Massachusetts Civic Engagement Summit

Hi all… See you in Worcester on Friday! – BJ

Gov. Deval Patrick is featured speaker at Nov. 16 event

to promote civic engagement across the Commonwealth

More than 50 nonprofits, civic stakeholders collaborate to organize nonpartisan event

BOSTON — Governor Deval Patrick will be the featured speaker at the inaugural Massachusetts Civic Engagement Summit on Nov. 16, an all-day conference at the DCU Center , Worcester , organized through the united efforts of 50 nonprofit, civic and private-sector organizations to educate and mobilize citizens to support and improve communities through volunteerism, business, education and advocacy.

Governor Patrick is scheduled to speak at about 12:30 p.m. to more than 500 attendees from 70 different communities across the Commonwealth. He will be joined by Charlotte Golar-Richie, his senior advisor for federal, state and community relations.

According to a 2006 study by The National Conference on Citizenship, Massachusetts ranks 34^th in the nation for volunteerism, and 16^th in the nation for voter participation, reflecting a nationwide decrease in civic participation.

“We need to start seeing our stake in each other,” said Governor Patrick. “The Civic Engagement Summit is a powerful way to bring together leaders from every sector to promote civic involvement and identify ways we can strengthen our communities and the Commonwealth.”

In addition to Governor Patrick, Summit attendees will hear from a variety of plenary and workshop speakers. Main speakers include Tom Sander, executive director of the Saguaro Seminar: Civic Engagement in America project at Harvard University ’s Kennedy School of Government; Josh Kraft, Executive Director for Jordan Boys and Girls Club of Boston – Chelsea Clubhouse; Paul Epstein, co-founder of A Foundation to Be Named Later; and Greg McHale, founder and CEO of good2gether Inc.  

Summit conference tracks focus on five key topics: volunteerism, business partnerships, lifetime citizenship, politics and policymaking, and social capital.

Lead sponsors for the Summit are State Street Corporation, Cisco, Boston Globe and Clark University .  Secondary sponsors include AARP, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts , Boston Cares, The Boston Foundation, Bunker Hill Community College , Citizen Schools, Common Impact, Executive Service Corps., Fidelity Investments, Massachusetts Campus Compact, Social Capital Inc., and United Way .

For a list of the 50 nonprofit organizations that organized the Civic Engagement Summit, contact Chris McCue, 617-695-2438; cmccue@massmentors.org.

For more information about the event:  http://www.commonimpact.org/civicsummit/index.asp

Off to OK City!

Hey folks,

I won’t be posting for a while… I’ve been activated by the Red Cross to help victims of the recent floodings in Oklahoma City. I fly out tonight and I’ll be gone for about twelve days.

 For an update on conditions, please see this article here.

Have a great 4th of July, and I’ll write when I get back!

- BJ

Deval Patrick – The First Five Months

Hi everyone,

First, I’d like to apologize if sometimes reading this blog strains ol’ eyebones. Lines running together, links where they’re not suppose to be, weird spelling mistakes… the truth is I’m finding that wordpress is not the best blog editing tool. Good hostong service, but I’m looking for better ways to input and edit text and photos. If anyone has any suggestions, please send me an email. Thanks!  

Our first article this week is a review of the first five months of Gov. Deval Patrick’s term in office. The column comments on Gov. Patrick’s personnel shakeups in the administration. It also discusses the proposal to build a commuter rail to Fall River and New Bedford (a $1.4 billion project), and his plan to offer free early childhood programs and free two-year community college diplomas ($1 billion per year), and his call to make the state a capital of science/stem cell research ($10 billion over 10 years). Critics note the state is already facing a $1.3 billion budget shortfall.

 

“””””””””””””””””””””When pressed about whether he is overextending the state credit card, Patrick has replied with cool confidence.“No, no, no. It’s my job to make sure we can afford it,” he said recently.

“There will be those, there always are, who say we can’t afford this, that this is too ambitious, that the interests involved are too entrenched, perhaps that this is just too h-a-a-a-rd,” the governor said [at a UMass Boston Graduation ceremony], stretching the final word in a belittling manner.

“Those are the same voices who said that President Kennedy’s call to put a man on the moon in less than a decade was a folly, who said the United States could never win the Second World War, who said that America would never free her slaves, who said the colonies could never be independent of Britain, that America herself could never be born.”””””””””””””””””

The story also reports that Gov. Patrick “relishes getting outside the Statehouse, escaping Boston and drawing attention to the other 350 cities and towns in Massachusetts. If it’s Friday, count on an announcement or appearance in western Massachusetts — usually on a road leading to his Berkshires vacation home.”  That’s great – when I was walking across the state collecting messages, a few of the people I met wrote that the governor venture west of the I-95 beltway more often. It’s good to see that Governor Patrick is getting out and about the state!  You can see the whole article on the Telegram and Gazette online:  

Confidence, dearth of details mark Patrick’s tenure by Glen Johnson of the Associated Press 2007-06-03  

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In other news, a few weeks ago I reported that the Heritage Museum in Sandwich was running a special exhibition on pirates, named A Short Life and Merry: Pirates of New England.” If you’ve seen Pirates of the Carribbean 3 already and can’t get enough of the likes of Capt. Jack Sparrow, set yer sails for Marblehead, where the Marblehead Museum and Historical Society has no other head than the head of Captian Edward Teach, a.k.a. Blackbeard.

