John Eligon redefines the “defunding the police” slogan for listeners and specifies what exactly defunding the police should look like in “The Case for Defunding the Police”, an episode of The Daily podcast. Not only does Eligon use examples of situations and perspectives from across the United States, but he also brings the argument for defunding the police down to its core, covering the goals of the slogan and the movement associated with it, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Eligon also discusses the history of police and the BLM movement. As soon as the Black Lives Matter street mural appeared in Washington, the police slogan has grown with immense success in popularity. The movement and the slogan have become a powerful rallying call throughout this past year for a large group of Americans. He goes on to explain that not only has the BLM movement become social, as have the implications of the defunding of the police trend, but it has become political as well. In “The Case for Defunding the Police,” Eligon places a special focus on the political, emotional and social perspectives which define defunding the police. 

Eligon introduces the topic by stating that there are a few important points to consider in order to better understand the phrase defund the police. The goals of defunding the police are to reallocate the funding that goes towards public security in the United States. One way this could look is by cutting the police funding, and putting the money that was cut from the police budget towards social services like services for youth, education, housing, healthcare and other community-wide programs that are considered to be a form of security via prevention and community investment. Additionally, Eligon discusses how limiting police funding also supports the goal of protecting communities, in the sense that if funding is cut from police departments, funding will be available to other areas of society that need just as much funding as police departments to stay afloat and support the communities by providing broader access to resources. Eligon calls for his audience to reflect upon which societal areas each listener values the most in his discussion about funding.

It is also necessary to highlight Eligon’s take on the impact defending the police has on different groups, and on how defunding the police is a social act. One of the host’s purposes in this podcast is to demonstrate the specific and achievable goals related to this issue, and provide context on whether these goals are attainable. In an example examined in this episode, Eligon mentions that a majority of people said that they would rather not defund the police because they feel as though funding is not the root of the policing issues our society faces. The root of the issue is that across the country, many police officers are compelled by their jobs to act in capacities they are not trained for, and to respond to a wide spectrum of problems with a narrow set of tools. 

To conclude, Eligon asks for emphasis on education, reflection and communication on the topic of defunding the police and Black Lives Matter. According to him, politicizing the issue isn’t the answer. He claims that education is vital in order to understand other perspectives.

On Oct. 1, 2020, the Bangor Public Library held an hour-long Zoom lecture sponsored by the Maine Humanities Council and in partnership with the Bangor Celtic Crossroads Festival to discuss “Transatlantic Subversives.” The speaker, University of Maine History Professor Elizabeth McKillen, discussed Irish Nationalist and Feminist Hanna Sheehy Skeffington as well as general information regarding her American lecture tours. 

The intent of the lecture was to provide information on women suffragists across the world, and on what connections between them and other influencers of their times looked like. The number of attendees was capped at a relatively small number, many coming from the United States but just as many from Ireland. This made the conversation period post-lecture even more worthwhile. Regardless of the number of attendees, the lecture was a huge success. Not only did Elizabeth McKillen provide Zoom attendees with vital information on Ireland’s history of women’s suffrage, but she also connected the context she provided about Ireland to the United States. In doing so, she made the content of the lecture even more relevant and inspiring for the audience.

Understanding the context of Skeffington’s life — how it changed, why it changed, and her accomplishments — is critical in order to understand three major 20th century events: World War I, the Irish Revolution and the International Women’s Suffrage Movement. 

To begin, McKillen gave a summary of how 1916 Ireland’s social and political environment impacted Skeffington. During this year, a rebellion against the leadership broke out in Ireland, in which Skeffington herself didn’t initially participate due to her focus on women’s suffrage rather than Irish independence. However, after the British troops arrested and executed her husband without a trial, Skeffington took on a deep leadership role in the Irish Nationalist movement and traveled across the Atlantic in order to secure financial support from rebels in the United States. 

While in the United States, Skeffington did more than her intended travel purpose. Skeffington began a lecture series that was so widely popular across the country, she received a national response from reporters at the New York Times, Irish World and American Industrial Liberator, the Gaelic American and from the San Francisco Chronicle. Skeffington’s lectures focused on ensuring that Ireland would have a seat at the peace conference following World War I and on anti-British ideals such as encouraging women to neither participate in nor encourage war measures. Almost immediately after the armistice ending World War I in November of 1918, the Irish War for Independence occurred, lasting for approximately two years. During this time American women were given the right to vote thanks to the passing of the 19th Amendment which occurred in 1920. Following the war in Ireland, in 1922 women between the ages of 21 and 30 were given the right to vote.

