The Portland Daily Sun, Wednesday, December 21, 2011

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happy f or Chr is tmas Forget the back-yard feeder. A warm, dry December gives birds plenty of food choices. See the story on page 9

A male house sparrow surveys its surroundings near the Bayside Trail Tuesday. Temperatures have plunged in Portland, but birds have snubbed back-yard feeders. They’ve been able to find plenty of natural food, due to a scarcity of snow, according to one wild bird supply store. (DAVID CARKHUFF PHOTO)

Claim made in OccupyMaine Med-pot lawsuit could prompt internal dispensary police investigation eyes opening See the story on page 2

See page 7

Page 2 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, December 21, 2011

NASA’s discovers 2 Earth-size planets (NY Times) — In what amounts to a kind of holiday gift to the cosmos, astronomers from NASA’s Kepler spacecraft announced Tuesday that they had discovered a pair of planets the size of Earth orbiting a distant star. The new planets, one about as big as Earth, the other slightly smaller than Venus, are the smallest planets yet found beyond the solar system.

Astronomers said the discovery showed that Kepler could indeed find planets as small as our own and was an encouraging sign that planet hunters would someday succeed in the goal of finding Earth-like abodes in the heavens.

Since the first Jupitersize exoplanets, as they are known, were discovered nearly 15 years ago astronomers have been chipping away at the sky, finding smaller and smaller planets.

“We are finally there,” said David Charbonneau, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who was a member of the team that made the observations, led by his colleague Francois Fressin. The team reported its results in an online news conference Tuesday and in a paper being published in the journal Nature.

Dr. Fressin said, “This demonstrates for the first time that Earth-size planets exist around other stars and that we can detect them.”

The announcement doubled the number of known Earth-size planets in the galaxy to four from two — Earth and Venus.

The next major goal in the planetary hunt, astronomers say, is to find an Earth-size planet in the so-called Goldilocks zone of a star, where conditions are temperate for water and thus life. We are not there yet. The two new planets, called Kepler 20e and Kepler 20f, are far outside the Goldilocks zone — so close to the star, termed Kepler 20, that one of them is roasting at up to 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit — and thus unlivable.

Although the milestone of an Earth-size planet had long been anticipated, astronomers on and off the Kepler team were jubilant. Geoffrey Marcy of the University of California, Berkeley, another Kepler team member, called the new result “a watershed moment in human history.”

Debra Fischer, a planet hunter from Yale, who was not part of the team, said, “This technological feat is incredibly important because it means that the detection of Earth-sized planets at larger distances is technically possible.”

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North Korea’s Kim lies in state Son among mourners SEOUL, South Korea (The New York Times) — Kim Jong-un, catapulted into prominence after Kim Jong-il’s sudden death, paid respects at his father’s glass coffin on Tuesday, as the regime stepped up a campaign to portray the impoverished country as standing behind its young new leader.

Kim Jong-un’s visit to the Kumsusan mausoleum, where the body was lying in state, was his first public appearance since his father’s death on Saturday pushed him to the forefront of the North Korean leadership, whose inner workings and power struggles remain a mys-

tery to the outside world.

Televised images and photographs from North Korea showing streams of weeping soldiers and citizens who filled plazas in Pyongyang to mourn the death of Kim Jong-il. Combined with an outpouring of effusive praise for the son, the official coverage of the mourning seemed to reflect a calculated propaganda message meant to depict a smooth transition.

The son was inheriting not only the mantle of power but also a cult of personality from his father: the media began calling him “another leader sent from the heaven,” a description until now reserved for his father.

The North announced the death on Monday. The outside world, caught off

guard, scrambled to figure out where a regime with a food crisis and nuclear weapons would be headed under a young and inexperienced leader, whose command of loyalty among hard-line generals and Workers’ Party officials — all veterans of bloody power games — remains untested.

“Comrade Kim paid his respect with a grief-stricken heart,” the North’s official news agency, K.C.N.A., said in a brief dispatch.

The North’s state television showed Kim Jong-il’s body covered with a red blanket and his head on a white pillow.

The coffin was surrounded by white chrysanthemums and Kimjongilia, a flower named after the deceased leader.

Claim made in OccupyMaine lawsuit could prompt internal police probe

BY MATTHEW ARCO THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

A claim made by a plaintiff in OccupyMaine's lawsuit against the city could prompt an internal investigation into one of the Portland Police Department's own officers, officials said.

Joseph Brown Jr., who is one of four individuals suing the city along with the protest group OccupyMaine, claims in court documents that he was told by a Portland police officer to "go pitch a tent in Lincoln Park with the protestors," according to his sworn affidavit.

Brown, who is homeless, claimed he was diverted to Lincoln Park by Officer Van Nguyen, who approached Brown as he slept in a doorway somewhere in the area of Preble Street, according to the document.

The claim that police were urging the city's homeless to set up camp in Lincoln Park has been made by protesters in recent weeks.

The allegation is that police did this in an effort to undermine the protesters' reason for occupying the park and casting the group as a safety risk, said John Branson, an attorney representing OccupyMaine.

"The issue of public safety was the big drum (the city was) beating — the old lawand-order drum," Branson said on Monday.

"But what we found out is there were at least two officers that were breaking up little (homeless camps) around town and sending people to Lincoln Park."

During the city’s review of the OccupyMaine encampment, police have cited numerous calls and arrests to Lincoln Park.

Branson argued "there's certainly enough dots on the page that can be connected" to demonstrate that campers were being set up for a predetermined outcome when the City Council denied them a permit to camp in

“Our whole motive and operational stance on this issue from the beginning was to ensure public safety, while facilitating OccupyMaine’s right to voice their First Amendment constitutional rights.

We’ve done a pretty good job at that, I like to think.” — Portland Police Department’s acting police chief, Michael Sauschuck Lincoln Park.

He said some of the homeless people who were ushered to the park were not like Brown, who quickly took up the protesters' cause.

"Many of them were some of the most belligerent, drunken and problematic individuals," Branson said.

A second officer was not identified in the lawsuit.

The Portland Police Department's acting police chief, Michael Sauschuck, said Monday the department will be following up with Brown's claim.

"We are looking into this information to make a determination whether or not we're going to have a formal investigation," said Sauschuck, who promptly dismissed any allegations that the department was engaged in tactics to sabotage the protest.

"Our whole motive and operational stance on this issue from the beginning was to ensure public safety, while facilitating OccupyMaine's right to voice their First Amendment constitutional rights," he said. "We've done a pretty good job at that, I like to think."

The police commander explained the

department will likely meet with Brown to determine the facts of the claim, then decide whether there was a violation of department policy.

If an internal investigation ensues, it would be a personnel matter, Sauschuck said.

Brown, a former city employee, says in court documents he was forced into homelessness following a series of obstacles in his life.

"At the age of 50, my life collapsed around me," reads the affidavit. "I had to file bankruptcy (and) resigned my $60,000 per year position with the city of Portland's Finance Department."

Brown says he later received counseling for depression and substance abuse, and eventually moved to Nevada where he worked a steady job. But in 2009, he returned to Maine and lost his job while caring for his ill brother.

He has been homeless since October 2009.

"Since becoming a member of OccupyMaine in October of this year, I no longer consider myself homeless," he said in the affidavit. "My tent is my home and the community of free spirits known as OccupyMaine has become my family."

His testimony will likely be one of multiple accounts made before a judge in the coming weeks.

Protesters camping in Lincoln Park say city officials are infringing on their rights by ordering them to leave and are asking a judge to decide the fate of the encampment.

Branson filed a lawsuit against the city in Cumberland County Superior Court Monday, calling an order to vacate issued to the protesters by Portland's city manager "unconstitutional on its face."

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, December 21, 2011— Page 3

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At $1.50 a pound, Georgia pecan thieves enjoy a windfall

BY KIM SEVERSON THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

FORT VALLEY, Ga. — To an enterprising thief, or even a casual dabbler in crime, the fallen pecans that cover thousands of acres of unpatrolled Georgia nut orchards might as well be a carpet of nickels.

