Valuable art jewelry & antiques?
Call 774-6257
Serving Portland’s Peninsula Since 1931 • www.clarkinsurance.com
October 2016
Sun Sets On Season
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com Page 1
Vote No On Question 4
Up Portland’s Opinion
The following proposal (Question 4) will appear on our Maine ballots on the 8th of November: “Do you want to raise the minimum hourly wage of $7.50 to $9 in 2017, with annual $1 increases up to $12 in 2020, and annual cost-of-living increases thereafter; and do you want to raise the direct wage for service workers who receive tips from half the minimum wage to $5 in 2017, with annual $1 increases until it reaches the adjusted minimum wage?” On the surface it looks pretty innocent and appears to bring folks a living wage, but when one looks at the second part (the one about tipped workers) there are some pretty major problems this newspaper sees, which is why we advise a “NO” vote on 4 from readers. The biggest issue is survival of the Maine hospitality and restaurant industry. While that question looks innocent enough on paper (or a screen), let’s see what Greg Dugal of the Maine Innkeepers Association told Up Portland and why our request for a “NO” vote makes sense. “This is the only time ever there has been a referendum in it with a tip credit. In modern memory nobody has ever attempted to do this and it is buried so deep in the referendum that while this change is there, most people will not see it. The problem is simply math... when a restaurant gets a three, four or five percent margin at the bottom line, there’s not much space left for the owner to pay this and make any sort of profit. Let’s, for ease of math, say Restaurant X
Page 2
has a $1 million bottom line and they make say 3% or $30,000 on that million. The first year this would cost them over $30,000 due to the tipped wage and the adjustment... at a minimum, you are talking 25-30% a year. All of a sudden does the restaurant have less employees, a closure one or two days a week to cover some of the fixed costs, have a different style service or technological fix or does it close and put everyone out of work? In the first four years (if this were to pass) cost to an average restaurant will be $120,000, so at the end of the day you are talking restaurants and others in the industry asking ‘What do I do?’... I already think pricing in Portland restaurants is too high and if you raise that pricing you will be more expensive than Boston as they don’t have this...” We at Up Portland agree and while we want to see our restaurant server friends get paid decent wages they can live with, from speaking to many — at eateries famous and not, big and small — we find that for the most part servers and bussers and hosts already do quite well. In some cases, with margins where they are, the staff makes better “take home” than owners, who have additional costs — food to overhead like equipment and power and taxes — leaving this newspaper to call for a loud and clear “NO” vote if we want to keep the industry prospering, the staffs working and doors open. Dugal also mentioned one other thing which has changed the wind direction on this issue, and that’s how folks tip. “It used to be people tipped in cash, but now most use credit card, so the tips are reported to the IRS. This means its now impossible to hide behind the old ‘non tippers’ answer so many servers have used when saying they were underpaid. Based on the average reported tips, I can say that people go to college and do not make $40 an hour (which many employees at popular restaurants report) so I would tell you those people make a good living at it presently and there’s no need to get more compensation.” We at Up Portland quite agree and while the non-tipped part of 4 is good, the second part makes it untenable in our way of thinking. We call for a strong NO on Question 4 in November. — Ted Fleischaker, Publisher.
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com
Portland’s Independent Pharmacy 84 Marginal Way, Portland Across from Trader Joe’s in the InterMed Building Compounding pharmacy Retail pharmacy Veterinary medicine High-quality vitamins, supplements, and natural remedies. Medication Therapy Management Free monthly educational events Knowledgeable team at your service, helping you make informed health decisions
October Events Monday, October 17th New Mom Discussion: Introducing Solids to Your Baby with Tricia Albert, OTR/L, CLC and Ellen Kunkle, CCE
Wednesday, October 26th The Full Picture of Breast Health with Carrie Levine, CNM and Ingrid LeVasseur, BA, CCT
Phone: 207.899.0886 www.coastalpharmacyandwellness.com www.facebook.com/coastalpharmacyandwellness
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com Page 3
Sauntering With Mat
By Mat Robedee / Up Portland Commentator
Every time I get on a bicycle a very nostalgic feeling overcomes me. I am teleported back to my 12-year-old self — a time of rat-tails, sweatpants and a Walkman were the must-haves. A certain childish spirit of exploration awakens inside of me and my eyes light up with excitement when I hop on a bike. One of the highlights of youth was getting home from school, throwing down my backpack and jumping onto my bike. One-by-one the neighbourhood kids would do the same until a small group was assembled and we would disappear down trails together until the sun went down. To us, we were infinite. We were unstoppable. A backcountry bicycle gang of sorts, one that explored everything: fields and streams, farms and forests …possibly even causing some trouble along the way. I cherish that time, when life seemed simpler and my greatest concern was if my tyre had enough air or what my parents had ready for dinner when I got home. Luckily for me, I have found that this thrill of adolescent adventure can still be tapped into, even 20 years later.
SEA KAYAKING & PADDLEBOARDING AT EAST END BEACH
Explore the Islands of CASCO BAY
RENTALS • GUIDED TRIPS • LESSONS PortlandPaddle.net • 207-370-9730 Page 4
Even though I grew up with a wild love for country life, there are MANY reasons why I am now proud to call the City of Portland home. Of course there are the obvious reasons, such as the city sits right on stunning Casco Bay and is a gateway to historic forts, beaches and lighthouses. The city is also full of food, arts and a diverse variety of inspiring musicians. One of my favourite perks of Portland, though, is one I feel many do not take full advantage of: the incredible public trail system. These trails offer various opportunities for recreation and are due to Portland Trails; a nonprofit urban land trust. Currently networks of over 70 miles of trails exist throughout the Greater Portland area and trail access can be reached within a half a mile for every resident of the city. Being a person who loves outdoor everything, I appreciate living in a city where I can walk out my front door and in moments be able to jog, walk, cross country ski or bike on a city trail. I recently bought a Portland Trails map which shows all of the 70+ miles of trails. The map even shows trails scattered throughout some of the coastal islands and has quickly become one of the best items I’ve purchased recently. Heck, I even have it hanging on my wall. One of the last Sundays in September, the weather was flawless. My roommates and I were checking out the map and decided to load up for a day of exploration. Biking on a paved road has its charms but it’s difficult to beat winding through a piney forest or picturesque meadows and marshes that these trails have to offer. Off-roaders experience the world differently: The scents are more pleasant and distance away from the buzz on everyday life can recharge the soul. Of course the trails are mostly dirt, so a mountain bike or cyclocross (designed like road bikes but with bigger hybrid tires) is a must. If biking is not for you, load up on some water and head out on foot for the day. As for us, we clocked 20miles of biking that day and I swear I could have kept going if it were not for the sun going down. It was quite easily one of my favourite Portland experiences of the year. I was able to explore areas that I rarely see or have never seen. Other than an extremely sore butt from riding so long, my body felt amazing. I love exercise, but running has never been for me. I can still
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com
We are more than just copies… get my cardio without having to go for a run or hit the gym. Plus, I find it far more entertaining. It is not common in my life to hear a friend say: “I just totally rocked it out on the treadmill today and it was awesome.” Instead, I can get that leg-burning, lung-crushing workout while biking.
and and
R
S
HU
M
BROC
N
ES
PRINTI
So before snow hits the ground (yes, that is going to happen soon) consider borrowing a friend’s bike if you do not have one yourself or rent one for the day. The City of Portland is gorgeous, but so much of that beauty can be found away from the shops and cobblestone streets. So get outside! Explore, bike and play – but make sure to wear a helmet!
and
G
Physical joy aside, biking also allows me to get healthy and a dose of adrenaline, but also slows down the world around me. Driving in an automobile, we are naturally keeping our eye on the road, fixed on what is just in front of us. Something is just perfect about the speed of a bike. It allows you to cover so much more ground than walking, but you can see so much more than from a car. On a bike, I can truly take in and appreciate my environment, while loving the fact that I am flying at the ground level.
