The Portland Daily Sun, Wednesday, March 7, 2012

ly D a i D e a l Ocean House Market 512 Ocean St., South Portland, Maine 04106

Internet Offer Only!

SAVE 50%

$5 off a $10 voucher at Ocean House Market

VISIT PORTLANDDAILYSUN.ME FOR THIS AND OTHER GRE AT OFFERS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2012

Why did she do that?

See John Frary, page 4

VOL. 4 NO. 24

PORTLAND, ME

PORTLAND’S DAILY NEWSPAPER

699-5801

FREE

Vacancy déja vu? City names acting fire chief, starts national search Process may be similar to police search — See page 3 ‘Yardscaping’ demo to be unveiled at flower show; one goal is to reduce ‘green slime’ in bay — Page 6

Port City seeks after-hours license See page 8

Muffin mulligan See Natalie Ladd, page 9

A pedestrian strolls through the Yardscaping Gardens at Back Cove Tuesday, where signs explain the benefits of “low maintenance plants.” An exhibit at this year’s Portland Flower Show, which starts tonight and runs through Sunday at the Portland Company complex, will offer a “sneak preview” of the newly completed Yardscaping Gardens. (DAVID CARKHUFF PHOTO)

Page 2 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Ferrell goes Spanish LOS ANGELES (NY Times) — Last summer Will Ferrell was brushing up on his Spanish (three years high school, two semesters college) for his starring role in “Casa de Mi Padre,” a movie presented almost entirely en Español with English subtitles.

During a phone call with his collaborators before filming started, Ferrell recalled: “They asked, ‘How’s your Spanish coming?’ I’m like: ‘Not good. I haven’t even started.’ ” Nevertheless, with a little focus and some last-minute tutoring, Ferrell — the only nonnative speaker in an otherwise Spanish-speaking principal cast — was able to fulfill his duties to “Casa de Mi Padre,” an unusual comedy even by his standards. The movie, which will be released on March 16, finds him far afield from crowd-pleasing hits like “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.”

Shot in 24 days on a budget of about $6 million, “Casa de Mi Padre” tells the story of Armando Alvarez (Ferrell), the ne’er-do-well son of a Mexican rancher whose manhood is tested when he falls in love with the fiancée (Genesis Rodriguez) of his flashier brother, Raul (Diego Luna), and is drawn into a violent conflict with a drug baron (Gael García Bernal).

“For some reason,” Ferrell said, “it just hit me that it’d be really funny not to have the joke be that I speak bad Spanish, but that I actually speak as proficient Spanish as I can muster, and everything is played really straight.”

Ferrell could not pinpoint more precisely where the idea for the movie came from, except to say it had been bouncing around his head for several years.

Matt Piedmont, the director of “Casa de Mi Padre,” and Andrew Steele, its screenwriter, suggested that its origins could be traced to their time as writers on “Saturday Night Live,” where they created deliberately awkward and oddly paced skits for Ferrell: character pieces about shirtless Bible salesmen, or a man who displays his patriotism by wearing starspangled thong underwear to work.

“You’re really excited that it’s just on TV, you pulled this off,” Steele said in a joint interview with Mr. Piedmont.

Piedmont added, “It’s like a scam.”

But even with the involvement of Ferrell, the “Casa de Mi Padre” team sensed that this project would not be of much interest to Hollywood.

“All the marketing places at the studios, they wouldn’t touch it with a 10-foot pole,” Piedmont said.

It was financed by Nala Films, a Santa Monica, Calif., company that has produced movies like “In the Valley of Elah” and “Dan in Real Life.”

SAYWHAT...

“

Friends applaud, the comedy is over.

—Ludwig van Beethoven

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– DIGEST––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

THEMARKET

3DAYFORECAST Today High: 50 Record: 68 (1974) Sunrise: 6:06 a.m.

Tomorrow High: 60 Low: 35 Sunrise: 6:05 a.m.

Sunset: 5:39 p.m.

DOW JONES 203.66 to 12,759.15

Tonight Low: 36 Record: -6 (2007) Sunset: 5:38 p.m.

Friday High: 45 Low: 21

S&P 20.97 to 1,343.36

NASDAQ 40.16 to 2,910.32

TODAY’SJOKE

THETIDES

“You know what I’m great at? Trivial Pursuit. What good is that gonna do you in life? It has the word ‘trivial’ in the name.”

— Christian Finnegan

MORNING High: 10:39 a.m.

Low: 4:25 a.m.

EVENING High: 11:03 p.m.

Low: 4:50 p.m.

-courtesy of www. maineboats.com

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WORLD/NATION–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

World powers resume nuclear talks with Iran BRUSSELS (NY Times) — The global powers dealing with Iran’s disputed nuclear program said Tuesday that they had accepted its offer to resume negotiations broken off in stalemate more than a year ago — a move that could help relieve increased pressure from Israel to use military force against Tehran.

“I have offered to resume talks with Iran on the nuclear issue,” said Catherine Ashton, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, who represents the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and

Germany as the contact on the nuclear issue with Iran.

“We hope that Iran will now enter into a sustained process of constructive dialogue which will deliver real progress.”

The announcement of a new round of face-to-face negotiations — which E.U. officials said would probably take the form of a series of meetings with no fixed deadline — came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, which regards Iran as its most dangerous enemy, was in the midst of a two- day visit to the United States to press

his view that diplomatic and economic pressures on Iran to dissuade it from developing a nuclear weapon were not working. Obama, who has said a nuclear-armed Iran is unacceptable, urged Netanyahu to give diplomacy and sanctions more time.

At a news conference in Washington after the announcement, Obama largely repeated his recent comments on Iran. But he coupled them with an unusually blunt warning to his Republican rivals against irresponsible “bluster” or any reckless rush to war.

Minnesota school district reaches agreement gay bullying prevention MINNESOTA (NY Times) — After years of accusations that it had failed to stop antigay bullying and a spate of student suicides, Minnesota’s largest school district has agreed to sweeping changes designed to prevent harassment based on sexual orientation in a plan that federal officials call a national model.

The sprawling Anoka-Hennepin district, just north of Minneapolis, approved a legal agreement on Monday night with the federal government, which has been investigating the district for civil rights violations, and with six students who had sued the district on charges that they had suffered unchecked harassment. Under the agreement, which must be signed by a federal judge, the Departments of Justice and Educa-

tion will monitor the district for five years.

The Minnesota district and its antibullying procedures became entwined in a nationwide debate over how homosexuality and gender diversity should be discussed in schools. Conservative Christian groups, while condemning bullying, argue that singling out sexual orientation for protections or teaching tolerance of same-sex marriage amounts to endorsing sinful practices.

In response to conflicting pressures, AnokaHennepin officials had devised an unusual policy, directing teachers to remain neutral on any questions involving sexual orientation. But some teachers said that this hampered their ability to support gay students and that the overall climate was still hostile.

Report: Dire poverty falls despite global financial slump WASHINGTON (NY Times) — A World Bank report shows a broadbased reduction in extreme poverty — and indicates that the global recession, contrary to economists’ expectations, did not increase poverty in the developing world.

The report shows that for the first time the proportion of people living in extreme poverty — on less than $1.25 a day — fell in every developing region between 2005 and 2008.

And the biggest recession since the Great Depression seems not to have thrown that trend off course, preliminary data from 2010 indicate.

The progress is so dramatic that the world has met the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals to cut extreme poverty in half five years before its 2015 deadline.

“There has been broad-based progress in fighting poverty, and accelerating progress. There’s a lot to be happy about,” said Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and special adviser to the Millennium Development Goals project.

The report indicates that despite the world entering a recession in 2009, poverty did not increase in developing nations. That is contrary to the World Bank’s own expectations.

In a year-end 2008 report, the Washington-based development institution warned: “Unemployment is on the rise in industrial countries and poverty is set to increase across low-and middle income countries, bringing with it a substantial deterioration in conditions for the world’s most vulnerable.”

Preschoolers in surgery for a mouthful of cavities SEATTLE (NY Times) — In the surgical wing of the Center for Pediatric Dentistry at Seattle Children’s Hospital, Devon Koester, 2 ½ years old, was resting last month in his mother’s arms as an anesthesiologist held a bubble-gum-scented mask over his face to put him under.

The doctors then took X-rays, which showed that 11 of his 20 baby teeth had cavities. Then

his pediatric dentist extracted two incisors, performed a root canal on a molar, and gave the rest fillings and crowns.

Devon’s mother, Melody Koester, a homemaker from Stanwood, Wash., and her husband, Matthew, an information technology manager, said they began worrying about brushing Devon’s teeth only after Mrs. Koester noticed they were

discolored when he was 18 months old. “I had a lot on my mind, and brushing his teeth was an extra thing I didn’t think about at night,” she said.

The number of preschoolers requiring extensive dental work suggests that many other parents make the same mistake.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted an increase, the first in 40 years, in

the number of preschoolers with cavities in a study five years ago.

But dentists nationwide say they are seeing more preschoolers at all income levels with 6 to 10 cavities or more. The level of decay, they added, is so severe that they often recommend using general anesthesia because young children are unlikely to sit through such extensive procedures while they are awake.

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, March 7, 2012— Page 3

D

y ail

De

al

Ocean House Market

Internet Offers Only!

CO

NW

AY

To Sign Up For Upcoming Deals

512 Ocean St., South Portland, Maine 04106

50% OFF

LAC

$5 off a $10 voucher at Ocean House Market

VISIT PORTL A NDDA ILYSUN.ME FOR THIS A ND OTHER GRE AT OFFERS

ON

BER

Visit

CONWAYDAILYSUN.COM

Visit I A LACONIADAILYSUN.COM

LIN

To Sign Up For Upcoming Deals Visit

BERLINDAILYSUN.COM To Sign Up For Upcoming Deals

City starts national search for new fire chief

BY MATTHEW ARCO THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

A day after Portland's top police commander, Michael Sauschuck, was formally sworn in, city officials announced a nationwide search had begun for a new commander of the fire department.

The city is accepting applications for Portland's fire chief position slated to be vacant as of April 1 and filled by mid-June. It's the first time the city is undertaking a national search for the position, which in the past was filled following a "competitive internal process," said city spokeswoman Nicole Clegg.

"We want consistency with our management level hires and we found (national searches) to be successful, and the assessment center piece has been very useful," she said, explaining the decision to go beyond an internal search.

"We want to make sure that we have the best and most competitive applicant pool," Clegg added.

In addition to announcing the April 6 deadline for submitting an application for the position, Clegg said the city is planning to accept bids for a firm to administer the assessment center portion of the hiring process.

Assessment centers put candidates through real life scenarios that a fire chief would likely encounter if hired.

The city spent about $10,000 filling the vacant chief position at the Portland Police Department. The cost to find a new top commander for the fire department is expected to be comparable to the police chief search, Clegg said.

The news of the national search came as officials announced City Manager Mark Rees' decision to name a department deputy chief as an interim top commander.

Deputy Chief Stephen Smith was named acting chief following Chief Fred LaMontagne's retirement effective the beginning of next month.

Smith joined the department in 1975 and was more recently tasked with managing the department's Hazardous Materials and Weapons of Mass Destruction Team, according to city officials.

"I am incredibly appreciative of Deputy Chief Smith's willingness to lead the fire department through this transition," Rees said in a statement.

"He knows the department well, and I am confident the community will benefit from his leadership over the coming months."

LaMontagne announced his plans to retire in January.

The 27-year-veteran of the department is credited with merging emergency medical services in with the fire department and leading regionaliza-

Portland Fire Department Deputy Chief Stephen Smith was named acting fire chief of the department by City Manager Mark Rees Tuesday.

(COURTESY PHOTO)

tion efforts for dispatch and 911 services. He also helped coordinate the city's emergency response during natural disasters and the H1N1 "swine flu" epidemic.

LaMontagne served as chief for about 10 years. At the time he announced his retirement, LaMontagne said he planned to pursue other professional opportunities — though he has not made his career plans public.

