Society is always craving the best in technology and it’s no surprise that today’s drivers have many temptations and distractions. Cell phones can do more than just make a basic call, users can now email and text message without being at a bulky computer. Yes technology has advanced so much over the years and has become affordable so the average Joe/Jane may partake in the experience.
Advancement in technology can make new addicting distractions for the user; like paying attention in class or driving a vehicle. According to a study released in January by the National Safety Council, twenty-eight percent of car accidents occur when the drivers were using their cell phones, ether talking or texting.
While other states have made it illegal for cell phone users to talk/text and drive, Maine is not one of them. Maine does have laws that prevent drivers under the age of 18 from using cell phones along with other drivers that have learner’s permits or intermediate licenses. Many users believe using a hands-free cell phone accessory, like Blue Tooth, makes driving easier but according to studies it doesn’t make a difference.
Senator Bill Diamond, D-Windham, sponsored a bill that came into effect September 12, 2009 that impacted every driver in the state of Maine. The law is met to cover a broader amount of distractions than just cell phones alone.
The law makes failure to maintain control of a vehicle illegal and is defined by a driver participating in another activity that is not necessary to driving the vehicle. Also if the activity impairs or would be assume to impair the drivers ability to drive safely. Therefore, this law covers everything from eating to talking on the cell phone.
Having a law only making cell phone usage illegal will allow new technologies legal while driving when they equally distract a driver’s attention. Senator Diamond expressed to the Bangor Daily News that targeting just cell phone usage is not the answer. “We cannot just focus on cell phones or the electronic device of the day that people are interested in at that moment,” Diamond says. “What we do is focus on the behavior, not what specifically caused it.”
The law gives police the right to ticket distracted drivers for failing to maintain control of their vehicle. If you’re using a cell phone while driving you can be pulled over if a police officer takes notice. However, if you’re using a cell phone and driving in a way that doesn’t attract attention to yourself you will go unnoticed. Making the law penalties only kick in if the driver is caught driving distracted, or is involved in an accident.
“This gives drivers a false sense of ‘I’m a great driver and will not be distracted by my cell phone.’” Seth Toothaker a senior at the University of Maine. “If it’s not illegal drivers will continue to drive and use a cell phone. People will think they can handle it, when everyone knows you cannot pay attention to the road while using a cell phone. Driving is a full time task and so many people are disrespecting this privilege.”
Rep. George Hogan told the Bangor Daily News in response to the cell phone driving legislation that “It’s on the minds of every state, and almost every state is more aggressive than Maine.”
For 2011 Sen. Diamond is sponsoring a new bill that will ban texting while driving. “While Maine took a big step forward passing a distracted driver law in 2009, it is clear to me now that measure deals more with the effect,” Diamond said. “The proposed ban on texting while driving I have put forward deals better with the cause of the problem.”
Banning texting is a great step forward to prevent innocent deaths but while technology advances Maine state laws need to keep up with the distractions Maine drivers are encountering. Until then using common sense can save hundreds of lives.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Maine Wind Power (with pictures)
A wind farm with wind turbines can provide many benefits and problems for Maine communities.
The biggest benefit to having wind power is the clean energy that is produced to replace the costly fossil fuels. Jeannie Conway of Fox Island noticed her 200 dollar electricity bill slowly decreasing since the wind farm put in November 2009. The 15 million dollar Fox Island wind farm project has three turbines that have generated 1.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity in January 2010 which exceeds many estimates. That amount of power is enough electricity to power Vinalhaven and North Haven.
One of the bigger issues with wind turbines is the appearance of them. Wind turbines are 200 to 300 ft. tall with three blades that are 65 to 130ft. long. Wind farms are most suitable in hilly areas or near the coast. This causes the wind turbine to be very visible for miles and will be seen by tourists and residents. A plus is that Maine will never have the massive wind farms like in Texas or Oklahoma due to Maine’s lack of hill and coastal area. If a huge wind farm was made Maine would be giving up its tourist income for wind income.
A not so common disadvantage to wind turbines is the noise. Residents that live near the turbines say the noise has ruined their quality of life living in Maine. In Fox Island experts told residents that the noise would be mast by other ambient sounds like wind on the ground. This isn’t the case for residents near the turbines who all live within one mile of the turbines or have a direct line of sight to them. Alan Barker lives quarter of a mile from the Fox Island wind project doesn’t mind the noise. "If you're expecting to go out and hear a pin drop that's not gonna happen," says Barker, "they do make noise and they do make more noise than you would think. But at the same time it's no different than if you live near a train or you live near a brook. This ocean out here on a stormy day makes noise."
