tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49101970253362928072024-02-21T13:15:13.179-05:00-30- A Journalism Blog -30-Here you'll find articles I've written and self-indulgent personal journalistic ramblings. Welcome, and enjoy.Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-84343317576845363642013-03-21T10:48:00.000-04:002013-03-21T10:48:03.432-04:00Public Meda Blog: Post # 5<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Yesterday, the Supreme Court <a href="http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/492401-Supreme_Court_Won_t_Hear_Ivi_Challenge.php?">declined to review</a> a Second Circuit Court of Appeals decision which had upheld an injunction against the streaming TV service ivi.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In plain English, this means the service will essentially be shut down. The Seattle-based service - which sold worldwide access to 28 broadcast signals without asking for permission or even informing the stations - <a href="http://www.current.org/wp-content/themes/current/archive-site/tech/tech1018ivi.shtml">launched in late 2010</a>, and almost immediately drew the ire of public broadcasters like WNET in New York City and KCTS in Seattle.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">WNET and WGBH in Boston were among 11 stations that <a href="http://www.current.org/2010/09/two-major-pubtv-stations-among-11-broadcasters-protesting-content-use-by-ivi/">sent cease and desist letters</a> to ivi soon after its inception, and the service was in legal hot water from the very start.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">According to <i>Broadcasting & Cable</i>, the original injunction (which has been upheld) was based "...<span style="line-height: 18px;">on the grounds that programmers were likely to win their challenge on the argument that ivi was not a cable system entitled to a compulsory license, and that those programmers, which included major studios, networks and broadcast groups, would suffer irreparable harm."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">This fits into the larger trend of b</span><span style="line-height: 18px;">roadcasters battling against what they see as unauthorized or illegal re-use of their signals online, with the <a href="http://www.current.org/2012/03/wnet-pbs-sue-new-streaming-tv-subscription-service-aereo/">continuing legal battle</a> over Aereo - a similar streaming service - as another example.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-50280504958932685122013-02-21T00:45:00.000-05:002013-02-21T00:49:46.069-05:00Public Media Blog, Week 4: Zombies Plague PubTV Stations<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">An unexpected foe arose, well, from the dead this week for several public television stations across the country. For WNMU-TV in Marquette, Mich., KNME-TV in Albuquerque, N.M., and KRTV in Great Falls, Mont., it was an especially spooky Feb. 11.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In what MNMU-TV <a href="http://www.current.org/2013/02/zombie-emergency-broadcast-hoax-on-pubtv-station-blamed-on-overseas-hacker/"><span class="s1">later determined</span></a> was a hack coming from an undisclosed "overseas" source, the Emergency Alert System (EAS) of the various stations were compromised Monday afternoon, and viewers were l<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nc60XPCXrh8"><span class="s1">oudly warned</span></a> - via a robotic voice and an on-screen ticker - that the dead had risen and had started attacking the living.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="s2"><br />
<a href="http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/65439/zombie-eas-hack-attack-hits-4-stations"><span class="s3">According to</span><span class="s4"> <i>TV News Check</i></span></a></span>, the EAS was compromised only because the default password on the stations' EAS had not been changed since installation.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“Quite simply, someone made an unauthorized access to the stations’ firewall and somebody logged into the system using a default username and password,” said Ed Czarnecki, senior director of strategy and regulatory affairs for Monroe Electronics, the main manufacturer of EAS systems across the country. “This is a simple matter of operational security best practices. You have to change your default password on any new device," said Czarnecki.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="s1"><a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/pranksters-scare-montana-residents-zombies-coming-article-1.1261733">As the <i>NY Daily News </i><span class="s5">reports</span></a></span>, KRTV had to personally reassure viewers that "there is no emergency" after the phony alert warned of an impending zombie apocalypse.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The situation may be humorous on a surface level, but after the uproar and turmoil caused by this security breach, one would hope public television stations across the country are making sure that their EAS systems are fully protected and functioning properly. One of public television's most important functions is to broadcast emergency signals and messages to areas under-served by regular cable and satellite TV. </span></div>
Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-28262117319389082232013-02-18T01:31:00.003-05:002013-02-21T14:20:02.897-05:00Public Media Blog, Week 3: PBS Drone Story<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Instead of a usual blog post, this week I bring you my completed story for COMM-425 about PBS and their recent kerfuffle with a <i>Nova</i> program about drone warfare:<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">Not usually the domain of scandal or
controversy, PBS has been exactly that since the Jan. 23 broadcast of an
episode of <i>Nova</i> examining the rise of drone warfare.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">“We always have an eye on PBS,” said Peter
Hart, the activism director at Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), a
media watchdog group. “That night, I noticed people commenting about the
episode on Twitter, and I thought it was curious,” Hart said.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">What Hart and other viewers noticed that
evening was a simple error on the part of <i>Nova</i>: they had failed to
adequately disclose that Lockheed Martin was an underwriter for the episode.