LaMontagne's retirement announce-

Girl Scouts of the USA 100TH BIRTHDAY

$

PANCAKE BREAKFAST March 11, 2012 ~ 8-10am Applebee’s Restaurant 1031 Brighton Avenue, Portland Sponsored by: 316 Infantry Association to benefit Girl Scouts of Maine Troops 2051 & 1712 Contact: CSM Joel Chapman at 775-0284 for tickets as RSVP’s are required

Market Survey Inc is seeking candidates for a rewarding career as a

CSR/ACCOUNT REP Responsibilities: • Providing Information for Potential Members • Update Current Members Account Information • Assist in Setup & Troubleshooting of New Member Equipment • General Sales & Marketing Support Efforts Qualifications: • College degree is a strong plus. (High School Diploma / GED required) • Excellent verbal and written communication skills required.

• Flexible Schedule (nights, weekends and holidays are a must).

• Ability to multitask • 1+ year experience in a customer service environment is a strong plus.

• Knowledge of computers and Microsoft software required (Word/Excel) We offer a starting salary of $14 - $17 per hour. (PT/FT) Interested candidates should forward resumes to : entrylevel00@gmail.com

ment was the latest of several top management transitions in the city of Portland.

Before his planned departure, the director of Planning and Urban Development, Penny St. Louis, stepped down, former police Chief James Craig left Portland to pursue a policing career in Cincinnati, and Rees was hired as city manager after Joe Gray vacated the position. Portland Schools Superintendent James Morse will leave the district in June when his contract expires.

The fire chief hiring process is expected to be similar to the recent hiring of a new police commander, Clegg said, including the decision of the city manager to keep the identities of the candidates a secret.

The city repeatedly denied requests

by The Portland Daily Sun in recent weeks to disclose the identities of the five finalists selected as contenders to be the city's newest chief of police.

The city manager said a confidential process allowed them to choose from a wider range of qualified candidates who may otherwise be discouraged from applying for the public position lest their current employers find out.

Candidates seeking detailed information regarding the city’s fire chief search can visit the city’s website at www.portlandmaine.gov/fire/firechiefsearch.pdf.

9.99 $ 15.99

Our Famous 10 oz. Steak Tips your choice of Teriyaki or Jamaican jerk

1227 Congress St. 774-8104

606 Washington Ave. 774-4639

323 Broadway 347-7450

www.AnaniasVariety.com

Looking for a deal?

Anania’s Brown Bag Special A Small Ham Italian, a 50¢ bag of Lays chips, a can of Coke, AND an award winning Anania’s Small Whoopie Pie for just $5.99!

$5.99

1/2 rack Baby Back Ribs & 7oz. Tips Combo **March dinner specials Sunday thru Thursday from 4:30 to close

$

5.99

Daily from 3-6pm • Bacon & Cheddar Potato Skins • Coconut Shrimp(9) • Sweet Italian Sausage w/ Fresh lemon & sweet cherry pepper • Vegetable quesadilla • 1.00 off draft beer **March Appetizer specials everyday from 3-6PM

Prime Rib Available every Friday and Saturday night

February Beer Specials Old Thumper by Shipyard 6 pk....7.49++ Miller Lite 15 pk. (while supplies last). 9.99++

www.parkers-maine.com

1349 Washington Ave, Portland 878-3339 • www.parkers-maine.com NOT TO BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER. AVAILABLE SUNDAY-THURSDAY.

Page 4 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, March 7, 2012

––––––––––––– COLUMN –––––––––––––

Santorum just doesn’t get it You need just a few of things to become president: money, timing, a few smart people to run things — you are too busy to run things yourself because you are up in the sky traveling from campaign stop to campaign stop and also making fundraising calls — and, most important of all, luck.

In the last few months, President Obama has gotten really lucky. The Republicans could not resist holding 20 debates to show the American people how brilliant they are, and a lot of Americans took a look and said, “That’s all you got?”

But events, like rivers, can move very swiftly. And what today is an improving economy, by fall could be a wretched one ––––– once again. And the Republican Creators primary debate season is probSyndicate ably over.

Obama, however, has gotten incredibly lucky once again: According to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University,”Women, who constitute more than half the population, have cast between 4 and 7 million more votes than men in recent elections. In every presidential election since 1980, the proportion (of) female adults who voted has exceeded the proportion of made adults who voted.”

So does this sound like a good time for Republicans to tick off women voters? It’s not a “special interest group” that can easily be dismissed.

As former Democratic Party chief Howard Dean said recently, “There are just so many groups you can offend, and women are a pretty big one.”

He was speaking of Rush Limbaugh’s denunciation of Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke, who wants Georgetown, a Catholic university, to provide birth control through its student medical insurance plan.

On Wednesday, Limbaugh called Fluke a “slut” and said she “wants to be paid to have sex.” On Thursday, he said she was “having so much sex, it’s amazing she can still walk.”

On Friday, President Obama called Fluke to support her, and a number of sponsors withdrew from Limbaugh’s radio show.

Republican pundit Peggy Noonan said Limbaugh’s

Roger Simon

see SIMON page 5

Portland’s FREE DAILY Newspaper Mark Guerringue, Publisher David Carkhuff, Editor Casey Conley, City Editor Matthew Arco, Staff Writer Natalie Ladd, Business Development Joanne Alfiero, Sales Representative Contributing Writers: Marge Niblock, Christian Milneil, Bob Higgins, Karen Vachon, Cliff Gallant, James Howard Kunstler Founding Editor Curtis Robinson THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN is published Tuesday through Saturday by Portland News Club, LLC. Mark Guerringue, Adam Hirshan, Curtis Robinson Founders Offices: 477 Congress Street, Suite 1105, Portland ME 04101 (207) 699-5801 Website: www.portlanddailysun.me E-mail: news@portlanddailysun.me For advertising contact: (207) 699-5806 or ads@portlanddailysun.me Classifieds: (207) 699-5807 or classifieds@portlanddailysun.me

CIRCULATION: 13,600 daily distributed Tuesday through Saturday FREE throughout Portland by Jeff Spofford, jspofford@maine.rr.com

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

Why did she do that?

There’s a story about a clever, calculating, devious Austrian statesman who awoke one morning to hear that a clever, calculating, devious Russian statesman, friend and opponent, had died in the night. His first reaction was an expression of his heartfelt regret about the tragedy.

Then he paused in thought for a moment and asked himself quietly “I wonder why he did that?”

Having some knowledge of politics and politicians I’ve long grown accustomed to dismissing their public statements and asking myself why did he/she really do that? This is not as cynical as it may sound. It’s just recognition of what the French call a “professional deformation.” A professional politician is always calculating, calculating, calculating. They can’t help it. It goes with the trade. Olympia Snowe has been in that trade for thirtythree years. So I have to ask myself what is she really up to?

Of course I don’t really have any solid information about her motives but I figure I’m free to speculate since everyone else is busily speculating right now without any solid information. I leave it to others to wonder about what Chellie Pingree, Kevn Raye, Charlie Summers, Steve Abbott,

John Frary

––––– Guest Columnist Bruce Poliquin, Jon Courtney, Eliot Cutler, Angus King, and a flock of others are going to do.

What interests me is this paragraph from Senator Snowe’s statement: “As I enter a new chapter, I see a vital need for the political center in order for our democracy to flourish and to find solutions that unite rather than divide us.

It is time for change in the way we govern, and I believe there are unique opportunities to build support for that change from outside the United States Senate. I intend to help give voice to my fellow citizens who believe, as I do, that we must return to an era of civility in government driven by a common purpose to fulfill the promise that is unique to America.”

I have no idea what she means by “solutions that unite rather than divide us,” or what “common purpose” she has in mind, or which “promise that is

unique to America” she is thinking about. This appears to be no more than cheerful chatter that evades concrete definition. I suppose that sort of thing makes some people feel good, but I have no feeling about it at all.

What interests me is this: “... I believe there are unique opportunities to build support for that change from outside the United States Senate. I intend to help give voice to my fellow citizens. ...”

Calvin Coolidge once explained his refusal to run for another term by saying that “it’s a pretty good idea to leave when they still want you.” If she had explained herself in equally terse and common-sensical style I’d be content to close the book on Olympia, but I’m asking myself what “unique opportunities” does she have in mind?

The state and national media are feverishly guessing and opinionizing about what Olympia Snowe’s departure means for the prospects of a Democratic pickup, Republican chances of taking the Senate this year, who is going to step up to take her place, what this means for the races in Maine’s first and second district.

No one seems interested in those unique opportunities. see FRARY page 5

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, March 7, 2012— Page 5

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

Losing touch with reality America is starting to remind me of Bette Davis in the horror movie classic “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” America is losing its grip on reality. America is acting like an elderly strumpet in too much pancake makeup performing a song-and-dance on the beach while its kinfolk lie dying in the sand.

History is taking us in a certain direction and we don’t want to hear about it. We’ve got our hands clapped over our ears and we’re shouting “Kittens and puppies! Kittens and puppies!” Here are some of the things that we’re confused about: We tell ourselves we’re in an economic recovery, meaning we expect to return to a prior economic state, namely, a turbo-charged “consumer” economy fueled by easy credit and cheap energy. Fuggeddabowdit. That part of our history is over. We’ve entered a contraction that will seem permanent until we reach an economic re-set point that comports with what the planet can actually provide for us. That re-set point is lower than we would like to imagine. Our realitybased assignment is the intelligent management of contraction. We don’t want this assignment. We’d prefer to think that things are still going in the other direction, the direction of more, more, more. But they’re not. Whether we like it or not, they’re going in the direction of less, less, less. Granted, this is not an easy thing to contend with, but it is the hand that circumstance has dealt us. Nobody else is to blame for it.

A particular set of economic behaviors are over. The housing sector will never come back to what it was because that whole living arrangement is over. We built too many houses in the wrong places in no particular civic disposition and it only worked for a few decades because of cheap oil, cars purchased on credit, and foreigners lending us their money. We’re done building suburbia, and after a while, when we can no longer stand the dysfunction and inconvenience, we’ll be done living in the stuff that’s already there. To complicate matters,

James Howard Kunstler ––––– Kunstler.com we have no idea how over all this is.

That’s why one of the main themes in this presidential election — not even stated explicitly — is the defense of the entitlement to a suburban lifestyle; in other words, a campaign to sustain the unsustainable. As the suburban dynamic increasingly fails, disappointment may turn to fury. It will be the result of leaders not telling the public the truth for many, many years. This public fury may be very destructive. It could bring down the government, provoke civil war, or lead us into foreign military adventures — the result of blaming other people for our own bad choices. If we put our effort and spirit into inhabiting our piece of the planet differently, this might turn out differently and better. By this I mean returning to traditional development patterns of civic places (towns) embedded in productive rural places (the agricultural landscape).

More higher education is not going to bring back the turbo-charged consumer economy. We will not need more office gerbils, bond salesmen, regional deputy managers, or Gender Studies PhDs. That’s going in the opposite direction, too. Though corporations and giant institutions seem to rule our lives these days, they will soon go extinct. Anything organized at the giant scale is going to wobble and fall: national chain retail, transnational companies, colossal banks, big universities, you name it. The center of economic life in America will be food production and other agricultural activities, not computer gaming, big box bargain shopping, and hybrid car sales. We will need more farmers, more people competent in agricultural management, and more human laborers working in the fields. There

will be a lot of other practical, “handson” kinds of jobs, but not so many positions in air-conditioned cubicles.

You might want to check the “no” box on those things, but reality will have her way with you anyway.

We’re real confused about our energy predicament. Stories are flying all around the news media to the effect that the USA will soon be an oil exporter. That’s utter nonsense, by the way. We still import more than twothirds of the oil we use. Another story is that the Bakken shale oil fields will make us “energy independent.” That is a complete misunderstanding of reality. Another widely-repeated untruth is the notion that we have “a hundred years of shale gas.” These are stories generated by the particular stage of collective grief we have entered — the bargaining stage, where we attempt to negotiate a better contract with reality. Good luck with that. The truth is, we’re nearly out of the good cheap oil and gas and what’s left is so expensive and difficult to extract that we may not have the capital investment resources to get it. One byproduct of ignoring the disorders in our banking system is that we are also failing to pay attention to the absence of real capital formation. Meanwhile, the oil and gas companies are propagandizing tirelessly in TV commercials in order to get “other people’s money” to sustain their Ponzi operations. (Translation: swindling retirees who cannot get yield from “safe” investments such as bonds.) Eventually we’ll have to face it: the fossil fuel age is ending and there are no miracle rescue remedies waiting to come on-stage.

