Democracy for Russia?

Maine seasonal resident, Dr. Michael G. Roskin, will provide an overview of recent Russian history to today’s events and ways that the situation there might play out in the near future.  He will address three important questions:  Why did the Soviet Union collapse? Why did Russian democracy fail? And, does the Ukraine war portend Europe-wide conflict? These topics are sure to make for a lively Q & A!

Professor Roskin’s talk - Democracy for Russia? - will take place on Tuesday, October 14 at the Belfast Free Library from 6:30-8:00 PM and will be repeated on Thursday, October 16, at the Rockland Public Library from 6:00-7:30PM.  The events are free and open to all.

Michael G. Roskin retired in 2008 after 36 years teaching political science at Lycoming College in Pennsylvania. He earlier worked as a newsman and Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. Information Agency before earning a Ph.D. at American University. In 1991-94 he was a visiting professor at the U.S. Army War College and in 2008-09 a Fulbright professor at the University of Macau, South China. He has authored five political science textbooks. 

These presentations are offered as free community event in in anticipation of the 28th Annual Camden Conference: Russia Resurgent, February 20-22, 2015.

The mission of the Camden Conference is to foster informed discourse on world issues. For more information, visit www.camdenconference.org, email info@camdenconference.org, or call 207-236-1034.

Coyote - America’s Songdog presented by Geri Vistein

On Tuesday, March 11, 2014 at 6:30pm Belfast Garden Club and Belfast Free Library continue their free winter evening programs series, “Wildlife Conservation in Maine” in Belfast Free Library’s Abbott Room. The March 11th talk will be Coyote - America’s Songdog presented by conservation biologist Geri Vistein.

Coyote has a long history on the North American continent: coyote’s relationship with Native peoples and the European Americans; coyote’s complex relationship with Maine’s ecosystems; and coyote’s relationship with us. Despite the fact that scientists have learned so much about carnivores and their immense value in the workings of the earth, human attitudes, behavior and laws in our society toward carnivores have not changed very much in the past 500 years. This presentation will express Nature’s design in the powerful relationship between the predator and their prey, and will explain why this relationship is vital to the health and diversity of our Maine landscape.

Geri Vistein is a Conservation Biologist whose work focuses on carnivores and our relationship with them. She has participated in many research projects in the West, including the Grizzly Bear DNA study in Glacier National Park. She works with Land Trusts and other research biologists, and has created the educational network “Coyote Lives in Maine”.

The talk is free and open to the public. The Belfast Free Library is located at 106 High Street, Belfast, Maine. For more information visit: www.belfastgardenclub.org, email belfastgardenclub@gmail.com or call Corliss Davis at 207-930-3562.

Project Puffin: History and Success with Seabird Sue.

Project Puffin: History and Success with Seabird Sue talk to kick off Belfast Garden Club and Belfast Free Library Evening Speaker’s Series

 

On Tuesday, February 11, 2014 at 6:30pm Belfast Garden Club and Belfast Free Library partner to kick off their free winter evening programs series, “Wildlife Conservation in Maine” in Belfast Free Library’s Abbott Room. The February 11^th talk will be Project Puffin: History and Success with Seabird Sue.

 

The National Audubon Society started Project Puffin in 1973 in an effort to restore puffins to historic nesting islands in the Gulf of Maine. For 300 years, Atlantic puffins and other Maine seabirds suffered from intense hunting for their eggs, meat and feathers, until Maine’s first bird protection law was passed in 1901. By that time, their numbers had been severely depleted, and they had disappeared from most of their traditional nesting sites.

 

Susan Schubel (Seabird Sue), Outreach Educator for Project Puffin, biologist and artist, will describe the activities and techniques used in the restoration projects. Sue has introduced more than 10,000 students to Maine’s rich ecology and Audubon’s Seabird Restoration Project through many activities of her own design.

 

The talk is free and open to the public. The Belfast Free Library is located at 106 High Street, Belfast, Maine. For more information visit: www.belfastgardenclub.org, emailbelfastgardenclub@gmail.com or call Corliss Davis at 207-930-3562.

Discussion Series: “Climate Change and War - Inevitable?”

Camden Conference announces the fourth topic in in the new Discussion Series: “Climate Change and War - Inevitable?”  Join the conversation” on Wednesday, December 4, 2013, at the Belfast Free Library from 6:30p.m. – 8:00p.m.

War has been a means of resolving conflict since the beginning of time.  The conflicts of the future will be fought over the lack of local resources basic to life, fresh water and food.  By 2050, it is estimated that 8 billion people will live in cities and world population will grow to 9 billion.  Climate changes and increased populations are severely straining rivers, reducing farmland (24% is already gone) and creating conflict along borders formed by water.  Fresh water, in particular, is seen as a vital economic good and a critical element of geo-political relations and national security interests.