PROGRA
and
FLYERS and SELL SHEETS and CALENDARS and BANNERS and NOTE CARDS and MAILERS and BUSINESS CARDS and NEWSLETTERS and POST CARDS and INVITATIONS and MENUS and POSTERS and … including cutting, scoring, folding, multiple types of binding, hole punching, dry mounting, and laminating
Conveniently located at 100 Fore Street in Portland
(next to Hamilton Marine on your way to the Eastern Prom) with plenty of free parking
207.775.2444 • www.xcopy.com Like us on
/facebook.com/XPressCopy
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com Page 5
Food For Thought... A couple different food-related topics this time, so let’s get right to ‘em... First off, it’s amazing how advice we got as kids sometimes is still as valid now as on the day it was received. At our house back in the day it was “eat at a nice hotel...they always have good food.” A lot of my friends and readers today hearing that advice (and thinking of the cheap powdered-egg “free” breakfasts at this or that “inn” or “motel” by the freeway) would deservedly ask me if I was smoking the drapes or on something stronger. The very idea of eating at a modern day motel one is staying at is foreign, never mind going to one specifically to eat. But hold on there... over the years we have found a lot of the old, classic hotels always have (and many still do) offer great eats — so do many of the newer, classier ones. Growing up in the Midwest and South, I can recount many classic meals at Louisville’s Brown or Kentucky, Indianapolis’ Severin and certainly at the Cape Cod Room at Chicago’s Drake or Cincinnati’s Netherland Palm Court. This is why recently when someone told me they have great food at Portland’s Westin (Eastland) on Congress Square, I decided it was worth a try. Sadly the schedule has yet to work out to go have a small plate, a drink (in my case non-alcoholic) and a look at the view from the classic Top of The East, so we had to “settle for” Congress Squared, or as they put it on the signs and menus, “C2”. I use the term “settle for” very loosely, as Grandpa Fred and my dad (who told me and took me to dine at hotels 50+ years ago) would have been as impressed as we were with everything at C2. Probably, the only sad thing was we hit C2 about noon on a Saturday, and it was empty enough (below) to have tossed a bowling ball thru without hitting anyone, aside from the smiling staff. Sad because folks dashing off to other restaurants are missing out, and sad, too, for us as we missed the end of the breakfast (which we wanted to really, really try) as it closed out at 11. It needs mentioning that in season they do both a buffet and menu breakfast every day, which drops to a menu every day and buffet only on weekends this time of year and (we were told) likely only the menu after the last leaf peeper leaves in late October so call them or check the website if you are bent on buffets. Anyway, we were seated, looked at the lunch menu and both got smiles. It was not for the extensive choices — the menu is somewhat limited — but because at the Eastland C2 what is featured is choice and the menus presented at least four or five choices we wanted to try. That means we will be going back, especially when the very fair pricing is mentioned (more later).
“whole grain bread, house bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato and aioli.” I would describe both as “delicious” and despite the almost funereal quiet as we were at an off time on a slow day, the food so absorbed us that we didn’t notice that aside from one couple from out of town who sneaked in and sat at the bar we had the place to ourselves. Also on the menu (and tempting for next time and the one after that) are Maine Lobster Sliders, Sirloin Sliders (with sides of fried pickled onion, bacon jam and cheddar) and muscles, which the menu describes as Moules Frites served with horseradish butter. Several of the lunch items are accompanied by the C2 fries, which prompted us to ask what makes ‘em special. The answer: “We add some herbs and we grow our own on the roof!” How’s that for turning wasted space in an historic (1927) structure into a useable and delicious (and very organic) return? The staff at C2 are honest totally to a fault, and in this case that’s a very good
As far as this lunch, I opted for the “local Haddock fish & chips” and my dining partner went for the C2 BLTA (photo above right), which the menu describes as,
Page 6
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com
thing. Our waitress, when we said we were having a dilemma as to what to order said “only do the fish & chips (left) if you are very hungry.” The lady was totally honest as we barely managed all the wonderful fish and slaw, and even sharing the C2 fries with our dining companion, we ended up leaving half. As far as his meal, he proclaimed the bread and herb butter served
before food arrived wonderful, gobbled up every site of that C2 BLTA and every chip he got (instead of the add-on fries he was offered.) Service was prompt, but not rushed meaning we easily got in, got great food and out having paid the cheque in under an hour as one of us had to get to work. That means C2 will work both for you readers who are part of the downtown weekday lunch crowd or for those wanting a more leisurely meal. A word, finally, about the bill. It was wonderful. We escaped (with a 20+% tip) for under $38 for two, putting this a good $10 less than even, say, Little Tap House right down the street — a place we love but where the bill (with tip) adds up fast if one doesn’t stick to their pre-packaged lunch special menu and starts adding anything, as we often do. At C2 adding things was not needed: the menu was nice, the food was good, hot and promptly served with smiles for a reasonable price. And there, dear reader, is what a restaurant in this reviewer’s opinion should be. Grandpa Fred’s been gone since 1962 and dad since 2008, but their advice still rings in my ears (and it should in yours) — “eat at a nice hotel!” The Eastland is one and it’s worth the visit. We will be back to C2 and come one evening to watch sunset at the Top of the East, too! Find out more at http://www.congresssquared.com or drop in and give C2 a chance. While you are there, wander around and see how the 1927 hotel is totally historic outside and modern inside. Like us, I’m betting you will be impressed, though next time I want to try breakfast or dinner just to do — and eat — it all. Speaking of doing it all, we all have things we say and really, really mean to do but never get done. Such was the case at our house with The Front Room (73 Congress Street on the top end of Munjoy Hill), which is part of “the Rooms Family” that chef Harding Smith owns and which also includes The Corner Room, The Grill Room & Bar and Boone’s Fish House & Oyster Room. We should mention we have not rushed into The Front Room as we were not totally overwhelmed when we visited Boone’s shortly after we arrived in Maine, but after a brunch recently at The Front Room, we have decided we might have just hit Boone’s on an off night and so plan to go back there, as well as to the other rooms. But let’s stay on topic. The Front Room has wonderful food, fun, attentive staff and the pricing is more than fair. That’s the headline. Here are the details: A friend and I decided on a recent Sunday to take a walk and wanted to grab brunch while out. We had no real destination, but were wandering around the East End about 1.20 p.m. and sadly missed food by 20 minutes at my old fave, Katie Made Bakery on Congress as they’d closed for the day, and we found several other spots we like in the area shuttered, too. We decided to walk on, and did, until we noticed folks sitting outside at the Front Room, causing us to remember we were hungry and to give it a try. Let’s say real coincidence teamed up for a winner. A look at the brunch menu made us more than glad we did stop. The friend I was walking with (whom I swear is 85% rabbit as she eats so many salads) opted for a Caesar here. At $7, I was pretty skeptical, but the portion was large, she loved the dressing, presentation and ordered a 2nd one for dinner to go as we left. Remember what I had to say about 85% rabbit... OK, maybe it’s 90. I, on the other hand perused the large brunch menu and found so many things I wanted to try I was truly spoilt for choice. There was everything from oatmeal to corned beef hash and from BLTs and burgers to something called a Croque Madame (menu says ham & cheese, griddled and baked with cream sauce, topped with an egg.) In between the Front Room has Reubens and a grilled duck and goat cheese (with sweet onion jam on house-made brioche, per the menu.) What was that we said about spoilt for choice? Problem was, I was going out later that evening for dinner with friends so I didn’t want to get too full. I opted for what the menu calls an Egg Plate (two eggs, homefries, toast, and your choice of bacon or sausage, Please continue on the Next Page
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com Page 7
More Food For Thought... Continued From The Previous Page $8.50) all while laughing as a girl at the next table was going on and on about the fact she’s never had a poached egg before that very day! I guess not everybody had a grandma like I did growing up. She had two of them every morning of her 94 years..or at least as many mornings as can recall. So how was the Egg Plate? I will admit wonderful, though in such a huge helping I defeated my purpose and was not hungry when dinner time arrived five hours later, despite the couple mile hilly walk up and down Munjoy Hill to get to The Front Room and back home via the waterfront.