Scoop up a pound — 30 nuts or so — and it can be cashed in for as much as $1.50 at the local buying station.

A more organized criminal might cut a hole in a fence at a nut-cleaning plant and drive away with a couple of thousand dollars’ worth of top-quality pecans.

Nut theft has long been a reality here in the nation’s pecan belt. It has become such a way of life that a south Georgia rapper, Hawkdogg, even has a song about it: “Crank Dat Pecan.”

But this season, which began in October and ends in January, the thefts appear to be at record levels, growers and the police say.

“We’ve had people go in there stealing pecans just like they’re going to a hardware store and taking a hammer and nails,” said Duke Lane, owner of Lane’s Southern Orchards and president of the Georgia Pecan Growers Association.

At least 50 people have been caught on his 2,600-acre orchard this year, Mr. Lane said.

“If somebody’s hungry and they want a handful of nuts, that’s one thing,” he said. “But this is different.

These guys have whole sacks.”

To protect themselves, growers have installed security cameras. But since most thefts happen at night, it’s hard to identify the culprits. The growers have hired security guards and added fences topped with barbed wire. But the orchards are too large to patrol effectively, and thieves cut through the chain link almost as soon as it goes up.

Still, pecan thieves are being caught in numbers that are nearly double what they were in 2010.

In Peach County, about a twohour drive south from Atlanta, more than 30 arrests have been made this season, said Capt. Kenny M. Cameron

A machine shook hundreds of pecans from a tree at Evans Farms for harvesting. To protect themselves, growers have installed security cameras, hired guards and added fences topped with barbed wire. But the orchards are too large to patrol effectively and since most thefts happen at night, it’s hard to identify the thieves. Still, pecan thieves are being caught in numbers that are nearly double what they were in 2010 (Photo: Rich Addicks for The New York Times).

of the sheriff’s office. One person was caught stealing 1,400 pounds of the nuts.

Farther south, in Mitchell County, there have been 37 reports of pecan thefts in the last two months, resulting in 16 arrests. Four were for felonies, said Joseph K. Mulholland, the district attorney for a five-county region that includes some of Georgia’s top pecan orchards.

The price of pecans is high this season, making them particularly lucrative for growers and thieves alike.

“Right now, you’re basically picking money off the ground,” Mr. Mulholland said.

Extreme drought and heat have hurt pecan production for Georgia’s biggest competitor, Texas, where the crop could be down by as much as 40 percent, according to agricultural extension reports.

Meanwhile, demand for pecans in China and other countries has been growing. Sixty-five percent of the crop from Georgia’s biggest pecan grower

goes overseas. Premium growers can get a healthy $3 a pound these days.

That means prices are up in the casual “yard nut” market, too. In rural Georgia, selling pecans that have fallen from the trees in one’s yard is a country version of returning cans and bottles for instant cash.

Nut processors have drive-up buying stations in several farming communities, and it is nearly impossible to tell a bag of legitimate yard nuts from a stolen one. Thieves also set up roadside stands or sell to people who act as middlemen, gathering small amounts until they have enough to head to the broker.

“Somebody’s going to buy that nut no questions asked,” said Charles Evans, the state’s largest pecan grower, who goes by the nickname Chop. Mr. Evans’s crews will process more than seven million pounds of nuts this season.

He is not sure how much he will lose to theft, but estimates it will be tens of thousands of pounds.

Certainly, thieves in Georgia steal all kinds of fruits and vegetables, but

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pecans are a particularly easy target.

Growers use machines to shake pecans off trees, and usually leave them on the ground for a few days before they are mechanically scooped up. And plenty fall from the trees on their own.

And unlike a delicate, fast-ripening peach, a pecan can be stored until a buyer is found. “With a peach, it’s like you’re holding a melting ice cube and trying to unload it,” Mr. Evans said.

A troubled economy is also contributing to the high rate of pecan theft, said Deputy Tim Hardy of the Peach County sheriff’s office. “People are trying to make a few extra bucks for the holidays or to make ends meet,” he said. As a result, law enforcement officials are making more vigorous use of a Georgia law that makes it a felony to steal more than $500 worth of agricultural products.

As a scare tactic, officers are increasingly charging pecan thieves with burglary instead of trespassing, Mr. Mulholland, the district attorney, said.

In Peach County Magistrate Court last week, four pecan cases were on the docket. They all involved criminal trespassing charges, which means the defendants had been caught with small amounts.

One person did not appear, and the other three were let off with warnings.

They had been picking nuts up along the side of the road and outside fenced orchards with no signs warning them off.

Two of the defendants, Jeanette Ogle and Randall Sorrow Jr., both in their 20s and engaged to be married, said they had been collecting nuts so Ms. Ogle’s mother could make holiday pies. When the farmer caught them, the couple offered to give back their bucket of pecans. Instead, he called the sheriff.

They learned their lesson: it is a rare pecan in this part of the country that does not belong to someone else.

And they have definitely changed their dessert plans for the holiday. “I think we’re going to go for a pumpkin pie,” Ms. Ogle said. “I don’t want to see another pecan right now.”

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Page 4 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, December 21, 2011

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

Honoring the example of founding fathers means staying non-religious Editor, A letter (“Nihilism rebutted: Longfellow captured the reality of God,” Dec. 15) disagrees with my view in which I question our government’s invoking God as in, “One nation under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance and “In God we trust” on our currency. Our U.S. Constitution which I proudly support makes no mention whatsoever of God. I honor the example George Washington and our founding fathers gave to us. They never put “God” on the coins and bills they issued. Their motto was not today’s “In God We Trust,” but rather, “E Pluribus Unum.” They had no pledge of allegiance seeing no need for such a pledge for a free people.

The Oath of Office for the President in Art. II, Sec. 1 of the Constitution ends with “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” not “so help me God.” I fully support the Constitution’s non-religious ending.

We are facing today a time of grave crisis — there is confusion and anger in the land. Only our godless Constitution will save us. We must rally round the Constitution, not the government’s religious Pledge of Allegiance, a state-sponsored prayer. Our existence as a free nation is at stake.

In their wisdom, our founding fathers understood that true religious freedom can only be attained by government abstaining from any and all involvement with God and religion, leaving this for the people to decide.

I completely agree with the Constitution’s concept of religious freedom for the people without the unconstitutional government meddling we see today. E Pluribus Unum.

Lee Kemble Portland

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

Letters for Santa Sometimes the mailman gets confused and delivers Santa’s letters to me (I don’t know if it is our matching bellies or beards that throws him.) I always read them before forwarding them to the Pole. Here are my favorites.

And I hope you all have a magical holiday!

From Last Minute Man ‘Twas the night before Christmas And I just started shopping.

The horrible mall was grotesquely hopping With t’weens and elves And presents galore Stacked ‘ginst the walls And all over the floor.

The stores blast new releases from “Glee” As I wait two hours in line to go pee.

Two hours more in the Apple Store To get on the waiting list for an iPad 4.

Since my ex has the kids Most of the time, I don’t know what they like ‘Cept it’s all on my dime.

Sadie wants stuff from “Twilight” Something about vampires and wolves.

What ever happened to want-

Maggie Knowles

Clothes and dolls that sing.

Dearest Husband Hear my plea: I’d really like a ring.

––––– Use Your Outdoor Voice ing pink ponies With glitter that spills from their hooves?

Sing-a-ma-jigs and Figits Who comes up with these names?

Isn’t there a generic version That’s cheaply quite the same?

Jacob asked for something Called an Optimus Prime, Expensive and will break in seconds The typical holiday crime.

Rex wants a Let’s Rock! Elmo I agree he’s kind of cute But oh that noise! The noise, noise, noise!

This Elmo shall be mute.

Flashing lights, buzzing bells The mall’s a Christmas Hell.

Chills and shakes, I’m feeling fluish.

Next year? I’m converting to Jewish.

Mrs. Claus’ Lament Hope and Joy Trucks and Trains

Jingle Bells Remix, from a 10-year-old boy Something smells, something smells Is it over there?

