THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2010 VOL. 2 NO. 230 PORTLAND, ME PORTLAND’S DAILY NEWSPAPER 699-5801

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Old Port Playhouse

Inaugural invitation spurs

refl ectionSee Bob Higgins’

column on page 4

Cheverus High choirs perform

See story, page 7

Census data confi rm

exodus of the boringSee Curtis Robinson’s column on

page 5

Black Cat Ball rings in 2011 See Events Calendar on page 13

FREE

On a day the new summit lift was offi -cially opened at Shawnee Peak. some 100 children learned to ski for free in memory of a 15-year-old Cheverus High School student whose life was taken by a drunk driver in 2008.

The new Summit Triple Chair is the state’s fi rst loading conveyor system, and the second in New England, with the other at Okemo in Ludlow, Vt.

We chose to stay with a fi xed grip because it’s economical,” said Shawnee Peak owner Chet Homer Sunday. “We can’t afford a $3.5 million or $4 million investment. Our pass holders told me I would be nuts to do that. I stayed with a triple versus a quad because very rarely are there days when the line is that big.”

A special day at Shawnee Peak Kids learn to ski for free in honor of Cheverus High student

BY MARTY BASCHSPECIAL TO THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

see SHAWNEE page 8

LEFT: Gov. John Baldacci (left) and Shawnee Peak owner Chet Homer prepare to unveil the new Summit Triple Chair at the Bridgton ski area. (MARTY BASCH PHOTO)

RIGHT: Conductor Peter McHugh waits for the last passengers on a Monday afternoon Amtrak train from Portland to Boston Tues-day. (DAVID CARKHUFF PHOTO)

Coming soon ... a train ride from Portland to Windham

Want to jump on a train in the summer in Portland and ride out to Sebago Lake for a weekend camp-ing excursion? Or how about skipping the traffi c on Route 302 and com-muting by rail from a suburb to your job in the Port City?

These scenar-ios and others make newly elected Rep. Ben Chipman (I-Portland) think there’s more to rail than Portland-to-Boston junkets on Amtrak.

Train fans embrace trends

Rolling northExpansion

of Amtrak to Brunswick applauded

— see story, page 6

BY DAVID CARKHUFFTHE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

see TRAINS page 3

Page 2 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Thursday, December 23, 2010

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Supreme Court delivered another stinging setback to Republican Joe Miller, refusing to overturn election results that favored his GOP rival, Lisa Murkowski, in the state’s U.S. Senate race.

The high court on Wednesday upheld a lower court’s ruling dismissing Miller’s claims of impropriety in the state’s handling of the election and ballots for Murkowski, who waged a longshot write-in campaign after losing her primary to Miller. It found “no remaining issues raised by Miller that prevent this election from being certifi ed.”

It’s now up to Miller to decide if the elec-tion is fi nally over.

A federal judge, who had put a hold on certifi cation to give the state courts time to rule on Miller’s claims, said he would give Miller 48 hours to plead any outstanding issues to him once the high court had ruled.

Miller initially fi led a lawsuit in fed-eral court, claiming the state violated the Elections and Equal Protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution in its handling of the race. But U.S. District Judge Ralph Beistline said Miller’s claims about the state’s handling of the election should fi rst be addressed by the state.

Miller spokesman Randy DeSoto said Miller’s team is reviewing the high court’s decision, and is weighing its options and chances of prevailing in the federal courts.

“We are disappointed the Alaska Supreme Court has ignored the plain text of Alaska law and allowed the Division of

Elections to effectively amend the state election code, without even giving the public an opportunity for notice and com-ment,” he said.

Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell, who oversees elections, said the state would be asking Beistline to lift his stay. The director of the state Division of Elections has said the race could be certifi ed within hours

of the stay being lifted. The state and Murkowski are eager for a rapid resolu-tion; senators are sworn in for the new Congress Jan. 5.

“We felt all along that this election should have been certifi ed, and I’m glad the Supreme Court took the time to come to a reasoned decision,” Murkowski attor-ney Scott Kendall said.

Alaska high court throws out Miller claims

This Monday, Nov. 1 photo shows Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, at a rally in Anchorage, Alaska. On Wednesday, the Alaska Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision in the disputed U.S. Senate race, saying the state cor-rectly counted write-in votes for Murkowski. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A construc-tion worker who killed a promising rookie pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels and two other people in a horrifi c drunken driving crash said Wednesday he had all but ended his own life that night by getting behind the wheel after drinking.

Andrew Gallo, 24, acknowledged his deadly mistake to the grieving relatives of his victims and said he expected to spend the rest of his life behind bars before a judge sentenced him to 51 years to life in prison.

“I know whatever I say will not change

anything or the way you think or feel about me,” said Gallo, who faced the judge because he was not permitted to look at the courtroom audience.

“You’re right. I am a horrible person, a drunk driver who took your beautiful kids away,” he said.

Gallo was convicted in September of three counts of second-degree murder and single counts of drunken driving, hit-and-run driving, and driving under the infl u-ence of alcohol and causing great bodily injury.

Judge Richard A. Toohey gave Gallo 15

years to life on each of the murder counts and six additional years for the other crimes.

Prosecutors said Gallo, who was on parole for a felony DUI conviction, had a blood-alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit when he blew through a red light at 65 mph on April 9, 2009, and T-boned the car carrying pitcher Nick Adenhart and three friends.

Also killed were 20-year-old Courtney Stewart and 25-year-old Henry Pearson. A fourth passenger, Jon Wilhite had his spine separated from his skull by the impact and survived.

Man who killed Angel pitcher gets 51 years to life

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — After years of losing residents to more prosperous states, the nation’s Rust Belt now confronts another blow to its economic prospects: losing some of its votes in Congress.

The latest census fi gures show that states in much of the Midwest and Northeast have been overtaken in population growth by the South and West. So starting in 2013, they will

have to make do with smaller delegations in Washington, which means less political clout to attract government money and jobs.

“These states in the indus-trial heartland and to some extent in the Northeast have seen their impact eroded,” said Norman Ornstein, a political scientist with the American Enterprise Institute. “It’s not totally devastating. . But num-

bers do matter.”Analysts say the changes will

ratchet up pressure on elected leaders to work together more closely and to redouble efforts to strengthen and diversify their state economies.

Michigan was the only state where the population declined over the past decade, but growth across the region was anemic — 3 percent in the Northeast and 4 percent in

the Midwest. Population in the South and West shot up nearly four times more. The trend largely refl ects young people going elsewhere in search of work, causing the northern population to become older.

Of the 10 states that will lose House seats, all but Louisiana are in the Midwest or North-east. The affected area includes Rust Belt manufacturing cen-ters along the Great Lakes.

Rust Belt states losing people, political clout in Census stats

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3DAYFORECAST LOTTERY#’SDAILY NUMBERS

Day 3-5-1 • 2-6-3-3

Evening 6-9-3 • 1-1-3-4

TodayHigh: 37

Record: 58 (1994)Sunrise: 7:12 a.m.

TonightLow: 16

Record: -6 (1980)Sunset: 4:08 p.m.

TomorrowHigh: 32Low: 17

Sunrise: 7:13 a.m.Sunset: 4:09 p.m.

SaturdayHigh: 31Low: 13

records are from 3/1/74 to present

4,430U.S. military deaths in Iraq.

DOW JONES0.22 to 11,533.38

NASDAQ2.24 to 2,669.85

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Man behind ‘Lone

Ranger’ intro dies

SAYWHAT...‘Classic.’ A book which people

praise and don’t read.”—Mark Twain

“

BOSTON (AP) — Fred Foy, an announcer best known for his booming, pas-sionate lead-ins to “The Lone Ranger” radio and television series, died Wednesday of natural causes at his Woburn, Mass., home, his daughter said. He was 89.

Nancy Foy said her father worked as an actor before landing the job as the announcer and narrator on “The Lone Ranger” radio show in 1948.

The show’s live lead-in introduced its masked cowboy hero and his trusted horse with the line: “A fi ery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty ‘Hi-Yo Silver!’ ... The Lone Ranger!”

Foy’s dramatic introduction and narration, performed in a powerful baritone, were so good it “made many people forget there were others before him,” said radio historian Jim Harmon, who called him “per-haps the greatest announcer-narrator in the history of radio drama.

“He pronounced words like no one else ever had — ‘SIL-ver,’ ‘hiss-TOR-ee.’ But hearing him, you real-ized everyone else had been wrong,” Harmon wrote in his book, “Radio Mystery and Adventure and Its Appear-ances in Film, Television and Other Media.”

Foy never tired of giving a spirited rendition of “The Lone Ranger” introduction to anyone, anywhere, who would ask, his daughter said.

“Dad would do the intro at the drop of a hat,” she said. “He loved it. He loved for us to let people know so he would be asked to do it.”

Foy was born in Detroit in 1921, graduated from that city’s Eastern High School in 1938 and landed a job on the announcing staff of radio sta-tion WXYZ in Detroit in 1942. He was drafted into the Army that year and served in an Armed Forces Radio unit in Cairo during World War II.

Foy returned to WXYZ in 1945, then three years later won the job on “The Lone Ranger,” even stepping into the lead role for one radio broadcast when actor Brace Beemer had laryngitis.

Foy’s son, Fritz Foy, said the introduction’s signature opening line, “Hi-Yo, Silver!” was done by an actor on the radio show, though his father belted it out for the TV series.

Foy also performed on radio series including “The Green Hornet” and “Sgt. Pres-ton of the Yukon.”

In 1960, Foy began working for the ABC network. He spent fi ve years as an announcer on the “The Dick Cavett Show” and narrated documentaries. He left ABC in the mid-1980s and later retired to Woburn, Nancy Foy said.

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THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Thursday, December 23, 2010— Page 3

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Chipman on Thursday, Dec. 16 attended a legislative briefi ng in Standish that convinced him to intro-duce legislation to study the feasibil-ity of commuter rail service in Greater Portland.

Chipman, who represents District 119, which includes Portland’s Park-side, Bayside and East Bayside neigh-borhoods, wants to see how passenger rail service would work in the suburbs west as far as Windham, north as far as Yarmouth or Brunswick and south as far as Saco and Biddeford.

Presumably through the Maine Department of Transportation using existing MaineDOT funds, the study could make the case for fi nishing a section of the old Mountain Division rail corridor, also called the Route 113 corridor, from Westbrook to Portland.

“That’s a top priority for me right now making sure we get that section of track done,” Chipman said.

Chipman was the only Portland legislator to attend a briefi ng given by the Route 113 Corridor Commit-tee, Greater Portland Council of Gov-ernments, and the Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission about reclaiming the Mountain Division line.

In a message via Facebook, Chip-man recalled: “I made a strong case for commuter rail service to ease traffi c congestion and parking ... problems in Portland, reduce pollution and make transportation choice a reality for people in Portland and the surround-ing communities. There are no tickets available yet, but by June there will be high speed track installed from Windham to Westbrook. The idea is to continue to Portland. We are probably at least two years away from com-muter rail service from Portland out to Windham but things are moving in the right direction.”

Caroline Paras, community and business development specialist for the Greater Portland Council of Gov-ernments, applauded Chipman’s leg-islative proposal and said she’s ready to celebrate the opening next year of the upgrade section of track from Windham to Westbrook.

“I would like a marching band, because it would essentially be the fi rst passenger train to Windham from Westbrook since 1959,” Paras said.

“We’ve been talking about it, there’s 15 years or more of involvement,” she said, but a statewide bond package passed by voters last June provided the $4 million to refurbish the his-

toric track. On June 8, Maine voters approved Question 3, which dedicates $4 million for reconstruction of the rail line.

“That’s the fi rst money that has actually gone into restoring track on the line,” Paras noted.

The goal is to restore track from Cumberland Mills to at least South Windham that will support passenger rail speeds of up to 60 miles per hour.

There’s excitement in the com-muter-rail community.