Looking around it appears that everything here is served in somewhere between ample and huge quantity. Add to that the staff (who seem run off their feet but still smiling) go out of their way to chat with the customers, know their menus (extra points for not having to say to a question “I’ll have to go ask the kitchen!”) and they all seem happy to be at work, which makes me (and I am sure others) happy to leave 20% plus when we see that tip line on the bill. The Front Room is not only great with food, pricing and staff, but the owner gets bonus points from us because they are open every day. One of the biggest things I had to get used to when I moved to Portland a year and a half ago was that so many places close either Sunday or Monday or (in some cases) oddly, Tuesday or Wednesday. The Front Room makes it easy: Every day, starting with the brunch/lunch menu at 8 a.m. and ending at 10 p.m. except Sundays when last food order is at 9. Do be aware, to give the hard-working staff time to clean, reset tables and change menus (or God forbid, rest), they close from 2.30 to 4 Sundays and 2.30 till 5 the rest of the week because, well, everyone needs a break... especially if they work this hard to please customers with great food and service. Our recommendation: go try it if you have not, and if you have go back as we need more places like this on the Peninsula. Oh, and in honour of the gal at the next table, do try poached eggs: they are delicious, especially when served as a Benedict. Find out the whole menu at www.thefrontroomrestaurant.com and notice they also have basted eggs, which even this reviewer has not heard mentioned in a good 20 years! Bits & bites, more restaurant news... Things are good over at South Portland’s Dock’s Seafood as they have opened a 2nd location in Biddeford on Route 1. We have yet to visit, but understand it’s more fresh seafood (and lobster) so it’s on our radar. Right now they are doing twin lobsters at the South Portland one off Broadway for $22 and change and that’s a great meal deal... Speaking of great deals, if you want to feed the family on these cool Autumn nights, we are thrilled to report pot pies have returned after their Summer hiatus at Two Fat Cats Bakery on India Street. Those are great and (for the lazy cook like this writer) just need heating for 30 minutes and make a delicious dinner... And finally, do not forget that with season ending this will be a last chance (assuming they follow usual schedules) for a visit to Portland Lobster Company and some of the other spots on Commercial Street as they put up the shutters and head south after a busy Summer season. It’s now or wait till Spring!
Page 8
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com
The Standard Reviewer
decides to take drastic action against the U.S. government and its intelligence services.
By Bill Elliott / Up Portland’s Film & Theatre Reviewer
In the past two weeks I’ve seen two very scary movies. I don’t mean Blair Witch or Don’t Breathe, or any other mainstream Hollywood horror film. I am talking about Snowden, the biopic of a former CIA and NSA computer whiz who spilled the beans about government surveillance, and The Brainwashing of My Dad, a documentary about how right-wing news media and talk shows have turned millions of ordinary Americans in rabid xenophobes and haters. Snowden follows the trajectory of earlier Oliver Stone biopics like JFK, Nixon, and W. Stone doesn’t pretend to sit on the fence or aim for objectivity. His films are good old Sixties agitprop. Stone has an agenda and he is fearless in getting across his message. The subject of Snowden is Edward Snowden (played in the film by Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a young American computer professional who worked as a contractor for both the CIA and the NSA. A former special forces trainee who had to drop out of his programme through physical injury, Snowden decided he could better serve his country by working in counter terrorism and counter espionage. In his early twenties, Snowden is a patriot and politically conservative. Arriving at The Hill, the CIA’s training centre for computer experts, in 2006, Snowden meets Hank Forrester (Nicolas Cage), a former counter terrorism whiz who has been put out to pasture as a teacher. On learning that Snowden doesn’t smoke or drink, Forrester asks, “What’s your sin of choice?” Snowden replies, “Computers.” “Well, then, Snowden, you’ve come to the right whorehouse,” Forrester replies. Snowden finds himself under the tutelage of Corbin O’Brian (Rhys Ifans), a leading counter terrorism expert. Along with other students, Snowden is given a task to build a computer defence system in under eight hours. He completes the task in 38 minutes. O’Brian doesn’t believe him. But it is true. “What should I do now?” asks Snowden. “Whatever you want,” replies O’Brian. And that pretty much summarizes Snowden’s meteoric rise in the intelligence services. Wherever he goes — Switzerland, Hawaii, Japan — he creates or re-creates game-changing programs in counter terror surveillance. Snowden is a hard worker, devoted to his country and his work. He meets a girl who is an anti-Iraq war liberal. They are poles apart but they are attracted to each other’s intellects and creativity. Lindsay (Shailene Woodley) follows Snowden on all his assignments, working as a freelance photographer. Despite their political differences, their relationship seems to work. But Snowden begins to rethink his views when he sees the full extent to which his work is put. Slowly, Snowden realises that the intelligence-gathering surveillance to track potential terrorist groups and individuals casts a much wider net than he thought. In fact, the NSA and the CIA are gathering information from the cell phones, Internet, and social media use of almost everyone on the entire planet. Moreover, potential “terrorists” can be targeted through their smartphones and conveniently eradicated from great distances by drones. Watching targets taken out in real time via satellite leaves Snowden cold. He questions the motives behind the entire intelligence community. And then he
Snowden is told in flashback. Edward Snowden has contacted a documentary film maker, Laura Poitras (Melissa Leo) and a couple of journalists from the British newspaper, The Guardian, Glenn Greenwald (Zachary Quinto) and Ewen MacAskill (Tom Wilkinson). The film charts the drama as it unfolds. Unless audience members have been asleep for the past five years or so, they know the story. But, Stone’s film is evenly paced and avoids falling into techno-geek speak by making Snowden’s relationships with his girlfriend, O’Brian, Forrester, and the journalists share centre stage with the revelation that is about to cause outrage around the world. “Most Americans don’t want freedom; they want security,” claims a high ranking intelligence figure in the film. If you don’t believe that, Snowden will leave you angry and concerned about the actions of those who operate behind the scenes at the highest levels of power. Stone’s profile presents Edward Snowden not as a traitor but as a man who took life-changing actions based on deeply-held principles. Snowden can no longer return to the United States without fear of imprisonment or worse. He had the courage to blow the whistle on the actions of his own government, sacrificing his own freedom in the process. “Freedom” also looms large in Jen Senko’s documentary, The Brainwashing of My Dad. Senko’s father, Frank, was “a non-political Kennedy Democrat” until the 1980s, when he began listening to right-wing talk radio, and then later, Fox News. What begins as a personal home movie evolves into an astute analysis of the way right-wing media operates. Frank Senko’s personality begins to change almost overnight. “My father never had a bad word to say about African Americans or poor people.” After listening to Rush Limbaugh and Fox News, Frank begins to believe that African Americans and poor people are lazy and reliant on government welfare. To counter the lies of the Right, The Brainwashing of My Dad utilises political figures like Noam Chomsky, media analysts, and even former Fox News pundits who have jumped ship and now are vehement opponents of the way Fox works. Right-wing media uses very simple techniques to hook listeners: isolate them from families and friends, repeat very simple but powerful messages that invoke fear and draw on deep emotions. Most listeners of right-wing talk radio tune in when driving alone in their cars. Likewise, Fox News tends to appeal to older, white males who listen alone. The messages that are conveyed are often expressed in the simplest terms that appeal to those without college degrees who feel “left behind” in the technology revolution. In tandem with simple, easy-to-digest messages, Fox News presenters and right-wing radio hosts tend to repeat the same ideas over and over again until they stick. It doesn’t matter if there is any truth to those ideas. The fact that they are repeated over and over until believed is as good as the truth to most listeners. The messages also draw on deep seated fears (like “the terrorists among us”) and invoke deep emotions like anger and resentment. The methods of Fox News and right-wing radio and Internet stations account for the fact that so many older white Americans favour Republican candidates who don’t really represent their best interests. Because right-wing media instil feelings of alienation and resentment towards those elements of society who are believed to benefit from the system (the educated; those on welfare), white working class listeners would rather throw in their lots with millionaire politicians than with those who promote equality. The film includes a number of interviews with family members of other “Franks” whose personalities have changed after listening to right-wing media. The Brainwashing of My Dad is an eye-opening film that goes a long way toward explaining how Donald Trump is running such a successful campaign against a seasoned politician like Hillary Clinton.
