Singer: Rick James; Singing Duo: Yarbrough and Peoples; Conductor: Igor Oistrakh

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Peter CatesREVIEW POTPOURRI

by Peter Cates

Rick James

Rick James

Give It to Me, Baby
Don’t Give Up On Love
Gordy, G 7197F, released 1981, seven-inch 45.

Rick James (1948-2004) hooked up with a group known as the Mynah Birds during his adolescence, one of his fellow members being Neil Young. His music career would thrive but also derail often because of his own self-destructive tendencies to live on the edge – his Wiki bio was sordidly interesting. His almost inevitably early death at 56 was due to a heart ailment.

The above two songs, particularly his hit song, Give It to Me, Baby, are more rockish than Motown/Gordy soul and are captivating on a certain level.

Yarbrough and Peoples

Don’t Stop the Music
You’re My Song
Mercury, 45-76085, recorded 1980, seven- inch vinyl stereo 45 record.

Yarbrough & Peoples

Cavin Leon Yarbrough and Alisa Delois Peoples were both born and brought up in Dallas and, were friends since early in childhood, having met while taking piano lessons.

During the mid-’70s, Yarbrough is touring as a pianist, returns to Dallas where he hooks up with Peoples, returns to touring and they sign a recording contract, hitting the big time in a very big way. Don’t Stop the Music is a compelling soul and dance record, incisively arranged and recorded.

In 1987, after 10 years of success with several more 45 singles and albums, they get married and decide to leave the rat race of Los Angeles and constant touring to return to Dallas. Since then, they continue to write, produce, mentor younger talent and perform, contributing immeasurably to their hometown’s musical enrichment.

Mozart

Sinfonia Concertante

Igor Oistrakh

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik; Viktor Pikaizen, violin; Igor Oistrakh, viola, and conducting the Moscow State Philharmonic; Westminster Gold EGS-8343, LP, recorded June, 1971.

Two of Mozart’s most important works are coupled on this LP and feature very lively, vibrant performances from two of Russia’s finest string players, Viktor Pikaizen and Igor Oistrakh, son of the late great violinist, violist and conductor, David Oistrakh, Igor being as good in his own way as his father in all three instruments.

The two sides of both 45s and the Mozart Sinfonia that are reviewed above are available for listening on YouTube. The Eine Kleine Nachtmusik conducted by Igor Oistrakh is not available but one recorded by his father David Oistrakh is posted along with several other recordings.

IF WALLS COULD TALK, Week of September 14, 2017

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Katie Ouilette Wallsby Katie Ouilette

Y’know, WALLS, about all you should say to those who are giving so much of themselves this week is a great big thank you. Why? Well, faithful readers, so many are giving so much today. Question is, who comes first?

We might as well begin at the beginning. Ayeh, Harvey comes first, if you say so. Oh, such devastation those poor people in Texas have to deal with in their futures, but so many people from the East have gone to assist and those who couldn’t make the trip have sent clothes and food to help folks who have lost everything. WALLS, can you imagine having to live in a shelter that has been outfitted with cots, donated blankets, and children ‘wondering’ about their pets and toys.

Now, we have Irma’s going on in the Virgin Islands and heading for our U.S.A. Unfortunately, folks on TV are telling us in “this safe State of Maine” that all those who live in the Virgin Islands that there is little gasoline for cars, water or food for people’s health. And, again, there are folks who feel that their volunteering…from nurses and doctors to anyone who can clean-up and hopefully make people’s houses somewhat livable.

Yes, WALLS and faithful readers, a very hearty thanks! is due……but there is more. Our young people started school this past week, so our teachers and helpers and food service cooks and our faithful bus drivers need our deepest appreciation for taking good care of those we love. Yes, and the principals are there…to guarantee all that a school should be for building memories.

Memories? Well, WALLS, at my age of 87-years-young, I still value my principals, teachers and classmates and we of the class of ’48 still meet each other once a month.

Worry? Well, we have a few of those looming. Our Dean and Donna Ouilette are supposed to go to Haiti for their Church in Bellingham, Washington, and we hope that their plans are not disrupted by Hurricane Irma. They are truly loyal to their church and its efforts in Haiti. Frankly, with so much said about our immigrant-folks and whether they should be allowed to stay in our U.S.A., for whatever you have contributed to our country, thank you!

