UMaine Rugby Rumble

On Sunday April 18 the University of Maine Women’s Rugby Team took on the Portland Women’s Rugby Football Club, at the Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland, Maine; the kick off began at 1p.m. Outfitted in blue and white jerseys, the girls do not wear any form of safety equipment despite a plastic mouth guard; the UMaine team took to the field to face their considerably older opponents. The Portland Women’s Rugby Football Club consists of women varying in ages from their twenties to their forties, but there was no way that age was a handicap. The Ladies of the Portland club played a fierce and brutal first half; by halftime they had their younger counter parts beat 7 to 0.

As the second half of the game was underway UMaine rallied all their physical and technical skill to try and pull off the victory. It proved not to be the easiest of tasks, injuries were frequent and some of the most severe of the season.

Caitlin Losi of UMaine experienced a broken nose along with teammate Alex Snowe, who also endured a deviated septum and a concussion. Snowe was rushed to Maine Medical Center, where surgery was recommended to correct her septum. Teammate Krystal Amy also received a concussion during game play. The Portland Women’s Rugby Football Club experienced the worst injury of the game when a player’s arm was broken after a strong tackle by one of UMaine’s most aggressive player’s, Emily Bennett.

Despite the high number of injuries and intense physical exertion, UMaine managed to utilize the second half, scoring two try’s and two kicks, bringing the final score to 14 – 7; securing their victory. UMaine will no doubt ride on their victory when they face Colby College on Saturday April 24, at the Colby campus. Looking further ahead into the future, UMaine is preparing for their return to the Maine Cup, a tournament in which UMaine has claimed the top spot for the last two years. UMaine is and could very well be, Maine’s best Women’s Rugby Team.

Twitter & the Media

Micro blogging has become all the rage in the last few years, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and even Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia edited and maintained by the public, have all changed the way we interact and communicate with one another. This has never been more apparent than in times of disaster or conflict. Even the mainstream media has adopted this trend; companies such as CNN and Fox have twitter accounts and often use material from them on the air. Micro blogging is a new constant in our media driven lives but its popularity seems to correlate with unfortunate occurrences, such as the 2010 Haiti Earthquake.

On January 12, 2010 a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurred near Haiti’s capital city of Port-au-Prince. The damage was catastrophic, leveling Haiti’s poorly constructed buildings and infrastructure, injuring, killing and displacing hundreds of thousands. The media coverage of the quake was considerable, images of Haitians distraught and confused, injured and helpless filled the news and society responded to their cries; answering them with texts, and 140 character messages via twitter.

An elaborate effort to raise money to help the Haitian people was immediately underway. A revolutionary text to donate system helped the Red Cross collect over 1 billion dollars to date for Haiti relief. People organized over twitter, donating money, offering messages of hope and some people even took physical action, organizing groups of volunteers to go to Haiti and combat the disaster. The media also became a place to search for loved ones. The television and twitter were both the main resource used by the Haitian people to connect with family in the United States and abroad.

These micro blogs have created a network that is accessible to the public, a front not explored since the birth of the internet. But a revolution in technology over the last few years has advanced the field of communications itself, Twitter, Facebook and so on. These new outlets have connected the people, allowing them to interact in a manner that is completely new. It is unsure what the long term affects of such technologies are but the short term affects are evident.

The expansion of communication and the ways in which we, as a society, gather information have created a system of news in which its value has inflated. Anyone with a Facebook, Twitter, or internet connection for that matter, can create news in their image and how they see fit. Naturally this can led to a system that is based in unverifiable information. While the internet and its social devices have brought us together it also poses an inevitable threat to the value of our news.

TV Script

INTRO

“Our top story tonight, Dr. William J. Brennan, President-Select of the Maine Maritime Academy, spoke on behalf of SPIA, the School of Policy & International Affairs, at the University of Maine campus on Wednesday March 31. Dr. Brennan delivered a speech focusing on the consequences of mass climate change.”