 

  “”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”It’s the ‘purported’ skull of Blackbeard,” said the museum’s Pam Peterson. On loan from the Peabody Essex Museum, it was donated to them by the widow of popular New England historian Edward Rowe Snow. “He purchased it in Virginia and used it on all his speaking tours.”It carries a kind of magic. Blackbeard, whose real name was either Edward Teach or Edward Thatch, is the most famous pirate of a very colorful era, according to curator David Moore of the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort.

By some accounts, Blackbeard strayed as far north as Nova Scotia during his pirate career, which ended at Ocracoke Inlet, not far from Moore’s North Carolina museum. He was beheaded by a sword swipe during a fierce shipboard battle with authorities. His bewhiskered visage was then mounted under the bowsprit of a sloop and brought back to shore.“From there, we can trace it as far as a pole erected at Hampton, Va.,” Moore said. “It was put on a pole between the heads of two other recently executed pirates.” These were meant as object lessons to other would-be pirates.

Later, legend holds, the skull of Blackbeard was taken down, coated with silver and converted into a ghoulish drinking cup used by college fraternities. Moore is skeptical that this artifact eventually found its way to New England. He notes that Edward Rowe Snow had a curious method of confirming the authenticity of his find.

 “He said it spoke to him on a dark and stormy night. And the eyes glowed in the black.” But Moore adds, “Who knows?” He speculates that it might be worth making a facial reconstruction of the skull to find out what Blackbeard really looked like.Dan Finamore of the Peabody Essex Museum stresses that the skull is kept in the museum’s collection as an example of pirate folklore, not as Blackbeard’s genuine skull. “It’s a very interesting piece. … We haven’t done tests on it.” Having seen ancient photos of the “cup” supposedly made from the pirate’s skull, Finamore sees little similarity with this version.

Moore agrees that it doesn’t match what he knows about the dead pirate’s cranium. For his part, Finamore doesn’t want to lure people to see Blackbeard’s head under what might turn out to be false pretenses.

After all, that would be sheer piracy.”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””

Yuk yuk yuk. Ye be warned. See it at your own peril. More information on the notorious cranium can be found here.  

Blackbeard’s skull? See for yourself at Marblehead pirate show

By Alan Burke of the Salem News, 2007-06-04

 

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 And finally, congratulations to the civic-minded students of Minnechaug Regional High School. For the last two years, they have been working with their administrators, teachers and State Senator Gale Candaras, researching safety in Massachusetts schools. They studied the legislative process, did the legwork to draft a bill (“An Act Relative to Student Safety”), and recently had the chance to present their testimony, on Beacon Hill to the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security.  

“”””””””””””””””””””””If made into law, it would mandate every school district in the Commonwealth to work with local public safety agencies to develop and implement school safety drills for non-fire emergencies including terrorist attacks, chemical spills, weather emergencies, intruders and more. “Lock-down” procedures would be practiced regularly and schools would not only be made accountable for practicing them but also for better communication with local first-responders for developing plans and strategies for several emergency scenarios.

“It is extremely rare for high school kids to file a piece of legislature and make it to testifying in front of the committee,” said Bill Metzger, legislative director for the senator, who has personally been working with the students on this since February 2006.

The students strategized for months planning what they would say in their testimony to the committee, explained Gina Kahn, risk prevention services coordinator of Minnechaug. A critical part of trying to turn a bill into a law, this testimony was the one chance the students had to explain themselves and their idea before the committee made a decision on whether or not to advance the bill.

“They were very strategic in their approach,” Kahn said. “They organized in advance so that each student could focus on one highlight of the bill and it’s significance and they were able to do this in about a 30-second to one-minute time frame.”

Although the committee will decide their next course of action in an executive session, Metzger explained the most likely outcome will be for the bill to be sent to a committee to be researched and developed further. The other possible outcomes include the committee opting to amend the bill before passing it onto the full legislature, pass it on with no amendments and changes or not pass it on at all.

“Our district has been involved in a lot of safety initiatives in the past three or so years and in my mind this was as equally important,” Wilbraham Superintendent of Schools, Paul Gagliarducci, said. “I think it is important that every school in the state has a plan in the case that a dangerous person might come on the school grounds.”

Metzger credited the school on producing students with the ability to grasp the complicated concepts and technical terms of the legislative process as well as the foresight to predict and manage the challenges they faced.

“I think these students did learn that they can make a difference and it’s not always easy because the legislative process is a long and a complicated one but it does work,” Gagliarducci said. “They did get some excellent feedback from the chair of committee. He said they don’t usually get bills of this significance from students and he promised them that there would be serious consideration into the issue.”

“It was a pretty powerful experience to see our government in action and to sense the potential of the students voices in being part of that process,” Kahn added.””””””””””””””””””””””””””””

  

Two years of work is long time… Way to get involved and be persistent! Good luck to those students!

  

Students Take Safety Bill to Boston

By Danielle Paine of the Reminder, Found 2007-06-04  

  

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  And you’re probably thinking… “Wilbraham… why does that town sound so familiar?” Cuz it’s the home of Friendly Ice Cream! Don’t believe me? Drive the Mass Pike west to Springfield and look for this sign on the side of the road… You can’t miss it!  

