From Nautica to Sabre

I'm just linking to this story about the sale of the former Nautica building to Sabre Yachts out of personal interest. As a former Nautica employee, of course I hope that the old building will get good use and create new jobs. I suspect that Sabre's use will do more for the local economy than the school's.

Peace,

Tor

Categories: Maine, economy

This Never Happens

SAD 5 voters actually managed to decrease their school budget in a district meeting. As anyone who has ever gone to a district budget meeting knows, it is usually packed with teachers who can make it there that night and stay for five hours till all the old people need to go home to bed. Then the same budget that had been defeated at the polls is usually approved by a smaller number of people than had voted in favor of it in the first place.

I can't think of another instance of this happening, at least not round here. Maybe the government-run schools are starting to get the message.

The funny thing is how the reporter -- obviously an alarmist socialist -- calls this "slashing" the budget. Mr. Groening, it is barely a scratch.

Update: Even Steve Betts uses "slash." He's not one I'd have thought would use hyperbole for such a small reduction.

Peace,

Tor

Categories: Maine, education, politics

Save Wampi

I've just added Save Wampi to my blogroll. If everyone who sees this post would go over there and donate a dollar or five (which is what I just did), they'll be able to pay off the vet bills for this beautiful Maine coon cat. Some S.O.B. threw him out a window six flights up in New York, and he broke both of his hind legs.

Peace,

Tor

Categories: animals

Gas and Guns Don't Mix

Here's one of those feel-good stories for anybody who has been feeling depressed by this summer's high gas prices.

Peace,

Tor

Categories: Maine, idiots

First Hat into the Ring

Peter Cianchette has announced his candidacy for Governor of Maine in 2006, a move that seems certain to make the fall election a rematch of the 2002 race between him and Baldacci. At this point, there are few other Republicans known statewide who could mount a credible challenge against the incumbent. And most of them already have jobs in D.C.

As a libertarian, I will look forward to the debates to see if I'll vote for Cianchette again. If he keeps it about economics and opportunity, he'll easily have my vote over Baldacci. If he can't resist the urge to rail against same-sex marriages, I'll have to find another way to vote.

Peace,

Tor

Categories: Maine, politics

Caffeine

I realized about a week ago that I've been drinking too many diet colas containing caffeine. So Saturday, I stopped. I'd gotten to that point by working all the extra hours at the theatre lately. It didn't help that my lovely wife Rowan and I took in a double-header of The Wedding Crashers and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory last Thursday. Now that things seem to be back to their normal level of insanity, I've been able to bear the withdrawal symptoms. I don't necessarily plan to stop for all time; I just want it to be effective when I need to use it in the future. I have a friend in Massachusetts who quit caffeine entirely almost twenty years ago. She's still plenty hyper, tho.

I have a great deal of empathy for anybody who is trying to quit any addiction. Caffeine is hard stuff to drop. Anybody who is trying to quit nicotine, or anything else, has my best wishes.

Peace,

Tor

Categories: drugs

Well, Officer, it's like this....

A man with outstanding arrest warrants in Rhode Island and Maine was apprehended in Bangor after police noticed he was driving a car with studded snow tires. Of course, those studded snow tires would have been awful handy in the brief hail storm and torrential downpour we experienced in Belfast on Friday evening.

I've never understood why some criminals seem to go out of their ways to get apprehended.

Peace,

Tor

Categories: Maine, idiots

Packing 101

I am a Buddhist, not a Christian. But if I were a Christian, I would regard this as a sign of the End Times: A school board in Maine has failed to pack a public meeting sufficiently to reinstate a budget that was defeated at the polls.

Peace,

Tor

Categories: Maine, politics, education

Life and Death

Things have been quite busy for me lately, keeping the blog posts down to a minimum. As I alluded to in a comment, I have worked a few extra hours in my evening job lately because one of the other projectionists has a wife who has had a kidney transplant. That got me quite tired, but now I'm almost back to my normal level of fatigue.

But I did make the trek yesterday to that section of Maine that I like to call "almost Massachusetts," in order to attend a celebration of the life of the wife of a coworker from my day job. When you're going to a memorial service, you never really know what's in store, but this one was as special as the woman who was being honored.

She had planned the whole thing, right down to the music. It started with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," and ended with the Beatles' "In My Life."

The most important thing was the participation of the family members who told their tales. I had only met June a couple of times, but even in those little glimpses I was able to see how special she was, not only to them, but to humanity in general.

Peace,

Tor

Categories: obituaries

Liberty Strikes Back

A fellow with property on Lake St. George has purposefully gotten a ticket for using a personal water craft on its waters. He hopes to get the law banning them overturned in court.
I'm not sure I know who this fellow is (and I intend to find out if he's who I think he is), but he has just become an instant hero to me. I wish more folks would have such cavalier disregard for stupid laws and work to have them overturned.
Peace,
Tor
Categories: Maine, politics

Update 7/28: The fellow, my sources tell me, is indeed the same Mark Haskell who is a well-known area professional photographer. If I run into him someday, I will certainly shake his hand.

Eminent Domain in Liberty

Sarason Liebler, a fellow denizen of Liberty, has an interesting column about eminent domain and its related "taking" laws. I had no idea such things happened in a town with a name like ours!

Peace,

Tor

Categories: Maine, politics

Pharmacology college considered in Camden

Reports that a pharmacology college has the potential of opening up shop in Camden are an unexpected dollop of good news for Maine's economy. It sounds like the redevelopment of the former MBNA sites is going full steam ahead. Let's hope the local authorities don't drop the ball on this.
Peace,
Tor
Categories: Maine