Out of the many highlights from McKillen’s lecture, there are three key takeaways. The first is that Irish women were extraordinarily important fundraisers in the United States. Secondly, that intelligence agents correctly believed the Irish Revolution and Irish leaders were giving momentum to the United States’ anti-war movement. Lastly, the transnational Irish Nationalist movement helped to politicize the women who were ignored amidst the suffrage movement. To summarize Skeffington’s role, in the U.S. she began a lecture series that grew quickly in popularity beginning in early 1917. From 1917 to mid-1918, Skeffington held a series consisting of more than 250 sold-out lectures regarding Ireland and the female role in World War I, gaining a network of members from the Irish-American community, but also closely bonded with women who led suffrage and labor movements in the United States.

For more information on this event and to find upcoming online and in-person events being held in partnership with the Bangor Public Library, search bangorpubliclibrary.org and navigate to the “All Events” section of the website. To find more information on Irish history and the history of women’s suffrage, the library is a good resource, as well as searching the internet for aspects of history that are of interest to you.

5/5 Stars

Podcast host Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times remains calm and emotionally riveting throughout the “1619” podcast series. This review focuses primarily on the series’ trailer, “Introducing ‘1619’.” Hannah-Jones not only provides context to the Black Lives Matter movement but also provides listeners with a personal perspective on the arrival of enslaved Africans to the English colony of Virginia that really hits home. Hannah-Jones makes the audience yearn to connect with history when she asks “what happened here on August 20, 1619?” This line ends the brief five minute podcast but only begins the conversation.

Hannah-Jones grips the audience when she explains the emotions that ran high through African people’s minds during this early struggle of racial divisions. “Fear turned to despair, and despair to resignation and the resignation gave way finally to resolve,” Hannah-Jones said. Not only does this line provide our generation with context on how much of an emotional battle experiencing racism was back then, but it can shed light on the current battles we’re facing in regards to racism and difference. It is important that we understand how and why the world has changed. Without this understanding, how can we ever improve? How can we ever accept that change is necessary?

One of the featured points concerned stolen African lives, more specifically, the African Americans aboard The White Lion, a boat which transported many African persons to America to be later sold into slavery. Hannah-Jones recounts the fact that “they had been made black by those who believed themselves to be white”, and that “where they were headed, black equals slave, so these were their people now.” For the people aboard this ship, this meant that there was no more sense of familial or personal pleasure. Everything they had ever known was no more. Their historical context and background had been taken away from them without any say in the matter — this was a journey they had to face together.

The many implications of this podcast in current times are drastic. It is important to understand the past to look forward to the future because the future is uncertain, as this past year has shown us. All matters regarding race discussed in each episode are real, their  impact important and  implications riveting, making the six-episode podcast raw and emotional. The five episodes after the trailer podcast, “​Introducing ‘1619,’​” delve further into the personal, social, physical and emotional struggle African Americans faced then, and hold dire implications for the future of America and for the discussion of racism and equality.

One of the largest clubs on campus, the Maine Outing Club supports a variety of indoor and outdoor activities and events throughout the academic year. During the summer months, the Outing Club is able to offer summer rentals and programs. In March of 2020, the Outing Club activities and amenities were put on pause due to COVID-19 related precautions. Even so, spring and summer of 2020 turned into a successful transition period for the club. 

Until this past week, participation in events has been limited, but with support from the University of Maine community, President of the Maine Outing Club John Clark has been able to maintain student involvement in physical activities. Renting equipment has been permitted throughout the COVID-19 timeline, and remains an option to this day. Last weekend, the club took part in Paddlefest on the Stillwater River. The Outing Club made canoes, lifejackets and paddles available for free use on the Stillwater River. While the Maine Bound Adventure Center provides rentals for public use, the Outing Club uses club funds to rent supplies for their activities. 

The Outing Club has been working to provide opportunities for outdoor fun, and upcoming events can be found on their social media.