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com Page 9
Processed Media By Randy Dankievitch — TV Critic / TVOvermind The Most Remarkable Entries of the 2016 Network Pilot Season (So Far) With over 400 shows airing episodes by the end of August, 2016 was giving new meaning to the phrase “Peak TV”, even before we reached the much-anticipated, often-criticized network pilot season. A time for sitcoms, police procedurals, medical dramas and other high-concept silliness, network pilot season is the television’s most beautiful Cronenbergian creation — a world where promising young shows are routinely canceled, and boilerplate, formulaic bullsh*t sets itself on a path to syndication. Regardless of whether it’s a “good” or “bad” pilot season (spoiler: this Fall is a bad one), there are always interesting new shows to check out – like these five, which are able to transcend the typical rhythms and expectations of pilots, in order to deliver (in one case) something fresh and exciting, or something so laughably awful, I can’t help but tune in for more. —The Good Place (NBC). Far and away the best network pilot of the Fall (and second to FX’s Atlanta for best pilot across television this fall), NBC’s latest network series is a mix of the familiar, and the wildly ambitious. Created by television mainstay Mike Schur (The Office, Parks and Recreation) and starring network TV darling Ted Danson, The Good Place stars Kristen Bell as a woman who finds herself in the afterlife after an accident with a mobile billboard. Despite her terrible lack of humanity and empathy, she ends up in heaven – a mistake she quickly realises, and spends most of her time trying to hide from the other constituents of her afterlife home, a town created by recently-promoted afterlife director Danson. There aren’t many TV shows, network or otherwise, that find engaging ways to constantly participate in ethical, moral, and existential conversations: The Good Place has managed to do so in every scene of its first four episodes, and has quickly established itself as the most creative, engaging debut of the fall season. Led by dynamic performances from the central cast, The Good Place is a keeper for NBC’s flailing-yet-slowly-resurging comedy brand.
the most impressive pilot of the Fall: I don’t know who thought America wanted to watch a rich white douche get other rich white douches off crimes, but they couldn’t have made a worse/better version of this pretentious pile of misogynistic nonsense. It’s beautiful. —The Exorcist (NBC). For those thinking NBC can’t do horror remakes, let me remind you they aired the best television show of the past decade with Hannibal, an arthouse vision of nightmarish perfection the likes of network television will properly never see again. The Exorcist is no Hannibal, of course (it lacks a Hugh Dancy, Laurence Fishburne and Mads Mikkelson, for starters) but it’s an interesting creature of its own, expanding the story of the original into a serialfriendly narrative about an army of demons and the troubled inter-generational pastors being thrown into their war. It’s not as compelling or frightening as it could be, but with a great cast (led by Geena Davis and Alan Ruck) and a dearth of entertaining source material, this could be a promising show, if it can survive low ratings and tepid audience reaction. —Designated Survivor (ABC). Here’s the thing about this Fall’s pilots: outside of the wonderfully inventive, energetic The Good Place, and the beautiful disaster that is Bull, there isn’t a whole lot to get excited, or even mildly sweaty about, in this year’s collection of pilots (The CW still has a few shows to air, so we’re holding out hope there). Most shows are either so predictable, or so whitewashed and sanitised, they’ve been scrubbed of anything that would give them personality or edge. Designated Survivor is the closest thing to an exception here: while it is a show concerned only about the lives of its white characters, the mix of high-concept premise (every single cabinet member in government dies, allowing a recently-fired person involved with the Housing Department to become president) and high-salary performers is the closest thing to “watchable”, outside of the other previously mentioned programmes. Sure, it’s basically 24 with Keifer in more suits and less action – but when it comes to political dramas, all network TV has right now are the awful remnants of Scandal still hanging onto cultural significance, and maybe a little shot of Sutherland will go a long way toward salvaging what’s been a disappointing network season to this point.
—Pitch (FOX). Pitch is not a very good pilot – in fact, outside of The Good Place, there really aren’t any other good pilots this fall. But Pitch’s extremely topical premise – telling the fictional story of the first woman to ascend to the major leagues – and impressive cast offer a level of promise most other middling Fall pilots can’t reach. Is it wildly emotionally manipulative, derivative and sanitised? Sure, but it’s also heartwarming, passionate, and focused, something many other hour-long pilots this Fall suffer from. Pitch may not last long enough to actually become a good show, but there is something to FOX’s latest attempt to be culturally relevant: it’s not a fully-formed or terribly ingenious first hour, but the brief moments of charm (mostly provided by Mark-Paul Gosselaar, of all people) are a glimpse of promise in a sea of one-dimensional worlds and characters this fall season. —Bull (CBS). Bull is easily one of the two or three worst pilots of the Fall, a white-washed, utterly contrived drama about Dr. Phil’s early days as a trial consultant. But there’s something impressive about how thick-headed, regressive, and brazenly ridiculous CBS’s latest courtroom drama is: led by Michael Weatherly offering the most dick-ish performance he could muster, Bull is mind-blowing in its desperation and utter incoherence. And in its own way, that makes it
Page 10
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com
Letting The Cat Out Of The Bag By Stacy Begin / Owner, Two Fat Cats Bakery
The Season for Old Souls Amelia, my production manager, and I looked at the list and almost fell out of our chairs.
Valuable jewelry, silver, art & antiques?
It was long and, truthfully, unrealistic in the extreme. We needed to be less ambitious, more focused. No matter how much we wanted to, we just couldn’t do it all. But, oh, decisions, decisions. How do you possibly decide what to cut when everything sounds so gosh darn good? It should be easy. We weren’t new to the process. We tackle this every three months when the seasons change, so why was this time so hard? Here’s why: the list is our Fall menu and we are both “Autumn bakers”. This is OUR season. We often joke that we are old soul bakers. The older the recipes and the deeper the flavour, the more we like it. Molasses? Oh, yes, please. Dates? A favourite. Cloves? Doesn’t everyone love cloves?! Maple Walnut? We’re in. Cornmeal, buckwheat? Already working on it. And, what better time for two old souls to bake then in the Fall? There’s only one problem: we want to make everything! Our list is way too long. It starts out with the oldie but goodies. Pumpkin pie, apple salted caramel pie, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin whoopies are the usual suspects and the must haves for Fall. Then we begin to add a few recipes we pull out every now and then. That’s when it begins to go wrong. There’s apple gingerbread, Joe Frogger cookies and pear pie. But don’t forget the maple walnut pie. Remember that Indian Pudding with blueberries we loved? Maybe that should go on the menu. I’d really love to add Pioneer bread again. We have to put out Hot Milk Cake again. It was too good not to make again. Also, we keep talking about radio pudding. Maybe this is the year to do it. And on, and on and on we talk, happy in the discussion, our heads spinning with ideas and delights. I’m not really sure how many recipes we put on the list, but whatever the number, it was about 50 too many. After all, this was merely the dreaming of the two of us. There are eleven other employees with ideas of their own who want some real estate on that list. And so the list grows. Regrettably, we will never be able to get to everything. Just the same, the process and the dreaming is almost as fun as the baking. Well, almost. After all, you can’t eat dreams.