“We all feel it. We all feel like, wow, something is fi nally happening,” Paras said.

MORE THAN A CENTURY OF HISTORY

A couple years after the Civil War, the Mountain Division rail line fi rst emerged as a regional feature.

“The Portland and Ogdensburg Rail-road was chartered in 1867 to connect the Port of Portland with the Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence Seaway in Ogdensburg, New York, a distance of over 400 miles. The fi rst train ran on August 16, 1875. A main line run-ning some 200 miles was eventually completed as far as Lime Ridge in the Province of Quebec, which is near Sherbrooke, Canada,” notes a history printed by the Route 113 Corridor Committee in cooperation with the Greater Portland Council of Govern-ments and Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission after their “If we build it, will they come? Route 113 Futures Forum Series” in Standish on Sept. 13, 2006.

“In addition to freight, everything from ice to apples to lumber [was shipped, and] passenger service was an important feature of the Mountain Division. ... In the early ‘80s, Guilford Rail divested itself of many of its mar-ginal operations, including the Moun-tain Division. Passenger service had ceased in 1959. ... In the early ‘80s, Guilford Rail divested itself of many of its marginal operations, including the Mountain Division. Passenger ser-vice had ceased in 1959, but the last

freight train ran in 1984. In the mid ‘90s, a coalition, now known as the Mountain Division Alliance, formed to preserve the rail corridor for future use. In 1997, the state was able to pur-chase the 40 mile section from South Windham to Fryeburg for the bargain price of $1 million.”

The track hasn’t been left entirely idle during the restoration push.

“Since its abandonment by Guil-ford, parts of the Mountain Division have been brought back to life,” noted a June 21, 2005 “Mountain Division Rail Freight Study” report produced for the MaineDOT by the Greater Portland Council of Governments. “The State of New Hampshire bought the North Conway to Whitefi eld seg-ment in 1994, and the State of Maine bought the Fryeburg to Windham por-tion three years later. The Conway Scenic Railroad has rehabilitated the line between North Conway and Fabyans Station to FRA Class II stan-dards, a distance of approximately 28 miles. A multi-use trail has been con-structed next to the tracks between Windham and Standish, Maine.

The State of Maine has been per-forming limited maintenance on its stretch of track since purchasing it, clearing much of the vegetation that had sprung up along the line. The Portland Transportation Center, home to Amtrak’s Downeaster, Con-cord Trailways, and local bus service, is located on the Mountain Division in Portland.

With permission of Guilford and NNEPRA, a tourist rail company could operate special trains out of this terminal.”

This month’s legislative briefi ng brought the whole dream of restoring that track full circle.

“On the Mountain Division, the infrastructure is going in, the track will be restored by June of next year,” Paras said.

The Portland-to-Westbrook section is still owned by PanAm, and the state would need to buy that section to com-plete the line, Paras said. Next spring, supporters most likely would watch a demonstration train make the fi rst run in over 50 years on the Wind-ham-to-Westbrook segment, she said. Keeping an actual commuter train on the track will require more work.

“That’s more of the long-term issue,” Paras said. “We can build it but for any passenger service to be offered it’s probably going to require an operat-

ing subsidy.”The Amtrak Downeaster relies on

a $6 million operating subsidy, so it’s possible funding could be found.

Chipman said the investment would be well worth it.

“The Downeaster has been pretty successful, especially with the price of gas going up over $3 a gallon,” he pointed out. “What I’m envisioning is commuter rail service that has Inter-net service on it so people who live in Windham or Standish can jump on the train and check their email.”

“By 2025, York and Cumberland counties are expected to grow by 50,000 people, and routes 25, 302 and 113 contain 11 intersections that operate at a poor level of service,” Chipman pointed out. “Commuter rail service would allow people to ride to work without driving a car.”

Also, road maintenance is a drain on the state, he argued.

“As the population has grown in these suburban areas, people are driv-ing up and down roads that weren’t built to handle that number of cars and the roads are collapsing,” he said.

In Portland, any commuter can tell you that streets often become over-loaded with traffi c.

“All the traffi c congestion that we’ve had around here on Franklin Arte-rial and Forest Avenue and Congress Street. ... it would be great if they could jump on a train and check their emails and text messages and have someone else do the driving,” Chip-man said.

Studies suggest the new commuter rail would relieve traffi c congestion.

“If you can get 190 cars off the road an hour during the day, that’s a couple of thousand cars,” Chipman said.

The goal is to get the fi rst section of tracks restored by June, “then we have to work on getting it in from West-brook to Portland,” Chipman said.

TRAINS from page one“I would like a marching band,

because it would essentially be the fi rst passenger train to Windham from Westbrook since 1959.” — Caroline Paras, Greater Portland

Council of Governments

“What I’m envisioning is commuter rail service that has Internet service on it so people who live in Windham or

Standish can jump on the train and check

their email.” — State Rep. Ben Chipman,

I-Portland

Mountain Division line will live again with renovation

Page 4 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Thursday, December 23, 2010

Sometimes weird things arrive in the mail, particularly around the holidays. This week was another jaw dropper.

I’ve received an invitation to the inauguration of Paul LePage as governor.

Perhaps I should step back a few paces and review my invita-tions policy. I hate being invited anywhere, ever, for any reason. I usually have plans involving heavy drinking or checking the insides of my eyelids for holes, and to accept an invitation to anything usually results in a re-scrambling of pre-arranged plans.

I was not a LePage supporter, or a part of the Tea Party move-ment, or anything of the sort. I did send along a few snarky emails to the transition team, so apparently they just sent out a block invitation to everyone on the mailing list.

I can only think of a few rea-sons that I would be invited to the ceremony. Perhaps Gov-Elect LePage is a fan of the columns, as those late night long road trips over the length of the campaign can cause folks to make failures in judgment.

Possibly, it was my response to the A.J. Higgins (no relation, just ask him) episode during the campaign when LePage said he

Inaugural invitation ruminations

wanted to “punch him right in the mouth.” Either I’m being mis-taken for A.J., or the comments I made at the time about A.J. cleaning his clock like a Swiss engineer have me on the poten-tial witness list.

Quite possibly, Paul LePage is a fan of Maine horror writer Stephen King. I can only imag-ine those long nights on the campaign trail leading to fanta-sies of locking the entire Maine Press Corps in the Augusta Civic Center and re-creating that famous scene from King’s earliest work, “Carrie.”

A few years back, I worked for a linen company that had the contract at the Civic Center, and I had occasion to drive there quite a few times every week. I can easily remember the back room, near the kitchen, where all the linen was stored, along with the unused tables and assorted other bric-a-brack of a convention center.

Now, as a testament to the

uneasy relations between the press and Mr. LePage, I can easily imagine that room being turned into a chamber of horrors. Over on the far wall, I can see A.J. standing on a box, manacled to the wall, a bag over his head like the famous photo of Abu Ghraib prison. The walls will be lined up with pre-cut lengths of garden hose, suitable for use as a truncheon.

Perhaps this invitation gesture is a peaceful one, a getting off on the right foot kind of thing. The slick boys in Augusta in the shiny suits must be slathering at all available orifi ces for the chance to make Paul seem more even tempered. Just this week, the Waterville City Council approved a ban on “adult businesses” there. Though Lepage was not there for the meeting, he had previously stated that he didn’t believe that government had “any business legislating morality.”

This is one of those quotes that can come back to haunt a politi-cian. Mark it, and the date, as I’m sure we’ll all be referring back to it a few score times over the next four years. It ranks up there with White House spokesman Charlie Gibson and his famous WikiLe-aks quote, over “having nothing to fear from one guy with a laptop.”

see HIGGINS page 5

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

All letters columns and editorial cartoons are the opinion of the writer or artists and do not refl ect the opinions of the staff, editors or pub-lisher of The Portland Daily Sun.

We welcome your ideas and opinions on all topics and consider every signed letter for publication. Limit letters to 300 words and include your address and phone number. Longer letters will only be published as space allows and may be edited. Anonymous letters, letters without full names and generic letters will not be published. Please send your letters to: THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, news@port-landdailysun.me. You may FAX your letters to 899-4963, Attention: Editor.

Guess who’s whining the loudest these days, wail-ing that they’re getting a raw deal from Barack Obama.

Not the unemployed and barely employed — even though the White House has blithely ignored their critical need for a national jobs program. Not the poor, even though their ranks are swelling as mil-lions of Americans fall out of the middle class.

Obama to the corporate powers: I feel your pain

Jim Hightower

–––––Creators Syndicate

No, no, the most insistent demand for attention is coming from way above the poor and the middle class. Believe it or not, it’s the CEOs of Americas biggest corporations and the top bankers of Wall Street who’re stamping their little Gucci-clad feet, bawling that they should be getting more love and sup-port from the president.

It seems that the feelings of these precious ones have been hurt by Obama’s occasional condemnation of the stupefying greed that’s been shown by the likes of health insurance executives and Wall Street banksters. As one CEO put it, Obama’s attitude “felt too much like we were the bad guys.”

Yoo-hoo, Mr. Multimillionaire Executive, YOU

see HIGHTOWER page 5

We want your opinions

––––––––––––– COLUMN –––––––––––––

Bob Higgins–––––

Daily Sun Columnist

Portland’s FREE DAILY NewspaperCurtis Robinson Editor

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THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Thursday, December 23, 2010— Page 5

Well, the U.S. Census fi gures are in and, as expected, boring people con-tinue to relocate to boring states.

But, actually, the “boring exodus” is only Trend One of three huge pat-terns driving a national population shift.

The second pattern is that states sponging federal bucks off “donor states” continue to do well, especially those solid-red states in the South where you can still live in your car without freezing to death. (We’ll get the third trend, lying, soon enough.)

Certainly we can celebrate that Maine, which under state law is only moderately boring in certain designated areas, held its own with a growth rate of just over 4 percent. That means we get to keep both our congressional seats, which is good.

Plus, we continue to opt-out of the Northeast population-loss trend caused by the “donor state” exodus.

The “donor state” label comes from the fact that, as virtually everyone knows now, our national progressive income tax means that states with residents earning higher incomes pay vastly higher federal taxes than those states largely populated by lower paid folks. Call it the rube index.

As one business-tax website noted, “Ironically, most of these high-paying states are the so-called blue states that have generally elected politi-cians who support a more steeply progressive tax system even though their own constituents bear a greater

Census numbers confi rm the exodus of the boring

share of the burden as the code gets more progressive.”

Irony, of course, is slightly dif-ferent from sarcasm or mockery in that it passes the “test of opposites.” In this case, it’s a bunch of smart people being dumb enough to send tax money to people who desperately want scientifi c research limited to fully grasping the secret of fi re.

States that typically receive more than they give to the federal coffers are those like Mississippi and New Mexico, and usually Nevada is the top state. The biggest population gains? The South and, well, Nevada.

The worst victims of the rube index? Well, that would be in the Northeast with New Jersey being the worst, meaning it pays way more than it gets – nearly two-to-one by some measures. Hey, somebody has to pay for those bridges to nowhere up in Alaska — which by the way is also always one of the big receiver states.

The new Census data clearly docu-ment these trends.

In all this, Texas has become a prototype for bogarting popula-tion and embracing the rube index.

It famously has no state income or business taxes, and combats its 10-gallon-hat sized boredom problem by establishing what amounts to an “intellectual oasis strategy” – plus, it has an abundance of Southern Politi-cians, who tend to become president.

Thus in the desert of strip malls and anti-intellectual wombat-crazy locals (with apologies to the entire bat family), the non-boring stumble – we assume with windows locked and Lyle Lovett blaring – into the cultural oasis of Austin. There are other non-boring sites in Lone Star land, but Austin really illustrates the oasis strategy.

Toss in virtually unregulated oil production, all the federal grant money that fl owed into President George W. Bush’s home state over eight years of war, government expan-sion and defi cit spending and you get a nice economy ... really, Austin is sort of the Dubai of rube-index America.

