Richard Malone, bishop of the Diocese of Portland (which covers all of Maine), wrote an opinion piece in this weekend's Maine Sunday Telegram, addressing climate change, and arguing that the interests of "a global community for which we all must care" require us to deal with the climate crisis.

His arguments are cogent and strong.

By virtue of the simple fact that no one else really cares enough to do it, I am the Portland Phoenix's "party planner." This means basically nothing except that every six months someone will half-jokingly ask for "an update from the party-planning committee" (there used to be two of us -- hi Bridget!)...which is a subtle hint that said person wants to have a party, thinks it's time for an internal morale-booster.

Geeks, nerds, and aficionados of the strange rejoice! The San Diego Comic-Con has graced our lives once again, delivering comics, scantily clad women, and Storm Troopers. Lots of Storm Troopers. But over the past few years, the invasion of Hollywood and the video-game industry has derailed the convention's original purpose: comic books.

Chris Gray, who has eyes like a hawk and an Internet bookmark list like an erudite fox, alerted me to this: Portland, Maine, is on the Daily Beast's list of America's Top 20 Gayest Cities. "Same-sex couples make up a larger percentage of households in Portland, Maine, than in any other city on the East Coast," the article notes.

Are you a fan of campaign finance reform? In the wake of the Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court (which banned limits on corporation spending to influence voters), federal lawmakers are scrambling to force disclosure by those who spend to influence campaigns.

It's called the DISCLOSE Act (another backronym-named piece of legislation), and key to its passage are none other than Maine senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, according to Sam Stein of the Huffington Post.

Doesn't really have the same ring to it, huh?

As we wait for the FDA to issue its ruling on Ella, the emergency contraceptive that can be taking with lasting efficacy up to five days after unprotected sex (the full FDA usually follows the recommendations of its advisory panels; the sub-committee on reproductive health approved the drug a few weeks ago), here's a brief Q&A between me and Christina Aplington, a PR exec for Ella-manufacturer HRA Pharma.

Different format for this installation (previous ones are from earlier this month and last). I got a book at the office today: Fresh From Maine: Recipes and Stories from the State's Best Chefs (Table Arts Media), by Michael S. Sanders with photography by Russell French. The book highlights meals, recipes, and food philosophies from 20 restaurants (and chefs) up and down the coast.

In a blog post entitled "Does Kagan Support Stoning?" Mother Jones's Stephanie Mencimer explains the twisted attempt at logic that passes for the neoconservative movement's attempt to "prove" that Elena Kagan, who if confirmed would become the eighth Jewish justice on the US Supreme Court, in some way backs Islamic sharia law.

GLAD is tweeting that Judge Joseph Tauro ruled today that the Defense of Marriage Act -- which defines marriage as between one man and one woman -- does violate the equal protection clause in the Constitution. He also issued a decision in a similar case brought by Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley. I wrote about these cases last month.

Let's be clear that this is not about our newspaper, but rather about the Portland "city mystical bird" and the city motto, "Resurgam," which means "I will rise again."

Apparently, according to the notes on this video, there was a video scavenger hunt held in Portland recently, in which one team had to act out the city motto in "interpretive dance."

Yes, you heard it here first - Mainers vote the way former Massachusetts governors ask them to. (Most of the people of Maine do really live in Northern Massachusetts anyway, you know...)

So we're very relieved that Mitt Romney, failed Republican presidential candidate, has made endorsements in major election races in Maine