Some “light reading” for Councilor K. Wilson and the other environmentally sensitive passenger rail lovers in our midst.

You can read the “rest of the story” here: http://www.lungchicago.org/diesel-pollution-trains/  And try to imagine what ‘more than 25 million cars’ looks like.

Interesting, isn’t it, that they’re talking about Chicago, home base of the infamous “Center for Neighborhood Technoloby (CNT)”, about whom we’ve recently posted.  They’re one of NNEPRA’s go to shops for getting the answers they want, wrapped up in tissue paper with the words ‘professional experts’ stamped on it.

One of the reports linked to in the above item contains this passage in it’s Executive Summary:

                                      

This is exactly the circumstances that have been related to the adoring rail foamers for some years here in Brunswick.  It’s comforting, isn’t it, that the Federal Government is adept at exempting itself from the regulations it imposes on everyone else with the power of law.  I guess that’s why ‘we’re from the Government, and we’re here to help you” is such a timeless favorite.

You can read this second item here: http://www.edf.org/sites/default/files/5736_SmokestacksOnRails.pdf

Not to mention their steam-rollering over local zoning regulations, which would have prevented them from building the industrial monstrosity now being erected with no basis in any aspect of rational thought.

We hope that Kathy will update her bio on the town web site to remove this passage:

Kathy Wilson was born in Brunswick and raised in the home where she now lives and works.

We’re sure that she, like all the other councilors, is totally committed to honesty and integrity in her relationship to all of us.

And we hope that reading the items referenced above doesn’t make her think about moving again.  Since she’s at large, she can move anywhere within town limits and retain her spot as an up-and-comer in the ruling class.




With a strong, strong devotion to doing what’s right for the environment.  Along Maine’s coast.

Technorati Tags: Brunswick,MLF construction,Downeaster,town council,environmentalism

Kathy Wilson: Town Councilor, diehard environmentalist, and rail fan. Well, sort of kind of, ….

We assume our readers are familiar with Kathy Wilson, a long time resident but relatively new town councilor here in Brunswick.  But in case you can’t recall her, here’s a photo of her we found on the internet:

                            

It’s a photo that inspires some bemusement, if not amusement.  Our first reaction was that it calls for a caption contest, so we sent out a call for suggestions over our underground connection, and received these:

• “Don’t look now, councilor, but there’s a Q-Tip stuck in your ear.  Or is that an avant garde earing?”
• “Just between us girls, Kathy; does this little hat make my head look fat?”
• “Don’t tell Wayne Davis I said this, but I agree with him.  We should never have brought the train to Brunswick.”
• “You and I should start a taxi company; there seems to be good money in it if you have the right connections.  We can call it Turtleneck Taxi.”
• “Suzie, I think this fleece throw would keep your head warmer than that silly little beanie you have on.”
• “I think I need a bigger yarmulke; do you know where I can get one?”
• This last one came in the form of a graphic:

 
         

Kathy put up a web site in support of her campaign for town council, which included this photo:

                 

It’s probably just us, but after reading her web page, our guess is that the “40 year” statement on the sign is an attemp to infer she’s been doing pet grooming for 40 years, when her published resume appears to say otherwise.

The web site is here: http://kathyforcouncil.weebly.com/about.html  Kathy self-identifies as an environmental advocate; she makes clear her concerns about the town dump (we mean landfill) on the distant outskirts of town.  From her website (emphasis ours):

With the 2011 closing of the Naval Air Station coupled with the slow recovery from the 2008 economic collapse, Brunswick is facing tough challenges. As a member of Town Council, I will work hard to make Brunswick an attractive, affordable hometown for all: families, seniors, businesses and institutions.

I will closely monitor spending to ensure that our tax dollars are invested responsibly and that we plan for the future as we address short-term needs.  I believe a good education to be a fundamental right and essential to our nation's prosperity.  I pay my school taxes willingly, but expect them to be spent wisely.  In addition to the children, we must look to the needs of all Brunswick citizens, especially the elderly and disadvantaged who also need our help. 

