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

Leander Johnson is only 13 years old - he'll be 14 in July - but he speaks with the eloquence and sincerity of a seasoned, introspective artist. Blame it on the artist parents, blame it on his unparallel childlike sense of wonder, or blame it on his Warholian sense of style - bottom line is he's got a lot of talent packed into a small person.

Just when you thought analog gaming had finally given over to World of Warcraft or the Nintendo Wii, you find something like this: A pinball tournament.

You remember pinball machines, right? Big, flashy boxes with bumpers, flippers, and every other nonsensical object a metal ball could bounce off of? Obviously, some people haven't forgotten, as thee New England Pinball Championship tournament starts today in Gorham.

Previous installments are here and here.

• Beals ice cream from one of their several locations around Greater Portland
• Crow, with coconut curry chicken poppers and a pitcher of beer, when your friend beats you bowling at Bayside Bowl (58 Alder St, Portland) on a rainy day.
• A beer you've never tried before -- ask your server for a recommendation from the ever-rotating draught selection, or pick at random from more than 300 bottled choices -- on the deck at Novare Res (you should know where it is by now).

Over the past few weeks, friends have posted pictures of defaced BP signs, or empty BP lots, on Facebook. There's a pretty big Boycott BP Facebook group. There have been anti-BP rallies across the country, including here in Portland. People, understandably, want to take out their fear and anger about the oil spill on something -- especially when their attempts to help are rebuffed

Here's the latest from Nateva, granting the media open access and ownership of their work. Kudos to them for doing the right thing.

Dear Member of the Press –

I want to personally apologize for the Nateva media ‘rules’ that you received from our Media Team yesterday. Unless you have spent some years as a member of the Cuban or North Korean press corps, I expect that you found these ‘rules’ nothing short of insulting.

UPDATE 6/23: As Frank Chandler's comment (in the comments section below) suggests, there is a new policy. It's FAR better. See it here.

Here's the official photo policy for the Nateva festival, as sent to us by Jonathan Fine of Elevate Communications.

It's not that bad that the festival specifically bans accredited photographers from taking pictures of illegal activity, including nudity or drug use.

Local sustainable transportation activists are making noise about tonight's Portland City Council meeting, which takes place at 7 pm at City Hall. Fees in lieu of parking, which are described eloquently here and here, basically encourage developers to opt out of the city's parking requirements (which require builders to provide a certain amount of parking spaces depending on the building's size and use) and pay a $10,000 fee instead.

We've all seen the interactive map that places the Gulf oil spill on top of your hometown or region. (Around here, it would span from Lawrence, Mass, to Calais -- and westward into New Hampsire and Vermont.)

Here's another way of reconceptualizing the BP disaster: in terms of energy wasted. EnergySavvy.com, a Web site that provides energy-efficiency resources for home owners and energy contractors, calculated that "the energy contained in the biggest oil spill in US history is equal to the energy that just 75,000 homes waste in a single year," which "represent less than 0.

The next five in our list of summer must-eats/drinks:

• Lobster roll from the Lobster Shack at Two Lights (225 Two Lights Rd., Cape Elizabeth). Eaten on the rocks above the crashing surf. Summer.
  
• Fish tacos at El Rayo (101 York St., Portland). Simple and satisfying, with seasoned fish, crunchy slaw, and smooth avocado.

You've already found out who the winners are but maybe you had to miss the party... (Band practice, perchance?)

Here are a whole slew of shots from the show.

First, the photos by Jennifer Kearns:

Now, those by Robbie Kanner at Vision for Viewers

And last but certainly not least, a link to the photos taken by Phoenician Clif Garboden.

Yes, the folks at legofussball.eu - who recreate highlight reels of major European soccer leagues in Legos - are hard at work with the World Cup, including this clip of the USAv. England match. (Also online: the Germany-Australia blowout, but without the Aussie red card, and the South Africa-Mexico match.)

We've written before about the Open Waters Theatre Arts Of Farms and Fables project, and its founder, Jennie Hahn. If the storytelling adventure, which combines theater, agriculture, the local food movement, and interactive performance, piqued your interest, you can follow its progress at the Farms and Fables blog ("We're growing stories!" the tagline reads).

A group of activists gathered on Wednesday outside the Nickelodeon to educate the public about toxic chemicals in cosmetics and fragrances, and to promote the Safe Chemicals Act, which calls for more rigorous EPA testing of consumer products.

Chemicals linked to cancer, allergic and immune-system reactions, and reproductive disorders show up in everything from nail polish to lotion to hairspray, they said.