Dumpy research
I am really surprised by the lack of research put into your October issue’s “That’s My Dump.” The writer, Patrick Banks, says of Hub Furniture Company at 291 Fore Street, “The upper four floors of the building appear to be unused.” You mean he didn’t even go up there?
If Mr. Banks had bothered to take the whole tour, he’d know all those floors are certainly not unused — Hub has multiple showrooms full of great furniture. Sure, the exterior looks a bit dilapidated, but don’t judge this book by its cover.
—Jane Stevens, Portland
Endorsement endorsed
I was pleased to see your endorsement of Herb Hoffman in the October 2008 issue of The Bollard. As Hoffman mentioned at the Nader-Gonzalez rally at the Unitarian church on Congress Street this fall, Collins and Allen have both voted for the disastrous Wall Street bailout bill, making them complicit in this economic mess. Hoffman is an honest guy and not afraid to speak up for positions most politicians steer clear of, like the occupation of Palestinian territory, illegal under international law yet financed by the U.S. government.
He is also the only candidate for Senate in Maine who supports a universal, not-for-profit health care system. He truly intends to work for the benefit of Mainers, unlike so many politicians who pander to lobbies and corporations.
Thanks for advocating for such a worthy candidate.
—Dina Jacir, Portland
Editor’s Note
Wow, what a colossal pain in the ass!
We re-launched the redesigned Bollard Web site last month (thebollard.com), and the task of transferring every article, gossip item, news brief, feature and review we’ve posted and printed in the past three years, plus all the photos and links in each page, turned into a more time-consuming chore than we’d imagined.
Most everything is up by now, and we hope you’ll waste some time browsing stuff you may have missed back in the day, as they say. Like the Clinkito. That one still cracks us up. And Sean Wilkinson’s column, Cheery Monologues, which is returning after an extended hiatus this month. And the jailhouse interview with Fnord, and the bar-side chat with the International Player of the World, and Bang-Bangs’ short films, and so on…
We’re also introducing a new print feature this month: Highlights. As the name suggests, it highlights events happening this month we think are cool. For complete arts and events listings, check out the new site.
A few words about this month’s Land of Forgotten Cocktails: When author John Myers officially became a write-in candidate for a Portland City Council seat last month, we felt compelled to offer his challengers on the ballot equal space in these pages to contribute a cocktail recipe. With the exception of Mayor Ed Suslovic, none did, and the mayor’s “cocktail” was as lame as the Kool-Aid he pushed on us in Council Chambers last year: Geary’s with a “good chunk” of lemon thrown in. Nice try, Mayor. (What, Allagash didn’t pony up a keg for your campaign party?) So Myers was given the green light to write to his usual length.
Resurgam!
— Chris Busby
