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Beyond The Forecast
The storms persisted for over 12 hours before fading away as they traversed Missouri. What on earth do thunderstorms in Kansas have to do with a Hurricane east of the Bahamas?
By Jack Sillin / Weatherman & Meterology Student Hello everyone!
As we move into September, we can finally shift gears into Fall. For us here in Maine, that means our last few warm days are lining up, as are the cold fronts that will bring the first frost (which usually happens in September across inland areas). For the warm waters to our south, September marks the climatological peak of Hurricane Season. As I’m writing this, Major Hurricane Dorian is making headlines as it moves towards Florida. While there’s an outside chance we see some breezy rain as the system races by offshore during the second weekend of the month, we should avoid major impacts here in Maine. That being said, the storm is still interesting to us as weather-watchers regardless of how much we will be directly impacted. You’ve probably heard the phrase “a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil can cause a tornado in Texas” somewhere in your travels, especially if you have an interest in weather prediction. This phrase is often used to explain just how interconnected our atmosphere is. While it’s (probably) not literally true (there are no documented examples of a Texas tornado resulting directly from Brazilian Butterflies), it is true what happens in one part of the atmosphere is influenced heavily by what’s happening hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Dorian is providing us with a good case study in atmospheric interconnectedness, so that’s what I’ll focus on in this month’s Beyond the Forecast. Heading into the 29th of August, the forecast for Dorian was that after heading NW from the U.S. Virgin Islands to a point east of the Bahamas, the storm would turn west towards Florida where it would make landfall on the Peninsula during Labour Day Weekend before turning to the northwest and potentially emerging into the Gulf of Mexico. The turn to the west was forecast to occur in response to an upper level ridge of high pressure building to the north of the storm. Remember that winds around high pressure blow clockwise, so a high to the north of Dorian would push the storm west. On the 30th of August, however, forecasts began shifting in a fairly dramatic way. Instead of taking Dorian west into the Florida Peninsula, the forecast model guidance we use to figure out what the weather might be in the next few days began showing Dorian stalling out over the Bahamas before it arrived in Florida then turning north while remaining dozens of miles off the Florida coast.
The key connection is the ridge steering Dorian west. That ridge was forecast to come under attack from an upper level disturbance moving through the Midwest. The trough would put a dent in the ridge as it moved through the Mid Atlantic. The bigger the dent, the more likely Dorian would turn before arriving in Florida. It just so happens that the disturbance in question was located over Kansas on the night of the 29th. When the thunderstorms developed, they released a tremendous amount of heat energy into the upper atmosphere by converting water vapor into ice crystals (thus releasing latent heat). That heat gave the upper level disturbance mentioned above a shot of adrenaline that the model guidance didn’t see coming. Thus the disturbance was stronger than the models run before the 29th anticipated. The models run on the 30th had the effects of the thunderstorms included in their initial conditions, and thus were aware that the disturbance was a little stronger. Once they took that into account, it turns out that the dent in the ridge would be just strong enough to prevent Dorian from crashing directly into Florida, or at the very least from emerging into the Gulf. The change in model forecasts from before/after the thunderstorms can be seen clearly in the graphic I have placed above.
What caused such an abrupt shift in forecasts?
By the time most of you read this, you’ll have the “answer key” for Dorian in hand, and you’ll know if those thunderstorms had enough of an influence to turn the storm away from Florida or not. Perhaps the answer will be no, but regardless the model guidance cycles of the 29th and 30th of August provide an unusually clear example of how the weather in one area has a large effect on the weather somewhere else.
The answer can be found above a Kansas corn field where a powerful thunderstorm developed around sunset on the 29th. That storm was quickly joined by other powerful storms that eventually coalesced into a cluster over the Eastern part of the state.
Enjoy the beginning of our transition into cooler weather! Some of the best weather we get here in Maine happens in September. I’ll be back next month with more weather. ---Jack
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Jack’s Weather Terms TDD (Dew Point Depression) - The dew point depression is a simple quantity derived by subtracting the dew point at a given time/place from the temperature there. By seeing how far apart the temperature and dew point are, we can get a sense of how saturated the atmosphere is, which is helpful for a variety of forecasting applications. For example, days with high dew point depressions can see some impressive temperature swings as dry air both gains and loses heat faster than warm air. If you see high dew point depressions ahead of an approaching storm, you can expect rain or snow to hold off for a few more hours as the first raindrops evaporate in the dry low level air. Trochoidal Wobble - The term given to short duration erratic movements of intense hurricanes. These storms can wobble up to several dozen miles off their average track over the course of under an hour. These wobbles mean little when a storm is out at sea, but can be incredibly consequential in determining where the worst damage occurs when they come ashore. Having trouble visualizing these wobbles? Take out a spinning top and set it on a course across a table. You’ll see that while the top moves generally in one direction, it wobbles around on its way there. Believe it or not, the exact same process produces irregular motion in hurricanes.
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Artist Holds Walk & Talk @ The Maine Jewish Muesum The Maine Jewish Museum recently hosted a talk and walk in their 3rd floor gallery with photographer Audrey Gottlieb, who showed her photos of Queens, New York, explained the subjects and answered questions. Although the group was small in number, the audience was extremely interested and engaged in all of Audrey’s stories about this historic New York City neighbourhood. Those in attendance seemed also captivated by the show and organisers, as well as Audrey, were very pleased with the outcome. For those who have not yet seen Audrey’s photos, the show continues thru Friday, the 6th of September, which will also be “First Friday Art Walk.” Museum hours are weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sundays from 1 till 5 p.m., with additional hours for art walk Friday of 5 to 8 p.m. Admission is free.
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Mark: My Words By Mark Gatti / Mark’s Hotdogs “Are you looking around and enjoying all this beautiful scenery?” “I’m not going to ride with you if you tell me what to do!”, I curtly replied to my wife. We were well into the 44-mile Tour of the Battenkill. This is a bike race held in upstate New York in April. It is known for its rigourous course of long, steep hills and sections of unpaved roads. I was fatigued, chilled and running on fumes. This writer was also on edge due to a near miss crash which could have been calamitous. Most of the hilly, picturesque course is paved, but two particularly steep hills were extra treacherous as the surfaces consisted of loose sand, gravel, mud and small stones. On one of these hills I sped dangerously out of control toward a big burly fellow cyclist. I could do nothing but scream at the top of my lungs “look out!” Just in the nick of time we hit tarred pavement, enabling me to safely hit the brakes avoiding a bone-crushing collision. The event is well organised (read about it at www.tourofthebattenkill.com) and supported by ample cadres of quick care medical teams. This is a good thing indeed as I witnessed several accidents throughout the race. It was shortly after my near miss accident and the observance of a two-person medical team attending a head trauma injury that I blurted out to my wife, “you better enjoy this because it’s not happening again!” Luckily, the race event is so long that I had time to recover my equilibrium and stamina and ended up having a pretty good time. Surprising myself, I have decided to repeat this event next year with the wiser choice of signing up for the 25-mile option. A neo to the world of bike events, my first exposure was just last year at the Dempsey Challenge. Held in October, the course is lovely and meanders through hilly backroads in the rural outskirts of Lewiston-Auburn. Everyone was thankful for a fair sky, as the sun warmed us within a half hour of a downright chilly start. Initially my hands felt like they were encased in ice, eventually thawing out once the sun rose over the tree lines.