I checked the baby and the dog And underneath the stairs. Oh, Something smells, something smells Kinda like old fish Mixed with chlorine, sulfur, too Opposite of delish. Ew! Something smells, something smells It’s coming from the back It’s Uncle Jack, he’s passed out black Go and grab Febreeze.

From Sammi, age 15. (To the tune of “Let It Snow,” somewhat) Dear Santa, Oh, my sweater’s fit is dreadful Puberty is off of schedule.

I won’t mind if they hang low, Let ‘em grow, let ‘em grow, let ‘em grow. see KNOWLES page 5

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, December 21, 2011— Page 5

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

A comparison of state treasurers There seems to be a difference in philosophical approach between Democrat Dale McCormick and Republican Bruce Poliquin. McCormick is a former Treasurer of Maine and Poliquin is the current holder of that office. The Treasurer, by virtue of his/her position, sits on the Board of the Maine State Housing Authority, a classic example of a bureaucracy that thrives and grows even after it has outlived its usefulness if, indeed, it ever was useful, necessary, appropriate, and in the public interest.

McCormick, as near as I can discern, did little to distinguish herself as Treasurer but did develop a good eye for “political plums” emerging from her term as Treasurer to become Executive Director of the Maine State Housing Authority at 110K per year.

Poliquin, as Treasurer, has tried to educate us as to the size and cost of our bonded debt, and the importance of maintaining and improving Maine’s credit rating. In his capacity on the Board of the Maine State Housing Authority, he’s tried, with other Board Members, to introduce some measure of oversight and cost control.

The Maine State Housing Authority was created in the '70s when I was a legislator, but not with my vote. It was a time much like the present. The “Little Twit” from Georgia, Jimmy Carter, was President and the Democrats controlled Congress. They’d given us interest rates as high as 21 percent as a national policy to combat 13 percent inflation they’d created through deficit spending. They even gave us new words to describe the mess they’d created such as “stagflation” while the average of the interest rate and the inflation rate was called the “misery index.” We suffered through the results of Democrat economic illiteracy until Ronald Reagan came to our rescue.

The high interest rates made home ownership difficult, if not impossible, for most people.

Meanwhile at the Maine State level, legislative Democrats, ever alert to offer socialistic solutions to the problems Democrats create, came up with the concept of selling tax free bonds through a new state agency to be called the Maine State Housing Authority. The bond sales proceeds would be used to offer low interest loans to lower income home buyers.

Today, the rationale for the existence of Maine State Housing has disappeared. Interest rates are at an all time low, and the countryside is littered with foreclosed homes at distressed

Peter D. Leighton –––––

Guest Columnist prices. Apartment vacancies are high.

But Maine State Housing has not disappeared. It continues to grow with an operating budget of $13 million and 143 employees. It acts as a conduit for Fed. “Great Society” type programs such as Section 8. The State Transfer Tax is now dedicated to Maine State Housing, and has quadrupled representing increased closing costs to real estate buyers and sellers.

Will Maine State Housing, at some point, decide it has reached optimum size? I think not. Like all bureaucracies, it will expand to use up whatever space and money it can squeeze out of us until it has crowded the private sector out of the housing market. Then, we’ll all live in public housing with no references, no pets, and no vacancies.

Lest I be accused of singling out Maine State Housing for criticism, it’s simply an example of creeping Socialism. Government, not being subject to the competition and discipline of the market place is inherently inefficient. Wasn’t it Lincoln, who told us that, “government should do only those things that people can’t best do for themselves”? Resources dedicated to governmental solutions are resources that can’t be employed by the competitive, disciplined, creative private sector in making life better for us all. History shows that, as Reagan used to say, ”government is not the solution – government is the problem." America’s exceptionalism has been the result of the limitations our Constitution placed on government. How did we manage without Maine State Housing prior to the '70s? Does someone argue that people didn’t buy houses prior to that?

Of course they did and with less cost, more efficiency, and fewer closing costs.

Does the Dept. of Energy produce any energy? Does FAME produce industry? Does the Dept. of Agriculture produce food? Does Economic Development produce economic development?

It is the accumulated economic burden of carrying all this “Great Society” bureaucracy that has bankrupted us as a nation, both economically and culturally. As a taxpayer, my back is killing me.

Merry Christmas! from

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Hell at the mall, and other holiday vignettes KNOWLES from page 4

I wish I saw signs of stopping Ain’t nothing close to popping.

Prove that you love me so, Let ‘em grow, let ‘em grow, let ‘em grow.

When I finally grow and bloom I’ll never again whine about my size.

Waltzin’ round the room Showing off my new prize.

My confidence is slowly dying Wearin’ training bras and I’m cryin’ How bout 34B’s wrapped in a bow?

Let ‘em grow, let ‘em grow, let ‘em grow.

Santa’s Lament, a haiku. job, meal, heat, health, love? with all the magic i bring wish I could do more.

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

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Motherhood and the evils of alcohol (December’s What It’s Like! guest columnist is my friend and colleague Kelli Faherty, who has stories galore about her days in the hospitality business that make most of mine seen tame in comparison. If you have experience in the hospitality/restaurant industry and are interested in being a monthly guest columnist, please contact me at natalie@portlanddailysun.me. — Natalie Ladd) Among my social set, we hide our alcohol consumption behind clever names like “Book Club” or “Mom’s Night Out.” I know we aren’t on to anything new, but the reality of the situation is, as mothers, we’ve been reduced to secretive wine drinking parties.

We’ve backed ourselves into a modern prohibition lest our occasional and (much needed) drink opens the door on futures filled with binge-drinking and dysfunction.

Before I had children, my social life involved after-work drinks with friends, dinner with my husband or a glass or two of wine while we cooked dinner.

Work included procuring liquor licenses for hotel properties in all 50 states and often ended in a celebratory drink at some of their grand openings. Oh, it was all so glamorous.

No one told me that when I became a mommy those drinks would be deemed socially questionable behavior. Let’s face it, there’s a social subtext that says mothers are expected to uphold the appearance of purity and goddess-like behavior at all times. To quote Betty Rizzo’s take on propriety, “I don’t drink, I don’t swear … I get ill from cigarette … cough cough cough.” Alright, so maybe a quote from “Grease” isn’t the most intellectual choice but, 30 years ago parents didn’t hide their cocktails with such tenacity. Did they?

I grew up outside of New York City in a culturally diverse community. Okay, well … mostly Italian or Irish, but still. … Wine with dinner was just normal. So normal in fact, that when we moved to a then homogenous upstate New York, I was confused when adults didn’t include wine with their meals.

Just to be clear, I’ve seen the dark side of alcohol. I grew up in the ’70s and spent a fair amount of time in the family tavern.

Drawing from childhood memories, I wholeheartedly attest that those old mid-afternoon barflies left a lasting impression. Not to mention an excellent warning about the pitfalls of excessive alcohol consumption.

Of course, we’ve all heard the horror story about the lady who left her children in a parked car as she bellied-up in the local pub.

Kelli Faherty ––––– What It’s Like I think that most will agree when I say that’s a bad idea. Unless of course you’re the type who enjoys the thought of child services whisking your children off into the system.

A few months ago I read an online debate about drinking alcohol in front of children. I’ll never cease to be amazed at how heated the mommy set gets about this kind of stuff. And by heated I mean nasty. As a fly on the wall observer, I couldn’t help but note the nastiest of debaters were the women who believe a drink in front of children is pure evil.

Satan in a glass.

The subject of women and drinking is a hot button topic.

From Gina Barrecca’s recently published anthology, “Make Mine a Double” to “Mad Men” episodes, alcohol and parenting is on our collective minds. That on-line debate all started with some woman’s Mommy Blog. She was appalled with the idea that Sally Draper, the 10-year-old character from “Mad Men,” would be mixing her father’s martinis.

Poor Sally Draper. Poor, poor fictitious Sally Draper. Shouldn’t we be more worried about the tween actor portraying Sally Draper?