SOUND-BYTE:
(Dr. Brennan:“Will it be affordable and practical to thwart climate change, I say can we afford not to. There are consequences to doing nothing”.”)

The next step to combat climate change is still uncertain, but it is not a debate that will disappear any time soon .


In other news…

All flights entering the United States will be subjected to a new level of security screening, officials will announce Friday, in order to maintain national security.

Response to the “National Security Implications of Climate Change” Meeting.

ORONO, Maine –Dr. William J. Brennan, President-Select of the Maine Maritime Academy, spoke on behalf of SPIA, the School of Policy & International Affairs, at the University of Maine campus on Wednesday March 31, 2010 to deliver an address titled “National Security Implications of Climate Change”. UMaine President Robert Kennedy introduced Dr. Brennan, a graduate of the University, with a Ph.D. degree in Ecology and Environmental Sciences. Dr. Brennan, outfitted in a dark blue suit, took to the podium and addressed the crowd that had gathered in the McIntire Room.

Dr. Brennan began his speech with a slew of “thank you’s” and recognized a few of his colleagues in the audience.

Dr. Brennan then continued onwards, acknowledging the consequences of mass climate change; reduced water supply, mass migration, and hunger, all of which lead to reduced economic, industrial, national and human security. “Because of globalization”, Brennan began, “we are connected in ways our forefathers could never have imagined”. He stressed the human aspect of climate change, stating that “electricity exists for hair dryers and flat screen TVs”.

“Despite talk of change from Washington last year”, Dr. Brennan said in-between graceful sips of water, “we have increased our dependency on oil”. A semi prophetic statement, since just hours earlier, reports began to surface that the Obama Administration was looking to pass legislation allowing off shore drilling on the east coast of the United States.

In the years prior to the current economic recession, climate change was an issue at the forefront of debate and discussion. Dr. Brennan points out that now it is an issue for only those concerned with the long term outlook, he says, the peoples main anxiety is money. That people are not willing to spend the money necessary to invest in renewable forms of energy, thus halting the overhaul of the energy industry. “Will it be affordable and practical to thwart climate change”, he elaborates, “I say can we afford not to. There are consequences to doing nothing”.

Dr. Brennan finished speaking rather quickly, admitting to writing his speech that morning. His tone was serious but his wit and sense of humor seized the moment. An audience member asked a question, confessing that he was not sure if there was an answer, Dr. Brennan responded “ I will make one up if there isn’t”; the crowd chuckled.

The audience, a mix of men in suits and students in cargo shorts, were attentive but frankly, seemed to expect more, since the event was supposed to last from 4:30- 6:30 but ended around 5:15 pm.

Dr. Brennan engaged the audience with an interesting argument. He raised key points, regarding mankind’s misuse of energy and what the potential effects could be; war, famine, possible extinction. Dr. Brennan’s speech was a success that left slightly more to be desired in terms of content, but what he did divulge was interesting and captivating.