my head down momentarily and peddled furiously. In an instant, a cyclist just ahead stopped in her tracks. Looking up just before contact I applied my brakes immediately, but it was too late. CRASH! Just me though --- I had managed to stop just short of her and thudded down solo in a heap on hard pavement. Due to adrenaline, I felt no pain, much to the relief of some shocked nearby cyclists. So are events like these races fun? Both of these events featured food and cold beer afterwards. A lobster dinner at the Dempsey Challenge and hot dogs and hamburgers in New York. I broke from the ranks, though, and did not eat any hot dogs... shame on me! Keeping on the topic of athletics, I bring up a sport that until recent times of shortened attention spans was considered America’s favourite pastime – baseball. I loved all sports but the game played with ball, bat and glove was my favourite. What a blast playing with childhood chums on the baseball field right across from my house. On summer morns we would meet at the diamond, choose sides and play until lunch. Starving, we would walk across the street where mom would leave out two loaves of bread, a half-gallon jar of peanut butter and assorted beverages. After devouring everything we would head back to the field to play more ball until supper. Until we were old enough to work Summer jobs this is what we did – every day. Little League, Babe Ruth League, high school and a couple of years playing on a regional semi-pro team were my fortune. Also, some years spent playing rec-league softball. I loved it all: some seasons playing seven days a week on two teams. In those years playing on teams I did feel pressure to perform from coaches, fans, teammates and myself. There was a lot of growth that came from this pressure, but the most fun I ever had was playing simple sandlot baseball with friends, without any adults or other outside interference. During my early years on league teams I was very competitive and I had a hot temper. Lacking maturity, I would complain to umpires, have temper flare-ups against opposing teams and would yell at fans if things weren’t going my way. Thankfully, by the time I was playing in high school some of my petulance of youth disappeared and I became a much better teammate and person in general. In fact, I don’t recall ever being thrown out of a game by an umpire. Don’t get me wrong, the quick temper was still there but I somehow kept it under control. Years later, and several pounds of fat heavier, I found myself playing baseball again. My friend Scott had mentioned the wooden bat league he played in and told me to “try out”. Despite diminished reflexes, bad eyesight and the ability to run like I was stuck in quicksand, I was placed on his team. Ranging in age from 28 to 50 years, I was the second oldest player on the team and felt like a relic. I still managed to play for three years --- and what fun it was! In my younger days, I was generally one of the best players on any team. My last years playing as an old man, I was arguably the least skilled player on the
As far as I could tell, a real good time was had by all, with everyone in good spirits plus the added buzz of chatting with Patrick Dempsey. He was ever present and available for photos, quick chats and hugs at many of the rest/hydration stations. I was privy to only two mishaps. The first occurred right off the bat when a couple extra-competitive lads bashed into each other while jockeying for an early lead. I remember riding past the crash scene and viewing the carnage of mangled bikes and battered bodies. The other mishap happened to yours truly, feeling fatigued. The athletic endeavour almost over, a real steep hill loomed ahead of me. Trying to gut it out, I put
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field. What a role reversal and I developed huge admiration for all those lesser skilled teammates I played with when young. I was now a card-carrying member of the “utility player union”. But it was a treat for me, coming from a totally different angle than a star player. I learned the fine art of bench jockeying. I got to bring out the line-up cards while buttering up the umpires and diffused arguments instead of starting them. An added bonus was getting to bat three or four times a game. I even managed to deliver a key hit now and then and relished these base hits so much more than all the multiple hit games I had as a kid.
And can I say more mature? With advanced age and less skill I somehow developed an even greater love of the game. After playing in my last game ever I came home and left my uniform on until bedtime. It was my way of showing love to my sweetheart: baseball. Will I ever completely grow up? As evidenced by my occasional whining and complaints directed at my wife when running on empty at a bike race – probably not. But you know, I think that’s okay. Enjoy late summer and keep moving!
If there is a coherent theme here it is that as an older player I was happier and more at ease than before.
---Mark
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Sauntering Without Mat
By Annie Sillin / Up Portland Commentator
(EDITOR’S NOTE---This month’s column should honestly be called Sauntering With Annie as she wrote this piece in the absence of our great adventure and outdoor columnist, Mat Robedee. What became of Mat you ask? Well on one of his adventures it seems he had on a heavy backpack, stepped wrong and while his foot stayed stationery, the weight of the pack and gravity meant his body didn’t, leaving him (after hearing a loud “crack”) with a broken fibula and a separated ankle joint. OUCH! As we mentioned last edition, he has had surgery and is recuperating well. He promises to be back for October (We hope!), too. Meanwhile, Annie Sillin (whose brother we all know for his weather column) just got home from a really fun, adventure-filled visit to France, so we are pleased she is going to fill in for Mat with her adventures this time.)