See y’all next week!

 

Sorry…

Yay! I’m just about to break 22,000 hits!

Sorry, no update this week. I’ve been working on two projects which both need to be at the post office today (as you can probably tell by the time that I’m posting here :P )

Check back next week – wish me luck! – BJ  

Trash and Idols and Wrentham

Hi everyone,

Well, the weather is on the upswing here in Massachusetts… in the 80’s today, and in the 90’s tomorrow. Wowzers!

Our first story comes from Beverly, Mass (where I took the MTELs last weekend). The city disposes their trash at Wheelabrator, but a doubling in price (from $36 to $75 per ton) at the trash incinerator in the last few years has caused Beverly to implement a recycling program which recently implemented a recycling program… and from a financial standpoint, has been tremendously successful.

 

 

    “”””””””””””””””””On March 1, the city began requiring that cardboard be recycled and said that it would not pick up cardboard that was not set aside, flattened and either bagged or bundled with other recyclable material.Since the ban went into effect March 1 trash collections have been reduced 17 percent, according to statistics provided by city officials — and down 13 percent since January. The reduced has saved almost $44,000 in trash-disposal fees thus far this year, when compared to last year. But from the buck-a-bin program, where recycling bins were sold by the city for a dollar, to a requirement that all cardboard be recycled, an effort to increase recycling may start to be showing, said Peter Seamans, who works in the city’s engineering department and is in charge of trash collection.Beginning last March, Mayor Bill Scanlon began pushing increased recycling as part of a proposal to continue the $100 per year trash fee for residences and $300 for businesses. He said the fee would remain the same for two years but that the city needed to recycle more in order to control trash- disposal costs.The cost to collect the trash remains the same — JRM was selected in April by Scanlon to continue to collect the city’s trash and recycling and will be paid $6.4 million for five years.But the amount of trash collected results in a variable bill at Wheelabrator, where the city pays per ton of trash.The reduction in collected trash cut the total bill by $43,820 versus the same time last year.But since February, the savings have average about $15,000 per month versus 2006. Extrapolated over a year, that would mean $180,000 in yearly savings — or 40 percent of the total predicted possible savings from increased recycling.City officials can’t say for sure whether the decrease is an anomaly or instead is connected to an increased push to recycle or forced cardboard recycling. .“It’s still early to call it a victory, but it’s trending in the right direction,” said Seamans.  

Recycling Savings Kicks In

By Bobby Gates of the Beverly Citizen 2007-05-16

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Next up, everyone at work has been talking about the American Idol season finale. Who will win… Blake or Jordin? I’ve actually only seen one episode ever, and that was just a few weeks ago. But for all Idol fans, here is some Idol-Massachusetts news:  Last year’s Idol contestant Aylah Brown of Wrentham, who just finished her freshman year at Boston College, offers here opinions here: 

 “”””””””””””””AB: I’m leaning more toward (Jordin) just based on popularity. Based on people I’ve talked to who watch the show, everyone just seems to say Jordin…She’s so young and “American Idol” hasn’t had a young winner yet, so I think she has a really good shot at being successful.””””””””””””””””””””   

Ayla reveals her ‘Idol’ predictions

BY LAUREN CARTER/FOR THE SUN CHRONICLE 2007-05-22  And the Cult of the Idol reaches western Mass, where music professors and voice coaches Judith Gray of Smith College, Kerry Ryer-Parke of Williams College, and Sherri James Buxton of the Berkshire Music School weigh on on how the show has affected the art of singing.

 “””””””””””””””But beyond all the Hollywood hype of the show, Buxton said there’s some legitimacy to it. She credits it with fueling a renewed interest in singing.“We have definitely seen a big growth in the number of people taking voice lessons since the show began,” Buxton said. “Older people have jumped on, too, wanting to learn how to sing and sing betterShe said her students use the show as a learning tool for what to do and what not to do. “It has validated me, in some ways,” she said. “My students come to me after watching and say, ‘I guess what you were teaching me was right.’ They know what to listen for, and they learn from watching bad entertainers.”When you sing, you need to find your honesty,” she said. “You may have a wonderful voice, but if you don’t know what you’re singing, if you don’t feel the lyrics, it will show.”””””””””””””””””””   

Well, whoever you are rooting for, Blake or Jordin, good luck! 

‘Idol’ inspires local singers

By Benning W. De La Mater of the Berkshire Eagle Staff 2007-05-23 

 Happy Memorial Day, everyone… enjoy the long weekend and the great weather!!! (And I would mention how well the Red Sox are doing, but I don’t want to jinx ‘em!)  

PS> Here’s some Bay State trivia for ya – Wrentham, Mass is the only Wrentham in the country!  

Cure Diabetes – Kiss a pig?!?!

Hi everyone!I realized I haven’t written about the North Shore for a while, so this week’s update brings us up to historic Gloucester. 

Officials there have been working to restore the Dun Fudgin Salt Marsh located located on the Annisquam River behind the Gloucester High School. The marsh had been dug up, paved, and converted into a swimming pool in the 1930’s, but abandoned in the 1970’s. Eventually the area became filled with sediment.