Even worse, Lockheed Martin is a major drone manufacturer. The resulting
fallout has caused hundreds of displeased viewers to write to PBS, and has, in
the opinion of several alternative media experts, shaken the foundation of
public service, independent media that PBS is supposed to stand for.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"> “This particular program would have been
much better off without Lockheed Martin’s support,” said PBS ombudsman Michael
Getler. “It was a good and useful program, but the sponsorship should have been
more clearly identified,” said Getler.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">The program, called “The Rise of The Drones,”
was an in-depth look at the emerging military technology. It featured an
interview with Abe Karem, often dubbed the “father” of the predator drone.
According to Hart, PBS completely failed to mention that Karem’s current
company has a business relationship with Lockheed Martin.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; margin-right: -9.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">Though
the TV broadcast included a brief underwriting message about Lockheed Martin at
the start, that credit was removed from the webcast, and the company was not
credited on <i>Nova</i>’s website for the program. After the ensuing kerfuffle, <i>Nova</i> retroactively
added the credit to the webcast and their website.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">According to Kevin Gosztola, a journalist at
the progressive news site FireDogLake who was the first to write about
the <i>Nova</i> controversy, PBS has a publically stated
three-pronged test for assessing bias. The test determines, first, whether the
underwriter has exercised editorial control, second, whether the public might
perceive that the underwriter has exercised editorial control, and, lastly,
whether the public might perceive that the program is on PBS mainly because it
promotes the underwriter’s products.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"> “Judging by the high-minded and
unusually strongly-worded ethical standards PBS has set for themselves, this is
an absolutely clear-cut violation,” said Hart. “ The question is really whether
PBS believes its own rules – and I don’t think they do,” said Hart.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">Gosztola concurred, and said that the
increasing scarcity of revenue for PBS has hamstrung the public broadcaster. “I
am a supporter and lover of public media, but parts of what PBS is producing
these days can look like propaganda for their sponsors, and that is what parts
of the drone program reminded me of,” said Gosztola.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">According to Getler, the PBS ombudsman’s
office has received just under 1,000 viewer complaints about the drone program
to date. Getler said the number of complaints ticked sharply upwards after
Gosztola and Hart posted critical reports on their respective websites within
days of each other.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">Producers at PBS and <i>Nova </i>reacted
defensively to criticism, writing in Getler’s ombudsman column that “Lockheed
Martin’s sponsorship of <i>Nova</i> is not a violation of PBS
underwriting guidelines,” emphasizing that the corporation had no editorial
input on the program, and stating that PBS takes “our public trust
responsibility very seriously.”</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">“Unfortunately,” said Hart, responding to PBS’
statement, “the appearance of a conflict of interest, according to PBS
guidelines, is, in of itself, a conflict of interest. Just saying ‘we’re <i>Nova</i> and
no one controls us editorially’ is not enough: you have to either not broadcast
the program or change the rulebook, but you can’t just do neither,” he said.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"> PBS, beset by the dual plagues of
declining viewer support and declining government allocation of funds, has
increasingly turned to corporate sponsors and underwriters in recent years for
a reliable stream of income. While many argue this has been a necessary shift
to keep PBS afloat, Gosztola and Hart said this is an action which has also
alienated PBS from its core value of public service broadcasting that is
commercial-free and independent.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"> “PBS is strained for cash, and Lockheed
Martin has a lot of money,” said Gosztola. “<i>Nova </i>has to defend their
donor, and that’s why I think they were so defensive in their reply to
criticism,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">“It’s inevitable; this kind of ethical crisis
is going to happen again. I think PBS likes the philosophical idea of what
their underwriting rules stand for,” said Hart. “They would rather stick with
those rules and deal with the occasional underwriter hypocrisy than work to
find new revenue resources,” he said.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">-30-</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #333333;">Source List</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #333333;">1. Kevin Gosztola (Journalist for FireDogLake.com’s “The