That real girl who spends her days mixing mocktails on camera and navigating the perils of Hollywood?

Sadly, for those of us not living in a glamorous mid-century world, the arrival of little ones means date nights are few and far between. Parents craving face time with their partners sometimes resort to extremes. For example, attempting to squeeze a date into the middle of Saturday errands.

Somewhere between a chaotic family excursion to Lowe’s and minivan meltdowns, we share a defeated yet wistful glance, wordlessly acknowledging the good old days. Sleeping in, quiet rides in a zippy two-seater and dining in swanky restaurants.

Any restaurant that doesn’t have booster seats and chicken fingers.

Desperation leads us to ill-fated lunches at child-friendly chain restaurants where a parent can order a glass of wine or a pint of beer. Even if it’s just one sip during a rare second of silence, hopefully combined with a lingering glance at the person you married, that sip evokes a link to the adult world and dates long gone.

Then someone hurls a french fry at your head and breaks the spell.

For the record, I’ve never been on the receiving end of the hairyeyeball if I happen to order a beer with my burger. Then again, I generally have just one. Though, a server once questioned whether I really wanted to allow my child to eat goat cheese since it wasn’t pasteurized. Go figure.

I’ll admit that I’ve scanned the drinks resting in front of the other mommies, often breathing a sigh of relief when I spot a comrade in arms. I might even wonder, now what in the world drove that woman to order a strawberry daiquiri smack in the middle of a Saturday afternoon? I mean, it’s only half-past breakfast!

But I don’t judge. I simply think of the lunacy that surrounds my own brood at the moment. The iPhone dropped in the toilet, the sparkling lemonade that recently decimated a laptop, the cat’s whiskers being shorn by a pair of safety scissors, and I crave a little bit of the mommy juice, too.

Much like Sally Draper, my sister and I knew how to mix a martini by the time we were ten. As a parent, I question the thought process of my father.

Was it because he grew up in my grandmother’s tavern that he didn’t take issue with his little girls tending bar? I can’t answer that question, but I do know that mixing those drinks and watching him drink them didn’t lead me down the path of alcoholism.

Quite the opposite.

I won’t hide when I drink a glass of wine, whether at home or if we’re all having dinner in a restaurant. Kid-free dinner dates are a temporary rarity. My life no longer includes hotel and restaurant openings or romantic candle-lit dinners in a hushed bistro. I’ll use whatever prop I can to make at least 2 minutes of that dinner resemble a night out before children.

I don’t wait for the kids to go to bed either. Mostly because I’m usually right behind them, but also because it’s just a drink.

A glass of grown-up liquid not meant for children, consumed responsibly and in moderation.

At least, that’s what my children are learning and for the record, they will not learn to mix martinis from me.

(Kelli Faherty is a writer, blogger and candidate for an MFA in creative writing at University of Southern Maine Stonecoast. Her former career in the hospitality industry includes several years in Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc.’s corporate legal department. Prior to her real jobs, she waitressed her way through college. She currently lives in Southern Maine with her husband, David Faherty and their three children.)

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, December 21, 2011— Page 7

BY CASEY CONLEY THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

the four dispensaries is being grown at a facility in Thomaston separate from the dispensary.

City spokeswoman Nicole Clegg said Wellness Connection's permit is still being reviewed by various city department, but that the review is nearly complete. Thus far, city staff had not uncovered any significant issues that would delay the permit, she said.

If the Portland and Brewer dispensaries open on time in late January, it will be the culmination of a yearlong period of upheaval at NPG/Wellness Connection.

Over the past 11 months, NPG: nearly ran out of money, lost two prominent board members, severed ties with its former partners in Berkeley, Calif., and borrowed $1.6 million at 8.5 percent interest from an investment group that includes former NBA player Cuttino Mobley to finance operations.

Throughout those travails, the company has delayed opening its dispensaries in all four locations several times.

In July, NPG and DeKeuster were sued by Berkeley Patients Group, which accused her of breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. BPG is trying to recover more than $600,000 it says DeKeuster squandered.

DeKeuster and her lawyers dispute claims made

by BPG in its lawsuit. She said yesterday that the lawsuit has not been resolved but declined to comment further.

In the phone interview, DeKeuster would not discuss prices for various medical marijuana strains at the Portland dispensary, but suggested the medicine would be priced competitively.

Price “is not something I am at liberty to discuss,” she said. “But we are definitely sensitive that we need to keep it affordable and (in a way) that doesn’t make the black market more attractive.”

Documents filed with the state several months ago show that Wellness Connection/NPG expects to sell its medical marijuana for about $340 per ounce.

Looking to streamline airport security screenings

BY NICOLA CLARK AND JAD MOUAWAD THE NEW YORK TIMES

Travelers in the midst of another holiday season of shuffling shoeless through seemingly interminable airport security lines may find it difficult to imagine a future where screenings are not only speedy but thorough.

But Kenneth Dunlap, director of security at the International Air Transport Association, a global airline lobbying group, suggested just such a situation, seemingly straight out of the 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger film “Total Recall.” In it, travelers would stop only briefly to identify themselves before entering a tunnel where machines would screen them for metals, explosives and other banned items as they walked through.

Such a vision may remain just that, a relic from a 20-year-old movie. But with global air traffic approaching 2.8 billion passengers a year and growing steadily about 5 percent a year, industry executives and security experts say a fundamental rethinking of today’s security checkpoints is inevitable.

What is less clear, however, is when — and to what degree — technology, regulation and public acceptance may come together to create nuisance-free security screening worldwide. Moreover, critics of the current system, including aviation security con-

sultants, airport executives and passenger advocacy groups, say the innovations may not be any more likely to thwart a determined terrorist than today’s systems.

As to the air industry group’s idea, “it is a concept that has been growing in popularity,” said Norman Shanks, an aviation security and airport management consultant near London. “Technically, it is feasible. But practically, it’s fraught with problems.”

There is little disagreement over the need for vigilance at airports. But after the British authorities uncovered a plot in 2006 to bomb passenger planes bound for the United States using liquid explosives and an attempt in 2009 by a Nigerian man to ignite a bomb hidden in his underwear, new security measures have proliferated, stretching checkpoint wait times.

According to the airline group, airport checkpoints globally cleared an average of just 149 people an hour in 2011, down from 220 people an hour five years ago. At peak travel periods like Christmas, the number of passengers cleared has slowed to as few as 60 an hour at certain airports.

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After countless delays, the operator of Portland’s only planned medical marijuana dispensary says the Congress Street facility should be up and running by the end of next month.

“We’re hoping that we will have the city permits (this week), and if that happens we’ll be on track to open by end of January,” said Becky DeKeuster, executive director of Wellness Connection of Maine, which until last week was known as Northeast Patients Group.

“I’m not foreseeing any roadblocks to that happening,” she added.

Wellness Connection of Maine/NPG leased a roughly 6,000-square-foot space at 685 Congress St., behind Local 188, in September. In addition to the medical marijuana dispensary, the site will have administrative offices, wireless Internet and rooms for various other offerings that could range from massage therapy to 12-step programs.

“We want to connect with service providers in the neighborhood and in Portland, and offer our patients not just medicine but affiliated wellness services,” DeKeuster said. “It’s more than just about a medicine or a vitamin you take, it’s a lot bigger than that.”

Wellness Connection/NPG was one of five nonprofit companies awarded a permit to operate a medical marijuana dispensary in Maine. But it was also the last permit holder to begin serving patients.

Under state law, patients must have certain qualifying illnesses and a doctor’s prescription to be eligible for medical marijuana.

Dispensaries operated by companies other than Wellness Connection/NPG are open in Ellsworth, Frenchville, Biddeford and Auburn.

