Front Page
Outdoors
Photograph of the Week: Lovely Photographs for Lovely People on a Lovely Day
May 19, 2013 - 12:02:37 AM
Down the Road
Cows don't follow a straight line
I had lost my starter tree and just wasn't sure where I was. Was I lost? Would a moose appear in front of me, laugh, and then gore me? Or would I just wander, never finding my way to the survey line? Or out of the woods? There is no feeling that I know as helpless and frightening as being lost in the woods. All those trees look alike. Any direction can be the right direction -- or the wrong way.
May 19, 2013 - 12:23:27 AM
Jim Kouri
IRS scandal increases concerns over Obamacare management, says Senator
As the IRS scandal metastasizes, Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., appearing on Your World with Neil Cavuto on the Fox News Channel on Wednesday afternoon told the show's audience that he and other Republicans have serious reservations about the Internal Revenue Service managing Obamacare.
May 19, 2013 - 12:20:23 AM
R.P. BenDedek
The Myth of Violence: The Fallen State of Humankind
Quite unlike any previous era in history, we of the 21st Century have been and are being manipulated to believe a whole host of competing political agendas. One of those agendas is that 'MEN' are violent (as in women are not), and the other is its companion; 'all men are pedophiles' (which is a strange bedfellow for the gay rights activists).
May 19, 2013 - 12:17:55 AM
Guest Column
Obama administration's tangled web of deceit
But even more abuse of power by the administration was revealed this week, which should have made headline news, but was suppressed by other emerging scandals. In the House Wednesday the Environmental Protection Agency, was accused of exempting left-leaning political groups and green energy producers from various fees and fines that it routinely assesses to right-learning groups.
May 19, 2013 - 12:15:55 AM
Jim Kouri
Hundreds of criminal aliens secretly released by Obama's DHS: New data
On the same day that Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced that she will travel to San Francisco and Los Angeles, Calif., on Friday to meet with technology and business leaders to discuss the need for commonsense immigration reform, a report was released on Thursday revealing that hundreds of criminal aliens were released from detention.
May 19, 2013 - 12:13:20 AM
R.P. BenDedek
Hazael of Damascus and Jehu of Israel
Bright (1981, p.254) places Hazael on the throne of Syria c. 842 BCE - 806 BCE. An important to point note with reference to ancient Assyrian documents however, is that a particular king being mentioned by name does not legitimise the reference. [Refer to Miller & Hayes 1963, p.332 and the discussion on erroneous identification of Tubail of Tyre, in records of tribute to Tiglath-Pileser III.] As you read the historical pronouncements of times, dates and places, you should pay attention to how often the academics will quote from the Bible to corroborate their historical reconstructions. But can you rely on their Bible references? Furthermore, can they rely on their 'non-Biblical' references? If you add the Biblical Data from the Destruction of Solomon's Temple (586 BCE) to it's commencement during the 4th of Solomon's 40 years, 429 years transpire, meaning that the Temple was commenced in 1015 BCE. This is not acceptable to historians. It means that the Exodus occurred in either 1495 BCE or 1535 BCE, both of which are unacceptable dates.
May 19, 2013 - 12:10:08 AM
Book Reviews
Milt Gross Book Review: "Maine Memories" by Dorothy B. Gross
Simple language makes up the 28 poems in Maine Memories, which I find refreshing. I am not enamored with writers who play with language and try to show us how well they know and use it. I like to read it plain and simple, as Gross wrote hers.
May 19, 2013 - 12:07:29 AM
Jim Kouri
Al-Qaeda affiliate assassinates Christian church leader in Nigeria
According to a spokesman from the National President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev Ayo Oritsajafor, Rev Faye Pama Musa was shot dead at about 7:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday at his residence in Maiduguri by Boko Haram jihadists.
May 19, 2013 - 12:05:20 AM
Today in History
May 19 - Today in History
Today is May 19. Here's what happened on this day in history.
May 19, 2013 - 12:00:00 AM
Today in History
May 18 - Today in History
Today is May 18. Here's what happened on this day in history.
May 18, 2013 - 12:00:00 AM
Today in History
May 17 - Today in History
Today is May 17. Here's what happened on this day in history.
May 17, 2013 - 12:00:00 AM
Today in History
May 16 - Today in History
Today is May 16. Here's what happened on this day in history.
