Not part of solution
I was disappointed that the Bangor Daily News ran a photo in the May 27 edition of students from Massabesic High School engaged in a “Senior Skip Day” beach volleyball game. This time of year, school officials and parents around the state have a hard enough time keeping seniors safe without the media glamorizing irresponsible behavior.
In the unfortunate event of a school losing a senior to drowning or vehicle-related death, the BDN would be the first to vilify school personnel for not doing enough to prevent underage drinking and illicit drug use, both of which take place during “senior skip days.”
If the BDN wants to promote senior achievements this time of year, a good start would be with the many National Merit Scholars who were recently announced by the College Board. Or how about featuring a Maine high school senior who has reached the high school graduation milestone against all odds? There is one in every high school.
As a parent and educator, I applaud the high schools in Maine that have taken a hard line against “senior skip days” and I admire the parents who have cooperated with school officials in their efforts to keep high school seniors safe and sound this time of year. It’s a shame that the BDN has chosen not to be part of the solution.
Eric Waddell
South Berwick
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Kidnapped water
Water, H2O, aqua. Cool mountain streams, spring-fed ponds, spring thaw. Whatever your word for water, wherever it comes from, fresh water is a precious resource for humans and all other life.
Let’s review the numbers: 97 percent of Earth’s water is in the ocean as salt water, 2.4 percent is frozen and 0.6 percent held in aquifers, ponds, etc. That’s it. All life, including humans, depends on that 0.6 percent. Of that 0.6 percent, Maine is blessed with an abundance. It makes our state what it is.
So when I hear of that water being pulled from under our very feet with scarcely a whisper, I think “something needs to be done.” How can we allow corporate people (as they must be called) to take this necessity, pump it out, slap a label on it and sell it back to us? The water is kidnapped and returned for a ransom. Meanwhile, the money that goes into this is not going into public water infrastructure. Result? Poor pipes, poor water, complaints. I may not be a rocket scientist, but this just doesn’t add up. The state government might want to do something about this.
That something is called LD 359 and it’s a water bond designed to support water infrastructure and provide over 2000 jobs. That seems like a good deal to me and I support this bond, for Maine and for future generations.
Andrew Watkins
Belfast
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New methods
Isn’t it wonderful that new learning experiences come to everyone, even to those of us well into our old age years, as I start my eighty-third year? And isn’t it equally wonderful to share the knowledge and excitement of that learning with others?
The subject of my excitement is therapeutic body work and massage therapy treatments. I learned there are many different methods of massage when I was driven to seek relief for a very painful problem in my neck.
All methods of massage reduce stress and all of them are beneficial.
But therapeutic body work does more than provide relaxation and relief of stress. It can give real healing help to the body for many different kinds of health problems.
The hands of massage therapists are trained to relay messages to his or her brain, telling them through touch where problems lie, thus allowing the therapist to “see” what needs to be done to help to correct a problem and to promote healing.
Our physicians and their advice and medications are the primary source for help if we have physical problems, and they are the guardians of our health. But as well as these exceptional frontline health workers, there are also additional methods of assisting bodies to normal health and function. Therapeutic body work is one of the best for me.
We are very fortunate to have therapists trained to offer this service right in the Bangor area.
Marjory S. Chase
Orono