Y’know, faithful readers, when William Philbrick owned a log drive company, our tourist friends loved seeing the logs floating down the Kennebec and Mr. Philbrick used to “bond” those Canadians who came from Canada for the ‘log drive’. When the job was done, they went back to their families. Well, the immigrants to our U.S.A. came as children with their parents and they dream of their futures, just as we did.

Well, WALLS and faithful readers, column space doesn’t allow more words right now, but, surely, you know others that should have a big thanks……so don’t hesitate to say it when you feel it!

SOLON & BEYOND, Week of September 14, 2017

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Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percyby Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
grams29@tds.net
Solon, Maine 04979

Good morning, dear friends. Don’t worry, be happy!

Have been looking forward to this first Solon School News for this new school year to share with all of you. The Principal’s Message: The Solon staff and I wish to welcome our new students in grades PreK-5 and their families to our school and to welcome back those who have been with us before. I hope all of you enjoyed a wonderful summer.

This year I am the principal of the Solon and Garret Schenck Schools but not CCS, which will allow me to spend more time at those two schools. Our school secretary Lisa Weese can help parents with any issues they may have and can help you make contact with me if you wish to.

Debby Haynie continues to serve as our lead teacher and will help me to handle discipline issues.

We are pleased to offer free breakfast and lunch to all students again this year under the district’s community eligibility program. Students can buy milk or juice for snack or to go with a cold lunch if they wish to for 30 cents.

Again this year our students will have healthy snacks provided through a Fresh Fruits & Vegetables Grant Program every day. Please contact us if you have any questions. Thank you for your cooperation. We look forward to a great new year!

Welcome to New Staff: We want to welcome the new preschool assistant teacher, Ms. Anne-Mieke Herrera, to our school this fall. She previously worked in the preschool program in Clinton. She replaces Anne Griffth, who is working in the Head Start program in Skowhegan this year.

We also welcome Mary Ashe, who is the new social worker, replacing Andrea Drumstas, who has left us to take a job at Stratton Elementary School. Ashe has a bachelor’s degree from UMF and a master’s degree from UMO. She worked as a social worker at Carrabec High School from 2008-2010. Sin ce then she has worked at the Spurwink School in Cornville.

We welcome both of our new staff members to Solon Elementary School.

Solon Elementary School has a very active PTO, which has provided lots of special activities and items for our students over the years. Please consider joining the PTO. For information, contact PTO President Alicia Golden or the school.

The PTO generally meets on the second Thursday of each month, at 6 p.m.

Remember to send in your box tops for education labels! Every boxtop helps the PTO raise money for school activities.

The PTO is looking for new parents to join them. They look forward to new members from our new families.

My many thanks to Solon Elementary for continuing to send me the interesting news about the school. It is greatly appreciated by me and I hope by all interested readers.

And now for Percy’s memoir of wise words entitled, True Gardening: “If you would grow a garden full of truth, Consider first the seed, then plow the land. You have no need of wealth or fame or youth, But you must have the will to understand. Of love and faith and service, freely sow, And give a space to mercy’s blessed balm. Allow no single weed of doubt to grow, And space the beds of thought with inner calm. The plot must be a place to draw apart For loving meditation , so designed That one can cultivate the quiet heart And reap the golden harvest of the mind. These high-heaped fruits of thought are your true goal, And seeds of destiny will feed your soul. (words by E. A. M. Moore.)

Sheepscot Dam: State need not take action until studies complete

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COMMUNITY COMMENTARY

by Joseph Burke
Sheepscot Pond, Palermo, resident

As a 30-year seasonal resident on Sheepscot Pond, in Palermo, I write to voice my strong opposition to Maine state bill LD922, introduced by state representative and president of the Alewife Harvesters Association, Jeffrey Pierce. This bill orders the opening of the fishway at the Sheepscot dam to allow the entrance of alewife herrings, American eels and parasitic sea lamprey eels. This fishway, installed by the state many years ago has been closed each May and June during the spawning season to prevent damage being done to the lake’s indigenous population of salmon and togue by the lamprey eels which attach to and drain much of the life out of these fish.