Thoughtful environmental stewardship will protect our health, provide recreation,  and attract tourism.  We must address the issue of environmental hazards at the Graham Road landfill soon and identify a solution that fills our long-term needs. We also need to continue to monitor the progress of hazardous waste cleanup on the former Naval Air Station to ensure that Brunswick Landing is the safe, successful redevelopment that this community expects and deserves.

If we’ve been reading the news right, Councilor Kathy has also been a staunch supporter of the BYOB and ban styrofoam movements here in B’town.

None-the-less, she practices, at least in public, a sort of ‘pick and choose’ environmentalism, as amply demonstrated in testimony she gave at the DEP public hearing regarding the NNEPRA SWPA permit application.  You might even say she applies political expediency as a rule.

Here’s what she had to say at the March 25th event held at the Brunswick Golf Course, copied directly from the official transcript:
==================================================================== 
13 MS. WILSON: In the interest of the
14 environment, I only made a couple of extra copies to
15 save trees. You can share.
16 My name is Kathy Wilson. I live on Pleasant
17 Street here in Brunswick and I was born in Brunswick so
18 I'm a life-long resident.
19 Good evening and thank you for the
20 opportunity to speak this evening about the proposed
21 Brunswick layover facility and its need for a stormwater
22 permit. I am an at large counselor on the Brunswick
23 Town Council and as I said before, I live on Pleasant
24 Street, about as close to the facility as many other of
25 the opponents to this project. In fact, I'm only about
(page 256)
1 1,200 feet from the tracks and a short distance further
2 than that where the end of the facility will be.
3 I hope and encourage the Maine DEP to
4 reapprove the stormwater permit that was first issued in
5 November of 2013. It is clear to me that the Northern
6 New England Passenger Authority has jumped through all
7 the required hoops and hurtles to meet the criteria of
8 the permit. And frankly as an elected official, I am
9 dismayed at this otherwise straightforward process that
10 has become a political football, a football that has
11 cost the applicant thousands of dollars because of a
12 simple technical glitch when the DEP first granted the
13 permit. Imagine if the applicant had been a small or
14 mid-size business. There isn't a business that could
15 have afforded to do this every week to pay the amount of
16 money to wade through the mounds of bureaucratic red
17 tape that is fueled by a political motivation of a
18 handful of people. In my view, this should be a simple
19 and straightforward process and treated like every other
20 stormwater permit in the state.
21 I thank you for the opportunity to
22 expression my thoughts on this matter, and I hope you
23 will reapprove the stormwater permit. Thank you.
==========================================================

A few random thoughts on the above.  First, this IS NOT “like every other stormwater permit in the state.”  This was one state agency seeking approval from another state agency; exactly the opposite of a private business entity applying to DEP.

“Political motivation of a handful of people?”  Some might think that perfectly describes the BYOB and ban styrofoam advocacy, but so what, right Kathy?

“Dismayed” over a “political football?”  Wow; what a perfect description of the MLF situation.
We’re pretty sure that she figuratively, if not literally, has called the Bouchard Drive neighborhood  group opposing MLF construction a bunch of whiners and NIMBY’s, which gives her common cause with the carriage set and the All Aboard Brunswick Kool-Aid Krowd.  Q-Tip stuck in her ear or not.

All of which makes us curious as to why Councilor Kathy has recently decided to relocate her domicile, including her business.  This annotated visual from Google Earth depicts her curious response to a recent, very noticeable change in her PERSONAL environment.



To summarize, as we gauge things, Wilson’s business/residence of long standing on outer Pleasant St was about 800 ft from the area where MLF construction is underway, not 1200 ft as she stated in her testimony.

Her new home base at the corner of Cushing and Cumberland is about 3500 ft from the same point, or more than four times more distant from the grand new industrial facility she so fervently supports.  We’re pretty sure this means the sound and vibration levels she’ll personally experience are reduced by even more; attenuation of each is non-linear.

               

Side, as always, looks for the rationale behind such things.  Perhaps it’s to improve the exposure for her business, which she quickly re-established at her new location.

The Cushing/Cumberland crossroads are widely recognized as a hotbed of commercial activity, especially compared to her former Pleasant St/Rte 1 location, and we’re sure BDA officials endorse Wilson’s cunning move.  After all, location is everything, right?