Enter Stubby Knowles, the town’s shellfish warden, David Enos, the high school’s oceanography teacher, and Eric Hutchins, Gulf of Maine habitat restoration coordinator. Four years ago they began to think of ways to restore the deteriorating cement back to a viable ecosystem. Mr Knowles passed away, but with the help of Mr. Enos and Mr. Hutchins, along with an alphabet soup of state and federal organizations, the town tore down the old pool and began to restore the area to its pristine state.   

“”"”"”"”"”"”"”"Clams, worms, periwinkles, fish and wading birds once made the Dun Fudgin area their home; the goal of the project was to bring that life back.

The pool’s location behind the high school meant the project could be localized and provide a terrific outdoor classroom experience for the students … they only had a two-minute walk and they were on site. Students in Enos’ class last fall helped map the area and collect specimens.

Classmate Thomas Lesch, 18, agreed. “It was interesting to see how just a couple of feet down the high tide line revealed more and different organisms. Hands-on learning is definitely more influential than class learning. I can remember more from that one day than any time in a classroom,” he said.

Though the high schoolers were just laborers that day, sifting through mud to measure the sizes of clams, taking latitude and longitude coordinates, recording wind direction and performing specific tasks step by step, there were moments of fun and surprise.

“The bloodworm was pretty cool,” said Ryan Russell, 17. “We didn’t expect to find that. It’s a gooey, kind of nasty, fleshy creature whose head comes out of its body to attack you.” Russell was mum to say if he deliberately dangled a fingertip in front of the worm’s mandibles or not. “We’d lived close to the water forever,” [Iris Quesada, 18] said, “but we’d never stopped to look at what was there.”

“I think the pool definitely needed to come out of there,” Russell said. “It was dangerous. There was exposed rebar everywhere.”

“It will lead to a healthier ecosystem,” added Zach Levesh-Raabe, 18.

After helping out on a project that was carefully watched by so many organizations, the students all said they were pretty happy to have been a part of the process.“”"”"”"”"”"

There is a special dedication ceremony from 10:30 to 11:30 on  Tuesday, May 22^nd at the site of the Dan Fudgin Salt Marsh (behind the Gloucester High School’s tennis courts, near the Dun Fudgin boat ramp).

Students from the high school and the preschool will help to plant 2,600 grasslets, which is the first step in attracting marine life back to the coastal habitat. They will be joined by  “state and city officials, including Mayor John Bell, Rep. Anthony Verga, D-Gloucester, NOAA Deputy Regional Director Chris Mantzaris and state Deputy Secretary of Environmental Affairs Philip Griffiths.”

Bringing a salt marsh back to lifeBy Sam Carter of the Gloucester Daily Times, May 18 2007

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And here’s a great story, one that connects the city of Lowell, Massachusetts across the ocean to the city of Turin in Italy. Michael Darish (blue shirt, photo) was a man in search of meaning in his life. Since graduating from Medford High in 1975, he bounced from job to job and started a few different college programs. Nothing really stuck.

But shortly after enrolling in the Electrical Engineering program at University of Massachusetts -Lowell in 2003, a faculty member from the Assistive Technology Program presented him with a unique challenge. Professor Alan Rux was seeking students to help him design a voice-controlled computer mouse. A family in Italy needed help for their three year old daughter, Anna, who was paralyzed from the neck down in an automobile accident. In class, Rux showed a picture of the three year old, clenching a breathing tube but still smiling.  

“””””””””””””””””””””””Michael Darish was hooked.

“I saw [the] picture, and it kind of got to me,” says Darish. 

Over three semesters, Darish worked to incorporate a voice-recognition chip to write software to create the device, which is about the size of a notebook computer.

While he was [in Rux's lab], he made it so the voice-controlled system would operate a handheld fan, a toy that lights up and blows bubbles, and another toy, and a bear that bangs a drum.

Darish often arrived at his lab station as early as 5 a.m., and spent 10 hours a day there, working on Anna’s device, in addition to his classwork.

Some students headed for beaches during spring break, but Darish went to northern Italy, with videographer Valerie Parker, hired by the university to document the trip. The university paid for the trip, but Darish says, “I was going either way.”

He spent a week there, gradually introducing Anna to her voice-controlled system, tinkering to perfect it.

“She was, being a 5-year-old, a bit apprehensive at first,’ says Darish. “But her father knew just what to do. He says, ‘let’s show your brother.’ And she instantly wanted to know more.”

Anna’s father, Andrea, and mother, Grazia, are engineers for competing telecommunications companies. They grasped the technology. They were “a bit overwhelmed by it all,” says Darish. “And very grateful.”

He may patent the device, and he’s already thinking of other ways to improve Anna’s life.

“As I said to her father, I don’t think this is the end. This is just the beginning.” D

arish will graduate in a few weeks, with a bachelor’s in electrical engineering. He returns for the master’s program in the fall. Those things are for him.

Along the way, he found his purpose. And that was for Anna. “If I never do anything else,” he says, “this was great.””””””””””” 

Now there’s some Yankee ingenuity. Great job, Michael.

His Lab Project: Change a Life

By David Perry of the Lowell Sun 2007-05-18  

Also see: Anna’s Smile Begins a Journey in the UML News

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And now it’s out to Pelham, where elementary school principal Alicia LaFrance treated her students to a rare sight – smooching a hog!