The alewives present a possible contamination of the brown trout fingerlings in Palermo’s Fish Cultural Station just downstream from Sheepscot Pond, one of only eight fish hatcheries/rearing stations in all of Maine’s 6,000 lakes and ponds.

Moreover, the state’s representatives with whom we have met admit that the opening of the fishway year round could result in lowered water levels during dry years causing lake front properties to lose much of the use of their shoreline, especially their docks and other aids to boating, fishing and swimming.

For 30 years my wife and I, our children and nine grandchildren, not to mention the loons, the fish, the beaver and our nesting population of bald eagles, not to mention the other people of Palermo and surrounding towns through their participation in boating, the Fish & Game Club and organized fishing derbies have marveled at this balanced, clear, healthy living entity called Sheepscot Pond. Please, let’s keep it that way!

Simply put, no further action should be taken by the state until longitudinal studies in both environmental and engineering areas have been mounted, and Bill LD922 must be taken off the table completely, now!

TECH TALK: Welcome to the world of Big Data

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ERIC’S TECH TALK

by Eric Austin
Computer Technical Advisor

 

What exactly is Big Data? Forbes defines it as “the exponential explosion in the amount of data we have generated since the dawn of the digital age.”

Harvard researchers, Erez Aiden and Jean-Baptiste Michel, explore this phenomenon in their book, Uncharted: Big Data as a Lens on Human Culture. They note, “If we write a book, Google scans it; if we take a photo, Flickr stores it; if we make a movie, YouTube streams it.”

And Big Data is more than just user created content from the digital era. It also includes previously published books that are now newly-digitized and available for analysis.

Together with Google, Aiden and Michel have created the Google Ngram Viewer, a free online tool allowing anyone to search for n-grams, or linguistic phrases, in published works and plot their occurrence over time.

Since 2004 Google has been scanning the world’s books and storing their full text in a database. To date, they have scanned 15 million of the 129 million books published between 1500 and 2008. From this database, researchers created a table of two billion phrases, or n-grams, which can be analyzed by the year of the publication of the book in which they appear. Such analysis can provide insight into the evolution of language and culture over many generations.

As an example, the researchers investigated the phrase “the United States are” versus “the United States is.” When did we start referring to the United States as a singular entity, rather than a group of individual states? Most linguists think this change occurred after the Civil War in 1865, but from careful analysis with the Google Ngram Viewer, it is clear this didn’t take off until a generation later in the 1880s.

Author Seth Stephens-Davidowitz thinks the internet has an even greater resource for understanding human behavior: Google searches. Whenever we do a search on Google, our query is stored in a database. That database of search queries is itself searchable using the online tool Google Trends. Stephens-Davidowitz found this data so interesting he wrote his dissertation on it, and now has written a book: Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are.

Google Trends doesn’t just tell us what people are searching for on the internet, it also tells us where those people live, how old they are, and what their occupation is. Clever analysts can cross-index this data to tell us some interesting facts about ourselves. Stephens-Davidowitz argues this data is even more accurate than surveys because people lie to other people, but not to Google.

In his book, Everybody Lies, Stephens-Davidowitz reports that on the night of Obama’s election in 2008, one out of a hundred Google searches containing the word “Obama” also contained the word “nigger” or “KKK.” But who was making those searches? Are Republicans more racist than Democrats? Not according to the data. Stephens-Davidowitz says there were a similar number of these type of searches in Democratically dominant areas of the country as in Replublican ones. The real divide is not North/South or Democrat/Republican, he asserts, but East/West, with a sharp drop off in states west of the Mississippi River.

Stephens-Davidowitz even suggests Google Trends can offer a more accurate way of predicting vote outcomes than exit polling. By looking at searches containing the names of both candidates in the 2016 election, he found that the order in which the names appear in a search may demonstrate voter preference. In key swing states, there were a greater number of searches for “Trump Clinton” versus “Clinton Trump,” indicating a general movement toward the Republican candidate. This contradicted much of the polling data at the time, but turned out to be a more accurate barometer of candidate preference.