The Outing Club welcomes any and all skill levels to join in on the outdoor adventures and fun, so if one has never been canoeing or kayaking, the club is there to be a support system. If one has paddled all their life, they’re excited to share tips and tricks to keep adventurers going. 

According to their Facebook page, the Outing Club welcomes a “variety of outdoor experience, ranging from novices who have never tied a pair of hiking boots to subtle badasses of legendary stature.” The Outing Club doesn’t want to limit the potential outdoor fun.  

If interested in participating in the Maine Outing Club, check out their regular 7 p.m. Wednesday meetings on the Steward Quad. This week is a little different as the group is meeting at 5:15 p.m. at the Emera Astronomy Center, beginning on the Stewart Quad. Be sure to sign a club waiver form to participate in anything the Outing Club has to offer, and your equipment rental from the MaineBound Adventure Center will be provided at a discounted rate. 

For any questions or concerns, email the Maine Outing Club at ​maineoutingclub@gmail.com​ or find them on Instagram at MaineOutingClub or on Facebook @TheMaineOutingClub. Additional contact information for a more specific or case-by-case basis can be found on umaine.edu under the Student Government tab. Or, simply search “Outing Club” in the search bar on the umaine.edu website.

Second-year secondary education and leadership studies student, Garret Smith, feels that there is no better place to focus on self-care and his studies than the University of Maine. Smith challenges us to step back and reflect on what truly is important, and believes that in order to support others, one must put one’s own self-care before anything else. 

Smith was inspired to take on teaching from a very young age. He believes helping others who need support is so important that he’s willing to devote his entire college career and adulthood to do so in the classroom. Smith credits his dreams to “the amazing teachers I was blessed to have as a child, and to some of the professors I have had here at UMaine,”​ ​and hopes to achieve his teaching goals at UMaine by applying his ethics education and leadership skills. 

“When I first came to UMaine, I was totally unprepared for college,” Smith said. “Over time, with the support of my friends and professors, I was able to pull through.”

For him, the transition to college was a complete culture shock, considering he came from a town in Maine with a population a quarter the size of the UMaine community. Now, Smith is convinced there is a place at the university for everyone to make their own destiny, their own story and embrace whatever life brings one’s way. Smith approaches academics in a similar fashion by not only focusing on his success but also on the importance of students feeling comfortable in the classroom. 

Currently, Smith is enrolled in 18 credits, works a fulltime job and involves himself in a variety of ways with the university’s student life. In addition to being a member of the Sophomore Owls, Smith is a new member of Phi Eta Kappa and takes part in the Best Buddies program, allowing him to focus on his future aspirations in both the classroom and the Orono community. In light of all of his commitments, Smith doesn’t have much extra time on his hands. However, when he does find a moment to spare, you’ll see him practicing self-care or spending time with his friends. 

Smith and his friends have grown closer over the past year, forming an incredible bond which he cherishes dearly. The group can often be found at their favorite place to eat on campus, Hilltop Dining Commons, noting it’s the best place to create great memories with your group of friends. There are plenty of outdoor seating options to maintain safe social-distancing protocols near Hilltop, which makes it easy to check-in and chill-out. For an off-campus hangout spot, Smith recommends the Nest in Orono as a great place for vegan options. 

Regarding COVID-19, Smith notes how the UMaine community has pulled together despite the challenges of communication and quality time lost. 

“Being sent home in March opened my eyes to what UMaine is really about,” Smith said. “It’s about people enjoying each other’s presence. Whether that be through classes, sharing a meal at a dining hall, Greek life or just hanging out however you feel most comfortable.”​ ​

He realized that UMaine is about sharing in the college experience as part of a welcoming and positive community. To Smith, this means spending time in classes, sharing a meal with anyone who cares to join him at Hilltop, being involved with Greek life and being spontaneous. Moving forward, Smith hopes that this pandemic will be dealt with using facts of science instead of opinions because he’d love to be able to come to campus more frequently and share his joy of life with the community around him.

Around four years ago, a small coffee house called the Nest opened in Orono, Maine in September of 2016. Not only has it seen tremendous growth since then, it has maintained its quality food, supportive community and phenomenal management. Owners Li Yang and Anna Berube have creatively curated their menu to incorporate vegan options and continually managed concerns brought on by COVID-19, while still aspiring to open more Nest locations around the state. 

