The Libertarian Party of Maine announces its annual convention, Saturday, April 19th at Governor’s Banquet Center in South Portland.  Join Maine friends of liberty, business leaders, and activists for a full day of lively discussion, great food & revelry!

Featuring:

1st District Congressional Candidate Dean Scontras

Ed Laughlin of the Maine Economic Research Institute

Tony Payne of the Alliance for Maine’s Future

Dr. Katherine Albrecht, President of CASPIAN & Co-Author of SpyChips

Hear from business leaders on the possibilities for a stronger economy. Hear from scholars on the growing threat of privacy invasion from emerging surveillance technology. Don Folkers of The John Birch Society will discuss the ominous trend toward world government and the need to secure our borders, and Jonathan Leavitt of the Maine Marijuana Policy Initiative will confront the need for more health freedom.

Schedule of Events:
9:00am Dianne Gilbert, National Heritage Center for Constitutional Studies
9:45am Biddeford City Councilor Bob Mills, Libertarian Elected to Office in 2007
10:45am Dean Scontras, First District Republican Congressional Candidate
11:30am Jonathan Leavitt, Maine Marijuana Policy Initiative
12:15pm Break for Lunch Buffet
1:00pm Business Meeting, Election of Delegates & New Officers
2:00pm Dr. Katherine Albrecht, Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering & Co-Author of SpyChips
2:45pm Don Folkers, The John Birch Society
3:45pm Open forum for local candidates (We have at least 3 “Ron Paul” Republicans on the ballot in November)
4:30pm Ed Laughlin, Maine Economic Research Institute
5:15pm Audio-Only Teleconference Debate between Presidential Candidates Wayne Allyn Root & Dr. Mary Ruwart
6:00pm Break for Dinner Buffet
6:45pm Tony Payne, Alliance for Maine’s Future

We hope to pack the Cabinet Room at Governor’s Banquet Center in South Portland for an exciting & memorable event.

$20/full day
$50/includes light refreshments, lunch, and dinner

Please RSVP promptly to Dylan at (207) 232-4975 or MarsHillCreative@yahoo.com

PORTLAND, ME: Dr. David J. Stuchiner, Chairman of the Iris Network’s Board of Directors, announced Wednesday the appointment of James E. Phipps as the new President/CEO of The Iris Network.

Mr. Phipps comes to The Iris Network having served 18 years on the organization’s Board of Directors, most recently as its former Chairman. Prior to his arrival at the Iris Network, Mr. Phipps was an attorney and partner at the Portland-based law firm Preti, Flaherty, LLP. For over 20 years, Mr. Phipps has been representing nonprofit organizations in areas such as rehabilitation, health care, education, and transportation, with assistance in Medicare compliance and nonprofit tax issues.

Mr. Phipps is a graduate of Florida State University. He earned a joint MBA/Juris Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Maine State Bar Association. Mr. Phipps lives on Chebeague Island, ME with his wife and two daughters.

“The Search Committee was impressed by Mr. Phipps’ long history of dedication to the Iris Network and to the visually impaired and blind community of Maine,” said Nancy Hawes, Board Member and Chair of the Presidential Search Committee. “As a leading attorney in the state of Maine representing nonprofits, Mr. Phipps will help guide the organization toward accomplishing its mission to serve as a resource for people across Maine with vision loss.”

Mr. Phipps will begin his duties as President /CEO in March 2008.

The Iris Network serves as a state wide resource and catalyst for people who are visually impaired or blind so they can attain their determined level of independence and integration into the community. Headquartered in Portland, the Iris Network has outreach offices in Bangor, Brewer, Ellsworth, Houlton, Lewiston and Saco.

Visit www.theiris.org for more information.

