The West End News - March Edition 2024 - Vol. 24 No. 03

PelotonLabs Says Goodbye

The West End coworking space that WEN called home for a decade is closing. Presente! Maine will take over the lease at 795 Congress Street.

“Every time you make a connection between two people, you throw out this little filament, like a little cobweb. And when you do that thousands of times, it builds a trampoline that you can bounce on. It’s really powerful.” -Liz Trice, founder PelotonLabs

By Tony Zeli

Some 2,000 people have made potentially 10,000 connections through PelotonLabs. One of those thousands of people was me. I started at Peloton about ten years ago, a little before I took over editing and publishing The News. Sadly, I must report that as of February 29th, the West End’s largest coworking space has closed its doors as a membership-based workspace. Fortunately, Presente! Maine, the new master tenant, will use the space to further their mission to empower displaced Afro/Indigenous and Latinx peoples of Maine.

Page 4

The journey of taking over and building The West End News into what is today would have been very different without my time at PelotonLabs. Through Peloton, I had an affordable, community-oriented workspace where I met future contributors, readers, and friends.Working at PelotonLabs was a transformative experience, not just for me, but for hundreds of entrepreneurs, remote workers, organizations, startups, and others.

MAKING NOISE

Liz Trice started PelotonLabs with developer Peter Bass, who took a parcel of land at Bramhall Square with a burnt down restaurant on it and built a contemporary office building. At the time, it was the largest coworking space in Portland. Coworking for entrepreneurs and remote workers was still a new idea in Maine. Even when I started working there a few years

Cont'd on Pg. 3

Page 7

The Camden Conference

An intellectual journey like no other The conference’s live-stream at USM’s Luther Bonney Hall is becoming a local tradition

By Eva McVicar

In its 37th year, the Camden Conference once again turned the town of Camden into a hub of international dialogue. This year’s topic: India: Rising Ambitions, Challenges at Home. The weekend-long Conference, centered in the historic Camden Opera House and live-streamed to satellite locations, including Portland, featured top minds from foreign policy, academia, and journalism.

All sessions were skillfully moderated by David Brancaccio, host of public radio’s “Marketplace Morning Report,” whose quick-witted and insightful approach elevated the event. Brimming with lively discussions, meaningful connections, and eye-opening discoveries, participants

Pages 10-11

could experience an intellectual journey unlike any other in Maine.

A group of Camden Conference attendees and USM students gathered at Luther Bonney Hall at USM for Friday evening, all day Saturday, and Sunday morning to watch the weekend’s fast-paced talks and lively Q&A. For many intellectually curious locals who are interested in exchanging ideas with internationally minded neighbors and friends, attending the live stream of the Camden Conference at USM has become a tradition. Several breaks, notably for Saturday lunch, allowed for congenial discussions.

This year’s theme reflected India’s growing global significance. The world’s

Cont'd on Pg. 6

Page 12

The Camden Conference brings interenational dialogue to Maine.Above,Bruce Cole, acting chair of the Camden Conference's program committee, talks with conference speaker Arvind Subramanian, an Indian economist. -Courtesy photo

-Photo by Nancy Dorrans

EVENT Magazine Readers

Arts/Crafts/ Games/Grab Bag Travelogue

Classic Movie

WENA General Meeting

Arts/Crafts/ Games/Grab Bag

Die

Well Spiritual Conversation Circle Arts/Crafts/ Games/Grab Bag

Organizing/ Downsizing Animation

Movie

Arts/Crafts/ Games/Grab Bag

Maine Aging Partners Magazine Readers Mahjong Independent Transportation Network

PRESENTER

Charlie Main WENA

Kip & Barb DeSerres

WENA

WENA

WENA

Leona Oceania, Die Well Death Educator Jan King

WENA

Amy Smith

WENA

WENA

Kaitlyn

Morse

TBD

Genie

Nakell

Kaitlyn Morse

NOTES

Contact hello@wenamaine.org for materials Bridge, Cribbage, Crafts and much more! By bicycle from Nantes, France to Budapest FMI - wenamaine.org

Guest: Jack Phillips of Portland Parks Conservancy Bridge, Cribbage, Crafts and much more!

“Session Six: MAID (Medical Aid in Dying)... Open exploration of life’s spiritual side Bridge, Cribbage, Crafts and much more!

Organizing & Downsizing Your Home FMI: wenamaine.org

Bridge, Cribbage, Crafts and much more!