Call 774-6257 Serving Portland’s Peninsula Since 1931 www.clarkinsurance.com
The Gossip Column
By Britain & Sydney / The Office Gossip Cats
How’s about this month we make it the photographic gossip column, because a photo is worth 1,000 words, right? So what’s this saying? Well, only that a “big name” national cable TV network we pussies are not allowed to mention due to confidentiality was recently at (where else?) Two Fat Cats Bakery filming a segment due to air shortly after the first of the year. We cats promised those cats that as soon as we could, we’d say who & when, but for now mum’s the word!
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com Page 11
New Portland Book Pu History At Your Feet
There’s a religious line about walking past miracles daily and never noticing, and that’s lik for most of us. But here on the Peninsula in Portland, we have something new to help us n and to tell us the stories about those miracles — small and large — at the same time. The a new book by Munjoy Hill based author Paul Ledman called Walking Through History: Po Maine on Foot.
The book is unique because it features tours and routes (and a removable map) so those o who enjoy walking around the Peninsula — be it Commercial Street now that the tourist h are wrapping up for the season, or Congress or the Eastern Prom or Munjoy Hill — Ledm there with tips, descriptions and more to make the places we have all passed dozens, hund thousands of times come alive... and for that we must be most grateful.
The author, who did not arrive in Portland until 1991 from New York City, takes a fun, inf and graphic look at the various streets we all wa drive and visit. And by graphic we mean with ph which often compare the very same spot “back w and today — like the one at right with a then & look at Congress Street. He also doesn’t scrimp finer, but fun points of our buildings, either.
A few examples: The Woodman Building, at 133 Middle Street was rapidly built after the 1866 fir its architect George M. Harding “signed” the cas corner support. Look for it when you walk by... and if you are like this writer, you have done so a zillion times and never noticed it.
This is but one of Ledman’s fun details. He goes into painstaking facts which both entertain and explain things like the oak and acorn theme of the 1867 Thompson Bu ing at 117 Middle Street (acorns and their mighty oaks showing strength, phone on Page 1 and the reason there is a huge stone wall and two piles of what now just look like rocks (o shown below left) along the Eastern Promenade, but which were originally built as a dock the Great Eastern, an almost 700 foot long sail and steamship (it had both and Ledman ha sketch) which was supposedly going to be docking in Portland. Sadly, the ship was a failu a passenger vessel, but, as the author out, the huge size made it just perfect the miles of cable needed and thus the Eastern laid the very first transatlantic telegraph cable, linking the U.S. to En in 1866. The ship, he notes, was broke in 1889 without ever once docking at piers (or anywhere else in Maine), tho October 1860 the then Prince of Wales future King Edward VII of England a in Portland via rail, took a carriage alo Commercial Street and boarded a Bri military ship at those piers. Ledman’s has a copy of one of the very few phot ever made of this event to back up the
Page 12
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com
uts t
kely true notice, item is ortland,
of us hordes man is dreds or
formed alk, hotos when” now p on the
3-141 re and st iron
h uild14) one is k for as a ure as points t for e Great c ngland en up those ough in s and arrived ong itish book tos e story.
And the book goes on... There are reminders to look up and back as one walks. How many folks ever looked up at 591 Congress Street? If you had, you’d notice a mansion behind the Sun Market.... a business space which was built in what was the Dr. Horatio N. Small mansion’s original front garden! The mansion, now and for many years the Marshall Apartments, remains but not many folks know the history or, when walking or driving by or shopping at Sun Market, think of what was here and what remains. We took a stroll around back, too, (below) and saw the mansion/apart-
ments sticking out above the urban clutter added later. Who would have ever thought... had Ledman not told us. Just down Congress Street, the intersection of Congress & High streets gets full treatment from Ledman as he shows all of the various developments and changes at the corner, which he terms “one of the city’s busiest.” Hotels built and owned by the Rines Family (who had a department store, Rines Brothers, just down the block) still stand in the area today, including the now residential Congress Square Hotel and the more famous (and fairly recently redone) luxury Eastland Hotel (these days often jokingly called the Westin Eastland due to its affiliation with the Westin Hotels brand). The famous Top of the East lounge remains also. So what prompted a transplanted Portlander to do this book? And how did Ledman figure out what to include and what not to? Apparently, from speaking with the author, a lot of sleepless nights and tough editing as he expressed plenty of “wudda” and “shudda” and “cudda” to us. He said he would have included the Victoria Mansion and the Western Prom, for example, but that area is, he noted, a bit far to walk from the centre of the Peninsula around Monument Square, “and remember this book is a walking tour, though this is totally subjective. I had many more things I could have included than what I did,” he said, adding that the opportunity for a second or even third volume is out there, along with the possibility of an e-book and even an app (which this writer would love to see) which could use a phone or iPad’s GPS and then display pertinent historic photos or info on the screen to read while one was on the spot. Please continue on the Next Page
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com Page 13
New Portland History Book Wants Readers To Look Up & Down Continued From The Previous Page But for now, the book is a fascinating and interesting historic look at the city’s central area. Asked if it was meant to be read (as in cover-to-cover) Ledman noted that’s not the case. “Some will read it that way, but it’s really meant more to be a guide,” though he also admitted that there’s a lesson hidden in the pages — the lesson of changing times and of a society here which has gone from manufacturing to consuming products. Ledman noted that Portland can be seen clearly as a place where corporate loyalty is a thing of the past and where firms often refuse to pay a living wage here (as they did in the 1800s and early 1900s) and instead make goods cheaper elsewhere for us to buy. He noted, for one example, the Commercial Street changes and the fact that what are now shops aimed at cruise passengers and tourists were once spaces for manufacturing and heavy industries. In fact, a freight train used to run right down the middle of Commercial Street... a train which existed until sometime close to 2000 and whose legacy can still be seen in the white concrete centre (where the tracks ran) on Commercial Street. “I look at the context of what happened here then and what does now,” Ledman said. One of the best examples is on his tour of the wharf area, where the still alive and well 1863 Thomas Block has made a full transition from what’s seen in a 1900 photo where Burgess, Fobes & Co. (which sold white lead and colour liquid paints) occupied much of the space where upscale offices, restaurants and shops now hold forth. He also loves “connections” so takes great pains to note that the Burgess firm dates to Munjoy Hill and an 1858 start in the spot later occupied by the Adams School at Munjoy and Wilson streets. And he notes, bringing us right up-to-date, “When the Adams School was torn down in 2006, considerable environmental contamination was discovered, a legacy not only from the lead paint factory, but also from a hand grenade factory and gas station which once operated there...”
tour or three (with or without Pokéman) before the snow flies, so check the historical society’s website or sign up there for the society’s periodic event e-mails to find out if and when. A reminder, too, that Ledman’s book would make a wonderful Chanukah, Christmas or birthday gift for anyone wanting to log a few extra steps on their Fitbit or Apple Watch while learning some fun facts about our Peninsula at the same time. And finally, about that photo below from Exchange Street between Middle and Federal streets... Most folks fail to look up, but those who do will notice that there’s a cannon ball (yes, a real one) embedded in the side of a building in this block. And further, it’s one of two cannon balls which are (to this day) parts of downtown buildings. To find out the full story about this one — and the other — grab a copy of Ledman’s book and get our your walking shoes so you can experience the miracles which await on the Peninsula, if only you take time to look up, down, ahead and behind.