The world of Big Data is huge and growing larger every day. Researchers and scientists are finding new and better ways of analyzing it to tell us more about the most devious creatures on this planet. Us.

But we must be careful of the seductive lure of Big Data, and we should remember the words immortalized by Mark Twain: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics.”

Four Ways To Show Your School Spirit

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(NAPSI)—Class is back in session, which reunites friends after a summer apart and kicks off the football season. Back-to-school can also be a time of nostalgia for those who have already graduated, but staying connected to your alma mater doesn’t have to be a challenge. Whether it’s football season, basketball season or all year long, here are four fun ways to show your school pride:

1. Join sporting events and alumni meetups. Plan a trip to your old stomping grounds for homecoming week. During the sports season, attend a game and cheer on your favorite team with fellow graduates. If campus is too far away for a visit, try catching an away game closer to home or root for your team at a local sports bar. Team Bar Finder (www.teambarfinder.com) can be a great resource to find one nearby. Many schools also have alumni meetups across the country. Check with your alumni association to see when networking meetups, watch parties and other gatherings are happening.

2. Start giving back. Show your support by donating time or money to your alma mater. Every donation helps your school become more successful and expand the pool of students and future alumni. Volunteer your time to mentor the next generation of alumni and pass down the traditions that make your school unique.

3. Stay connected on social media. Follow your college on all its social channels to stay up to date on campus news, find nearby events and connect with fellow alumni. Showcase your campus pride for the whole world to see and add your school’s logo to your profile picture, include a mention in your bio, or join an online group to share your school spirit with other die-hard fans. You never know whom you will meet online as a result.

4. Deck out your home with school decor. Showing support for your alma mater doesn’t have to be limited to your garage or man cave. Display your diploma with pride in your home office or decorate the game room to match. You can even incorporate your school spirit into your home gym with a limited edition collegiate-branded Bowflex Max Trainer M5 (http://www.bowflex.com/max-trainer/college-max.html). It combines the movements of an elliptical and stair stepper for a one-of-a-kind cardio workout. Cheer on your favorite team while completing the 14-minute interval workout and burn up to 2.5 times the calories as compared to a traditional cardio machine.

Just as your college years helped tone your mind, your college-branded Max Trainer can help you tone your muscles to achieve a healthy body to match.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: The sounds of nature vs. the sounds of the city

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Roland D. HalleeSCORES & OUTDOORS

by Roland D. Hallee

Well, we are approaching that sad time of year when my wife and I are readying to shutter camp for the winter. It’s with mixed emotions because we really enjoy camp (we live there from May to October), but it’s football season, and we are both avid New England Patriots fans, and home is where we like to be for Sunday afternoon kickoffs.

The big question that comes to mind is which do we prefer, the sounds of the loons’ eerie calls in the night, the barred owls caterwauling at each other in the early morning hours, peepers in the spring and all the other wonderful sounds of nature, or… the sounds of ridiculously large pickup trucks revving their oversized gas-guzzling engines with the loud exhaust belching fumes and smoke into the air, squealing tires, police sirens blaring at all hours of the night, barking dogs, arguing neighbors, etc? Living in the middle of Waterville, those sounds always make me think, “Welcome home.” I think the answer to my question is a no-brainer.

With that in mind, here are some of the more memorable things that I witnessed this past summer at camp.

First, we’ll talk about the bald eagles consistently seen circling over Webber Pond in search of food. On two occasions this past summer, while fishing, we witnessed bald eagles come swooping down from a high perch in the trees, to scoop up fish from the surface of the water with their sharp, deadly talons. One time the bird came as close as 20 yards from our boat. The second time, it was a little further away, but still as magnificent.

Then, there was the morning when, on my way to work on the Seaward Mills Road, in Vassalboro, I saw a rafter of geese crossing the road in front of me. I had to come to a standstill because one of the adult turkeys was stationed smack in the middle of the road while the rest of the brood crossed, in single file, with an adult leading the way. That turkey resembled a school crossing guard as he stopped traffic for the kids to cross.

Not too long after, on the same road, I saw another flock of turkeys crossing the road, but this time they were accompanied by a house cat, who showed all the techniques of a border collie herding sheep. It would move around the flock to keep the young ones in line as they navigated the asphalt. Quite something to see. The cat showed no interest in harming any of the fowl.