Differentiating longterm care programs

Contact hello@wenamaine.org for materials

Limit 5 - register at hello@wenamaine.org

Learn about using ITN or volunteering as a driver

St. Patrick’s Day Events

West End Neighborhood Parade & Flag Raising

Sun, Mar. 17 / 8:30a / Harbor View Park, Portland

Every year, the West End neighborhood parade is a St. Patrick’s Day highlight. The parade is led by a dedicated and enthusiastic group of volunteers who enjoy it when neighbors join in. The parade route starts at the Maine Irish Heritage Center at the historic St. Dominic’s Church, 34 Gray Street. The parade starts at 8:30 a.m. with bagpipes and meanders through the old Irish neighborhood south of Danforth Street between Brackett and State streets. The parade ends at Harbor View Memorial Park, where the Irish flag is raised. Then return to the Maine Irish Heritage Center for tea and soda bread. It’s authentic and full of stories and lore about growing up in Portland in the ‘60s and 70s.

Irish American Club

St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Sun, Mar. 17 / 12p / Commercial St, Portland

The Irish American Club’s Saint Patrick’s Parade will be held on Sunday, March 17th, and will kick off at Noon. This beloved annual tradition is the largest celebration of Irish and Irish American culture north of Boston and has been a yearly highlight for many parade marchers and spectators. The parade route is along Commercial Street in Portland, beginning at the intersection with Center Street and

ending at Bell Buoy Park near the Casco Bay Ferry terminal.

This year’s parade will feature two pipe and drum bands, the Stillson School of Irish Dance, color guards from area military and protective services, the display of Irish national, provincial, and county flags, mascots from area sports teams, and more.

Open House at MIHC

Sun, Mar. 17 / 1 – 4p / MIHC (34 Gray St, Portland)

This year, the Maine Irish Heritage Center (MIHC) opens its doors wide for tours, music, and family fun. Check out the library, learn about genealogy resources, and visit the historic sanctuary that was built brick-by-brick by Irish hands in the 1800s. There’ll be food trucks out front and snacks and beverages available inside. Live music will be provided by the one and only Joe Markley, the Singing Celt.

For more information, email maineirish@maineirish.com.

MUSIC. COMEDY. THEATER. DANCE. and so much more...

Join us on The Hill for amazing performing arts!

(formerly St. Lawrence Arts)

Arts & Culture

Neighborhood & Community

Historic Preservation

2/28 - 3/24 Good Theater Presents: A Man of No Importance

3/10 Shane MacGowan’s Teeth: A tribute to Ireland’s Raconteur

3/19 Balderdash Academy’s IMPROV JAM a Fundraiser (monthly)

3/28 Dragology Presents: Punkology, Rock and Roll Drag Show!

3/29-30 JAMCO Comedy Series featuring Jamal Harrington

4/5 Balderdash Academy’s IMPROV LIVE, hilarious unscripted comedy

4/6 Barney Martin performs the songs of James Taylor

4/14 MJFF Presents Film: Born In Chicago and Blues Prophets LIVE

4/19 Balderdash Academy’s On the Air! Vintage Comedy LIVE!

4/24 Hildaland LIVE, Fiddle and Mandolin show

4/25-26 Cindy Pierce Presents: Keeping It Inn

4/27 Novel Jazz Septet Celebrates Duke Ellington’s 125th Birthday

5/4 Rasa String Quartet, ensemble from Phillips Exeter Academy

5/9-10 Sara Juli Presents: Naughty Bits (followed by panel on 5/9)

5/12 Pine Tree Pickers LIVE, Some of Maine’s finest guitar pickers

517-19 Vivid Motion Dance Presents: Grania, Pirate Queen

5/25 Dave Singley - Singer/Songwriter

5/31 I Love You To Death, A speakeasy mystery by Robert J. Leblanc

6/21 Steamy Nights: Best of Burlesque Fundraiser for The Hill Arts

West End parade. -Courtesy MIHC

COMMUNITY EVENTS MARCH

USM Theatre Kicks Off First-Ever Radio

Theatre Production

Live show: Mar. 7 & 8 / 7p / Russell Hall, USM Gorham

Free Listening Party: Mar. 22 / 7p / McGoldrick Center, USM Portland

“The War of the Worlds: The 1938 Radio Script” by Howard E. Koch will be the first radio theatre produced in University of Southern Maine Department of Theatre’s new audio studio. Live performances, a listening party, and a WMPG broadcast are all part of the fun.

Beginning this semester, the USM Department of Theatre will regularly record radio theatre in its new audio studio as part of its educational offerings. The creation of the audio studio is thanks to the generous donation of equipment by Marie Reuillard, wife of the late William Dufris, local narrator and audiobook producer, and his business partner Fred Greenhalgh, a Maine-based audio pioneer.

For the inaugural production in the studio, USM Theatre chose “The War of the Worlds: The 1938 Radio Script” for its iconic status in the world of radio theatre. Based on the book by Orson Welles and adapted by Howard E. Koch, the original broadcast from New York’s Mercury Theatre in 1938 had some terrified listeners convinced that an actual alien invasion of Earth was taking place. USM’s production is directed by Liz Carlson and with mu-

sic production by Robin Miller and Jacob Lane, students at the Osher School of Music.