"It is almost a perfect storm for a conflict between a desire to move toward clean energy and a desire to protect some of the few remaining wild places." -- Pete Didisheim, Natural Resources Council of Maine, advocacy director
GE Wind Energy Commercial
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Student Meeting Tuesday
ORONO, MAINE—With the school year coming to yet another end most student organizations are getting in their last few meetings. On April 27, 2010 the Student Senate had one of their last meetings and they had a pleasant surprise.
You don’t hear much about the Alumni Association as a student and probably won’t during your college career until you graduate. On Tuesdays meeting the student government met with the Alumni Association in the same room, an event that most say is the first time in UMaine history.
Todd Saucier, executive director of Alumni Association, addressed the Student Government during Tuesday’s meeting. Saucier hopes the two groups met more often and communication will stay open.
Saucier stated that the Alumni Association wants to start becoming apart of UMaine student’s lives before they become alumni. They figure becoming apart of students lives early on students will be more inclined to donate more as an alumni.
Saucier continued to address the Student Government by saying to interact with the student body early on he would like to ‘friend raise’. What this means is that the Alumni Association wants to open up communication with the student body early on and develop a friendly connection. Saucier wants students to say hello to him whether he’s walking around the mall or eating at the union.
It’s not known whether Saucier’s ‘friend raise’ will change alumni donations in the future but it’s a great start in getting all the different UMaine departments involved with each other.
You don’t hear much about the Alumni Association as a student and probably won’t during your college career until you graduate. On Tuesdays meeting the student government met with the Alumni Association in the same room, an event that most say is the first time in UMaine history.
Todd Saucier, executive director of Alumni Association, addressed the Student Government during Tuesday’s meeting. Saucier hopes the two groups met more often and communication will stay open.
Saucier stated that the Alumni Association wants to start becoming apart of UMaine student’s lives before they become alumni. They figure becoming apart of students lives early on students will be more inclined to donate more as an alumni.
Saucier continued to address the Student Government by saying to interact with the student body early on he would like to ‘friend raise’. What this means is that the Alumni Association wants to open up communication with the student body early on and develop a friendly connection. Saucier wants students to say hello to him whether he’s walking around the mall or eating at the union.
It’s not known whether Saucier’s ‘friend raise’ will change alumni donations in the future but it’s a great start in getting all the different UMaine departments involved with each other.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Maine Wind Power
There are many environmental issues growing throughout the country and more people are trying to become eco friendly. One new idea of going greener is wind power which is a great idea to look into with Maine having the 19 highest wind resource in the United States.
A wind farm with wind turbines can provide many benefits and problems for Maine communities.
The biggest benefit to having wind power is the clean energy that is produced to replace the costly fossil fuels. Jeannie Conway of Fox Island noticed her 200 dollar electricity bill slowly decreasing since the wind farm put in November 2009. The 15 million dollar Fox Island wind farm project has three turbines that have generated 1.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity in January 2010 which exceeds many estimates. That amount of power is enough electricity to power Vinalhaven and North Haven.
One of the bigger issues with wind turbines is the appearance of them. Wind turbines are 200 to 300 ft. tall with three blades that are 65 to 130ft. long. Wind farms are most suitable in hilly areas or near the coast. This causes the wind turbine to be very visible for miles and will be seen by tourists and residents. A plus is that Maine will never have the massive wind farms like in Texas or Oklahoma due to Maine’s lack of hill and coastal area. If a huge wind farm was made Maine would be giving up its tourist income for wind income.
A not so common disadvantage to wind turbines is the noise. Residents that live near the turbines say the noise has ruined their quality of life living in Maine. In Fox Island experts told residents that the noise would be mast by other ambient sounds like wind on the ground. This isn’t the case for residents near the turbines who all live within one mile of the turbines or have a direct line of sight to them. Alan Barker lives quarter of a mile from the Fox Island wind project doesn’t mind the noise. "If you're expecting to go out and hear a pin drop that's not gonna happen," says Barker, "they do make noise and they do make more noise than you would think. But at the same time it's no different than if you live near a train or you live near a brook. This ocean out here on a stormy day makes noise."
Maine wind is a huge energy source that is slowly being tapped into. Feedback from wind farms already working in Maine will help create more energy saving wind turbines to help decrease Maine’s energy consumption.
"It is almost a perfect storm for a conflict between a desire to move toward clean energy and a desire to protect some of the few remaining wild places."
-- Pete Didisheim, Natural Resources Council of Maine, advocacy director
A wind farm with wind turbines can provide many benefits and problems for Maine communities.
