The Portland Daily Sun, Wednesday, January 11, 2012

ly Dai Deal

KOSMEIN

Skin Care Center

672 Main St, Westbrook, ME 04092

50% OFF

$$ 30 for a 50-minute customized, organic Farmaesthetics Facial

Internet Offer Only! VISIT PORTL ANDDAILYSUN.ME FOR THIS AND OTHER GRE AT OFFERS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2012

VOL. 3 NO. 242

PORTLAND, ME

PORTLAND’S DAILY NEWSPAPER

699-5801

FREE

Developer concedes height limit in W. Commercial Street rezoning Some neighbors remain unconvinced. See the story on page 3

The few, the proud, the picky

Attorney hopes Maine Today Media investors can help resolve lawsuit Affidavit: Lien prevents return of paper. See the story on page 3

Official: Postal consolidation in Scarborough could bring jobs

See page 8

PARKER’S Midweek X-travaganza Wednesday & Thursday

*1/2 Rack Ribs, Teriyaki Chicken Breast and a Sweet Italian Sausage served with homemade cornbread and coleslaw

16.99!!!

4:30pm - close

www.parkers-maine.com * No Substitutes. Offer not to be combined with any other offers.

1349 Washington Ave. (Northport Business Park)

Portland, ME • 207-878-3339

Lead sales clerk John Nappi helps Darnell Verna at the counter of Station A in Portland, a post office that remains a candidate for closure. Any decision has been delayed to mid-May. The U.S. Postal Service continues looking at moving a Bangor-area processing center to Southern Maine. See the story on page 7. (DAVID CARKHUFF PHOTO)

Page 2 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Preserving history on the moon (NY Times) — For archaeologists and historians worried that the next generation of people visiting the moon might carelessly obliterate the site of one of humanity’s greatest accomplishments, these designations were important first steps toward raising awareness of the need to protect off-world artifacts.

“I think it’s humanity’s heritage,” said Beth L. O’Leary, a professor of anthropology at New Mexico State University.

“It’s just an incredible realm that archaeologists haven’t begun to look at until now.”

Dr. O’Leary herself had not given much thought to historic preservation on the Moon until a student asked her in 1999 whether federal preservation laws applied to the Apollo landing sites.

It turned out to be a tricky question. Under international law, the United States government still owns everything it left on the moon. But 100 nations, including the United States, have signed the Outer Space Treaty, in which they agree not to claim sovereignty over any part of the moon.

Federal officials were also wary that other countries would see granting historic protection to the Apollo sites as a ruse by the United States to put down territorial claims. And with no plans to go back to the moon, it all seemed like an academic exercise. But interest in the moon has perked up again. Russia and India plan to send robotic landers.

NASA was going to send astronauts back there until the Obama administration changed course a couple of years ago.

Most crucially, the Google Lunar X Prize, a competition among 26 teams to become the first private organization to put a spacecraft on the moon, offered a $1 million bonus for visiting a historic site there. At least one team announced it was heading for Tranquillity Base.

Suddenly, the prospect of a new little rover’s rolling over Neil Armstrong’s footprints was not entirely farfetched.

So Dr. O’Leary started placing calls to historic preservation officials in states where the space industry looms large. Texas, she learned, couldn’t help her, because to be listed as a historic resource there, an item must lie in Texas.

In early 2009, she called Mr. Donaldson in Sacramento to recruit his help in protecting American relics on the moon, “which I thought was an incredible, great idea right off the bat,” he said.

SAYWHAT...

“

The day, water, sun, moon, night - I do not have to purchase these things with money.”

—Plautus

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

THEMARKET

3DAYFORECAST Today High: 28 Record: 54 (1983) Sunrise: 7:14 a.m.

Tomorrow High: 33 Low: 27 Sunrise: 7:13 a.m.

Sunset: 4:25 p.m.

DOW JONES 69.78 to 12,462.47

Tonight Low: 20 Record: -20 (1976) Sunset: 4:24 p.m.

Friday High: 39 Low: 19

S&P 11.38 to 1,292.08

NASDAQ 25.94 to 2,702.50

TODAY’SJOKE

THETIDES

“Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?”

—George Carlin

MORNING High: 11:59 p.m.

Low: 5:53 a.m.

EVENING High: 12:05 p.m.

Low: 6:25 p.m.

-courtesy of www.maineboats.com

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

Attacks on Romney prompt backlash

BY MICHAEL D. SHEAR THE NEW YORK TIMES

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Attacks on Mitt Romney by some of his rivals set off outrage within the Republican Party on Tuesday as voters went to the polls and the candidates turned their attention to South Carolina.

Mr. Romney has been under attack for 48 hours over his role at Bain Capital, the investment firm he helped found. Gov. Rick Perry of Texas equated firms like Bain to “vultures,” and Newt Gingrich demanded answers from Mr. Romney about how many jobs were lost on his watch.

Those statement prompted a backlash from other Republicans, much as similar comments were denounced several weeks ago. These critics argue that the attacks on Mr. Romney are attacks on the free-market system and help the Democrats.

“They are also using the language of the liberal left to attack private equity and con-

demn capitalism in a desperate and, frankly, unsavory attempt to tear down another Republican with tactics akin to those of MoveOn.org,” said Jesse Benton, the campaign manager for Representative Ron Paul of Texas.

Another Republican challenger, Rick Santorum, also refused on Tuesday to join in the criticism of Mr. Romney’s tenure at Bain.

“I’m not making it a liability,” Mr. Santorum said. “I believe in the private sector.”

For hours on Tuesday, the home page for The Drudge Report, a reliably conservative Web site, showed a picture of Mr. Gingrich holding a rifle over the headline: “Limbaugh: Newt Only in It to Target Romney.”

The headline linked to the Web page of Rush Limbaugh, the conservative radio host, who accused Mr. Gingrich of sounding like Elizabeth Warren, the Democrat running for the United States Senate in Massachusetts against the Republican incumbent Scott Brown.

“This is not the kind of stuff you want said by Republicans,” Mr. Limbaugh said on his show.

“I mean, even the establishment Republicans don’t go after conservatives this way.”

“He’s using language that the left uses, and he’s attempting to make hay with this,” he added.

“You know, he’s trying to dredge up and have long-lasting negatives attach to Romney — this is what’s so unsettling about this — in the same way the left would say it.” Mr. Perry and Mr. Gingrich offered no apologies on Tuesday for their rhetoric.

Campaigning in South Carolina ahead of the vote in New Hampshire, Mr. Perry doubled down on his tough language about Mr. Romney.

“They’re just vultures,” Mr. Perry said, explaining later that he was referring to Bain, Mr. Romney’s former company.

“They’re vultures that are sitting out there on the tree limb waiting for the company to get sick, and then they swoop in, they eat the carcass, they leave with that, and they leave the

skeleton.”

Mr. Perry also said that “ethics kind of get thrown out the door, and it’s all too often just about, ‘How can we make as much money as we can make in a hurry,’ and walk away from the rubble that’s left and let these small towns like Georgetown and Gaffney, S.C., have to deal with it.”

But the angst among some Republicans about the tactic may have been fueled in part by the Democratic National Committee’s enthusiastic effort to fan the attacks against Mr. Romney.

The committee released a biting video on Tuesday morning that spliced Mr. Romney’s recent comment that he “liked firing people” in with clips of celebrities saying “You’re fired!”

Mr. Romney, however, was still the heavy favorite to win New Hampshire’s primary, but a late surge in the polls by Jon M. Huntsman Jr. raised questions about how large Mr. Romney’s margin of victory in the state might be.

Syrian President Assad vows to crush ‘conspiracy’

BY ANTHONY SHADID THE NEW YORK TIMES

BEIRUT, Lebanon — In his first public address in months, President Bashar al-Assad of Syria lashed out on Tuesday at the Arab League for isolating his country, mocked Syrian rebels as traitors and vowed to subdue what he said was a foreign-backed plot against his country “We will defeat this conspiracy,” Mr. Assad declared in a speech that lasted nearly two hours.

The address repeated what has become a familiar refrain from Mr. Assad, as he faces his greatest challenge in more than 11 years of authoritarian rule.

He pledged to crush what he has cast as terrorism and sabotage, while offering somewhat vague promises of reform. The tenor of his remarks, and his seeming show of confidence, underscored the irreconcilable nature of Syria’s crisis, which pits a protest movement demanding that Mr. Assad leave office against a government that rarely acknowledges

their grievances.

Mr. Assad denied that his government had ordered security forces to shoot on anyone, despite a death toll that the United Nations says has spiraled beyond 5,000 in a relentless crackdown. He promised to hold a referendum on a new constitution in March, a step that seemed to pale before the enormity of the crisis, one of the bloodiest of the uprisings that began to sweep the Arab world more than a year ago.

“When I rule, I rule because that is the people’s will, and when I leave office, I leave because it is the people’s will,” Mr. Assad said.

Syria’s uprising seems to have moved into a more complicated, confusing phase in recent weeks. Protests have appeared to revive in some locations, and armed elements of the opposition have seemed emboldened by defections from the security forces.

Meanwhile, bombing attacks in Damascus, the capital, have killed scores of people over the past month. The government has said that foreign-backed

terrorists were responsible; the opposition claims the government carried out the bombings itself in a cynical effort to sully the protesters’ image.

In the latest turn, the Arab League on Tuesday denounced attacks on its observers in Syria, who arrived last month to monitor an agreement brokered by the league that was meant to end the violence. The league’s secretary-general, Nabil el-Arabi, said that both loyalists and government opponents had carried out attacks, but that in the end the Syrian government was to blame for failing to provide for the security of the mission. He said the government was “totally responsible” for protecting its 165 observers.

Arab League officials said that in the worst incident, 11 observers were injured on Monday in the port city of Latakia when their vehicles were attacked, in circumstances that remained unclear. The official news agency of Kuwait, which said two Kuwaitis were among the 11 injured, described the assailants as

“unknown protesters,” and the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates blamed “nonopposition elements.”

In his speech, given at the University of Damascus and broadcast on Syrian television, Mr. Assad sought to cast the violence in the country as solely a question of terrorism. He drew parallels between the bombings in Damascus and an Islamist revolt in Syria in the late 1970s and early 1980s, which threatened the hold on power of Mr. Assad’s father and predecessor, Hafez Assad, who ruled the country for three decades.

“There can be no let-up for terrorism — it must be hit with an iron fist,” he said. “The battle with terrorism is a battle for everyone, a national battle, not only the government’s battle.”

Occasionally interrupted by applause from a friendly audience of members of the ruling Baath Party, university professors and members of Syria’s feeble parliament, he added that “victory is near.”

“There’s no tolerance of terrorism or of those who use weapons to kill,” he said.

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, January 11, 2012— Page 3

D

y ail

De

Internet Offers Only!

al

KOSMEIN Skin Care Center

672 Main St, Westbrook, Maine 04092

$

30 for a 50-minute customized, organic Farmaesthetics Facial

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

CO

NW

BER LAC

AY

To Sign Up For Upcoming Deals

LIN

ON

Visit

CONWAYDAILYSUN.COM Visit

BERLINDAILYSUN.COM To Sign Up For Upcoming Deals

IA

Visit

LACONIADAILYSUN.COM To Sign Up For Upcoming Deals

Developer concedes height in W. Comm. rezoning

BY CASEY CONLEY THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

A developer that wants the city to rezone eight acres on West Commercial Street has offered to cap future building heights on the parcel amid concerns from nearby residents about declining property values.

Vin Veroneau, CEO of J.B. Brown & Sons, agreed to a 55-foot maximum building height on the eastern half of the tract and a 45-foot cap on the eastern end. With rooftop heating and cooling units, the building’s total height would be no more than 62 feet at its tallest point.

J.B. Brown is looking to rezone about 8.5 acres of the parcel from a waterfront zone to a B-5b zone, which allows for office buildings and construction 65 feet and under, not including rooftop units.

“I know some neighbors still have concerns about 55 feet, but again, I think we have been respectful and responsive to date,” Veroneau said at yesterday’s planning board workshop, which attracted about 40 people.