Mon Dieu! As a high school student learning a foreign language, the question, “when are we ever going to use this?” rarely comes up in French class, as it does in math classes. In the event that any of us would have the opportunity to travel to France and practice our skills, we are all aware of how grateful we would be to be able to get around, order food and ask for directions, all while using the correct tense and abiding by all the grammar laws that we were repetitively taught. However, as I learned while in a small, rural town in France this past Summer, there are some scenarios that even ‘textbook French’ could not prepare me for: conversing with an eager and friendly older man who wanted to show us his hydroelectric plant and mill. Or talking with a chatty nine-year-old girl who was excited by the prospect of talking with foreigners. And, of course, the challenge of comprehending the dreaded, quickly-spoken jumble of follow-up questions from waiters while ordering food, for example. Before we left on this trip, my family and I had decided that, since I had four years of French practice under my belt from my school’s required language programme, I would be the one who would do most of the ordering, directions and talking in general. My vocabulary covered a vast expanse of words I was doubtful I would ever use, such as ‘bat,’ ‘toothbrush,’ and ‘pickles.’ And, I was more confident in my classroom French than my experiential French. On the other hand, my stepdad, Steve, had little French education but lots of experience from travelling and biking throughout France. This meant that he knew only the most essential vocabulary words so he could get what he needed, but he was incredibly confident and exuberant in his French-speaking abilities -- almost to a fault. Our first true test of our abilities came a week or so into the month-long trip, when the owners of the house we were staying at invited the whole village -- which was about 20 people -- to a backyard party. There, Steve instantly hit
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it off with Serge, a loud, friendly, older man who spoke no English at all and who was very eager for us to see his mill and hydroelectric plant that powered over 100 houses along the river. Steve had laughed at first --- not completely comprehending either what Serge was offering or whether it was serious, but, sure enough, the next morning, he showed up at the house with a wide smile and a beckoning hand, attempting to use gesticulations as a way of communicating to us that we should follow him to his house. When we got there, Serge gave us the tour: first of the old, wooden mill (at left) that had been part of the house for centuries, and then the hydroelectric plant that was a much more recent installation. We all worked together to ask relevant questions, listen closely to the answers, then nod our heads in appreciation, mumbling things like, “ah, oui,” or “bon, c’est très…” searching for the right word, then giving up and letting the sentence trail off. When we had been given the tour and were about to thank Serge, he opened his arms and waved our expression of gratitude away. “Est-ce-que vous voulez d’entrer et avoir un boisson?” he asked hopefully, inviting us inside for a drink with him and his wife. We all looked at each other: me, Steve, my mom and my cousin and shrugged: why not? We then spent the next hour or so conversing seulement en Français. Steve would ask fragmented sentences with some English or Spanish peppered in where he couldn’t remember a word, and I would have to fix his errors when Serge furrowed his brow and his mouth fell open in a confused question-mark. My mom would whisper a sentence to me or Steve to translate, and when Serge or his wife answered, they would speak slowly and clearly to ensure that we understood. When we finally had to leave, they embraced us, shook our hands, and told us to visit again soon. We drove back to the house stunned by the rare authentic experience and proud of ourselves and our French abilities. At the same party the night before, while the adults had been refilling their wine glasses and conversing in a mix of French and English, my cousin and I sat awkwardly on a picnic table, unsure of whom to speak to. The only adults we knew were my parents and the homeowners, and everyone else seemed a daunting adversary to our limited French skills. However, not long after Steve and Serge began hitting it off, we were introduced to a young girl who said she was eager to practice her English. We seemed more confident about talking to a girl so young -- after all, how big could her vocabulary really be? After a few minutes, it became evident that she didn’t know much English at all, so we turned to our broken French and tried asking her simple questions, such as how old she was, if she had any siblings, and so on. My cousin and I spent the evening working together to form sentences and listening for words we knew in her responses. By the time the party was winding down and we all needed to head to bed, we felt we’d done better than we had expected with only five years of experience between the two of us. My cousin even said she learned more by talking to that girl than she had in a year of taking French classes. Going into the trip, I had expected that I would be using French a lot and would
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need to, at some point, talk with the locals in some capacity that would require more skills than I’d previously needed. However, I did not anticipate sitting down for drinks with Serge and his wife or spending two hours trying to come up with questions for a nine-year-old girl and only partially understanding her responses. These experiences were definitely incredibly helpful in terms of strengthening my French skills and confidence while speaking. I hope to bring what I learned on the trip into my classroom this year.
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The Standard Reviewer By Randy Dankievitch — TV Critic / TVOvermind
Five to Watch (and Two to Skip) In September ---Carnival Row (Amazon, as of 30th August) – Adapted from an unproduced film script from Pacific Rim's Travis Beacham, Carnival Row is a thoroughly underwhelming fantasy drama, complete with wooden lead performances from Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne and some of the lamer attempts to make an “adult” fantasy drama in recent memory (yes, there are a lot of fairy boobs in Carnival Row). It's a shame; there's some impressive world-building on display – no matter how familiar it feels to the Saga comic book series – but it is buried under a lifeless murder mystery, a laughable romance, and the overwhelming sense that everything in Carnival Row's already been done better, somewhere else. Skip it! ---It: Chapter Two (in theatres 6th September) – the second half of Stephen King's epic tale of killer clowns and childhood friendship comes to a close with the much-hyped It: Chapter Two.
script... there's a lot of bullet points that make Fanatic a tempting watch (like a viewing of The Room), but trust me, it's not worth it. Skip It! ---Bless This Mess (ABC, from 24th September) – Bless This Mess aired a brief six-episode first season this Spring - which is usually a preemptive death knell for any show trying to establish an audience and earn a second order of episodes. Somehow, the Lake Bell-starring series (she also co-created the series, and also writes and directs) survived the pre-Summer gauntlet, and makes a triumphant return to ABC this Fall. The show, telling a fish-out-of-water story about a couple who leave the city to take over an old family farm, isn't exactly revolutionary – but it is warm, funny and endearing in the goofiest sense of the world --- sensibilities so many network comedies have forgotten in recent years. Watch it! ---Wu-Tang: An American Saga (Hulu, from 4th September) – the Fall's most anticipated series comes in the form of a ten-episode biopic, retelling the origins of legendry New York rap collective Wu-Tang Clan. For those of us who can still name all the original Clan members from memory (yes, including Cappadonna), Wu-Tang: An American Saga is an easy recommendation: and for those who aren't familiar with Ol' Dirty Bastard's rhyming style or the lessons behind “C.R.E.A.M.,” Wu-Tang: An American Saga is still a must watch, a compelling, extremely well-crafted bit of Americana history. Watch it! ---The Good Place (NBC, from 26th September) – NBC's hit existential comedy begins its final season the end of September, with an episode directed by star Kristen Bell. There's not much else I can say without giving away so many of the show's big twists and left-field ideas from its first three seasons: just know that if you're not watching The Good Place, you're missing some of the best writing and performances (led by Ted Danson and D'Arcy Carden) on network television. Watch it!
Starring Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, and Bill Hader (in what many are calling a breakout, Oscar-worthy performance), It: Chapter Two takes place 27 years after the Loser's Club defeated Pennywise, only to realise it has returned to terrorise Derry once again. In what's shaping up to be a quiet month for big films (unless you're really looking forward to another Rambo film), It: Chapter Two is bound to dominate the box office in September – and for good reason. Don't miss out. Watch it! ---Undone (Amazon, as of 13th September) – the latest series from BoJack Horseman creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg (along with fellow BoJack writer Kate Purdy) this sounds – and looks – like a doozy of a drama: animated in rotoscope style (a la A Scanner Darkly). Undone tells the story of a a woman (Parenthood's Rosa Salazar) who discovers she can “experience time in a new way” after a near-fatal car crash. Using her newfound abilities, she begins to explore the unexplained death of her father (Better Call Saul's Bob Odenkirk), unspooling her own connection to reality in the process. As ambitious visually as it is emotionally, Undone looks to be one of the most intriguing new series of 2019. Watch it! ---Fanatic (in theatres as of 30th August) – some might be tempted to see John Travolta's latest film on quirk alone: directed by Limp Bizkit front man Fred Durst, Fantaic is the latest film in a long line of people-stalking-celebrities films from The Fan to Ingrid Goes West. Simply put, Fanatic is one of 2019's worst movies, destined to win multiple Razzies whenever those infamous awards are announced. A demented, over committed Travolta performance, Durst's lifeless direction, the hackneyed
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Autumn In Maine Is Fast Approaching Welcome back to Up Portland’s crossword. And this time, we pay tribute to the end of Summer, the end of Season and the beginning of Autumn. You’ll find a lot of familiar (and maybe a few not-so) words here, all having to do with the season coming up. Be sure you put on that thinking cap, since while some are as easy as apple pie, others are a bit more difficult to wrap your brain around. Sharpen your pen or pencil and as always, comments are welcome at ted@upportland.com and the solution (no peeking) is on Page 27. Oh, and the photos are some “hints” to a few of the answers... Good luck!