We’re not going to “tech” our way through the array of mega-problems we face, in particular the energy predicament. The American mindspace today is clogged with cargo-cult fantasies about electric cars, nanomanufacturing, and “information” technology that would allow the trajectory of progress to continue just as we have known and loved it. This too, like the end of suburbia, will lead to vast disappointment. We’re heading instead into a “time-out”

from technological progress, duration unknown, which will probably also result in the loss of some tricks we’ve already learned. The leading wishfulfillment fantasy, of course, is that we will change out all the gasoline and diesel cars for electric cars. This is not going to happen. We will be a far less affluent society. There will be much less capital available to devote to auto loans. Our towns, counties, and states are all going broke and will not be able to keep the stupendous roadway system in repair. That’s a major reason why we have to return to living in walkable towns instead of disaggregated suburbs, and why we desperately need to repair the regular (not high-speed) rail system.

We pretend that if we ignore the problems in banking/money/capital formation they might just fade away like the morning dew. The failure to reintroduce the rule-of-law into these matters will destroy the system, and will probably even overtake the destabilizing potential of the peak oil problem — in fact, will accelerate it due to capital scarcity. President Obama is not doing America any favors by, for instance, allowing Jon Corzine to remain at large. If we continue this policy of pretending that nothing has gone wrong, reality will correct our money system for us, by sweeping away all our current arrangements and forcing us to begin over again from scratch. I mean literally from scratch.

It would be nice if we could correct the disorders in the collective conversion that we call “politics,” but we are probably going to see ever greater divergence with reality. For the moment, all leadership in America has drunk too much Kool-aid, all of it lacks conviction and competence, none of it wants to enter the actual future.

(James Howard Kunstler is the author of several books, including “The Long Emergency,” “The Geography of Nowhere” and “The Witch of Hebron.”

Contact him by emailing jhkunstler@ mac.com.)

Will Olympia Snowe become involved in the ‘Americans Elect’ project?

FRARY from page 4

Maybe they are dismissing those remarks as a glossy cover for her real intention — to relax and enjoy the millions of dollars she and her husband have managed to accumulate over the years. Some are speculating that she might even have been provoked by the rude reception she has endured at some Republican meetings to spite the RINO-loathers by seeing how they enjoy having Chellie Pingree rep-

resent Maine in the Senate.

I’m not so sure or so cynical about her motives.

It’s at least possible that she will be offering herself as a presidential candidate for that third-party, nonparty “Americans Elect” project. At the very least the people behind that project will be overjoyed if she endorsed their effort and made herself their spokesman.

I admit, I really have no idea about what she’s up to. I just think somebody ought to point out that

there is more to her withdrawal than speculation about the effect on Maine’s electoral prospects. It seems to have fallen to me to raise these questions.

(Professor John Frary of Farmington is a former congressional candidate and retired history professor, a board member of Maine Taxpayers United and an associate editor of the International Military Encyclopedia, and can be reached at: jfrary8070@ aol.com.)

‘There are just so many groups you can offend, and women are a pretty big one’ SIMON from page 4

remarks were “crude, rude and even piggish,” but the real damage, she said, was that the remarks were “disruptive” and “took attention away from President Obama’s attack on religious freedom.”

Eventually, Limbaugh apologized to Fluke, saying:

“My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir.

I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices.”

Rick Santorum has made the most of what he calls Obama’s attack on religion, and Santorum did not feel like roughing up Limbaugh too much.

“He’s being absurd, but that’s you know, an entertainer can be absurd,” Santorum said. “He’s in a very different business than I am.”

So does this guy just not get politics or what?

(To find out more about Roger Simon, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.)

Page 6 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Casco Bay group: ‘Green slime’ one threat from fertilizer runoff

BY DAVID CARKHUFF THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

Volunteers work at a Yardscaping demonstration site in Portland. (Photo courtesy of Maine Board of Pesticides Control/Gary Fish)

‘Yardscaping’ demo project to be unveiled at Portland Flower Show

BY DAVID CARKHUFF THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

A low-impact approach to landscaping that could help protect Casco Bay from pesticide and fertilizer runoff is receiving its first formal public exhibition this week at the Portland Flower Show.

An exhibit at this year’s Portland Flower Show, which starts tonight and runs through Sunday at the Portland Company complex, will offer a "sneak preview" of the newly completed Yardscaping Gardens at Back Cove.

"We've been working on this for a long time trying to encourage people to reduce their use of pesticides and fertilizers," said Mary Cerullo, associate director of Friends of Casco Bay, a marine stewardship organization.

For more than a decade, Friends of Casco Bay tackled "Bayscaping," an education effort aimed at convincing landowners to reduce pesticide and fertilizer use.

Today, "Yardscaping" is the term coined to describe ecologically sensitive landscaping that minimizes reliance on water, fertilizer and pesticides.

The Back Cove demonstration gardens have been in the works for about six years, said Gary Fish, Yardscaping coordinator and manager of pesticides programs for the Maine Board of Pesticides Control.

"Yardscaping is a partnership of public and private entities that are trying to encourage Maine gardeners to minimize reliance on pesticides, fertilizers and irrigation water, primarily because of some of the monitoring we've done where we've found pesti-

“Hundreds of people go by, they ask questions all the time.

We’ve had a number of landscape architects and others interested in it.” — Gary Fish, Yardscaping coordinator and manager of pesticides programs for the Maine Board of Pesticides Control cides and fertilizers in both the sediments and the water of Casco Bay," Fish said.

The goal of the demonstration project is to educate the public about the availability of locally sold plants and grasses that don't require as much fertilizing or spraying, he said.

The forward-looking Yardscaping approach has won adherents in the landscaping industry, although homeowners have been slower to embrace the concept, Fish said.

"We've been doing this kind of promotion since about 1999, and over the years we've certainly changed the perspective of landscape practitioners," Fish said.

A new sustainable landscaping training manual and sustainable landscaping certification are among advances within the industry, he said.

"I think at the homeowner level it's slower to be adopted. We certainly have a lot of people interested in it," Fish said.

But public interest was heightened over the past six years as the demonstration gardens took shape on the Back Cove, near

Preble Street Extension, Fish said. The demonstration project was completed last year. A grand opening, originally scheduled for last fall, had to be postponed to this spring, on a date to be announced.

Still, during its emergence, the demonstration site generated word-of-mouth interest, Fish said.

"Hundreds of people go by, they ask questions all the time. We've had a number of landscape architects and others interested in it," he said.

The city provided the two-anda-half-acre unused field now planted with more than 2,000 specially selected trees, shrubs and perennials, including six different grass types and two wildflower fields. A kiosk with information accompanies a set of four signs describing Yardscaping. This summer, there's hope of establishing a YouTube tour explaining the plants, Fish said.

"We plan to have training programs there for local landscape practitioners and municipal folks," he said.

Fish's office already has scheduled a class tour with Waynflete School in the spring, he said.

Master Gardener volunteers from University of Maine Cooperative Extension tend the site, but the demonstration site still needs volunteers for weeding and mulching, Fish said.

The YardScaping booth, No. 33 on the ground floor at the Portland Flower Show, will provide additional information. The public also can go to http://portlandcompany.com/flower.

"Green slime" isn't something out of a science fiction movie, but a real environmental threat that can strangle waterways, environmental officials say.

One exhibit at the Portland Flower Show this week aims to keep the expanding algae at bay, at least over the long term, by educating the public about more environmentally sensitive landscaping approaches that curb the use of fertilizers, a key source of slime-inducing nitrogen.

A gardening and landscaping exhibit on the Back Cove, the Yardscaping Gardens, could over time help reduce this form of algae growth, organizers of the exhibit said. At this week's Portland Flower Show, creators of the gardens will staff a booth to talk about low-intensity landscaping.

Nitrogen runoff — a common result when landowners use fertilizers that leak into storm drains — can create algae blooms, which threaten to choke out clams and other marine life, said Mary Cerullo, associate director of Friends of Casco Bay, a marine stewardship organization.

Slime-covered coves and low dissolved oxygen can result from nitrogen runoff, said Cerullo.

"Green slime algae can smother mudflats," and when the algae decays, bacteria can consume the water's oxygen, she noted.

In 2007, Friends of Casco Bay helped persuade the Maine Legislature to pass a law requiring the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to set a limit on nitrogen discharges into coastal waters.

The group acknowledges that excess nitrogen comes from more than just stormwater runoff carrying fertilizers from lawns — the city's sewage overflows, a problem being tackled through sewer system upgrades; and air pollution from tailpipes and smokestacks are also listed as sources by Friends of Casco Bay. The group also concedes that there is a host of factors, not just one, that contribute to marine degradation. Yet, the Friends group keeps a close eye on Casco Bay, "monitoring all year round" for nitrogen, fluctuating temperatures and other data.

"The more kinds of stressors you put on marine life, it's one more factor that they have to deal with," said Cerullo.

The Yardscaping project. which ultimately could attack the problem of nitrogen runoff and pesticide pollution at the source, was funded in part by a $35,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency and a $10,000 grant from the Davis Conservation Foundation.

"One of the things that we have found that's the driver of pesticide use on people's home properties is their lawns," said Gary Fish, YardScaping coordinator and manager of pesticides programs for the Maine Board of Pesticides Control.

"The products that we're finding are lawn products," he said.

These discoveries are based on Casco Bay water monitoring, conducted since 2002, Fish said. Last year was the first year that the Maine Board of Pesticides Control did not do monitoring due to budget restraints, he said. He said he's not sure about monitoring this year.

Water sampling was done in cooperation with Friends of Casco Bay in cooperation with the cities of South Portland and Portland, Fish said. see SLIME page 9

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, March 7, 2012— Page 7

Open for Breakfast & Lunch 949 Forest Ave., Portland, Maine • 878-6575

Mon - Fri. 5:30am - 2pm Sat. & Sun 6am - 1pm

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MUSIC CALENDAR ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Chorus and The Portland Symphony Orchestra.

Friday, March 9 Enter The Haggis

Wednesday, March 14

8 p.m. Five albums and a decade on the road have seen Enter The Haggis evolve from wildly popular local band to established international touring act. The Toronto roots rock band will play Port City Music Hall, $15 Advance/$20 at door; www.portcitymusichall.com

The Infamous Stringdusters, Hot Day at the Zoo performing at Empire Dine and Dance 8:30 p.m. The Infamous Stringdusters with Hot Day at the Zoo at Empire Dine and Dance. The Stringdusters are taking improvised string band music to new places, combining musicianship, songwriting and experimental performance.

Hot Day at the Zoo is based out of Lowell, Mass. This progressively modern, fourpiece string band (guitar, mandolin, banjo, upright bass) is pioneering a new genre of music their fans are calling “ZooGrass.”

The Fogcutters 8 p.m. The Fogcutters at Empire Dine and Dance. The Fogcutters are a 21-piece big band with a fresh approach to a traditional style of music that incorporates modern sounds and a melting pot of musical styles. The band plays standard big band repertoire but isn’t afraid to cross into uncharted territories, and the band is proud to back the lush and soulful vocal stylings of Stephanie Davis and Phil Divinsky. Boasting 13 horns, a rockin’ rhythm section and two of Portland’s brightest voices, it’s hard not to love The Fogcutters style and energy. www.facebook.com/ portlandempire?ref=ts

Thursday, March 15 Danú in celebration of St. Patrick

8 p.m. The Polish Ambassador at Port City Music Hall. Carbon Vapor presents The Polish Ambassador w/ Stephan Jacobs and Of the Trees at Port City Music Hall. Also, Alpha Data has been added to the lineup. www.portcitymusichall.com

Glen Templeton at Empire 8 p.m. Simplicity & Rock On! Concerts Presents: Glen Templeton at Empire Dine and Dance. “I’m not sure I chose country music, in a way it kind of chose me,” explains Glen Templeton, one of Country Music’s most promising up and coming stars. “I probably had ten or eleven jobs from the time I got out of high school until the time I finally moved to Nashville and I think I was probably fired ten or eleven times too!” says Templeton. www.glentempleton.com/about

Pizza - Pasta - Parmagiana - Espresso - Cannoli - Steak

The Polish Ambassador at Port City Music Hall

G R DiMillo’s

Tonight’s D inner Feature Eggplant Rollatini… 14.95 with pasta

Today’s Lunch Feature Rustlers Rib … 10.95 served with French fries

Soup du Jour: Beef Noodle - Cup $3.95, Bowl $6.95 Join us for happy hour and enjoy 1/2 PRICED APPETIZERS and 1/2 PRICE PIZZA 4-6PM Mon. thru Fri.!