Just to confirm this, we checked average daily traffic figures that can be found here: http://me-avcog.civiccities.com/index.aspx?nid=1009

The average daily vehicle traffic for Pleasant Street in her former location is 30,000 vehicles plus per day.  Average daily vehicle traffic for Cumberland St at her new location is reported as 760.  So the genius of her relocation is readily apparent.

You agree, don’t you?  This is the same sort of logic applied when the usual suspects rave about the exponential economic prosperity brought to Brunswick by Downeaster passenger rail service.  And we’re not even going to mention the panache associated with moving closer to the influential residents of Cumberland Street.

                                   

While the business rationale may not make sense to the rest of us, there is another possible cause for the move.

Maybe “Change” told her owner she wasn’t too happy about the major change underway in their neighborhood.

Funny how that works.

Technorati Tags: Brunswick,Kathy Wilson,environmentalism,MLF construction,location

PS:  As long as we’re on the subject, why not read this article as well:
http://patch.com/new-hampshire/concord-nh/there-rail-runner-new-hampshires-future

Missing a shirt or two, are you???

Those who appreciate the ‘benevolence’ of big government usually forget the truism that government can only give to someone what it first takes from others.  Minus a substantial handling charge, of course.
More clearly stated, “a government big enough to give you everything you want is powerful enough to take everything you have.”

 

Or more casually speaking, “big government is benevolent; it willingly gives SOMEONE ELSE the shirt off YOUR back.”

We were reminded of this reality when a colleague passed along this information to us:
http://www.nnepra.com/sites/default/files/12RN014_NNEPRA_Donation-to-charities.pdf
On this web site, you’ll find the following:

Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority

Donations to Charities; NNEPRA is delighted to provide support to a wide range of
charities and community organizations.

In Maine:

American Cancer Society – Steep Falls
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) – Raymond
Autism Society of Maine – Sanford
Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital – Portland
Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce – Bethel
Biddeford-Saco Chamber of Commerce – Saco
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kennebec Valley – Augusta
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine – Portland
Brain Aneurysm Foundation – Windham
Broadreach Family & Community Services – Belfast
Cancer Community Center – South Portland
Captain for Cash Memorial 5K – Old Orchard Beach
Central Maine Medical Center – Lewiston
Child Abuse Prevention Council of York County – Kennebunk
Children’s Center – Augusta
Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine – Portland
Families and Children Together – Bangor
Ferry Beach Ecology School – Saco
Foundation for Retinal Research – Scarborough
Greater Bangor Convention & Visitors Bureau – Bangor
Iris Network – Portland
Junior Achievement of Maine – Portland
Katahdin Area Rotary Club – Millinocket
Kennebec Valley Humane Society – Augusta
Kennebunk Land Trust – Kennebunk
Kids First Center – Portland
Leavitt’s Mill Free Health Center – Bar Mills
Maine Children’s Cancer Program – Portland
Maine Diabetes Prevention & Control Program – Sanford
Maine State Chamber of Commerce – Augusta
Maine State Music Theatre – Brunswick
Make-A-Wish Foundation – Portland
March of Dimes – Portland
Mid Coast Hospital – Brunswick
Maine Public Broadcasting Network – Lewiston
Muscular Dystrophy Association – Westbrook
National Guard Association of the State of Maine – Augusta
National Multiple Sclerosis Society – Falmouth
Operation Lifesaver – Bangor
Pen Bay Healthcare Foundation – Camden
Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce – Rockland
Pine Tree Council – Portland
Poland Fire & Rescue – Poland
Portland Kiwanis Club – Portland
Portland Museum of Art – Portland
Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce – Portland
Portland Trails – Portland
Project Hope Heals – Westbrook
Royal Family Kids’ Camp – Saco
Rural Community Action Ministry – Leeds
Saco River Salmon Club – Saco
Safety & Health Council of Northern New England –
Scarborough
Sexual Assault Crisis & Support Center – Winthrop
Special Olympics Maine – Bath
Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine – Augusta
Strive – South Portland
Teen Challenge New England – Winthrop
TrainRiders Northeast – Portland Wells Chamber of Commerce – Wells
Westbrook Housing – Westbrook
Western Maine Community Action – Lewiston
Wolfe’s Neck Farm – Freeport
Woodfords Family Services – Portland
York County Community College Foundation – Wells
Youth Alternatives Ingraham – South Portland