“”””””””””””””During the week of May 11, the school participated in Dollars for Diabetes, a fundraising walk that supports programs aimed at curing and preventing diabetes.

Because the first successful insulin preparations came from cows and later pigs, founders of the fundraising program came up with the “kiss a pig” or “kiss a cow” incentive to encourage student participation, said school nurse Susan Hancock.

LaFrance agreed to kiss a pig during each of the five regularly scheduled recesses if the school reached its goal of $5,000. Organizers were pleasantly surprised when the final count approached $10,000.

Elementary School Principal Alicia LaFrance freshened her lipstick before going in for one last kiss. Diamond the pig was not happy with the unexpected affection. But LaFrance wanted to make sure her students got their money’s worth.

She gently grabbed the piglet’s head and planted a firm smooch on top of it. The crowd cheered in approval.

For more information or to make a donation, call Hancock at (603) 635-8875.”””””””””””””””””””

Principal keeps her porcine promise

By Heidi Smith of the Lowell Sun 2007/05/18

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And finally, our thoughts go out to the family of Spc. Alex R. Jimenez, of Lawrence, who went missing in Iraq over the weekend.  About 4,000 troops are searching for Spc. Martinez and two other missing soldiers in Mahmoudiyah, about 20 miles south of Baghdad.

Zachery Taylor of Andover, who is home on leave after serving seven months in Iraq, sums it up:

””””””””””””””“I wish him luck,” he said of Jimenez. “I hope he gets out of there safely.”””””””””””””””””””””””

Please click here to see the Eagle Tribune Special Feature Page. 

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That’s all for this week, folks… Stay dry this weekend and stay tuned next week for more news of what makes Massachusetts, Massachusetts.    

Pirates Invade the Cape!!!

 

 

Hi everyone,

First, you may notice that for the first time, I am trying comments on my posts. I’m pretty new to the world of blogging, and I’ve never done comments, so I hope they work OK… Feel free to write in with your opinions (or just to say Hi!) 

Second, I hope you are enjoying the warm weather – it reminds us that summer is right around the corner. And summer means ice cream, baseball, and of course, over-the-top, super fun, special-effects-drenched blockbusters. Spiderman 3 is already out, and in a few weeks it will be competing with Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World’s End. Anticipation runs high for the next installment of Johnny Depp’s loveable swaying-and-swashbuckling scoundrel.

Heritage Museum and Gardens in Sandwich brings us even more High Seas Action with a kid-friendly exhibit, “A Short Life and Merry: Pirates of New England,” which runs from May until October.

 “”””””””””“Pirates” brings to life a time when scurvy swashbucklers stormed the seas in and around New England.

”While most folks associate pirates with a certain Caribbean, there was a time when this region’s waters were rife with infamous sea captains, including the likes of Samuel Bellamy, William Kidd, and Edward Teach, otherwise known as Blackbeard.There are plenty of visuals, as well as sound bytes, clips of sea chanteys, and even a special treasure chest that invites patrons to use their noses to determine what the treasure within might be. Money wasn’t the only good they coveted.Kids of all ages will delight in learning about the pirates of New England, and some will even enjoy playing a bit of dress-up. There is a special treasure trunk overflowing with bandannas, topcoats, and tri-corn hats for wee ones to deck themselves in full pirate regalia.Naturally once they’ve donned the proper attire, they will want to set sail on the exhibit’s central focus, an pirate ship with captain’s wheel, spyglass, and a one-time working cannon (safely under glass).Older kids will enjoy discovering how pirate lore affected music, movies and literature such as the stage show The Black Pirate, movies such as Peter Pan and Sea Hawk, and books such as Treasure Island.

A pirate symbol scavenger hunt will keep everyone occupied as they attempt to determine the meanings of the many pirate flags flying from the rafters.”””” 

Exhibit brings out the pirate in everyone

By Kathleen Szmit of the Barnstable Patriot, May 4. 2007

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Our next story brings us to Mattapoisett, where Sarah DeMatos, a recent graduate of Old Rochester Regional High, is organizing a series of concerts to benefit the tiny nation of Swaziland. DeMatos, who is currently studying at Berklee College of Music, visited the impoverished African country in the summer of 2006.  “”””””””What Sarah found in Africa was a country with the globe’s lowest life expectancy and one of its highest occurrences of AIDS. Ancient beliefs and practices have left the country so completely riddled with the HIV virus, that the United Nations has projected that the country will be extinct by the year 2040. As is often the case in pandemics, children are often made to suffer some of the hardest consequences. The United Nations also estimates that because of death or abandonment about 140,000 children will be orphaned. The mortality rate is so bleak that in the average household in Swaziland the head of the house is no more than eleven years of age. It is against this backdrop of hopelessness that Sarah DeMatos found hope. Sarah organized a benefit concert last fall with the help and talents of her classmates raised about $1,000 dollars for [a] children’s home. This weekend she returned home to Mattapoisett promoting the first of what is to be a series of concerts here in the South Coast in conjunction with the Swazi Aid relief fund. The first of show of the series took place on Sunday, April 29 at the Mattapoisett Congregational Church’s Reynard Hall. After taking a few moments to thank the audience for coming and explaining what the task that she and the ABC Ministries were trying to accomplish, Ms. DeMatos introduced soul singer Joy and her band to the crowd. Joy led her six-piece band through a sizzling set of funk-tinged R&B. The singer’s voice is reminiscent of a young Aretha Franklin and she sings with the bold confidence of a seasoned performer. If this show is a taste of things to come, the South Coast is in for some great music this summer in support of a very worthy cause. If you would like to help Ms. DeMatos in her endeavors or would like to find out more information on upcoming Swazi Aid events, please contact Sarah at sarah.dematos@gmail.com. “””””””””” 

Great job, Sarah! What a great cause, and I’ll bet $1,000 can go pretty far over there.