Wellness Connection has one dispensary open in Thomaston and expects to open its Brewer location early next year. DeKeuster said the company could begin taking appointments as soon as today at its Hallowell dispensary. Medical marijuana for

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Portland med-pot dispensary seeks late-January opening

Page 8 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Street theater highlights pending environmental regulations

A concept for a checkpoint from the International Air Transport Association would sort travelers into three lanes, based on security levels. (Image from IATA/New York Times)

‘What we are trying to do is find that needle in the haystack. If we can reduce that haystack, it can help us’ SECURITY from page 7

Jonathan Hillier dons a costume as Santa while Todd Martin tries on a Grinch mask for a Maine Healthy Air Campaign press conference in Monument Square Monday. The two actors portrayed the benefits of clean air and water and the dangers of pollution, respectively, in a piece of street theater that accompanied a push for a new mercury and air toxics rule by the Environmental Protection Agency. Art Cerullo, a member of the American Lung Association of Maine’s Leadership Board, asked a crowd of about 30 people, “Will Maine receive the gift of healthy air this year? Or will we get coal in our stocking from out-of-state polluters?”

Today, the EPA is expected to unveil its new mercury and air toxics rule. Monday’s event was meant to pressure Maine’s Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins to support stricter controls on out-of-state coal-fire power plants. Last month both senators voted against a proposal that would have dismantled the Cross-State Air Pollution rule, which is designed to protect the public from toxic air pollution emitted by industrial plants in other states, organizers of the Monday press event said. Maine is dubbed the “tailpipe of the nation,” because polluted air flows from the south and west on prevailing winds, organizers said. Yet, an energy regulator warns that the new rules could bring impacts to the nation’s energy supply. A Maximum Achievable Control Technology standard on the electric power industry — coupled with three other pending EPA rules — could cause “a significant potential impact to reliability,” according to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation. (DAVID CARKHUFF PHOTO)

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are still laboratory prototypes. Others, like full-body scanners, biometric identification and various liquid and conventional explosives detection systems and even infrared lie detectors, are already in use or being tested in airports. But public concerns about privacy and the potential health effects of repeated exposure to X-rays, for instance, have led many governments to tread carefully.

“With any new technology, you get a certain amount of ‘What is this about?’ ” Janet Napolitano, the Homeland Security secretary, said in an interview. She said that the 500 or so body scanners in place at more than 100 airports in the United States had recently been equipped with software that generated a generic outline of passengers to protect their privacy. And while she played down the potential health risks linked to certain types of body scanners that use X-ray technologies, she acknowledged that “there is always a certain reticence when radiation is involved.”

To many security experts, however, improving both waiting times and security has less to do with rolling out sophisticated new machines and more with gathering information about passengers before they even arrive at the airport.

In the United States, the Transportation Security Administration has begun to shift to a more “riskbased” method of screening airline passengers, with the premise that the overwhelming majority of travelers pose no threat, yet must still be screened.

The first small step in this direction is a new program called PreCheck. Also known as the “trusted traveler program,” it provides airport security agents with the kind of information airlines routinely collect and store on their frequent fliers, including how they paid for their tickets, the history of their past flights and personal information like their home addresses.

The T.S.A. started the program in October by working with Delta Air Lines and American Airlines. Both airlines were asked to select some of their elite travelers and ask them whether they wanted to enroll in PreCheck, which currently offers faster screenings at a handful of airports. The agency plans to expand the program, which has 85,000 members, to other airports and other airlines.

“What we are trying to do is find that needle in the haystack,” said John S. Pistole, the head of the T.S.A. “If we can reduce that haystack, it can help us. We have to have a starting point someplace. The intelligence tells us a number of things, but the great likelihood is that a very frequent flier is not going to be a terrorist.”

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, December 21, 2011— Page 9

No snow, just cold for Christmas?

Well, at least the birds are happy: Who needs feeders when natural food can be found in abundance?

BY DAVID CARKHUFF THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

This December, the weather's been for the birds.

Christmas doesn't look like it will be white, and warmer-than-normal temperatures mean back-yard bird feeders aren't emptying as quickly as they usually would. The week before Christmas, birds are finding plenty to eat without help from their human caretakers, according to one feed store owner.

"Fewer people are buying seed because birds are eating a lot less" at feeders, said Derek Lovitch, owner of Freeport Wild Bird Supply at 541 Route 1 in Freeport.

"When weather is less demanding and natural food is in abundance, birds eat less at feeders," he explained.

While bags of bird seed aren't exactly flying off the shelves, bird feeders are moving, Lovitch said.

"We're selling a lot of pole set-ups that people want to put in the ground for Christmas," he said, explaining that normally this time of year, the earth would be frozen, but not this year.

An unusually mild November and first three weeks of December have caused a "very obvious impact," Lovitch said.

"The whole eastern part of the country has been in a ridge of high pressure," said National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Kistner, based in Gray.

"Now we're starting to see the pattern change a bit, we're starting to see colder weather come in the last few nights," he said.

Kistner said "nice, warm winter weather" is finally relenting in the face of a series of cold fronts.

Yet, the chance of snow for Christmas remains slim, although much depends on the path of a storm system which may stray into the Gulf of Maine later this week.

"If we don't get anything from that, chances are we're not going to get anything until Christmas night," Kistner said.

"The white Christmas, I don't really see it happening," he said.

Another storm is tracking off Cape Cod and may reach into Maine on Monday, Dec. 26.

"Our best chance for a storm is the day after Christmas," when this storm may dust Maine from midnight through noon, Kistner said.

For the month so far, Portland's average temperature is 36 degrees, five degrees above normal, according to the weather service. That average is beginning to slide downward with a recent bout with cold weather.

"We have been above normal, November was way above normal. I think we're starting to come back down to earth," Kistner said.

On Monday, Portland hit a low of 9 degrees, about 10 degrees below normal, he said. Yet, the high reached 40 degrees.

"We had a real arctic air mass over us, but a warm front came from the south," Kistner said.

“The last couple of days, we've been right around average or below average for overnight lows.”

On Tuesday, Portland's low temperature was slightly below freezing, at 31 degrees. The high only hit 34 degrees, still below normal, Kistner said.

Christmas, the temperatures in Portland may hit 20 degrees for morning lows, with highs in the low to mid 30s, "right around average," he said.

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By Holiday Mathis SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You see life as a privilege. And you’ll help someone who takes life for granted.

You won’t have to do anything special to provide this help. Just being you -- amazed by what life offers -- is enough.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21).

Ask friends for advice and help. Whatever is going on inside their heads, they will share with you. You have the kind of demeanor that makes people want to give you everything.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19).

You won’t mind giving extra care to children, the elderly and/or other needy individuals in your life. Someone has to, and it just so happens that right now you have more to give.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Your willingness to treat people the way they want to be treated will be most appreciated. What about you? Don’t you deserve some special treatment, too?

Well, you do, and you will get it.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20).

Somehow you’ll manage to charm people without even trying. It’s not entirely a blessing. Sure, you’d rather have people like you than not. Still, you might be uncertain of what to do with all the attention.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Dec. 21).

When you reflect back on this year, you’ll do so with a feeling of deep satisfaction. In January, you will learn a new language or assimilate with an interesting subculture. February brings intriguing social opportunities. There’s a shot at the “big time” in March. Changes in your family will favorably affect you in March. Gemini and Virgo people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 30, 7, 1, 24 and 28.

by Paul Gilligan

ARIES (March 21-April 19). It used to be a “you or me” world. Now it’s a “you and me world,” and you find it easy to include others in your plans and find ways to help each other and mutually benefit from the effort.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’ll provide excellent conversation and entertainment for anyone lucky enough to be around you today. You’re not trying to be funny, but your natural humor will shine through.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). It’s a strange predicament you’re in today.

You’ll walk the fine line, deciding what to reveal and what to keep to yourself. You’ll do this with commendable grace.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You wish you could tell everyone to “just behave.” Actually, you can. And you will. Whether or not they listen is another story. But you can be very convincing, especially when you get that serious look in your eye.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Because of your sophisticated mind, you can respect the other person’s point of view even when you don’t share it. You treat the other person with dignity and set a tone of behavior for both of you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’ll make a goal, fully knowing that it may be futile. That part really doesn’t matter.