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Food For Thought... Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue… Sounds more like a marriage than our monthly look at restaurants, but that should cover things. The something old is just a couple or three years old, but it’s not new, and that’s Union at the Press Hotel on Congress Street. Somethings (plural) new are the brand new China Xpress at Evans & Broadway in South Portland and the downtown location of Po’ Boys & Pickles on Federal Street. The something borrowed is the time it took to get Rí Rá, one of our faves in the Old Port, open again after a fire (Think borrowed time!). And the something blue are the old customers who loved Silly’s over on Washington Avenue, now missing “their spot” though our reviewer, in his opinion, can’t imagine why. Let’s start with the something old… if you call two or three years old old. Union is one of those spots where it took a friend to drag me to get me to go. Nothing bad about it… in fact, it’s wonderful, but I just never seem to be going by at mealtime or with someone to eat with (it’s not the type spot I’d do solo), so I just never went in. That was, until a neighbour suggested we go there for lunch recently --- and I happily accepted. I suppose I should have followed the advice of my late Grandpa Fred, who died in 1962 when I was a mere 12, but who did know what was what, and whose son, my dad, imparted his wisdom. The wisdom applicable here? “Eat at a hotel! They most all have good restaurants!” Recall that was in the 1950s and 60s and things have changed a lot since then. Back then, department stores had great restaurants, too, and there was not a Mickey D’s or Dunkin’ Donuts on every corner. OK, OK, maybe a Howard Johnson’s with their clam rolls and 28 flavours, but you get it. And hotels could be counted upon (at least where I grew up) to always have a great restaurant. These days with franchise and big corporate hotel chains, that’s less-so, but we had a great meal we wrote about last year at The Eastland, and now I can say the same about the really cool (check out the wall of typewriters in the lobby) Press Hotel at Exchange and Congress. OK, so I will admit we did lunch, and while it was not cheap (Confession: she paid!) the pricing was fair for what we got. Add to that, the atmosphere, like the remainder of the former Press Herald Building was understated elegance and Grandpa Fred would have felt right at home at Union. And let’s not forget great service from a smiling, chatty server named Alec (or was it Alek?) who plays guitar some nights elsewhere downtown and it was a very pleasant dining experience. The best part was the combination of big city elegance, room to move (take that great but tiny restaurants in Portland) and what appeared on the plates.
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As it was my first visit, I was encouraged to “try their lobster roll … it’s great.” As it never takes two invites to get me to eat some of the Maine state crustacean, I asked the waiter to bring me what Union calls an “Upper Exchange Lobster Roll.” That’s it above. Despite the pricetag of $24, I was not disappointed as my lobster roll had a huge amount of lobster meat, just the right amount of bibb lettuce and seasoning which went with the lobster, but did not overwhelm it. I find too many lobster rolls and restaurants eager to sell them are so overspiced and seasoned that it’s hard to even taste the lobster which gives them their name. Union got it right! Meanwhile, my host for the lunch, friend Julia, got the Seven Vegetable Salad ($12) with salmon (+$9). Menu says of the salad: assorted vegetables of the season, vinaigrette jardiniere, crumbled citrus, petite herbs. Her comment, “I loved what I had at Union!” pretty much says it all. As I said, add in prompt, smiling service, a sunny, open atmosphere and Union is a definite spot where you can count on seeing me again. Grandpa Fred would be proud… so would my dad. Info: www.unionportland.com And speaking of dad, he always liked a bargain, so the new China Xpress at 1122 Broadway in SoPo would easily qualify. Not only is the order style unique,
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but the pricing is more than fair… it’s what dad would have called “a deal.” The place combines a drive-thru with an indoor dining room, so the best of both worlds at a real busy and great corner for eats. Remember Dock’s Seafood is right next door, Amato’s catty (or kitty) corner and there’s a Domino’s Pizza at the intersection, too. So what’s unique about the ordering? All the food is ready, prepared and in a cafeteria style line. Grab a tray and then choose a bowl (side and one entrée); a plate (two entrees and a side) or a large plate (three entrees and a side, shown right). Pricing ranges from $6.50 to $8.50, though several things are listed as “premium” with small up-charges. The restaurant also offers family meals, with three large entrees and two large sides for $32.50, which would easily feed four. And what was on the plates was super. They had some great shrimp, orange chicken, chicken with broccoli and a whole lot more. The sides included spring rolls, dumplings and rangoons, along with fried rice and lo mein. All-in-all the place has great eats, smiling service and the two of us ate (including a soft drink each) for $22.57, which dad or anyone else would correctly call a bargain. And while the place has an airy, bright dining room, I can also see a lot of drive-thru business once that window opens. As of this writing, it was still under final construction, but it should only take a minute to pull in, dash in and come out with hot, good food meantime. Add the ability (coming soon) to do it all from the car and I can see a lot of area families with Chinese dinners on those upcoming cold, Winter nights. As of this writing, China Xpress did not have a website, but we’d be willing
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More Food For Thought...
lost our order, stretching our wait from a few minutes to closer to a half hour, and the gravy they advertised with the fries (think Canada) coming out so thin that it would have been a better soup. Management said they were still getting their wings downtown, and promised 100% next time… but we were fine with the 95% on our recent visit, which is a way to say we will go back. As we live downtown, it’s also a way, way easier place to enjoy now than when we have gone out Forest Avenue, especially in afternoon traffic. Find out more, including menus at poboysandpickles.com
to bet the family eatery has one somewhere in its future. Meanwhile, drive by, but stop and see and eat some great fast Chinese food. Dad would be proud (and you will be happy!)
Next a few words about borrowed time: They sadly needed a lot over at Commercial Street’s Rí Rá Irish Pub & Restaurant, but they finally got all the forms signed by the inspectors and the doors back open just a few days ago. For those unaware, a few Sundays ago, a fire in the ventilation system which is shared by Rí Rá and Flatbread caused a major traffic mess on Commercial Street and left both restaurants scrambling to get reopened in the midst of Portland’s season. Flatbread made it in just a few days, but more extensive fire damage and smoke meant that Irish eatery Rí Rá had a lot more work to do. And that work took time.