The parcel under consideration stretches from the Star Match Co. complex, which J.B. Brown already owns, to Benny’s Fried Clams on the inland side of West Commercial. The property includes a steep section that runs up from West Commercial toward homes on Danforth, Emery and Salem streets.

Aside from some abandoned railroad tracks, the site is undeveloped and mostly wooded. Several homeless camps have sprung up there in recent years.

The planning board, which makes a non-binding recommendation to the city council on rezoning

“I think this is a real threat to those people on Salem Street, to the value of their homes.” — Warden Dilworth, resident of Danforth Street matters, took no action yesterday on the proposal. A public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 24.

Although several board members and an attorney representing about a dozen West End residents seemed content with the 55-foot compromise, not everyone was thrilled about it.

Jo Coyne, who lives on Salem Street, noted that just because one group of residents can live with 55 feet doesn’t mean the surrounding neighbors are all on board.

“We all agree that Mr. Veroneau has been respectful, but I don’t want him to get too much credit for compromising because he’s asking for a lot,” she said.

For now, there is no specific building proposal for the site, although J.B. Brown has said it's considering a four-story office building. Neighbors who live on Danforth, Emery and Salem streets — which are located directly above the site — have expressed concerns that new construction will lower property values and block views of the Fore River.

“I think this is a real threat to those people on Salem Street, to the value of their homes,” said Warden Dilworth, who lives on Danforth Street. He added that a building of 65 feet would “loom over the trees.”

According to tax records, many of the properties potentially affected by the rezoning are valued at

more than $400,000.

J.B. Brown has already agreed to limit building heights to 45 feet on the part of the site that exists west of Fletcher Street, where the grade leading up to houses on Danforth Street is less steep.

Already one of the city's largest landowners, J.B. Brown bought the parcel from Pan Am Systems last November.

Others expressed concern that an office building, which is seen as the likely use for the site, isn’t appropriate for such a prominent “gateway” to the Old Port and Downtown Portland.

Anne Pringle, of the Western Promenade Neighborhood Association, said her group shared many concerns about height and prominence of any future development at the site. But she also urged J.B. Brown to build something fitting for such a highprofile location.

That section of Portland “deserves a signature building,” she said.

Planning board members had mixed views on the proposal, with some favoring the 65-foot cap allowed in B-5b zones and others describing the compromise as fair. That said, there was some confusion among board members about how the cap would be enforced considering that a B-5b zone allows buildings up to 65 feet — an issue that was not resolved.

Board Chair Carol Morrissette said she thought 55 feet was “reasonable” if not "ideal." Even so, she was more concerned that an oversized parking lot would dominate the site than she was about building height.

“The last thing I want in a gateway to my city is a parking lot overlooking the water,” she said.

Attorney hopes investors in Maine Today Media help resolve lawsuit

BY DAVID CARKHUFF THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

A $7.6 million debt by Maine Today Media to a major regional lender means the parent company of the Portland Press Herald can't return $124,061 worth of paper to a North Carolina supplier, according to documents in a civil case in Cumberland County Superior Court.

Yet, news on Friday that Maine Today Media, Inc. "had reached terms that would result in significant new capital investment," with a new group of investors called the 2100 trust, could be a new development in the case, parties acknowledge.

"I'm hopeful that with the infusion of cash, that they will pay the money that they owe to my client," said Susan Driscoll, attorney with Bergen & Parkinson LLC of Kennebunk, who's heading up the case against Maine Today Media for McGrann Paper Corporation of Charlotte, N.C. McGrann Paper Corporation is suing Maine Today Media for breach of contract over the sale of more than 300,000 pounds of paper invoiced between Aug. 18 and Sept. 26, 2011.

A case management conference is

scheduled for Friday, Jan. 13, before a justice in the business court division of the superior court.

"Amid cash flow problems, plans to restructure and the looming possibility of bankruptcy, Maine Today began stockpiling paper in an effort to continue meeting its printing needs before McGrann learned of its inability to pay," charges McGrann in the lawsuit.

According to a legal response from Maine Today Media lawyer Seth Brewster, the paper from McGrann can't simply be returned because of a lien by RBS Citizens, N.A., a lender which, according to its website, operates a seven-state branch network in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.

"RBS has a lien on all of MTM's personal property," Brewster wrote in the Nov. 23 response. "MTN currently owes RBS in excess of $7.6 million. ... Therefore, all of MTM's assets are fully encumbered, and any attachment granted to McGrann will be meaningless because McGrann will still have to pay the full amount of its claim to RBS in order to release RBS's

The former Portland Press Herald building is shown here. The Press Herald, owned by Maine Today Media, moved out of this office, and now in court documents, the parent company says it doesn't own any real property, only personal property, and that a $7.6 million loan has led to a lien on personal property. (DAVID CARKHUFF PHOTO)

lien."

According to a Nov. 23 affidavit from Patrick Sweeney, chief financial officer for Maine Today Media, the company acknowledged its debt to McGrann, but said "unforeseen constraints on

MTM's cash flow made it impossible for MTM to make immediate payment" on invoices.

Sweeney also wrote that he told McGrann staff that the paper could see LAWSUIT page 7

Page 4 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, January 11, 2012

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

BP makes amends Today, I’m going to say some nice things about BP and some not so nice things about the lawyers who are suing BP. Please don’t spill your coffee.

As horrific as the Deepwater Horizon accident was in April 2010 — killing 11 rig employees, while pouring millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico — BP has performed quite admirably in its aftermath. It has spared no expense in cleaning up the oil. It has set aside $1 billion to restore the environment and coastal ecosystem.

It underwrote an advertising campaign to lure tourists back to the Gulf Coast. Today, less than two years after the spill, the beaches are sparkling, most fishermen are working and many of the hotels are full.

At the urging of President ––––– Obama, BP also agreed to set The New up a $20 billion fund to comYork Times pensate anyone who could show that they’d been economically harmed by the accident. Ken Feinberg, the former administrator of the Sept. 11 victim compensation fund, was put in charge of the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, as it was named. Feinberg has since paid out $6.3 billion to nearly 200,000 claimants.

Daniel Becnel, a lawyer who has settled thousands of claims, says that his clients often receive more money from Feinberg than they would have if they had gone to court. “You couldn’t have done a better job than Feinberg did,” says Becnel.

To put it another way, the Gulf Coast Claims Facility has been a remarkably effective alternative to the cumbersome way damages are usually meted out after a corporate accident: through the tort system. Compare it, for instance, with the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska, which took nearly two decades of court battles for the plaintiffs to finally get around $1.3 billion.

Indeed, the whole point of the Gulf Coast fund is to keep cases out of court; in return for compensation, the claimants have to agree not to sue for further damages. There is much that is right with this approach. Victims don’t have to wait years — or decades — to get their money. The uncertainty of litigation is eliminated. The victims get monetary damages, just as they would if they won a court case, but without the expense of a lawsuit. They also pay less in legal fees. And if they don’t like what is being offered, well, they can still sue. It is, as they say, a win-win.

Joe Nocera

see NOCERA page 5

Portland’s FREE DAILY Newspaper David Carkhuff, Editor Casey Conley, City Editor Matthew Arco, Reporter THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN is published Tuesday through Saturday by Portland News Club, LLC. Mark Guerringue, Adam Hirshan, Curtis Robinson Founders Offices: 477 Congress Street, Suite 1105, Portland ME 04101 (207) 699-5801 Founding Editor Curtis Robinson Website: www.portlanddailysun.me E-mail: news@portlanddailysun.me For advertising contact: (207) 699-5801 or ads@portlanddailysun.me Classifieds: (207) 699-5807 or classifieds@portlanddailysun.me CIRCULATION: 15,100 daily distributed Tuesday through Saturday FREE throughout Portland by Jeff Spofford, jspofford@maine.rr.com

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

America abroad LONDON — Perhaps the most successful U.S. chief executive of the past decade is stepping down this month. Samuel Palmisano of I.B.M. has presided over a remarkable transformation of the technology giant, extracting it from the personal computer business and shifting it toward services and software to power a “Smarter Planet.”

In a fascinating interview with my colleague Steve Lohr, Palmisano said the first of the four questions in his guiding business framework was, “Why would someone spend their money with you — so what is unique about you?” At root, business is still about getting money out of your pocket into mine. By being unsentimental in making I.B.M. unique, Palmisano ensured a lot of money flowed the company’s way.

Profits followed. The stock price surged. Warren Buffett, who knows which way the wind blows, recently acquired a stake of more than 5 percent. I.B.M. has been re-imagined, not least in the way it has shifted from being a U.S. multinational to a global corporation powered by rapid expansion in growth markets like India and China.

The question arises: If an American colossus like I.B.M.

Roger Cohen ––––– The New York Times can be turned around, can America itself? Are the “declinists” on the United States, focused on hard power and America’s falling share of global output, missing something? Before I get to that, let’s take a closer look at I.B.M.’s shifting focus and its implications.

As Lohr has reported, I.B.M. no longer breaks out its global payroll by region. But last time it did, in 2008, it reported that its worldwide employment grew by 21 percent to 386,558, while the U.S. head count fell 11 percent to 120,589. It seems unlikely this trend has halted. By some estimates, huge growth in India has brought the number of I.B.M. employees there to over 100,000, perhaps equivalent to the current number in the United States.

I.B.M. is not alone. U.S.based global corporations added 683,000 workers in China during the 1999-2009 decade, a 172 percent increase, and 392,000 workers in India, a 542 percent

increase. In all they added 1.5 million workers to payrolls in the Asia and Pacific region, while cutting 864,600 workers at home, according to figures from the Commerce Department.

American isolationism has become an oxymoron. As these figures show, it’s a non-option.

On one level this shift poses problems for the United States: Cash-rich companies are creating jobs elsewhere rather than at home. On another, however, the global American corporation expands U.S. power in ways that are hard to quantify but significant. They tend to propagate cultures of openness, connectedness and transparency.

“A General Electric or a Goldman or a Twitter tries to work in each country in culturally appropriate ways, but at their base these companies hold an American set of values. And that is what influence is,” Xenia Dormandy, a senior fellow at Chatham House, told me. “Power viewed in state terms alone, or even primarily, is a false premise these days.”

The conspicuous failure of American hard power — in Iraq and Afghanistan — has tended to obscure the way American see COHEN page 5

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, January 11, 2012— Page 5

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

Missed love connections “The best part of my day is watching you come home. You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen and I would love to know you. You probably are taken but if not, here is my number. ...”

This is the note a stranger left on the windshield of my Jetta when I was 25. There was immediate gratitude that the white sheet was not another parking ticket. Then my heart thudded with the utter romance of it all.

“And how did you two meet?”

“Mark left a note on my windshield, if you can believe it! Honey, why don’t you tell it. ...”

My glimmering future was squelched by quick shiver as I pictured, that right now, this potential stalker was leering at me from underneath a dirty shade picturing my “beautiful” head in a jar in his basement. My goofy smile froze. My eyes scanned the empty street. A door opened. I screamed. I fled.

Dammit. Now I have to move.

That was the closest I ever (knowingly) got to a Missed Connection.

When I lived in NYC, I would pour over the Village Voice personals envisioning a lad so taken with me they took out an ad: “Siren in Purple. You sat on my coat. My muse! My Muse!

My legs frozen. My tongue numb.

Would I have had the gumption to approach, I would have asked you to Marry Me.” Would the (true) recipient take notice? Would they call or meet at the corner of 92nd and Lex at 10:34 a.m.

Maggie Knowles ––––– Use Your Outdoor Voice if they too felt the world shift that day while waiting in line for a latte? These what-if daydreams made my lonely, poor existence lighter.

Missed Connections (missedconnections.com and local Craigslist. Addictive. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.) are proof that syrupy, gooey, love-at-firstsight is quite alive and well. Mere mortals are zapped at every moment with Cupid’s arrow. (He has an App for that so all of this falling in love stuff is now much more efficient.) They stumble home, their inner Keats on fire, as they pen odes to unrequited love.

