit states BY ABBY GOODNOUGH THE NEW YORK TIMES

BINGHAM, Maine — The orange signs posted throughout Chet Hibbard’s pharmacy here relay a blunt warning: We Do Not Stock OxyContin. Mr. Hibbard stopped dispensing the highly addictive painkiller last July, after two robbers in ski goggles demanded it at knifepoint one afternoon as shocked customers looked on. It was one in a rash of armed robberies at Maine drugstores last year, a sharp increase that has rattled pharmacists and put the police on high alert. “I want people to know before they even get in the door that we don’t have it,” Mr. Hibbard said of OxyContin, which the authorities say is the most common target of pharmacy robberies here. “Outside hiring an armed guard to be in here 24/7, I don’t know what else to do.” Maine’s problem is especially stark, but it is hardly the only state dealing with pharmacy robberies, one of the more jarring effects of the prescription drug abuse epidemic that has left drugstores borrowing heist-prevention tactics from the more traditional targets, banks. In at least one case, a tiny tracking device affixed to a bottle let the police easily track a thief after a robbery. More than 1,800 pharmacy robberies have taken place nationally over the last three years, typically conducted by young men seeking opioid painkillers and other drugs to sell or feed their own addictions. The most common targets are oxycodone (the main ingredient in OxyContin), hydrocodone (the main ingredient in Vicodin) and Xanax. The robbers are brazen and desperate. In Rockland, one wielded a machete as he leapt over a pharmacy counter to snatch the painkiller oxycodone, gulping some before he fled. In Satellite Beach, Fla., a robber threatened a pharmacist with a cordless drill last week, and in North Highlands, Calif., a holdup last summer led to a shootout that left a pharmacy worker dead. The crime wave has spurred pharmacists to tighten security measures and add ones they may never have imagined. Many have upgraded their surveillance cameras; some have installed bulletproof glass and counters high enough to keep would-be robbers from jumping them, giving these pharmacies the aesthetic of an urban liquor store. In Tulsa, Okla., where there was a steep increase in drugstore robberies last year, at least one pharmacist now requires customers to be buzzed in the door. Meanwhile, the police are quietly experimenting with new tools. In Lewiston, Me., last fall, a Rite Aid pharmacist handed a robber who threatened to shoot her five bottles of OxyContin, including one that contained a tracking device. According to court records, the device led the police to the suspect’s home on a rural road shortly after he fled the store. They gathered evidence there, arrested the suspect a few days later and indicted him last month. The Drug Enforcement Administration does not routinely investigate reports of pharmacy robberies, and therefore “it cannot be determined what factors are contributing to these types of thefts,” a spokeswoman said. But some local law enforcement officials have been overwhelmed enough by the incidents to seek help. Thomas Delahanty II, the United States attorney in Maine, announced recently that the federal authorities would help investigate the heists from now on and prosecute some of the cases. Federal charges could bring more prison time, Mr. Delahanty said, describing the surge in such robberies as “staggering numbers that can’t be ignored.” There were 21 in Maine last year, according to the D.E.A., up from two in 2008 and seven in 2009. In Biddeford, a city of 21,000 that has had seven

“Outside hiring an armed guard to be in here 24/7, I don’t know what else to do,” says Chet Hibbard, a Maine pharmacist who has stopped selling OxyContin. (Matt McInnis for The New York Times)

pharmacy robberies since December 2009, Roger Beaupre, the police chief, said he was urging the stores to require customers to remove hoods and sunglasses before entering and to consider caging in their pharmacy counters. Police officers there got free training in how to investigate pharmacy heists last month from Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin. The company also trains pharmacists on how to prevent robberies and what to do should they fall victim to one, said Rick Zenuch, its director of law enforcement liaison and education. “The very first tip we give them is comply, comply, comply,” Mr. Zenuch said. “Do exactly what the suspect wants, to end the encounter as soon as possible.” In Washington State, where more than 100 pharmacy robberies have taken place over the last three years, law enforcement officials say the penalty for second-degree robbery, when the pharmacist may be threatened but no weapon is shown, is too weak. Dan Satterberg, the King County prosecutor, said he had submitted a bill to the Legislature to increase the minimum jail time to three years from three months. “Word travels fast on the street about what an easy target the pharmacies are and how much profit can be made and what small punishment is attached,” Mr. Satterberg said. OxyContin goes for $1 a milligram on the street, Mr. Satterberg and other law enforcement officials said, and the most popular pill is 80 milligrams. Many pharmacies in Washington have deterred would-be robbers by putting time-release locks on the safes where they store narcotics and staggering their inventory, Mr. Satterberg said. Perhaps as a result, the number of armed robberies at pharmacies there dropped to 23 in 2010 from 49 in 2008, according to the D.E.A. Still, Mr. Satterberg said, the threat of robbery has made it difficult for retail chains in the state to recruit enough pharmacists in recent years. “They feel very vulnerable when so many people are so desperate to get what they keep behind those counters,” he said. In sheer numbers, Florida, Indiana, California, Ohio and Washington have had the most armed robberies of pharmacies since January 2008, according

“I stood right between him and his knife,” said Lori Pratt, a pharmacy technician, referring to one of the robbers. “I was all ready to go on the Internet after it happened and get a Taser gun.” to the D.E.A. But Maine, Oklahoma and Oregon had the sharpest increases last year. All but a handful of the Maine robberies took place at Rite Aid and CVS stores, some of which were hit multiple times. In Tulsa, Okla., where pharmacy robberies last year far outpaced bank robberies, the police said the crimes were now more often committed by gangs who want to sell the drugs than addicts in search of a fix. Robbers there often demand Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug, along with opioids, said Sgt. Dave Walker, who runs the robbery unit of the Tulsa Police Department. In Bingham, a remote town of about 1,000, the men who robbed Mr. Hibbard’s pharmacy, E.W. Moore & Son, were caught and sent to prison, as was another robber who held up the store at gunpoint in 2006. But despite that comforting fact and the store’s nine surveillance cameras and high-tech alarm system, Mr. Hibbard and his employees still jump when the place is quiet and they hear footsteps coming up the ramp, they said. “I stood right between him and his knife,” said Lori Pratt, a pharmacy technician, referring to one of the robbers. “I was all ready to go on the Internet after it happened and get a Taser gun.” Unlike Mr. Hibbard, Rite Aid has chosen to keep stocking the drugs that are popular with robbers, said Eric Harkreader, a spokesman. But the company now limits the amount of certain drugs in stores at any given time. “If they are going for lots of quantity at once, we don’t want to help them out,” he said. “But we certainly want to have the prescription available for all its legitimate purposes.” In Biddeford, a Rite Aid that was robbed twice last year was struck again last week. The suspect, who demanded OxyContin and fled into the night, remains at large.