Along the same new theme, we recently did lunch at the downtown branch of Po’ Boys & Pickles, just next store to Portland House of Music on Federal Street. While they still have a few teething pains, the lunch was great, the meal for two came in at $30.24 and the smiling staff was clearly there to answer all our questions… from “where do the Po’ Boy oysters come from?” (Harbor Fish) to “do I want a full of half order of the Dirty Bird? (Roasted chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomato, roasted garlic mayo) or a full one?” The whole experience was a good one, and the downtown location of the longtime Forest Avenue eatery is apparently catching on as the order line stretched onto the sidewalk at 12.15 on a recent Thursday. If you want to avoid the wait, do what we did and go at 11.15, but the food is gonna be good anytime. The pickles ($4.50, at right) were very obviously a highlight, and both they and the dipping sauce which came along were obviously made in house. The coating was flavourful and it was very easy to see they took TLC to make them… so it was not just opening a bag from some supplier as too many restaurants are doing these days. About the Oyster Po’ Boy (also in the photo): delicious. The oysters were hot, the garnish great and the same can be said for that Dirty Bird dining partner raved about all afternoon. About the only two teething pains were a stubborn order system which
Fortunately, ownership stuck to it, and reopened to the delight of all of us who so enjoy eating there. They not only have the town’s only genuine Irish Breakfast (Black Pudding included) but the fish and chips are a delight and the view over the ferry terminal and Casco Bay is alone worth a visit. Rí Rá reopened with a whole weekend of specials and music, and is now happily serving customers like this reviewer once again. Go by and enjoy! Finally this month, we were asked about the recently announced closing at Silly’s on Washington Avenue, and while we know a few friends (and many others) are in mourning, this reviewer’s response is a big yawn. The reason is simple: The past couple years we never found anything really that good on the plates to distinguish Silly’s even after 30+ years. Yes, they had some funny decor and appropriately silly names graced the menu, but as I have spoken about my dad and grandpa here already, I’ll mention that Grandpa Fred always said what was on the plates was more important than what was on the walls. In other words, you cannot eat the décor. The place was indeed ground-breaking for what they did and were, but in this reviewer’s opinion, in recent years there was little worth going to Silly’s for. That said, we are disappointed that in all the interviews we saw about the closure, the owner commented that she felt she no longer fit in in a gentrifying neighbourhood of small plates and gourmet eats. To that we say variety is the spice of life and we need all parts, so it is sad they threw in the dish towel. We see nothing that gourmet about many of Silly’s neighbours --- and that includes spots as diverse as Forage Market, Portland Pottery Café and Bob’s Clam Hut. Every one have good eats, as do the more upscale restaurants like Drifters Wife, Terlingua and Baharat in the area. We are sad for our friends to see Silly’s call it quits, because it leaves a hole in the market and was a spot many folks will miss.
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October Edition Deadline
Friday 4th October Papers On Street: Tuesday 8th October
Up Portland is edited in Portland and printed the last week of every month in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. We may be contacted at the e-mail or phone number below. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy and fairness, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors. Liability is limited to the cost of said ad. Ads not cancelled by published deadlines may be billed at agreed-upon price. Ads may be edited or rejected for content at the discretion of the publisher. All items appearing in Up Portland, as well as the name, logos and design are copyright 2019 by BBS, A division of High Speed Delivery Fork Ltd. & Ted Fleischaker and may not be reproduced in any form without prior written approval.
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Layne’s Wine Time
Layne V. Witherell / Up Portland Wine Critic
BORDEAUX TIME The clock in our dining room reminds me constantly of Bordeaux wine. I obsess over Bordeaux. To some it is the lovely smell of cedar, berries and a hint of earth in the glass. To me it is the burger cookout with a merlot based, readily available, and affordable bottle or when moving up in quality, price and occasion, there are grand chateaus and vineyards containing a gustatory experience that is unrivaled. It is a world of infinite possibilities with everything in between- all 7,000-chateau worth. Bordeaux is white (dry or sweet), pink (Bordeaux rose is a recent thing), but mostly red. They run the price gambit from a few dollars a bottle to well into the thousands. Bordeaux began its ascendency in London in 1666. Chateau Haut Brion captured the imagination of a London awash in money, a sense of adventure, and a desire for new tastes. The owner of the chateau opened a restaurant in the city offering this newfound elixir by the pitcher to an appreciative clientele. “He had transformed it into the very coinage of prestige”, (thank you, Gerald Asher). Fast forward to 1855 and the Bordeaux Classification. Prince Napoleon Jerome wanted to rank the wines of Bordeaux for an international exhibition. The top wines were ranked according to price (Isn’t that how we buy stuff, even today?). It created a stir; it is still a stir. Anytime you rank or classify something, you create an everlasting stir.
SUNDAY NIGHT BORDEAUX AT HOME: My favourite steak on the grill and 60 Minutes watching wine is Chateau Roudier, Montagne St. Emilion, $12.99. The region was incorporated in the 1930’s and sits next to its famous sibling, St. Emilion. The blend is 65% merlot, 25% cabernet franc and 10% cabernet sauvignon. Opening it for half an hour gives the wine “lift”.
The beauty of all of this is that you can look up the wines, or form your own opinion based on what you have tasted. And…best of all there are vintages that change remarkably, together with their ability to not only age, but in the case of the top wines to outlive us all. Now, that’s a bonus.
The awesomeness of this wine is that with a few years of bottle age it transforms into multidimensional flavours. And there are vintage differences: a hallmark of Bordeaux; 2014, earthy, 2015, luscious, 2016, a bold vintage that opens up in the glass. That is a lot of enjoyment for under $15 a bottle.
We will start with the humble backyard burger Bordeaux and work our way up the quality and price and occasion ladder.
MOVING ON UP: The problem with today vs. decades ago is that older vintages used to be available all over the market. Bordeaux wines can be enjoyed young, due to modern winemaking, but there is nothing quite like a cellar of aged-to-perfection Bordeaux. So…get out that aerator and go to work on the newly released fabulous 2015 and 2016 vintages, or, tuck them away in a quiet little cool spot for some years.
BORDEAUX AND A BURGER-THE COOKOUT: The “burger Bordeaux” is usually made from young vines, has limited oak aging, and comes from a good, but not a great, region in Bordeaux. ZIP Codes matter here --- and they matter a lot. The grape variety here is mostly merlot. It can be drunk without any fanfare at the cookout. Chateau Gromel Bel Air, 2016, Bordeaux Superieur, $8.99. A chateau can be anything from a grand palace to a “modest home with a two-car garage” (thank you, Kevin Zraly). The beauty of reading a label is that “bottled in the chateau” has quality meaning and Superieur is a place, not a classification. Chateau Gromel is the ideal burger wine. It has hints of the flavours that exist in grander wines, and it goes well with the onions, pickles and mayo at a cookout. It is dry, not wimpy, and it is flavourful. When you think of Bordeaux the image of “fat cats” in their Brioni suits drinking precious liquids from very large glasses immediately comes to mind. Yeah, there’s that. The truth is that 80% of Bordeaux hovers around the $20 or less world.