“Although I didn’t see a ring on your finger, I’m guessing you adopted your beautiful dog with a beautiful significant other. I am holding out a small ration of hope because you seemed to linger in our chat. Either way, I wanted to tell you that you have the most beautiful blue eyes I’ve ever seen. Kindest regards from me and my dog.” (Biddeford) It is a safe way to let the universe know you have glimpsed the reason you exist without getting a drink, or dog poo, thrown in your face.

Men are the true romantics, responsible for crafting over 70 percent of the

devotions. (Certainly, there are some unsavory listings like the guy from Bristol who just sent a message to the “Hot Mom at Daycare.”) But by far and away, these are innocent prayers, just to let you know that someone felt your sparkle.

And ladies, the little things are what make them weak. (Can’t promise they will after a year together.) But in that first glimpse it was the way you unconsciously twirl your hair, or your crooked front tooth, or your black and pink striped socks, or your out-of-tune humming that stopped time. Not your expensive bag or expensive earrings or expensive Botox.

You could be having a disgusting, sour day and as you storm across the street, someone has just seen you as the most amazing, gorgeous Goddess that has ever breathed. Even at your worst, they see you as your best. Isn’t that what true love is all about?

This chap from Concord proves that love may be more fashionably blind than we assumed: “You were wearing a blue sweatshirt that had a certain saying on it, with grey sweatpants.

You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”

(That’s right! Dig ‘em out! Your thick, gray sweatpants may be all that stands between you and your prince.)

Sophie Blackall, illustrator of children’s books such as Ruby’s Wish, released her first foray into the adult world with Missed Connections: Love, Lost and Found. In her funky style, she creates accompanying drawings

to MC’s she collected after having her own brush with unrequited love-atfirst-sight. It is an incredibly sweet, romantic and hopeful read.

Yet, regret is the underlying theme: “I doubt you even read these.” “Sadly, you will never know how you made me feel in that instant.” “I will probably never see you again but you changed my life forever.” “I am standing here, watching you disappear into the crowd, kicking myself for not saying, ‘hi’.”

So as you wane cynical at the bar that all men want are 19-year-olds with amnesia, and roll your eyes as they metaphorically trip over their words and more literally over the stools, this is what they are trying to say.

“I see you almost every day at lunch.

I tried to sell you something once.

I want to talk to you, but I’m a big chicken.”(Scarborough) The question is, if they are so moved, as never before, why are they staying mute?

Fantasy. The less you know, the more your mind can create this magical ever after. Without the reality of reality, everything is rosy.

And fear. Rejection stings. But if you don’t step up and say something, someone else will. Can you live with someone else being married to your wife?

(Maggie Knowles is a columnist for The Portland Daily Sun. Her column appears Wednesdays. Email her at maggie@portlanddailysun.me.)

BP has already conceded liability for the oil spill NOCERA from page 4

Except, it turns out, for a certain group of plaintiffs’ lawyers who, despite the relative ease of using the claims facility, is insisting on pursuing litigation against BP. They say they have more than 100,000 cases, though none are for big money, like the injured workers’ cases; Feinberg has even settled most of those. For months, these lawyers have been preparing for a “liability trial,” currently set for late February.

However that trial turns out, it’s largely pointless: BP has already conceded liability, which it has backed with $20 billion. The lawyers’ motive can’t be to get more money than that; it’s far more than any court would ever award. Punitive damages can’t be the reason either: federal law prevents most of the claimants from getting punitive damages. No, there is only

one reason this litigation is taking place. The lawyers want the kind of big fees that only come with big lawsuits. Yet Feinberg’s approach is proving so popular with claimants that many of their cases are evaporating.

So here’s what they did. They went to the federal judge handling the BP litigation and asked him to establish a “reserve” that would be made up of 6 percent of any future claims settled by Feinberg. (They also want 4 percent from any damages Alabama and Louisiana get.) The judge, Carl Barbier — a former plaintiffs’ lawyer himself — agreed to do so without even holding a hearing. Eventually, some or all of that reserve would be used to pay the lawyers. That’s right: They are trying to grab fees from clients they’ve never represented. Amazing. (Judge Barbier recently backed away a bit from his ruling and is allowing both

sides to file briefs that are due on Thursday.)

When I asked how they could possibly justify this fee grab, I was told that their lawsuit was the main reason Feinberg was willing to be so generous with BP’s money. But Tony Buzbee, another lawyer who has settled many claims through the fund, blew a gasket when I told him that. “They have not done one thing so far that has benefited my clients,” he said.

“My clients have chosen not to be a part of their litigation. Why in the world should they have to pay them?”

It’s a good question. The Gulf Coast Claims Facility has the potential to serve as a model for handling future industrial accidents. It has proved that it can compensate victims quickly and fairly without the ordeal and cost of litigation. But, for that to happen, it’s not just companies that have to put aside their greed. So do the lawyers.

The defeat of American hard power has been overdrawn COHEN from page 4

soft power has flourished over the past decade. For a while soft power was undercut because the U.S. reputation was tarnished, but the Arab awakening has demonstrated how powerful American-driven social media are in opening up closed societies.

Facebook and Twitter have been conspicuous. But when I.B.M. invests massively in Africa — which it has identified as the next major emerging growth market — it is also investing in an openness that advances U.S. interests.

When I was at Harvard recently, Joseph Nye, the professor and former dean of the Kennedy School of Government, made an interesting point. He noted that a rising China has 1.3 billion citizens. But

America at its best has 7 billion in that it draws on the world’s talents, as its corporations and colleges demonstrate. Nye in general is skeptical of the “declinists.”

I agree. That’s not because another American century is dawning — it’s not; nor because the power shift to Asia is illusory; nor because U.S. problems of paralyzed government, high deficits and inadequate schools are negligible. No, it’s because the defeat of American hard power has been overdrawn and the magnetism of American soft power underestimated.

And we are going into a world where, as Nye has written, “War remains possible, but it is much less acceptable now than it was a century or even a halfcentury ago.”

The United States is adaptable. The mistakes of

the past decade are being corrected through more effective counterterrorism, withdrawal from the major wars, and a slimmed down military budget.

Some event, or political lurch, could blow these moves off course, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that consumer confidence is improving as America overcomes its great post-9/11 disorientation.

Palmisano’s third guiding question was, “Why would society allow you to operate in their defined geography — their country?” That looks like a way of saying no nation is going to welcome a big-footing America. And he urged America to educate itself into the 21st-century, a course hard to follow when trillions are going to far-flung wars.

Smarter U.S. power could still confound the “declinists.”

Page 6 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, January 11, 2012

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ANALYSIS –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Josh McDaniels, a key figure for the Broncos, is now a Patriot bly overblown. The Patriots played the Broncos a month ago and have a season’s worth of game film to ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Coach absorb.

John Fox, though in his first year “I just stay in my lane,” Fox said, with the Broncos, has been around trying to avoid a controversy. “I let the N.F.L. long enough to view sucother people make the rules.” cess with an appropriately gimlet McDaniels bequeathed what eye. In the moments after Denver seemed a questionable — or brilupset the Pittsburgh Steelers in the liant, depending on the game weekend’s most improbable playoff — gift to Fox and the franchise. game, Fox was asked what he would With authority over personnel have thought if someone had told decisions, McDaniels had drafted him at the start of the season that receiver Demaryius Thomas in he would be in this position now.

2010 ahead of the more highly “I think somebody asked that last regarded Dez Bryant. Three spots week, and I would take it and run, later, he stunned the N.F.L. when and I probably would have pulled he selected Tebow, at least a full both hamstrings,” Fox said. round ahead of where most thought The best football coaches are Tebow should go. McDaniels immepragmatists, able to take a cleardiately insisted Tebow would not eyed view of their team and try to switch positions — a popular sugmake the best of it. Because of the gestion now and then — but would lockout, Fox did not know many play quarterback. of his players when they arrived Tebow and Thomas connected on Tim Tebow being tackled by the Patriots in a loss at home last month. Denver plays at New England on Saturday for training camp. So he had them an 80-yard touchdown pass on the night in a divisional playoff game (NEW YORK TIMES PHOTO). wear name tags. first play of overtime against the When the season was going down Steelers, propelling the Broncos to in the divisional round game Saturday night, might the drain with Kyle Orton, the Broncos went with a the divisional round. Another McDaniels draft pick, confound even those attuned to the absurdities of quarterback few were sure could throw — Tim Tebow Robert Ayers, had two sacks. Suddenly McDaniels, N.F.L. story lines.

— and restyled their offense around him. Then they criticized as having too much personnel power and Little more than a half-hour after the Broncos’ watched as the social phenomenon surrounding using it poorly, can lay claim to putting in place the game ended Sunday night, the Patriots sent out an Tebow exploded even when his play faltered. But the foundation for the Broncos’ startling renaissance. On e-mail announcing that Josh McDaniels — their twist presented to the Broncos and Fox this week, Monday, Fox took pains to say that many people had once and future offensive coordinator, and minutes as they prepare to play the New England Patriots a hand in drafting those players. But McDaniels had removed from a one-year stint with the St. Louis the final say, as Bill Belichick does in New England, Rams — had been hired as an offensive assistant and he might have been the only person in the N.F.L. and would rejoin the team immediately. His role Satwho would have taken Tebow when he did. urday remains undefined, or at least unspoken to The inheritance has been a mixed blessing for reporters.

Fox and John Elway, the team’s top executive. They In between his stints in New England, where reluctantly turned to Tebow this season — rememhe helped usher in the explosive spread offense, ber the fan billboards imploring them to do so?

McDaniels became the most reviled and, it turns out, — and since he has been the starter, they have someunexpectedly influential figure in Denver. In his less times strained to sound fully supportive. The erratic than two years on the job, McDaniels was viewed as success of Tebow, even though he remains a flawed arrogant, remote and invested with too much power. quarterback, has essentially boxed them in, probaThe team nosedived, and when it was 3-9 last season bly canceling any plans they might have had to seek — and days after a miniature Spygate videotaping another potential starter for next season. scandal emerged for good measure — McDaniels was There seem to be, at best, mixed feelings for fired, ushered out of town to the delight of fans who McDaniels in Denver, even among players. When had come to view him with as much fondness as they Ayers was asked if McDaniels would have an advando the Oakland Raiders. tage in game preparation if he were allowed to videoThe concern that the quick hiring of McDaniels is tape practice, Ayers jokingly looked up to the ceiling unfair, although allowed by the N.F.L., and that he for cameras. Without saying as much, he made it possesses extra insight into the Broncos roster he clear he was less than thrilled that McDaniels was Media Sponsor: helped assemble that could aid the Patriots is probaallowed to join the Patriots’ staff in time for this week’s game. And although Thomas said McDaniels Restaurant & Sports Bar did a good thing for the organization by drafting him Start Off 2012 With An Exciting New Twist! and Tebow, Ayers, a first-round pick in 2009, did not Shimmy into shape with Imari, seem to want to credit McDaniels with too much.

Bellydancing is HIP! “God put me in a situation to get drafted where I did and blessed me with the ability,” Ayers said.

Bellydancing Aerobics: “Josh McDaniels pulled the trigger on me with the Suitable for all ages and dance levels BA Y SID E 18th pick. I thank God, and I also give him a little (no previous experience necessary)! credit for that, too.”

Starting January 16, 2012 in Conway at Creative Sole!

How much credit McDaniels deserves remains Monday evenings from 7:00PM-7:45PM an open question. He did not play Tebow when he $60 for 6 Weeks Maine Shrimp Scampi........... 17.95 was the coach, and his intent was to turn Tebow into Served over pasta, with salad something closer to a pocket passer. That is what the Other Locations for Bellydancing Aerobics: Chicken Cacciatore................ 14.95 current Broncos brain trust would prefer, too. But Kosmetikos in Standish, ME Tuesday evenings from 6-6:45PM Served over penne, with soup Fox had a different vision, one that meant using the Starts Jan 17th. skills Tebow possesses now, and that is the one that Join us for happy hour and enjoy CMMC in Lewiston, ME has catapulted the Broncos forward, haltingly, perWednesday evenings from 7:15-8PM 1/2 PRICED APPETIZERS and haps, but definitely forward into the next round of Starts Jan. 11th. the playoffs.

