"Look, we have a lovely little downtown. The Italian restaurant, the gazebo, the pink hotel, the extremely affordable tree museum ($1.50 for a ticket in this day and age is simply unbeatable)—it’s all great. But the fact is, the easiest way to get there is to drive."
Called my congressman who voted for the SAVE act.
Me: What documents will I need to vote if this passes?
Staffer: a DL and birth certificate.
Me: The documents don’t match
Staffer: Then a marriage certificate.
Me: Will my husband need the marriage certificate too?
Staffer: No
Me: See the problem?
I am absolutely not a fan of this man, that said, he’s completely correct and the messaging here is 💯
This is really unfair to everyone who just voted for him for the racism.
Leading scientists at the US National Institutes of Health were swept up Tuesday in the Trump administration’s latest firing blitz. Among them is Dr. Richard Youle, known for his groundbreaking research identifying mechanisms behind Parkinson’s disease.
Drawing the fox. 84x96cm. oil on canvas (2025)
This was so comforting! Whew!
"Well, I—for one—am touched by this act of generosity. Perhaps one day, all of humanity will know the saying 'Be welcoming of Greeks bearing gifts.'"
US putting ‘unacceptable’ pressure on Greenland with planned trip by Trump officials, Danish PM says – Europe live
Beavers play an important role in creating vital wetland environments, but they can create problems for landowners.
This text from the website of the Kollwitz museum: Käthe Kollwitz was inspired by Charles Dickens’ »A Tale of Two Cities« (1859) to create this etching. In his novel, he described the period of the French Revolution (1789-1792) in London and Paris. In one scene, hundreds of people dance to the popular revolutionary song »La Carmagnole«, while their revolutionary fervour descends into a frenzied ecstasy. This battle hymn of the French Revolution had emerged in 1792 when Carmagnola was taken. Each stanza ends with the refrain »Dansons la Carmagnole / Vive le son du canon« (»Let’s dance the Carmagnole / Long live the sound of the canon«). In Käthe Kollwitz’ etching the figures in rags, most of them women, dance in an ecstatic frenzy around the guillotine to the rhythm of a drummer boy. Strangely, she set the Parisian scene in a German town. The architecture with its high, half-timbered houses is said to have been inspired by a visit to the Gänge district in Hamburg. The setting may, however, just as well be the warehouse district in Königsberg, the artist’s hometown. The historical event was also transported into the artist’s present time, as the clothes of the workers reveal. This anachronism may have to do with the fact that Käthe Kollwitz – like many social democratic young intellectuals, including her brother Konrad Schmidt – anticipated a revolution to pave the way to a socialist utopian state.
Käthe Kollwitz, The Carmagnole or Dance Around the Guillotine, etching, 1901
Republicans: after years of whining about dark-money billionaires puppeteering our political system, what do you have to say about Elon Musk buying the Presidency - and now the Wisconsin Supreme Court?
Can confirm “State of Maine” hasn’t apologized. (As the official keeper of all state records and guardian of the seal ;))
She’s been the subject of a beloved children’s book, had a U.S. Coast Guard cutter named after her and is now the subject of “Matinicus: A Lighthouse Play.”
As we head into the week expecting an early retirement offer and continued mass reductions of our workforce, I thought some reminder of what we do would be helpful.
Waking up this morning and feeling charged up.
What happened to checks and balances?
Why is the Executive Branch not following court orders?
Why is the legislative branch going along with the erosion of their power?
Who will stand up and enforce the Law?
The USDA has reversed its funding freeze at the University of Maine
www.bangordailynews.com/2025/03/12/p...
Trump and Musk have cut vital programs at the VA, leaving many veterans in crisis abandoned. Our veterans answered the call, but now nobody will answer theirs.
well i spent the remainder of the company's money this year on a high fidelity cover of "Rock the Casbah" where the the line "Shariff don't like it" is replaced with "Tariff (pronounced Tareef) don't like it". this is it folks. this is how we save democracy.
Trump signed executive orders to expand logging on public lands while bypassing environmental protections. His “energy emergency” declaration lets him override regulations entirely.
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said in a statement that the president's executive order does not override Maine law. (via Maine Public)
I am excited to introduce my campaign to the people oIf Maine. I have a simple message that I believe can unite us: Let’s build a stronger economic foundation for all Maine families.
Please visit PhillipforMaine.com for more information.
Let’s move forward together,
Phillip
Solidarity with the partners of public servants (especially scientists) who take their work home with them… and have their partner red pen it ;)
*while making almost poverty salaries 😵💫😳🫣
This morning, ASL Interpreters Union and @opeiu.bsky.social held a press conference outside of the FCC with Video Relay Service interpreters, who make sure people who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing can communicate through video with ASL. We stand in solidarity with them as they fight for their union.
My father is a retired US Army Colonel, Vietnam Vet, Purple Heart recipient. He depends on the VA as do so many Mainers. Maine’s VA is a gold standard in the national system. A VA home is his ‘plan’ if/when he can no longer live alone (he is a widow). A ‘small amount’ is too many.
Front page of the July 31, 1965 front page of the New York Times
The front page of the New York Times, July 31, 1965, showing LBJ signing the Medicare and Medicaid Act of 1965 into law in the presence of Harry Truman.
Gift of Dr. F. H. Hirschland
Israel Litwak, Dover, New Jersey, 1947
https://botfrens.com/collections/14377/contents/1134702
From a DM. Are you familiar with National Wildlife Refuges?
There are almost 600 refuges nationwide. Their employees include biologists, firefighters, maintenance workers, and park rangers. Refuges are spread out and have day-to-day needs. Here is how the purchase limits are impacting them:
Mainers: Imagine if Lepage was still our governor 😳