“The War of the Worlds” will be presented live March 7th and 8th at 7 p.m. as a staged reading with full sound effects at Russell Hall on the USM Gorham campus. On March 22nd, audiences can enjoy a free listening party of the finished production on the 2nd floor of the McGoldrick Center on the USM Portland campus at 7 p.m. or tune into WMPG for the broadcast. Food, drink, trivia, and more will be part of the fun.

To purchase tickets or for more information, visit USM Theatre online at usm. maine.edu/theatre or call the USM Theatre Box Office at (207) 780-5151. Tickets range from $8 for students/youth to $18 for adults.

“The War of the Worlds” Listening Party at McGoldrick Center, USM Portland Campus, is free. Please RSVP: https://a.purplepass.com/events/281899the-war-of-the-worlds-listening-partymar-22nd-2024.

t love smith presents transgender ecologies and poetics

Wed, Mar. 20 / 5-7p / Glickman Library, USM Portland

Senior, t love smith, a non-binary poet and USM English major, presents Transgender Ecologies and Poetics on Wednesday, March 20th, 2024, from 5 to 7 p.m. on the 7th Floor of the Glickman Library. This event is free, open to the public, and food will be provided. The presentation is a culmination of an independent study through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program at the University of Southern Maine which began in fall of 2023.

The study zooms in on two late transgender icons, Anderson Bigode Herzer and Brandon Teena, to discuss the overlap and impact of their collective histories, especially as they have influenced Smith’s life and work.

Anderson Bigode Herzer was the first transgender poet to publish a memoir and book of poems in Brazil in 1982, the same year he took his own life at the age of 20. His poetry will be shared in both Portuguese and English.

Brandon Teena of Lincoln, Nebraska was a transgender man who was made famous for the hate crimes of his brutal sexual assault and murder over the winter holidays in 1993. His story was made iconic by the feature film, “Boys Don’t Cry”

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for which the actor who played him, Hilary Swank, won an Oscar.

Music will be provided by WMPG and guest performances include poems by USM students, Liv LV, Vincent Herrington, and ninaka raine, as well as a one-act performance by the host’s niece, 16-year-old, South Portland High School student, Savannah Smith.

MUSIC + EVENTS

ORGANICALLY

DARBY

MAR

ROSE ALLEY (JERRY GARCIA BAND TRIBUTE)

MAR

THE ABYSSINIANS W/S/GS ROOTS, RHYTHM & DUB

APR

Photo: Christopher Andrew

Dir. Liz Carlson and Brooks Desrosiers, Producer. -Photo: Noli French, @Frenchsfotos

What you are looking for is in the library

By Michiko Aoyama

By Stephanie Miller

I am a sucker for any story that involves books. Publishers surely realize that I’m not alone in this among avid readers, and thus there are dozens of books about books released every year. I was glad to discover that this trend is global. The award-winning Japanese bestselling novel, “What you are looking for is in the library,” by Michiko Aoyama, is translated by Alison Watts and recently released in the U.S. (and 14 other languages!). It is a delightful collection of intertwined stories, all of which center on a dedicated librarian who asks seriously, “What are you looking for?”

Books recommended by Ms. Komachi change the lives of the recipient. The librarian denies any magical powers, but she does something rare and special: She listens to each patron’s challenges and worries, giving them the gift of being heard, and then recommends one or more books that seem incongruous to the topic requested. Inevitably, it’s the unexpected book that sparks new thinking and energy and leads the reader to explore changes in their life.

For a rising corporate professional trying to make peace with how motherhood limits her career progression, the librarian suggests a book on astrology which helps her discern her own truth in response to a question from a former client: “Never swerving from a path is not necessarily a virtue—isn’t it better sometimes to be honest about what you really want?”

A young woman feels stagnant in her role as “only” a dress shop assistant. “You’re amazing, Tomoka,” her old friend from home says, “Going off to Tokyo to become a career woman!” Tomoka admits the unintended sting in the praise, “When I was at college her admiration made me feel good, it helped light my fire. …Lately I’ve grown tired of being called ‘amazing.’” A children’s book recommended by the librarian helps Tomoka discover new meaning in her independent life.

A young man let go from a graphic design job is afraid his artistic style is too strange to be valued either commercially or artistically. Inspired to sketch fantastic skeletal animals while exploring a library book about evolution, he finds affirmation and motivation when told about niche markets: “The [small number] of people who like pineapple in sweet-and-

'What you are looking for is in the library' by Michiko

Aoyama, Translated by Alison Watts (Hanover Square Press, 2023)

sour pork may be in a minority, but they don’t just like it, they are crazy about it. It’s a question of passion. The majority may not accept something but as long as there are some who do, the existence of that thing—whatever it may be—is protected.”

Fans of collected stories will relish the many ways that characters from previous stories pop up in later ones and how all the stories come back to the central theme: A community library is a place for belonging. As if by magic, you will discover books to help you find and share your singular place in the world.