118 Preble St., Portland, ME at the entrance to Downtown Portland

207-699-5959 • www.grdimillos.com

Pizza - Pasta - Parmagiana - Espresso - Cannoli - Steak

7:30 p.m. Danú in celebration of St. Patrick, Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. Hailing from historic County Waterford, Danú is one of the leading traditional Irish ensembles of the day. Called a Waranimal, others at SPACE “spirit-raising concoction” by The Irish 8:30 p.m. Waranimal, Barnburner, Now established as one of Ireland’s most important ensembles, Danú have gathered many awards and critical Times, Danú’s glorious mix of ancient Sylvia, Phantom Glue, Death Cloud acclaim. The group will perform at Merrill Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 15. (COURTESY PHOTO) Celtic music and new repertoire ranges at SPACE Gallery. $8, 18 plus. Tickets from “fierce fiddle reels to pensive balat SPACE or at all Bull Moose localads.” (The New York Times) For over a decade, Danú’s Monday, March 12 tions. Are you in the mood for metal? Party vikings Waranifine musicians on flute, tin whistle, fiddle, button accormal appear out of the mists of time with one mission only: dion, bouzouki and vocals have performed around the Sourvein, Meatsaw, Finisher and Paige Turner to shred. Montreal’s Barnburner blaze a path of destrucworld and recorded seven critically acclaimed albums, 9 p.m. Sourvein, Meatsaw, Finisher and Paige Turner at tion from the north. Sylvia (members ex-Cult Maze, Ocean, always leaving audiences wanting more of their music Geno’s, 625 Congress St. Meatsaw, stoner/punk. We play Whitcomb) is a tight, well-oiled machine — of brutality. that “stirs the blood and lifts the heart.” (Irish Music our own premium blend of punk rock and “stoner” rock.

Boston’s Phantom Glue (Teenage Disco Bloodbath records) Magazine). Tickets: $36, $32. http://portlandovations.

From Cliff Island, N.H. grind out raw, grungy riffs. The local boys of Death Cloud org/shows/2011-12/danu aim for heavy — and succeed. http://www.space538.org/ The Vanishing Act, The Waldos and Huak events.php Tuesday, March 13 9 p.m. The Vanishing Act, The Waldos and Huak at Geno’s.

The Vanishing Act plays Death Metal / Emo / Grindcore.

Saturday, March 10 Portland’s The Waldos play Experimental, Jazz, Punk, Brahms, Poulenc and Rimsky-Korsakov Maths. Portland’s Huak is Post-Punk. http://www.face7:30 p.m. Brahms, Poulenc and Rimsky-Korsakov, Merrill book.com/pages/Genos-Rock-Club/106415422773796 Port City Blue presents Shelly Fraley Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. featuring the CAS Masterworks 6 p.m. MTV Music’s Shelly Fraley Coming to Portland, Port City Blue, 650A Congress St.. Fraley will be performing Restaurant & Sports Bar music from her new album “Hush” at Port City Blue. The Nashville based artist’s music has been heard on popular television shows such as Private Practice, One Tree Hill, If you find a fresher, bigger, meatier, Army Wives, and more. “After hearing and loving Shelly Fraley’s record, I thought there was no way she could live more filling, more satisfying, more up to it live. I decided to find out and asked her to open for BA Y SI D E delicious, more authentic deli me. Imagine my surprise as she blew away my audience with spot-on musical chops (the kind that make pro-tools sandwich anywhere in town... irrelevant) songwriting brilliance and easy charm. She has YOUR NEXT ONE IS ON US! the charisma and work ethic I think the next generation of Chicken Pompeii Pasta… 14.95 career songwrtiers will need in order to thrive.” — Singer/ served with salad Songwriter Chris Trapper of The Push Stars.

B igge r Is B e tte r!

We proudly serve Dr. Brown’s Soda

David Rosen’s

Full Belly Deli Pine Tree Shopping Center (near Lowe’s) Phone: 772-1227 • Fax: 773-3067 Open Mon.-Fri. 8:00AM til 7:00PM Sat. 8:00AM til 4:00PM, Closed Sun.

Page 8 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Late-night venue permits ‘problematic’?

Police wary as Port City Music Hall seeks after-hours entertainment license that would allow it to stay open until 3 a.m. Alcohol would still be prohibited after the 1 a.m. cutoff mandated under state law.

Rob Evon, Port City’s general manager, said yesterday that the after-hours entertainment would likely happen infrequently, and could coincide with other big-name concerts at other venues in town.

“Basically, when there is a soldEvon out show at the Civic Center or the State Theater, it’s a challenge to compete head-tohead with that show,” he said. “I’d much rather set up a situation where I can capture some of those fans after they get out of those concerts.”

The city council, which reviewed Port City’s application on Monday, deferred a decision on the afterhours license until the council’s March 19 meeting.

Under city code, venues that wish to offer music and dancing after 1 a.m. must obtain an after-hours entertainment license in addition to the standard entertainment license. Nobody under 21 can enter after-hours clubs.

Liquor licensing, which is completely separate from entertainment licensing, is handled by the state.

These days, only one bar — Styxx on Spring Street — has after-hours licenses, and Portland police seem to like it that way. Police unsuccessfully tried to convince the city council to eliminate after-hours licenses in 2006, and the department has routinely opposed these licenses over the years.

In a March 2 memo to city officials, Police Chief Mike Sauschuck said after-hours entertainment venues have “consistently proven problematic for public safety.” Sauschuck cited issues related to crowds, fights, intoxication and “other acts of violence.”

Cmdr. Vern Malloch said yesterday that the city has had problems over the years with after-hours

clubs, including former clubs Zoots, on Forest Avenue, and The Industry, on Wharf Street.

“They were very problematic. The whole area was very problematic when they were doing after hours,” Malloch said of the Industry, which closed several years ago.

Pearl, on Fore Street, is the only venue in recent months to apply for an after-hours permit. Malloch said the bar’s owners later withdrew the application before it came up for a vote.

The department has no specific issues with Port City, but rather has concerns about after-hours venues in general, Malloch said. Evon is due to meet with police prior to the March 19 meeting to discuss security, logistics and other possible issues.

The council also referred the broader question, about whether the city should allow after-hours venues at all, to the Public Safety and Health & Human Services subcommittee for review.

Councilor David Marshall, who voted against having the committee revisit the after-hours licensing, said yesterday that the city has broad authority to pull entertainment licenses if a venue becomes problematic. He supports letting Port City operate beyond 1 a.m.

“We haven’t really had any recent history with issues associated with these licenses because there really aren’t that many out there,” Marshall said. “I personally see it as a management issue. If somebody isn’t capable of running a good after-hours venue, then we can simply take the license away.”

Marshall, who owns an art gallery across the street from Port City, said he’s been inside the venue many times and never witnessed any issues. He also pointed out that Port City has never had a noise complaint and hasn’t had many police calls for service.

Port City, which opened in 2009, has tweaked its model over the years to account for more competiBrian Pierce warms up his trumpet before a set by Portland’s SlyChi at the Port City Music Hall back on Jan. 23, 2009, shortly after tion among local venues for touring acts, Evon said. the music venue opened. (DAVID CARKHUFF FILE PHOTO) The venue now has a full kitchen, and about a year ago it changed its license to allow people under 21 to enter.

Evon said this latest proposal “is basically a continuation of that change.”

Are you looking for a way to grow…

Final details are still Are you looking for “FREE” advertising in both print media and on-line? being worked out, but he says there would likely Are you looking to grow your business and earn new revenue? be some kind of cover charge to enter Port City after hours. Inside, the kitchen would be open, and bartenders could WITH OUR DEALS: serve Red Bulls, Vitamin Waters and smoothies • You get the front page banner, page 3 placement and website exposure among other things. for 3 or 4 full days!

Port City could even • You decide how many to sell, when they expire and how much to charge! start serving breakfast • You get 50% of the money from sales back within 15 days after the Deal ends! during the 1 a.m. to 3 • You get the email addresses of everyone who purchased a Deal! a.m. time frame.

• You can run again in as soon as 3-6 months Evon expects the council to approve his after(based on the type of business)! hours license because it • You get at least a 1/4 page of free advertising after the Deal has run! appears to meet existing rules, he said. In Think Deals aren’t for you or your business? fact, he’s already thinkLet us help you come up with a cost effective, enticing ing ahead to the first after-hours event on Portland Daily Sun Deal that makes sense March 29 to coincide Call Natalie at 699-5806 for more information and will help kick off your New Year right! with the Excision show and to book your Daily Deal today. at The State.

BY CASEY CONLEY THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

Port City Music Hall is seeking city approval to offer music and entertainment after the typical 1 a.m. closing time.

The three-year-old venue, at 504 Congress St., has applied for an after-hours entertainment license

Attention Smart Business Owners!!

Why not run a Portland Daily Sun Daily Deal?

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, March 7, 2012— Page 9

Seasonal West End restaurant seeks fresh start “They’re Back! The Denyer girls are at it again, and with a lot of tenacity are shooting for a reopening of Mr. Sandwich and Mrs. Muffin on St. Patty’s Day, March 17. The little restaurant/consignment shop has been dark since Oct. 1 and despite being located in the busy Bramhall Square area of the West End, have evolved into a seasonal business, not typically seen in the heart of Portland.

According to owner, Susan Denyer, “We didn’t want to be a seasonal business. With the hospital up the hill and the college down below the hill, we wanted to be a community place where people would come and hang out and relax, but it didn’t turn out that way. We didn’t think the lack of parking would be a problem.”

Starting their third year, the restaurant is owned, managed and operated

by Susan and her daughters, Brena and Kathleen. “We’ll be introducing an electric grill and new items including French toast since now we’ll be baking our own bread. Oh and ice cream, which is almost impossible to find in the West End. We’ll be serving sundaes and think it’ll go over well.”

Most recently known as the place where the windows were smashed out by a hit-and-run driver on a high

Natalie Ladd ––––– What It’s Like speed chase (Portland Daily Sun, Aug 12, 2011, “Truck Drives into Sandwich Shop”), the decision to operate seasonally began last year. According to Denyer, “It got so the only good days were Saturday and on the other days, we were making like $9. Running heat just so the pipes don’t freeze is different than running heat where people sit all day.”

Mr. Sandwich and Mrs. Muffin has maintained a loyal neighborhood following, but Denyer envisions evolving into a full-blown restaurant someday.

“It would be nice to maybe find some parking a few blocks over and serve dinner entrees, do more catering and get a liquor license. In the meantime, the girls and I are looking forward to a strong summer.”

The Down Low: Also on the menu are intentions to add new consignment offerings to the Mr. Sandwich and Mrs. Muffin gallery. Local artists

A gardening and landscaping exhibit on the Back Cove, the Yardscaping Gardens, shown here, could over time help reduce a form of algae growth, environmentalists say. (Photo courtesy of Maine Board of Pesticides Control/Gary Fish)

Algae attributed to fertilizer runoff SLIME from page 6

"The federal grant has stayed at the same level for about 18 years now, and it's getting to the point now where additional requirements that we have from federal laws that have come around in the past few years have forced us to divert that money into other areas," he said.

Still, as Fish tries to channel money toward water monitoring, Friends of Casco Bay continues working with

the state, communities, residents and sewage treatment plant operators to reduce the amount of nitrogen flowing into Casco Bay. "It's a fallacy if you think your storm drain goes to the waste-treatment plant," Fish said.