The political results of the bore-dom/rube/whatever shift are dra-matic: Like in 1960, New York had 45 seats in the House of Representa-tives. Now it’s down to 27 — the same number as Florida. Yet New York City holds its population because ... have you forgotten Trend One?

Frankly, I don’t think that the Census really works anymore. It was created when horses were the usual means of travel, making it diffi cult to claim Florida as a residence while actually living in, say, Maine.

That brings us to the third big trend: lying.

Now that air travel is, for many, more like a high-end commuter bus without the security of surveillance cameras (yet), “residency” is more like “where your money lives.” In my years in Colorado, it was amazing how many Texas “residents” we had living there year-round. You don’t have to remember the Paul LePage “Florida taxes” fl ap to understand the situation.

Clearly, state tax burdens, the boredom exodus and, perhaps, an aging population simply looking for warmer climes are all helping drive these trends. Maine is certainly for-tunate, if we seek a larger population, to have elected a state House, Senate and governor with some pretty seri-ous Boredom Belt cred.

Now that we live in a red state, with taxes no doubt dropping any day now, and since we’re already among those states getting a good return on our federal dollars, our population future really looks good. Toss in the prospect of increased global warm-ing, now that serious climate legisla-tion seems doomed, and things really look up.

Read the trends: somebody better print 100,000 “Keep Portland Weird” stickers ASAP.

(Curtis Robinson is editor of The Portland Daily Sun. Contact him at curtis@portlanddailysun.me.)

Curtis Robinson

–––––Usually

Reserved

Since I’ve already got the tickets, that leaves a few other questions open. What to wear? Shall I pull the gorilla suit out of storage, smuggle it into the arena in my laptop bag, and excuse myself to the restroom to make a quick change once I’m already inside? The pure spectacle of seeing a man hauled out of an inauguration ceremony in

a gorilla suit might just make the national news.Then again, the clown costume might be better.Who to take is another dilemma. I have to bring

along someone with the same warped sense of humor, and a big bag of money for bail. There is just no way on earth that I will ever go to a func-tion like this without bail money. One reporter here suggested that this is perhaps similar to the kind of stings that you usually see the sheriff ’s

offi ce doing, where you believe you’re going to get a big screen tv, but instead get confronted with old warrants.

I can already guess that security has my picture from the paper: That’s why I like this one, that doesn’t look anything like me. That’s called strategy.

(Bob Higgins is a regular contributor to The Port-land Daily Sun.)

HIGGINS from page 4

Imagine a scene from Stephen King with the press corps as victims

Trends reveal progressive states will pay for more bridges to nowhere

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– STAFF OPINION ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

ARE! Corporate chieftains are ruthlessly downsiz-ing the middle class, carelessly polluting our air and water, gleefully destroying our democracy by using their corrupting corporate money to buy our govern-ment and generally feeling entitled to run rough-shod over everyone — all while pocketing obscene levels of wealth for themselves. Yet they’re the ones crying?

Those guys are pathetic — they’re a bunch of nar-cissists with a sense of entitlement. Obama ought to send each of them a box of Kleenex and tell ‘em to go to hell. But unfortunately, he’s no Harry Truman. So instead, he’s giving in to them!

“(I intend) to make clear to the business commu-nity,” he recently announced, “that the most impor-tant thing we can do is to boost and encourage our business sector.” Hello ... they’re doing fi ne. The most important thing you can do is boost America’s middle class.

Obama’s helping not only multimillionaire corpo-rate CEOs. He’s also helping their friends at the U.S.

Chamber of Commerce. Of all the groups in America that need the president of the U.S. on its side, you’d think the last to win a pledge of support would be the Chamber.

After all, this outfi t, which is largely funded and run by a handful of America’s biggest corporations, has become the most powerful lobbying force in Washington — and one of the richest front groups funneling secret corporate cash into our elections. Indeed, it poured tens of millions of those dollars into campaign ads this fall to demonize the presi-dent and turn the U.S. House over to anti-Obama Republicans.

Yet, the day after the election, the Chamber found itself being wooed by the White House. The presi-dent even dispatched his treasury secretary to the Chamber’s opulent headquarters to eat crow and promise that, henceforth, Obama and Team would be more corporate friendly.

Good grief! Friendlier than Obama’s Wall Street reform that coddled the big banksters, or his health care reform that further entrenches profi teering insurance giants inside the system? Or the tax bill

cave-in that needlessly awards billions of dollars in special breaks for corporations and rich CEOs?

Yes. So friendly that Obama is now holding an ongoing series of closed-door policy meetings with assorted CEOs. So friendly that he’s already delayed regulations to strengthen anti-pollution rules. So friendly that his defi cit-reduction panel proposes cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 26 percent.

So friendly that he’s planning to put a high-pow-ered CEO right inside the White House with him, as demanded by the whining corporate powers who say they’re not getting enough love from the president.

Why do they get a special presidential slot? Why not one for labor, small farmers, consumers, the unemployed? Remind me again — is this guy a Democrat?

(To fi nd out more about Jim Hightower, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.)

Obama is holding ongoing closed-door meetings with CEOsHIGHTOWER from page 4

Page 6 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Thursday, December 23, 2010

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When the Obama adminis-tration announced earlier this month it was taking $1.2 billion in high-speed rail money away from Ohio and Wisconsin and awarding it to 12 other states, including Maine, Wayne E. Davis had to smile.

Davis is chairman of TrainRid-ers Northeast, a group that pro-motes rail development in the

region. He’s also someone who has waited a long time to hear the news that Maine was getting the money it needed to expand Amtrak’s Downeaster train from Portland to Brunswick.

Currently, the Downeaster operates fi ve daily round trips between Portland and Boston.

“L.L. Bean did a study some years ago that said there are 4.5 to 5.5 million people a year who shopped in Freeport, and 98 per-

cent of them were two adults in an automobile from south or west of Boston. Ideal for the train, that’s perfect. Tapping into that, even a small amount, will raise the ridership on the Downeaster by a third,” Davis said.

The Brunswick extension was long awaited, Davis said. Train-Riders has 1,300 members in 26 states, and “it took us so long to

Passngers in Portland troop down to the platform to board a train for Boston. On Dec. 15, Amtrak’s Downeaster celebrated its ninth birth-day. (DAVID CARKHUFF PHOTO)

Boston-to-Brunswick rail service a dream decades in the making

BY DAVID CARKHUFFTHE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

see AMTRAK page 9

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Thursday, December 23, 2010— Page 7

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Cape Elizabeth High School’s mock trial team won the state champion-ship on Dec. 9, defeating long-time champion Hampden Academy at the Cumberland County Courthouse.

Cape Elizabeth’s team is now eli-gible to participate in the national competition, to be held in Phoenix, Arizona in May 2011.

The mock trial competition con-sists of two trials: one team acts as the plaintiff and the other as defense in the fi rst trial, and then they switch sides for the second trial.

Team members fi ll the roles of plaintiff attorneys, defense attor-neys and witnesses; the trials are unscripted.

Several dozen volunteer lawyers and judges participate in the Mock Trial Competition, which is spon-sored by the Maine State Bar Asso-ciation with support from the Maine Bar Foundation.

The competition requires extensive preparation on the part of the stu-dents, who must advance through sev-eral rounds of preliminary competition to qualify for the championship.

“The teams did a phenomenal job this year with a very diffi cult case. I’m impressed by both teams’ abil-ity to handle the complexities of this case with such professionalism and creativity,” said competition coordi-

nator Julie Finn, a Maine attorney.Chief Justice Leigh I. Saufl ey of

the Maine Supreme Court presided over the championship trial along with Hilary Billings of the federal defender’s offi ce, and David Cluchey, professor of law at University of Maine School of Law.

The Cape Elizabeth High School team was led by teacher Mary Page and coached by attorney Richard O’Meara of the law fi rm Murray, Plumb & Murray and Jeff Shedd, principal of Cape Elizabeth High School principal.

The Hampden Academy team was led by teacher Kathryn King and coached by attorneys Jim McCarthy of the U.S. Attorney’s offi ce in Bangor and Mark Beaumont of the law fi rm Eaton Peabody.

The Maine High School Mock Trial Competition educates students about the legal system, the judicial process, the attorneys’ roles and the rules of evidence, aiming to teach effective communication, critical thinking, principles of advocacy and team work.

In addition to the Maine State Bar Association and the Maine Bar Foun-dation, the program also receives support from the Friends of the Mock Trial; Berman & Simmons; Gross, Minsky & Mogul; the Narragansett Number One Foundation; and the family of Corrie Lazar.

Jamie Dulac, Maggie Shellene, Ariana Russo, Hill-ary Morin, Marina Phillipps, Chris-tina Cilley, Elaine Cilley, Andrew Gilliam, Lethicia Tshamala, Rachel Simonds, Kelsey Dulac, Grandle-igh Cameron, Samantha Pion, Danielle Kane and Lisette Labbe all performed with Cheverus High School. (COUR-TESY PHOTO)

Members of the award-winning Cheverus High School Concert and Jazz Choirs visited Mercy Hospital to sing and “spread some holiday cheer.”

The students and their director, Christopher Humphrey, sang Christ-mas carols for Mercy Hospital patients and staff on Thursday, Dec. 16. One of the staff members at mercy Hospi-tal remarked that for “some of these patients, this will be the only holiday music they will hear this year.” The students were thrilled to bring some joy and Christmas spirit to the patients, “Our students have been looking for-ward to it for weeks,” said Humphrey.

For Cheverus students, giving back and sharing their time and talents is an important part of the Cheverus educational experience where they are

encouraged to be “people for others.” Members of the group were:

Gradeigh Cameron, sophomore, of Naples

Christian Cilley, freshman, of PortlandElaine Cilley, senior, of Portland

Jamie Dulac, sophomore, of PortlandKelsey Dulac, sophomore, of Portland

Andrew Gilliam, sophomore, of TopshamDanielle Kane, sophomore, of BrunswickLisette Labbe, freshman, of Limerick

Hillary Morin, senior, of BrunswickMarina Phillipps, senior,

of Cape ElizabethSamantha Pion, senior, of Standish

Ariana Russo, freshman, of FalmouthRachael Simonds, freshman,

of FalmouthMaggie Shellene, freshman,

of KennebunkportLethicia Tshamala, sophomore,

of WestbrookChristopher Humphrey, director and chair-man of the Cheverus Music Department

DAILY SUN STAFF REPORT

Cheverus High choirs perform

Cape Elizabeth wins high school state mock trial championship

DAILY SUN STAFF REPORT

Page 8 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Thursday, December 23, 2010

The chair features a conveyor loader. Stand by a gate, wait for it to open, slide forward on the moving belt (think airport moving sidewalk on a smaller scale) and then sit in the chair as it approaches.

“We chose to invest in the con-veyor to take advantage of the speed of the lift,” said Homer. “The biggest complaint we had here was the ride to the top. We cut that down by a third and that’s a huge difference.”

The CTEC lift was purchased from Loon Mountain in Lincoln, N.H. and replaces the old Riblet lift that was installed in 1984. Key components of the CTEC have been refurbished or replaced.

Among those in attendance at the Bridgton ski area were gov-ernor John Baldacci, Rep. Paul Waterhouse, State Sen. Dave Hastings and Bridgton Chamber of Commerce executive director Jim Mains.

The governor congratulated Homer and his family on the investment and innovation of the triple lift while “help-ing put Maine on the map” in terms of winter recreation.

Ski Maine executive director Greg Sweetser says the lift’s technology will be watched closely.

“I think this created some buzz, some fun and gives Maine something to brag about a little bit,” he said. “This contin-ues Shawnee’s philosophy of reinvest-

ing in the mountain and will increase skier capacity and the seats are more comfortable. People are going to notice the difference.”

