Editorial missed golf’s contribution to Maine economy

Mr. Balentine’s article on sports business as a foundational element in Maine’s economy neglected to mention two of the major sport cash generators, the multi-million-dollar golf and outdoor recreation industries.

Maine has 148 golf courses as listed in Dennis Walch’s excellent memoire on the “Greens of Maine,” a pictorial tour of nearly all 148 with interesting details (at Kebo Valley founded in 1888, the 8th oldest course in the U.S., President Taft carded a 27 on the 17th hole, subsequently tagged the Taft Hole.

Art DiMauro

Scarborough

Keep Martin’s Point out of our neighborhood

I am writing as a member of the Meetinghouse Hill Neighborhood Association to voice my concern over the proposed development by Martin’s Point of the Hamlin School property. More than 24 years ago I bought my home, which is located one street down from this site. I own an unremarkable 900 square foot home. My decision to remain living here is based solely on the quality of my daily life found in this unique neighborhood. We have many aspects of country life while being close to the city.

This is a quiet residential neighborhood with little or no traffic. In the winter children slide down the hill below Hamlin; in the summer they skateboard down it. The high school cross-country team trains by running up and down that hill. Children play street hockey and leave their bikes at the road’s edge while they walk along the Trout Brook trail. Every morning and evening the streets are filled with neighbors walking their dogs and parents and grandparents pushing strollers. One neighbor’s cat also tags along. We are secure in the knowledge that our children, grandchildren and pets are safe to walk and play here.

I live next to Trout Brook, which supports a variety of wildlife usually seen only in the country: a great blue heron, opossum, foxes, deer, fisher, snapping turtle, raccoon, skunk, woodchuck and many kinds of birds including ducks. These animals create a diverse ecosystem that would be disturbed by a large commercial development with its accompanying traffic and lighting. Now we are treated to the night sky in all its glory. A large building and parking lot would demand lighting that would hide the stars and the moon.

Modern medical facilities schedule appointments at 15-minute intervals. Additionally, there is a lab that has people coming for testing. This would create a massive increase as well as a continuous flow of traffic up and down the streets. Martin’s Point reported that they plan to remain open until 7:30 p.m. on at least one evening. Walkers from Brown School use Boothby Street, which would become a major route from Highland Avenue to this medical facility. Presently there are no sidewalks or speed bumps to assure the children’s safety.

Our neighborhood would welcome new development on the Hamlin School property that would be on the same scale as the existing small businesses which include an art gallery, a florist, a mom and pop store and a dog groomer. It would be wonderful to create a neighborhood center with the community garden and park as the centerpiece and complementary small businesses. This would further encourage walking within the neighborhood as well as buying local.

Location is important to any new venture. This development is not suitable for this location. There are many other locations in South Portland that would provide what Martin’s Point needs. The Brick Hill area has the ability to absorb the heavy traffic and provide for parking and expansion. There are also many empty buildings in South Portland in other commercial areas. Let us all work together to find the best solution for both the Meetinghouse Hill neighborhood and Martin’s Point.

Cathy Chapman

South Portland

Ranked choice voting makes sense

In the 2014 gubernatorial election, I went with my gut and supported the independent candidate. Despite this, watching the race unfold over the year was a vexing experience.

Mainers had their ideas on whom they would want to place their vote behind, but were concerned with “splitting” the overall vote. In fact, the majority of those I spoke with in passing cast a “strategic vote” so that their least favorite candidate wouldn’t be elected. The independent candidate, in their view, was the quixotic choice.

But Maine has a strong tradition of being an independent trailblazer for the rest of the nation. We have had two independent governors, an independent senator, and we regularly feature strong non-party candidates in all levels of our elections. “Dirigo” is our state’s motto!

The scenario that one would vote for “second best” just to elect the individual who wasn’t their last choice is beyond me, yet this is a scenario we’ve encountered many times in our state. Something is wrong with our electoral system when we have to vote against instead of for someone.

With ranked choice voting, Mainers can vote for who they want, at all levels of government, and do away with the fear-baiting and voter intimidation we all too often see in political campaigns. We have never been afraid to buck conventional methods. In fact, we could set a model for the rest of the country. Isn’t it time to bring back the saying: “As Maine goes, so goes the nation?”