Currently, they’re looking to open locations in Portland and Bangor, Maine. When asked, Yang admitted that the reason behind the Nest’s opening was quite silly — Yang opened the restaurant for an ex-girlfriend. He joked about how silly his initial intent was because of how popular and successful the restaurant has become in all seriousness. 

“Neither of the two of us had ever run a café or restaurant business before,” Yang said. “There wasn’t really a set goal in the beginning. With support from employees, [we] have made the Nest thrive in Orono and no one wants it any other way.”

In the beginning, the Nest was “a simple coffee shop.” These days, however, it is much more. The Nest offers coffee, baked goods, and a variety of other breakfast food and drink options,  as well a smoothie bowls and smoothie options. They also offer a variety of breakfast sandwiches and bagel options. For some time, with the goal of producing a vegan menu in mind, The Nest offered quinoa bowl options in addition to the other menu spotlights. Due to COVID-19, much of the business has transitioned to online and to-go ordering, but this really hasn’t set the company back. 

Today, “Going vegan” is widely popular. Although some menu items aren’t vegan, the menu is almost entirely a choose-your-own type of menu. Therefore, if one wishes for a smoothie or quinoa bowl, or even a sandwich to be vegan, it’s possible! Just be sure to ask.

In these last few months, COVID-19 has impacted the Nest from both a menu standpoint and a business perspective. 

“With campus being back to live session, there’s more to-go ordering and online ordering,” Yang said, recognizing that students on campus massively impact employment and the number of orders the Nest receives in any given amount of time. 

Even during summer months in a “normal year,” students are a huge financial support. Many tend to stay in the area throughout the summer, so there’s lots of ordering taking place even when classes aren’t in session. COVID-19 will make this year different. It’s hard to say what late fall into winter will look like for the Nest, with students on campus set to be sent home prior to Thanksgiving.

During the summer the Nest often hires a number of students who, depending on scheduling, return as full or part-time employees in the fall. Yang and Berube don’t know what the success of Nest locations in Bangor and Portland might look like, because they’re convinced the University of Maine community is what’s keeping the business afloat in Orono.

Regardless, Li Yang and Berube are still reaching for the stars by hoping to expand in other areas of Maine, even considering the setbacks COVID-19 has brought. In the hopes of extending their reach and their vegan menu to new customers, Yang and Berube are preparing for whatever the next few months may bring their way.

3/5 Stars

The band Linkin Park reminds us that we are human in an emotional album, “One More Light.” Machine Shop and Warner Records’ 2017 release of “One More Light” holds significance to the band, Linkin Park fans and its general audience as it is the last album featuring Chester Bennington prior to his death in July of the same year. This album was a tribute to the band members’ mutual friend’s passing, making the album and the meaning behind it even more poignant.

More than ever, it is important for us to realize that we are all human despite our struggles and differences. At this point in the band’s history, they found room to explore, be weird and venture outside of their musical comfort zone. Despite making a drastic sound change starting with this album, “One More Light” offers a variety of unique, focused and careful lyrics which allow the audience to empathize with the conflicts and struggles of life. The album inspires the audience to face life’s challenges with perspective, understanding and positivity, and to take challenges head-on as a way to motivate and improve oneself. Bennington and band mates communicate that by remaining optimistic in one’s thinking, we are able to tackle the issues we face as a society. 

While some critics praised the new direction for the band, others bashed the album, considering it a cheap attempt to absorb the latest musical trend. The album presented a drastic change in sound, which many fans simply were not used to. Linkin Park took a bold step by shifting their focus from writing music that their audience would like, to writing music that was more meaningful to the band members. Whether you consider the quality of music to be dependent upon a musician’s passion or by the recognition of their sound may determine the listener’s personal rating of this album. 

One of the best aspects of this album is the fact that it isn’t political. Normally, avoiding discussion of politics is difficult in albums of this genre, and to still appeal to the minds and hearts of many might be what drove the album’s success. As a critical value kept in mind during the songwriting process, Linkin Park attempts not to write for one member, but the whole band. Consequently, people respond to music with more positivity when it is relatable, making this album a particular stand-out for fans.