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Chateau Andron Blanquet, St. Estephe, 2016, $20. The wines of St.Estephe are, in a word, bold. They are blends of mostly cabernet sauvignon with merlot and cabernet franc offering a gentler backup. Out of the bottle, they are loaded with tannin. An hour or so through the aerator and into a decanter a delicious wine emerges. Patience, patience, patience. This region of Bordeaux is famous for producing sturdy long-lived wines. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: While driving around with a good Realtor, these three words will be beaten into your head until you are bleary. Such is the life of great Bordeaux. Chateau Larrivet Haut Brion , Graves, 2015, $35, is the next door neighbour of that famous wine Chateau Haut Brion, that knocked London over in 1666.
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Chateau Haut Brion was scrutinized by none other than Thomas Jefferson “The soil of Haut Brion, which I examined in great detail” confirmed its exalted ZIP Code status. Current 2015 vintage --- $650 bottle. Under the radar Bordeaux Chateau like Larrivet disappear quickly. The Graves region is a great source for $30 bottles. The 2015 has layers of flavours and could be called “budget Haut Brion”. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION PART 2 Chateau La Cabanne, Pomerol, 2016, $36. Pomerol, the smallest of Bordeaux great regions is the home to the world’s finest merlot grapes (usually with a splash of cabernet franc in the blend). The gravel and clay, iron and sand mixture of place are not duplicated. Great Pomerol can run up to $5,000 a bottle (I am not making this up!). Why? In the words of the great wine writer Antonio Galloni: “Great Bordeaux finishes on a cliff hanger. You need to take another sip to see what happens next”. With La Cabanne, the merlot grape becomes the clay and iron, producing a black raspberry, lush spicy intense flavour. You do need to give it some air as it opens, at one and a half hours and then two. The beauty of this stuff is that it can, and will, become an obsession. (EDITORS NOTE: Layne is a professional in the wine business with over 30 years’ experience. He can be reached at lvwitherell@gmail.com for talks and consulting. His website is //http:winemaniacs.wordpress.com. Layne is hosting an event “Layne’s Wine Gig” every 3rd Friday of the month (4.305.30) at Port City Blue 650A Congress St.. $12 gets you four three-ounce pours and a rollicking schtick of a good time. Be there!).
The Maine Jewish Hall of Fame Presented by Dorothy Suzi Osher in Memory of Alfred Osher
2019 Induction Ceremony Sunday, September 22,
2019
Congratulations
to this year’s Inductees Albert ‘Jim’ Abrahamson - Portland, Maine Albert Aranson, MD - Portland, Maine Lawrence & Catherine Cutler - Bangor, Maine Julius ‘Yudy’ & Frances Elowitch - Portland, Maine Sidney Epstein - Bangor, Maine Peter & Paula Lunder - Scarborough, Maine Louise Nevelson - Rockland, Maine Nathan Povich - Bath, Maine Benjamin Stern - Biddeford, Maine
267 Congress St Portland, ME 04101 207-773-2339 FMI: visit mainejewishmuseum.org or email: execd@mainejewishmuseum.org
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Rita Sacknoff Willis - Portland, Maine
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New England Gear Makers To Show Off Latest, Greatest At Free Portland Event 6th October Maine has always been home to clothes, shoes, boots and other legendary Winter wear, and while names like LL Bean are known for footwear and more, many folks do not know that another famous bit of Winter wear got its start here, too. In 1981, New England’s own Polartec invented the first synthetic fleece --- the PolarFleece. The product was as comfortable as wool, but warmer, lighter, and far more durable. It quickly became a household name, which is why it’s news that today the original article fleece is back and, the makers say, “is better than ever.” And the best way to find out? At PolarFleece’s Made in New England Gear, Plus Maker’s Mixer, which is set for Portland on the 6th of October. Not only will this be a great chance to try and buy these New England icons, but to find out more about their latest incarnation, which adds Maine’s love of the environment and recycling to our almost maniacal obsession with keeping warm in cold weather. These days, the fleeces are cut and sewn in New Hampshire in a refurbished mill on the banks of Salmon Falls River, which separates New Hampshire from Maine. Each product features Polartec premium fleece, which is now knit entirely from (get ready for it) recycled plastic bottles --- the leading milled fleece to date. These days, also, consumers have the opportunity to mix and match colours to create their own PolarFleece style. Whether they choose to design the original Andover Pullover or the latest Andover Shearling Pullover, each product is unique, which the manufacturers call, “a nod to our heritage, representing New England style.” Portlanders have a chance to meet the PolarFleece team in person, alongside 30 other New England Makers at the 2nd Annual Maker’s Mixer event at the Portland Masonic on the 6th of October from noon to 4 p.m. “The public will enjoy local wares, brews and bites, plus some great music and other fun treats,” organisers promise. As of presstime, the line-up includes many famous names: Baileyworks, Bangs Island Mussels, Bite into Maine, Brant & Cochran, Cape Whoopies, Dr Dandelion, Good To-Go, Governor Baxter, Grain Surfboards, HMH Fly Vices, HyperLite, Independent Fabrication, The Maine Brew Bus, Mill Direct / Wristies, Momentum Barber, North Country Cider, Parlor Skis, PolarFleece, Quoddy, Rwanda Coffee, Sirois Leather, Skida Headwear, Smith’s Leather Balm, Sterling Ropes, Tamworth Distilling and Vanson Leathers. Admission to the event is free, but readers will need to go on line to obtain nocharge tickets. For more information and to secure your free ticket, visit www. PolarFleece.com and follow PolarFleece on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It’s a great way to discover what will help keep you warm when those cold, Arctic winds start to blow.
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at Eastern Cemetery
Tours at 11 a.m. every day! Join us for a guided walking tour of historic Eastern Cemetery at 11 a.m. every day, weather permitting. Tours start at 224 Congress St. gate. Cost $10; students and seniors (62+) $5; children under 12 free. If those times don’t work for you, email tours@spiritsalive.org and we’ll set up a special tour at no extra charge. Spirits Alive - dedicated to the preservation of historic Eastern Cemetery More info and volunteer opportunities at spiritsalive.org Page 25
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Processed Media By Randy Dankievitch — TV Critic / TVOvermind
The Yakuza Series Comes Full Circle on Playstation 4 In December 2005, Sega published an action game in Japan for the Playstation 2 titled Ryu ga Gotoku, an ambitious open-world game in the vein of Grand Theft Auto III – albeit one with a distinctly Japanese flavour. Following the story of Kazuma Kiryu, a disgraced yakuza general, Ryu ga Gotoku – or Yakuza, as known to Western audiences – quickly become a critical and commercial hit in Japan with its intoxicating, addicting mix of local culture, beat-em-up gameplay, and a cinematic sensibility few games, American or Japanese, had at the time.