MicroShorts

‘Our Missing Hearts,’ by Celeste Ng In a not-too-distant dystopian future, a network of heroic librarians gathers information about children separated from their parents by a paranoid, McCarthy-esque government agency that is highly suspicious of Asians. A Chinese-American mother’s folk tales give her twelveyear old son clues on how to find her after she disappears. His yearning for her compels him to take desperate risks, while his journey toward her parallels her own audacious and deadly act to create a public art resistance project. This is a moving story about how supposedly civilized people can ignore and tolerate severe injustice.While incredibly painful and sad, there is also a lot of hope in this novel.

Read more MicroShorts online: https://thewestendnews.com/category/ bookshort.

Camden Conference

Cont'd from Pg. 1

largest democracy with the world’s largest population and a rapidly advancing economy maintains its democratic status but grapples with persistent challenges, entangled with legacies of colonialism and the caste system. Princeton history professor Pratap Mehta and Brown political science professor Ashutoff Varshney provided a captivating overview of post-colonial history of nation building and shed light on the story of Indian exceptionalism, the Indian concept of a universalist dimension to humanity, and the danger of decline of secular pluralism anchored in the Indian constitution.

New York Times correspondent Emily Schmall, who reported from India for four years, shared her firsthand experiences of journalists facing threats and being harassed for dissenting views and critical reporting. Despite India’s vibrant newspaper culture, with a massive circulation of 225 million daily newspapers in multiple languages, smaller papers are increasingly being targeted and shut down.

Amplified by the elephant in the room—Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government’s push for Hindu nationalist policies and country identity— keynote speaker Nirupama Rao, who has served as India’s Foreign Secretary and its first woman ambassador to the United States, China, and to Sri Lanka, downplayed concerns of fellow Indian speakers using poetic imagery of India as a harmonic mosaic of diverse people and religions. “There is an electricity about the place. India is reimaging itself and this is a moment of pride, a redefinition of most of the people”, said the ambassador.

Despite concerns about the decline of liberal democracy and the rise of Hindu nationalism in shaping a national identity, coupled with challenges such as restricted opportunities for women and the frequent targeting of religious minorities, speakers underscored that Prime Minister Modi continues to enjoy widespread popularity. Drawing support across diverse ethnic and religious identities, Modi is perceived as a competent national leader who is elevating India’s status as a rising global power.

Panel discussions were a highlight of the conference as the extraordinary group of speakers brought different perspectives and backgrounds to the stage. When Professor Pratap Mehta questioned Daniel Markey, senior advisor on South Asia at

the United States Institute of Peace about U.S. foreign policy hypocrisy in the past thirty years, Markey admitted that the U.S. falls short of its ideals, acknowledging inconsistency in upholding values within the liberal international order. The challenge lies in maintaining trust among countries sharing similar values, despite perceived American hypocrisy. “While we Americans still get upset being accused of hypocrisy, not living up to our own ambitions is good,” Markey added, “It’s when we don’t get upset, we are in trouble.”

For democracy to flourish and live up to its promises, citizens must engage actively and feel empowered. The fate of democracy in India, as well as in the US, rests in the hands of its citizens. Echoing the sentiments of Alexis de Tocqueville, a figure frequently cited by the speakers, democracy doesn’t run on autopilot and demands generational upkeep. That’s why we hope you will join us for the 38th Camden Conference, Democracy under Threat: Global Perspective.

The Camden Conference is a 98% all-volunteer organization that reserves 20% of total live attendance for high school and college students, who are offered reduced fees.

Eva McVicar is the Development & Communications Coordinator at Camden Conference. Originally from the former Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic), Eva worked in international education and journalism before.

Stephanie Miller is a voracious reader and bibliophile and spends a lot of time lost in the stacks of bookstores and libraries. Find her online @StephanieSAM.

Keynote speaker Ambassador Nirupama Rao. -Courtesy photo

Seven Siegel talks about the Gorham Connector

Every Month PelotonLabs founder Liz Trice interviews a community member for The West End News. This month Liz caught up with Seven Siegel (they/ them), a Town Councilor in Gorham.

How did you get involved in this?

I have a master’s in public policy, and now that I live in this great community with my wife and four-month-old daughter, I want to give back. I joined the planning board first, then the Gorham town council, and now am running for state representative in District 109.

I know the Maine Turnpike Authority has purchased 75% of the land it needs to build the new highway. How did we get here?

There’s a lot of moving parts and organizations. The Maine Turnpike Authority has talked with all of the towns and many other state agencies. This has been in the making for years, and we’re just now actually seeing it come more to fruition, where land is getting purchased. We’re five years away now rather than “someday.”