1/2 PRICE PIZZA 4-6PM Mon. thru Fri.!

The Ballroom in Harrison, ME In the richest twist of Tebow’s remarkable odysThursday evenings from 7-7:45PM sey, McDaniels — one of the few people who believed Starts Jan. 19th.

Everyday Lunch Tebow could play quarterback in the N.F.L., and who Features From $5.95 Call now to reserve your place was fired in part for the personnel mistakes he made in class: 207-647-2616 — will be hoping Saturday night that Tebow reverts to speak with Imari.

118 Preble St., Portland, ME imari.bellydancing@gmail.com. to the player almost everyone except McDaniels at the entrance to Downtown Portland www.imarisbellydancing.com thought he was.

207-699-5959 • www.grdimillos.com

BY JUDY BATTISTA

G R DiMillo’s

D inner Features

Pizza - Pasta - Parmagiana - Espresso - Cannoli - Steak

Pizza - Pasta - Parmagiana - Espresso - Cannoli - Steak

THE NEW YORK TIMESz

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

Scarborough could gain 120 jobs from postal service streamlining

BY DAVID CARKHUFF THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

Scarborough stands to gain 120 jobs if the U.S. Postal Service moves mail processing operations from the Bangor area to Southern Maine, as currently proposed, officials said.

But, according to published reports, U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, has concerns about the proposal.

A public meeting to explain the proposal is scheduled today from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Jeff’s Catering, East West Industrial Park, 5 Coffin Ave, Brewer. Brewer is located near Hampden, where the Eastern Maine Processing and Distribution Facility currently

operates. The Postal Service's plan is to move the Hampden operation and consolidate mail processing at Scarborough's Southern Maine Processing and Distribution Center.

Public comments will be received on the proposal at today’s meeting and will be accepted through traditional mail for an additional 15 days.

"Locally, we estimate that consolidation of mail operations into the Southern Maine Processing and Distribution Center in Scarborough could result in a positive impact of some 120 positions in Scarborough," reported Deborah C. Essler, district manager of customer service and sales, North-

ern New England District.

"First-Class Mail supports the U.S. Postal Service and drives our network requirements," Essler explained in an email. "With the dramatic decline in mail volume and the resulting excess capacity, maintaining a vast national infrastructure of processing plants is no longer realistic."

Since 2001, single-piece FirstClass Mail has declined by 23 billion pieces, or almost 42 percent, she said.

The U.S. Postal Service uses Area Mail Processing studies to find ways to consolidate. One recent example is a review of see MAIL page 15

Lien prevents return of paper, MTM says LAWSUIT from page 3

not be returned because of the RBS loan conditions, and he wrote in the affidavit that prior to the paper company filing suit, he was working with CRG Partners, a consultant hired by Maine Today Media to help it restructure operations, to work out a plan to pay McGrann.

Sweeney stated that Maine Today Media was in the process of an "operational restructuring that involves, among other things, renegotiating labor agreements with its unions, layoffs and buyouts of employees, and consolidating operations."

In a statement issued to The Daily Sun Tuesday, Sweeney wrote, "We at MaineToday Media take all of our relationships with vendors seriously and we’re working to resolve these issues as quickly as possible."

The timing of the unpaid invoices appears to coincide with a shakeup at Maine Today Media, which included removal of top executives last fall. According to the Newspaper Guild (www.newsguild.org/ index.php?ID=12920), during negotiations last year, "the company was demanding massive givebacks in many areas. A round of staff reductions followed. Things changed in mid-October. Learning of the MTM's financial condition, investors holding a majority ownership removed the company's top executives.

The management departure is estimated to save the firm $1.5 million in the next year. The company's bargaining team was taken over by members of a restructuring company interested in building the company rather than waging war on its employees.

The new company negotiators declared, 'We cannot cut our way to profitability,'" the Newspaper Guild reported in an online summary.

DownEast magazine reported last October that Maine Today CEO Richard Connor announced his resignation "apparently in the wake of inquiries from his investors and partners about expenses he’s charged to the company and the way those costs have been allocated between MaineToday — owner of the Portland Press Herald, Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel — and Connor’s separate company that owns the Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre, Pa." Members of the Portland Newspaper Guild approved contracts in Portland and Waterville, as Maine Today Media restructured "in the face

of a severe financial crisis," the Newspaper Guild reported in December.

John Morton, a consultant who analyzes newspapers and other media properties, stated that the financial problems at Maine Today Media have been repeated at other major dailies around the country.

"Most dailies have seen their profitability cut in half over the last two years or so because of the transition of a considerable amount of newspaper advertising to the Internet and the lingering effects of the Great Recession," Morton wrote in an email to The Daily Sun. "Still, most newspapers remain profitable with an average operating margin around 9 or 10 percent," he continued. "The problems come when a newspaper has a lot of debt to pay off, particularly if the debt was incurred when expectations of future profitability were a lot more rosy than they turned out to be. This often means that the pretax cash flow, while still substantial by the standards of most businesses, is not sufficient to meet debt obligations. The typical consequence is bankruptcy."

Debt can place a burden on an otherwise profitable newspaper, Morton said.

"I suspect that the Press Herald's financial difficulty stems from the owners' borrowing a lot of money to buy it from the Blethen family, owner of the Seattle Times," he wrote. "This is not an uncommon scenario. The Tribune Co., Journal Register Co., Lee Enterprises and several other big newspaper companies were forced into bankruptcy because of acquisition debt. Their papers are still profitable on an operating basis, but not profitable enough because of the recent decline of the newspaper business to meet debt obligations. Some have already come out of bankruptcy with restructured debt; and, of course, their former shareholders were wiped out."

Now, it's unclear how new investors will affect the financial health of Maine Today Media.

The 2100 trust, led by founder Aaron Kushner, former Portland Press Herald President Chris Harte and media executive Jack Griffin, has spent a year assembling a group of New England-based investors and media executives, Maine Today Media reported Friday.

Maine Today Media owns and operates the Portland Press Herald, the Maine Sunday Telegram, the Kennebec Journal, the Morning Sentinel, and the Coastal Journal, as well as affiliated websites.

Page 8 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, January 11, 2012

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– RESTAURANT COLUMN ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Flatbread Company’s Benefit Night for

www.kismetrockfoundation.org

Kismet Rock Foundation Tuesday, Jan. 17th

Eat delicious Flatbread Pizza and support a great cause!

Eat-in or Take-out begins at 5:00 PM!

72 Commercial St., Portland, ME Kismet Rock Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that serves economically disadvantaged youth from Portland ME, Boston MA, Manchester NH, Bartlett NH, and Gorham NH by offering them a comprehensive education in technical climbing. Climb on! Join us on January 17 and Flatbread will contribute a portion of its proceeds to Kismet kids in Portland.

The few, the proud, the picky eaters Someone I’ve fallen in love with quickly, deeply and honestly left Sunday to become “One of the Few and One of the Proud.” Freshly buzzed with a No. 1 at Westbrook Super Cuts (just hours prior to his official military hair cut), he was dropped at a Portland hotel midafternoon, and I’m not sure when I’m going to see him again. The 19-year-old man-child/ soon-to-be-Marine is the first born Cub of New Guy, and hands down has been the biggest cheerleader and supporter of my precious yet precarious relationship with his father.

New Guy’s Cub recognized and praised my mad skills to get his father out the door for spontaneous adventures and, gulp, planned events. He praised my pragmatic, often lenient attitude about teenage lifestyle choices (kudos to my own Number One and Carlyladd) and loved my inappropriate sense of humor. He felt half-grateful, half-entitled when cashing in on my ability to get him a restaurant job (which he promptly lost), and wisely praised my cooking, often catered to him. Cub was always there to snuggle on his end of the couch (with me mushed in the middle) donning his blanket and smelly socks during Pat’s games. Most flattering, he’d put down his video game controller to give me a hug every time he saw me. To say I’m going to miss him is an understatement.

Regardless of my own mixed philosophical views on today’s military, everyone who knows Cub agrees this is a good move for him. His parents envisioned a happy-go-lucky, soccer-playing collegiate but are resigned and strangely relieved that his path has taken a different and unexpected turn. More than most, Cub needs and almost craves the consistency, the discipline and the self-reliance he’ll get in the military. That, along with health insurance, a job, room and board, a seriously snazzy uniform, and the self-respect that comes with literally pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps makes it a great fit for him.

Along with the good comes the scary, but sending a fresh faced young person off to a new life that inherently implies potential physical danger and life-altering personality changes is not really what I’m worried about. What I’m losing sleep over is New Guy’s Cub is an excruciatingly slow and picky eater.

No seafood, no mushrooms and no bananas just scratch

Public Notice CAUCUS The Green Independent Party Caucus for Portland, ME Occurring at Portland City Hall (Maine Room) 389 Congress Street On Saturday, January 14, 2012 at 11:00 AM Convened by the Portland Green-Independent Committee

Natalie Ladd ––––– What It’s Like the surface of his, “No Way!” food list. He’s a smallish-tomedium sized person but will happily eat massive platefuls of food if not rushed. It is also imperative that a food item he actually likes does not touch another food item that grosses him Marine recruit and lifelong picky eater, Levi out. In other Lurvey of Gorham hopes to dodge the “douwords, even ble-rations” bullet. (COURTESY PHOTO) though I’m not his mother, I’m still a mom and a restaurant server of massive quantities, and I’m afraid he’s going to starve.

OK, perhaps I’m being a tad melodramatic because lots of picky eaters have survived the U.S. military.

According to Cub’s glossy materials that rival many high-end cruise brochures, recruits are provided approximately 3,000 calories a day of real food, and eventually pre-packaged battle-ready pouches of God knows what when they begin Phase 3 of their training. If they arrive overweight, their drill instructor will put them on a “Diet Tray” and if they arrive underweight, they may be put on “doublerations.” All I know is I’m hoping no matter how he does it, New Guy’s Cub eats enough in the Marines to stay strong physically, mentally and emotionally.

An expert on this topic is a guy name Bob Krause who started a website in 2003 called PickyEatingAdults.com. Krause served 13 years in the military without anyone ever knowing his shameful “secret” for fear of being teased, and refers to picky eating as a habit. The website has over 10,000 members and has a range of people who eat only one or two things, to people who like fewer food items than the average person and feel ostracized for it. Parents have weighed in for help on the “Nature versus Nurture” question, and the Food Network is even running, “I’m an Adult Picky Eater” show. Duke University Hospital and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center are currently doing a study on adult picky eaters, and all of the reasons and ramifications behind it.

The Duke study indicates some picky eaters have actual food/sensory phobias while other are subconsciously triggered by a negative past event where a certain food was present. Krause states, “Most picky food aversions result from a habit left over from childhood where the only thing kids can control is what and how much they eat.” Regardless, most adult picky eaters have a dysfunctional relationship with food and many come to dread Thanksgiving see LADD page 9

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, January 11, 2012— Page 9

Hobbs Family honored by Maine Legislature

Southern Maine economist sees more gloom in 2012 DAILY SUN STAFF REPORTS University of Southern Maine economist Charles Colgan said yesterday that he doesn’t expect a sustained recovery for several years, according to published reports.

Speaking to more than 300 people yesterday at the Hannaford Lecture Hall at USM’s Portland campus, Colgan said unemployment remains a key sticking point, according to The Forecaster, a weekly newspaper.

"Until (the long-term unemployed) number comes down, we can't say there's a recovery," he said, according Colgan to the paper.

Problems in the housing market and slow income growth in the 99 percent are also preventing a fullon recovery, Colgan said.