In New Hampshire:

Annie’s Angels Memorial Fund – Stratham
Cocheco Valley Humane Society – Dover
Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce – Exeter
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, PMC Kids Ride – Exeter
Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce – Dover
Kiwanis Exeter Area Kiwanis Club – Exeter
New Hampshire SPCA – Stratham
Relay for Life – South Hampton

And of course, in Massachusetts:

Andover School of Montessori – Andover
Catholic Charities of Boston – South Boston
Cocker Spaniel Rescue of New England – Marlboro
Community Action, Inc. – Haverhill
Environmental League of Massachusetts – Foxborough
Flying Yankee Restoration Group – Foxborough
Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce – Haverhill
Kiwanis Club of Pentucket - Haverhill – Haverhill
Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange – Boston
North Quincy High School – North Quincy
Saugus River Watershed Council – Saugus
The Bridge Center – Bridgewater
The Jimmy Fund – Brookline
Visiting Nurse Association of Boston & Affiliates – Charlestown
YMCA – Westborough

We bring this information to your attention because we’re pretty sure no other news source will do so.  We’re fully aware that government centric folks who dominate our daily existence, especially those who have had ‘distinguished careers’ in government service, take it on faith that the highest priority of government entities at all levels is to pick winners and losers, and to see that the unduly privileged provide the resources necessary to reward those the ruling class considers less fortunate .  (ed note: we’ve never considered TRNE to be the ‘less fortunate;’ in point of fact, just the opposite.)

The carriage set, of course, looks for their tribute however it may be acquired.. We vassals render this payment to our lords of transit.

While we consider many of the organizations listed above to be worthy recipients of charitable gifts, we think it appropriate that those who make such donations choose who should receive them.  Over the years, we’ve been modestly generous with our resources, and as long as we decide who get them, we’re comfortable with the arrangement.

We are not comfortable, we assure you, with a government agency, in this case NNEPRA, created by Maine Statute, deciding who to lavish with the resources they receive through compelled taxation.  Especially since they operate at a loss of more than 50%. 

“Drilling down” in the above lists of recipients, we have an especially hard time accepting that TrainRiders Northeast is a ‘charitable organization.’  We’ve explained on multiple occasions that they are in fact a lobbying organization, and one which is inextricably linked to NNEPRA and the Downeaster. 
Given a chance, as they have often had, TRNE cannot avoid reminding one and all that Downeaster passenger rail service exists ONLY because of their efforts stemming from the early 90’s.

So we find it all the more amusing that a story appearing in The Ostrich:
http://www.timesrecord.com/news/2015-11-12/Front_Page/Hearing_set_on_depot_appeal.html
revealed this:

“This is the appeal that they filed back in August. The DEP issued the storm water permit, but the Brunswick West Neighborhood Coalition appealed that decision. They gave us a permit in June and then they said that there were some additional things that we needed to submit — some conditions we had to meet,” Quinn said.

Quinn said having met the DEP conditions, they were cleared to start construction and on Oct. 16 they broke ground on the property that runs roughly from behind Lombard Street to Church Road.

“The appeal is still pending. It’s kind of been in the background since the middle of summer. Just because somebody files an appeal doesn’t mean you can’t start construction. The neighborhood also filed a request for a stay so that we wouldn’t be able to start construction and that was denied by the DEP,” Quinn said.

Quinn said that, despite the late start, progress thus far has been “astonishing,” in part due to the current weather conditions, with contractors trying to get as much completed as possible before temperatures become too cold. Quinn said the intent is to work right through the winter on the facility.

The completion date for the facility is the summer of 2016. Portland-based Consigli Construction is the designer and builder of the 655-foot long, 70-foot wide and 35-foot high building that will house three diesel powered locomotives, offices, locker rooms, washrooms and storage.

