Pioneering with Paper

The very first pulp and paper mills in Maine used rags, of all things, to produce their pulp and paper products. When paper demand rose and a rag shortage struck in the 1850s, it was a Maine company that looked to the natural resources around them, and found a way to fulfill the publics demand for paper, with the introduction of wood-blended pulp and paper products. This led to a period of economic growth. Not only for the pulp and paper industry, but for the State of Maine as well.

What if the pulp and paper industry could again be the answer for Maine’s lagging economy?

Imagine jobs being created in an industry that is already well established in Maine, all while using cleaner, more sustainable products and practices. It’s a nice thought, isn’t it?  It’s an even better reality; a reality that is well within our reach.

In 2009, former Governor Baldacci signed L.D. 1159, an act which permits the cultivation of industrial hemp here in the State of Maine. Industrial hemp has a wide application of uses--- pulp and paper being one of them. It’s quite obvious Governor Baldacci was aware of these applications and the demand for industrial hemp products when he singed L.D. 1159. After all, in 2003, The Maine Legislature approved L.D. 53, directing the Maine Department of Agriculture to "develop a study to explore the feasibility and desirability of industrial hemp production."

So why have we not seen any production of industrial hemp here in the State of Maine?

The answer is simple: Federal regulations require a permit to be obtained from the Drug Enforcement Agency. While this permit may seem simple to obtain, it is not. This has led to a standstill in the development of the hemp industry. Not only here in Maine, but in other states, too. 

It’s a shame really. Up until the passing of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, Industrial Hemp was a huge part of the American economy. Why can’t it be re-established?

The Hemp Industries Association (HIA), a non-profit trade group representing hemp companies, researchers and supporters, has been making great strides towards changes in the federal policy concerning the cultivation of industrial hemp in the United States. Their goal is simple: re-introduction through education.

This year, May 2nd-8th, will mark the Second Annual Hemp History Week. This is a national grassroots education campaign, sponsored by the HIA, designed to renew strong support for hemp farming in the United States.  Their website: www.hemphistoryweek.com  dispels myths surrounding industrial hemp, offers a look at the history and use of industrial hemp in the United States, and offers many ways you as an individual can join in on the cause.

While pulp and paper is just one of the many ways industrial hemp can be utilized here in the State of Maine, switching from wood to industrial hemp would allow a vital component of Maine’s economy to thrive once more. If the industry was once able to meet demands using rags, and thrive when it switched to wood, why then, can it not meet today’s demands of greener practices and products, with industrial hemp?  

Maine pioneered with paper once. It can do it again.

Slated to come up for debate on a federal level later this year is the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2011. If passed, this act would pave the way for the Maine to start cultivating industrial hemp, and get our economy rolling. 

Let those in Washington know: Maine is Ready to Grow!

Past Life Work: 5th Chakra

His emotions drew her in.

It was not her desire to get caught up in whatever he was selling.

Deliberately avoiding; head always down.

She couldn’t place it; didn’t know why.

But the knot in her stomach told her

“This is not a safe guy”

As time drew on, so did his persistence.

Perhaps she was wrong.

That was his insistence.

But when they were alone:

Fear.

“Run while you can”

Sometimes she would.

Why?

The truth, she found

Hidden in his dark brown eyes.

A jealous rage

She was His slave

How dare she love another.

He killed her then

But never again

She lets her soul forgive him.

A different time now

But still, somehow,

She knows he hasn’t forgiven

But she lets it go

Lets him go

And releases the past forever

~KMT

A Play on Shakespear

“To sleep, perchance to dream”, but if “Life is but a dream”

             

                Then what is in between?

The Answer lies within.

“To Be or Not to Be”

For you see, you create your own reality

There really is no finality.

Your dreams

Your fears

Everything you hold dear.

Is here because you thought it

So why dream pain?

Why remain

In a state of constant chaos?

Dream a new song,

Sing along

Find Beauty in Every Moment.

The only nightmare

You Cannot Bear

Is the one you choose not to wake from.

So open your eyes

Let your light shine

And Dream a Better Tomorrow

                                                -KMT

Good faith purchaser for value

Having Faith
means
Believing in your Self
knowing
Divine Truth
lies within.

Cow's Don't Eat Corn!

Growing up, there was a field that we drove by often. I asked my mother once, "why do they let the corn grow every year, yet never harvest it until  the close of the season?" "That's cow corn", She said. "It's for the cows to eat, not us." It made sense to me then. But then, I did not realize, cows shouldn't be eating corn. I'm kinda ashamed to say, I didn't know this until recently.


Food, Inc., a nice bit of propaganda, is a film aimed at exposing the truth about where our food comes from, how it's processed, and how certain companies don't want you to know what goes on before it hits your dinner plate. 

While any propaganda has an agenda of its own,  in my opinion, the only agenda Food Inc really has, is to make us, the people, informed. Food, Inc. does make valid points about problems within our food industry, and even offers several solutions to the problems at hand.
.
This is what I learned when I watched: 1. Cow's shouldn't be eating corn. 2. Most of our food is corn based. 3. There is a correlation between e.coli breakouts and cows that eat corn. 4. Kevin's Story needs to be heard,  and 5. Kevin's Law needs to pass legislation.

Aren't you hungry, now?

If you want to know more, I highly suggest taking a look at Food Inc.

Shhhh!

Have you ever been faced with a choice, that ultimately, if you had made one small adjustment to, could have completely changed your life as you know it? 

For me, I can pin point that choice to a miserable, rainy, day back in 2005. That day I made two phone calls. The first call was to someone who I thought I could count on, but there was no answer. I made my second call. That person picked up and the rest is history.

So why bring it up? Perhaps because that first person, knows as well as I do, if they had picked up the phone, things would be completely different. They've even eluded to that fact in writings of their own. But, I, in the end, am the bad guy, in their eyes  for leaving to live my life. I am the bad guy for not choosing a relationship with them.

I've talked to my husband about this, quite a bit. He came to the same conclusion I did. If that person was supposed to be in my life, they would have been there for me. Not only on that rainy day, but in the years that followed.

I'm sure they'll disagree.

I'm sure they will tell you I made a huge mistake marrying my husband.

I'm willing to bet though, that if I had known my husband in 2005, he would have picked up the phone.

Keep Moving Forward

About a year ago, a good friend of mine was approaching the end of his school career. Worried about the prospect of being unemployed once school ended, he chatted with me for quite sometime about finding job that would not only pay the rent, but something that would make him happy as well.  In this "job market" though, was that just a pipe dream? Or was it really attainable?  I gave him the best advice I could at the time:

Step 1: Believe in your self.
Step 2: Believe in your Dreams
Step 3: Don't compromise your dreams for the sake of others.

When the semester ended a few months later, he had already secured a position in a fairly prominent company and was set to start his training in the months that followed.
A year later, he is still working for the same company and is doing quite well!




 I may have given him the advice, but he was the one that made it happen.

How often have you given up on something simply because you didn't believe in yourself? Or not spoken your truth because you felt that it went against what everyone else believe in?
I know I have, more than I'd care to admit.

In the end though, it is only your action or inaction that ultimately decides the outcome; no one else.

Forget those who wish to tell you you're wrong.  Keep Moving Forward. When you believe in your dreams, the world is yours to make.

Let's Talk

For as long as I can remember, I have been an introvert; a silent observer on the sidelines of life. Always observing and never commenting, I've heard those I care about lament: " I wish i knew what went on in the head of yours", time and time again. So why not start a blog and satisfy some of that curiosity?  My hope is that I will be able to share my thoughts, my observations, and somehow make a difference along the way. Of course, if you have something to say, don't be shy! Comments are always welcome.