Massive greenhouse project proposed in Windham

A Legislative Sentiment has honored the Hobbs Funeral Homes and the Hobbs family for serving their state and local communities for the past 70 years, Hobbs Funeral Homes announced. The business was founded on Dec. 7, 1941. Introduced by State Rep. Jane Eberle, the Sentiment from the 125th Maine Legislature was presented Tuesday to current owner Jeffrey Hobbs by Speaker of the House Robert W. Nutting and Rep. Eberle at a ceremony held prior to a legislative session at the State House in Augusta. ABOVE: Hobbs (center) receives the Legislative Sentiment from House Speaker Nutting (second from left) in the Speaker¹s offi ce. Others participating included (from left) Scarborough Rep. Heather Sirocki, Susan Hobbs, South Portland Rep. Eberle, who sponsored theSentiment, and South Portland Rep. Terry Morrison. Rep. Kim Monaghan-Derrig of Cape Elizabeth was absent for the photo but joined in the Sentiment. (COURTESY PHOTO)

WINDHAM — A York County businessman says his plans to build a 37-acre greenhouse complex here would lead to more than 150 new jobs, according to published reports.

John der Kinderen’s proposal calls for the construction of more than 1.6 million feet of greenhouse space, which would be used to raise hydroponic vegetables and fish, which would likely be sold to food distributors, the Associated Press reported. Der Kinderen is from Arundel.

If all goes well with planning and permitting in Windham, der Kinderen hopes to build the greenhouses this spring and be in fully operational in early 2013. AP reported that the greenhouses would be powered by natural gas and would re-purpose waste into fertilizer.

Duke study indicates some picky eaters have actual food/sensory phobias continuous years of corporate and Perhaps its a First World food for may just find myself being a bit more LADD from page 8 fine-dining experience in all front-ofthought issue, but a real issue nonepatient with picky eaters struggling and other holidays as anxiety-ridden the-house management, hourly and theless (not unlike and perhaps conover menu choices and decisions. and traumatic. Luckily, Krauses’ under-the-table positions. She can be nected to childhood obesity), worthy of website and a growing awareness of reached at natalie@portlanddailyfurther exploration and resolution.

(Natalie Ladd is a columnist for the what is rarely perceived as a legitisun.me.)

From the restaurant side of life, I Portland Daily Sun. She has over 30 mate health and wellness issue is gaining exposure.

And New Guy’s Cub? Hopefully, overcoming some of his picky eating habits will be just one of Are you looking for a way to grow… the many positive things Are you looking for “FREE” advertising in both print media and on-line? resulting from his enlistment in the USMC, and Are you looking to grow your business and earn new revenue? he will emerge taller, wiser, stronger, more confident and happier.

I also pray he’ll still be his impish, insightWITH OUR DEALS: ful, compassionate self and remember that no • You get the front page banner, page 3 placement and website exposure matter where his travfor 3 or 4 full days! els take him or how long • You decide how many to sell, when they expire and how much to charge! he’s gone, a steaming • You get 50% of the money from sales back within 15 days after the Deal ends! plate of spaghetti with • You get the email addresses of everyone who purchased a Deal! meatballs, sausage and absolutely no button, • You can run again in as soon as 3-6 months Baby Bella or crimini (based on the type of business)! mushroom await him.

• You get at least a 1/4 page of free advertising after the Deal has run!

The Down Low: In a time when so many Think Deals aren’t for you or your business? are hungry, picky eating seems like a frivolous Let us help you come up with a cost effective, enticing problem, but many chilPortland Daily Sun Deal that makes sense dren and adults are not Call Natalie at 699-5806 for more information and will help kick off your New Year right! getting enough vitamins, and to book your Daily Deal today. minerals and nutrients.

Attention Smart Business Owners!!

Why not run a Portland Daily Sun Daily Deal?

DAILY CROSSWORD TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES

by Lynn Johnston

By Holiday Mathis SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). The chopping block comes out, and something has to go. The elements of your life that do not serve an obvious function will be up for scrutiny. Note that just because something is enjoyable doesn’t make it superfluous.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21).

Without your influence, there are those who won’t be able to tear themselves away from the negativity of the world.

You’ll find an anecdote for the negative stuff going on, and you’ll share it with others.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19).

You have the time for what you really want to do. If you find that you don’t have the time for something you think is important, it might be because you actually don’t want to do it.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18).

There’s a cause speaking to your heart.

You’re still not sure what you can do that would make the biggest difference.

Since this can’t be predicted, the best thing to give is what you want to give.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). If you’re true to yourself, things might work out and they might not. But at least you will be proud of your actions.

If you succeed by doing something other than what feels right to you, the victory will be hollow.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Jan. 11).

What you once thought was unfair will prove to be the best thing that ever happened to you. You’ll build up your resources through February and March.

Then in April you’ll be ready to bring a new side of you to the world. You’ll be met with applause, as well as some excellent advice about how to proceed.

Libra and Sagittarius people adore you.

Your lucky numbers are: 40, 50, 31, 28 and 4.

by Paul Gilligan

ARIES (March 21-April 19). The friendship you seek is less important than the friendship you bring. Go into the social scene ready to be a stellar listener, and give others a quality of attention that will make them feel important.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). There will be those around you who act as though the rest of the world was born to serve them. You’ll be the reality check, politely drawing boundaries and restoring balance.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You’re a sensual being. As intellectual as you may be, you’re always operating on another level, too, a level that is affected by things like color, warmth and music.

You’ll gravitate toward beauty and comfort.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). It’s one thing to talk about the things you appreciate and quite another to let those things generate a joy in you that radiates from your heart and rings out through your body and into the atmosphere.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Where you go in your imagination you can go physically, as well. The reverse is also true.

You’ll test the theory by trying to imagine yourself experiencing something you want. It may take several attempts to picture this, but keep trying.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Most people are their own worst enemy.

Realizing that you’ve sometimes inexplicably acted to defeat your own interests, you’ll seek victory over that part of yourself.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). How you communicate will convey much more than the actual words you say. Everyone around will read you loud and clear, and will sense how you really feel even if you don’t speak of it.

by Jan Eliot

HOROSCOPE

by Chad Carpenter

Solution and tips at www.sudoku.com

TUNDRA Stone Soup Pooch Café For Better or Worse LIO

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

by Mark Tatulli

Page 10 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, January 11, 2012

1 4 9 13 15 16 17 18 19 20 22 23 24 26 29 34 35 36 37 38

ACROSS Glide down the slopes iPhone maker Baseball scores Brontë’s “Jane __” Tasty tidbit Perched on “Woe is me!”

One of the five senses Main part of a cathedral Wizard Unfreeze Yokel Scot’s denial Once again Decreased Talons Like a chimney sweep’s attire Botch things up Keep __ on; watch closely Complaining childishly

39 40 41 42 43 45

64 65

Cause of woe Sphere; globe Haggard Foundation Wearing the crown Chopped meat concoctions Shack Aquarium Shabby bar Bank along the water’s edge Be an accomplice Water retention problem Latest scoop Encounter Swats Nerd 1967 Montreal event Monica of tennis Lacking rainfall

1 2

DOWN Caribbean __ Actor Chandler

46 47 48 51 56 57 58 60 61 62 63

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 21 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 35

Nation in the Middle East Clip on Practical joke Nuisance Overdue Forever Carried on “Beehive State” __ Scotia Gush forth Shuns Snake’s noise Not __ more; no longer Script learner __-up; sudden outburst Jewish leader __ time; being in jail Refuses to Dog restraint TV’s Kovacs Frock Have nothing to do with

38 39 41 42 44

Cafe server Lying in the sun Wildebeest Forbids Enclave in urban area 45 Torment 47 City in Arizona 48 Australian comic __ Edna

49 Mountain goat 50 Gore or Biden, for short 52 Doing nothing 53 Calf meat 54 Owner’s paper 55 Water jug 59 Wild blue yonder

Yesterday’s Answer

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, January 11, 2012— Page 11

––––––– ALMANAC ––––––– Today is Wednesday, Jan. 11, the 11th day of 2012. There are 355 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 11, 1942, Japan declared war against the Netherlands, the same day that Imperial Japanese forces invaded the Dutch East Indies.

On this date: In 1759, the first American life insurance corporation, for “poor and distressed” Presbyterian ministers and their widows and children, was chartered in Philadelphia.

In 1805, the Michigan Territory was created by an act of Congress.

In 1861, Alabama became the fourth state to withdraw from the Union.

In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed the Grand Canyon National Monument (it became a national park in 1919).

In 1913, the first sedan-type automobile, a Hudson, went on display at the 13th National Automobile Show in New York.

In 1927, the creation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was proposed during a dinner of Hollywood luminaries at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

In 1935, aviator Amelia Earhart began an 18-hour trip from Honolulu to Oakland, Calif., that made her the first woman to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean.

In 1943, the United States and Britain signed treaties relinquishing extraterritorial rights in China.

In 1964, U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry issued the first government report that said smoking may be hazardous to one’s health.

In 1972, East Pakistan changed its name to Bangladesh.

In 1977, France set off an international uproar by releasing Abu Daoud, a PLO official behind the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

In 1995, 52 people were killed when a Colombian airliner crashed as it was preparing to land near the Caribbean resort of Cartagena — however, a 9-year-old girl, Erika Delgado, survived.

One year ago: Several hundred mourners remembered the victims of the Arizona shooting rampage during a public Mass at St. Odilia Catholic Church in Tucson. David Nelson, 74, who starred on his parents’ popular TV show “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” died in Los Angeles.

Today’s Birthdays: Producer Grant Tinker is 87. Actor Rod Taylor is 82. Composer Mary Rodgers is 81. Actor Mitchell Ryan is 78. Actor Felix Silla is 75. Movie director Joel Zwick is 70. Country singer Naomi Judd is 66. World Golf Hall of Famer Ben Crenshaw is 60. Singer Robert Earl Keen is 56. Musician Vicki Peterson is 54. Actress Kim Coles is 50. Actor Jason Connery is 49. Contemporary Christian musician Jim Bryson is 44. Rock musician Tom Dumont (No Doubt) is 44. Rhythm-and-blues singer Maxee Maxwell is 43. Movie director Malcolm D. Lee is 42. Singer Mary J. Blige is 41. Musician Tom Rowlands is 41. Actor Marc Blucas is 40. Actress Amanda Peet is 40. Actor Rockmond Dunbar is 39. Actress Kristolyn Lloyd is 27.

WEDNESDAY PRIME TIME Dial

8:00

5

CTN 5 The Humble Farmer

6

WCSH

7

WPFO

8

WMTW

10

MPBN

11

WENH

8:30

Whitney Are You “Private There, Parts” (N) Chelsea?

Mobbed People put on surprise performances.

(In Stereo) Å The Middle Suburga“The Map” tory (N) Å (N) Å Nature “Kangaroo Mob” Street-smart kangaroos.

(N) (In Stereo) Antiques Roadshow First edition “To Kill a Mockingbird.” (N) Å One Tree Hill Brooke and Julian tackle parenthood. (N) Å Criminal Minds A Senate committee questions the team.

Burn Notice Å

9:00

9:30

JANUARY 11, 2012 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30

Portland Water District Thom Hartmann Show Grit TV

Update

Harry’s Law A client Law & Order: Special who has been housing a Victims Unit “Theatre gorilla. (N) Å Tricks” (N) Å Mobbed A woman wants News 13 on FOX (N) reveal a secret. (N) (In Stereo) Å Modern Happy End- Revenge “Infamy” Emily Family ings (N) Å targets an author. (N) (In (N) Å Stereo) Å NOVA “Bombing Hitler’s Dams” Barnes Wallis invents a bouncing bomb. (N) (In Stereo) Å (DVS)

News

Tonight Show With Jay Leno The Office The Office “Fire” Å “Dream Team” News 8 Nightline WMTW at (N) Å 11PM (N) Charlie Rose (N) (In Stereo) Å

Antiques Roadshow Martin Luther “The ReMarblehead art pottery; luctant Revolutionary” (In character canes. Å Stereo) Å One Tree Hill Brooke Excused American and Julian tackle parent- (N) Å Dad “Stan hood. Å Time” People’s Choice Awards 2012 Fans’ favorites in movies, music and TV. (N) (In Stereo Live) Å Law Order: CI

African American Lives 2 Great-grandmother and story of slavery.

It’s Always That ’70s Sunny in Show Å Phila.