Wayne Davis of the nonprofit Train Riders Northeast said he hopes the hearing will be the end of the story, but admits the neighborhood coalition may reach higher in the court system. It’s been a process, Davis said, that has wasted a lot of time and energy for a lot of people.

“Frankly, it has been a drag for three full years. As a nonprofit, we don’t have money. We exist on our membership dues. We have no paid staff. If it hadn’t been for the banding together of some key members of the Brunswick business community in raising money for our lawyers, we wouldn’t have been able to do what we did — it already cost us over $50,000,” Davis said.

Davis said it was outrageous for a nonprofit to have to raise such funds and credits the Brunswick community for stepping forward to help.

“That shouldn’t be the way the system has to work. It’s just what we put up with in order to have a train,” Davis said.

Outrageous, Davis says?  Are you kidding us?  You’re a charitable organization, supported by, among others, NNEPRA, an agency of the State of Maine!  Could someone cue the sound of crocodiles crying, please?

                                  

Neighbors challenging the decision process that resulted in the current situation easily spent twice that in legal fees, but they’re not seeing any charitable donations from NNEPRA, or from the “Brunswick business community;” whoever that comment was referring to, or ‘concerned citizens’ including town councilors.  Or any tax relief via TIF’s or other ‘incentive programs.’

Given our past research into this issue overall, the only ‘business’ we can think of that profits enough from the Downeaster to toss $50,000 at TRNE to pay for lawyers is Brunswick Taxi, our one time hostage-taker.
We pursued actual hard data on NNEPRA’s contributions so we could come back to you with the details.  So far we’ve been told that documents with this data amount to roughly 200 pages per year, and that considerable time and expense would be involved in providing them to us.

We were born at night, but it was more than 20 years ago, so for the moment, we’re foregoing the data request.

We think there’s enough troubling circumstances here for you all to contact NNEPRA and express your concerns.  Maybe they’ll relent, and make the necessary data available to you at a lower cost.
Because they want to be ‘good neighbors,’ if not willing cooperators with local media outlets

Technorati Tags: Brunswick Taxi,TRNE,NNEPRA,Downeaster

For the interested former student....

          

Pursuant to our recent post on the latest cultural skirmishes on the Bowdoin campus, we pass along this lengthy but comprehensive analysis of what passes for amusement at institutions of ‘higher learning’ when sex, drugs, rock&roll, drinking, and deciding what gender you are this week aren’t enough.

That recent post was here: http://othersideofbrunswick.blogspot.com/2015/12/are-you-one-of-17-or-are-you-18-19-or-20.html

The article we hope you’ll read is here: http://www.weeklystandard.com/its-all-about-muscle/article/2000074

An excerpt:

The campus protests are different. At one school after another, protesters have achieved the resignation and/or humiliation of high officials. They have extorted a great deal of money. They have tried to establish new conventions for the behavior of the media and have even intensified what may prove to be a serious debate about the future of the First Amendment. And in all of this it has become clear that the campus protests aren't about race or privilege or safe spaces. They're about power.

Makes us wonder whether someone, perhaps a local Bowdoin alumnus, should call new President Clayton Rose, and tell him not to rush on unpacking and getting settled in his campus mansion.  His tenure could be shorter than he might have imagined.

Oh well, easy come, easy go.  “Kids will be kids,” after all.  Even very smart spoiled ones.

The Bowdoin "Seventeen"

Nine days ago we posted this item regarding the atmospherics on the Bowdoin campus:  http://othersideofbrunswick.blogspot.com/2015/12/are-you-one-of-17-or-are-you-18-19-or-20.html

We pondered whether you, or Side, for that matter, might qualify as one of the 17, or whether new 'identity groups' would have to be created to accommodate us.  We posted an inquiry in the comment section of a related Orient article, and a kindly soul replied with this link to the specifics:
http://www.bowdoin.edu/multicultural/about/student-organizations.shtm

To make life easier for you, we're simply going to post the information verbatim, and here it is:

Affiliated Student Organizations

Multicultural Coalition
Multicultural Coalition is the collective of student organizations affiliated with the Student Center for Multicultural Life. The Coalition meets regularly to discuss programming, calendaring and general organization and community concerns.