That you have the heart and conviction is what matters most. In fact, it can make the impossible come true.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). How can you speak convincingly about something you know little about? You can’t.

That’s why you’ll dive in and try to learn everything there is to know about your subject of interest.

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, December 21, 2011

1 6 10 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 22 24 25 26 29 30 31 33 37 39 41 42 44

ACROSS Sandal part Loud sound of a hard impact Destiny Fragrance Possess Grass Men and boys Thingamajig Dry as a desert Ghosts “Scram!”

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46 47 49 51 54 55 56 60 61 63 64 65 66 67 68 69

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DOWN Houston and Donaldson Ensnare Acting part Oscar-winning

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 21 23 25 26 27 28 29 32 34 35 36 38

actor Don __ Grazing land Spin rapidly Bowlers and sombreros Pennsylvania or Fifth: abbr.

Church __; parishioner Glaringly offensive Producer __ Spelling Strong string Discontinued Run and wed Gobbles up Is defeated Red meat Meanie Actor Jack __ Went on stage One’s two cents’ worth Rainbows Rudely brief Door openers Squelch

40 Terry cloth wraparounds 43 __ and cons 45 Go beyond 48 Neighbor of California 50 Corned beef sandwich 51 Synagogue leader 52 To no __;

fruitlessly 53 Ride a bike 54 In the __ of; surrounded by 56 Root beer brand 57 Ripped 58 Border 59 Forest animal 62 “__ on a Grecian Urn”

Yesterday’s Answer

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, December 21, 2011— Page 11

––––––– ALMANAC ––––––– Today is Wednesday, Dec. 21, the 355th day of 2011. There are 10 days left in the year. Winter arrives Today’s Highlight in History: On Dec. 21, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln signed a congressional act authorizing the Navy Medal of Honor.

On this date: In 1620, Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower went ashore for the first time at present-day Plymouth, Mass.

In 1879, the Henrik Ibsen play “A Doll’s House” premiered at the Royal Theater in Copenhagen.

In 1910, 344 coal miners were killed in Britain’s Pretoria Pit Disaster.

In 1945, Gen. George S. Patton died in Heidelberg, Germany, of injuries from a car accident.

In 1948, the state of Eire, or Ireland, passed an act declaring itself a republic.

In 1958, Charles de Gaulle was elected to a seven-year term as the first president of the Fifth Republic of France.

In 1971, the U.N. Security Council chose Kurt Waldheim to succeed U Thant as Secretary-General.

In 1976, the Liberian-registered tanker Argo Merchant broke apart near Nantucket Island, off Massachusetts, almost a week after running aground, spilling 7.5 million gallons of oil into the North Atlantic.

In 1988, 270 people were killed when a terrorist bomb exploded aboard a Pam Am Boeing 747 over Lockerbie, Scotland, sending wreckage crashing to the ground.

In 1991, eleven of the 12 former Soviet republics proclaimed the birth of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the death of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

One year ago: The Census Bureau announced that the nation’s population on April 1, 2010, was 308,745,538, up from 281.4 million a decade earlier. A divided Federal Communications Commission approved, 3-2, new rules known as “net neutrality” meant to prohibit broadband companies from interfering with Internet traffic flowing to their customers.

Today’s Birthdays: Country singer Freddie Hart is 85. Actor Ed Nelson is 83. Talk show host Phil Donahue is 76. Actress Jane Fonda is 74. Actor Larry Bryggman is 73.

Singer Carla Thomas is 69. Musician Albert Lee is 68. Actor Samuel L. Jackson is 63.

Singer Betty Wright is 58. International Tennis Hall-of-Famer Chris Evert is 57. Actress Jane Kaczmarek is 56. Actor-comedian Ray Romano is 54. Country singer Christy Forester is 49. Actor-comedian Andy Dick is 46.

Actor Kiefer Sutherland is 45. Actress Karri Turner is 45. Actress Khrystyne Haje is 43.

Country singer Brad Warren is 43. Actress Julie Delpy is 42. Actor Glenn Fitzgerald is 40. Singer-musician Brett Scallions is 40.

Country singer Luke Stricklin is 29.

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Movie: ››‡ “Twilight” (2008) Kristen Stewart.

TVLND Home Imp. Home Imp. Raymond TBS

Fam. Guy

Fam. Guy

SPIKE Bar Rescue (In Stereo)

Fam. Guy

Cleveland The Exes

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Big Bang

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Bar Rescue (In Stereo) Bar Rescue “Chumps”

78

OXY Tori & Dean: Home

146

TCM Movie: ›››‡ “The Front” (1976) Woody Allen.

Tori & Dean: Home

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American Horror Story American Horror Story

Raymond

1 5 9 14 15 16 17

19 20

21 22 23 24 28 29 33 34 36 37 40

King

King

Conan (N) Å Bar Rescue (In Stereo)

Movie: ››‡ “Legends of the Fall” (1994) Å Movie: ››› “Ball of Fire” (1941) Gary Cooper.

ACROSS Damon of “Good Will Hunting” Judge’s attire Military dress hat Sound rebound Genesis fatality Was able to Start of a Johann W. von Goethe quote Cowboy show Theory of proletarian revolution Bandleader Cugat Pool stick First name in cartoon skunks Fall blooms Research rm.

Float up Argentine plain Like some cereals Failure Part 2 of quote Abdul Aziz __

41 42 43 45 46 47 49 50 53 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65

1 2 3 4

Saud Sluggishly Cowboy’s lariat Ballpark figs.

End of a sock Low tracts On top of The Greatest Isolated mountain Even more nifty Deprive of courage End of quote Movie daredevilry Buffalo’s lake Lebowitz or Drescher Placards Stadium level Chronometer information DOWN Cry like a kitten Massage target At that time Nobel-winner

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 18 21 23 24 25 26 27 28 30 31 32 34 35

Morrison Half a diameter Too fat Light line Ernie of the PGA Toss out Former FBI head Autobahn auto “The Twittering Machine” painter Olfactory stimulator A-list members Three-masted sailing ship Easy mark Michael Caine film Thick pieces Tarnish Pic blowup Long-handled spoon Perfect example Connecting rooms Ferber and Best Wrinkle-free fabric City in eastern

England 38 Words before sight and mind 39 Farrow or Sara 44 “Valley of the Dolls” writer 46 Assassin 48 Pub portions 49 Eagle’s nest 50 Make untidy

51 In opposition to 52 Self-righteously complacent 53 Gilpin of “Frasier” 54 Weapon handle 55 Calvary initials 56 Paraffin-coated cheese 57 Ex-Cub Sandberg 59 VFW member

Yesterday’s Answer

THE

Page 12 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, December 21, 2011

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THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, December 21, 2011— Page 13

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ANNIE’S MAILBOX Dear Annie: I usually do the cooking in the house, but occasionally, my husband likes to surprise me by preparing a meal. I’m glad he wants to relieve me of the kitchen duties, but he has a bad habit of wrecking my cookware.

Recently, I came home from work, and he was beaming from having made a big dinner. But then I saw that he served the meal in plastic bowls that he had placed in the oven to keep warm. He permanently damaged them, and I jumped on him for ruining the bowls. He got upset because he was expecting praise for making dinner.

I know I should not have become upset over some plastic bowls, but he does this all the time. He’s ruined nonstick cookware by scratching it with metal utensils, burned pans by heating them when they were empty, microwaved nonmicrowaveable containers, and on and on.

Please tell me how to overlook the fact that we have to replace so many kitchen items and just be happy that he cooks.

I don’t want him to stop. I just want him to use some common sense. -- California Dear California: You need to explain these things to your husband when you aren’t angry. He doesn’t know any better because no one has taken the time to teach him properly.

Try cooking together, showing him by example how to create a dish in the kitchen without ruining everything. Treat his gaffes with affection, and make sure to appreciate his handiwork when he’s finished. If this doesn’t help, keep in mind that it is much easier to replace pots and pans than a loving husband who cooks for you.