The biggest benefit to having wind power is the clean energy that is produced to replace the costly fossil fuels. Jeannie Conway of Fox Island noticed her 200 dollar electricity bill slowly decreasing since the wind farm put in November 2009. The 15 million dollar Fox Island wind farm project has three turbines that have generated 1.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity in January 2010 which exceeds many estimates. That amount of power is enough electricity to power Vinalhaven and North Haven.
One of the bigger issues with wind turbines is the appearance of them. Wind turbines are 200 to 300 ft. tall with three blades that are 65 to 130ft. long. Wind farms are most suitable in hilly areas or near the coast. This causes the wind turbine to be very visible for miles and will be seen by tourists and residents. A plus is that Maine will never have the massive wind farms like in Texas or Oklahoma due to Maine’s lack of hill and coastal area. If a huge wind farm was made Maine would be giving up its tourist income for wind income.
A not so common disadvantage to wind turbines is the noise. Residents that live near the turbines say the noise has ruined their quality of life living in Maine. In Fox Island experts told residents that the noise would be mast by other ambient sounds like wind on the ground. This isn’t the case for residents near the turbines who all live within one mile of the turbines or have a direct line of sight to them. Alan Barker lives quarter of a mile from the Fox Island wind project doesn’t mind the noise. "If you're expecting to go out and hear a pin drop that's not gonna happen," says Barker, "they do make noise and they do make more noise than you would think. But at the same time it's no different than if you live near a train or you live near a brook. This ocean out here on a stormy day makes noise."
Maine wind is a huge energy source that is slowly being tapped into. Feedback from wind farms already working in Maine will help create more energy saving wind turbines to help decrease Maine’s energy consumption.
"It is almost a perfect storm for a conflict between a desire to move toward clean energy and a desire to protect some of the few remaining wild places."
-- Pete Didisheim, Natural Resources Council of Maine, advocacy director
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Winterport Dragway Opening Day
On opening day Winterport will be hosting gamblers race which is also a non points day. A “gamblers race” is when competitors pay a fixed amount (usually ten dollars) to be added to the pot. First place receives 70 percent of the pot while the runner up receivers 30 percent.
Gates open at 8:00 am and then time trails will start at 8:30 am to noon. Elimination rounds will begin at 12:30 pm. Admissions are twelve dollars for racers and spectators, race entry fee ten dollars, junior (ages 13-15) five dollars and children twelve years old and under are free. Breakfast and Lunch will be served by Deb’s Variety Snack Bar.
Another event to look forward to is on Mother’s Day May 9, 2010. Winterport Dragway will host ladies day. In addition to racing in a regular bracket program, ladies can also enter a special race for ladies only. Start times and admission prices are the same as opening day.
Winterport Dragway is available for races in the following classes; super pro eliminator, pro eliminator, motorcycles & snowmobiles, pro street, import/sport compact, Jr. dragster, ATV/Quad, and lawn mower.
For rules and/or more information visit www.winterportdragway.com or contact Bob Reynolds, president at (207) 223-5592.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Relief of Technology
New technology hits the store shelves daily and the vast online web growing greater in size by the second leads to many interesting advances that are debatable as good or bad. The birth of social networking sites like Myspace, Twitter, Facebook and Wikipedia evolving over time with the growth of its members.
Communication between the masses to keep in touch and organize in some cases is what brings the public to these online sites; being able to talk with celebrities, friends from college and of course your grandmother in another state. Besides listening to music and looking at your best friends’ birthday pictures is this technology provide a greater service to society? In a disaster does Twitter or Wikipedia help the general public understand and provide help to the victims?
Twitter launched in 2006, a website that enables users to send and read tweets online. Tweets are text messages that are a max of 140 characters. Four years later a 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti on January 2010 allowing Twitter a chance to help during a disaster.
Organizations like the American Red Cross used their Twitter pages to send out tweets to the general public asking for donations and ways for people to help. One way was to tell people through Twitter that they can text the word “Haiti” to donate by using their cell phones.
Celebrities used their own personal Twitter pages to encourage people to donate for Haiti. Rapper Wyclef Jean used his account to post news updates and raise funds quickly for Haiti.
Users using Twitter posted from around the globe about Haiti, even victims in Haiti used Twitter to communicate because they had no other forms of communication with one another.
Pictures and stories of the victims got out of Haiti to the rest of the world faster by using Twitter way before news teams could even make it to Haiti.
In disaster events social networking sites do a great job at quickly bring information to the general public and getting the relief to those in need.
Communication between the masses to keep in touch and organize in some cases is what brings the public to these online sites; being able to talk with celebrities, friends from college and of course your grandmother in another state. Besides listening to music and looking at your best friends’ birthday pictures is this technology provide a greater service to society? In a disaster does Twitter or Wikipedia help the general public understand and provide help to the victims?