Rock for Africa: Swazi Aid Show Raises Money, Awareness

By Robert Chiarito of the Wanderer, May 03 2007 

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Moving west, congratulations to Harney Academy of Irish Dance in Walpole. Its eight-girl team recently finished second out of 68 teams in the Girls Under-16 category at the Step Dancing World Championship in Glasgow, Scotland.  “”””””The weeklong competition – Oireachtas Rince Na Cruinne – is considered the Super Bowl of Irish step dancing.In an interview last week, [coach] Liam Harney said he was proud of how well his students fared; they faced top-notch competition.“Those are the finest dancers in all of England and Ireland…,” he said.””””””And congratulations to Connor McCarthy (11) and Melissa McCarthy (9) who finished in the top 12 within their solo categories.   

Harney Academy a step above the rest

By Brian DeCesare of the Walpole Times May 04, 2007

(sorry, article removed by Walpole Times! : (

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And finally, please keep Mary Kozloski of Norton in your thoughts. The Walpole Pediatrics nurse lost her husband, Joseph, of 18 years last month to a heart attack he suffered while working as a maintenance man at Boston Medical. To make matters worse, Mr Kozloski had no life insurance, though he thought he did. To make matters worse, Mrs Kozloski suffers from Hodgkins Disease. And to make matters even worse, her chemotherapy treatments have left her legs numbs and feeling dizzy, forcing the sole breadwinner quit her nursing job. Fortunately, the community has gone out of its way to help Mrs Kozloski and her three children, Kathleen, 4, Jared, 11, and Hillary, 15, get back on their feet. “””””””””””””””””Some are friends who long admired Mary and Joseph’s character and integrity; others are complete strangers moved by the family’s plight.As Mary Kozloski spoke of her late husband – taking on extra jobs after the cancer diagnosis, making home repairs, devoting his rare free hours to the kids – Mary Gallagher, longtime friend and former coworker, sat nearby nodding in agreement. “He was working two, sometimes three jobs, working different shifts, so he only had maybe four free hours,” Gallagher said in an earlier phone interview. “But when I came by to visit, you would see him out there, particularly with Jared.”A fellow Norton resident, Gallagher has come by to visit frequently since her friend fell ill, bringing dinners and comfort. She said the entire staff at Walpole Pediatrics, where the two worked together for several years, had pitched in funds to help the family when Mary was first diagnosed.“Mary is the sweetest and most selfless person I’ve met in all my life,” Gallagher said.

She said her close friend frequently went out of her way to help patients and provide support to others undergoing their own cancer therapies.

She recalled Joseph as similarly sensitive. At a local Christmas charity last year, she noted, he declined to take any of the proceeds, saying other families were in greater need.Other residents have also assisted the family. Johnna-Maria Masala, the local YMCA’s program director and a family friend, spearheaded several drives to raise relief funds after Joseph’s death. She said she was extremely impressed with the generosity of the community.Another local woman and attorney, Deborah Mason, took on Mary’s exhaustive set of paperwork for her. Acquaintances and strangers alike have also come by to deliver groceries and other household supplies. Selectmen and school officials have likewise offered their support.Mary said she has seen kindness from less likely sources, as well. One local woman called to offer six month’s worth of COBRA health insurance payments.”A complete stranger,” Mary noted in amazement.
“Nothing anyone says can make us feel better about our loss,” Mary said. “But I am so grateful for all their help, and I want to thank all of them.”As she awaits her upcoming cancer test, Mary said she is praying for better health and a reversal of side effects that have left her hands and legs partially numb.In two weeks, Mary explained, she would return to the hospital for a PET scan to determine whether months of chemotherapy and radiation treatment had completely removed her cancer.“I pray every day that I can return to work,” she said. “I know that God will carry us and get us through it.”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””

Good luck, Mary.

Donations can be made to

The Kozloski Children’s Fund, c/o North Easton Savings Bank, P.O. Box 495, Norton, MA 02766.

Family bearing up with faith   By M. JUNAID ALAM of the Sun Chronicle 2007-05-04

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Well, that’s all the news for now…. Tune in next week for more stories of what makes Massachusetts, Massachusetts.   

Energy in Greenfield, Ukuleles in Worcester

Hi everyone!

Today’s first story comes from Greenfield, Mass., home of Penn (of magician Penn & Teller fame, which is REALLY weird because I JUST watched Friends episode in which he played an salesman selling encyclopedias to Joey) .  It seems environmental friendly, renewable energy is on the lips of every idealist these days. But the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce stepped up the talk by holding a special breakfast for environmental-related companies, with a focus on regional business and development.

“”‘We need leaders in municipal government, commercial and industrial business decision makers and homeowners to help incorporate renewable energy and conservation measures into our lives in meaningful and long-lasting ways,’ said Sandra Thomas of Greenfield-based Northeast Sustainable Energy Association.”"