Portland-The Center for Grieving Children’s 11th Annual Auction & Dinner Gala sponsored by Re/MAX By The Bay, Geneva Ventures and Spectrum Medical Group will be held Friday, February 1st at the Holiday Inn by the Bay. Doors open at 5:30 PM. A limited number of tickets are still available at $90 each. All proceeds raised at the benefit auction will be used to support the services provided by The Center – a place where children and families who are grieving the death or facing the serious illness of a family member or friend can turn to for support, community outreach, and education.

The Center is also sponsoring a raffle with the grand prize of a Trip for two to the 2009 Super Bowl in Tampa Florida. This once in a lifetime opportunity includes: two tickets to the game, airfare voucher, game transfers, 2 tickets to the NFL experience and 4 nights hotel accommodations. Only 350 tickets are being sold and are available for $100 each. Tickets are available on our website www.cgcmaine.org or by calling The Center at 775-5216.

The evening’s events begin with a Silent Auction and Cocktail Reception. The Silent Auction features over 100 items donated by local businesses and other supporters of The Center. This event is also a celebration of The Center’s 20th Anniversary and as part of this celebration we will hand out our first Bill Hemmen’s Founder Award.

Following the Silent Auction will be Dinner and the Live Auction with items that include a Kid’s Crooked House, a Condo in Miami for a week, and tickets to a Red Sox/Yankees Game.

Don’t miss the fun – call The Center at 775-5216, email us at cgc@cgcmaine.org, or visit our website www.cgcmaine.org for more information or to order your tickets today!

The Center for Grieving Children’s mission is to provide loving support to grieving children, teens, families, and the community through peer support, outreach, and education. We honor and encourage the safe expression of grief and loss. We provide a loving community to foster the discovery and development of each child’s own resiliency and emotional well-being.

UNION, MAINE,

OUT OF THE FOG has emerged.
Out of the Fog - Maine Roasted Coffee and Maine Gifts sells through its’ online store www.outofthefog.biz. Coffees are roasted to order and delivered at their maximum freshness. The premium gift line features made in Maine products of artisanal quality. Nautical gifts, jewelry, fine art and premium woolens, are just some of the items that will be available. Custom designed souvenir gift baskets for individuals, wedding couples and corporate clients are a specialty. The Out of the Fog branded items are fashioned with an eye for functional beauty.
Shop their fair trade and organic coffee selection as well as their made in Maine gift offerings at: www.outofthefog.biz/ .

Contact them

Portland-MAINE PASSPORT SETS SAIL IN PORTLAND Portland, ME – The cruise ships are making Portland a favored destination and one local company is looking to make sure that downtown businesses are in the best position to make their cash registers ring. Beginning in 2008, Maine Passport, a division of Next Day Art, Inc. located in the Old Port, will be greeting passengers as they “land” in Portland by personally handing them a “Passport” good for special offers designed just for them. The small pocket-sized expedition books will include special offers by local merchants, a walking map, interesting facts about the area and function as a valuable resource guide that they can use to contact merchants once they return home. “The major difference in this type of marketing program is that it is “active” as opposed to much of the destination-based efforts”, states Jim Meserve, president of Maine Passport. “Destination marketing plays a big role in getting the passengers here and it is very valuable. The Maine Passport answers the question ‘what now’ by hand-delivering very specific offers good for the day of their visit only. Portland has so many unique shops, restaurants, museums and attractions – we need to make sure that we are putting our best foot forward. This will pay dividends not only now – but when they return home and share this information with friends and family”, explains Meserve. Ad space in the 2008 Portland edition of Maine Passport is now being sold for 2008 and will have a distribution of over 10,000 books targeting the 30 plus cruise ships that are scheduled to dock in Portland. You can reserve your ad by contacting jim@mainepassport.com or by phone at 207-761-4278. You can find out more about the program by visiting their website at www.MainePassport.com. Deadline for inclusion in the 2008 edition is January 30th. Maine Passport is a division of Next Day Art, Inc., located at 424 Fore Street, 2nd Floor, Portland, ME and is a member of the Portland Chamber of Commerce.