For more information on the Yardscaping demonstration project, visit www.yardscaping.org.

For more about Friends of Casco Bay, visit http://friendsofcascobay. org.

Charlotte Warren paints the name, “Mr. Sandwich & Mrs. Muffin” on the old Percy Cycles building at Bramhall Square in this scene from spring 2010. After a hiatus, the cafe and consignment shop is due to reopen. (DAVID CARKHUFF FILE PHOTO)

including jewelers, potters and craftsman of all types are encouraged to contact the business after the March 17 reopening, and all customers who purchase a sandwich or daily lunch special within two weeks after March 17, will receive a free We’re Back cookie.

(I’m currently working on a juicy story with many twists and turns unresolved by press time for What It’s

Like. Look for the column Saturday, March 14.)

(Natalie Ladd is a columnist for the Portland Daily Sun. She has over 30 continuous years of corporate and fine-dining experience in all front-ofthe-house management, hourly and under-the-table positions. She can be reached at natalie@portlanddailysun. me.)

DAILY CROSSWORD TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES

by Lynn Johnston

By Holiday Mathis and you need to teach others.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You’ll be aware of how social conditioning shapes behavior. The one who is trying hard to live up to an image of independence may really need your help. Your compassion helps you see the truth.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21).

You won’t have time to be very selfconscious, because you’re so focused on experiencing all you can in one day.

You may even dare to sing solo in public or dance for no reason.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19).

You’re likely to put more emphasis on substance than form, though not immediately. A lovely package will draw you in. But you won’t stay “in” if there’s nothing compelling inside it.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You may be concerned about being criticized or judged harshly, but it doesn’t keep you from putting your best work out there for all to see. Your courage keeps you moving forward.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You’ll be inspired by a person who really seems to have it all together. You’re already planning your future involvement with this person, whether or not you realize it.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (March 7).

Though a playfulness dominates your energy this year, make no mistake: You still get plenty of serious business accomplished. You’ll purposefully execute new facets of your will through the next 10 weeks. The cast of characters in your personal life changes a bit in May, and you’ll enjoy fresh influences.

Libra and Scorpio people adore you.

Your lucky numbers are: 7, 20, 1, 50 and 19.

by Paul Gilligan

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Your will is strong, and what you want may indeed be what is best for everyone.

However, you must be careful not to overpower others with the intensity of your passion.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). The games you choose are hard enough on their own, so there’s no need to put up with team members who drag you down. Seek those who are warm, supportive and positive.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Multitasking will prove to be generally a rotten idea except in the instances of listening to audio books while traveling or making phone calls while you walk an unpopulated stretch of track or sidewalk.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You’ll act in a vigorous and determined way to exert your authority and have a meaningful impact on how things turn out. You may spend a good deal of time working out how you might alter the behavior and thinking of others.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). If you’re feeling discouraged, you’ll rely too much on outer forces to shape your path. That’s why you need to make sure that you’re feeling up and enthusiastic before you ever leave the house. Call a peppy friend.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’ll go into the day with a take-charge attitude, and you’ll use your knowledge to alter your circumstances. Your winner’s mindset is unstoppable, though you should be warned that some will try.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). As much as you may try to avoid being the center of attention today, the eyeballs will still be trained on you. It has to be this way because you know what you’re doing

by Jan Eliot

HOROSCOPE

by Chad Carpenter

Solution and tips at www.sudoku.com

TUNDRA Stone Soup Pooch Café For Better or Worse LIO

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 thru 9.

by Mark Tatulli

Page 10 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, March 7, 2012

1 6 10 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 22 24 25 26 29 30 31 33 37 39 41

ACROSS Light hair color Dull; boring Pillar India’s dollar Franc replacer Against Build Emcee Trebek Enlarge a hole Flexible filament on a snail’s head Subject of a will Haughtiness Movie preview How some workers are paid Sundowns Late columnist Landers Madrid’s nation Raring to go __-crazy; tired of confinement Fearful Main part of a

church 42 Bellhop’s workplace 44 Adjust an alarm 46 1, 2, 3 and 4 47 Hoodwinks 49 Powerful; effective 51 Releases a canary 54 Bitter 55 One who sends via the USPS 56 __ from; lessens 60 Chomp 61 “Hey! What’s the big __?”

63 Boise’s state 64 At any time 65 Fly high 66 Number of days in a week 67 Nap 68 His and __ 69 Birch & banyan

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

1

DOWN Author Harte

34

Attract; entice Not closed Thick juice Specifics Good buys Bylaw “__ you kidding?”

Ali & Foreman Die-hard liberal or conservative Ryan or Tatum Hawaii or Ohio Stopwatch Mausoleum vault “Oh, for Pete’s __!”

Tunisian capital Chopped meat concoction Hold __; clutch College credit Cash register drawer section Buenos __, Argentina Fence opening

35 Get __; seek revenge 36 Pay a landlord 38 Most urgent warning level 40 Train station 43 Sled race 45 Sightseer 48 Die 50 Day __; certain

stock buyer 51 Brown shade 52 Unsuspecting 53 Refers to 54 Burns 56 Precious 57 __ in; relent 58 You, biblically 59 Male children 62 Female deer

Yesterday’s Answer

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, March 7, 2012— Page 11

––––––– ALMANAC ––––––– Today is Wednesday, March 7, the 67th day of 2012. There are 299 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On March 7, 1912, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen arrived in Hobart, Australia, where he dispatched telegrams announcing his success in leading the first expedition to the South Pole the previous December.

On this date: In 1793, during the French Revolutionary Wars, France declared war on Spain.

In 1850, in a three-hour speech to the U.S. Senate, Daniel Webster of Massachusetts endorsed the Compromise of 1850 as a means of preserving the Union.

In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for his telephone.

In 1911, President William Howard Taft ordered 20,000 troops to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border in response to the Mexican Revolution.

In 1926, the first successful trans-Atlantic radiotelephone conversations took place between New York and London.

In 1936, Adolf Hitler ordered his troops to march into the Rhineland, thereby breaking the Treaty of Versailles (vehr-SY’) and the Locarno Pact.

In 1945, during World War II, U.S. forces crossed the Rhine River at Remagen, Germany, using the damaged but still usable Ludendorff Bridge.

In 1960, Jack Paar returned as host of NBC’s “Tonight Show” nearly a month after walking off in a censorship dispute with the network.

In 1965, a march by civil rights demonstrators was broken up in Selma, Ala., by state troopers and a sheriff’s posse.

In 1975, the U.S. Senate revised its filibuster rule, allowing 60 senators to limit debate in most cases, instead of the previously required 2/3 of senators present.

In 1981, anti-government guerrillas in Colombia executed kidnapped American Bible translator Chester Bitterman, whom they’d accused of being a CIA agent.

One year ago: Charlie Sheen was fired from the sitcom “Two and a Half Men” by Warner Bros.

Television following repeated misbehavior and weeks of the actor’s angry, often-manic media campaign against his studio bosses.

Today’s Birthdays: Photographer Lord Snowdon is 82. TV personality Willard Scott is 78. Auto racer Janet Guthrie is 74. Actor Daniel J. Travanti is 72. Former Walt Disney Co. chief executive officer Michael Eisner is 70. Rock musician Chris White is 69. Actor John Heard is 66. Rock singer Peter Wolf is 66. Rock musician Matthew Fisher is 66. Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Franco Harris is 62. Pro and College Football Hall-of-Famer Lynn Swann is 60. Actor Bryan Cranston is 56.

Actress Donna Murphy is 53. Actor Nick Searcy is 53. Golfer Tom Lehman is 53. International Tennis Hall-of-Famer Ivan Lendl is 52. Actress Mary Beth Evans is 51. Singer-actress Taylor Dayne is 50.

Actor Bill Brochtrup is 49. Opera singer Denyce Graves is 48. Comedian Wanda Sykes is 48.

Rock musician Randy Guss is 45. Actor Peter Sarsgaard is 41. Actress Rachel Weisz is 41.

Classical singer Sebastien Izambard is 39. Rock singer Hugo Ferreira is 38. Actress Jenna Fischer is 38. Actress Audrey Marie Anderson is 37. Actor TJ Thyne is 37. Actress Laura Prepon is 32.

WEDNESDAY PRIME TIME 8:00

Dial 5

CTN 5 Local

8:30 Vets Visit

9:00

9:30

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

Portland Water District Thom Hartmann Show ICA TV

7

Whitney Are You Law & Order: Special There, Victims Unit “Father’s WCSH “The Ex Box” (N) Chelsea? Shadow” Å American Idol “Finalists Compete” The finalists WPFO perform for the judges. (N) (In Stereo Live) Å

8

WMTW “Year of the tory Å

6

MARCH 7, 2012 Rock Center With Brian Williams (N) (In Stereo) Å News 13 on FOX (N)

Update

News

Tonight Show With Jay Leno The Office The Office “Fun Run” Å “China” Å

The Middle Suburga-

10

11

12

13 17

Modern Happy End- Revenge for Real A love WMTW Nightline Family Å ings (N) Å triangle ends in murder. News 8 at (N) Å Hecks” (N) Å 11 (N) Peter, Paul & Mary -- 25th Anniversary Concert John Sebastian Presents: Folk Rewind (My Music) Artists of the 1950s and ’60s. (In Stereo) Å MPBN The folk music trio performs. (In Stereo) Å

Great Performances “Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall” “The Phantom of the Blood Sugar Solution One Tree Hill Brooke America’s Next Top Excused American It’s Always That ’70s Dad Å Sunny in Show Å WPXT and Julian protect their Model The models get (N) Å family. (N) Å makeovers. (N) Å Phila.

Survivor: One World Criminal Minds Rossi’s CSI: Crime Scene In- WGME Late Show WGME One tribe makes a drastic first wife shares shocking vestigation A medevac News 13 at With David move. (N) Å news. Å (DVS) helicopter is hijacked.

11:00 Letterman Burn Notice Å Law Order: CI Discovery Law CI WPME Burn Notice Å WENH Opera.” Å

24

DISC Sons of Guns Å

25

FAM Movie: ››› “The Parent Trap” (1998) Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid.

26

USA NCIS “Cracked” Å

27

NESN English Premier League Soccer

28

CSNE NBA Basketball: Celtics at 76ers

30

ESPN College Basketball

31

ESPN2 College Basketball

33

ION

Cold Case Å

Sons of Guns (N) Å NCIS “One Last Score” Celtics

Doomsday Bunkers (N) Sons of Guns Å The 700 Club Å

Psych (N) Å

NCIS “Knockout” Å

Daily

Daily

Daily

Sports

SportsNet Sports

College Basketball

SportCtr

College Basketball Cold Case Å

Dennis SportsNet

SportCtr Criminal Minds Å

34

DISN Random

Shake It

Jessie

35

TOON NinjaGo

Level Up

King of Hill King of Hill Amer. Dad Amer. Dad Fam. Guy

Fam. Guy

36

NICK My Wife

My Wife

George

Friends

37

MSNBC The Ed Show (N)

ANT Farm Austin

Basketball

Criminal Minds Å

George

Austin

Austin

’70s Show ’70s Show Friends

ANT Farm

Rachel Maddow Show The Last Word

The Ed Show

38

CNN Anderson Cooper 360

Piers Morgan Tonight

Anderson Cooper 360

Erin Burnett OutFront

40

CNBC Crime Inc.

American Greed

American Greed

Mad Money

41

FNC

The O’Reilly Factor (N) Hannity (N)

Greta Van Susteren

43

TNT

Law & Order

Law & Order

Law & Order

Southland Å

44

LIFE Wife Swap Å

Wife Swap Å

Wife Swap Å

Wife Swap Å

46

TLC

Hoarding: Buried Alive Untold Stories of ER

The O’Reilly Factor

Obsession Obsession Untold Stories of ER

47

AMC Movie: ››‡ “National Lampoon’s Vacation”

Movie: ››‡ “National Lampoon’s Vacation”

48

HGTV Property Brothers

House

49

TRAV Man, Food Man, Food Man, Food Man, Food Slce-Brkln Slce-Brkln Man, Food Man, Food

50

A&E Storage

52

Storage

BRAVO Housewives/OC

Income

Kitchen

Storage

Storage

Top Chef: Texas (N)

Storage

Hunters Storage

Million Dollar Listing

Storage

Happens

Million

Frasier

Frasier

55

HALL Little House on Prairie Little House on Prairie Frasier

56

SYFY Ghost Hunters Å

Ghost Hunters Inter.