Dear Annie: I’m a teenager. My brother and I live with my mother, one uncle and my grandparents. I love them all dearly.

My mother works, but on the weekends she does all the cleaning. The thing is, my grandmother is sick and sometimes

cannot do what she used to do. Then she gets mad at us for no apparent reason. We try to take care of her, but she still gets angry. We can’t talk to her about it, because we worry she will get sicker.

My grandmother often says she doesn’t like living in our house. How can I get everything back to being a family again?

-- Need of Peace in California Dear Need Peace: Talk to your mother about this, and ask for her suggestions. We think your grandmother’s anger has nothing to do with any of you. She is lashing out at her family because she doesn’t like feeling too sick (or too old) to do the things she used to do. She wants to be valued and appreciated. Ask Grandma to help you cook one of her special dishes. Or talk to her about her favorite book or a city where she traveled. Ask her to tell you about her parents. Find out what interests her, and do your best to show her that she still matters.

Dear Annie: I wrote the letter signed “Alone in Omaha,” telling you that I was having major brain surgery and no one would be in the hospital with me during this time.

Thank you for your advice to call my family and tell them.

I did that. I let them know it would be good to have someone here, and they came through. My father is coming, my sister is driving 10 hours from Oklahoma, and my brother will be here, too. I also joined an epilepsy support group, and the people are all so kind and said they will help me out. -- No Longer Alone in Omaha Dear Omaha: Thank you so much for letting us know, and we hope your surgery is successful. Hundreds of our readers, even those not from Omaha, wrote to say they would sit by your side during the surgery so you would not be alone. God bless every single one of them.

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

Prickly City

by Scott Stantis

THE NEW YORK TIMES

CAIRO — Thousands of women marched through downtown Cairo on Tuesday evening to call for the end of military rule in an extraordinary expression of anger over images of soldiers beating, stripping and kicking a female demonstrator on the pavement of Tahrir Square.

“Drag me, strip me, my brothers’ blood will cover me!” they chanted. “Where is the field marshal?” they demanded, referring to Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the head of the military council holding onto power here. “The girls of Egypt are here.”

The event may have been the biggest women’s demonstration in Egypt’s history, and the most significant since a 1919 march led by pioneering Egyptian feminist Huda Shaarawi to protest British rule.

The scale was stunning, and utterly unexpected in this strictly patriarchal society. Previous attempts to organize women’s events in Tahrir Square this year have either fizzled or, in at least one case, ended in the physical harassment of the handful of women who did turn out.

The women’s chants were evidently heard at military headquarters as well. On Tuesday evening, the ruling military council offered an abrupt apology.

“The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces expresses its utmost sorrow for the great women of Egypt, for the violations that took place during the recent events,” the council said in a statement.

“It stresses its great appreciation for the women of Egypt and for their right to protest and to actively, positively participate in political life on the path of democratic transition.”

Although no one in the military has been publicly investigated or charged in connection with any misconduct, the statement asserted that the council had already taken “all the legal actions to hold whoever is responsible accountable.”

On the fifth of day of clashes between demonstrators and military police, the outpouring of women represented a stark shift for a protest movement that has often seemed to degenerate to crowds of young men trading volleys of rocks with riot police.

It comes at a moment when many protesters were beginning to despair that they were losing a propaganda war against the military rulers’ attempts to portray them as vandals and arsonists out to ruin the country.

Just two hours before the women massed, a coalition of liberal and human rights groups unveiled a plan to try to break state media’s grip on public opinion by holding screenings around the country of video capturing recent military abuses. Groups of soldiers have been recorded beating prone demonstrators with clubs, firing rifles and handguns as they chased protestors, and more than one version of soldiers stripping female demonstrators.

In the most famous of those, a half dozen soldiers beating a woman with batons rip away her abaya to reveal her blue bra before one plants his boot on her chest.

Page 14 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, December 21, 2011

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Wednesday, Dec. 21

Shop With a Cop

Christmas with the Longfellows

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10 a.m. Through Saturday, Dec. 31, Christmas with the Longfellows: Holiday House Tours. “Visit the Longfellow House for a special holiday experience. This year’s seasonal decoration and interpretation, based on family letters and documents, focuses on 1861. Objects have been added to rooms to illustrate both the emergence of Christmas as the holiday we recognize today, and the impact of the Civil War on residents of the house and of Portland. Wadsworth-Longfellow family members kept up with their usual habits and interests throughout the holiday season: Anne Longfellow Pierce participated in the war effort by making bandages, socks, shirts, and other supplies to be sent to soldiers in addition to her usual charity work; Lucia Wadsworth was interested in political affairs and city life, and also contributed knitted and sewn goods to the war effort. Tours: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Last tour leaves at 4 p.m. Dec. 24 and 31, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Last tour leaves at 1 p.m. www. mainehistory.org/programs_events.shtml

3:45 p.m. “The Portland Police Department along with their police union, Police Benevolent Association, Target, and Portland Pie Company are sponsoring Shop With a Cop, an opportunity for children to do some holiday shopping with a local police officer. Ten children from more than one hundred applicants were selected based on their answer to the question ‘Why I want to go shopping with a police officer?’to be a part of the fourth annual holiday event. The children will be picked up in a patrol car by a police officer at one of Portland Recreation’s after-school locations and taken to Target where they will have the opportunity to purchase gifts for their friends and family. The officer will accompany the child as they shop. Afterwards, the officers and children will return to the Portland Police Department to wrap their gifts. Portland Pie Company will provide pizzas.”

3:45 p.m., officers and children arrive at Target; 5:30 p.m., wrapping and pizza party at Police Department, 109 Middle St. www.portlandmaine.gov

Portland’s Annual Homeless Persons’ Memorial Vigil 4 p.m. “The community will hold a vigil to remember its

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St. Augustine of Canterbury healing service 7 p.m. St. Augustine of Canterbury Church will hold a healing service in accordance with the Rites of the Church.

The service will be followed by the Mass which includes the Holy Eucharist. The healing service includes anointing with oil and the laying on of hands as contained in Holy Scripture and according to the rites of the Church.

Persons are welcome to attending both the healing service and the Mass that follows. St. Augustine’s is a Traditional and Orthodox Anglican Catholic Community, part of the worldwide Traditional Anglican Communion, with members in 44 countries. St. Augustine of Canterbury Church worships at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, and Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Cathedral Pines Chapel at 156 Saco Ave. in Old Orchard Beach. Father Jeffrey W. Monroe is Vicar and Fr. Joseph Bizimana is Asst. Vicar. For additional information, contact 799-5141.

Nutcracker Burlesque 7:30 p.m. This December, Vivid Motion’s holiday classic — Nutcracker Burlesque — returns to the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress St., Portland. The show opens on Friday, Dec. 16, and runs Dec. 16-18 and Dec. 20-23; all shows with a 7:30 p.m. curtain. All seats are $15; order online at www.vividmotion.org or in person with cash or check at Longfellow Books, One Monument Way, Portland.

Nutcracker Burlesque is not appropriate for children.

Thursday, Dec. 22 Trinity Episcopal labyrinth 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Trinity Episcopal at 580 Forest Ave. (entrance in rear) is offering its indoor Chartre-style labyrinth for meditative walks. Allow about 30 minutes. FMI 772-7421.

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homeless friends who have died, in the courtyard of the Preble Street Resource Center, on the corner of Preble and Portland Streets. People who are homeless, those who have been homeless, those who work to with homeless people, and those who are grateful not to be homeless will gather on the eve of the winter solstice for Portland’s Annual Homeless Persons’ Memorial Vigil. The event will begin with a candlelight procession from the Preble Street Resource Center to Monument Square, where a ceremony will take place to honor homeless persons who have died.

The public is encouraged to join the procession at Preble Street Resource Center at 4 p.m. or the ceremony at Monument Square, beginning at 4:15 p.m. The event is sponsored by the City of Portland Health and Human Services Department, Mercy Hospital, and Preble Street.”

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE! How about a Go Pro camera!