In preparation for the Camden Conference, The Global Politics of Food and Water, February 21—23, 2014, the Camden Conference Discussion Series has been launched to promote thoughtful, engaged dialogue led by a facilitator from the local area. The conversations are like a book group requiring preparation by reading short articles/viewing videos that form the basis of your participation.

Please visit www.camdenconference.org for a complete reading list and additional dates and venues for this and other Discussion Series topics.  A reading copy of the essential articles will be also available at the library circulation desk.

The mission of the Camden Conference is to foster informed discourse on world affairs through year-round community events, public and student engagement, and an annual weekend conference. For more information, visit www.camdenconference.org, email info@camdenconference.org, or call 207-236-1034.

Belfast Garden Club Delivers New Titles To Belfast Free Library

Belfast Garden Club Delivers New Titles in Annual Library Book Donation

The Belfast Garden Club made a donation this month, of 15 new garden and

horticulture books at Belfast Free Library. The books were purchased in

cooperation with local bookseller, Bella Books, with funds raised at The Green

Thumb Plant Sale in May. Selections for the donation to the library include books for

both adults and children on topics such as: Mt Desert public gardens, Coastal Maine

Botanical Gardens, garden insects, invasive plants, designing bouquets, gardening

with the seasons, bees and butterflies, gardening projects for kids, and more. The

library displays the new books for public perusal before placing them on the shelves

for circulation. The list of new books can be found at Belfast Garden Club’s website.

The Belfast Garden Club fosters the acquisition of knowledge of gardening and

protection of native flora and fauna, and has promoted civic beautification since

1929. Please join us. The club welcomes new members and volunteers year round. For

further information visit www.belfastgardenclub.org

Story Sponsor

www.shootmainestudios.com

"How large scale factory farming affects our health"

"How large scale factory farming affects our health"


Belfast, Maine - On Tuesday, June 5 at 6:30pm in the Belfast Free Library, nutritionist John Bagnulo will give a free presentation titled "How agriculture and factory farming objectives influence our health".  This event is sponsored by the Belfast Free Library and the Belfast Co-op.

Learn how large scale factory farming falls short of providing the nourishment we need, unlike that offered by small, diversified, local farms. Soil sustainability, plant cultivars and animal husbandry practices play a significant role in determining both the quality and quantity of nutrients that are needed to prevent chronic disease.

John Bagnulo MPH, PhD, holds a doctorate in Nutrition and Food Science, is a faculty member of Kripalu Healthy Living Programs, and has a private practice at 39 Main Street in downtown Belfast.  For further information about his practice, visit: johnbagnulo.com.

For more information about this presentation, contact the Co-op's education coordinator, Kate Harris, at kate@belfast.coop or (207) 338-2532.

“How Women Shaped Belfast”

“How Women Shaped Belfast” 


Belfast, Maine - “How Women Shaped Belfast” is the topic for the Belfast Historical Society meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 21, in the Abbott Room at the Belfast Free Library. Megan Pinette, President of the Society, will give an illustrated talk about Belfast women in the early years of the twentieth century and the improvements they made to the city. Among their many lasting contributions are City Park, St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, the Hospital Aid Society, and the Deborah Lincoln House. Upper-class but nevertheless second-class citizens by their sex, not permitted to vote or hold most of the management jobs that men had, these remarkable women insisted on establishing a basic social infrastructure for the city, and they succeeded.

Belfast Historical Society meetings are free and open to the public and are held on the fourth Monday of the month, April through October. Those unable to attend the program are invited to tune in to “Window on History” on BCTV-2 at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m. on Thursdays and 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Or watch the program on the museum website, www.belfastmuseum.org, which offers new programs each month.

The Belfast Improvement Society was the driving force behind the creation of a public, seaside park for all to enjoy. Belfast City Park opened on September 9, 1906 and it remains free and open to the public today. 

On Fire: How to Beat Diet-Related Inflammation - Belfast Free Library May 1st

John Bagnulo

On Fire: How to Beat Diet-Related Inflammation - Belfast Free Library May 1st


BELFAST, ME - On Tuesday, May 1 at 6:30pm in the Belfast Free Library, nutritionist John Bagnulo will give a free presentation titled "On Fire: How to Beat Diet-Related Inflammation".  This event is sponsored by the Belfast Free Library and the Belfast Co-op.

"Inflammation is a major player in most chronic diseases and can affect much more than just our joints and skeletal muscles," says Bagnulo.  "This process can cause heart disease, aging of the brain, digestive distress, and controls numerous disease processes."  Learn more about those foods that are hidden sources of inflammation and discover foods that can help you put out this fire.

John Bagnulo MPH, PhD, holds a doctorate in Nutrition and Food Science, is a faculty member of Kripalu Healthy Living Programs, and has a private practice at 39 Main Street in downtown Belfast.  For further information, visit his website at: johnbagnulo.com.