Some of the topics the panelist discussed were millions of dollars in rebates and grants offered for alternative energy projects, the Wisdom Way Solar Village in Greenfield, and a 1.5 megawatt wind turbine planned for Hancock. Probably most exciting is the launch of a sustainable energy program at Greenfield Community College.

“”"‘In 2015,’ said program developer Teresa Jones, ‘the projection for photo-voltaic installations in this country will explode so much, we will not have enough technicians to do the jobs, and that will be the bottleneck in the industry. Not the silicon or solar panels, but the trained installers who will make the industry successful. That’s all we needed to hear. We said, ‘Yes — now is the time to not only catch this wave, but contribute to something we cared most about.”

Working with businesses, technical schools and other community colleges, GCC is planning to roll out an array of technical courses for area trades workers, people looking for new careers and college students who want to tap into an emerging green economy.

‘I’ve never felt more optimistic about the future of living in Franklin County,’ Jones said.”"”"”

“Power of the green: Eco-technologies expected to charge up local economic life”

By Richie Green of the Greenfield Reporter 2007-04-28

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Our next story comes from Worcester, the Heart of New England. What’s better than the cool, relaxing sound of a ukulele? How about a whole bunch of ukuleles? The Mount Vernon Hotel plays host to Ukapalooza, a gathering of all things ukulele. On the bill are perenniel Worcester performer Bob Jordan and an artist who plays Bruce Springsteen tunes on – you guessed it – a ukulele.

“”"”“There won’t be one serious song,””"”" says musician TJ Peavey.

Organized by coffee house regular “Amazing Dick” Leufstedt, the show is absolutely free. Simply turn up at 7 at the  Ship Room at the Vernon Hotel in Kelly Square.

Maybe Uke Springsteen will play my favorite ukulele song, “Born in the Uke.S.A.” OK, that was bad. Feel free to email me a groan.

It’s Ukapalooza

by Scott McLennan of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette 2007-04-29 

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And finally,

Here are some photos of my cousin Paul and I at the Passion Plunge at Indian Lake in Worcester on February 3rd to benefit the Massachusetts Special Olympics. It was about 40 degrees that morning, as we plopped in one by one into the water via a 15’x15’ foot hole cut by the Worcester Fire Department. The first photo is us waiting in line to jump in; the second photo is Paul in the water – 35 degrees – you can see the ice behind him – Brrr! I think I stayed in about .5 seconds.

Paul and I collected $550 for the Special Olympics; altogether, with the 71 other dunkers, we raised $26,766. Thanks to everyone who jumped in the water and to everyone who donated, you guys are great! :)

 

A Fish Tale

 

 

Hi everyone!

Looking out the window, it seems spring is here, but there has been a chilly breeze all week. Hopefully this weekend we’ll have less wind and more sun. It’ll be nice to finally put away my winter coat!

Last week I wrote about Sgt. Mark Ecker II, who lost both feet in a blast while serving in Ramadi, Iraq.Sgt Ecker is currently recuperating at Walter
Reed
Military
Hospital, and a family member has been with him every day of his stay there. He has been fitted for a right foot prosthesis and will be fitted with a left foot next week.The Springfield Republican, along with Romito & Sons Restaurant, have raised almost $40,000 for the Ecker Family.  

Rotary Club treasurer James A. Rintoul says, “When we first started, I thought if we got four or five thousand, that would be a lot. I think people feel for this family, and the difficulty he’s going to have as time goes along,” Rintoul said. Contributors have come from communities across Western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut, he said. “I think this says a lot about people in this area. When there’s a need, people will give,” Rintoul said.

‘”Contributions and cards can be mailed to the Eckers via the Springfield Republican at:  

Box 2350, Springfield, MA
01102

   

Aid mounts for injured soldier

By MARY ELLEN LOWNEY of the
Springfield Republican March 29, 2007

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In nearby
Springfield, the buzzword is “Solar.” Springfield Technical Community College is set to begin construction on the largest solar energy system in Western Mass. Built with $461,000 in grants and $265,000 from bonds, the project, once completed, will save the college $17,000 a year (the college’s annual energy bill is about $1.1 million). When it is running in the Fall, it will generate 82.3-kilowatts.

I get a little confused when thinking about energy output, so I did a little research to put this into perspective. The average suburban household uses 600-800 kwH of electricity per month. This new system will generate about 1300 kwH during the winter and about 3000 KwH per month during the summer. More information can be found here.

STCC to install Western Mass’ largest solar energy project

By MARY ELLEN LOWNEY of the
Springfield Republican 2007-03-28 

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Our next story brings us down to
Florida, where we find buddies Paul DiMaura and Bob Schroeder becoming legends. On a recent fishing trip with his friend Bob Schroeder to the Keys, Mr Schroeder captured the largest bonefish on record – 16 lbs. 3 oz (the normal size is 8-10 lbs). For region that is known for its bonefish, that’s pretty impressive. After catching the whopper,

“Then it was time to head back to World Wide to fill out the forms required for an application for a world record. It was also time to start basking in the glow of a once-in-a-lifetime fishing experience. The word had gotten out quickly that Capt. Paul and some snowbird had brought in a monster bonefish, and since fishermen instinctively gravitate to wherever they think the action is, a crowd of old-timers had gathered, and most likely a few tall tales were exchanged.But here are the facts. There have been only two other bonefish recorded that were larger than Bob’s, both caught in deep water off
South Africa. Bob will be thrilled if the fish is recognized as a world record, but it might be hard to beat the excitement that built around him last week. He was on a couple of local Keys radio stations, his picture was in the Miami Herald, and the photo of Bob and his fish will be up there among fishing legends on the wall in World Wide Sportsman.