There was also the night, which I mentioned before in this column, of the barred owls as they caterwauled to each other late one night. They started quite innocently as you would expect to hear an owl. These, being barred owls, would call out “who cooks for you, who cooks for you, all.” However, the calling began to intensify and before long the calls began to sound like barking dogs, something I had never heard before from barred owls.

Finally, in mid-May, there was the night we heard noises off in the distance that sounded like a small dog wailing from discomfort. It was a yelping sound, followed by a whine. “An injured dog,” was the first thought. However, as the sound persisted, it became clear that the calling was from red foxes calling out to each other during the mating season. The foxes have been around all summer, but the callings have stopped.

Nature has sounds of its own, and even though they can be loud at times, still trump (Oops, there’s that word, again) the sounds of the city.

Every year, the weekend after Labor Day, we make a fishing trip to Nesowadnehunk Lake, in a remote area abutting Baxter Park to the west, where we can lay in our cots in the tent, and listen to the coyotes howl in the distance. Ah, the wonderful sounds to which to fall asleep.

I’m Just Curious: Southern superstitions

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by Debbie Walker

So… I told you this week we would be doing the Southern superstitions and there are a lot of them. Don’t worry we won’t print them all. What follows is just a few that I found in 2001 Southern Superstitions, by Bil Dwyer:

If two spoons are accidentally put into a cup, a wedding will result.

To put on any one’s engagement ring is a sure sign that you will never have one of your own.

If you do not wish to dream, put both shoes under the foot of your bed at night.

If you dream of flying, pleasant things await you the next day.

If you lick your plate at breakfast (must have been good!) there will be rain before supper.

If you drop a dish cloth, step over it and make a wish.

If your shoe string comes untied, somebody is talking about you.

If you wear your shoes out on the side, you will be a rich man’s bride.

If you wear your shoes out on the toe, you will spend money as you go.

If you wear your shoes out in the middle of the sole first, you will be rich some day.

Slips from plants should be stolen. Only stolen ones will grow. (I can see how some of these appear to bring bad luck!)

It is bad luck to burn grape vines. (Evidently it’s not good to cut them back either, I did and mom’s favorite grapes still haven’t showed up again!)

It brings bad luck to count freight cars. (Especially if you are driving while counting, sounds like an accident to me!)

Eat a dozen onions before you go to bed, to become beautiful, (you’ll probably be lonely and I really doubt the beautiful, too!)

If you eat the crust of bread, your hair will become curly. (Wow! Bread is a lot cheaper than a perm!)

If you eat burnt bread, your hair will become curly. (That must be why I have some curl in my hair, I like burnt bread! Maybe I ought to eat a little more now that I know the cause!)

You never carry your old broom into your new home.

Before you enter your new home you throw your new broom through the door first.

OH, OH, OH, I had to use what follows:

Married in white, you have chosen right; Married in red, you’d better be dead;
Married in yellow, ashamed of the fellow; Married in blue, your lover is true;
Married in blue, your lover is true; Married in green, ashamed to be seen;
Married in black, you’ll ride in a hack; Married in pearl, you’ll live in a whirl;
Married in pink, your spirits will sink; Married in brown, you’ll live out of town;

(Just for a note here: I was married in white but it turns out I had not chosen right!)

Okay, well that is enough of that. Now you get to decide who is more superstitious. As usual I Am Just Curious what your answer will be. You can find me at the other end of dwdaffy@yahoo.com. Can’t wait to hear from you! Enjoy your paper or find us online.

Singing Duo: The Captain & Tennille; Novelist: Graham Greene

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Peter CatesREVIEW POTPOURRI

by Peter Cates

The Captain and Tennille

Love Will Keep Us Together/Gentle Stranger
A t M- 1672, seven-inch stereo vinyl 45, recorded 1975.

The Captain & Tennille

This highly successful duo, married for 39 years until 2014, were both keyboardists, Toni Tennille playing with the Beach Boys for one to two years and jokingly referred to as the only Beach Girl in its history! Meanwhile Daryl Dragon was the son of the Capitol records conductor, Carmen Dragon, whose LPs have given me much listening pleasure for over 40 years.