Twitter launched in 2006, a website that enables users to send and read tweets online. Tweets are text messages that are a max of 140 characters. Four years later a 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti on January 2010 allowing Twitter a chance to help during a disaster.
Organizations like the American Red Cross used their Twitter pages to send out tweets to the general public asking for donations and ways for people to help. One way was to tell people through Twitter that they can text the word “Haiti” to donate by using their cell phones.
Celebrities used their own personal Twitter pages to encourage people to donate for Haiti. Rapper Wyclef Jean used his account to post news updates and raise funds quickly for Haiti.
Users using Twitter posted from around the globe about Haiti, even victims in Haiti used Twitter to communicate because they had no other forms of communication with one another.
Pictures and stories of the victims got out of Haiti to the rest of the world faster by using Twitter way before news teams could even make it to Haiti.
In disaster events social networking sites do a great job at quickly bring information to the general public and getting the relief to those in need.
Friday, April 2, 2010
The University of Maine Automotive Enthusiast Club Meeting
ORONO, MAINE—That time of year again when UMaine Automotive Enthusiast members gear up for their annual Maine Day cruise; they’re biggest event of the school year.
Members met at their so called “club house” which is the Wendy’s in Orono, ME on March 24, 2010. They used to meet at the Bear’s Den on the University’s campus but with the cut back on hours they serve dinner members have joined at an older, more familiar meeting place.
No new members showing up left only ten active UMaine members present along with two officers of the group. With more members leaving than coming into the club, new elections have not been held this school year due to lack of student effort. It was decided at the meeting to keep the already elected officers elected for the rest of the school year and talk of re-elections in the fall. Hopefully with new members drawn in from the Maine Day cruise elections can be held as planned.
A more common topic was discussed on when the club does get potential new members the alumni scare them away by making rude comments towards them on the first class folder. Some new members have stated that the folder isn’t friendly, there is constant name calling, pointing fun and mean remarks about the member’s intelligence and vehicle. It’s the classic scenario of seniors in high school picking on the new freshmen. There is no one solution to fix this problem, all the officers and moderators can do is continue to enforce the folder rules by deleting un-friendly posts and banning members if they continue to break the rules. This topic is always up for discussion at every automotive meeting.
The important top at the meeting was creating a plan for Maine Day. The date is already set but there is still much to decide. Members talked about which roads to take, places to stop, eat and ride go-karts. It was concluded that it will take on the plan as the years before it did. Except for the go-karting, last year the usual place in Brewer wasn’t open and a panic attempt was made of finding a mini-golf that had go-karting was open. Calls will be made once a rough estimate of people attending is known to see which places are open and could accommodate whatever sized group.
Another meeting is looking to take place between today and April 28 to finalize Maine Day plans but otherwise much of the groups’ topics were discussed and met. Head counts will start to take place for the event which promises to be a bigger turn out than Maine Day 2009.
Members met at their so called “club house” which is the Wendy’s in Orono, ME on March 24, 2010. They used to meet at the Bear’s Den on the University’s campus but with the cut back on hours they serve dinner members have joined at an older, more familiar meeting place.
No new members showing up left only ten active UMaine members present along with two officers of the group. With more members leaving than coming into the club, new elections have not been held this school year due to lack of student effort. It was decided at the meeting to keep the already elected officers elected for the rest of the school year and talk of re-elections in the fall. Hopefully with new members drawn in from the Maine Day cruise elections can be held as planned.
A more common topic was discussed on when the club does get potential new members the alumni scare them away by making rude comments towards them on the first class folder. Some new members have stated that the folder isn’t friendly, there is constant name calling, pointing fun and mean remarks about the member’s intelligence and vehicle. It’s the classic scenario of seniors in high school picking on the new freshmen. There is no one solution to fix this problem, all the officers and moderators can do is continue to enforce the folder rules by deleting un-friendly posts and banning members if they continue to break the rules. This topic is always up for discussion at every automotive meeting.
The important top at the meeting was creating a plan for Maine Day. The date is already set but there is still much to decide. Members talked about which roads to take, places to stop, eat and ride go-karts. It was concluded that it will take on the plan as the years before it did. Except for the go-karting, last year the usual place in Brewer wasn’t open and a panic attempt was made of finding a mini-golf that had go-karting was open. Calls will be made once a rough estimate of people attending is known to see which places are open and could accommodate whatever sized group.
Another meeting is looking to take place between today and April 28 to finalize Maine Day plans but otherwise much of the groups’ topics were discussed and met. Head counts will start to take place for the event which promises to be a bigger turn out than Maine Day 2009.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