The Downside to Wind Power

BANGOR, Maine-Renewable energy is clean and sustainable and has a laundry list of benefits compared to the latter; but Maine residents who live close to local wind farms say they have concerns.
Maine is known as a fall foliage Mecca and a state ripe with natural beauty, this is the reason why the state has refused the construction of billboards and other signage along its highways and major roadways. It is also a state at the forefront of wind technology, with several wind farms located around the state. Recently, some rural Maine communities have fired back at the wind power industry. Towns such as Mars Hill, Dixmont, Jackson, Oakfield, New Vineyard and Vinalhaven Island, all have issues with the 400 foot tall turbines.
In Mars Hill, locals criticize the windmills looks and say they’re too noisy. In context to the benefits of wind power these critiques seem trivial, but Maine is a state devoted to natural preservation and natural tourism, which generates an excess of millions of dollars. Their concerns become valid when these disturbances are put into context with Maine culture.
Appearance is also an issue for residents in Roxbury located near Rumford, where a proposal to build a wind farm along the ridgelines of five mountains in Highland Plantation in Somerset County has created an outpouring of disapproval. Residents say the areas scenery would be compromised, others say it would be marred.
Light reflection is also an issue for residents of Union, Maine. Preventative measures have already been taken at Fort Kent, where no wind farm plans are underway, yet an ordinance is under consideration that would limit wind farm noise.
The debate over wind power in Maine is so great that critics have appealed their case to the Supreme Court. Despite all the negative outcries, spokesmen for the wind industry say people should not lose sight of the benefits of wind power, including clean energy.
“If we want to advance towards a cleaner environment, sacrifices have to be made”, says Ryan Clancy a resident of Fort Kent, “appearance and other trivial characteristics are insignificant compared to tons of greenhouse gases”.
Ryan attends school in Southern Maine and notes that the coast around Portland is littered with massive oil drums. Portland is in fact the largest oil port on the east coast of the U.S., but it is equally important to note that Maine is also the most heavily forested state in the nation, with over 90% of its land mass covered with trees; 17.7 million acres to be exact.This, no doubt, reflects Maine’s priorities.
As the debate continues on, it has led many to wonder, how exactly the state will proceed? Will Mainers elect to save the environment through continued preservation efforts but still be dependent on oil for its power? Or will residents join the green revolution and allow the production of wind farms across the state, lessening their dependence on oil? In this debate one thing is certain. Mainer’s will no doubt stand firm, they understand that Maine’s scenic quality is an attribute that lays deep in the culture of the state and the hearts of its citizens.

Reader Script

“Our top story tonight….”
President Obama slams insurance companies and calls for a final congressional vote on his health care reform plan.
SOUND-BYTE:
(President Obama:
“"I don't know about the politics, but I know what's the right thing to do.”)

Toyota challenged a California driver's story of an out-of-control Prius at a press conference Monday afternoon in California.

In other news…

The Obama Administration plans to overhaul the No Child Left Behind law, the eight year old law was a signature policy of President Bush…

The Downside to Wind Power

“Going Green” is not an entirely new concept; pioneered by the mindset of the hippies of the 60’s and 70’s it was reborn in the early 2000’s due the public’s heightened awareness of global climate change and new advances in technology. In recent years, a wave of green products has swept the market but the green revolution has yet to fully transition into the mainstream. The overwhelming hurdle to cross is the mass transition from fossil fuels to green energy. Renewable energy is clean and sustainable and has a laundry list of benefits compared to the latter, but Maine residents who live close local wind farms say they have concerns.
Maine is known as a fall foliage Mecca and a state ripe with natural beauty, this is the reason why the state has refused the construction of billboards and other signage along its highways and major roadways. It is also a state at the forefront of wind technology, with several wind farms located around the state. Recently, some rural Maine communities have fired back at the wind power industry. Towns such as Mars Hill, Dixmont, Jackson, Oakfield, New Vineyard and Vinalhaven Island, all have issues with the 400 foot tall turbines.
In Mars Hill, locals criticize the windmill’s looks and say they’re too noisy. In context to the benefits of wind power these critiques seem trivial, but Maine is a state devoted to natural preservation and natural tourism, which generates an excess of millions of dollars. Their concerns become valid when these disturbances are put into context with Maine culture.
Appearance is also an issue for residents in Roxbury located near Rumford, where a proposal to build a wind farm along the ridgelines of five mountains in Highland Plantation in Somerset County has created an outpouring of disapproval. Residents say the areas scenery would be compromised, others say it would be marred.
Light reflection is also an issue for residents of Union, Maine. Preventative measures have already been taken at Fort Kent, where no wind farm plans are underway, yet an ordinance is under consideration that would limit wind farm noise.
The debate over wind power in Maine is so great that critics have appealed their case to the Supreme Court. Despite all the negative outcries, spokesmen for the wind industry say people should not lose sight of the benefits of wind power, including clean energy. But as the debate continues on, Mainer’s will no doubt stand firm, they understand that Maine’s scenic quality is an attribute that lays deep in the culture of the state and the hearts of its citizens.