There’s two different parts that are important to discuss. First, as a country we’re addicted to highways. We love building them and expanding them, and every time they get full of traffic, we just build more, which if you follow the writing about planning, the result is “induced demand”: the more roads you build, the more people are going to drive. Every single time they expand a roadway, over time the traffic comes back, because of induced demand.

128 Auburn Street, Unit 3 2nd Fl. Portland ME. 04103

207-613-5591

The other side of the conversation is, it’s better to have a highway on the outside of the town. When you look at other countries, they have highways away from their cities, but here we put highways through our cities. Right now, Gorham has route 25 and route 114, two state highways going through the center of town, and if you want to get west of Gorham, you need to drive through town. MDOT’s goal is to get as many cars as possible through an area as smoothly as possible, but we want our downtown to be a place where people stop, and pedestrians and businesses come to. Those goals are at odds with each other.

What is the MTA process?

There is public process and public input, and there will be public hearings. There is not, however, a vote at the council level saying “we agree to this happening” or not. The turnpike is going through private land, and the MTA is purchasing the land from private landowners. In Gorham, it’s primarily a closed golf course, so that’s pretty good. MTA is part of the executive branch, not legislative, so there are no elected officials involved except for the governor.

I hear some people are opposed, and there’s issues of wanting to have density but no sewer or water near the proposed location.

I see this as something that is happening, and we need to make the best of the situation. We can reduce demand in other ways. We can make Gorham’s downtown less car-friendly, and more pedestrian and business friendly, so it’s a walkable down-

town. We’ve zoned the area around the turnpike to be very dense, with no single-family homes or minimum unit sizes, and are providing waivers to require less parking. There is no water or sewer, but we can add that at the same time they’re building the highway. With the population density we’re talking about, there will probably be a new food store there, and likely a new trail to walk or bike to the Gorham village.

that farmers are land rich and cash poor and are only able to retire through selling their land to developers. So, if we want to stop sprawl, and if we want to keep farms, we need a real answer to that.

What would you recommend for other people who care about this issue or improving their community generally?

The head of the MTA is very open to talking to the public. He makes his cell phone number available.

It’s incredibly, incredibly, incredibly important for people to take an active role in their community. The most valuable thing people can do is attend and speak at public meetings and help your town’s council figure out how to have the best zoning so that new development is what you want. I think people underestimate what ten people at a meeting can do to change opinions.

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Seven Siegel (they/them) is a a Town Councilor in Gorham. -Courtesy photo

The Problem with Wine

By Layne V. Witherell

There is an ocean of excess wine out there trying to find a home, your home, any home (as long as you are 21). Global predictions hover around 150,000 acres of planted wine grapes that must be rooted up with no takers. Fifty thousand of those acres are predicted for California alone based on their recent grape growers’ symposium. Washington State, the number two producer in America, slashed grower contracts by half. One and a half billion bottles have vanished in sales since the pandemic. With no end in sight, the wine trade calls it “squinting for good news.”

In the civilized history of wine (5,000 plus years) there has never been better quality, availability, or distribution. So, what went wrong?

I guess that I am in a better situation to tell the story and offer some solutions than most. First, I have 49 years of experience in all aspects of the biz under my belt. I have written four hundred articles on the subject over thirty years, but mostly, there are no bosses breathing down my neck to convince me to be less than honest, or at times politically incorrect. What we need today is a solid dose of agenda-free reality. Let’s look at ourselves

for a moment in that harsh mirror.

Every wine writer has their thing, from The New York Times weekly immersion of politically correct kumbaya, to the wine writing rep trying to push their “wine of the week.” This is one of the problems with wine, there is too much chatter and too many hidden agendas. In this era of hysterical diversity, inclusiveness means everything and nothing. It hasn’t worked.

THE ANTI ALCOHOL MOVEMENT IS ALIVE AND WELL

Low or no alcohol wines are trying to climb up in quality and need to get real in price but are still gaining a foothold. There is an additional problem with the “health paranoid” consumer staring blindly at every label like it is affixed with skull and crossbones. Optimism, not paranoia, would help.

The “Better for You Movement” in wine practices a slightly lower degree of paranoia than the pure anti-alcohol movement. Its leaders are Bota Breeze, Fit Vine, Cupcake, etc. They bring a lower alcohol, lower carb count and duller flavor profile. At least they are still made from grapes. Creating a new brand in a minute is a frantic Hail Mary pass. The numbers are great for now, but I was there when White Zinfandel conquered the world and then

Is wine losing out to craft beer, artisanal cocktails, hard seltzer, and temperance among the younger generations?

-Photos

turned into an instant flaming train wreck with no customers in sight.

THE INTERNET: JOSH IS EVERYWHERE

This is a classic internet moment. Social media user Rashad Eason, @Optimus_grind, a self-proclaimed wine and snack food expert posted, “I’m gonna keep telling y’all to grow up and leave that Stella and Barefoot alone.”