Affinity:

African Alliance Welcomes students interested in learning about the continent of Africa. This group is for those interested and related to those on the continent of Africa and their descdents. We share music, language, dance, and all aspects of culture with members. All are welcome.

African-American Society (Af-Am) The African-American Society is a cultural group to promote black unity on campus and raise awareness. It seeks to promote community and support for all of its members. We push our members to succeed academically and socially, in order to reach the highest levels of achievement on Bowdoin's campus (and beyond). We strive to be a strong-knit, inclusive community. Through dialogue and programming, we work to enrich, engage and inform the campus of black culture as well as diverse black experiences.

Asian Student Association (ASA) The objective of the Asian Students Association is to foster a community among students, faculty, staff interested in Asian cultures and to bring multicultural awareness to the College. We hold weekly dinner meetings and organize a wide range of club or campus-wide events to promote a variety of Asian cultures. Past activities include the ASA Fashion Show, Calligraphy Night and Asian Nibbles etc. Students of all cultural backgrounds are welcome to join ASA.

International Club (I-Club) I-Club connects international students with the greater Bowdoin campus. Bowdoin International Club seeks to connect international students with the greater campus and foster intercultural understanding and appreciation.

Korean American Students Association (KASA) KASA is for students interested in Korean culture. The Korean American Students Association is committed to promoting cultural awareness and understanding on Bowdoin campus. KASA aims to reach its goal through the various political, social and cultural events held throughout the year.

Latin American Students Association (LASO) LASO aims to educate and unite the Latino and greater communities. A cultural organization aimed at assisting the Latino community adjust to life at Bowdoin and find a place of comfort while striving to educate the greater community about Latino culture, customs, and issues and combating stereotypes and bias.

Native American Students Association (NASA) NASA seeks to educate interested students in Native American culture. It is the mission of NASA to create and maintain a supportive environment for Native American students and to increase awareness of Native American cultures on campus and within the community through a collaboration of Native American and non-Native American students. NASA strives to develop a supportive space for the unique struggles faced by Native American peoples in order to help improve academic success and individual growth of these students. NASA also believes that it is essential to foster a community of learning and growth with people from all backgrounds; inclusiveness is central to our mission.

Performance:

Belly Dancing All students welcome, any belly can dance. The Middle Eastern Dance Ensemble is meant to maintain a space in which students can learn a cultural dance form while also exploring their own interpretation of the dance form through their bodies. The aesthetics of bellydance encourage openness and an appreciation of one’s body, which we find to be a valuable contribution to campus.

Gospel Choir BCGC seeks to encourage, inspire and uplift through gospel music. Bowdoin Community Gospel Choir seeks to unite community members and Bowdoin College faculty and students from all walks of life through music. The choir's major objective is to spread encouragement, inspire, and foster creativity through Gospel music.

Slam Poet Society A community of writers and thinkers ensuring all voices can be heard. We are a social circle of poets seeking to morph the world with words. As a cohesive collective of writers, we shall make it our mission to actively engage our peers with thought-provoking pieces. The performance(or slam) of written poems is the means by which we accomplish this mission. We commit to utilizing the power of poetry to uplift and transform Bowdoin's consciousness. -Slam Poet Society.

Taiko Learn to smash drums rhythmically in a group! Great fun awaits with us. Bowdoin Taiko, est. fall 2002, is a learning-oriented club whose goal is to teach Taiko to Bowdoin College and the Brunswick community, and to perform in concerts, dance shows, and other venues. Our songs are handed down year-to-year, building in repitoire with each new leader, who teaches during practice times. In addition, Bowdoin Taiko occasionally will host professional taiko players to give workshops and/or demonstrations. Bowdoin Taiko will teach interested people the proper rhythms, stances, and movements of traditional, modern, and original taiko pieces.

