The basic human memory procedure used in daily life is very similar to the technique used in high-density wire communications. Information is compressed by using one “bit” to express many “bits.” If, for example, Burleigh and Jon had previously discussed attending a football game, and Burleigh leaves Jon a seven-word phone message saying if he […]

The Maine Drama Festival’s regional one-act competition was held last weekend at eight sites across the state, with the top two high schools at each site advancing to the state championships, set for March 23-24 at Yarmouth High School. Among the regional winners were Cape Elizabeth, Westbrook and Windham. Bonny Eagle, Scarborough and South Portland […]

The Maine Drama Festival’s regional one-act competition was held last weekend at eight sites across the state, with the top two high schools at each site advancing to the state championships, set for March 23-24 at Yarmouth High School. Among the regional winners were Cape Elizabeth, Westbrook and Windham. Bonny Eagle, Scarborough and South Portland […]

A proposal under review by a federal agency brings good news for Sebago Lake, a regional asset as both an attraction for tourists and a source of drinking water. Now, that plan has the backing of an important stakeholder: the Portland Water District. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is reviewing a 30-year management proposal for […]

A proposal under review by a federal agency brings good news for Sebago Lake, a regional asset as both an attraction for tourists and a source of drinking water. Now, that plan has the backing of an important stakeholder: the Portland Water District. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is reviewing a 30-year management proposal for […]

Here’s the latest collection of telling statistics and facts gleaned from a variety of sources: Time well spent: Commuting time to work beyond 45 minutes seems to increase the possibility of divorce by 40 percent. Que pasa? Since 2000, the percentage of white Americans below 18 years of age has declined 9.8 percent, blacks have […]

A very, very tiny number of wealthy Americans are playing an ever-increasing role in financing our politics. It appears that 1/10th of 1 percent of Americans are spending more on political campaigns than 75 percent of the entire population. The Sunlight Foundation recently issued a report showing that 1 in 10,000 givers ponied up one […]

Energy independence is so plainly necessary for the United States that it is hard to see why anyone short of a Saudi prince would be against it. It is such a popular notion, in fact, that it is used as a political justification for a number of bad ideas. Think expanded offshore drilling, widespread nuclear […]

The re-election of Democratic Legislatures every biennium for 30 years and, with one exception – of Democratic or Democratic-leaning governors during that same political drought – seemed last year to the newly empowered Republicans in the Maine Legislature to be proof of voting hanky-panky. Convinced that they may have been victims of skullduggery, these sleuths […]