The high noon ribbon-cutting cer-emony was held in conjunction with the second annual Cooper Campbell Day, a kick-off to the Winter Kids season. The non-profi t organization helps foster a healthy and active outdoors lifestyle for Maine children during the season of snow.

Cooper, a fun-loving winter kid who skied and snowboarded in Maine and at resorts around the country, was

killed by a drunk driver going the wrong way on the Maine Turnpike. He and his father Steve were returning from a Florida vacation and were being transported in a Lin-coln Town Car. The limo driver James McLaughlin, 65 , of Gorham was killed too. Steve, now 50, was seriously hurt. In 2009, Steve donated $10,000 to Winter Kids in Cooper’s memory as a way to spread his son’s love of the outdoors in winter.

“I really wanted to fi nd a way to speak to Coop’s legacy, “said Steve. “I was trying to fi nd something that matched who he was. When I got to know more about Winter Kids it just parallels who Cooper was.”

Winter Kids (winterkids.org) offers a variety of programs including the WinterKids Pass-port (an opportunity for winter

recreation for Maine’s fi fth through sev-enth graders), a WinterKids Fun Pass (pre-schoolers to fourth graders can try cross-country skiing and snowshoeing free) and World Class Athlete Tour that has included Maine Olympians Julie Parisien and Seth Wescott.

“One of the best parts of my day was watching the kids putting on their boots for the fi rst time,” said Fran Mullin, Winter Kids executive director. “You could see they were nervous, but so excited to try a fun new sport. I saw one little girl just beaming and bouncing up

and down with excitement when she got her skis.”

Steve, of Portland, described Cooper as a very spirited and confi dent teen-ager, a cool kid, who loved being outside. He called the day “bittersweet.”

Ironically, Steve and his son bonded “at the hip” when the two lost Janet — Steve’s wife, Cooper’s mother— to breast cancer fi ve years ago and took on a live life to the fullest mentality.

“Live a life with no regrets, travel a lot,” said Steve, who works for Delhaize Group, Hannaford’s parent company. “We wanted to experience different things and skiing was one of those things.”

Said Steve, “In the short life that he had, he really lived a lot.”

•••Christmas week is coming with its

storm of activties. Today’s the sched-uled opening day at Black Mountain of Maine in Rumford. Sunday River’s vacation week offerings include nightly entertainment from rock to a Wii sports tournament at the Jordan Grand Resort Hotel Monday from 3 to 5 p.m. Seth Wescott is slated to sign autographs at Sugarloaf on Monday from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Sugarloaf Board Room. Today at Saddleback is the $29 State Employee Furlough Day. Fun and fi reworks meet Tuesday at Shawnee Peak during the Ullr Fest with “The Beating of the Drums” at 7 p.m. Tomorrow is a $75 Carload Caravan Day at Mt. Abram.

(Marty Basch can be reached through www.onetankway.com.)

“I really wanted to fi nd a way to speak to Coop’s legacy, “ said Steve Campbell about Cooper Campbell Day, a kick-off to the Winter Kids season at Shawnee Peak. (MARTY BASCH PHOTO)

SHAWNEE from page one

Second annual Cooper Campbell Day honors teen’s memory

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Thursday, December 23, 2010— Page 9

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get this basic service that their kids had kids.”All of New England received less than 2 percent of

the $8 billion in federal stimulus money for rail, but $35 million was awarded to extend the Downeaster 30 miles north from Portland to Brunswick. Now, with the rerouting of funds from the Midwest, the job can be completed.

The shift of funds to Maine was “a shock,” Davis said.

Other improvements can be made with the real-located money, he said.

An engineering report is under way to study the improvements needed to up the speed of the Downeaster from its current top speed of 80 miles an hour to 110 miles per hour.

The goal is to increase the speed on the train between Portland and Boston so the trip can be made in less than 2 hours.

There was a day when Davis and other volunteers had to work just to bring passenger rail service to Maine.

“I discovered 23 years ago that we were not being given the whole story on transportation costs,” Davis said, explaining his motivation for climbing on board the TrainRiders effort.

“We forced it on the state,” he recalled. “They didn’t want it, everybody said, ‘It has never been funded before, what makes you think it will be?’ We said,

‘We don’t know, any more than you do, but if it ever did, we’ll be ready.’ So the paperwork was submitted and we pushed and prodded for the three months and the state fi nally submitted it 15 minutes before the deadline in Washington, this was before com-puters, it was done by fax. It was nuts. We got it. Three months later we learned that we were one of 11 potential high-speed corridors that had been des-ignated,” Davis said.

Finally, a year ago, the funding came through for the high-speed corridor.

Other goals are within reach as well. Ongo-ing discussion of the Mountain Division rail line as a conduit for passenger rail may not involve Amtrak, Davis said, but there are other ways to extend the Downeaster beyond its Boston-Bruns-wick corridor.

“We can see service to Montreal, I don’t think by the Mountain Division but when you branch off at the junction in Lowell you go to Bethel, Lewiston-Auburn and then Montreal. I want to live to see that,” Davis said. “But if we’re going in 23-year increments, I won’t.”

AMTRAK from page 6

TrainRiders Northeast chairman Wayne E. Davis pauses on the platform at Portland’s Amtrak station. “Working to bring passen-ger train service to the North-east,” is the group’s motto. A former banker, Davis said the investment in rail pays the highest return of common modes of transpor-tation. (DAVID CARKHUFF PHOTO)

Downeaster to reach Brunswick

Page 10 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Thursday, December 23, 2010

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HOROSCOPE By Holiday Mathis

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You are generous with your attention, and you’ll give it to the deserving and undeserv-ing alike. You don’t see it that way, of course. You see everyone as deserv-ing. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You love someone, but you don’t love what he or she is doing presently. Luckily, you’re able to separate the person from the action. You give your understanding and love but not your approval. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Be proud of your blisters and scars. They prove you got into the work of life and risked injury for what you wanted, and now you have the souvenirs to show for it. CANCER (June 22-July 22). Don’t feel that you must fi gure something out with your downtime. You’ll be happier if you use that time to do nothing at all. Today, there’s no decision so urgent that you can’t make it tomorrow. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You’re not in an overly competitive mood. Yet, you’ll get more accomplished when there’s someone as fast paced as you in your vicinity to keep up with. It’s human nature at work. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’ll save a situation at work with your quick thinking and spirit of collaboration. The way you unite people is heartening. You remind everyone that we are in this together. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). There is a part of your life that needs heal-ing. You wish someone could wave a magic wand over it so it would be done already. It turns out, you have all the magic you need. You just need to con-centrate it.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). There is nothing to fi gure out. Stop trying already. If you don’t “get it” now, then it’s because you’re not supposed to. Things will occur to you when they are most useful to you. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Lean back and let life come to you today. This slight pulling-away energy will be particularly useful in regards to a certain relationship. You’ve been doing all the work. If you simply stop, the healing begins. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). New resources open up to you. You won’t ask directly, but your welcom-ing energy is an invitation. Colleagues, family and peers will give you their best suggestions, tips and tools. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You can pull off the most amazing feats when you feel like it, and today brings just the right mood. Like a Hollywood stunt pro, you plan out the daring act and rehearse each move carefully. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Dis-cussing confl icts only makes things more complicated -- or worse, you could be angrier at the end of the con-versation than you were going into it! Instead, work things out within yourself. Forgive and forget. TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Dec. 23). A bold energy takes hold this year, and you are willing to move mountains to make your world the way you want it. You’ll get a big break in January. Your public image gets a boost in March. Your ideas, projects, creations and/or children will blossom in May. There’s a windfall in August. Sagittarius and Aquarius people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 30, 1, 22, 31 and 35.

ACROSS 1 Sink stoppage 5 Narrow inlet 10 Realtor’s delight 14 Uncommon 15 “M*A*S*H” role 16 Appeal 17 __ a test; passes

easily 18 Last Greek letter 19 Grows gray 20 Grants; gives 22 Campus building

with the most books

24 “Ode on a Grecian __”

25 Elegant estate 26 Short note on a

book jacket 29 Shallow piece of

cookware 30 Gallant 34 Solitary 35 School transport 36 Lament

37 Perform 38 Leaves behind 40 Deadly snake 41 Cleared water

from a boat 43 Assistance 44 __ up; confi ned 45 Shut-eye 46 “Roses __ red,

violets...” 47 Untrue 48 Capital of Bulgaria 50 Bro or sis 51 Pad under a

cocktail 54 Ripened 58 Bullets 59 Written slander 61 Theater box 62 Harness strap 63 Pack animal 64 Perched atop 65 Conclusions 66 Meeting of

bishops 67 State of disorder

DOWN 1 Grumpy person 2 Fancy trimming 3 Miner’s fi nds 4 Hand motion 5 Grin’s opposite 6 Traffi c snarls 7 Lyrical work 8 Loose overcoat 9 Basin hole 10 Small songbird 11 Seaweed 12 Malicious look 13 Simple 21 Sphere 23 Skeletal parts 25 Eyelash enhancer 26 Spills the beans 27 From the

neighborhood 28 Loosen 29 __ out; irritated 31 Biblical tower 32 Roaring felines 33 Make joyous 35 eBay offer

DAILY CROSSWORDTRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES

36 Pallet or cot 38 Train station 39 Go quickly 42 Teachings 44 Baby food 46 In a breezy way 47 __ as a fi ddle 49 Hews 50 Dinner course

51 Concern 52 Foreboding sign 53 In the center of 54 Short note 55 Lasso 56 Personalities 57 Lions’ lairs 60 Prohibit

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

Solution and tips at

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THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Thursday, December 23, 2010— Page 11

THURSDAY PRIME TIME DECEMBER 23, 2010 Dial 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 5 CTN 5 Community Bulletin Board

6 WCSHCommunity (In Stereo) Å

30 Rock “Let’s Stay Together”

The Office Andy starts a band.

Outsourced Å

The Office “Classy Christmas” Toby takes a leave of absence.

News Tonight Show With Jay Leno

7 WPFOMillion Dollar Money Drop Competing for up to $1 million. (N) (In Stereo) Å

News 13 on FOX (N) Frasier (In Stereo) Å

According to Jim Å

8 WMTWDr. Seuss’ Grinch

Movie: ›› “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000) Jim Carrey, Jeffrey Tambor. A curmudgeon hates the Christmas-loving Whos of Whoville. (In Stereo) Å

News 8 WMTW at 11PM (N)

Nightline (N) Å

10 MPBNMaine Watch

Maine Ex-perience

Christmas Greetings

European Christmas Markets

Soundstage “Faith Hill: Joy to the World” Faith Hill performs.

Charlie Rose (N) (In Stereo) Å

11 WENHRoadside Stories Å

Windows to the Wild Å

Nature Wildlife adapts to cold conditions. (In Stereo) Å (DVS)

The Adirondacks Seasonal landscapes and current state of the Adirondack Mountains of northern New York. (In Stereo) Å

12 WPXTThe Vampire Diaries Damon is suspicious of Tyler’s uncle. Å

Nikita “The Recruit” A recruit takes on a suicide mission. Å

Entourage “An Offer Refused”

TMZ (N) (In Stereo) Å

Extra (N) (In Stereo) Å

Punk’d Pink; Tom Arnold.