57

ANIM Wildman

Wildman

Finding Bigfoot

Finding Bigfoot Å

Wildman

58

HIST American

American

Larry the Cable Guy

American

Larry the Cable Guy

60

BET

61 62 67 68 76

Movie: ›› “Soul Plane” (2004) Kevin Hart. Å

Frasier

Property Brothers Storage

Face Off “Dinoplasty” American

Ghost Hunters Inter.

Wildman

Movie: “Steppin: The Movie” (2009) Å

COM Chappelle Chappelle South Park South Park South Park South Park Daily Show Colbert FX

Movie: ›› “Jennifer’s Body” (2009) Premiere.

TVLND Home Imp. Home Imp. Raymond TBS

Fam. Guy

Fam. Guy

SPIKE “Enter the Dragon”

Fam. Guy

Cleveland Divorced

Fam. Guy

Big Bang

Big Bang

Movie: “I Am Bruce Lee” (2011) Å

78

OXY Bad Girls Club

146

TCM Movie: ››‡ “Ruby Gentry” (1952)

Bad Girls Club

DAILY CROSSWORD

BY WAYNE ROBERT WILLIAMS

Movie: ›› “Jennifer’s Body” (2009, Horror)

Raymond

1 4 11 14 15 16 17 19 20 21 22 24 26 27 31 34 37 39 40 43 44 45 46

Divorced

Cleveland

Conan (N) “Enter the Dragon”

Movie: ››› “What’s Love Got to Do With It”

Movie: ›‡ “Parrish” (1961, Drama) Troy Donahue.

ACROSS Quantity of moonshine Is required That girl Vein content Two-piece suits Computer of “2001...”

Start of a Mark Twain quote Nocturnal bird “The Face is Familiar” poet Understand Baltimore team Shallows Up to now Nextel Cup group Fathers Inhuman creatures Whittled Rex Stout’s Wolfe Part 2 of quote Leg bender Strut nonchalantly __ of Galilee Triangular sign

48 Tracks quarry 50 Positive thinking proponent 52 English Derby town 56 Site of the Palazzo Ducale 58 Neckline style 61 Prego competitor 62 Stout brew 63 End of quote 66 Vegas opener?

67 Blackboard blur?

68 Risked sum 69 Orbiting loc.

70 Incongruous art movement 71 Pompous fool

1 2 3 4 5 6

DOWN Artist Jasper Heep of Dickens Artist’s undercoat SHO alternative Pretentious attitude One of the Hebrides Islands

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 18 23 25 26 28 29 30 32 33 34 35 36 38 41 42 47

Oceanic flux Lennon’s Yoko Funeral stands School papers Loafer stretchers Goldie of “Private Benjamin” Building wings Better late __ never Arteries’ counterparts Delicate fabric First name in soul Blackjacks Fold Hold it, sailor! __ Stanley Gardner Divan Black as night Novelist Morrison Verticality Gauge face Find a new tenant for a flat Rugrat Smeared thickly

49 Chipper 51 Actress Dern 53 Dance in duple time 54 Convex moldings 55 Indispensable items 56 Timbuktu’s country

57 Exclamation of grief 58 Discover alternative 59 Ornamental case 60 Muffs it 64 Very small amount 65 Skirt edge

Yesterday’s Answer

Page 12 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, March 7, 2012

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN CLASSIFIEDS PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

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.

Animals

For Rent

For Sale

DACHSHUNDS puppies. Heath & temperament guaranteed.

Parents on premise $450 (603)539-1603.

PORTLAND- Danforth, 2 bedrooms, heated, renovated Victorian townhouse, 2 floors, 1.5 baths, parking. $1400/mo (207)773-1814.

2 new Serta beds (1 queen$180). (1 full- $175). Call (207)591-4927.

Autos PLOW truck 1987 GMC Auto, good yard truck, low miles, $1500 (207)615-6092.

BUYING Junk vehicles, paying cash.

Contact Joe (207)712-6910.

Rossrecyclenremoval@gmail.com

Cash for autos and trucks, some metals.

Call Steve (207)523-9475.

PORTLAND- Maine MedicalStudio, 1/ 2 bedroom. Heated, off street parking, newly renovated. $550-$875.

(207)773-1814.

WINDHAM- 1 bedroom, utilities plus cable included. Yard parking, partial rent for some work.

(207)892-7150.

CLASSIC Wooden Motorola stereo phonic console LP and 45 player 44”X30”X18” with AM/FM radio from the 1950's still works, $100, 723-4032.

CUSTOM glazed kitchen cabinets. Solid maple, never installed. Cost $6,000 sacrifice $1,595. (603)833-8278.

Roommate Wanted

For Rent

For Rent-Commercial

PORTLAND- Woodford’s. 1 and 3 bedroom heated. Bright rooms, oak floor, just painted. $775-$1300/mo. (207)773-1814.

PORTLAND Art District- Art studios, utilities. First floor. Adjacent to 3 occupied studios. $325 (207)773-1814.

MATURE roommate wanted to share sunny West End apartment. No tobacco, no pets. $350/mo plus half utilities. Solid references a must.

(207)838-9640.

Services DUMP GUY We haul anything to the dump. Basement, attic, garage cleanouts.

Insured www.thedumpguy.com (207)450-5858.

SNOW plowing - Portland area. $25 & up. (207)615-6092.

TIRED OF PLUCKING? Wanted To Buy I pay cash today for broken and unwanted Notebooks, Netbooks, and Macbooks. Highest prices (207)233-5381.

DEADLINE for classifieds is noon the day prior to publication

ANNIE’S MAILBOX Dear Annie: “Bill” and I have been married for 43 years.

He retired three years ago. We didn’t socialize with any of his co-workers, so I didn’t know them well.

Last Christmas, Bill got a card with no return address.

It only had Bill’s name on it. I handed it to him so he had to open it in front of me. It was a really nice card from “Betty” and a note telling him how much she missed him, their talks, their lunches and their personal conversations. She suggested they get together for a holiday lunch.

When I asked Bill why he never mentioned Betty to me, he said the lunches didn’t mean anything and he probably forgot because they were so insignificant. I don’t believe him. We have always told each other everything. He put Betty’s card on display with the others, but I asked him to take it down since it wasn’t sent to us as a couple. He said he’d throw it away because it made me unhappy. But, Annie, my instincts said he was lying, so I checked the trash. No card. The other day, I saw his old briefcase, and inside was Betty’s card. He had written her phone number on it.

If this card meant nothing to him, why keep it? Why lie to me? I love my husband. I want to trust him. I’ve never had reason not to, but I’m shaken to the core. Now I pay close attention when he leaves the house and keep track of how long he’s gone. Last week, he said he needed to run some errands and was gone for nearly two hours.

He claims he ran into “Dave,” a former co-worker, but I wonder if this was Betty’s holiday lunch.

I hate feeling this way. My kids say to forget about it before I make myself sick. Are they right? Am I just paranoid? -- Card Woes Dear Card: No. Your husband is not being totally truth-

ful about Betty, and this creates suspicion and distrust, both of which undermine your relationship. You need to have a long talk with him and explain why his behavior is hurting you. If he cannot reassure you sufficiently, the next step is counseling.

Dear Annie: Recently, my wife and I were in Las Vegas and had a terrible experience at a buffet at one of the top hotels. I sent an email to the manager, and she forwarded it to the executive chef. The executive chef apologized, invited us to dine at any of the hotel’s restaurants and suggested the most expensive one. He met us at the restaurant and said to order anything we wanted on the menu, starting with wine. The total bill came to $350.

I said we should leave a tip, but my wife (who has a restaurant background) said that when the management invites you, you do not tip. Who is right? -- Comped Bill Dear Bill: You are. The waitstaff still had to work to serve you, no matter who paid the bill. Unless there was an added service charge that was then picked up by the owner, the waitstaff should not be penalized because you had a bad experience at another location.

Dear Annie: “Hurt in California” felt bad that she called the police on a brother who might be raising children in a neglectful, possibly abusive environment.

As a person whose childhood was very similar to that scenario, I would have been rescued many times over if an adult had had the courage to call Child Protective Services. I cringe when I hear my aunts say they still wonder whether they should have done the same, but “didn’t want to interfere.”

Please take the risk of sticking up for those kids. They will remember for the rest of their lives that someone was paying attention. -- Shouldawouldacoulda

Electrolysis: The Permanent Solution for Unwanted Hair •Private and Confidential •Pleasant and Courteous Staff • Effective on Any Hair Color or Thickness • Proven Results

KOSMEIN SKIN CARE CENTER • 854-0110 Days & Eves by Appt. Only www.kosmeindayspa.com

TWIN ELECTRIC “Lighting Your Way Into The Future” • Fu lly L icensed • Fu lly Insured • Free E stim ates

• Fast/Q uality Service • N o Job T oo Sm all • 24/7 Service

(207) 318-8808

Randy MacWhinnie

twinelectricme@aol.com

Master Electrician/Owner

joevokey@gmail.com

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, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

Prickly City

by Scott Stantis The Bradley Foundation of Maine Miracle on 424 Main Street

HOPE

Computer Sales and Service Serving Seniors over 55 and the Disabled Computer Sale with this ad

$75.00 OFF FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH includes Microsoft software, anti virus, 17” LCD Monitor, keyboard and mouse.

YOU MUST QUALIFY UNDER OUR MISSION.

Westbrook, ME • 591-5237 Moday-Friday 9am-4pm www.bradleyfoundationofmaine.org We accept Visa, MasterCard and Discover

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, March 7, 2012— Page 13

CLASSIFIEDS Lin’s rise demands learning in the spotlight PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY YOU TRUST US TO CLEAN YOUR HOME, NOW TRUST US TO HEAT YOUR HOME

INTRODUCING THE GUARDIAN HEATER ®

BY AERUS with Active PCO Technology • Exclusive Active PCO Technology send out “scrubbers” to remove contaminants from surfaces • Combines everything you want in a heater: energy-efficiency, effectiveness & safety • Safety features prevent fires and make it safer for children & pets • Doesn’t emit harmful fumes or carbon monoxide • An energy efficient way to heat your environment

Buy one 2012 model at regular price, get 2nd at

1/2 price

Call Today To Learn More About Creating Safe, Healthy Environments 352 Warren Ave. Portland • 207-871-8610 or toll free 1-888-358-3589

“A local family owned & operated company specializing in top-rated American brands” 146 Rand Rd, Portland Exit 47 off I-95

S

Sales & Service 772-0053

BY HOWARD BECK

U D WAT E R TRO

THE NEW YORK TIMES

AUTO

TIRE

www.stroudwaterauto.com for special offers and discount coupons Automotive Repair Foreign & Domestic

656 Stroudwater St. Westbrook • 854-0415

* 75 Oak Street, Portland, ME

New Beginner Classes Every Week For information call Raymond Reid (207) 518-9375 www.taichichihstudio.com *Featured in AARP Magazine

D & M AUTO REPAIR “We want the privilege of serving you”

MAJOR & MINOR REPAIRS Auto Electronic Diagnosis

Jeremy Lin got a vote of confidence from Coach Mike D’Antoni despite a rough first half Sunday. (NY TIMES/MICHAEL DWYER PHOTO)

Cooling Systems • Brakes • Exhaust Check Shocks • Struts • Tune-ups Engine State Inspection • Timing Belts Lights Valve Jobs • Engine Work Interstate Batteries • Towing Available

DICK STEWART • MIKE CHARRON • 767-0092 1217 Congress St., Portland, ME 04102

PORTLAND AUTO RADIATOR Established 1948

FULL AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES The Best Place in Town to Take a Leak

WINTERIZATION SPECIALS • Tune-ups • Test & Check Antifreeze • Coolant Power Flushes (no machines) 1129 Forest Ave., Portland • 207-797-3606

DALLAS — The next inevitable phase of the Jeremy Lin story is under way, in which reasonable doubts and manufactured controversy replace the initial burst of elation. This is where the mythology fades and the fundamental work for the Knicks begins.