May 16, 2013 - 12:00:00 AM
Tom DeWeese
The Growing Threat of Smart Meters
As Americans become aware of these threats they have begun to oppose the installation of Smart Meters on their property. Some local and state government's, when faced with the health complaints, have offered opt out provisions. Others have responded using force, resulting in arrests, as in Naperville, Illinois. In other places, power companies have shut off electricity to homes of those protesting the Smart Meters.
May 15, 2013 - 7:51:34 PM
R.P. BenDedek
The Prophet Elijah; King Ahab and his sons.
As much as many fundamentalists believe that there can be no physical error in the Bible, the fact is that there are a number. Sometimes what appears to be an error is not, but sometimes the errors are real. Sometimes those errors are transcription errors and sometimes the errors arise because the redactors in the 5th to 3rd Century BCE were dealing with documents that they did not fully understand.
May 15, 2013 - 7:43:59 PM
International
The Shamrak Report
"The FBI's list of "Ten Most Wanted" fugitives dates back to 1950 but the list of "Most Wanted Terrorists" dates back to just after 9/11 and the sense that terrorism had become a strategic threat. Today, the list includes 31 individuals, all of them male and with a single exception, Daniel Andreas San Diego, an animal rights extremist, all of them Muslim!" - Daniel Pipes
May 15, 2013 - 7:40:13 PM
Jim Kouri
IRS inspector general's report small comfort for Tea Party groups
Following the day's myriad news stories on Benghazi, Associated Press allegations and the IRS targeting right-of-center organizations, the highly anticipated Treasury Department's report on the blossoming IRS scandal released late Tuesday is relatively small comfort for Tea Party groups, according to political strategist and attorney Michael Bakker.
May 15, 2013 - 7:38:06 PM
Guest Column
Shavou'ot (Pentecost) Guide for the Perplexed, 2013
Shavou'ot (Pentecost) was, originally, an agricultural holiday, celebrating the first harvest/fruit by bringing offerings (Bikkurim) to the Temple in Jerusalem. Following the destruction of the second Temple and the resulting exile in 70 AD - which raised the need to entrench Torah awareness in order to avoid spiritual and physical oblivion - Shavou'ot became a historical/religious holiday of the Torah. The Torah played a key role in shaping the US Constitution and the American culture, as well as the foundations of Western democracies.
May 15, 2013 - 7:35:37 PM
State
Michaud Recognizes Maine Law Enforcement during National Police Week
Representative Mike Michaud recognized National Police week by submitting a Congressional Record statement honoring Maine law enforcement. Michaud joined New England law enforcement officers to attend the 25th annual candlelight vigil sponsored by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
May 15, 2013 - 7:33:14 PM
Today in History
May 15 - Today in History
Today is May 15. Here's what happened on this day in history.
May 15, 2013 - 12:00:00 AM
Today in History
May 14 - Today in History
Today is May 14th. Here's what happened on this day in history.
May 14, 2013 - 12:00:00 AM
Today in History
May 13 - Today in History
Today is May 13. Here's what happened on this day in history.
May 13, 2013 - 12:00:00 AM
Down the Road
That good Irish cop
On another occasion, I had been copying the police blotter for the paper that was employing me. One entry had been about a man, who had dropped his employer's bag of money into a trash bin. If I remember, he later found it. Mike had come to me and said I shouldn't use the man's name in the paper. I asked why, since police aren't supposed to limit what reporters write, and he said that should the man's boss see the article, the man who had dropped the money bag would likely be fired.
May 12, 2013 - 12:25:18 AM
Michael Devolin
Islam: The Teflon Religion
Michael Armstrong wrote: "The ancient Romans had a tradition: whenever one of their engineers constructed an arch, as the capstone was hoisted into place, the engineer assumed accountability for his work in the most profound way possible: he stood under the arch." Today there is zero accountability admitted by the clerics of Islam for the atrocities committed by Muslims around the world. Whenever critics connect the religion of Islam with the egregious behaviour of Muslim terrorists, there are those who immediately go into action to silence these critics.
May 12, 2013 - 12:22:24 AM
Ed Feulner
Red Tape on the Rise
In fact, it was President Obama himself who said that, in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal. He was right. The rules are indeed out of balance. Instead of having only those regulations that are truly necessary to protect the public, we have a plethora of rules that go far beyond that. And yes, they are making it difficult for businesses to innovate, invest or hire.
May 12, 2013 - 12:20:17 AM
State
HUD Grants Lewiston Fire Victims Flexibility to Obtain Housing Quickly
Representative Mike Michaud has informed by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Assistant Secretary Peter Kovar that the agency has approved a measure to help many of the Lewiston fire victims obtain alternative housing more quickly.