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Fast forward to 2019, and the Yakuza series has quietly become one of Sega's most successful international series --- a collection of sequels and spin offs that release on a yearly basis in Japan. But for the longest time, it was hard for Americans to enjoy the Kazuma Kiryu saga: spread across three generations of Sony consoles, the localized versions of Yakuza were riddled by delays (Yakuza 4 didn't come West until three years after its original release), often missing content and suffering from underwhelming translations of the series' many, many strange side stories and supporting characters. In 2016, the disappointing cycle of Yakuza releases in the West finally began to dissipate, with the release of Yakuza Kiwami to the Playstation 4 in 2016. Yakuza Kiwami is a complete remaster of the original Yakuza, overhauling the game's original graphical engine, re-inserting untranslated content, and completely revamping the game's once-repetitive combat system. It was perhaps the most important development decision Sega's made in the current era of consoles: acting as a springboard for a new generation of gamers hungry for something new, Yakuza Kiwami took off like a rocket, especially after spending a month as one of Sony's free-to-download games for its monthly subscribers.
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Since then, the Yakuza series has slowly shifted from being a niche American title, to one of the most widely recognised, critically lauded franchises available on Playstation. Spread across seven games (including Yakuza 0, a prequel set in Kamurocho, circa 1988), the story of Kazuma Kiryu's taken its rightful place alongside Kratos, Crash Bandicoot and Nathan Drake as the most important of the generation. And for good reason: with five years having passed since the release of Grand Theft Auto V, and many developers shifting their attention to multiplayer games, the Yakuza series slides neatly into a massive chasm in Sony's exclusive library.
Needless to say, if you haven't played a Yakuza game, there's no better time than now to begin, especially with Yakuza 6: The Song of Life completing Kiryu's journey as the series main character, cementing the Yakuza legacy on the PS4 as it looks to the future with titles like Judgment (a recently released title set in the Yakuza world) and Yakuza 7, the first game in the series to feature a new protagonist (and for the first time, turn-based combat, ala Final Fantasy). For what feels like the first time, Toshihiro Nagoshi's organised crime syndicate epic is getting the international recognition it deserves, in what's quietly become the most engaging, deep, rewarding franchise available on Sony's signature platform.
In Yakuza, players control Kiryu (along with a number of other characters as the series progresses) and follow his adventures around his home city of Kamurocho. Packed to the brim with mini games, collectibles, and wildly entertaining side stories, the Yakuza series has become a single-player haven... a game where players can easily drop 50-60 hours learning the ins and outs of traditional mahjong, shogi... or karaoke, bowling, RC car racing, real estate management, and dozens of other entertaining side diversions (for reference, I played Yakuza Kiwami for 45 hours, and only had a completion percentage of 51.6%). Most importantly, the Playstation 4 era marks the first time Kiryu's complete, overarching story is available on one system: with the recent announcement of the Yakuza Collection (collecting Yakuza 3 – 5 together), players can finally see the full arc of Kiryu, Haruka, Majima and Date in one place.
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It is arguably the greatest saga ever told in video games; a story of heartbreak, family, purpose, and honour, nimble enough to be hilarious and devastating in the same moment.
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Here’s What We Think...
Up Portland’s Opinion
It might seem out of season for us to talk in the Fall about Old Port Fest, which has (for over four decades) started Summer here in Portland, but as anybody not living in a cave already knows, the 2019 edition was declared the “last Old Port Fest” by the folks at Portland Downtown (formerly Portland Downtown District) who organised it. When it was declared dead, they offered what we --- and most others --- feel were a batch of lame excuses for why 2019 would be the last: things from it no longer be-
Maine Jewish Museum
Exhibition: September 12, 2019 through November 1, 2019 Artist Talk with William Baum: Sunday, September 15, 2019, 2pm
Faith Regained
Interpreting the Silence
Early Works - Spiegel Gallery Later Works - Fineberg Family Community Room
Third Floor Sanctuary
Mark Baum
Jessyca M Broekman
Maine Jewish Museum
267 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101 (207) 773-2339 Monday - Friday 10am-4pm + Sundays 12pm - 4pm or by appointment mainejewishmuseum.org Nancy Davidson, Curator in Residence Nanci Kahn, Photography Curator
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ing “needed” to promote the Old Port to the occasional rowdiness which a few thousand revellers can cause on a warm Summer’s day. We at Up Portland said when the cancellation announcement was made that it was a mistake that either Portland Downtown should be forced to reverse or they should be the ones going out of business as unneeded. It’s called listening to what we taxpayers and downtowners want you to do, not what you want us to believe. Since that editorial hit this Summer, we have been stopped and chatted with by any number of downtown businesses --- from restaurants and shops to professional offices --- and without exception they want to overrule Portland Downtown and either hold their own festival to replace it, or to politely demand Old Port Fest’s continuation… even if it means firing the officials and staff at Portland Downtown who made this misguided decision. We strongly support a reversal of course. There’s no real reason for us to lose one of the city’s leading crowdpleasers because some group took a whim (and was the public allowed to even comment before the decision? Not that we ever saw or anyone we spoke with ever heard) to cancel it. Why discuss this just as season is ending and places are getting into Fall & Winter mode? Easy… because if we who want a 2020 and beyond Old Port Fest do not do something now to get this group’s silliness reversed or another organisation to put together a replacement for Old Port Fest, it will be too late to do one next June. June seems a long way away, but major events take time, money and organisation. Up Portland urges the businesses and residents downtown to let Portland Downtown, the mayor and council know loudly (again) that we are unhappy and want them to either restore our event or hand over the name, planning info and anything else associated to a new entity. The time is now for Portland Downtown to either do what the larger community desires, or get out of the way and let someone else do it.
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---Ted Fleischaker, Publisher.
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Hackin’ The Net By Ted Fleischaker / Publisher I am often asked where I get the ideas for my monthly rant about computers, so I want to answer: From you. The readers, the neighbours I have, the folks I shop with, who wait on me at the myriad restaurants I visit… all offer ideas. But few ever know it. Usually the ideas “just happen” when someone waves a phone or tablet my way. Or they call or text with a question or need a house call. Each and every case is different and almost every one gives me an idea for something to write about, so let’s look at a couple recent incidents. ---The other evening, around about nine, we had a panicked call at our house from a friend who was crying. She’s a wonderful friend who, like this writer, is not a kid, so we could only wonder what had her so upset. And that answer became very apparent, very fast: she had bought a new iPhone and was baffled as to why she was missing calls.
devices you buy from them. Apple even has classes (see above for an example) for free to help you get the best out of your gear. (Find out which ones are up at Maine Mall at www.apple.com/today/) Don’t wanna go to a class, the store or to your provider? Well, you can usually download a manual or “Google” your make and model device and get help, too. But what about the wonderful issue which caused our friend such panic?
We had time, so we went by and had a look first-hand. The problem was not anything wrong with the phone at all, but a new feature which Apple added to their iPhone operating system (OS). It is great, BUT only if you want it and know about it. If you don’t, it can appear your phone’s in trouble and, like her, you will miss a lot of calls.
Sadly, I am finding that more and more those little “convenient” add-ons are going mostly unannounced until someone gets in trouble, then it’s panic time. So my advice: before you get set to toss that phone, computer, “smart” TV or tablet in a nearby bay or river, stop and do some checking.