13 WGMEThe Big Bang Theory

$..! My Dad Says Å

CSI: Crime Scene In-vestigation “Long Ball” (In Stereo) Å (DVS)

The Mentalist Member of Cho’s former gang is murdered. Å

WGME News 13 at 11:00

Late Show With David Letterman

17 WPME Without a Trace Å Without a Trace Å Curb Earl Late Night Star Trek

24 DISC Christmas Unwrapped American Chopper Auction Oddities Christmas Unwrapped

25 FAM Santa Movie: ››‡ “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” (1992) The 700 Club Å

26 USA “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” Å Movie: “The Bourne Ultimatum”

27 NESN NHL Hockey: Thrashers at Bruins Bruins Daily Instigators Daily Daily

28 CSNE Tailgate Quick Air Racing Sports SportsNet Sports SportsNet

30 ESPN College Football: San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl SportsCtr

31 ESPN2 College Basketball Georgetown at Memphis. College Basketball

33 ION Criminal Minds Å Criminal Minds Å Criminal Minds Å Criminal Minds Å

34 DISN “Santa Clause 3: Escape Clause” Suite/Deck Fish Fish Suite/Deck Suite/Deck

35 TOON Total Scooby Adventure Regular King of Hill King of Hill Fam. Guy Fam. Guy

36 NICK Big Time Rush Å My Wife My Wife Lopez Glenn Martin, DDS (N) The Nanny

37 MSNBC Countdown Rachel Maddow Show The Last Word Countdown

38 CNN Parker Spitzer (N) Larry King Live Å Anderson Cooper 360 (N) Å

40 CNBC Cruise Inc.: Big Money Biography on CNBC American Greed Mad Money

41 FNC The O’Reilly Factor (N) Hannity (N) Greta Van Susteren The O’Reilly Factor

43 TNT NBA Basketball San Antonio Spurs at Orlando Magic. Å NBA Basketball: Heat at Suns

44 LIFE Pawn Pawn Movie: ›› “The Break-Up” (2006) Å How I Met How I Met

46 TLC Police- Dallas Police- Dallas Cellblock 6 Police- Dallas

47 AMC Movie: ››› “The Princess Bride” (1987) Å Movie: ››‡ “Nanny McPhee” (2005) Å

48 HGTV First Place First Place Property Property House Hunters Hunters House

49 TRAV David Blaine Carnivore Carnivore No Reservation Ribs Paradise Å

50 A&E The First 48 Å The First 48 Å Peace Peace Peace Peace

52 BRAVO Real Housewives Real Housewives Real Housewives Shep Real

55 HALL Movie: “Three Wise Women” (2010) Å “The Night Before the Night Before Christmas”

56 SYFY Movie: ››› “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” (2008) Å “Golden Compass”

57 ANIM Fatal Attractions Å Fatal Attractions Å Fatal Attractions Å Fatal Attractions Å

58 HIST Ancient Aliens Å Ancient Aliens (N) Brad Meltzer’s Dec. Declassified Å

60 BET Movie: ››› “Soul Food” (1997) Nia Long Å The Game The Game The Mo’Nique Show

61 COM Jeff Dunham Christmas Jeff Dunham: Arguing Jeff Dunham Christmas Daily Show Colbert

62 FX Movie: ››‡ “Night at the Museum” (2006) Ben Stiller. Movie: “Night at the Museum”

67 TVLND Sanford Sanford Raymond Raymond Raymond Raymond Roseanne Roseanne

68 TBS “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” Fam. Guy Fam. Guy Conan (N)

76 SPIKE Movie: ›› “Rambo” TNA Wrestling (N) (In Stereo) Å TNA ReACTION (N)

78 OXY Law Order: CI Law Order: CI Law Order: CI Law Order: CI

146 TCM Movie: ››› “The Human Comedy” (1943) Å Movie: “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”

––––––– ALMANAC –––––––

Today is Thursday, Dec. 23, the 357th day of 2010; with 8 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:On Dec. 23, 1968, 82 crew members

of the U.S. intelligence ship Pueblo were released by North Korea, 11 months after they had been captured.

On this date:In 1783, George Washington resigned as

commander in chief of the Continental Army and retired to his home at Mount Vernon, Va.

In 1788, Maryland passed an act to cede an area “not exceeding 10 miles square” for the seat of the national government; about 2/3 of the area became the District of Columbia.

In 1823, the poem “Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas” was published anonymously in the Troy (N.Y.) Sentinel; the verse, more popularly known as “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” was later attributed to Clement C. Moore.

In 1893, the Engelbert Humperdinck opera “Haensel und Gretel” was fi rst per-formed, in Weimar, Germany.

In 1928, the National Broadcasting Com-pany set up a permanent, coast-to-coast network.

In 1941, during World War II, American forces on Wake Island surrendered to the Japanese.

In 1948, former Japanese premier Hideki Tojo and six other Japanese war leaders were executed in Tokyo.

In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson held an unprecedented meeting with Pope Paul VI at the Vatican.

In 1975, Richard S. Welch, the Central Intelligence Agency station chief in Athens, was shot and killed outside his home by the militant group November 17.

In 1980, a state funeral was held in Moscow for former Premier Alexei N. Kosy-gin, who had died Dec. 18 at age 76.

One year ago: Richard and Mayumi Heene (HEE’-nee), the parents who’d pulled the “balloon boy” hoax in hopes of landing a reality TV show, were sentenced by a judge in Fort Collins, Colo. to jail — 90 days for him, 20 days for her.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Gerald S. O’Loughlin is 89. Actor Ronnie Schell is 79. Emperor Akihito of Japan is 77. Actor Fred-eric Forrest is 74. Actor James Stacy is 74. Rock musician Jorma Kaukonen is 70. Rock musician Ron Bushy is 69. Actor-comedian Harry Shearer is 67. Actress Susan Lucci is 64. Singer-musician Adrian Belew is 61. Rock musician Dave Murray (Iron Maiden) is 54. Actress Joan Severance is 52. Singer Terry Weeks is 47. Rock singer Eddie Vedder is 46. The fi rst lady of France, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, is 43. Rock musician Jamie Murphy is 35. Jazz musician Irvin Mayfi eld is 33. Actress Estella Warren is 32. Actress Anna Maria Perez de Tagle is 20.

ACROSS 1 Acts the shrew 5 Roman Catholic

church calendar 9 Spiritual leaders 14 Slender instrument 15 Stray off course 16 Battery part 17 Denim pants 19 Sub fi nder 20 Was fi rst 21 __ Stanley

Gardner 22 A/C fi gures 23 Eliminated 25 Semiformal 29 NBA players 31 Tax-deferred

letters 32 Cytoplasm letters 33 Spaniard’s other 36 Oyster’s

possession 38 Collective

possessive 39 Gregory Peck’s

attire in a 1956 fi lm

43 Cup rim 44 Heart line 45 Book between

Neh. and Job 46 Cure or center

starter 47 Recipe abbr. 48 Vendor’s success 51 Hans Christian

Andersen fairy tale, with “The”

54 Regained consciousness

58 Service charges 59 Nickel or dime 61 Hebrew letter 62 Make cloth

gathers 64 Rawlings baseball

award 66 Abrupt increase 67 Hydroxyl

compound 68 Submachine gun 69 Swiftness 70 Fly in the face of 71 Vietnamese

holidays

DOWN 1 Majestic 2 More capable 3 Cheese like Edam 4 Match a raise 5 Go to extremes 6 Tangible 7 Supergiant star in

Cygnus 8 Hosp. areas 9 Time for a fi nal

round 10 Aimee of “A Man

and a Woman” 11 Hideous 12 Vladimir Nabokov

novel 13 Sun. homily 18 Catcall 22 Wilkes-__, PA 24 Sterilize an animal 26 Tropical vines 27 Native

Greenlander 28 Third planet 30 Widely dispersed 33 Lustful looker 34 Nonsense 35 In quick

succession 37 Tolkien creature 40 Sired 41 Gray wolves 42 Be suggestive of 49 With venom 50 Singer k.d. 52 Twilled fabric 53 Teatime treat 55 Ham it up 56 Fourth Jewish

month 57 Signs 60 Palme of Sweden 62 Sound of a slow

leak 63 Marching

cadence start 64 Dropout’s cert. 65 D-Day

transporation

Yesterday’s Answer

DAILY CROSSWORDBY WAYNE ROBERT WILLIAMS

Page 12 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Thursday, December 23, 2010

THE CLASSIFIEDSCLASSIFIEDS

DOLLAR-A-DAY CLASSIFIEDS: Ads must be 15 words or less and run a mini-mum of 5 consecutive days. Ads that run less than 5 days or nonconsecutive days are $2 per day. Ads over 15 words add 10¢ per word per day. PRE-

MIUMS: First word caps no charge. Additional caps 10¢ per word per day. Centered bold heading: 9 pt. caps 40¢ per line, per day (2 lines maximum) TYPOS: Check your ad the fi rst day of publication. Sorry, we will not issue credit after an ad has run once. DEADLINES: noon, one business day prior to the day of publication. PAYMENT: All private party ads must be pre-paid. We accept checks, Visa and Mastercard credit cards and, of course, cash. There is a $10 minimum order for credit cards. CORRESPONDENCE: To place your ad call our offi ces 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 699-5807; or send a check or money order with ad copy to The Conway Daily Sun, P.O. Box 1940, North Conway, NH 03860. OTHER RATES: For information about classifi ed display ads please call 699-5807.

CLASSIFIEDS • CALL 699-5807

Prickly City by Scott Stantis

ANNIE’S MAILBOX Dear Annie: Our two children are married with families of their own. The siblings used to get along quite well, but over the past few years, they hardly speak to each other. I don’t know what happened. We threw ourselves an anniversary party, and our son re-fused to speak to anyone because we had missed his young-est son’s birthday celebration. The reason we didn’t attend was because our daughter had left her three little kids with us when she took a vacation. The kids were specifi cally not invited to the birthday party, so none of us could go. We ex-plained this, but our son still feels we were in the wrong. Yet he rarely attends the birthday parties of his sister’s children. I am dreading the holidays. Our son usually spends Christ-mas Eve with us and the following day with his in-laws. Our daughter has invited us to spend Christmas Day with her. I’d love to have them together, but my son tends to say “no” to any family celebration. Do we ask these two couples point blank what is happening or just ignore it? -- Trying Not To Step on Toes Dear Trying: These are your children. Talk to them indi-vidually. Ask what is going on and how you can help resolve the issues. Don’t accuse either of them of behaving poorly. Focus only on what would make things better. Frankly, your son sounds as if he is looking for reasons to be angry with his sister. That means he is likely to become defensive and, conse-quently, resistant to any of your suggestions. If that is the case, there’s not much you can do. But you won’t get anywhere if you don’t try. We hope they will listen to their mother. Dear Annie: A few months ago, we invited newlyweds to visit us for a long weekend at our vacation home in Arizona. These are young friends in their early 30s. As a gift, we paid for their airline tickets and wined and dined them during their visit. We also gave them a wedding card with a signifi -

cant check. Three weeks after the visit, we received a two-line e-mail thanking us for the plane tickets and the wedding gift. That was it. No handwritten note. Not even a personal call. I’m appalled to think this is how young adults thank oth-ers for their generosity. Have they forgotten good manners? Can’t they be bothered to write a gracious note, put a stamp on the envelope and mail it? Or do they have no clue? -- Per-plexed in Chicago Dear Perplexed: We’re going to go with door number three. They have no clue. Either they were never properly taught, or they don’t believe a handwritten note is necessary these days. At least you received a two-line e-mail. Some folks don’t get even that much. You were exceedingly generous to this young couple, and if you don’t feel it was suffi ciently appreciated, you are under no obligation to be so magnanimous in the future. But it also wouldn’t hurt to casually mention that, based on their brief response, you weren’t sure they enjoyed the visit. Dear Annie: I read the letter from “Crowded by the Ex” and agree that it seems many exes are not letting go, passive-aggressively attempting to crowd out the most recent wife. My husband was divorced 46 years ago, and we’ve been married for 18 years. Early in our marriage, his ex could not wait to become part of our family, frequently showing up at our house unexpectedly to “see how we were doing,” bring-ing gifts, etc. Mind you, their now 50-year-old son lived in a distant city. But we got even. On one occasion when all of us were pres-ent, we were approached by a woman who knew the ex, but not us. My husband introduced me as his wife, whereupon the woman turned to the ex and said, “Oh, Judy, so THIS is your son!” -- Shook Her Loose

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.