Dissenter”)</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt;">·</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt;">574-261-4465</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #333333;">2. Michael Getler (PBS Ombudsman)</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt;">·</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt;">703-739-5768</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt;">·</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="mailto:ombudsman@pbs.org"><span style="color: #015782; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">ombudsman@pbs.org</span></a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #333333;">3. Peter Hart (Activism Director at FAIR)</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt;">·</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt;">212-633-6700</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #333333;">Supplementary Links</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt;">·</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt;">FDL Post #1: <a href="http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2013/01/24/rise-of-the-drones-is-mostly-a-pbs-infomercial-for-the-military-defense-industry/"><span style="color: #015782; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2013/01/24/rise-of-the-drones-is-mostly-a-pbs-infomercial-for-the-military-defense-industry/</span></a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt;">·</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt;">FDL Post #2: <a href="http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2013/02/04/pbs-ombudsman-drones-program-wouldve-been-better-without-lockheed-martin-support/"><span style="color: #015782; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2013/02/04/pbs-ombudsman-drones-program-wouldve-been-better-without-lockheed-martin-support/</span></a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt;">·</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><i><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt;">Nova</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt;"> page for the drone
program: <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/military/rise-of-the-drones.html"><span style="color: #015782; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/military/rise-of-the-drones.html</span></a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt;">·</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt;">FAIR Post #1: <a href="http://fair.org/take-action/action-alerts/pbs-drone-coverage-brought-to-you-by-drone-makers/"><span style="color: #015782; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://fair.org/take-action/action-alerts/pbs-drone-coverage-brought-to-you-by-drone-makers/</span></a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt;">·</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt;">FAIR Post #2: <a href="http://fair.org/take-action/activism-updates/pbs-ombud-nova-disagree-on-drone-disclosure/"><span style="color: #015782; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://fair.org/take-action/activism-updates/pbs-ombud-nova-disagree-on-drone-disclosure/</span></a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt;">·</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt;">PBS Ombudsman Post:<a href="http://www.pbs.org/ombudsman/2013/01/drones_are_real_so_are_perceptions_1.html"><span style="color: #015782; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.pbs.org/ombudsman/2013/01/drones_are_real_so_are_perceptions_1.html</span></a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-10534106513653394632013-02-07T01:21:00.001-05:002013-02-07T01:22:37.283-05:00Public Media Blog: Week 2<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">On Sunday, Feb. 3, PBS - and its star program, <i>Downton Abbey</i>, went up against the TV ratings behemoth that is the Super Bowl. Surprisingly, the historical British soap s<a href="http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2013/da3-superbowl-sunday/">cored a 4.4 Nielsen household rating</a>, averaging around 6.6 million viewers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Those audience numbers - up 69 percent from the same Sunday last year - were actually good enough to put the program <a href="http://www.current.org/2013/02/downton-ratings-second-only-to-the-super-bowl/">in second place</a> for all of television that night. Meanwhile, the Super Bowl averaged around 108.4 million viewers, <a href="http://www.azcentral.com/business/consumer/free/20130204super-bowl-falls-short-ratings-record.html">down slightly</a> from the record audience drawn in by last year's game.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In addition, PBS struck social media gold during the 34-minute Super Bowl blackout, garnering over 3,500 re-tweets from this post:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR63Paq0h4yq5rvncty5tpMrCVIoaz2mfSoE_Z9fVZQeOkxsqN6DtKct07JgRZCSCU8VC1CcbkjyLmB0hw5wWf4-qW4LZrDXVKw7Aj54HZt-SWNQoqbm5CojL2cDss7lO_-p60cJOHa_E/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-02-07+at+1.07.12+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR63Paq0h4yq5rvncty5tpMrCVIoaz2mfSoE_Z9fVZQeOkxsqN6DtKct07JgRZCSCU8VC1CcbkjyLmB0hw5wWf4-qW4LZrDXVKw7Aj54HZt-SWNQoqbm5CojL2cDss7lO_-p60cJOHa_E/s320/Screen+shot+2013-02-07+at+1.07.12+AM.png" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://paidcontent.org/2013/02/04/pbs-tweet-pulls-superbowl-watchers-to-downton-abbey-how-it-happened/">According to Paid