Love Will Keep Us Together was not only a megahit for Daryl and Toni but a first class Neil Sedaka composition superbly arranged and performed. Finally, one of my favorite five sides from the ‘70s. The B side went in one ear and out the other!

Graham Greene

The Human Factor
a novel; Avon paperback, 1978, 302 pages.

Graham Greene

I am an admirer of Graham Greene the writer, 1904-1991, and have been since I read the 1951 End of the Affair 40 years ago. I just finished the above novel for the third time, itself one that has also stood out in my mind since my first reading of it, almost 40 years ago just after its publication. Both books deal with different forms of treachery, a favorite Greene theme; the compulsion to do it; the knowledge of its terrible effects, not only on one’s life but the lives of those one loves; and, in the end, the sense one has been damned irrevocably in the aftermath.

End of the Affair dealt with a selfish, very hateful man who has an affair with a friend’s wife, won’t take no for an answer when she ends it and causes a tragic death through his manipulative behavior.

The Human Factor deals with two intelligence clerks for England’s MI6, its own CIA, who read and assess mostly minor stuff from branch offices around the world; they are friends, but soon run into trouble when the boss spies smell a leak. The older friend, Castle, is a traitor; the younger colleague, Davis, is not but he is reckless, drinks and talks way too much and take reports out of the building to read at lunch. To protect himself, Castle deviously sets up Davis, and more treachery with a high cost in relationships with family and friends ensues.

Greene further had a unique gift for filling an often ordinary scene with fear, simply by using a tinkling cocktail, a damp morning waiting for a bus or noticing a butterfly struggling to fly on a village green picnic.

To close with a quote: “From the window on the 12th floor of the great gray building, Castle could see the red star over the University. There was a certain beauty in the view as there is in all cities at night. Only the daylight was drab.” There is very little comfort in the fiction of Graham Greene and what little there is will quickly prove an illusion.

IF WALLS COULD TALK, Week of September 7, 2017

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Katie Ouilette Wallsby Katie Ouilette

WALLS, do you remember telling our faithful readers about our welcoming tourists to our Central Maine? Well, do it again, WALLS.

Yes, Alton Whittemore raised money to build what was known as the Skowhegan Information Center but is now the Skowhegan Chamber of Commerce Office. I am very proud that my granddaughter, Danielle Denis Dubois is now president of the Skowhegan Area Chamber and she and husband Kevin have their home in Canaan, whichi s truly Skowhegan area. Our great-granddaughter has begun Middle School, in Skowhegan. Yes, WALLS, I am truly proud that Danielle, as she is walking in nana’s footsteps.

Now, what about tourism in Skowhegan? Skowhegan used to be a tourist-mecca, but, borrowing a thought from writer, George Smith, Maine is the same, but different. WALLS, remember when there was a sign at the beginning of our turnpike that wanted tourists to stay away? Well, the traffic from downtown Skowhegan and up the entire Madison Avenue prove that tourists not only like to come to Skowhegan, but even on their way up Route 201, folks like the scenery that changes every year, it seems.

Oh, yes, WALLS, one thing that Skowhegan used to have was The Guest of the Week, for which the Skowhegan Tourist Hospitality Association and members of the Skowhegan Area Chamber of Commerce were responsible. WALLS, you didn’t even exist then, but many folks who had downtown businesses and restaurants remember. In the days of the Denis ownership of Lakewood, there were always free tickets to the Lakewood Theatre. Yes, WALLS, there were many things that folks who came to Maine loved, but Skowhegan was famous by way of the daily newspapers of our guests from other states and the wonderful greeting that awaited folks in Maine. Yes, memories came alive about the Skowhegan Tourist Hospitality Association when you opened the Skowhegan Hospitality Association’s Scrapbook which Vi Kyes gave to us to “guard with our lives.” We can be proud of the people who made those visits memorable.

So, faithful readers, you’ve read of the past and present and, hopefully, some of these good things will again brighten the
tourism aspect which was so well known in our area. We have wonderful historic places along the Kennebec River that is waiting for folks-from-away to discover.