Animals

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Autos

BUYING all unwanted metals.$800 for large loads. Cars,trucks, heavy equipment. Freeremoval. (207)776-3051.

MARK’S Towing- Free junk carremoval. No keys, no tires, noproblems. Late models.(207)892-1707.

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For Sale

CHICKEN, grass fed beef, andpork! Available Fridays from11-4pm at Emma’s Family FarmStand, 28 Monument Square.

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Looking To Rent

MONTH to month- Conservativeretired Teacher seeks first floorrental. Freeport to Scarborough.Call (207)523-0495.

Real Estate

PEAKS Island- 71 Luther St.1880’s Greek Revival, 4 bed-room, 2 bath, $389,000. Ownerbroker. (207)766-2293.

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Patriots take Bills seriouslyFOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — For the New Eng-

land Patriots, facing a team that lost its fi rst eight games of the season shouldn’t be much of a chal-lenge.

After all, New England has only lost twice all season.

But the Patriots’ praise of the Buffalo Bills is more than just the lip service they usually pay to oppo-nents whose record is much worse than their own.

That’s because the Bills are 4-2 in their past six games and would be 5-1 if Steve Johnson hadn’t dropped what would have been a winning touch-down pass in overtime against the Pittsburgh Steel-ers.

Coach Bill Belichick said not a lot of NFL teams have won more than four of their past six games. There have been only two: The Patriots have won their past six games and the San Diego Chargers are 5-1.

Brady, Connolly sit out Pats practiceBOSTON (AP) — Tom Brady is suffering from the

fl u and skipped Wednesday’s practice with the New England Patriots.

The NFL’s top-rated quarterback also was listed on the practice report with right shoulder and foot injuries, as he had been the last six games, all Patri-ots victories in which he played.

Dan Connolly missed the practice with a con-cussion three days after his 71-yard kickoff return against Green Bay, believed to be the longest by an NFL offensive lineman.

According to STATS LLC, it was the longest since 1976, when the league began keeping complete records. Earlier Wednesday, Connolly became the second offensive lineman ever to be honored as the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week by the NFL.

Defensive linemen Mike Wright also missed prac-tice with a concussion.

Yankees hit with $18M luxury taxNEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees low-

ered spending on players by $12 million this year, cutting payroll by $5 million and slashing their major league-leading luxury tax by more than $7 million.

New York was hit with an $18 million luxury tax Tuesday by Major League Baseball. The tax was New York’s lowest since 2003 and down from $25.7 million last year, when the Yankees won the World Series.

“Atta baby. And right now we’re in the $170s,” Yan-kees general manager Brian Cashman said, looking ahead to his 2011 payroll.

Season-ending payroll information and the tax was sent to teams Tuesday and obtained by The Associated Press.

Boston is the only other team that will have to pay. The Red Sox, who missed the playoffs this year, exceeded the payroll threshold for the fi rst time since 2007 and owe $1.49 million.

According to the collective bargaining agreement, the Yankees and Red Sox must send checks to the commissioner’s offi ce by Jan. 31.

Red Sox president Larry Lucchino declined com-ment.

Since the current tax began in 2003, the Yankees have run up a bill of $192.2 million. The only other teams to pay are Boston ($15.34 million), Detroit ($1.3 million) and the Los Angeles Angels ($927,000).

New York’s payroll was $215.1 million for the pur-pose of the luxury tax, down from $226.2 million, and the Yankees pay at a 40 percent rate for the amount over the threshold, which rose from $162 million to $170 million. Boston’s luxury-tax payroll was $176.6 million, and the Red Sox pay at a 22.5 percent rate.

“We’re doing a better job of managing our payroll and managing our decision-making as we enter the free-agent market,” Cashman said.

–––––––––––––––– SPORTS ––––––––––––––––

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Thursday, December 23, 2010— Page 13

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

see next page

Thursday, Dec. 23

Longfellow House Holiday Tours10 a.m. “Bring your family and friends and step back in time to the 1800s! See the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s child-hood home — decorated for the holidays!” Through Dec. 31, tours run every hour. Last tour leaves at 4 p.m. when the Long-fellow House closes at 5 p.m., and at 1 p.m. when it closes at 2 p.m. Visit www.mainehistory.org.

‘The Gift Of The Magi’2 p.m. and 7 p.m. “The Gift Of The Magi” an original musical. Dec 7-23, Tues. and Wed. at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. Added shows, Thursday, Dec. 23 at 2 and 7 p.m. $15-$22. Old Port Playhouse, 19 Temple St. 773-0333. oldportplayhouse.com

The Victorian Nutcracker 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Christmas comes with its own set of family traditions and for many, the season isn’t considered complete without seeing the only Nut-cracker set in Maine. Portland Ballet Company brings its own local version of the Nutcracker to life in celebration of the holiday season again this year with its beloved The Victorian Nutcracker. The show, which takes the classic Nut-cracker story and sets it in historical Portland with sets, costumes, and char-acters inspired by the Victoria Mansion, Hermann Kotzschmar and others, will be performed twice at Merrill Auditorium on Dec. 23 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The cast of professional dancers from the Portland Ballet Company, accompanied by students from the Company’s highly regarded school, and a professional live orchestra, is known for a lively, entertain-ing and beautiful Nutcracker with breath-taking scenery and vivid costumes. The story unfolds as young Olivia follows her Nutcracker Prince to the enchanted King-dom of the Sweets, where she is dazzled by dancers from around the world - from the Russian Trepak to the Sugarplum Fairy. Tickets are available through Port-TIX at www.porttix.com or 842-0800 or in person, 20 Myrtle Ave., Monday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Ticket prices range from $17-$47 (plus $5 handling fee for online sales). For more infor-mation about Portland Ballet, its school and programs, visit www.portlandballet.org or call 772-9671.

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine welcomes kids for a special performance. “Act out the poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ in this special the-atre workshop where we put on a play in just one day! We will learn the story, rehearse it and perform it for our fami-lies! $5 for members, $6 plus admission for non-members. Pre-registration is required, and space is limited. To register call 828-1234, x247.

Next Level Church Christmas celebration5 p.m. Using hundreds of volunteers, Next Level Church is hosting a “life-changing Christmas celebration” at the Abromson Center on the campus of the University of Southern Maine in Portland. The event is completely free, although Next Level Church is asking attendees to bring non-perishable food items to donate to the Way-side Food Rescue Program. The church hopes to make the largest single donation by a church in Wayside’s his-tory as a result of this event. At the event, Next Level Church is also offering free family photos with Santa, live, professional Christmas music, a special kids experience, and a variety of Christmas gifts and surprises for those in attendance. Those who want to attend can get their free tickets by visiting www.nlc.tv/christmas. The photos, kids activities, and Christmas treats will be available beginning at 5 p.m., with doors to the auditorium opening at 5:45 p.m. The Christmas celebration will begin at 6 p.m. Due to an overwhelming demand for the free tickets, organiz-ers have been forced to add a second experience time and make more seats for everyone wanting to attend the Christmas celebration. There will now be a celebration at 6 p.m. and another at 7:45 p.m., the church announced. www.nlc.tv or www.nlc.tv/christmas. Next Level Church was started in April 2008 as part of the Association of Related Churches. They currently meet every weekend in three locations: Portland; Newington, N.H.; and Dover,

N.H. They also operate a nonprofi t coffeehouse in Dover, N.H. called Kaleo Coffee which donates its proceeds to community causes. Learn more about Next Level Church by visiting www.nlc.tv or about this event at www.nlc.tv/christmas.

Mad Horse’s take on ‘A Christmas Carol’ 7 p.m. Mad Horse Theatre Company offers a production of “A Christmas Carol” that will not be soon forgotten. Found-ing company members, current members, and some very special guests will join forces for a revival of the Mad Horse Christmas Radio Show — a madcap depiction of the effort to produce a radio play of “A Christmas Carol.” “Featuring hilarious performances and the merriest of holiday songs, this show brings you behind the scenes of an old-fashioned radio program, where nothing ever goes quite as planned. Mad Horse performed this show many years ago, and is bringing it back for a whole new audience to enjoy. This event is a benefi t to support Mad Horse’s 25th Anniversary Season.” Performances run Dec. 20 through 23, 7 p.m., at the theater’s new home in the Hutchins School, 24 Mosher St., South Portland. “So whether you’ve been waxing nos-talgic for the old Christmas Show, or you want to start a new holiday tradition, please join us for an evening full of fun, holiday spirit, and tasty seasonal treats served before and after the show.” For more information, call 730-2389, or visit www.madhorse.com.

Friday, Dec. 24

Christmas Eve Services at Hope.Gate.Way 4 p.m. United Methodist communities of Hope.Gate.Way (on the ground fl oor of the Gateway parking garage, just beyond the Eastland Park Hotel at 185 High St.) announced the church is offering three distinct Christmas Eve wor-ship celebrations: 4 p.m. — Family Flashlight Celebration: designed for families with young children. Bring a fl ashlight (or we’ll have glowsticks) to use instead of candles. 6 p.m. — Candlelight Celebration: candles, carols, and Commu-nion, designed for all ages. 11 p.m. — Silent Night, Holy Night: a quiet, meditative celebration, with candles, carols, and Communion, ending just in time to usher in Christmas

Day. http://www.newlightportland.org/#/wor-ship

Christmas Eve Candle Lighting7 p.m. Christmas Eve Candle Lighting by Unity Church of Greater Portland, 54 River Road, Windham. “This ceremony focuses on the wonder of our lives and the promise of our future. The candle lighting event is a spiritual acknowledgement of the light within each of us and within ourselves. It faces the future with hope and optimism for the spirit that fl ows though us all. This journey of our light unfolding will be told through many of the traditions of Christmas; the Christmas Story and our Christmas Carols.” For more information about Unity or its events, please contact the church offi ce at 893-1233 or visit www.unitygreaterportland.org.

Nutcracker Burlesque at the St. Lawrence Arts Center7:30 p.m. It’s time again for Nutcracker Burlesque at the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress St. “Come see the show that started it all! This year’s show brings new choreography, a new story, and sexy new dances to the stage at St. Lawrence. Don’t miss your chance to see the show that was selected by The Portland Phoenix as ‘Port-land’s Best Annual (hopefully) Event.’” Tick-ets are $12, on sale at Longfellow Books or online at www.vividmotion.org. They go fast, so get yours early! Shows are Friday through Sunday, Dec. 17-19 and Tuesday through Thursday, Dec. 21-23. This year’s show is sponsored by Warren Memorial Foundation, Shipyard Brewing Company, Gorham Self-Storage, Longfellow Books, and The Port-land Phoenix. “Director Rachel Stults Veinot, weaves together a story of love and lust to create a world where true love fi nds a way to bring two people together. This year, our main character Clara, played by none other than local favorite Amy Gieseke (rhymes with whisky), fi nds herself throwing yet another festive holiday party for friends; including her new boyfriend, Big Guns Antonowicz as the Rat King, and his wandering eyes.” www.stlawrencearts.org

The Polar Express7:45 p.m. The Polar Express will come to life again in a whole new way when the Maine

Narrow Gauge train departs its Portland depot for a journey to the “North Pole.” Holiday decorations along the train’s route will light up the night as guests on board meet the conductor, have hot chocolate and cookies (may not be suitable for patrons with food allergies), listen to a read-ing of the magical story over our sound system, and sing carols. Santa will ride back with everyone to the train sta-tion from a special outpost of the North Pole and every child will receive the special bell on board the train. This event is the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad’s biggest annual fund raiser. https://tickets.porttix.com/public/default.asp

Sunday, Dec. 26

Phyzkidz! at SPACE Gallery2 p.m. Phyzkidz! Norman Ng, Drew Richardson, Yo-Yo People come to SPACE Gallery. “In the grand tradition of vaudeville, Acorn Productions has assembled a line-up of world-class performers from all over the country to enter-tain kids of all ages with a unique blend of expert juggling, incredible illusions, mystifying magic, unbelievable feats of dexterity, and side-splitting physical comedy.” $12 adults; $10 students/seniors; $8 kids 12 and under, all ages. www.acorn-productions.org/pages/Phyzgig2009.html

‘My Dog Tulip’ screening at Movies at the Museum2 p.m. “My Dog Tulip” at Portland Museum of Art as part of the Movies at the Museum series. Saturday, Dec. 18, at 2 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 19, at 2 p.m.; also Sunday, Dec. 26, 2 p.m.; and Sunday, Jan. 2, 2 p.m. “Beautifully animated and featuring the voices of Christopher Plummer, the late Lynn Redgrave, and Isabella Rossellini, My Dog Tulip is a bittersweet retrospective account of author J. R. Ackerley’s 16-year relationship with his adopted Alsatian, Tulip. A pro-found and subtle meditation on the strangeness that lies at the heart of all relationships, My Dog Tulip was written, directed, and animated by award-winning fi lmmakers Paul and Sandra Fierlinger and is the fi rst animated feature ever to be entirely hand drawn and painted utilizing paperless computer technology.