This garnered a zillion viral replies and memes featuring the Josh wine brand, in addition to an appearance on Today. com. From an ordinary wine to icon with the push of a button. Hopefully, this absorbs some of those excess California grapes.

GEN Z AT SEA

They seldom take but a moment to leave the captivity of their phones and indulge in a sip or two of their favorite Hard Seltzer, the Gen Z preference of choice. The millennials are skipping away from hazy craft beer and the Gen Z people are headed in their own direction.

Hard seltzers are typically made with real vodka or malt, real juice, and sparkling water, no sugar, and gluten free with around 5% alcohol. The problem is both generational, with advertising and internet presence, combined with the distribution power of their large producers. In this scenario, saving the grapes doesn’t stand a chance.

MILLENNIALS & BOOMERS

The former are in debt, don’t own houses, many have kids, but are buying

Cont'd on Next Page

courtesy of Layne Witherell

The Problem with Wine

Cont'd from Previous Page

wine and aren’t afraid to spend some bucks for it. The competition is simply a zillion quality craft beers and artisanal cocktails. If you think that little 250 ml wine “Tetra Pak” will save you… just ask Europe - it hasn’t. It all hinges on disposable income. There is the competitive mystique of high priced “natural” wine combined with buying phones and pot, all of which are expensive.

We Boomers cut our teeth on the wines and platitudes of the late, great Robert Mondavi. It was all about wine in moderation with good food and family. You can sum up his entire 360-page autobiography “Harvests of Joy” with the oneline dedication from the Roman writer Petronius, “Wine is life.”

A THOUGHT ON THE SUPER BOWL

Over one hundred and twenty-three million people watched the Super Bowl, including my wife Judy and me. This is the huge, multi-generational audience that the global wine community simply can’t afford to ignore, especially in an era of competing tastes and likes.

The Gallo winery came close to getting it right. They paired their Barefoot Pinot Grigio with the Kelce brother’s mom and her hot dog recipes. That’s a start. Our global wine community needs to create a “We are the World” spectacular set of ads telling a globally positive story of wine. “The Super Bowl is one of the last of

the truly communal TV experiences,” said TV historian Robert Thompson. The beer people, chip people, and even the Jesus people got it right.

The next Super Bowl is in New Orleans in 2025.

WHAT WE SAW AT MARDI GRAS

We know NOLA from our years of visits, Mardi Gras exploits, and restaurant attendance. This is an ideal setting with their world class restaurants and wine scene. It is some of the greatest dining in the world on all levels. Showcase it and showcase the glories of wine. Enlist celebrities and wine people to bring their energy and love.

COURT OF TWO SISTERS

(613 Royal St., NOLA)

A romantic, idyllic setting of old New Orleans with two major things to showcase: A world class wine list that is globally and regionally diverse and highly regarded. Best of all, this is the home of the Krewe of Cork, the Wine Society of NOLA. We attend their parade yearly during Mardi Gras and it is simply THE most joyous celebration of all things wine. This is the epicenter of wine culture in NOLA.

As we reveled in our gumbo, duck, and turtle soup, entranced by our glasses of Elk Cove Pinot Noir from Oregon, I glanced over at the adorable Gen Z four top admiring their selfies and phones,

Fresh Approach

wine (think mimosa in a can or an adorable little container), 5% alcohol vodka for seltzers, or just an easy to drink entry level white wine lower in alcohol, like a Pinot Grigio. Modern winemaking technology makes this grape both versatile and exciting.

We’ve got time. Grandparents are always cool several generations down the line. Stick around for a while Boomers. Our idea of wine and food as an interesting everyday healthy beverage might have a chance to catch on again. The kiddos just might look up from their phones and say, “You interviewed Robert Mondavi? Damn you’re cool.” We have nothing to lose but a couple of hundred thousand acres of grapes.

drinking neither wine, seltzer, nor even their water. “Oh, my gawd!” Gen Z is gone from us, and probably Alpha, next in line, are hopelessly phone addicted.

WHAT TO DO

Selzer, low, and no alcohol aren’t going away any time soon, but there is hope. Instead of grubbing up that excess Cabernet, Nebbiolo, and Zinfandel, many of those vineyards can be grafted for the time being to the high yield French Colombard grape to make into sparkling

Layne

been a professional in the wine business for many decades and was awarded the Master Knight of the Vine for his pioneering work in Oregon. He can be reached at lvwitherell@gmail.com.

Tuesday -

Layne at the Krewe of Cork parade during Mardi Gras.

Layne interviews Robert Mondavi.

No Winter Lasts Forever...

By Nancy Dorrans

“No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.”

-Hal Borland

There have been several changes of note in my year so far… Both good and sad, changes on the outside and changes from within.

Climate Change

Seems this year winter may have skipped us, at least here in Maine and Northern New England. February blew in like a lion! Who knows what March will bring? I could try and guess the reason for the change in the weather, but it doesn’t really matter in the end. It will change!