May 12, 2013 - 12:17:40 AM
R.P. BenDedek
When Did King Jotham of Judah Commence to Reign?
Every time you see or hear an historian or archaeologist quote chronological material from the Bible, they are 'pulling your chain'. They manipulate your trust in the Bible and direct it toward 'themselves'. You see, THEY not only cannot fit the Biblical chronological data into known history, but as it is currently perceived, it does not in fact, fit into known history. The true history of the Jews was concealed in an artificial calendar, which transformed twelve real years into thirteen artificial years, and thereby lengthened history.
May 12, 2013 - 12:15:58 AM
Business
The US-Israel Win-Win, Mutually-Beneficial, Two-Way Street
While struggling to turn around an expanding (5%) budget deficit, Israel sustains its unique role as a pipeline of commercial, defense and homeland security technologies to the US and the Free World. Israeli technologies, shared with the US industry, have enhanced the US employment, research & development and exports.
May 12, 2013 - 12:13:08 AM
Kenneth Tellis
Letter to Prime Minister Harper of Canada
It is well within your power Mr. Prime Minister to have the Royal Canadian Mint, issue such a coin to show the American people that our friendship goes beyond words, but is expressed in our deeds. In closing this letter, I hope that you will at the very least consider my idea.
May 12, 2013 - 12:10:47 AM
National
TheTeaParty.net to IRS: "Apology not accepted"
The claim in this Media Release (and various places on the internet) that -- The Obama administration has used the IRS as a political weapon -- is debunked at www.forbes.com. Whilst that article specifically does mention illegalities, the suggestion that President Obama or some other administration official 'got to' the Commissioner of the IRS is debunked on the following basis
May 12, 2013 - 12:07:17 AM
Book Reviews
Milt Gross Book Review: "Stupid White Men" by Michael Moore
Moore wrote this book before September 11, 2001. His publisher, HarperCollins, wanted him to rewrite it, but he didn't. So, it misses that terrible attack on the U.S. But he did write about the leadership of the U.S in his foreword to the paperback edition, "The worst way to defend our freedom is to let our leaders start taking away our freedoms! It is exactly during times like these that we need more freedom of speech, a strong and critical independent press, and a citizenry that is not afraid to stand up and say that the emperor has no clothes and even less of a brain."
May 12, 2013 - 12:05:37 AM
Community
Photograph of the Week: East Millinocket's Roderick Fraser is Boston Fire Commissioner
May 12, 2013 - 12:02:42 AM
Today in History
May 12 - Today in History
Today is May 12. Here's what happened on this day in history.
May 12, 2013 - 12:00:00 AM
Today in History
May 11 - Today in History
Today is May 11. Here's what happened on this day in history.
May 11, 2013 - 12:00:00 AM
Guest Column
What's the Difference? Obama / Nixon
Perhaps Americans have become hardened to scandal and no longer expect honesty from their President. Perhaps if this was a Republican administration, there would be dozens of reporters assigned to get to the bottom of this story and 24/7 coverage would continue until all of the facts were exposed.
May 10, 2013 - 6:21:18 AM
Local
Michaud Meets with Boston Fire Chief, East Millinocket Native
WASHINGTON, DC - Yesterday, Representative Mike Michaud met with Boston Fire Commissioner Roderick Fraser, who grew up in East Millinocket, Maine and attended the Maine Maritime Academy. During Fraser's service in the Navy, he commanded the USS Underwood, which was built at Bath Iron Works.
May 10, 2013 - 6:18:41 AM
R.P. BenDedek
Manasseh King of Judah - Son of Hezekiah
Manasseh the boy king, came to the throne of Judah during the last days of the reign of Sennacherib king of Assyria. Although he may have demonstrated poor political judgment during the reigns of Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal, the shifting fortunes of Assyria from around 665 BCE, and particularly from 655 BCE, guaranteed that the last twenty or thirty years of his reign remained relatively undisturbed. 2 Chronicles Chapter 33:11 tells us that because of his sins, the king of Assyria took Manasseh with hooks, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. [There is debate over where he was or should have been taken - Ninevah or Babylon].
May 10, 2013 - 6:15:21 AM
Today in History
May 10 - Today in History
Today is May 10. Here's what happened on this day in history.
May 10, 2013 - 12:00:00 AM
Today in History
May 9 - Today in History
Today is May 9. Here's what happened on this day in history.