Again, Ledman makes the connections from what was to what later was to what is — in this case 16 Avesta Housing condos built on the site up on the hill after the major environmental clean-up was done. We could go on and on, but there are a few better ways to find out more. Best, of course, is to buy a copy of Ledman’s book ($20) yourself, either online from Amazon or in person (remember those local businesses still need our support) from the Maine Historical Society gift shop by the Longfellow House on Congress Street, from Sherman’s or Longfellow Books or from the gift shops at The Observatory on Munjoy Hill or at the Victoria Mansion. Also, check out the Maine Historical Society website at www.mainehistory.org as Ledman has done several walking tours of the city to explore sites in person, and he’s also (to appeal to younger history buffs) done a couple of Pokéman Go walking tours, which the society’s website describes as “a one-hour walking tour of historic places in Portland. The tour starts at Maine Historical Society and the route includes Pokéstops lit up with lures for maximum pocket monster catching. Your tour guide is Paul Ledman, author of Walking Through History, the perfect companion guide to any trainer looking for a little history while trying to catch ‘em all.” Ledman told Up Portland he hopes to do another walking
Page 14
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com
The Buck Stops Here
a great deal of uncertainty about policy direction. The impact on specific market sectors Although it’s speculative to try and predict the outcome of the election and all of the policy implications each party would impose, the result of the election is likely to influence key industries. Among the sectors of the market that could be affected in different ways are:
By Luke Reinhard / Advisor — Ameriprise Financial
Will the Election Impact Markets and Investments? What drives the stock market? Quite often, it is fundamental factors such as the strength of the economy and its impact on corporate profits. At other times it is affected, at least in the short term, by external factors that can upend investor expectations and drive markets in a positive or negative direction. One of the most obvious external factors that might come into play for markets this year is the upcoming presidential election. This is the kind of election year that has some built-in market uncertainty. It marks the end of the second term for President Barack Obama, which means that a new occupant will sit in the Oval Office in January 2017. Regardless of who wins, the leadership transition will likely result in some policy changes in the near future. Dealing with uncertainty This election season has been marked by unusual twists. In the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, a longtime party stalwart faced a surprisingly difficult challenge before earning the nomination for the chance to become the country’s first woman president. On the Republican side, Donald Trump, a celebrity newcomer to the party captured the nomination, overcoming a number of more experienced politicians. Even without these twists, it isn’t uncommon for the stock market to exhibit a degree of volatility in the run-up to an election, at least until the likely outcome is clearer. One of the key issues that could affect markets is the possibility that control of the White House could change to a different party. According to an analysis by the Ameriprise Investment Research Group, the potential for such a change tends to increase stock market volatility1. This can be particularly true in the final weeks leading up to the election. Investors should be prepared for circumstances where the “noise” generated by the campaign contributes to market fluctuations. Is history a guide? Other data may provide clues as to what to expect in the markets. According to Standard & Poor’s, since 1900, U.S. stocks have declined by an average of 1.2 percent in the 8th year of a presidential term2. There are two points of caution with this statistic: 1. 2.
There are a limited number of times when this circumstance has occurred. The last time it happened, in 2008, we were in the midst of the Great Recession. The markets were down 41 percent that year, which dramatically changed the average return for this specific measurement.
What may be a more important consideration for investors than who is the new president is whether we enter the election and post-election season with
•
Healthcare – what is the future of the Affordable Care Act and the general direction of health insurance coverage in the U.S.?
•
Energy – will production of fossil fuels continue to be encouraged or will greater emphasis be put on alternative energy sources?
•
Security – how will the defence budget be affected given the increased focus on global security? It’s about more than the president
It’s true that our president has tremendous influence in the direction our country takes. However, it’s important to remember that there are many others who play a role in making policy that can affect the investment environment. These include members of Congress (many who are also up for election this year), local and state legislators, federal regulators and other officials. For example, the Federal Reserve controls monetary policy, which includes monitoring inflation and the federal interest rates. Politicians have limited to no influence over policy decisions made by the Fed. Also keep in mind that the presidential election doesn’t have the same impact over U.S. markets as it once did. External events, many of which are overseas, increasingly affect the markets, and are often out of the control of elected officials. These events include natural disasters, terrorist attacks, financial crises and the financial results of publicly held companies. What this means for your finances While it’s natural to think about the impact of the election on your investments, it’s only one factor. Stay tuned to the bigger picture of your long-term goals. Review your portfolio diversification and risk tolerance with a financial advisor for an objective perspective on your financial situation. – Ameriprise Financial: “Brief: Election 2016 – Volatility, Velocity and Voting.” June 14, 2016. Compiled by Steven V. Soranno, CFA, CAIA, Vice President, Director of Equity Research, Investment Research Group. 2 – CNBC: “Why markets tend to fall during a presidential election year.” Jan. 13, 2016. By Bryan Borzykowski. http://www.cnbc.com/2016/01/13/why-markets-tend-to-fall-during-a-presidential-election-year.html. 1
Did You Know You Could Advertise In Up Portland For As Little As $99? Call Us Today & Find Out How 207/536.0922
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com Page 15
Eric’s Optimal Corner Eric Hilton / Optimal Self Community Health and Wellness Center
Changing with the Seasons; Some good preparations for Winter Here it comes again, The Winter! With every Winter our body goes through the transformation of adjusting to a colder climate. We may gain a few extra pounds, we sleep more because of less sunlight, and we tend to catch colds more often. How does one prepare for this dramatic shift from shorts and flip-flops to bundling up with Bean boots and gloves? It’s a big change and I have found the most natural and easiest way to adjust is to change with it. Luckily every year shows us what happens. It’s a pattern. If I make preparations for the coming of snow and freezing temperatures, it will not hurt so much. I adjust my diet, my fitness and my mental attitude for the season. This is natural especially for us Mainers, because we are so uniquely, beautifully suited for all four seasons. The cold makes our bodies react differently from other seasons. Circulation is constricted and blood is shunted to certain parts of the body to maintain normal bodily functions. Our body’s core temperature and metabolism also act differently. Everyone is probably familiar with the idea of putting a few extra pounds on the body for extra insulation. Like a bear going into the cave to hibernate for the Winter; why wouldn’t we humans do that, too?
level in physical health and fitness geared to the warmer seasons. I found when I tried to maintain my beach body in the Winter it never really happened for me. Instead, I have found, just like the changing of the seasons, our bodies also must have the opportunity to slowly die, only to blossom into a new birth. In physical fitness this is called Periodization, which means the different phases of training that we can do to prevent our fitness from plateauing and always enhancing. Do be aware that bulking up on the weights is not a recommended exercise prescription for everyone. Pick up a good hobby outdoors, like snowboarding, skiing, snow shoeing or even ice climbing. Afterall, this is Maine, so get outdoors and enjoy all of the seasons! Learn something new and have a great time doing it. I have always picked lifting weights over doing yoga, however I have always taken the cold Winter months to commit to yoga since I am going to be stuck inside most days anyway. Remember that the important idea of fitness in the Winter is to keep the body moving. Yes, the bear hibernates, and you can add extra sleep in your schedule every night, but this doesn’t mean we literally go into a cave and cease all movement. Movement is always important every season! So, fully embracing the Winter will engage you with the right mental attitude to enjoy it. I have suffered like everyone else through the snow, black ice, belowfreezing temps and the seasonal depression so many of us get, but I found that if we prepare to embrace the change with the right diet, maintaining our fitness and keeping ourselves healthy, then Winter does not have to hurt so much. Appreciate the beautiful snow and the brisk Maine mornings with excitement and comfort… Plus, extra muscles help when you need to push your car out of that snow bank. We still have some weeks before heavy Winter arrives, so start preparing now and adopt the right mindset to make the best of your Winter and do not let it wreck you!