Portland Fire Department graduation ceremony 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Portland Fire Department celebrates the graduation of 20 firefighters known as class 2011-19.

“Their graduation follows a rigorous and intense 21-week training in advanced firefighting and life support medical training. During the ceremony, the new graduates will receive their fire fighting pin from a chosen loved one, a longstanding PFD tradition. Portland Fire Chief Fred LaMontagne will be joined by members of the PFD as they congratulate the graduates: Michael Mutchie of Omaha Nebraska; Travis Ferrante of Portland Maine; Paul Muldoon of Casco, Maine; Stephen Coppi of Hollis, Maine; David Anderson of Yarmouth, Maine; Andrew Johnston of Windham, Maine; P.J. Cook of Congers, New York; Adam Kalakowsky of Framingham, Massachusetts; Nick Calvert of Steep Falls, Maine; David Gain of South Portland, Maine; Brandon Farley of South Portland, Maine; Craig Voisine of Gorham, Maine; Robert White of Portland, Maine; Jason Mudge of Townsend, Massachusets; Glen Gorden of Yarmouth, Maine; Michael Casey of Kennebunk, Maine; Bobbi Jo Barden of Charlottesville, Virginia; Scott Brown of Portland, Maine; Corey Morin of Hudson, New Hampshire; and, Greg Knights of Brookline, N.H.” Portland High School Auditorium.

‘The Victorian Nutcracker’ 2 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. “Portland Ballet Company brings its own unique New England version of the Nutcracker to Merrill Auditorium with its beloved ‘The Victorian Nutcracker.’ The show, which takes the classic Nutcracker story and sets it in historical Portland, Maine with sets, costumes, and characters inspired by historical figures, will be performed twice at Merrill Auditorium on Friday, Dec. 23 at 2 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. The cast of professional dancers from the Portland Ballet Company, accompanied by the Portland Ballet Orchestra, is known for its lively, entertaining and beautiful Nutcracker. This year’s conductor is Sean Newhouse, assistant conductor at the Boston Symphony Orchestra. ...” Tickets are available through PortTix at www. porttix.com or 842-0800. Ticket prices range from $17-$47.

Call 772-9671 or visit www.portlandballet.org. see next page

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, December 21, 2011— Page 15

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

The Polar Express 2:45 p.m. The Polar Express is back, with an early train time of 2:45 p.m. and another First Class car. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 23. The Polar Express will come to life when the Maine Narrow Gauge train departs its Ocean Gateway depot for a journey to the “North Pole.”

Holiday decorations inside the train will add to the festive atmosphere as guests on board meet the conductor, have hot chocolate and a treat, listen to a reading of the enchanting story over our sound system, and sing carols. Santa will ride back with everyone to the train station from a special outpost of the North Pole and every child will receive their special bell on board the train. www.mainenarrowgauge. org/polar-express

Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech project for youth 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Portland Housing Authority and study centers located at Riverton Park, Sagamore Village and Kennedy Park in Portland will be working with youth to reflect upon Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech and how that speech still has meaning, on Fridays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. between now and Martin Luther King Jr. Day and between 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The students will work with volunteers to write and perform three plays that will take place at the NAACP event in their communities. If you would like more information or are interested in volunteering at this event, contact Emily Fitch at efitch@porthouse.org or 773-4753.

‘Being Elmo’ at the PMA 6:30 p.m. Film screening at Movies at the Museum, Portland Museum of Art. Friday, Dec. 23, 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2 p.m.; Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2 p.m.; Thursday, Dec. 29, 2 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 30, 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 31, 2 p.m. NR “Beloved by children of all ages around the world, Elmo is an international icon. Few people know his creator, Kevin Clash, who dreamed of working with his idol, master puppeteer Jim Henson. Displaying his creativity and talent at a young age, Kevin ultimately found a home on Sesame Street. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, this documentary includes rare archival footage, interviews with Frank Oz, Rosie O’Donnell, Cheryl Henson, Joan Ganz Cooney, and others and offers a behind-the-scenes look at Sesame Street and the Jim Henson Workshop.” http:// www.portlandmuseum.org/events/movies.php

‘Home For the Holidays Cabaret’ 7:30 p.m. Lucid Stage announces A New Edge production: “Home For the Holidays Cabaret,” Celebrate the holidays and community with Home for the Holidays Cabaret! Singing, storytelling, audience participation and an optional Yankee Swap (bring a wrapped “re-gift”). $8 at Lucid Stage, 29 Baxter Blvd., Portland. 899-3993. www.LucidStage.com

Saturday, Dec. 24 Christmas at the Movies 10 a.m. Next Level Church presents “Christmas at the Movies,” an incredible family Christmas experience featuring clips from the holiday movie, “Elf,” a family photo booth, great gifts, and tons of holiday treats and fun. “Christmas at the Movies” will happen on Saturday, Dec. 24 at 10 a.m. at the Cinemagic Grand Theater, located at 333 Clarks Pond Road in South Portland. Tickets are free but are required, and are available by visiting www.nlc.tv anytime. Next Level Church is one church, meeting every weekend across three locations (Dover, N.H.; Newington, N.H. and Portland).

Christmas with the Longfellows 10 a.m. Through Saturday, Dec. 31, Christmas with the Longfellows: Holiday House Tours. “Visit the Longfellow House for a special holiday experience. This year’s seasonal decoration and interpretation, based on family letters and documents, focuses on 1861. Objects have been added to rooms to illustrate both the emergence of Christmas as the holiday we recognize today, and the impact of the Civil War on residents of the house and of Portland. WadsworthLongfellow family members kept up with their usual habits and interests throughout the holiday season: Anne Longfellow Pierce participated in the war effort by making bandages, socks, shirts, and other supplies to be sent to soldiers in addition to her usual charity work; Lucia Wadsworth was interested in political affairs and city life, and also contributed knitted and sewn goods to the war effort. Tours: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Last tour leaves at 4 p.m. Dec. 24 and 31, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Last tour leaves at 1 p.m. http://www.mainehistory.org/programs_events.shtml

Christmas Eve service 7 p.m. First Universalist will present its annual Christmas Eve service in song and prayer. First Universalist Church is located at 169 Pleasant St., with entry on Spring St. Accessible. For more information, call 783-0461 or www.auburnuu.org.

Sunday, Dec. 25

Merry Christmas!

Chanukah on Wheels 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. A family Chanukah bash at Happy Wheels, 331 Warren Ave., Portland. Music, dreidels, latkes, grand raffles, donuts, gelt, lighting of the menorah. Admission is $7 per person. RSVP ChabadofMaine@gmail.com.

Monday, Dec. 26 Holiday curbside trash and recycling 6:30 a.m. “This holiday season, Portland Public Services crews will collect curbside trash and recycling as usual with no changes to the schedule. Crews will collect trash and recycling Monday, Dec. 26 and Monday, Jan. 2. Residents are asked to place their items out by 6:30 a.m. for

collection. Christmas trees can be left for collection on your normal trash day between Dec. 26 and Jan. 20. Trees can also be dropped off at one of the following locations during the month of January: Cutter Street parking lot, Payson Park Little League Field and the nine-hole golf course lot on Riverside Street. Please note that wrapping paper is recyclable, and Styrofoam packaging is not.”

Maine Academy of Modern Music’s Rock Camp 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. “School’s out and it’s time to rock!

Forget the books and come play at the Maine Academy of Modern Music’s Rock Camp. Whether on the nice list with a brand new guitar … or stuck on the naughty list for jamming too loud, MAMM’s cool Rock Camp series provides young aspiring musicians a place to learn rock ‘n’ roll and have fun. This weeklong crash course in modern music covers songwriting, recording and tips on how to start a band — everything it takes to get out of the garage and into the studio or on stage. Ages 10 and up. Price: $300.

Dec. 26 through Dec. 30. Location: Portland (Breakwater School/856 Brighton Ave.). Registration: www.maineacademyofmodernmusic.org/camps, 899-3433.

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Page 16 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Wednesday, December 21, 2011