A suggestion for seniors: Having “weathered” 40 hours without heat and light last January, and 80 hours without it in December 2008, it is a good idea to advise people, seniors especially. who live in all-electric buildings that should power be out for an extended period of time, they should call local police to find immediate shelter.

Each county’s Emergency Management team (operating under the Federal Emergency Management Agency) oversees such needs and (here in Lincoln County) arranges emergency shelter for those vulnerable to the prolonged cold living without heat in all-electric buildings.

In one example, locally, Emergency Management rescued a man from his all-electric apartment after he underwent 60 hours without heat. He arrived at the county shelter with a core body temperature of 90 degrees and the town’s shelter had been prematurely closed.

Please remember that not everyone has resources to cope with loss of power, especially the elderly in all-electric buildings and others who use medical equipment for life support at home (e.g., breathing machines).

Any advice people might give to ohers to this effect would be greatly appreciated.

Michael Bucci
Damariscotta

 

What’s the impact on us of forgetting affect and effect?

 

Are “effect” (a noun) and “affect” (a verb) extinct words? No longer is something affected by something else or is there an effect from it — it’s “impacted” or it has an “impact.”

Is it perhaps that people don’t understand the difference between “affect” and “effect,” or is it that “impact” and “impacted” are “trendy” words? Just wondering.

Tom Hammermeister
Waldoboro

 

Climate conditions remain topics of heated debate

 

I couldn’t help but notice a few interesting points made by M.D. Harmon in his latest attack on “party hearty climateers.” (Dec. 3).

First off, has anyone noticed how bit by bit he puts in little “even if global warming is true” snippets? For instance this choice tidbit: “It is unknown whether the effects of moderately higher average temperatures, if they do occur, will be more harmful than beneficial (longer growing seasons, fewer deaths from cold weather, which kills more people than heat, etc.)”

Meanwhile, a few pages earlier in your paper is a story — “Year, decade are among warmest ever” — that lists the ravages the extreme weather has caused, including thousands of deaths and displacement.

But wait, Harmon goes on to say that “we are told this is the hottest summer on record without being told the records only go back 160 years.” Well gosh, in that same article a few pages before Mr. Harmon’s is the quote “…warmest years since the beginning of instrumental climate records in 1850.”

Well, another conspiracy theory dashed. Rats! So, reading between the lines what I’m seeing is that it just doesn’t matter in the long run whether global warming is true or not.

These folks want nothing to do with any efforts to stop it, period. And facts be damned.

Biff Higgison
Brunswick

If an organization or an agenda is not liked or does not make sense, you can’t change the truth by changing the name. Liberals have been found out for what they are so they want us to call them “progressives.” The “global warming” crowd (composed of the same liberals) got caught telling their lies so now they want us to call it “climate change.”

Not long ago the “global warming” experts said England might never again see snow. Tell that to the thousands stranded in London airports close to Christmas.

Is it possible that our Earth warms and cools on a regular basis without the help of car emissions? In the year 1813 Maine had a frost in every month (yes, July and August). Where was Al Gore when we needed him?

Ernie Ryder
Windham

 

Rep. Pingree worked hard to get energy aid in bill

 

While the news on our economic recovery has not been great, clean energy has been doing its part to create jobs and clean our environment across Maine. Despite this success, a critical federal incentive for renewable energy, like wind and solar, was set to expire at the end of this year.

In order to continue the growth of clean, renewable energy and to maintain and create tens of thousands of jobs, the renewable energy industries, environmental community, labor movement and others joined champions in Congress, like Rep. Chellie Pingree, in a tremendous push to extend these incentives.

Thanks to the leadership and hard work of Rep. Pingree, this program was extended for another year in the tax package, and we will see more projects like TransCanada Maine Wind Development Inc., which received more than $43.9 million from this program.

Regardless of one’s opinion on the overall tax compromise, which readers discussed several times in these pages, Mainers were lucky to have a true renewable energy champion looking out for their clean air, their environment and their jobs.

Nathaniel F. Meyer
Field associate, Environment Maine
Portland

 

Holiday music scene capped by ‘Christmas With Cornils’

 

As I was reading the column by Ron Bancroft about this season’s music offerings here in Portland (“Region’s musical art scene pitch-perfect start to holidays,” Dec. 21), I was sorry he did not wait until he heard “Christmas With Cornils” at the Merrill Auditorium.

It was a snowy, slippery night but the audience was there in great numbers and with much enthusiasm.

Municipal Organist Ray Cornils is really spectacular in putting together a meaningful and beautiful Christmas program. His own work at the Kotzschmar organ is elegant in itself, but also the Parish Ringers from First Parish Church in Brunswick, the brass ensemble from The Portland Symphony and the young women from the Musica deFilia choirs were also beautiful in every way.

It was such a lovely evening. And yes, Ray, we did drive carefully and returned home with joy in our hearts. Thank you.

Mollie Mason
Falmouth

 

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