assignment 13-1

ORONO, ME- A town meeting was held at 4:30 pm on April 21, 2010, in the Orono Town Hall to discuss the building approval, and further steps needed to build residential Condos in place of the Old Webster Mill, one of Orono's most historic buildings.
The meeting involved 13 community members including Cathy Conlow, Orono's Town Manager, and Town Planner, Evan Richert. It was an open discussion with the Contractor, Kevin Bunker and the architect, David Lloyd.
The biggest concern addressed by the group during the meeting was that the plans for the building were too contemporary and no one was going to buy them. The plan for the building would consist of 24 units, all with water views of the Penobscot River, 4 stories high [approx. 43 ft], all units would have two bedrooms, some would be exclusive and some would be affordable, the differences being that the affordable condos were smaller and on the inside [so less attractive water views] and would cost about 600 dollars less. The pictures shown at the meeting were discussed as resembling the University of Maine's Student Recreation Center. The building is described to have a flat roof with the siding open to discussion. Suggestions were made such as concrete, brick or medal. Most people in the conference want the old Webster Mill and its historical aspects to be included in the building, and the overall look of the new building.
But the look and structure of the building was not the only topic deliberated over. The old mill has pollution, not only pollution in the water and old coal storage, but there is asbestos on the site that is highly dangerous and will have to be taken care of.
The new condominium building will also meet the Affordable Housing Tif, which will help the town of Orono with the cost of taxes on the building.
The Building of the condos has been in discussion since spring of 2009, and no plan is set in stone yet. There is still a lot of discussion and a lot to figure out, but Lloyd says that the project could be finished in 10 months, once the building is started.

assignment 10-1

I have never personally used Twitter, but it seems to be a huge hit in the social networking. As far as I know, you simply create a free account and type whatever you are feeling, seeing, hearing, pretty much whatever you would like people to know at that moment; this is called a tweet. But Twitter is known to have generated millions of news-worthy topics and events that are fast and easy for viewers to interact with.
There is even a separate website named Breaking Tweets that are all breaking stories that were posted on Twitter. These tweets have had hundreds of comments for other viewers all over the world. It is an entirely new way to get news. It is raw; no professional writers are out there tweeting about news, the tweets are simple and to the point. So what are the effects that Twitter is bringing to known and trusted news sites such as CNN or MSN? It is said that only about 45% of people who read blogs and social networking for their news intake, actually believe all of what they are reading. So is Twitter destroying the way we receive news? Not yet, but who knows when and if it will.

assignment 12-1 (news worthy event)

PORTLAND, ME- April 22, 2010, the world wide known alternative rock band, Third Eye Blind, played an amazing show in the Merril Auditorium in Portland, Maine.A band called The Upwelling, from New York City played as the opening act.
Third Eye Blind was established in 1990, in San Francisco. They have recorded five, well known albums over the past 20 years. In early 2000, after the release of their Blue album, the band terminated their lead guitarist, Kevin Cadogan. This caused the former songwriter and guitarist to sue the band on ten counts: including fraud, breach of contract, wrongful termination and violations of the Lanham Act. The lawsuit ended in 2002 with a settlement of an unknown [to public] amount paid to Kevin. The replacement guitarist was Tony Fredianelli, who played with the band until 2010, and is also filing a lawsuit against Third Eye Blind members for lack of payment and credit for songs on the new album. So now, the band is ready to rock, going on a worldwide tour this spring, with their third new lead guitarist, Kryz Reid, a musician from Dublin, Ireland, and a new album released in 2009 named Ursa Major.

The concert was a hit in the small city of Portland, Maine. The band played some of their most famous singles such as Semi-Charmed Life, Graduate, Losing a Whole Year, and Jumper from their 1997 album Third Eye Blind, And continued the show playing songs such as Anything and Never Let You Go from their Blue album released in 1999 and finished up their set with several songs from their newest album, Ursa Major, like One in Ten, Don't Believe a Word and Bonfire.
Third Eye Blind has a few more tour dates in the States, until May 5, when they go to Belgium, France, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, United Kingdom, and then back to the United States until late June, where their last concert will be in New York.

Final Assignment

1. http://knox.villagesoup.com/news/story/maine-plugs-into-30-million-for-energy-efficiency-upgrades/320538
2. http://www.mpbn.net/Home/tabid/36/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3478/ItemId/11864/Default.aspx
3. http://www.heatingoil.com/blog/sec-chu-doe-making-multifaceted-effort-to-encourage-home-energy-efficiency-improvements322/
4. http://www.heatingoil.com/articles/diy-home-energy-conservation-projects-save-big-bucks/
5. http://www.heatingoil.com/blog/maine-gets-30-million-for-energy-efficiency-home-loans0422/
6. http://www.masshightech.com/stories/2010/04/19/daily37-Maine-snags-30M-stimulus-grant-for-energy-retrofits.html
7. http://www.maine.gov/mpuc/recovery/
8. http://www.pressherald.com/news/maine-receiving-_30-million-to-create-green-loan-program_2010-04-22.html
9. http://www.efficiencymainetrust.org/
10. http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=ME18F&re=1&ee=1


My final project about the environment will be about the $30 million dollar grant that the state of Maine received in order to make our homes more efficient. The links provided are News articles about the grant, other ways to make your home more efficient by yourself, and some background information about the grant, and the P.A.C.E. program here in Maine.

assignment 7-1

Health Insurance is an important investment to every human being and when this security blanket for families becomes insecure, it is very controversial. Recently a fake health insurance company scammed money from Maine families. This scary event should make every Mainer more aware of who to trust and how to avoid being scammed.
“American Trade Association” is an unlicensed health insurance company that has been selling fake insurance to believing families all over Maine. They have been known to sell insurance under other names as well. The government is stressing that these poor families may end up paying their own medical bills in full, if they do not figure it out soon enough.
Government officials have listed on www.maine.gov/insurance licensed insurance companies that are trusted. Bureau of Insurance Superintendent, Mila Kofman, explains on the website that criminals are using health insurance as an easy way to make money in this bad economy.
The company sold plans to individuals in at least 20 states with about $14 million in premiums paid to the company, all of the victims to this scam, received fake fax ads, or e-mails or saw ads on the internet.
With the entire economy changing technologically and also going downhill in employment and income, more people are turning to the internet. With over 320 million people on websites such as Facebook and Twitter, it has become easier for people to make false advertisements without anyone questioning their credibility. Fraud on the internet includes anything from fake employment, to fake medications, to fake insurance. People all over Maine and America should be more careful whom they trust.
Before purchasing health insurance, Mainers should do research on the company they are considering. Some red flags include: Online advertisements, fax advertisements, surprisingly low prices, limited-time offers, and little information about the company itself. These examples could mean that the company is a fraud. Kofman said “If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.”
Even though Maine’s small communities have mostly come together to overcome this downfall in the economy, some people are just too selfish to help a neighbor. So when searching for new health insurance, use the helpful hints and do not be a victim to health insurance scams.