This is the point at which Lin must make the most critical adjustment: from instant celebrity to enduring basketball star.

Since the Lin-fueled seven-game winning streak that saved the season, the Knicks have lost four of seven games, and Lin has struggled to adapt to new teammates, new realities and the demands of overnight stardom. Defenses are focusing on him. Fans and commentators are scrutinizing every blemish: his turnovers, his weak left hand, his jump shot.

Every defeat amplifies the concerns.

“He’s a marked man right now, no doubt about it,” Coach Mike D’Antoni said Monday, a day after the Knicks’ heartbreaking overtime loss in Boston. “He should be. And that’s good. He’ll learn quicker this way.”

Lin will continue learning as the Knicks’ undisputed starter, despite the return of Baron Davis and vain attempts to stoke a point-guard controversy. D’Antoni reaffirmed that commitment as Lin prepared for a rematch Tuesday with the defending champion Dallas Mavericks, whom he took down two weeks ago at the height of his sensational run.

“Jeremy, I’ve got complete confidence,” D’Antoni said, adding: “He’s got a learning curve. Sometimes, you have great games, some not too good. But the one thing I do know about him: he’s a toughminded kid and he will find a way to win.”

That was evident in Boston

when D’Antoni stuck with Lin late in the game despite a rough first half. Lin repaid his faith by scoring 6 straight points in a critical stretch of the fourth quarter (although he was 1 for 7 in overtime).

By riding out the bumps, D’Antoni is giving Lin the confidence to keep attacking and learning, without fear or self-doubt. This is an investment in the future, both Lin’s and the Knicks’, whose long-term prospects may depend on Lin as much as any player.

(Davis, who turns 33 next month, was never more than a stopgap, and his durability remains a question.)

Lost in the haze of news media hype is that Lin is just 23 and essentially a rookie — in experience, though not by definition.

He has been an everyday player for only 14 games, the equivalent of one month on the N.B.A. calendar. Growing pains are natural.

No one expected Lin to sustain a 25-point, 9-assist pace for the rest of his career, or even the next two months.

The better defensive teams, including Miami and Boston, have made stopping Lin an obvious priority, and it has had an effect.

His production is down over the last five games: to 15.8 points and 7.8 assists (from 25 points and 9.2 assists in his previous nine games). Yet those more modest averages would still place Lin among the top 10 point guards in the league.

Lin has actually reduced his turnover rate, to 4.4 over his last five games from 5.9 in his previous nine. More alarming is Lin’s shooting percentage, which plummeted to 38.2 percent over the last five games, from 50.9 percent in the first nine.

Defenses are making it tougher for Lin to get to the rim and tougher to convert if he gets there.

But his recent struggles are also

a product of a Knicks team that is, once again, in transition. Lin became a star when he was the sole engine of the Knicks’ offense, both their leading scorer and ballhandler. The seven-game winning streak came without Carmelo Anthony, without Davis and J. R. Smith and largely without Amar’e Stoudemire.

The Knicks are 3-3 since Smith joined the fray (with a .375 shooting percentage) and 2-3 since Davis and Anthony returned.

The rotation is now 10 deep, with fewer minutes and shots for everyone. Lin’s responsibilities have changed.

“It’s a lot easier to shoot the ball when you’re the main option,” D’Antoni said. “When you have other elements you’ve got to incorporate and you’re not getting all the looks you had before, it’s a little bit harder. But he has to learn that. That’s why the point guard position is hard.”

This, more than anything, is Lin’s challenge for the final 29 regular-season games. His penetration, passing and court vision are ultimately more important to the team than his shooting, which the Knicks have in abundance.

They will be stronger offensively with Lin setting up Anthony, Stoudemire, Smith and Tyson Chandler for easy shots.

Lin understands that better than anyone.

“As a point guard, I don’t want to be shooting the numbers I was before,” he said, adding, “I think it’s easier on my body just to be able to take lesser minutes and take less of a pounding, in terms of attacking the basket, but letting other people go ahead and do their thing, too.”

He may be a virtual rookie, but Lin speaks with the wisdom of a 10-year veteran, understanding that he need not be a superstar or a global icon — just a very good point guard on a talent-rich team.

Page 14 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, March 7, 2012

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

Wednesday, March 7 Free income tax preparation 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Free income tax preparation at the Portland Public Library. The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program is offering free federal and state of Maine income tax preparation and free electronic filing in Portland at the Main Branch of the Public Library at 5 Monument Square. With electronic filing and direct deposit, refunds can be received in as little as eight days. Although walkins are accepted, appointments are preferred. To make an appointment, call 776-6316.

‘The Economics of the Lack of Dental Care’ 10:30 a.m. to noon. The Maine State Chamber of Commerce will host a panel presentation titled “The Economics of the Lack of Dental Care” at the Augusta Civic Center in Augusta. “The panelists, moderated by Frank McGinty of MaineHealth, will discuss how the lack of access in Maine to dental care affects businesses and Maine’s economy.

Maine suffers from a shortage of dentists that affects far more than our smiles. Not having enough dental professionals to provide care also undermines our state’s economy.The growing need to manage health costs requires a look at possible new policies to expand access to dental services for adults and children alike. Nearly 40 percent of Maine people live in federally-designated Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas, according to the Pew Center on the States. And adults, Maine businesses and Maine’s economy are suffering. Healthcare costs and workforce issues are primary concerns for Maine’s business community. And healthcare costs go up when patients without access to a dentist seek urgent care in hospital emergency rooms, burdening an already strained system.” The event is open and free to the business community. To RSVP to the event, please contact Amy Downing at the Maine State Chamber of Commerce at adowning@mainechamber.org.

Capoeira workshop for kids at Portland Public Library 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Registration is required. The Sam L. Cohen Childrens Library is excited to offer children ages 6-14 the opportunity to learn and practice the art of Capoeira. “Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art rich in culture and history, combines music, gymnastics, dance, strength, balance and discipline. The program will be divided into two sessions with a workshop for ages 6-11 held from 4:30-5:30 p.m. and a workshop for ages 12-14 held from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Participants should wear clothing appropriate to move freely in.” Registration is required as space is limited. Please call 871-1700, ext. 707 to register for this program.

Free Tax Preparation Night 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. CA$H will be offering “Do-It-Yourself Free Tax Preparation Night,” the United Way reported. CA$H IRS-certified tax preparers will be available to answer federal and state tax law questions while individuals prepare their own taxes. Call United Way at 347-2349 to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins are welcome upon availability.

The site will be held at United Way’s offices at 1 Canal Plaza, third floor, in Portland’s Old Port. Those who are not interested in attending the event can prepare their federal and state taxes for free by visiting myfreetaxes.thebeehive. org/portlandME.

2012 Flower Show 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 7: Opening Night, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., special ticket price for one night only. Thursday, March 8, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, March 9 and Saturday, March 10, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, March 11, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Plant Auction immediately following closing.

Portland Company complex. “Join us for the annual rite of spring, the 2012 Portland Flower Show. We are a collaboration of green industry landscapers, growers, gardeners and industry retailers dedicated to the continued success of everything about ‘Gardening in Maine.’ Whether you are a property owner, renter, or consumer of fine flowers and vegetables, this is the garden show that will bring it all together for you. We have every aspect of the landscape industry represented here at 58 Fore St.” http://portlandcompany. com/flower

Legislative briefing by Maine Audubon 6:30 p.m. “Learn about legislative proposals affecting the environment and how to make sure your voice is heard.”

Cosponsored by Maine Audubon and Maine Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club. Free. Maine Audubon Gilsland Farm Center, Falmouth.

University of Maine Singers in Saco 7 p.m. First Parish Congregational Church and the City of Saco are celebrating their 250th Anniversary during 2012. Several events are being planned in celebration of this shared momentous history. A special concert will be performed by the 80-voice University of Maine Singers on Wednesday, March 7 at 7 p.m. at First Parish Congrega-

“Backyard Sanctuary” by Stonescapes & Watergardens of Smithfield is displayed at last year’s Portland Flower Show. This year’s event begins tonight at 6 p.m. at the Portland Company complex on Fore Street. (DAVID CARKHUFF FILE PHOTO) tional Church, 12 Beach St., Saco. Five former ministers and their wives will be special guests, along with Saco city officials.

‘Maine’s continuing unemployment crisis’ 7 p.m. The University of Southern Maine’s Portland campus will be hosting a public forum in Talbot Hall to explore “Maine’s continuing unemployment crisis.” “Forum panelists and guests will do so by looking back at labor history and forward to where this problem may take us. ‘Unemployment: Past, Present and Future — Finding Solutions to Maine’s Unemployment Crisis’ will feature an impressive panel of speakers but will also spotlight the important voices of actual workers confronting a challenging economic landscape. Some political leaders have suggested that unemployed workers may somehow be responsible for their own plight and have advocated cutting or erecting barriers to unemployment benefits. But with approximately five workers chasing every single job opening, such arguments seem misplaced and mean-spirited to unemployed workers and their advocates.The forum will be hosted by Laura Fortman, Former Maine Commissioner of Labor and Executive Director of the Frances Perkins Center in Newcastle, Maine. As Secretary of Labor under Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Frances Perkins was the first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet and was a champion of FDR’s New Deal.”

‘Little Me’ at St. Lawrence 7 p.m. “Little Me,” the musical comedy by Neil Simon (book), Cy Coleman (music), and Carolyn Leigh (lyrics) will be presented by Good Theater March 7 to April 1 at the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress St. on Munjoy Hill in Portland. “Little Me” is directed by Brian P. Allen with musical direction by Victoria Stubbs, leading the threepiece band, and choreography by Tyler Sperry. Performances for Little Me are as follows: Wednesdays 7 p.m. ($20), Thursdays 7 p.m. ($20), Fridays 7:30 p.m. ($25), Saturday 7:30 p.m. ($30), Sundays 2 p.m. ($30) with a special added matinee on Saturday March 24, 3 p.m. ($25). Call 885-5883 for reservations and information. www.goodtheater.com

‘Hidden Tennessee’ at Portland Stage 7:30 p.m. “Hidden Tennessee” at Portland Stage, 25A Forest Ave. February 28 through March 18.

“An evening of one-act plays from a 20th century master of lyrical snapshots of human nature. From the dreams of lonely, threadbare teenagers to the quiet fears of an aging spinster, these revealing short plays, stories, and letters showcase Williams’ unmatched talent for uncovering truths both beautiful and sad, hidden behind closed doors.”

March 7 at 7:30 p.m. For full schedule, visit www.portlandstage.org

Thursday, March 8 2012 Flower Show 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Portland Flower Show continues Thursday, March 8, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, March 9 and Saturday, March 10, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, March 11, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Plant Auction immediately following closing.

Portland Company complex. “Join us for the annual rite of spring, the 2012 Portland Flower Show. We are a collaboration of green industry landscapers, growers, gardeners and industry retailers dedicated to the continued success of everything about ‘Gardening in Maine.’ Whether you are a property owner, renter, or consumer of fine flowers and vegetables, this is the garden show that will bring it all together for you.” 58 Fore St.” http://portlandcompany.com/flower

Sportswriting clinic by nonprofit Telling Room 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Thursdays, 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

March 8 to April 12 (extra session March 11, no session April 5), grades 4-8. Teaching Artist: Gibson Fay-LeBlanc.

“Sports capture the human drama within a set of rules and traditions. There are winners and losers and sometimes those winners and losers are not who they seem to be. In this workshop, we’ll read great sportswriting and we’ll consider local and national sports to find our own stories inside the lines. The extra session on March 11 will take place at 5 p.m. at a Maine Red Claws game.” http://tellingroom.org

10-Minute Architect 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Portland Society of Architects’s ninth annual 10-Minute Architect at Bard Coffee 185 Middle St., Portland. A free design clinic that’s offered to homeowners and business owners who are considering when and how to use an architect for a project, or just want some design or building guidance. “Although titled, ‘10-Minute Architect’, we gladly offer up to 45 minutes with participants, discussing issues such as basic layouts, project budget feasibility, permitting issues and more.” For more information please see the PSA Website or contact Eric Laszlo-eric@whittenarchitects.com or Russ Tyson-russ@whittenarchitects.com.