May 9, 2013 - 12:00:00 AM
Doug Wrenn
Screams From The Womb; Regrets From The Tomb
My panicked screams are fervent, even strident to my protector, my beloved and nurturing mother dear. Yet they pierce through my surrounding darkness only to vanish unanswered in the outside air, as if no one is there, capable, or perhaps even willing to hear. In a foot race, my now rapidly bounding and terrorized heart could easily beat us. Yet I am but a mere lump of internal tissue to be vanquished and wasted. I have a name, but they insist on calling me "fetus."
May 8, 2013 - 1:43:45 AM
International
The Shamrak Report
Terrorism never dies, but when we, as the opponents of terrorist groups, prove that we are a better, more advanced society, more moral and ethical, we destroy many of their arguments." "Many people, especially ignorant people, want to punish you for speaking the truth, for being correct, for being you. Never apologize for being correct, or for being years ahead of your time. If you're right and you know it, speak your mind. Speak your mind. Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is still the truth." - Mohandas (Mahatma) Ghandi
May 8, 2013 - 1:38:13 AM
Community
National Moving Month Scams
May is National Moving Month, which kicks off the busiest time of year for Americans changing residencies. It also means unlicensed movers and dishonest scammers are waiting to take advantage of unwary consumers. Better Business Bureau is again joining with the American Moving & Storage Association (AMSA) to provide important tips on how to avoid scams.
May 8, 2013 - 1:36:06 AM
National
Protecting Military Families from Foreclosure
Reps. Elijah E Cummings, Mike Michaud, Adam Smith, Susan Davis, Mark Takano, and John Tierney, the Ranking Members of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, the Committee on Armed Services, the Subcommittee on Military Personnel, the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, and the Subcommittee on National Security, introduced H.R. 1842, the Military Family Home Protection Act, to strengthen foreclosure protections for U.S. military servicemembers and their families.
May 8, 2013 - 1:33:20 AM
R.P. BenDedek
How Historians Deceive Us and Manipulate Biblical Chronology.
The purpose of this excerpt is to challenge many false academic assumptions which have been accepted by the general community as academic fact. In short, it strives to demonstrate where the Academics got it wrong! We sometimes tend to think that our knowledge of history is based on irrefutable evidence, but our knowledge is based in a collection of rags and tatters. Some historians and archaeologists would rather provide us a factually incorrect history, than one which might cause us to give credence to anything recorded in the Bible.
May 8, 2013 - 1:30:36 AM
Today in History
May 8 - Today in History
Today is May 8. Here's what happened on this day in history.
May 8, 2013 - 12:00:00 AM
Today in History
May 7 - Today in History
Today is May 7. Here's what happened on this day in history.
May 7, 2013 - 12:00:00 AM
Today in History
May 6 - Today in History
Today is May 6. Here's what happened on this day in history.
May 6, 2013 - 12:00:00 AM
Scheme of Things
What Makes A Captain?
A favorite game with my granddaughters, ages 3 and 6, is an imaginary
one they call, "Princess Pirates." In the early days of its evolution
they labeled it "Pirate Ship," but this year it evolved to have a gender
slant.
May 5, 2013 - 6:48:40 PM
Down the Road
Yard work with a walking stick
I came across a walking stick a couple of years ago, while reading a book on walking. The author suggested that a walking stick could relieve the sore -- she called it "healing" -- leg of some weight, thus making walking a bit easier. I bought the pair, gave Dolores one, and used one to ease my limpy way along through life. Then one day I forgot to remove my stick from a bus door when I shut it. You'd be surprised how quickly a walking stick will snap when a bus door closes on it.
May 5, 2013 - 12:17:20 AM
R.P. BenDedek
Palestinian Misery vs. Israeli Happiness and success
I likewise feel sorry for all those Hamas folk who have been arrested and/or hurt by Egyptian forces while the Egyptians were destroying their tunnels under the closed Egypt/Gaza border, and I certainly do feel sorry for those who volunteer to be human shields so that when Israel retaliates for some rocket strike they will be killed. I of course am no expert on these matters, but I would like to hazard a guess that behind Israeli happiness lies a subconscious if not actually conscious realization, that their country's mere existence, defying logic as it does, demonstrates that ultimate control over their lives has nothing to do with their government, with the United States, the European Union, the Arab World or the Palestinians. Ultimately, their existence is living proof that HE who scattered them across the face of the earth 2000 years ago has in fact called them home.
May 5, 2013 - 12:15:14 AM
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