As the cold sets in, notice the different foods offered at restaurants or advertised on TV. There are certain foods that go well with the Winter — and it’s not just a new trend. Certain foods give us specific nutrients which help and protect us in the cold. When I think of the cold icy mornings, I think of the warm steam rising from my coffee or hot cocoa. These warm liquids are much more pleasing to my palate on cold days. I am drawn to having honey in my coffee on Winter days, because local raw honey is really beneficial for your immunity and it helps keep you healthy. I, just like the bear, eat much more during the Winter before my hibernation. I use the extra nourishment to support my extra muscle growth and strength gains during the chilly months. When the seasons start changing again toward warmer weather, I find myself eating less, and thus I lose those few extra pounds. It is the balance of the changing seasons which corresponds to the overall balance of my changing body. When the cold kicks in I start to increase the heat — especially the heat in my own body. I adjust my training to meet the demand of the environment, too. With my body type and my physical fitness interests, I like to weight train and embrace the extra bulk of my body. I personally decrease my repetitions in weight training and increase the weight to achieve more hypertrophy (increased growth of muscle). With more muscle I can store more energy and discover new realms of strength. Every year I do this to take myself to a new level; knowing that once the Winter ends, I shed the fat and utilise the new strength to take myself to another new
Page 16
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com
LOVE Downtown. LIVE Downtown www.portlandmecondo.com
ANDREW ROY Associate Broker
c: 207.649.1166 o: 207.619.7571 andrew@portsidereg.com portsiderealestategroup.com
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com Page 17
Beyond The Forecast
By Jack Sillin / Weatherman & Meterology Student Hello everyone!
September has now come and gone and Fall is officially here no matter how you measure it. We’ve already had several Fall fronts move through with chilling winds and deep blue skies. Heat will become more and more fleeting as the leaves turn and fall. This month’s behind the forecast will look at the processes behind some Fall phenomenon. How does frost form? What do frost advisories and freeze warnings mean and why don’t we have them all Winter? Why do low elevations cool off faster than high elevations? How does that influence the development of valley fog? The answers to those questions and more are below.
A frost advisory means that patchy frost is likely and that temps in sheltered areas could approach 32 degrees. Any sensitive plants should be protected, but the growing season will keep going even after a light frost. A freeze warning means that nearly everyone in the warning area will see temps below 32 and that any non-native plant should be protected or taken inside. After one or two hard freezes, the growing season is declared over. Frost and freeze advisories and warnings are only issued during the growing season which generally begins in May and lasts through the first hard freeze which averages late September in the mountains and early to mid October closer to the coast. The average first freeze in Portland is 5th October, but recently the trend has been for a later and later first freeze as the climate warms. After the first freeze, the NWS stops issuing frost/freeze products because that would just add clutter to forecasts during the Winter months when the temperature is almost always subfreezing.
Frost is a staple of Fall. Gardeners dread it’s arrival, marking the end of the growing season, while Fall and Winter enthusiasts welcome it’s announcement of the coming chill. Frost forms when two conditions are met. The temperature must be pretty close to the dew point at the surface, meaning that the air is cold enough for the moisture contained inside it to condense. Also, the temperature must be at or below freezing (32F or 0C). When the air is both subfreezing and saturated, water vapor will condense onto grass, leaves, cars, etc. and freeze into ice crystals, forming frost. Frost happens almost exclusively in the Fall because there’s more water vapour in the air. That means temps don’t have to fall as far for the air to become nearly saturated. Of course the air is much colder during the Winter but air that cold doesn’t hold as much water vapour. By the time the moisture returns in the Spring, temps are too warm. This means that the first frost is a fairly accurate marker of the first time temps get down to freezing. When temps approach freezing, garden plants can be harmed or even killed which is why the National Weather Service (NWS) has a whole system of warnings and advisories to let people know if they need to take action to protect their plants.
Early in the Fall season, no amount of thermal advection (cold air moving in from Canada) can drop the temp to freezing. The first subfreezing reading and subsequent frost/freeze almost always occurs due to radiational cooling. Radiational cooling happens when more radiation is emitted into the atmosphere than is gained from the sun. Because no energy is gained from the sun during the overnight hours, radiational cooling is generally a nighttime phenomenon. For optimal radiational cooling, two things must be true. The sky must be clear and the winds must be calm. The sky must be clear because if clouds are present, the radiation emitted from the layer of air right next to the earth’s surface (the boundary layer) will bounce off the cloud and come right back down the ground, keeping things warm. Why winds must be calm is a lot more complicated. During the day, the sun shines on the earth’s surface. Radiation from the sun is absorbed by everything on earth. Which radiation is absorbed and which is reflected back out into the atmosphere determines colour. White light is all the colours combined. The chlorophyll in leaves, for example, absorbs all the colours except green. This means that green light is reflected into the atmosphere for our eyes to pick up.
Page 18
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com
It also means that the energy from all the other parts of the visible light spectrum is stuck in the leaf. When the leaf gets that extra energy, it heats up and some of that heat is emitted into the atmosphere. This process, on a planetary scale, is why the temperature rises during the day. Of course, temps rising during the day is not a hard and fast rule. If there are strong winds off the water, low clouds, or a cold airmass moving into the area, the temperature might not rise at all because the warming effect of the sun is overridden by the cooling effect of the clouds or the thermal advection of cold air from the water. After all that talk of radiation, colours, and diurnal temperature processes, at the end of the day the heat in the atmosphere is generated at the surface and that’s what matters because as soon as that heat source is taken away at night, the boundary layer is the quickest to cool. This means that there is a shallow layer of cold air at the surface with warm air aloft. If there are winds present, the warm air aloft will be mixed down the the surface and the temp won’t be able to cool as much. That is why you need calm winds for good radiational cooling. This process also explains why low elevations are colder during radiational cooling events. Winds generally increase with height because of decreasing friction. At the surface, winds are slowed down by trees, mountains, buildings, etc. Aloft, there’s nothing to stop them. Higher elevations poke up into these higher winds to varying degrees. Mt Washington sticks way up into the region of the atmosphere with high winds and therefore routinely sees gusts over hurricane force, even while the rest of us may only see light breezes. The same phenomenon occurs at a smaller scale with lower elevations. The top of your local hill may see winds of 5 m.p.h. while the dip nearby may be dead calm. When it comes to radiational cooling, that can make all the difference. Now that we know that lower elevations can be dramatically cooler than higher elevations, we can explain valley fog. Unlike temperature, the dew point changes little with radiational cooling. The lower temps in the valleys will achieve saturation (temp = dew point) before the surrounding air does. This process creates layers of fog that
only extend to certain, often very low, elevations. This creates some awesome effects when you can stand on a modest sized hill and look down on the tops of clouds (fog is a cloud that touches the ground). I’ve included a picture from the recent test of Sunday River’s snowmaking system which not only features snow in September, but also some cool valley fog in the background. This process can also work on a smaller scale over fields. Plants release moisture into the air through a process known as evapotranspiration (corn sweat if you’ve ever been to the Midwest). If plants release enough moisture, it can raise the dew point so that in that area the air can become saturated at a higher temperature causing localized fog. This phenomenon is so small scale, if you walked into a field when it happens, more often than not your feet would be in the fog while your head would be in the clear. Try it out sometime! Now you know the science behind some of the most common fall phenomenon here in Maine. Frost happens when moisture cools, condenses and freezes. To get subfreezing temps for frost early in the season you need radiational
cooling which works best with clear skies and light winds. The hyperlocal variations in winds due to elevation will create similarly small scale temperature changes that, given constant moisture, can result in local field/valley fog. Next month’s column will likely look at the winter outlook. October can be
key in figuring that out because it is the time during which Siberian snow cover either develops, or doesn’t, resulting in a chain reaction that can greatly influence our winters especially in the absence of a strong ENSO (El Nino/La Nina) signal. More on all that in November. -Jack
Each month I explain a couple of terms so that you don’t feel like you’re helplessly swimming in an ocean of jargon while reading weather reports, either mine or those done by others. This month’s terms are to get you ready for the Winter outlook that will be presented in next month’s column. SST’s - Sea Surface Temperatures. Sea surface temperatures will be important when we discuss the Winter outlook. Areas of abnormally warm or cold water at the surface of the ocean half way across the world can be critical in determining the Winter pattern here. The staying power of SST patterns are determined by the subsurface ocean temps. If the subsurface ocean temp pattern match the SST pattern, it will likely stick around. Trouble can arise when sub-surface temps don’t match SST’s and the SST pattern can be tempered or even reversed as that water gradually makes its way to the surface. Teleconnection- A teleconnection is a connection between the weather someplace far away and the weather here. They’re often an alphabet soup of acronyms- BSR, EAR, NAO, AO, AAO, PNA, PDO, ENSO, QBO, EPO, WPO and the list goes on. They can be used to predict the weather days or even weeks in advance without models or computers that are subject to inconsistency and error. Notice how most of them end in the letter “o”. “O” stands for oscillation because most of the teleconnections oscillate between positive and negative phases with at least some regularity.