‘Are They Really Friends?’

6 p.m. to 7 p.m. “Are They Really Friends?: A Discussion between Museum Director Mark Bessire and Artist Tanja Alexia Hollander” at the Portland Museum of Art. Great Hall. “Join the discussion about social media and how it can change the nature of friendship, portraiture, and an artist’s subject matter. The phrase, “Are you really my friend?” takes on new meaning when Hollander photographs portraits of her Facebook friends whom she has never met.

Traditional lines can blur and unexpected connections can be made.” www.portlandmuseum.org see next page

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, March 7, 2012— Page 15

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

Trek Across Maine discussions 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Join the American Lung Association at Gorham Bike & Ski, 247 Main St., Saco, and at the same time at CycleMania, 59 Federal St., Portland. “Meet new people while American Lung Association staff members discuss the Trek Across Maine cycling event, the organization’s largest fundraiser nationwide, scheduled for the weekend of June 15 across the beautiful state of Maine. The Trek Across Maine is a three-day, 180-mile adventure, from the mountains to the sea, providing breathtaking views, adventure and an unmatched sense of camaraderie. Proceeds from the bike trek benefit lung disease research, advocacy, and programs as well as the Fight for Air. The evening provides a perfect opportunity for those who have not yet registered for the Trek.” Admission to the Trek Information Night is free, but registration is encouraged. Contact Gale Auclair at gauclair@ lungne.org or (888) 241-6566, ext. 0302.

More information on the Trek Across Maine is The Riverton Branch Library will host an eReader workshop between 9 a.m. and noon Saturday. For available at biketreknewengland.org. details, visit www.portlandlibrary.com. (DAVID CARKHUFF FILE PHOTO)

Kindergarten Readiness Night 6:30 p.m. The Portland Public Schools’ pre-kindergarten staff will hold a Kindergarten Readiness Night at Longfellow Elementary School, 432 Stevens Ave. Portland parents whose children are turning five years old on or before October 15, 2012 are invited to attend the free program. A panel of staff members from across the district will answer kindergarten-related questions. For more information, please call 874-8165, ext. 6517.

‘The Complete Works of Wm Shakespeare’ 6:30 p.m. “The Complete Works of Wm Shakespeare (Abridged)” at Falmouth Memorial Library, 5 Lunt Road. The Poland Stage Troupe takes on their final batch of literature crazed librarians at Falmouth Memorial Library. “The show is completely free and a perfect venue for children. Join us for the Troupe’s second to last attempt at this unprecedented production!”

Fort Allen Park Public Presentation 7 p.m. Fort Allen Park Public Presentation sponsored by Friends of the Eastern Promenade, East End Community School, Portland. Final Fort Allen Park Restoration Public Hearing is scheduled before the Historic Preservation Board for 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 18,in Room 209, Portland City Hall. For more information, email info@friendsofeasternpromenade.org.

‘Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture’ 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. “Aquaculture is undergoing a revolution. One of the oldest agricultural practices, aquaculture dates back 4,000 years. However, modern aquaculture has gained a reputation for monoculture, where a single species is grown. An old idea has recently taken root, where nutrients from the main species are recycled through different species that can remove organic wastes and inorganic nutrients. This model is called ‘Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture,’ where complex interactions occur among various species in the managed ecosystem. Dr. Bricknell will discuss the economic and environmental advantages for using this model and the disease management issues that must be considered.” Gulf of Maine Research Institute, 350 Commercial St. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Please RSVP to Patty Collins, lectures@gmri.org, 228-1625.

‘A Nervous Smile’ 7:30 p.m. Dramatic Repertory Company’s season continues with “A Nervous Smile” by John Belluso. The show will run for nine performances only, March 8-18, at the Studio Theatre at Portland Stage, 25A Forest Ave., Portland. “Four parents are connected by a shocking choice in this surprisingly funny, lyrical, poignant and gripping drama. You think you know what you would do, but how can you be sure?

John Belluso bravely treads were few playwrights dare to go, and tackles difficult subjects with honesty, humor, compassion and skill. He holds up the mirror, and gives us the ability to see and understand our world in new ways. Belluso (1969-2006) began using a wheelchair at the age of 13, and was a pioneering champion for artists with disabilities.

‘A Nervous Smile’ was his last complete play before his untimely death.” March 8-10 at 7:30 p.m., March 11 at 2 p.m. and March 14-18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Studio Theatre at Portland Stage, 25A Forest Ave., Portland.

‘A Doll’s House’ at Bates 7:30 p.m. With an ending that has shocked audiences for more than a century and still sparks debate about a woman’s role in family and society, Henrik Ibsen’s 19th-century play “A Doll’s House” is the winter mainstage theater production at Bates College. Bates College senior Elizabeth Castellano of New Suffolk, N.Y., directs “A Doll’s House”

as part of her honors thesis in theater. Performances take place 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, March 8-10, and Monday, March 12; and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 10 and 11, in Schaeffer Theater, 305 College St. Admission is $6 for the general public and $3 for seniors and non-Bates students. Tickets are available at www.batestickets.com. For more information, please call 786-8294.

Friday, March 9 The Incredible Breakfast Cook-Off 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Sea Dog Brewing Company will host The Incredible Breakfast Cook-Off, Maine Restaurant Week’s breakfast competition benefiting the Preble Street Resource Center, on Friday, March 9 from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. at their South Portland location, 125 Western Ave. This is the third year for this sell-out event. Maine champions of breakfast present guests with small plates of their best breakfast dishes with the hopes of earning this year’s bragging rights.

Guests are rewarded with a full heart and a happy stomach; the event raised an impressive $3,750 for Preble Street in 2011. Participating restaurants include Congdon’s in Wells, the Farmer’s Table, The Good Egg Café, The Port Hole, Petite Jacqueline and Silly’s in Portland, South Portland’s Sea Dog Brewing, Bintliff’s Restaurant in Ogunquit and three-time winner The Good Table from Cape Elizabeth.

Developing Student Success 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Dr. Reza Namin, superintendent of Spencer East Brookfield in Massachusetts, former superintendent of Westbrook School Department, Westbrook, Old Orchard Beach resident, and member of the OOB Finance Committee will be the keynote speaker at a conference hosted by the Maine Heritage Center, “Developing Student Success, Through Online Learning: Inform, Inspire, and Connect,” Portland Marriot at Sable Oakes.

2012 Flower Show 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Portland Flower Show continues Friday, March 9 and Saturday, March 10, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, March 11, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Plant Auction immediately following closing. Portland Company complex, 58 Fore St. “Join us for the annual rite of spring, the 2012 Portland Flower Show.

We are a collaboration of green industry landscapers, growers, gardeners and industry retailers dedicated to the continued success of everything about ‘Gardening in Maine.’ Whether you are a property owner, renter, or consumer of fine flowers and vegetables, this is the garden show that will bring it all together for you.” http://portlandcompany.com/flower

David McCann at the Portland Public Library noon to 1 p.m. David McCann, author of “Urban Temple.”

The Friday Local Author Series is held from noon to 1 p.m. in the Main Library’s Meeting Room 5. Portland Public Library.

Egyptian activist coming to USM 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. “A year following the Egyptian revolution and the Arab Spring, the University of Southern Maine is pleased to host an evening with Wael Nawara, Egyptian activist, writer, and co-founder of the Ghad party (Tomorrow). This free, public event will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Friday, March 9, in the University Events Room on the seventh floor of the Glickman Family Library, Portland. A reception will be held from 5-6 p.m., followed by Nawara’s address.

Nawara co-founded El Ghad Party (Tomorrow) in 2003, and is the co-founder and president of the Network of Arab Liberals, a coalition of Arab liberal parties. He was among the protesters featured in Time Magazine’s Dec. 14, 2011 ‘Person of the Year: The Protester’ issue (www.time.com/time/specials/packages/

article/0,28804,2101745_2102138_2102241,00. html). ... Nawara writes and lectures on various topics, including political and economic reform, transition strategies, the parallel state, national competitiveness, cultural development and educational reform. Nawara graduated with honors as a mechanical engineer from Egypt’s Ain Shams University in 1984 and earned Master’s in international marketing from Scotland’s University of Strathclyde in 1991. Currently, Nawara is at Harvard University as an Institute of Politics Fellow leading a study group on the future of Egyptian democracy.” For planning purposes, RSVP to http://bit.ly/Nawara For more information, call USM Multicultural Student Affairs at 780-4006 or Reza Jalali at 780-5798.

‘The Women on the Sixth Floor’ 6:30 p.m. Movies at the Museum, Portland Museum of Art. “The Women on the Sixth Floor,” Friday, March 9, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, March 10, 2 p.m.; Sunday, March 11, 2 p.m.

NR “Paris, 1960. Jean-Louis lives a bourgeois existence absorbed in his work, cohabitating peacefully with his socialite wife Suzanne while their children are away at school. The couple’s world is turned upside-down when they hire a Spanish maid Maria.”

Constellation Gallery free music, art 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. A free evening of music and art. “Come join us at the Constellation Gallery for an entertaining evening of music by Ronda Dale, a native Virginian who’ll present a mix of old country a la Hank and Patsy along with alternative folk, and some jazz, blues and originals. You’ll also enjoy ‘Show Boat,’ a nautically themed exhibit presented in our main gallery by our resident artists, exploring the mysteries, dangers, beauty and excitement of life on and near the sea. Light refreshments provided. All are welcome! Check out Ronda’s website for more info and to hear some original music. rondadale.com.” Constellation Gallery, 511 Congress St., Portland.

Golden Dragon Acrobats 7 p.m. “The talented and dedicated artists of the Golden Dragon Acrobats are recognized throughout the world as the premiere Chinese acrobats touring today. Over three decades of performing, they’ve earned a reputation for excellence and artistry unparalleled by any other troupe.

Award-winning acrobatics, traditional dance, spectacular costumes, ancient and contemporary theater and live music combine to create an unforgettable experience of breathtaking skill and spellbinding beauty for the entire family.” Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St., Portland. portlandovations.org/shows

‘Cinderella’ by Windham Center Stage 7 p.m. Rodgers & Hammerstein’s musical fairy tale “Cinderella,” is presented by Windham Center Stage Theater.

“First seen as a television spectacular in 1957, and remade for television in 1965 and 1997, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s ‘Cinderella’ spins its own version of the traditional story, woven through with such beloved songs as ‘In My Own Little Corner,’ ‘Ten Minutes Ago’ and ‘Impossible.’ With the script and score lovingly adapted for elementary and middle school performers, this classic seems as fresh as today. After all, even if we know the story by heart, we still hold our breath until we are sure that the slipper fits. Windham Center Stage is a community theater serving the Sebago Lakes Region of Southern Maine. The theater produces the only children’s show in the area in which every child receives a part. ‘Cinderella’ is directed by Mary Wassick, music directed by Diane Hancock, and features more than 75 local children in two fantastic casts.” Through March 25. Shows will be performed Friday evenings at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. All seats must be reserved. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors, and $5 for children under 5. Call 893-2098.

‘The Birthday Party’ by Acorn 7:30 p.m. Acorn Productions, a nonprofit company based in the Dana Warp Mill in downtown Westbrook, continues off its second season of Studio Series presentations with Harold Pinter’s first full-length play “The Birthday Party.” Longtime Acorn collaborator and veteran theater artist Michael Howard directs an ensemble of six actors in a production that will be staged in a modified arena set-up in the Acorn Studio Theater. The Birthday Party features Pinter as his most mysterious and electrifying. In the play, Stanley, a boarder away on holiday, is terrorized by two men from his past association with a shadowy organization of questionable repute. Acorn’s production features Equity actor Harlan Baker, company members Joshua Brassard, Joe Quinn and Jeffrey Roberts, along with guest artists Elizabeth Guest, and Kat Moraros. The show runs from Feb. 24 through March 11, with performances Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors, and may be purchased on-line at www.acorn-productions.org or by calling 854-0065.

Page 16 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, March 7, 2012