Good Change

Even with the little snow we do have, I have embraced the winter season. I’m continuing to volunteer as a coach with New England Disabled Sports (NEDS) at Loon Mountain, helping people with disabilities learn how to ski. It is very rewarding to volunteer for an organization that offers opportunity and positive change for students and their families! Thank you NEDS.

Sad Change

This January, the sudden death of a friend I’ve known for over twenty-five

years brought sorrow but also stirred up cherished memories. Scot had just turned sixty-one. He collapsed while cross-country skiing with his wife and died of a heart attack. This news was a shock and crushing to me and many others in our Loon Mountain community, where he had worked for over thirty years. With this sad and sudden change, I am reminded of the five stages of grief which come and go - and not always in the same order.

Scot was doing what he loved with the woman he loved. Some solace leaning towards acceptance. Thank you for being my friend.

Big Change

After 13 years of operation, PelotonLabs closed its doors as a co-working space on February 29th. Liz Trice and Peter Bass opened PelotonLabs as the first large co-working space in Maine. I became a member of Peloton about a decade ago, just as I was venturing out on my own and starting Adventure Marketplace. I know that my business would never have had the successes it has if it wasn’t for my connections and the support I’ve received through this community.

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Above: Nancy with student Mallory and fellow pre-adult coach Paige at New England Disabled Sports (NEDS), Loon Mountain, NH.

Below: With NEDS student on the slopes.

-Photos courtesy of N. Dorrans

PelotonLabs has been successful in many ways, and I have been witness to much of the success. In a letter to past members Liz Trice writes, “...thousands of people have come through the doors [of PelotonLabs] to enjoy their work, meet others, learn and be inspired… It is personally satisfying to know that I have connected hundreds of people to each other... and created a beautiful space that has inspired people to see possibilities in their own lives.” Thank you, Liz, for believing in me.

Positive Change

I’ve just completed a three-part Radical Kindness course offered through the Merrymeeting Adult Ed program and facilitated by Jeff Edelstein, a public policy mediator, facilitator, civic innovator, and social entrepreneur. His organization, Acts of Kindness Maine (AOK), encompasses a broad range of human values: hones-

ty, courage, generosity, and much more. This course is a powerful three-step approach to Kindness through Awareness, Empowerment, and Action.

What did I learn? To say thank you often, to listen intently, and to see “how kindness can transform your friendships, relationships, families, workplaces, schools, and communities.” Thank you, Jeff.

Change of Scenery

From February 23rd to March 5th my views will be of the Canadian Rockies and the Pacific Northwest. I’m traveling to Alberta, Canada with some skiing friends from Erie, PA. I’m not the organizer this time! This skiing adventure to Banff and Lake Louise was organized by the Western Pennsylvania Ski Council and I’m happy to follow. I’ll be stopping over in Seattle to visit my adventurous travel advisor friend Laura (that I met in Patagonia) on the way home. Looking forward to this majestic change of scenery that will help me recharge!

Change of Season

Spring will come. It always does. And with it will come new growth, warmer days, and undoubtedly other changes, too. I’ll try to embrace them with an open mind and maybe grow a bit more myself!

Outside PelotonLabs, 2015

Nancy Dorrans is founder of Adventure Marketplace... Navigating travelers on authentic, nurturing, global and local adventures since 2014.

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WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

Maine Towns Demand Cashback Price on Carbon Pollution!

By Peter Dugas

If you’re new to Maine, just so you know: 50 degree, 8-inch rain deluges are NOT typical January weather. East Bayside and the waterfront piers were not designed to allow knee deep tidewater. January’s ocean waters used to bear Maine shrimp (RIP), not obliterate century-old fishing shacks.

Climate change is here, and its effects will only worsen without immediate, robust action. Mainers know this – so do Maine towns which increasingly feel the local pain from decades of global inaction.

Maine’s town and state governments should be applauded for ambitious climate goals. But with merely 0.27% of US carbon emissions, even if Maine could magically eliminate its carbon emissions, without global action we will continue to lose all that Maine is known for: lobster, foliage, skiing, blueberries, wildlife, beaches...

That’s why 230,000+ Citizens Climate Lobby volunteers nationally (2,000+ in Maine) continue to push our lawmakers towards climate action proportional to the scale of the crisis. Carbon fee and dividend policy (or a “cashback price on industrial carbon pollution”) has been consistently described by the UN-IPCC as a “necessary condition” for stabilizing the climate, endorsed by 150+ Maine business and community leaders and more economists than any other policy statement (3,649 so far).

Cashback carbon pricing is unique-

ly effective in reducing carbon emissions across the global economy and uniquely equitable since it would financially benefit low- and middle-income households. Just ask our neighbors in New Brunswick, Canada where every household receives $736/year – that could be us!