The Black Cat Ball with Sid Tripp comes to the Mariner Church at 368 Fore St. in Portland for New Year’s Eve celebrations. (COURTESY IMAGE)

Page 14 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Thursday, December 23, 2010

Monday, Dec. 27

‘Celebrate Kids’ vacation camp10 a.m. to 2 p.m. “Celebrate Kids” vacation camp, Dec. 27-31 for kids ages 8-14. Register today. Arts and crafts, movies, activities and more. Space is limited. Old Port Play-house, 19 Temple St. Portland. (207) 773-0333. For more info go to oldportplayhouse.com

Acorn Productions’ annual Phyzgig festival11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Acorn Productions announces its annual Phyzgig festival, a celebration of physical comedy and variety entertainment for the family, will take place in downtown Portland between Christmas and New Year’s Eve 2010. The week includes six Main Stage Vaudeville Shows at the Portland Stage Company (including two shows on New Year’s Eve), eight Phyzkidz shows at SPACE Gallery and a rare appearance by Phyzgig’s Artistic Director and Peaks Island resident Avner the Eccentric, who will be per-forming his full-length show for the fi rst time in four years in Portland. Tuesday the Phyzkidz shows are at SPACE Gallery. www.phyzgig.org or www.acorn-productions.org/pages/Phyzgig2009.html

Tuesday, Dec. 28

Holiday Vacation Day Camp10 a.m. A Holiday Vacation Day Camp for kids from Dec. 27-31 at the Old Port Playhouse. The day camp will run Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Kids ages 8-14 will do a variety of activi-ties each day including arts & crafts, jewelry making, fairie houses, games, movies, cooking and other special activi-ties that put the “F-U-N” back into vacation! The cost is $225 per kid with discounts for more than one kid per family. Camp is held in a safe, secure and healthy environ-ment with a professional staff. For more information, call 773-0333. Space is limited so sign up today. Old Port Play-house is located at 19 Temple St. in Portland. oldportplay-house.com

Acorn Productions’ annual Phyzgig festival11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Acorn Productions announces its annual Phyzgig festival, a celebration of physical comedy and variety entertainment for the family, will take place in downtown Portland between Christmas and New Year’s Eve 2010. The week includes six Main Stage Vaudeville Shows at the Portland Stage Company (including two shows on New Year’s Eve), eight Phyzkidz shows at SPACE Gallery and a rare appearance by Phyzgig’s Artistic Direc-tor and Peaks Island resident Avner the Eccentric, who will be performing his full-length show for the fi rst time in four years in Portland. Tuesday the Phyzkidz shows are at SPACE Gallery. www.phyzgig.org

Avner the Eccentric7 p.m. Avner the Eccentric fundraiser, Portland Stage Com-pany. Phyzgig’s own Master of Mirth presents his full-length show as a special Phyzgig fundraiser. http://www.phyzgig.org/

Wednesday, Dec. 29

Phykidz at SPACE; vaudeville at Portland Stage11 a.m. Phykidz (SPACE Gallery); 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Vaude-ville shows at Portland Stage Company.

Comedian Bob Marley at Merrill7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 29 through Friday, Dec. 31, Come-dian Bob Marley returns to Merrill for his annual holiday show with this year’s special guest, Kelly MacFarland. Pre-sented by Cogee Entertainment. Tickets $45; $48 on New Year’s eve (includes service fee). Wednesday and Thursday at 7 p.m.; Merrill Auditorium; Friday at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. https://tickets.porttix.com/public

Thursday, Dec. 30

Phykidz at SPACE; vaudeville at Portland Stage11 a.m. Phykidz (SPACE Gallery); 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Vaude-ville shows at Portland Stage Company. http://www.phyzgig.org or www.acorn-productions.org/pages/Phyz-gig2009.html

Holiday blood drive11 a.m. to 6 p.m. FairPoint recently teamed up with WCSH-TV and WLBZ-TV, the American Red Cross and other community partners for a fi rst-ever holiday blood drive, scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 30 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The drive will be held in two different locations around the state in hopes of attracting a large number of donors during this challenging time of year. Eligible donors may

visit the Holiday Inn by the Bay, located at 88 Spring Street in Portland, or the Bangor Elks Lodge at 108 Odlin Road in Bangor to give blood. To make an appointment, or for more information about giving blood, call 1-800 RED CROSS or visit online at redcrossblood.org or fairpointbundleup-blooddrive.org.

Friday, Dec. 31

Plunge at East End Beach to support the Natural Resources Council of Mainenoon. “Be bold in the cold with a plunge into the Atlantic to support the Natural Resources Council of Maine’s work to reduce global warming pollution. The bone-chilling fun will take place at East End Beach in Portland, Maine on Friday, Dec. 31st at noon (the ‘warmest’ part of the day!) Your friends and family can pledge your plunge, to raise money and awareness about global warming and what NRCM is doing right here in Maine to curb it. And, it will be fun, with folks in polar bear costumes and hot coffee from Coffee by Design and pastries from Whole Foods. The two top fundraisers will receive $50 gift certifi cates to LL Bean, while additional top fundraisers will receive commemora-tive NRCM tote bags or caps. To participate, email or call stacie@nrcm.org, 430-0127, with your name and contact information and we will send you an information packet. We request that you raise a minimum of $50 in pledges. Your pledgers may use the online pledge forms at http://supporters.nrcm.org/polar_plunge.”

Vaudeville at Portland Stage2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Vaudeville shows at Portland Stage Company. http://www.phyzgig.org or www.acorn-produc-tions.org/pages/Phyzgig2009.html

New Year’s Burning Bowl Service7 p.m. New Year’s Burning Bowl Service at Unity Church of Greater Portland, 54 River Road, Windham. “The burning bowl service is a favorite within Unity. It encourages each of us to identify the doubts and fears which stand between us an true spiritual enlightenment. It is an opportunity to release those limitations into a ritual fi re, letting go of them and opening ourselves to new possibilities to come.” For more information about Unity or its events, please contact the church offi ce at 893-1233 or visit www.unitygreater-portland.org.

New Year’s Eve Gorham7 p.m. Volunteers, with the cooperation of the Town of Gorham’s public safety, fi re, public works and recreation department, coordinate a community-wide New Year’s Eve event. Churches and other public buildings serve as vari-ous venues where performances are scheduled throughout the evening. They offer a variety of entertainment, which is presented for families and people of all ages to enjoy. The New Year rings in with an exciting celebration at mid-night culminating with a fi reworks display accompanied by

music, dancing and lots of Auld Lang Syne. http://newyear-gorham.org

New Year’s Eve Celebration 2011 at 51 Wharf 7:30 p.m. Two DJs on two dance fl oors spinning two genres of music at 51 Wharf St. in Portland. A $2 coat check; fi ve-hour countdown. Red Bull VIP Party: RedBull@NewYears-PortlandMaine.com. Watch the Ladies of Go-Go Maine live all evening; Evan Smith will be taking photos; 20 percent off pre-ordered bottles). For tickets, visit www.newyearsport-landmaine.com/tickets.htm.

Sid Tripp’s Black Cat Ballat the Mariner’s Church8:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. New Year’s Eve Bash, Mariner’s Church,368 Fore St. $50 tickets per person; festive holiday attire. Sid Tripp & Proactive Resources Design are pleased to announce the revival of the Black Cat Ball. The Black Cat Ball originally began at the Eastland Ball Room in the mid-’80s. On hiatus for 17 years, Tripp has a big night planned as he weaves his magic into a night of singing, dancing, laughing and celebrating as revelers enjoy a cocktail or two. Join us to relive the magic of the Black Cat Ball, and ring in 2011 in Red Carpet style in glamorous festive holiday attire with 350 of your best friends. The rockin’ sounds of local band Wavelength will be jamming all night long. The celebrations will include heavy hors d’oeuvres, Italian wine tasting, three cash bars, party favors, photo booth, roving photographer, countdown, champagne toast and balloon drop, psychics and surprise guest performances. Tickets are $50 per person; advanced tickets may be purchased by calling 772-3599. Cash, check and credit cards accepted in advance, at the door during the event, or anytime online at brownpapertickets.com. Visit Sid Tripp’s Black Cat Ball on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Sid-Tripps-Black-Cat-Ball/154751921233348?ref=mf for up-to-the-minute details.

Saturday, Jan. 1

Harlem Globetrotters at the Civic Center7 p.m. The Harlem Globetrotters, who have contributed more innovations to the game of basketball than any other team in history, have implemented the fi rst-ever 4-point shot as part of all of its games on the team’s 2011 “4 Times the Fun” North American tour, the team’s record 85th season of touring. This game-changing innovation will be on display when the Globetrotters take on the Washing-ton Generals at Cumberland County Civic Center. Tickets, starting at $13.50, are on sale at www.harlemglobetrotters.com, the Cumberland County Civic Center box offi ce, or by phone at 207-775-3331 or 603-868-7300. Information on group and scout tickets can also be found at www.harlem-globetrotters.com.

Tuesday, Jan. 4

Portland School Board meeting7 p.m. Business meeting of Portland School Board, Room 250, Casco Bay High School. Beginning in January, the Portland School Board will hold its regular business meet-ings and workshops on Tuesdays rather than Wednesdays. Most School Board committees also will meet on Tuesdays. The board decided to change the meeting day earlier in the fall to accommodate members who have to travel for work. School Board meetings and committee meetings are announced on the Portland Public Schools Web site: www.portlandschools.org.