Matt Caston

South Portland

Note to readers

It is a gift each semester as I prepare my college students for their end of semester event: Sacred Stories. As non-native English speakers, these young men and women do something that most never dare to do in our lifetime: Speak publicly! Not only do they do this, but they share the most intimate details of their lives and do that in a foreign language, English. I am always in awe of them and treasure this event.

Thanks to the hard work of Tony Vigue, SPC-TV, this event is videotaped for future public playing. Additionally, city hall chambers becomes the site for the event. With the extreme generosity of Woody Leland, the students have an additional gift of a professional to photograph the event for us. Deep gratitude to Ruweda Abdullahi, Thanh Nguyen, Jenn McAdoo, Laurel Amiable and Pat Wheeler for spending hours listening to the students as they practiced pacing, emphasis, eye contact and more in preparation. Thank you also to John Balentine and the Current newspaper for printing all their letters to the editor (read the last batch of them following this letter), another great lesson for them in the rights afforded them in this country.

The stories are memories that reflect courage, determination and gratitude. They serve to teach, to learn and to heal. Many feel the day is life changing, returning for the power of stories. While the experiences differ, the themes are those we all have in life, allowing us to make connection.

Please join us on April 27, at 3 p.m. at South Portland City Hall. The event lasts approximately two hours. Your support for the courage of these young men and women is most welcomed.

Sincerely,

Rosemarie De Angelis

Adjunct Professor, SMCC

Racism hurts

Although our world has become a lot more evolved and tolerant, it’s clear that racism still affects society. Racial tolerance is a topic that is very important in our everyday lives. Young people can be confused from wrong information. They could be negatively influenced by peers or elders to make racist comments and treat them as nothing. A simple word can be very hurtful, and we should understand why racist comments and actions are never good.

Therefore, if you have certain questions that make you uncomfortable about saying the wrong thing accidentally, make sure to reflect and think about what to say before you start talking. Parents should not joke about people from another culture, because if you think jokes about race are funny, think again. At the end of the day, things you say can set a bad example for your children. It’s unacceptable to discriminate against people because of the way they look.

I am not perfect and you are not perfect either, but we are all God’s creations. We may have our differences but having different colors, languages, religions, cultures and names doesn’t mean we can’t love or care for each other. As you can see, we all have the same parts of the body. We eat, sleep and laugh as people. Let’s love one another and accept the fact that God loves each one of us equally.

Elizabeth Nyajima Lok

South Suda

Learn to speak English

Learning English is very important. Especially in America you will need to study all subjects in English. That is difficult, but it helped me to achieve my goal. You will need to work hard.

The first time I came to the United States was the most difficult part of my life. I knew no English at all. I couldn’t understand what people said or what they were asking me. If I tried to say anything I felt scared that I would say something that was not right.

I had many experiences because I couldn’t speak English. When I started Portland High School, I had to learn many things. My first teacher and I had a terrible time communicating. If I asked a question, I felt like everybody was going to make fun of me, so I kept quiet.

After a while I started to speak a little to communicate with students. They gave me examples of words and sentences to use. They tried to understand what I was saying. They spoke slowly when they answered my questions. Tutors helped me do my homework.

Please be patient when you meet someone who doesn’t speak English. Ask her to speak slowly or repeat the words. Use simple sentences to help her understand what you are saying. Sometimes it helps to draw a picture or act out the word.

We need to learn how to communicate with each other so we can work together for safety and peace in the world.

Mahado Ali

Somalia

Community is key to happy marriage

Marriage is an important issue for couples who have the desire to crown a serious relationship, but to reach this point they must know the value of each other and how far each of them is willing to go. There are many bases of marriage such as communication and sharing positive and negative points.

I believe that communication is crucial for any relationship. When both sides have the will to facilitate communication, it means they have feelings for each other, appreciate having each other, and eventually have a goal to be happy together.

For strong relationship they should focus on the differences between them, not focus only on positive sides of each other. If they are going to share a life together, they need to know these negative points, and try to adapt to each other in a way that will make them stand on a rock and not slippery ground. To have solid ground to build your life on is just like building your house brick by brick. With solid ground the house will stand the storms, so the relationship will stand the problems that they may face in the future.

I strongly recommend taking time to understand each other and knowing values of each other before going forward with marriage. It is important to know that marriage doesn’t only mean “falling in love.”

Zinah Altimimie

Iraq