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com Page 19
Page 20
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com
Hackin’ The Net
doing Instagram or Facebook or some other app to pay attention to me (and others) at the table. I am aware of doctors’ offices, waiting rooms and a ton of other spots where signs advise against phone use...and where, more often than not, they are ignored.
By Ted Fleischaker / Publisher My big buzz word (or expression) this month is: “What would you have done 18 years ago?” So what is my topic? Phones are what am I babbling about. Read on and maybe I will make some sense (and maybe not!) First things first... what would I have done 18 years ago was what my friends who work at the counter over at the India Street Coffee By Design (CBD) asked me when I recently told them I was having a bit of a dilemma. I serve as a volunteer on a committee of about a half dozen folks at an organisation and last time they had a meeting, I was not only five minutes late BUT just after I got there my cell phone rang and it was a delivery I needed to dash and sign for. Needless to say my answering, getting up, signing and coming back 10 minutes later chopped up my chairman’s meeting and caused the discussion to get off track. Sorry as I am (and was at the time, and I said so) it was still an interruption nobody needed. That’s why this past week, when he announced the group’s next meeting he sent out an e-mail reminder that said: “OK brief meeting. Please no cell phone. Thanks.” I was at first taken aback and we compromised (after a few back-and-forth emails) on a phone turned off... then I got to thinking what if I had an important work call, so I whined to him that I wanted to be able to take it. He responded OK but I’d need to do so outside.
I have even had an MD take a family call during an exam once, but that was back in the Midwest, not in Maine. And to make matters worse, I have been walked into more than once on Congress Street by someone so engrossed in their phone that they were not looking where they were headed. And just last month, when a cruise ship was in, a poor woman had to yell “Heads up!!!” at her husband who almost had a head-on with me ‘cause he was looking at his phone, not the sidewalk on Middle Street. Sad part is he probably got back on the ship, went to the next port and didn’t even see half of what he walked by in Portland! So back at my original premise: what would I have done 18 years ago? I sheepishly admitted to the friends behind the CBD counter that it would not have been an issue. I would have gone to the meeting, taken part in the discussion and an answering machine (yep, I did own one and I really do still have one) would have swept up any calls to be returned when I got done and back home. “Well, then...” they said “...Why don’t you just do that this week at the meeting?” I thought about it on the way home and decided they were right, so I sent the (by now I am sure confused) chairman a note saying I would be attending sans phone. And I plan to do just exactly that. I doubt I will miss anything earthshattering or show-stopping and I will be able to pay 100% attention to the items on our agenda without fear of interruption. I won’t have to say I am sorry for interrupting since I won’t be... and I can think back to the days long, long ago when we had no phones and existed just fine. My point? Take a phone break every so often. Whether you take part in the next National Day of Unplugging 3rd & 4th March 2017 (info: www.nationaldayofunplugging.com) or you just take an hour off for a meal, a visit with friends or whatever else that involves real people — not cyber ones — do it. My committee chairman is a wise man and I thank him (as I do the CBD staff) for reminding me that an hour off for friends, volunteer work or family is a great goal and a great reason to unplug... if even for a little while. Give it a try!
But before I could think about it, I asked my crew at CBD what they thought of his request while I was in getting a pastry and there, dear reader, is where the first line came in, as one of them asked me, “What would you have done 18 years ago?” Of course, that would have been before the iPhone existed (June 2007) and before most folks even had phones — aside from the privileged few with Blackberries and those ball-buster “bag phones”. I had one of the latter for a time, but found it too intrusive on life and too heavy to lug around, so when the contract (with some long-extinct carrier I cannot even recall) ended, I handed it in and went back to being pretty much unbothered. Fast forward even a half-dozen years and I had a Nokia phone which did a few things. Then another half-dozen years and my first iPhone was in my hands, happily connecting me (like it or not) to friends and family and work 24/7. Today, of course, almost nobody is out there without a smart phone — an “i” kind or Droid. They do calls (Question begged: Does anyone really talk on phones anymore?) texts, the internet and all sorts of messengers — from Facebook to chat apps like Kik and What’s App. They also play iTunes, radio, movies, TV and a plethora of games. You can renew your prescriptions, check your blood pressure and talk in real time to friends from Augusta to Vienna and Australia. But are they really, really something we shouldn’t put down for even a few minutes? Friends say they won’t go to restaurants where phone use is banned (Can you imagine NOT taking a picture of your dinner and sending it to six friends?). Even my spouse gets dirty looks from me from time to time when he’s too busy
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com Page 21
New Classes!
PORTLAND’S COMMUNITY HEALTH & WELLNESS CENTER
WEIGHT ROOM M OV E M E N T R O O M M A SS AG E A N D E N E R G Y W O R K P E RS O N A L T R A I N I N G F I T N E SS C L A SS E S YO G A A N D T ’A I C H I Up Portland Is A Proud Member of the
November Edition Deadline
Drop-Ins Welcome! See the full class schedule on our website:
640 Congress Street | 207-747-5919 | OptimalSelfME.com
Up Portland is edited in Portland and printed the last week of every month in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. We may be contacted at the e-mail or phone number below. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy and fairness, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors. Liability is limited to the cost of said ad. Ads not cancelled by published deadlines may be billed at agreed-upon price. Ads may be edited or rejected for content at the discretion of the publisher. All items appearing in Up Portland, as well as the name, logos and design are copyright 2016 by BBS, A division of High Speed Delivery Fork Ltd. & Ted Fleischaker and may not be reproduced in any form without prior written approval.
Phone: 207/536.0922 e-mail: ted@upportland.com Friend us on Facebook!
Page 22
Friday 28th October Papers On Street: Tuesday 1st November
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com
Please Read Then Recycle!
Still
Deborah Klotz
September 15 - November 13, 2016 First Fridays: October 7 & November 4, 2016
Artist Talk: October 30, 2016 2pm
“...After working on an active archeological dig site in Jerusalem, my garment project evolved to include laminated clothing and stone formations from reclaimed paper. As I sifted through the very tiniest of potential artifacts, sorting into bins marked, glass, metal, stone, ceramic, I started to ask with each shard, “Is this something?”. The answer visually is “Still”, a response to the very mundane yet poetic objects of socks and stones, that are essentially and metaphorically, grounding elements that orientate us vertically. Standing, we look up to notice the sky with everything in between.” Deborah is a sculptor and imagemaker who employs diverse materials and methods to design and fabricate her work. She holds an M.F.A in 3-Dimensional Art and a B.F.A. in Sculpture from Massachusetts College of Art, as well as a B.A. in English and American Literature from Brandeis University. Her work is in private and public collections in New England, Florida, California, Colorado, New York, Washington D.C., and internationally she has exhibited in Korea, Israel, and England.
Maine Jewish Museum
267 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101 (207) 773-2339 Monday - Friday 10am-2pm + Sundays 1pm - 5pm or by appointment
mainejewishmuseum.org Curated by Nancy Davidson
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com Page 23
Page 24
Up Portland 10.16 On The Web At: www.upportland.com