Thursday, Jan. 6

Film: ‘Budrus’7:30 p.m. Film: “Budrus,” fi lm screening at SPACE Gallery, 538 Congress St., Portland. 828-5600. Doors open at 7 p.m.; fi lm begins at 7:30 p.m. Admission $7, $5 for SPACE members. “Ayed Morrar, an unlikely community organizer, unites Palestinians from all political factions and Israelis to save his village from destruction by Israel’s Separation Bar-rier. Victory seems improbable until his 15-year-old daugh-ter, Iltezam, launches a women’s contingent that quickly moves to the front lines. Struggling side by side, father and daughter unleash an inspiring, yet little-known movement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories that is still gaining ground today. In an action-fi lled documentary chronicling this movement from its infancy, Budrus shines a light on people who choose nonviolence to confront a threat yet remain virtually unknown to the world. The movie is directed by award-winning fi lmmaker Julia Bacha (co-writer and editor Control Room, co-director Encounter Point), and produced by Bacha, Palestinian journalist Rula Salameh, and fi lmmaker and human rights advocate Ronit Avni (for-merly of Witness, director of Encounter Point).” www.justvi-sion.org/budrus

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

from preceding page

Avner the Eccentric will make a rare appearance in Portland in late December as a fundraiser for Phyzgig. Avner is probably best known for his endearing portrayal of The Jewel, the scene-stealing holy man, in “The Jewel of the Nile,” co-starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. He was also featured in the fi lm Brenda Starr and the television series Webster and Mathnet. Avner’s one-man show, Avner the Eccentric, was a hit of the 1984–1985 Broadway season. Avner is the artistic director of Phyzgig, and annual festi-val of physical comedy, (COURTESY PHOTO)

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Thursday, December 23, 2010— Page 15

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Join us for Wed. Night Trivia 6:30 to 8:30

Friday, Dec. 31

ICING New Year’s Bash at SPACE Gallery8 p.m. SPACE Gallery and The VIA Group ring in 2011 with our 2nd annual ICING New Year’s Bash. Dress to impress and live it up for a wild evening with good food, friends, dancing, and a cavalcade of performances and installations by SPACE’s talented family of artists. Per-formances include a soulful set by the inimitable Lady Zen, live drumming by Dylan Blanchard and friends and West African inspired dancing by Blue Moon Tribe, led by Marita Kennedy-Castro. There’ll be some time-warping trouble provided by Tin Pan Alley alums Over A Cardboard Sea. Portland’s Dirty Dishes Burlesque Review plan to live up to their name and Kate Cox and Matt Rock have some-thing up their sleeve for when the ball drops and we lift a glass to another year at SPACE! Dj King Alberto keeps the soul and funk grooves spinning all night. It’s the last dance party of the year — let’s make it count! $50, 21 plus.

Mallett Brothers / Marion Grace / Holy Boys Danger Club at Empire Dine and Dance8 p.m. New Year’s Eve with Mallett Brothers and Marion Grace and special guests Holy Boys Danger Club. Ticket price includes (We Don’t Need No stinking Champagne) Whiskey Toast at Midnight. $10 advance, $12 at the door. 21 plus.

Rustic Overtones / Gypsy Tailwind8 p.m. Hometown heros Rustic Over-tones join with Gypsy Tailwind for the Port City Music Hall New Year’s Eve Bash. $25 adv./$28 day of sale/$50 VIP, 21 plus.

Listo / Brown Bird / Wesley Hartley and the Traveling Trees8 p.m. Dave Noyes & Kelly Nesbitt per-form once again as Listo. Singing Brazil-ian tunes by the likes of Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, Zelia Barbosa, Ze Ramalho, Nara Leao, Gilbert Gil, and more. Other performances by Brown Bird, a reunion of Dave, Morgan Eve, Jeremy and Jerusha! AND Wesley Allen Hartley and the Traveling Trees. Hogfarm Studios, Bid-deford.

Zach Zaitlin at The Oak & The Axe8 p.m. Zack Zatlin rings in the New Year on the cheap with a free show at The Oak & The Axe in Biddeford.

State Theatre hosts New Year’s EveClash of the Titans by decades9 p.m. It’s a battle of the bands on New Year’s Eve at the State Theatre as Clash of the Titans, a Portland institution since 2004, pits three super groups comprising some of the best local musicians in head-to-hand combat. It’s a duel of the decades, if you will, as Zach Jones & friends take on hits of the 1960s versus The Lucid & friends as they tackle the ‘70s versus Grand Hotel & friends as they rip through the classics of the ‘80s. Since 2004, the Clash of the Titans has been creeping up Congress Street playing to capacity crowds at Empire Dine ‘n’ Dance on Tuesday nights throughout the year. During this special New Years Eve edition of the series, expect to hear hits of each the decade in clashes like the Beatles v. Cyndi Lauper, Pink Floyd v. Phil Collins and Bowie v. the Police as each band faces the other in classic Clash of the Titans style. State Theatre, Portland, 609 Congress St. http://www.statetheatreportland.com. $15 advance /$20 day of show.

Tuesday, Dec. 28

9 p.m. Alexis Pastuhov and Billy Libby at Slainte Wine Bar.

Saturday, Jan. 1

Ellis Paul at One Longfellow.8 p.m. Ellis Paul is one of the leading voices in American songwriting. He was a principle leader in the wave of singer/songwriters that emerged from the Boston folk scene, creat-ing a movement that revitalized the national acoustic circuit with an urban, literate, folk pop style that helped renew interest in the genre in the 1990’s. His charismatic, person-ally authentic performance style has infl u-enced a generation of artists away from the artifi ce of pop, and closer towards the real-ness of folk. Though he remains among the most pop-friendly of today’s singer-songwrit-ers - his songs regularly appear in hit movie and TV soundtracks - he has bridged the gulf between the modern folk sound and the populist traditions of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger more successfully than perhaps any of his songwriting peers. $18.

Thursday, Jan 6

The Fishtank Ensemble8 p.m. The LA Weekly calls them “cross pollinated gypsy music….one of the most thrilling young acts on the planet.” Formed in 2005 and playing everywhere from the hippest LA clubs to festivals, cultural cen-ters, museums, parades, and even on the street, the band includes two explosive violins, the world’s best slap bass player, musical saw, fl amenco and gypsy jazz guitar, trombone, opera, jazz and gypsy vocals, accordion and one little banjolele. Tackling everything from French hot jazz to wild Serbian and Transylvanian gypsy anthems, Flamenco, and oddball originals, the band is a not to be missed event for world music lovers...and everyone will love this intoxicating mix of music!! One Long-fellow Square, $12.

Friday, Jan. 7

Mike Duffy at Andy’s Old Port8:30 p.m. Mike Duffy at Andy’s Old Port

Pub. “Thanks to all who braved the rainy blustery weather last Sunday — it was actu-ally a respectable and fun turnout. We’re looking forward to this next event at Andy’s.”

Le Vent Du Nord at One Longfellow8 p.m. Le Vent du Nord has crowds dancing to the sound of fi ddle and hurdy-gurdy, using an original repertoire. Their music is both fresh and bound to tradition. One of the group’s strength’s is their stage presence: energetic, dynamic, generous and in touch with the audience. Le Vent du Nord con-sists of four singers/multi-instrumentalists: Nicolas Boulerice, Simon Beaudry, Olivier Demers and Réjean Brunet, who joined the group in 2007. They sing originals and songs taken from the traditional repertoire, in their native French, to the delight of their audi-

ence- for whom it is more often than not a foreign language. Le Vent du Nord’s energy amazes their audiences, and whether they perform at a festival or a concert, people keep asking for more. $25.

Saturday, Jan. 8

Epiphany Celebration7:30 p.m. The Choral Art Society’s annual Epiphany Celebration will be performed at Immanuel Baptist Church, 156 High St. in Portland. “This performance is one of The Choral Art Society’s most spiritual annual concerts and a wonderful way to welcome the New Year and refl ect after the busy holiday season. The 2011 Epiphany Cel-ebration will feature the Camerata chorus, a select group of The Choral Art Society, and the Meliora String Quartet, oboists Neil Boyer and Stefani Burk, and organist Dan Moore. The program opens with the beautiful Bach Cantata BWV 62 and con-cludes with a cappella music by a 12-voice ensemble.” Tickets are available at www.choralart.org or by calling 828-0043. They are priced at $15 for advance sales and

$20 at the door at time of the performance. Tickets are also available at the stores that support The Choral Art Society, includ-ing: Longfellow Books and Starbird Music in Portland, Books Etc. in Falmouth, and Nonesuch Books in South Portland.

The THE BAND Band at One Longfellow Square8 p.m. The mission of The THE BAND Band is to present the music of The Band in a manner true to its original style and form, evoking the sound and the spirit of their live performances; to perform their songs for longtime fans as well as a new genera-tion of listeners; and to have fun doing it. The members of The THE BAND Band are veteran professional musicians who have played on the national stage for over 25 years. They share a love for the music of The Band, and formed this tribute band for the sheer enjoyment of playing their songs. By covering all the well-loved favorites, as well as a broad selection of lesser-known songs, they showcase the astounding breadth and depth of The Band’s distinc-tively original “roots rock” music. $18, One Longfellow Square.

Sunday, Jan. 9

The Lovin’ Spoonful7 p.m. The Lovin’ Spoonful, that American pop rock band of the 1960s, named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 will appear live at The Landing at Pine Point. Combining the best of folk music and rock and roll, with a touch of country thrown in, they gave us such hits as “Do You Believe in Magic,” “Daydream,” “You Didn’t Have to be So Nice,” “Nashville Cats” and the anthem for a hot July evening, “Summer in the City.” All this in the span of four years and fi ve albums. They will perform at The Landing at Pine Point in Scarborough. www.thelandingatpinepoint.com

Friday, Jan. 14

Hot Club of Detroit7 p.m. More than seven decades after the innovations of the Quintette du Hot Club de France, featuring guitar virtuoso Django Reinhardt, combos called Hot Clubs carry on the gypsy jazz sound around the globe—in Tokyo, San Francisco, Seattle, Sweden, Norway, Austria, and many other locales. None, however, offers a fresher take on the tradition than does the Hot Club of Detroit. Come witness this combo right here at The Landing at Pine Point at 353 Pine Point Road in Scarborough. Visit www.thelandingatpine-point.com

The dynamic, virtuosic, fi ery and peripatetic quartet that comprises Fishtank Ensemble take their roots both from their own varied musical and national backgrounds, as well as from their adventures and travels. They will perform at One Longfellow Square Thursday, Jan. 6. (COURTESY PHOTO)

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MUSIC CALENDAR –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Page 16 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Thursday, December 23, 2010

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Dan Raymond runs a snowblower near the State Street Church Tuesday following Monday’s snowstorm. The National Weather Service calls for a 40 percent chance of precipitation today and a sunny Christmas weekend. (DAVID CARKHUFF PHOTO)

New Portland zoning could alter waterfront

PORTLAND (AP) — Changes could be coming to the water-front in Portland.

The city council has adopted new zoning regulations that would allow for more non-marine uses of the city’s major piers and wharves.

Some commercial fi shermen say they worry the new rules could eventually dis-place them from the waterfront.

Mayor Nicholas Mavodones says the zoning change means that as much as 45 per-cent of the space on the fi rst fl oor of a build-ing between the Maine State Pier and the Inter-national Marine Ter-minal can be rented for non-marine uses.

Steve DiMillo, whose family owns Long Wharf, tells the Portland Press Herald the changes will give pier owners more income to pay for expensive maintenance and dredging because non-marine tenants pay higher rents.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Workers were close Wednes-day to clearing the remaining snow and ice from the roof of the Metrodome, which would allow more substantial repair work to begin nearly two weeks after a blizzard caused extensive damage to the home of the Minnesota Vikings.

But Bill Lester, executive director of the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, said it’s still not clear how long total repairs would take, including whether it would involve replacing damaged pieces of the roof or replacing it entirely, and how much the repairs would cost.

With the Vikings fi nished with their home schedule this year, repairs now likely to stretch well into the new year are less urgent.

It still means cancella-tions or postponements for a number of major events scheduled for the stadium. Among them are a popular New Year celebration by the state’s Hmong community, a home and landscape expo, and potentially a monster truck rally and a popular annual Minnesota Twins expo.

Lester said members of the

events staff at the Metro-dome are already working with Dome users scheduled through the end of January on setting alternate plans and that could extend even fur-ther.

The long-running and well-attended “TwinsFest” event is scheduled for the last week-end in January, creating the potential that the Dome’s col-lapse could affect another of Minnesota’s pro sports teams. The Twins moved from play-ing in the Dome to outdoor Target Field at the beginning of the 2010 season.

It took so long to get all the snow and ice off the Dome’s roof, Lester said, because of cold weather conditions and safety hazards from the risk of more failures by roof panels in the stadium.

Three panels failed Dec. 12 under the load of about 17 inches of snow that fell in a major winter storm, and a fourth ripped a few days later. On Monday, engineers used a shotgun to blow out a fi fth panel that was under stress from a load of ice.

Eight or nine panels may be candidates for replacement, Lester said.

Snow dutyMinn. Metrodome roof nearly clear of snow, ice