About Town

January 2008 - Posts

SAVE SOME DOUGH - Sign up for Opportunity Maine

by Jeff Inglis | January 31, 2008

If you're a student at a Maine college or university (public or private), you can sign up starting tomorrow to make yourself eligible for an income-tax break if you live and work in Maine after you graduate. The program is called Opportunity Maine... Read More »

Kuzu -- the new EVOO?

by Deirdre Fulton | January 31, 2008

I'm not even a real vegetarian , much less an adherent to a macrobiotic diet . But, as I aim for lower-impact eating , I've perused some macrobiotic books and web sites, on the lookout for new food ideas and recipes. From his "Maine author... Read More »

Leap Day 2008

by Deirdre Fulton | January 30, 2008

Are you one of the 200,000 Americans who only gets to celebrate their birthdays every four years, on Leap Day? (We're lucky enough to have such a specimen here in our office!) If so (or even if not), we've stumbled upon an easy way for you to... Read More »

UMaine law students keep on keeping on in RIAA case

by Deirdre Fulton | January 29, 2008

Last month, two UMaine Law School students filed a motion to dismiss on behalf of two UMainers accused by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) of illegal downloading . At the end of last week, Magistrate Judge Margaret Kravchuk issued... Read More »

Movement on Adams School reuse

by Deirdre Fulton | January 29, 2008

The city's Community Development Committee (Cheryl Leeman, John Anton, and James Cohen) will meet at 5 p.m. today to review the draft Request for Proposals for what used to be the Adams Elementary School on Munjoy Hill. Right now, the draft RFP primarily... Read More »

Sports Mania

by Deirdre Fulton | January 28, 2008

As if the fast-approaching Superbowl wasn't exciting enough, local sports fans will find out soon whether or not Portland will be home to an National Basketball Association Development League team (like the minors of hoops), starting with the 2008... Read More »

Maine Squeezes - Free Hugs in Monument Square

by Jeff Inglis | January 25, 2008

This afternoon, there's a guy in Monument Square giving out free hugs, which he normally does up by Congress Square. But Boo has moved downtown a bit, in hopes of encountering more people. "But there's more room for them to avoid me,"... Read More »

Tomorrow: Wear green, commute green

by Deirdre Fulton | January 24, 2008

We got an email a few weeks ago from Sarah Cushman, a Portlander who's organizing Portland Green Streets Days on the last Friday of every month. On those days, people who live or work in Portland are encouraged to wear green and to commute in an eco... Read More »

Great minds...

by Christopher Gray | January 24, 2008

I recently participated in Idolator's (big music blog, subsidiary of the Gawker blogpire) 2007 music poll, with a half-assed ballot of my top 10 albums (slightly different from what's below) and a few reissues I could think of. The poll offers... Read More »

The Alewife is a species of small shad

by Deirdre Fulton | January 24, 2008

I didn't know that! I thought Alewife was just a stop on the Boston T. Anyway, the alewives of Maine are in luck, because they have a coalition of state environmental advocacy groups working in Augusta to restore their historic spawning grounds .... Read More »

Into Great Silents

by Christopher Gray | January 23, 2008

As promised in this week's "8 Days a Week," some additional detail about upcoming silent film events around the area. (A post which perhaps should be titled: everything I write is too long, and maybe I ought to reconsider my "style"... Read More »

Update on Roe anniversary

by Deirdre Fulton | January 22, 2008

Earlier today, Jeff brought our attention to the fact that today is the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. To commemorate the date, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England is co-sponsoring a forum at the University of Southern Maine tonight, from 6-8... Read More »

We [heart] Stephen King

by Deirdre Fulton | January 22, 2008

Stephen King was on the Today Show this morning, promoting his new book, Duma Key . Despite the fact that MSNBC.com solicited questions for King from the general public, none of the chosen questioners was from King's home state of Maine. However,... Read More »

MARKING ROE - Targeting Collins

by Jeff Inglis | January 22, 2008

We wrote about it back in spring 2006 , but today, on the 35th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision , the People for the American Way will launch a series of ads targeting US Senator Susan Collins for having backed the appointments of Supreme Court... Read More »

Best Albums of 2007 - Total, final, whatever.

by Christopher Gray | January 17, 2008

I’ve deleted all previous entries to this long-running attempt to complete my Best of ’07 list; here’s the whole shebang. Honorable Mentions (all very strong, but either too uneven, too lacking in peaks, or not listened to enough to warrant top ten consideration... Read More »