WGME Late Show News 13 at With David 11:00 Letterman Local Cops Å

Combat

Sons of Guns Å

12

WPXT

13

WGME

17

WPME

24

DISC Sons of Guns Å

25

FAM Movie: ››› “Mrs. Doubtfire” (1993, Comedy) Robin Williams, Sally Field.

26

USA NCIS “Road Kill” Å

NCIS “Love & War”

27

NESN College Basketball

College Basketball

28

CSNE NBA Basketball Dallas Mavericks at Boston Celtics. (Live)

Celtics

30

ESPN NBA Basketball Dallas Mavericks at Boston Celtics. (N)

NBA Basketball: Heat at Clippers

31

ESPN2 College Basketball

Burn Notice Å Sons of Guns (N) Å

Combat

NCIS “Bounce” Å

The 700 Club Å Out of Character-Smith Daily

Dennis

SportsNet Sports

College Basketball Texas A&M at Texas. (N)

SportsCenter (N) Å

33

ION

Cold Case Å

Criminal Minds Å

Criminal Minds Å

34

DISN Wizards-Place

Jessie

ANT Farm Shake It

Good Luck Fish

TOON NinjaGo

MAD

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

Fam. Guy

NICK My Wife

My Wife

George

Friends

35 36 37

Cold Case Å

MSNBC The Ed Show (N)

Random George

’70s Show ’70s Show Friends

Rachel Maddow Show The Last Word

38

CNN Anderson Cooper 360

40

CNBC Walt: The Man Behind the Myth

Piers Morgan Tonight

The Ed Show

Anderson Cooper 360

Erin Burnett OutFront

American Greed

Mad Money

FNC

The O’Reilly Factor (N) Hannity (N)

Greta Van Susteren

The O’Reilly Factor

43

TNT

Law & Order

Law & Order

Leverage Å

CSI: NY Å

44

LIFE Wife Swap Å

24 Hour Catwalk Å

Dance Moms Å

Wife Swap Å

Toddlers & Tiaras (N)

I Cloned My Pet Å

41

46

TLC

Hoarding: Buried Alive I Cloned My Pet (N)

47

AMC Movie: ››‡ “Young Guns” (1988) Emilio Estevez. Å

48

HGTV House

49

TRAV Man, Food Man, Food Amazing

Amazing

Man, Food Man, Food Hamburger Paradise

50

A&E Storage

Dog

Dog the Bounty Hunter Dog the Bounty Hunter

52

Income Storage

BRAVO Top Chef: Texas

Income

Kitchen

Dog

Top Chef: Texas

Property Brothers

Top Chef: Texas (N)

Happens

Top Chef

Frasier

Frasier

Frasier

55

HALL Little House on Prairie Frasier

56

SYFY Ghost Hunters Å

57

ANIM River Monsters

River Monsters

Finding Bigfoot

River Monsters

58

HIST Pawn

Larry the Cable Guy

American

Larry the Cable Guy

60

BET

61 62 67 68 76

Pawn

Frasier

Movie: ››‡ “Young Guns” (1988) Property Brothers (N)

Ghost Hunters (N)

Movie: ›› “Daddy’s Little Girls” (2007) Å

Frasier

Ghost Hunters Å

Face Off (N) American

Movie: ›‡ “The Perfect Holiday” (2007) Å

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

Movie: ›› “Underworld: Evolution” (2006)

TVLND Home Imp. Home Imp. Raymond TBS

Fam. Guy

Fam. Guy

SPIKE UFC Unleashed

Fam. Guy

Fam. Guy

Movie: ›› “Underworld: Evolution” (2006) Cleveland The Exes Big Bang

Big Bang

King

King

Conan (N)

UFC Unleashed

UFC Unleashed

UFC Unleashed

Tori & Dean: Home

Law Order: CI

Law Order: CI

78

OXY Tori & Dean: Home

146

TCM Movie: ›››‡ “State of the Union” (1948)

DAILY CROSSWORD

BY WAYNE ROBERT WILLIAMS

Raymond

1 6 10 14 15 16 17 18 20 22 23 24 28 30 33 34 36 39 40 43 45 46 49

Movie: ››› “The Three Musketeers” (1948)

ACROSS Links vehicles Bop on the bean Crop of a bird Perfect example Arabian Sea port Olympics sled “It Happened One Night” director Apron-like dresses Start of a Malcolm Forbes quote Mil. honor Drunkard Elgar’s “__ Variations” Isao of golf Dynamic intro?

“West __ Story” Trapper Calendar length Permission doc.

Part 2 of quote Paris pal Spotted Holiday Inn rival Euphemistic oath

51 53 54 57 59 60 64 67 68 69 70 71 72 73

1 2 3 4 5

In the matter of Part of QED Diploid cell Part of CBS Syn.’s opp.

End of quote Orchestra leader Annunzio Mathematics sign Cugat’s singer Lane Large-mouth pitcher On the ball Walk the floor Small European barracuda Elwes and Grant DOWN Noisy insects “Born Free” writer Preparation for reshipping Small, mountain lake Cabbage dishes

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 19 21 25 26 27 29 31 32 35 37 38 41

“In Cold Blood” author Valhalla VIP State bird of Hawaii Deceitful individual Actress Leachman Karel Capek’s sci-fi play Span of time Guitarist Montgomery Boggy lowland Husky-voiced Original “SNL” cast member 1501 Nuclear agcy.

High dudgeon Nolan and Meg “__ the land of the free...”

UFO fliers Water-carved gulch Long, narrow inlet Govt. financial grp.

42 Suffix in linguistics Finishing tool Is allowed to Connecticut city Certifies under oath 50 Chin beard 52 Casual top 55 Tango 43 44 47 48

requirement Roof overhang Poisonous plant Harsh cry Bygone dagger Kedrova of “Zorba the Greek” 64 Travel guide 65 Attorneys’ org.

66 “E.R.” network 56 58 61 62 63

Yesterday’s Answer

Page 12 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, January 11, 2012

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS • CALL 699-5807

For Rent-Commercial

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

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

Animals

Auctions

Labradoodle Puppies

NORTH Country Auctions, LLCJanuary 28st, 2012- 9am. Heavy equipment & general merchandise auction. To be held at our auction barn located at: 438 Plains Road, Tamworth, NH 03886. We are now accepting consignments! Heavy equipment, trailers, auto’s, industrial tools, building supplies, boats, farm equipment, landscaping equipment, and more! Call us today for more information: (603)539-5322 Email:

Ready to go 1-21-12. $1200 heath certified.

Non-shed hypoallergenic. For more info email: info@karlaspets.com.

PIT Bull/ Bull Mastiff pups. Born Sept. 26th. Very friendly, nice colors, good with kids and other animals. Parents on premise. $600 or trade for hunting equipment/ tools, etc. (603)539-7009.

Autos

info@northcountry-auctions.com

visit us online @

St. Judes - $5

www.northcountry-auctions.com

Auctioneer: Doug Ryan Lic #2739.

ST

R O U D WAT E

TIRE

BUYING Junk vehicles, paying cash.

Contact Joe (207)712-6910.

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

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

AUTO

ROOM for rent upper Sawyer St. South Portland, ME.. $120/wk. 6 month minimum.

(207)233-6056.

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

(207)892-7150.

Automotive Repair Foreign & Domestic

656 Stroudwater St. Westbrook • 854-0415

PORTLAND- Buy or sell- Good used road/ mountain bikes.

Mitch (207)317-7502.

Free 10 FREE FIREPLATES Save oil & money, make hot water with a Fireplate "water heating baffle for wood stove".

Restrictions apply, Email: info@dearbornbortec.com or Call: 207-935-2502 for complete details.

Services A-TEAM Complete (207)615-6092.

disposal.

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

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

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

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

YOU TRUST US TO CLEAN YOUR HOME, NOW TRUST US TO HEAT YOUR HOME

TWIN ELECTRIC

INTRODUCING THE GUARDIAN HEATER ®

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

For Sale 1 awesome deal- Queen mat tress set- $150, brand nameBrand new - 591-4927

For Rent 95 Congress St, 3 bedroom, heated, w/d hookup, parking, $1200/mo security deposit, no pets. Call (207)409-0879 or (207)874-2050.

R

www.stroudwaterauto.com for special offers and discount coupons

“Lighting Your Way Into The Future”

299

$

• Fu lly L icensed • Fu lly Insured • Free E stim ates

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

While Supplies Last!

(207) 318-8808

Randy MacWhinnie

twinelectricme@aol.com

Master Electrician/Owner

FREE APPLIANCE DISPOSAL Why pay excessive transfer station disposal fees?

• Refrigerators/ Freezers • Air Conditioners • Dehumidifiers/ Humidifiers • Washers/ Dryers • Stoves/Ovens • Microwave Ovens • Household White Goods

75 Oak Street, Portland, ME

Benefits of Tai Chi Chih Blood Pressure Control • Improved Balance Arthritis Relief For information call Raymond Reid (207) 518-9375 www.taichichihstudio.com New Year - New Classes See our new Winter Class Schedule

Atlantic H eating Com pany Serving G reater Portland since 19 6 9 H eating and Plum bing Installation,Service and Repair

We’d Like To Get To Know You! per gallon on our low everyday cash oil price.

(minimum 150 gallon purchase - new customers only)

V isit ou r w ebsite at w w w .atlanticheatingcom pany.com 24 -H O U R D EL IV ERY AN D EM ERG EN CY SERV ICE

207 -7 97 -7 21 8

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY The Bradley Foundation of Maine Miracle on 424 Main Street

HOPE

Computer Sales and Service Last year’s close out model on sale for

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

5¢ OFF

Help Wanted

PLAYOFF Tickets Pats vs. Broncos Sat. Jan 14th 2 tickets $200/each. (603)548-8049.

A-TEAM Auto Recyclers paying cash.

(207)615-6092.

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

(207)773-1814.

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

Help Wanted

Green State Resource Recovery (207)318-9781 Freon and Refrigerant Recovery Service Universal Waste Specialists • EPA and Maine DEP compliant

G O O D M A N L A W F IR M E F F E C T IV E • C A R IN G B ankruptcy D ebt R elief L oan M od ification C rim inal D efense P ersonal Injury

W e C an H ELP!

537 C O N G R E SS ST ., ST 404, P O R T L A N D 207-775-4335 • w w w .g o o dm an law firm .co m

Serving Seniors over 55 and the Disabled Computers starting at $94.40 tax included.

Complete with software and a 17” LCD Monitor.

YOU MUST QUALIFY UNDER OUR MISSION.

Starting soon!

The Elves’ Playground Now booking parties

for all ages Westbrook, ME • 591-5237 591-5237 Moday-Friday 9am-4pm www.bradleyfoundationofmaine.org ask for Susan or Jerry We accept Visa, MasterCard and Discover

for more information

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, January 11, 2012— Page 13

THE CLASSIFIEDS PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

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

BY SARAH MASLIN NIR THE NEW YORK TIMES

MAJOR & MINOR REPAIRS Auto Electronic Diagnosis

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

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

!

“A Local Moved We’ve Company Selling American Made Products” Wanted To Buy Wanted To Buy 146 Rand Rd., Portland 772-8436 Just off The Maine Turnpike (I-95) exit 47

SPECIAL - $6.75 DOUBLE CHEESEBURGER W / FRENCH FRIES & CAN OF SODA Wanted To Buy

Wanted To Buy

24 MONUMENT SQUARE | 699-5577

ANNIE’S MAILBOX Dear Annie: I am increasingly disgusted by my dad. He is obese and getting bigger, and he won’t (can’t?) stop eating. He and my mother recently stayed in our home for a long weekend. When we went out for breakfast, Dad ordered enough food to feed three people -- steak, eggs, hash browns, toast, and biscuits and gravy. He ate all of that and half of my son’s pancakes. His main topic of conversation during breakfast was what we would eat the following day.

It is like he is addicted to a drug. Even when he orders a salad, he drenches it in so much creamy dressing that it negates the health benefits. At night, he raids the kitchen.

He ate so many of my kids’ lunch snacks that I started storing them in the bottom cabinets, since he can’t bend over to reach them. He also cannot cut his own toenails and gets winded playing with his grandchildren.