Congratulations to Paul and Bob. When he is not fishing in the Keys, or fishing around
Martha’s Vineyard, Paul lives at home in Chilmark.  “

DiMaura, Schroeder team up for a record

By Whit Griswold of the
Martha’s Vineyard Times 2007-03-29

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And finally, here is a story too fun not to share. Baseball season opens in just a few days, and Gary and Lynn Smith of
Wellesley are so excited they have to go to the bathroom – quite literally. This
Wellesley couple

“…has completely renovated her downstairs bathroom to make it look as though it’s in the middle of
Boston’s famous baseball diamond. The bathroom walls are painted as a Fenway panorama that includes all the park’s major features, including the Green Monster, the giant scoreboard above the centerfield bleachers and the numbers of retired Red Sox players that hang over the right field grandstand. The display even includes an overhead lamp painted like the Hood Blimp that frequently flies over the park.”

As cool as it looks, the bathroom isn’t quite finished yet… The Smiths are still shopping for NY Yankee toilet paper.  

Take me out to the bathroom
By Brad Reed of the Wellesley Townsman 2007-03-27

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Well folks, that’s it for me. Oh, before I forget… Taunton is known as the “
Silver
City” for its silver goods in former days, AND it’s known as the “Christmas
City” for its impressive holiday displays. This week’s quiz:
Springfield’s nickname is the “The City of Firsts.” Can you name two things that have been invented in
Springfield? Good luck!!!

The Silver City

Hi everyone,  

Well, Friday’s snowstorm wasn’t so bad. Now, with the clocks set back and the temperature flirting with the forties and fifties, it looks like

spring is right around the corner. Yay!  

Our first story today comes from Taunton, where Mayor Charles Crowley recently met

with Roberto Manuel Lima Medeiros, vice mayor of the City of Lagoa in Portugal. Taunton has a large Portuguese population, and the two cities are exploring the idea of becoming official sister-cities. Portuguese dignitaries sometimes stop by the city while visiting the United States, and there is a healthy high school exchange program between the two cities.  “”Portuguese culture is part of the fabric of Taunton… There’s a need to embrace it – on both sides.”” Says Crowley.  

“The two mayors agreed to recommit efforts between their two communities, foster cultural and economic ties and promote awareness of local Portuguese history, contribution and culture.”

”With less than 15,000 inhabitants, Medeiros said [Lagoa’s] population has more relatives in New England than in their own hometown.” 

City seeks Sister

RORY SCHULER Staff Writer of the Taunton Gazette 03/20/2007 

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(THIS POST REMOVED DUE TO INCORRECT ATTRIBUTION – SORRY! :P )  

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If a library is a beloved institution in town, then so is the local hair cuttery. However, the all-American barbershop with the slowly red-and-white rotating pole and the as-slowly moving locals is dying out. Where can one go nowadays to get a good, clean shave with a straight-edge razor, but not have to pay Newbury Street prices? In Sterling. Bette Moulton owns Woody’s Barber Shop on Worcester Road. The shop has been cutting hair for over 100 years, and Bette is the fourth generation to take over the scissors. She hopes to get her son into it as well.    Bette, along with newcomer Christina Karsberg charge $11 for their do’s, and the coffee and conversation is free.  “Saturdays are the busiest days, said Moutlon, and the customers aren’t coming in just for the haircuts.. They’ll stop in to the shop for a cup of coffee and some good conversation. One customer said, “Any information you want to know, you can come into Woody’s and get it – all the local news.”Moulton said, “Saturday mornings, we have a coffee club. People come in to see each other and just have coffee. We always have the coffee pot going.””  Sounds like my kind of place!  

Shave and a haircut — 11 bucks
By Patrick Ball March 07, 2007 

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I’m a recent convert to Fast Lane, and I’m a long-time convert to saving money. So here’s some news I really like – the Mass. Dept of Transportation is extending the Mass Pike discount that Fast Lane users enjoy. I drive from Boston to Worcester and back pretty regularly, so that saves me a couple bucks each week. The department has money enough to extend the discount for just a few more months, but lawmakers such as State Rep. David Linsky, D-Natick, and even Gov. Patrick favor making the discount permanent.  The article mentions a Fast Lane saving “25 cents off the $1 toll at the Allston-Brighton plaza and 50 cents off the $3 tolls at the Sumner and Ted Williams tunnels.” My question is,  what about discounts for toll plazas west of  Boston? 

 Transportation secretary supports permanent Fast Lane discount

by the Associated Press – Tuesday, March 20, 2007

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OK, I’m off to Pilates Class. But first, here’s some Massachusetts Trivia. Taunton is known as the Silver City, because of its factories which made silver goods. But Taunton has another nickname as well… know what it is?

     

.