As the only state with both senators on the bipartisan Senate Climate Solutions Caucus, Maine is uniquely positioned to bring about this policy. Send a message to our lawmakers today at cclusa.org/ write-cfd. But don’t stop there! Ask your town and local businesses to support this policy. As of print, 28 Maine towns have passed municipal resolutions supporting national cashback carbon pricing (with more pending).

Maine towns know that adaptation and resilience can only do so much. We need federal and international action to mitigate the increasing climate risks. Cashback carbon pricing resolutions show Senators King and Collins and Representatives Pingree and Golden that both progressive Maine towns (like Portland, South Portland, Freeport...) and conservative towns (like Readfield, Appleton, Vienna...) demand international action to mitigate climate damages. Check if your town has endorsed this policy at carboncashback4me.org.

Peter Dugas is the State Coordinator for Citizens’ Climate Lobby and the 2021 Maine Sunday Telegram Source Award Winner.

Become a Community Scientist

By Caitlin Marshall

Winters in Maine are getting weird. They’re wetter, warmer, and icier than they used to be, and spring is coming sooner. We’re not the only ones who feel out of sorts in this confusing climate: all the trees, wildflowers, insects, and birds that evolved here together, for millennia, have seasonality baked right into their DNA. When plants set fruit too early, for example, migrating birds arrive too late to get the food they depend on. But getting a clear understanding of who is really being affected by the chaos, and how, requires collecting a lot of data.

This is where you come in! Citizen science, or community science, is when amateur volunteers team up with research scientists to make observations. With better data, we can understand the challenges of climate change, and make better decisions about what we need to do differently. (Spoiler alert: let’s remember every real answer to the climate crisis must include getting off fossil fuels, now.) Here are a few places to start:

• Signs of the Seasons, led by University of Maine. When do robins nest? How is milkweed growing? Answer these and many other questions. Short training sessions are held in person across the state in the spring.

• Hawkwatch at Bradbury Mountain. One of the longest running

projects in our area, this annual count measures one of the biggest migration routes on the Eastern seaboard. Starting soon: March 15th through May 15th.

• Nature Groupie. This site pulls together many Northeastern community science opportunities in one searchable place.

• Nature’s Notebook. Going broader, this organization is similar to Nature Groupie, but features projects with a nationwide reach. With initiatives like “Nectar Connectors” and “Quercus Quest,” they turn science into a game.

Right in town or out on an adventurous hike, there are lots of ways folks are taking a little time to observe birds, plants, bugs, waterways, and more. Each observation contributes to the bigger picture through projects that help us understand our changing world.

Community scientists are doing meaningful science, while gaining something perhaps even more valuable. By getting outside and paying close attention, we deepen our relationship with the place – this specific, precious place – we call home.

Bright Ideas is brought to you by PCAT, which meets the fourth Monday of the month, 6 to 7:30 p.m. All are welcome! FMI email portlandclimateaction@ gmail.com.

ANSWERS ONLINE

TheWestEndNews.com/Puzzle-Solutions

Fictional Germans Trivia

1.Paul Baumer is a fictional soldier and the protagonist of what 1929 war novel that was turned into an Oscar winning movie in 2022?

2.Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel all became popular from fairy tales collected by what two German academics?

3.What German child is the first to leave the tour in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory after he falls into a chocolate river and is pressed by the fudge machine?

4.Christopher Marlowe, Johann von Goethe, and Thomas Mann all wrote versions of what legendary German doctor who makes a deal with the devil?

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Find the answers online at thewestendnews.com/puzzle-solutions!

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SLICE FROM THE PIE

BECAUSE WE COULDN’T GET ENOUGH, HERE ARE SOME MORE SLICES OF NEWS……

Obligations

On a day like today

When there is teaching to be taught Learning to be learned

Boston Celtics honor Portland residents and founders of Indigo Arts Alliance Daniel and Marcia Minter as Heroes Among Us on February 14th for ensuring art is accessible to all… The League of Women Voters celebrates their 103rd birthday with a day of action in Augusta… Katie Made Bakery celebrates their 24th anniversary… The West End’s meat market Fresh Approach celebrates 32 years Urban Farm Fermentory ends operations at their Portland tasting room to focus on distribution… WalletHub declares Portland as the 17th Happiest City based on rates of adequate sleep, sports-participation, and divorce… Maine ranks as the 5th Best State for Women due to access to health care and economic factors… The numbers are out from the National Parks Service and Acadia is the 7th Most Visited Park with 3.88 million visitors in 2023… Maine will soon see new license plate designs partly because our old ones experienced too many Maine winters and were no longer legible…

But a rain descending, It’s nice to say -Wait-

Just go for a run in that rain

Let the teaching be delayed

The learning postponed -Run-

Just run in that cool, cool rain

- Jim McCarthy, Brunswick, ME

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