I already have suggested that he start taking little walks, but he insists he has genetically bad knees -- as opposed to having bad knees from the extra 200 pounds he carries around. He recently had open-heart surgery to replace a bad valve and claimed the same genetic excuse. He has damaged my couch, and I had to replace two patio chairs.

He was offended when I asked him not to sit on the more delicate furniture since it has a 250-pound weight limit.

I know my mom is disgusted, too, but Dad is incredibly stubborn. I think he also has been depressed since my brother died in Afghanistan. But Dad is eating himself to death. Just being in his presence now irritates the daylights out of me. What are we to do? -- Disgusted by the Glutton Dear Disgusted: Dad already feels worthless, so instead of anger and disgust, try compassion. You are right about this being a form of addiction, which means it is extremely

hard for Dad to control his food cravings. We think you will have better luck working on his depression, which can interfere with his willingness to become healthier. Enlist your mother’s help to encourage Dad to see his doctor about the possibility of medication.

Dear Annie: I have not trusted my husband since a family member told me he was cheating on me with a girl he knew before we married. The other night, he was a little drunk and said he never had to hide having sex with someone until he got married. When I asked for an explanation, he claimed to be “just messing” with me.

We’ve been married a long time and have grown kids and grandkids. I still wonder who he’s with when he is out late. A few years ago, I was certain he was seeing another woman, and when I yelled, “I hope it was good,” he screamed, “It sure was!” Then he said there was no one else and he simply wanted to hurt me. It worked. I no longer feel the same way about him. I’m tired of being told I have a problem, but I don’t intend to leave at this late date.

What do you think? -- S.P. Dear S.P.: If you are going to stay with a man you don’t trust, you need to separate yourself emotionally from his behavior. Consider him a wayward child, and occupy yourself with activities that make you happy. Perhaps when you stop paying attention to his nocturnal wanderings, he’ll lose interest in them, as well.

Dear Annie: I have a solution for “Noisy Dog Next Door,” whose neighbors’ guard dog is kept outside and barks all night long. If the dog barks at 2 a.m., I suggest they phone the neighbors at 4 a.m. to let them know their dog woke them up two hours earlier. A few calls like that should take care of the problem. -- Sevierville, Tenn.

Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to: anniesmailbox@comcast.net, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

Prickly City

New restrictions loom for exotic animals business

by Scott Stantis

MACON, Mo. — The man raised a tawny ball of fluff above his head, its black button eyes seeming to widen as it took in the audience surrounding the ring.

“Baby cougar! Bottle-fed!” the auctioneer at the Lolli Brothers Livestock Market announced on a morning in early December, launching into his rat-a-tat call for bids over the loudspeaker. But there was not a hand in sight in the audience of about 100. They were farmers in Carhartt work gear, Amish men and the occasional woman — one whose pet vervet monkey sipped a Sprite.

The starting price dropped, to $200. The cougar’s owner, standing in the ring, shook his head. It was too low. No sale.

It has been an uncertain time for people who sell and breed exotic creatures since an episode in October when the police in Zanesville, Ohio, killed 49 exotic animals, including wolves, lions, bears and 18 Bengal tigers. Their debt-ridden owner, Terry Thompson, was said to have flung open their cages moments before he shot himself.

Public fury over the episode initially raged in many directions: at the law enforcement officers; at Gov. John R. Kasich of Ohio, for letting restrictions expire on ownership of exotic pets by people with a history of animal cruelty; and at Mr. Thompson, whose actions ultimately led to the deaths of his pets.

Now it has landed on the buyers and sellers of exotic animals, who ply their trade online and at places like the Lolli Brothers Market, one of a handful of specialized animal auctions in the West and Midwest. Many animal rights groups were outraged that the types of animals in the Zanesville menagerie could even be obtained as pets.

Ohio was one of seven states with no regulation regarding the sale or ownership of these types of creatures, according to the Humane Society of the United States. Days after the episode, Governor Kasich signed an executive order to increase the powers of humane officers, shut down unauthorized auctions and restrict existing ones. New laws are being drafted that may ban sales to those who are not professional handlers. Only 18 states currently have an outright ban on exotic animals as pets; other states require owners to obtain proper permits.

The Humane Society is now working within each unregulated state to put new laws on the books, said Wayne Pacelle, the society’s president and chief executive. Two proposed federal laws are also gaining steam — one would ban the interstate transport and import of many large constricting snakes and the other would ban primates from being transported between states for sale as pets. The Humane Society estimates that there are 15,000 big cats in private hands, almost all bred in the United States, and around 15,000 primates.

The potential impact of new restrictions worries the insular community of breeders and brokers of exotic animals, whose livelihoods depend on an open market for an orangutan or an ocelot (and whose ranches and sale barns are located mostly in the states with the least restrictive laws).

“They make rules and laws because somebody did something wrong once,” said Arden Johnson, a retired medical contractor who has had, at various times, a lion and a bear cub on his commercial bison ranch, Johnson Farm’s Bison World, in Noblesville, Ind. “And now everybody has to suffer the consequences.”

Jack Hanna, who directs the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, is on the committee drafting Ohio’s new laws.

Mr. Hanna helped the authorities at the scene of the Zanesville escape. “It was like Noah’s ark crashed,” he said. “It was beyond any horror.”

“I’m not trying to take away anybody’s animals, I’m not trying to take away a dream of someone,” Mr. Hanna said. “I don’t want people to have to go through what I went through.”

Page 14 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, January 11, 2012

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

Wednesday, Jan. 11 Meet the Mayor at SPACE Gallery 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Portland Arts and Cultural Alliance and Creative Portland are co-hosting a “Meet the Mayor” event for the local arts and cultural community. “Portland’s first elected mayor in 88 years, Mayor Michael Brennan was sworn into office on Dec. 6, telling Portlanders: ‘My success will also be your success, and I can only be successful with you.’ Expressing an interest in working across sectors to address community issues, Mayor Brennan also acknowledged the significant value the arts, culture, and creative economy add to the city. This event will provide Portland’s arts and cultural community an opportunity to meet the mayor, hear briefly about his priorities in the months ahead and to ask questions. Information about the hosts and the event can be found at portlandarts.org and liveworkportland.org.” Free, all ages. www.space538.org/events.php

MOOSE Droppings Open Mic/Spoken Word meeting 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. “Maine Organization Of Storytelling Enthusiasts members have one thing in common. We are all Enthusiastic about Storytelling!” Every second Wednesday of the month, drop by the Portland Public Library for our Monthly MOOSE Open Mic / Spoken Word Story Telling Event! Adult original and traditional stories 10 minutes or less at the open mic hosted by a different MOOSE Member each month. Open Mic is followed by announcements, a short break with refreshments, and our featured performer.

There is a suggested $5 donation. Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square.

Maine Center for Creativity workshop 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Maine Center for Creativity workshop, Lee Hall in the Wishcamper Center at the University of Southern Maine, 34 Bedford St. “Maine Center for Creativity’s Creative Toolbox Series Renowned consultant Dr. David Reibstein will speak on how professionals can identify and act on potentially successful ideas, products and services to help grow their businesses, along with how to avoid potentially unsuccessful ones.”

U.S. Postal Service processing operations consolidation meeting in Brewer 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. The U.S. Postal Service will hold a public meeting to discuss its proposal to move mail processing operations from the Eastern Maine Processing and Distribution Facility in Hamden to the Southern Maine Processing and Distribution Center in Scarborough. The public meeting originally scheduled for Dec. 29 to explain this proposal and to allow public input has been rescheduled for Jan. 11, 2012. The time and location remain the same: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Jeff’s Catering, East West Industrial Park, 5 Coffin Ave, Brewer. Anyone who wishes to submit comments in writing can send them to: Manager, Consumer and Industry Contact, Northern New England District, 151 Forest Ave., Portland, ME. All comments must be postmarked Jan. 13, 2012.”

‘God, Holy Scripture and Man’s Church’ 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. “St. Augustine of Canterbury Church has announced that it will hold a weekly adult study program titled ‘God, Holy Scripture and Man’s Church.’ The program is an exploration of our relationship with God, the Bible and the development and practice related to Church Tradition.

The study is open to everyone and there is no cost. The study group will meet every Wednesday beginning Jan. 11 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Cathedral Pines Chapel, 156 Saco Ave. in Old Orchard Beach. There is plenty of parking available.”

Thursday, Jan. 12 Young drivers’ safety discussion 6 p.m. “Conversations with the Communities,” a public discussion regarding ways to improve the safety of Maine’s young drivers. The Secretary of State’s “Conversations with the Communities” will be held on the following dates at the local Bureau of Motor Vehicle Offices: Thursday, Jan. 12 in Portland at 6 p.m.; Tuesday, Jan. 17 in Bangor at 6 p.m.; Wednesday, Jan. 18 in Caribou at 6 p.m.; and Thursday, Jan. 19 in Calais at 5:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend.

For a complete schedule of “Conversations with the Community” including addresses to the motor vehicle locations or for information and instructions on joining the discussion via Webinar, please visit the Secretary of State’s website at www.maine.gov/sos/.

Portland Ovations presents ‘Mamma Mia!’ 8 p.m. The smash hit musical based on the songs of ABBA comes to Merrill Auditorium. Performances begin on Thursday, Jan. 12 and run through Saturday, Jan. 14 at Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. “Seen by over 50 million people around the world, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus’ global smash hit musical ‘Mamma Mia!’ is celebrating over 4,000 performances in its tenth smash hit year at Broad-

A skier hits the slopes at Wildcat Ski Area in New Hampshire. Every time it snows 4 inches or more at the Portland International Jetport, Ski Maine Association will give away a pair of lift tickets to a Maine ski area. To enter, text the word “SKIFREE” to 21570. (FILE PHOTO) way’s Winter Garden Theatre and remains among Broadway’s top selling musicals. The current North American Tour has played over 3,700 performances in over 150 cities with 145 repeat visits.” The performance schedule for “Mamma Mia!” at Merrill Auditorium is Thursday, Jan. 12 at 8 p.m., Friday, Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 14 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets range from $45 to $59 for Portland Ovations Members and $50 to $65 for the general public. To purchase tickets, contact PortTix at 842-0800 or visit the box office window at Merrill Auditorium. Tickets are also available online at www.portlandovations.org.

Friday, Jan. 13 Sea Dogs Hot Stove Dinner and Silent Auction 5:30 p.m. Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine has been added to the Sea Dogs’ lineup of guests for the annual Hot Stove Dinner and Silent Auction. Valentine joins Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Seattle Mariners pitcher and Maine native Charlie Furbush. The event benefits the Maine Children’s Cancer Program and will take place at the Sable Oaks Marriott in South Portland. Tickets for the event are $50 and are limited to 300. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Hadlock Field Ticket Office, by phone at 879-9500 or online at www.seadogs.com. Everyone who attends will receive a signed 8 X 10 photo of Saltalamacchia. All proceeds from the dinner and silent auction will benefit the official charity of the Portland Sea Dogs’; the Strike Out Cancer in Kids Program. The Strike Out Cancer in Kids Program was established in 1995 to raise money for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program. For every strikeout that a Sea Dogs’ pitcher throws, money is raised through pledges.

For more information on the Strike Out Cancer in Kids Program log onto www.seadogs.com.

Free playtimes for children with autism at Children’s Museum and Theatre 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine will launch Play our Way, a series of free playtimes for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and their families. Funded by a grant from Ronald McDonald House Charities of Maine, Play Our Way expands upon previous private playtimes at the Museum by incorporating environmental modifications to make the Museum’s space more accommodating for children on the autism spectrum.

These playtimes are free and take place when the Museum & Theatre is closed to the general public. Families will have opportunities to explore exhibits freely surrounded by others who understand their children’s unique behaviors.