Brazilian Jiu jitsu Learn a great sport and fighting style. No prior experience needed. The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu club serves to teach both gi and no-gi Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to its members. Members will be able to learn the sport safely by coming to our twice-weekly practices where we warm up, learn new skills, drill, and have live matches, often taught by coaches. Members can also learn by watching professional matches either screened on tv or attending live fights in Lewiston. The club would also like to give the opportunity for members to train with and compete with other clubs or gyms in Maine.

Social justice:

Amnesty International organization to combat human rights issues. Amnesty International is a worldwide organization working to combat human rights offenses. The Bowdoin Amnesty International Chapter holds weekly meetings and raises awareness on campus about human rights issues. The club also brings speakers to campus and holds letter writing campaigns to help free political prisoners and end human rights abuses.

J-Street J Street U is the student organizing arm of J Street, the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans. On campuses across the country we are organizing as students to act together on behalf of a two-state solution and a more peaceful, secure, and democratic future for both Israelis and Palestinians.  In so doing, we strive to bring to our campuses and our communities an inclusive, pragmatic, and values-driven conversation able to meet the urgency and seriousness of the challenge that we face.

OxFam Oxfam Bowdoin seeks sustainable solutions to poverty and injustice. Oxfam America is an international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice. Together with individuals and local groups in more than 90 countries, Oxfam saves lives, helps people overcome poverty, and fights for social justice. We are one of the 17 affiliates in the international confederation Oxfam. Oxfam’s approach is about tackling the conditions that cause poverty in the first place, rather than the distribution of material goods. We start by asking questions and challenging assumptions. What are the root causes of poverty? What can we do to change the power dynamics that keep people poor? These questions inform the four categories into which our work falls: -Saving lives -Programs to overcome poverty and injustice -Campaigning for social justice -Public Education Nearly one out of every three of us lives in poverty. But we see a future in which no one does.

Students for Justice in Palestine SJP educates, organizes, and creates for the rights of Palestinians. Bowdoin Students for Justice in Palestine is an organization that promotes the self-determination of Palestinian people and their liberation from Occupation. The group works to educate both itself and the student body with regards to historical and political circumstances in Palestine while appreciating the interconnectedness of all struggles and opposing oppression in all forms.

Undiscussed Undiscussed organizes discussions groups each spring about identity. Our tag-line is “Breaking Barriers and Enabling Change Through Dialogue”. Every February, we bring groups of ten to twelve Bowdoin students together to discuss the good and bad about how their identity influences their Bowdoin experiences. In other words, what does it mean to be a soccer player at Bowdoin? Chem-free? From Memphis? Bisexual? Jewish? Latina? Receive financial aid? Our prompts are intentionally open to allow for each group to discuss the topics that matter the most to them. We rewrite our discussion guide each year, meaning you can participate again and again and have a new experience each time. The groups openly discuss perspectives and personal experiences and consider the positives and the negatives of how identity manifests itself at Bowdoin.

The Bowdoin Globalist The Bowdoin Globalist strives to provide an outlet for student writers on campus interested in global affairs, politics, social issues, science, economics and public health. The publication is released four times per academic year with a growing online presence. Writers convene once per week not only to work on their articles but also to discuss general topics of interest in global affairs. The organization offers leadership positions for students interested in the field of journalism, and we strive to start dialogue and raise questions about global issues to the Bowdoin community. 

========================================================

Well, we gave up Belly-dancing a few years ago to save our hips. And as to slamming?  We've been known to slam down a few brewskis, but not any poetry, unless you think blog posts fit within the category.

So we're not sure where we might fit in the established specialty groups, which pretty much makes us worth spit (or bupkis) in the Bowdoin campus culture.  We're guessing it might mean the same for you, but we'll await your personal response.

BTW, an interesting parlor game might be derived from the above.  You could place bets on the frequency with which approved politically correct terminology of our day appears in the above.

Terms like dialogue, inclusive, justice, identity, oppression, liberation, struggles, awareness, diverse, stereotypes, and the like.

If you have time, you might read this item as well, which recently crossed our transom, and uses the Balkanization concept we referred to:

https://juicyecumenism.com/2015/11/16/the-bitter-fruit-of-identity-politics-in-academic-life/