What the feature does is use that face recognition camera the phones all have these days. When it spots your face, it turns down the ringer to very low volume because it assumes, since you are looking, that you are aware you have a call coming in.
Either try a look online for what you think ails your device, or find a local geek (we all know one or more) who can look at something for you. Or go back to where you got the gadget and ask. Chances are what you think might be a major problem is just something wonderful and new someone in some lab concocted to make life easier, but never bothered to tell you about.
It’s intended to keep your phone from being such a pain to others when it rings at the grocery or a restaurant. As soon as it knows you got the message someone’s calling, it’s muted and those around you are less disturbed.
But above all means, don’t cry --- it’s just electronics. Save the tears for real tragedies.
It’s a great feature and easy in the control panels to turn off, but if you don’t know it’s there and you sit where the phone is on a table or in your hand and can always see your face: voilà it doesn’t ring or rings so softly you likely won’t hear it.
---And a 2nd recent item which hit our house. This is one we have touched on before, but it’s something which needs some repeating. That is what happens when your modem or router either dies or gets so old it’s limping along on a cane or walker, leaving you to mostly sit and watch that spinning “beachball” as your device tries to connect and load your internet content.
A simple click and we dried the tears and “fixed” her problem by switching it off. But it brought to mind the fact that many of my friends --- yes, the young ones, the millennials and ones my age, too --- are often baffled by new gimcracks the makers of phones, TVs, computers and other gear add for convenience, but have not bothered to tell you (or me) about in a way we’d notice. Thus, we think something they added, say to an OS, is a malfunction, not a convenience at all.
There’s also a major push (OK, OK, let’s use the real feeling here “obnoxious push”) by a lot of internet service providers (ISPs) to try to either get us to speed up our service, add a home phone, cable channels or other odds and ends we probably do not want, but they’d like us to pay for. Remember: it’s all about their bottom lines.
I am fortunate to live with a computer tech, so when my phone or computer makes me ready to toss it into Casco Bay, I have a resource… but what about those without? What about that friend who called? Or other readers?
There are some very tempting “deals” out there, but remember, they are only good if you need or want what’s in the “package.” Think hard. See what you might be committing to buy and for how long, before you sign on that proverbial dotted line.
Add to this issue that phones and most other devices (there are exceptions) no longer come with what once were those ubiquitous manuals. You know… ones we all used to take out of the box, then lose somewhere in a drawer, never to be seen until “discovered” years after said device was long gone.
Anyway, a friend had a new router she needed help with. We were glad to drop by and do so (she makes awesome pies… just sayin’) but I asked that $64,000 question as Ivan hooked it up for her: What speed do you pay for?
Nowadays, all that manual “stuff” is online, and folks from the Apple store to the Geek Squad and your provider will show and tell you how to use what
She had been complaining of slow speeds to her ISP and was told the issue was her aging gear, but imagine driving down I-295 or anywhere with no speedometer.
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Up Portland 09.19 In Print * On The Web At: www.upportland.com * On Facebook
Hands up if you either do not know your speed or know what speed all those fancy names the ISPs give plans mean. I mean there are “ultra” and “extreme” and “standard” and everything in between these days. Long gone are the days of 56K dial-ups or when a “fast” line meant anything over 100K. Nowadays we usually measure in M for Megs (a K is a kilo, by the way) and most folks we know get or want something over 100 Megs to stream TV, movies or multitask --- think a house with someone doing office work, a kid watching a movie and Alexa looking for a recipe all at once. That’s called bandwidth and most of us are wanting more, more, more. But back at the beginning: How much do you currently pay for and how much are you getting? Those queries brought a blank look to our neighbour’s face and I’d bet would to many of you. How to know? Either check your bill, go online to your provider’s website and link to your account or call and talk to a real human. Find out what you are paying for. Afterall, you’d not want your electric to be half voltage as nothing would work right or at all. Same with water when just a trickle would take six hours to fill the bathtub. Find out what you are paying for and then check to see if you are getting it! This is your money we are talking about here, right? There are all manner of speed checking sites, but we like www.fast.com and www.speedtest.net best. The former is owned by Netflix and the latter is part of Ookla. Either will give you some reasonable idea of what you are getting --- both uploading and downloading. That latter number is usually the one you care about and need to know as it tells how fast something will come from the net to your device. Too slow and that movie or TV show will spit and start and buffer and stop, then do it all over. So what’s the reason we tell you all this? Easy… users need to know what they pay for and get. Sometimes, a simple modem reboot will get the paid-for speed back. Other times, like for our friend, a new modem or router might be needed as they do (like everything) wear out or become outdated. In some cases you pay your ISP a fee to “rent” your device and in others, you own it, so when it slows or ages or stops, it’s gonna be on you to get a new one. This is good info to have. So what’s our conclusion? Well, we got our pie-making neighbour up from a few megs to about 100 by installing her new modem. She’s happy. Her college student daughter is communicating with friends and watching movies faster. And the strawberry pie was awesome. It was a win-win. But seriously, readers all need to keep their eyes on the pie. As speeds and demand for bandwidth both increase, we do, will and should expect to pay for all that infrastructure, but at the same time we have a right to get what we pay for.
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Open Concepts Artists Show New Work 2nd Saturday Come see what our artists did on their Summer vacation, Saturday, 14th September from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Open Concepts Gallery, 50 Cove Street (enter at the back) This gallery is for the members of the shared studio space which just recently re-opened the gallery, with Ann Tracy as curator/director. Artists participating in this show include "Digital Alchemist" Tracy, painter Susan Tureen and neon artist David Johansen. The exhibit continues by appointment until 25th October. Please contact anntracy51@gmail.com for more information and viewing appointments. Open Concepts Gallery joins the Indigo Arts Alliance and the Cove Street Arts Centre to form the Cove Street Arts Corridor in the former industrial area of Maine's largest city. "We are aiming for art exhibits by member artists every quarter, and have a variety of painters, glass artists and multimedia artists here at the gallery. It would be a shame not to publically celebrate their work, so I'm eager to showcase the work of all the talented folks here at Open Concepts," Tracy said. ANOTHER DATE TO NOTE October 4th, Friday.... Opening Reception for "Imposition & Yielding: Travail en Cire", UMVA Gallery at Portland Media Centre, 516 Congress Street from 5 to 7 p.m.
Up Portland 09.19 In Print * On The Web At: www.upportland.com * On Facebook
New England Bog is back! Cranberries, blueberries, orange and a crumble of oats and bittersweet chocolate This pie is an employee favorite!
Portland — 47 India Street 207.347.5144 Tuesday–Saturday 8am-5pm Sunday 8am-4pm
Call to your e v r e s e r and l g n E w Ne Bog www.twofatcatsbakery.com Page 32
South Portland — 740 Broadway 207.536.7713 Tuesday–Saturday 8am-5pm Sunday 9am-2pm
Up Portland 09.19 In Print * On The Web At: www.upportland.com * On Facebook