Free admission for children with autism and their families www.kitetails.org

‘Force of Nature’ 6:30 p.m. Movies at the Museum, “Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie,” Portland Museum of Art. Friday, Jan. 13, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 14, 2 p.m.; Sunday, Jan. 15, 2 p.m. NR. www.portlandmuseum.org/events

The Bad Luck Bazaar 7 p.m. “Unlucky you! On Friday the 13th, The Dirty Dishes Burlesque Revue, Pussyfoot Burlesque and Eternal Otter Records proudly present The Bad Luck Bazaar. Beginning with carnival of desires featuring (mis)fortune tellers, kissing booths, and game tables by Nomia Boutique, USM’s Center for Sexualities and Gender Diversity and other sex-positive local vendors, the evening escalates into vaudeville theatrics and full-blown burlesque histrionics as the Dishes and company perform alongside musical guests Over A Cardboard Sea and an aerially-fixated Apparatus Dance Theater, eventually leading to a climactic and interactive showdown after which you may require a shower and a 13th hour dance party courtesy of DJ Trozzi, sponsored by Salacious Magazine.”

SPACE Gallery. $7 Advance / $9 at the door, 18 plus. www. space538.org/events.php

Free Watercolor Painting demonstration 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Free Watercolor Painting demonstration

by Constellation Gallery artist Diana Ellis, Learn the basic techniques and materials she uses to create dramatic and vivid paintings! Light refreshments served. http://constellationgallery.webs.com/

Saturday, Jan. 14 Lucid Stage’s LucidFest 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lucid Stage, 29 Baxter Blvd. Portland.

“Join us to celebrate the New Year! Stop by for a variety of kid’s activities, white elephant sales, raffles and performances including Running with Scissors; Druin Dance Center; puppetry; live music.” General admission is free. www.lucidstage.com

Making Faces: Photographic Portraits at PMA 10 a.m. This winter, the Portland Museum of Art will showcase its growing collection of celebrity portraits, prompting a new look at the art of photographic portraiture and highlighting two newly acquired portfolios of works by artists Berenice Abbott and Robert Doisneau. Making Faces: Photographic Portraits of Actors and Artists, on view Jan. 14 through April 8, will feature 35 black-andwhite photographic portraits of recognizable television personalities and famous artists. For more information, call 775-6148 or visit portlandmuseum.org. see next page

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, January 11, 2012— Page 15

Post office closure decisions delayed until May 15 MAIL from page 7

Portsmouth, N.H. Area Mail Processing, and the plan to transfer part of the operations to Manchester, N.H., and another part to the Southern Maine center. The proposal, which has a projected annual savings of $6.6 million, has been approved, the Postal Service reported. Implementation should be completed this month.

"In September, the Postal Service announced plans to study 252 mail processing facilities for possible consolidation," Essler reported. "Since 2008, we have successfully implemented 48 AMP stud-

ies, with an estimated total annual savings of over $140 million. To date, 33 of these AMP consolidations have undergone Post Implementation Reviews (PIR) which demonstrates that AMP consolidations, combined with other productivity improvement initiatives and volume loss, have resulted in over $433 million in annual savings."

AMP studies have been used since the 1970s, resulting in an 80 percent reduction in the federal mail processing network since that decade, Essler reported.

In the last few years, following a period of inactivity, the Postal Service began a renewed effort to

streamline its network, prodded in part by congressional recommendations.

Most controversial has been discussion of closing satellite post offices, including Station A in Portland and a post office on Cliff Island. Recently, the Postal Service agreed not to close any post offices until at least May 15.

Comments on the closure of the Eastern Maine Processing and Distribution Facility and its consolidation into Southern Maine can be mailed to: Consumer & Industry Contact Manager, Northern New England District, 151 Forest Ave., Suite 7022, Portland ME 04101-7022.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– NEWS BRIEFS–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Portland School Board poised to hire firm for superintendent search DAILY SUN STAFF REPORTS The Portland School Board is poised to hire an Illinois search firm to help replace Superintendent James Morse, who is leaving the district in June.

According to The Forecaster, the board is close to hiring Proact Search, a company that has led education recruitment across the U.S. The search is expected to cost the district up to $40,000, including the base search fee and associated costs, the paper reported.

The board hopes to fine a replacement for Morse, who will leave when his three-year contract expires,

by June.

Online crime reporting a hit in SoPo South Portland Police received almost 300 online crime reports in 2011, with the majority related to theft, theft from vehicles, and criminal mischief.

The department began offering online crime reporting in May for non-emergency crimes such as thefts or lost property, vehicle burglaries, criminal mischief/vandalism and identity theft.

This option was intended to enhance the service provided to the community and to allow the department to make more efficient use of limited personnel resources and staff time, Lt. Frank Clark said yesterday in a statement.

At $50 an hour, the department estimates the online reporting saved 424.5 hours of staff time, resulting in a savings of $14,150. The department

took 283 online reports last year.

Online reporting is available at southportland. org and through a kiosk in the department lobby.

Residents who fill out a report in this manner will receive a free copy.

Once submitted and accepted online, the reporting party will automatically receive a free copy of the final police report emailed to them as a PDF document, either for their records or for their insurance company’s needs. By contrast, a fee is generally assessed for copies of public records, such as reports filed by police officers.

The online report is then automatically uploaded into the department’s records management system, where it will receive the same review, follow-up and statistical analysis as if it had been filed by a police officer.

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

Third annual Tet Celebration noon. Celebrate the Lunar New Year at a community event featuring Vietnamese culture, music, fashion and food, organized by the Vietnamese-Americans Association of Maine (VAAM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Vietnamese heritage and promoting cross-cultural understanding among Maine communities. Free day event and night event from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. The Gold Room, 512 Warren Ave. For more information, www.vaaminfo.org or contact Renee Nguyen at renee.nguyen@vaaminfo.org

Confronting Race, Class and Power 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. NAACP Portland Branch 2012 Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Observance. Martin Luther King Jr. Day commuity dialogue. Preble Street Resource Center, “the economic crisis in our own backyard, march for justice, Preble Street to Portland City Hall, toward a more perfect union.” Dialogue; 4:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., march. Homeless Voices for Justice, Learning Works, Maine Interfaith Youth Alliance, Maine Seeds of Peace, Portland Public Schools, Preble Street are organizers. “This program draws upon the growing demand to address economic inequity and the systems that have forced an increasing number of people to live within the shifting thin lines between middle class, working poor and poverty. The goal of this dialogue is to bring people of all ages together to not only challenge how we think about poverty and learn about current efforts to address it but to take responsibility as a diverse community to prioritize the fight against it. Students from around the state will facilitate the program in order to empower them as community leaders and help make a tangible connection between engagement and direct action. Utilizing several speeches given by Dr. King as our foundation, participants will learn more about his effort to incorporate class in the civil rights movement through the Poor People’s Campaign and adoption of an ‘Economic Bill of Rights’ as well as his shift to work on global human rights. We will also discuss data on poverty in Maine to better understand the impact of this.” Merrill Auditorium. “King And The Drum Major Instinct: Justice, Peace And Righteousness.” 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., MCs: Linda Abwoch, Rev. Jeff McIlwain, Choirs: Congolese Church Choir, Music Ministry of Green Memorial AME Zion Church, Pihcintu Multinational Children’s Chorus, Women in Harmony. Performers: Batimbo Beat, UNE Students. Tickets: $5 general admission. www.portlandmlk.net

‘Tap, Tap, Jazz’ by Maine State Ballet 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Fresh off another run of “The Nutcracker,” the dancers of Maine State Ballet kick off their 2012 season with the Broadway tunes, high energy and innovative choreography of “Tap, Tap, Jazz.” Matinee and evening shows of “Tap, Tap, Jazz” will be performed on Saturday, Jan. 14,

and Saturday, Jan. 21, at the recently renovated Maine State Ballet Theater in Falmouth. With several numbers packed within about an hour, the fast-paced show is designed to entertain dance enthusiasts of all ages, said Linda MacArthur Miele, co-founder and artistic director of Maine State Ballet. Performers include the professional dancers of the Maine State Ballet Company, as well as advanced students from MSB’s School for the Performing Arts.” Tickets are $15 and are available online at www.mainestateballet.org.

They can also be purchased by calling the box office at 207-781-3587, or by visiting the Maine State Ballet Theater, 348 U.S. Route 1, Falmouth. Performances are scheduled for 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Sat., Jan. 14, and 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Sat., Jan. 21.

In The Blood — Live: A ‘Docu-Exhibit’ 7:30 p.m. SPACE Gallery screening of “In the Blood,” about the Maine lumber industry. “Lumbermen began living in logging camps in the Maine woods in the early 1800s. They were the pioneers who created a successful self-contained working community in the woods, and on who’s backs the state’s economy and history were largely established. ‘In The Blood,’ filmmaker Sumner McKane’s ambitious multiyear project, takes the audience into this rugged environment — into the camps, onto the haul roads, landings and yards, rivers and lakes. Through rare archival film, digitally restored photography, raw and honest interviews, ambient sound design and live scoring, this innovative and entertaining multimedia presentation, featured on NPR’s ‘Echoes,’ brings this lost world vividly into the present.” www.space538.org/events.php

‘The Drum Major Instinct’ 1 p.m. Martin Luther King Jr. Day event. “The Drum Major Instinct.” Students from three Portland Housing Authority study centers will perform three unique plays based on Martin Luther King Jr.’s sermon “The Drum Major Instinct.”

Each play was written and produced by study center students, volunteers, and coordinators. A mixture of music, dance, and theater; each play celebrates Dr. King’s devotion to community service and his principles of acceptance, love, and equality for all. Mayo Street Arts, 10 Mayo St., 615-3609. www.mayostreetarts.org. Free and open to the public.

A Charity Fashion Show 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Catholic Charities Maine will be hosting “Walking in the Light: A Charity Fashion Show” on Jan. 16 at One Longfellow Square, 181 State Street, Portland.

“Catholic Charities has partnered with local high schools, colleges and boutiques in order to plan the event. The show will feature clothes from the Catholic Charities thrift store in hopes to raise awareness to the need for warm, affordable winter clothing and to boost clothing donations. High school and college students with an interest in fashion will play key roles in making the whole show come together.

If you would like more information or are interested in volunteering at this event, contact Kerrie Keller, AmeriCorps VISTA at kkeller@ccmaine.org or 523-1156.”

Tuesday, Jan. 17 Rape Aggression Defense Training

Monday, Jan. 16 31st annual MLK Holiday Breakfast Celebration 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The People’s State Of The State: What Does Equity Look Like In Maine? Holiday Inn By The Bay. MCs: Abukar Adan, Jocelyn Thomas. Tickets: $15 children’s program, $25 breakfast program. Programs: Children’s Program (ages 5-12, limited to 60). “UNE students will lead a program focused on the importance of living a healthy life in order to reach one’s fullest potential and to be the best ally or advocate in caring for others. The film ‘My Friend Martin’ will be shown before breaking into small age-appropriate groups to visit stations set up around the room on (1) nutrition/good food choices (2) physical activity/yoga (3) art/creative expression. All children will also get a chance to read and discuss the book, ‘I Have a Dream.’

This program including breakfast takes place on the ground level of the hotel.” Speakers will address three areas of concern: education, health/healthcare and the economy. www. portlandmlk.net

6 p.m. to 9 p.m. This January, the Portland Police Department will offer its Rape Aggression Defense (R.A.D.) Training class. “R.A.D. provides women with the tools they need to both avoid dangerous situations and escape them. The course is specifically designed to help women survive situations in which their lives are in jeopardy. This class is open to all women, ages 13 and older, in the Greater Portland area who would like to develop real life defensive tools and tactics. The Basic Self-Defense Course consists of a series of four classes and one scenario day. The class is scheduled for Jan. 17, 19, 24, and 26, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Jan. 28 from 8 a.m. to noon. All classes must be attended to complete the course. The classes will be held at the Portland Police Department, 109 Middle St., Portland. A donation of $25 for the course is suggested. All donations support the Amy St. Laurent Fund, which sponsors the R.A.D. trainings. Due to attendance issues, all donations must be paid prior to the first class (send checks to ASLF/PPD RAD Program, Portland Police Department, 109 Middle St., Portland ME 04101). To sign up for the class or receive more information about Portland R.A.D., e-mail ppdrad@portlandmaine.gov

Page 16 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, January 11, 2012