Content</a></span>, a site that covers online business models, "<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">PBS
was one a handful of brands, including Oreo and Audi, to “</span><a href="http://marketingland.com/oreo-audi-walgreens-market-quickly-during-super-bowl-blackout-32407"><span style="color: blue;">newsjack</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">” the
so-called #BlackoutBowl. These nimble moves on social media typically garner a
flurry of free publicity but it’s unclear how much they change people’s
intention to purchase or watch something."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Judging by the better-than-expected ratings, this tweet may very well have had some impact on the programming decisions of some impatient football fans.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">PBS is not a media outlet known for its hipness, ability to cause a social media craze, or ability to draw big ratings, so Super Bowl night was a bright light for the public television leader on several different fronts.</span></span><br />
Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-64083267793723256292013-01-31T01:49:00.000-05:002013-01-31T01:50:38.640-05:00Public Media Beat Blog: Week 1<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">For my blog this week, I want to discuss the fire that PBS, and specifically the <i>Nova</i> television program, has come under for its Jan. 23 broadcast - "<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/military/rise-of-the-drones.html">Rise of The Drones</a>."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Nova</i> describes the program as an investigation into drones: "...<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 17.265625px;">cutting edge technologies that are propelling us toward a new chapter in aviation history."</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 17.265625px;"><span style="background-color: white;">On Jan. 28, five days after the program had aired, the progressive press watchdog group FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting) came out with a </span><a href="http://fair.org/take-action/action-alerts/pbs-drone-coverage-brought-to-you-by-drone-makers/" style="background-color: white;">report</a><span style="background-color: white;"> criticizing the <i>Nova</i> drone program, most importantly noting that the </span><i style="background-color: white;">Nova</i><span style="background-color: white;"> episode was underwritten by Lockheed Martin, a major drone manufacturer.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 17.265625px;">According to the FAIR report, "</span><span style="line-height: 18px;">The program’s sponsorship tie to the drone industry were never mentioned — though there were opportunities to disclose that relationship."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">According to <a href="http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2013/01/24/rise-of-the-drones-is-mostly-a-pbs-infomercial-for-the-military-defense-industry/">FireDogLake</a>, a collaborative progressive news site, PBS' test for underwriting bias is supposed to cover three areas:</span></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Editorial Control Test</b>: Has the underwriter exercised editorial control? Could it?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Perception Test</b>: Might the public perceive that the underwriter has exercised editorial control?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Commercialism Test</b>: Might the public conclude the program is on PBS<strong> </strong>principally because it promotes the underwriter’s products, services or other business interests?</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The answer to the first test is unclear, but PBS appears to be failing on the other two test measures. According to a <a href="http://www.current.org/2013/01/press-watchdog-group-criticizes-nova-over-drone-coverage-sponsorship/">post</a> at <i>Current</i>, PBS ombudsman Michael Getler had already received over 550 comments about the program as of Tuesday morning, and response from PBS is in the works.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Even more so in public and alternative media, readers expect fair, balanced, and impartial information. The thought of <i>public</i> media news being unduly affected by politics or business connections is particularly slimy for the American consumer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Clearly, though, as revenue sources dry up all around the media landscape, content-producers are increasingly hesitant to turn down scarce sources of revenue. Take, for example, <i>The Atlantic</i>'s recent <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/16/opinion/schafer-atlantic-scientology-ad/index.html">fiasco</a> that came from running a controversial "advertorial" for the Church of Scientology on a prominent spot on their (usually) venerable website.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Media organizations are almost always caught and somewhat shamed by these run-ins with bias and unscrupulous monetary involvement, but, yet, the problems seem to persist. Following why, how, and how often these mini-scandals pop-up will certainly be a worthy topic when considering the problems facing public and alternative media. </span></div>
Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-2505832547483044792011-08-18T16:12:00.005-04:002011-08-29T13:18:37.640-04:00D.A. Drops Charges In Wellesley Prostitution Sting<i>This is part one of a two-part investigative story <a href="http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/news/x919538780/D-A-drops-prostitution-charges-in-Wellesley-undercover-sting#axzz1V2QEIQd2">published </a>in the August 18th issue of The Wellesley Townsman. The stories investigate a undercover prostitution bust made by Wellesley police and NORPAC detectives on Aug. 11, and the subsequent fallout from that bust. The story has since been picked up by WCVB (Boston Channel 5), and can be read <a href="http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/28905384/detail.html">here</a>.</i><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDDvN0zkPDauIMQ24fnSNlfzsX8UE0ss5j71Jjygqd1o-Ja8h1C2xtazUT6hrtyvHCKqwDHQ5KJCmY0CaKMeb9RZbTM9yMIscfx9Iw_Uj9e6uoggf7MHQiJTqEI5bfeDdqQUbWaEZUGbo/s1600/DSCN5769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDDvN0zkPDauIMQ24fnSNlfzsX8UE0ss5j71Jjygqd1o-Ja8h1C2xtazUT6hrtyvHCKqwDHQ5KJCmY0CaKMeb9RZbTM9yMIscfx9Iw_Uj9e6uoggf7MHQiJTqEI5bfeDdqQUbWaEZUGbo/s400/DSCN5769.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A still-existing sign inside 120 Cedar Street advertising the Aroma Spa, an alleged house of prostitution. Photo by Rhys Heyden.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>WELLESLEY, Mass. - - A masseuse was arrested after she allegedly massaged an undercover officer’s genitals during a prostitution sting last week, according to police reports. But late Wednesday afternoon, the Norfolk County District Attorney’s office said the charges had been dropped and the case is no longer pending. They did not elaborate.<br />
<br />
On Thursday, Aug. 11, officers arrested Aiying Qiao, 52, whose only known address is 120 Cedar St., after she allegedly accepted $40 from an undercover police officer to perform sexual services in a “massage” parlor in the building. The building is located just off Route 9, near the newly renovated Cedar Street bridge.<br />
<br />
Qiao was arrested on three counts: engaging in sexual conduct for a fee, keeping a house of prostitution, and having an unlicensed massage/bath house. She pleaded not guilty to all three charges, and was bailed on personal recognizance the next day at Dedham District Court, according to court reports.<br />
<br />
The sting marks the fourth time since 2008 that Wellesley police have busted what they allege is a prostitution operation. In 2008, Wellesley police shut down unlicensed massage businesses on <a href="http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/news/x223000207/Wellesley-police-shut-down-second-massage-business-in-town#axzz1V2QEIQd2">Linden Street</a> and <a href="http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/news/x254742090#axzz1V2QEIQd2">Cedar Street</a> in January and June, respectively. An alleged brothel was also <a href="http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/news/police_and_fire/x1176904041/Wellesley-part-of-illegal-brothel-ring-federal-authorities-say#axzz1V2QEIQd2">shut down</a> on Grove Street in March of 2010.<br />
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<div align="center"><b>The Sting</b></div><div align="center"><br />
</div>According to Wellesley Police reports, Qiao’s arrest was the culmination of a month-long investigation by NORPAC task force officials, who, in July, first noticed a suspicious neon sign advertising “Aroma Spa Massage” in the window of the building.<br />
<br />
NORPAC is the Norfolk County Police Anti-Crime Task Force, a multi-agency unit comprised of police detectives from 15 police departments in Norfolk County, according to its website.<br />
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According to an Aug. 8 online <a href="http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/thp/2536335900.html">posting</a> on craigslist, Aroma Spa at 120 Cedar St. was advertised as a place to “relieve your stress and tension” that had “service in clean, quiet and private rooms.”<br />
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A separate <a href="http://www.rubmaps.com/erotic-massage-aroma-spa-wellesley-ma-8328">post</a> on “Rub Maps,” a website that compiles reviews of “erotic Asian massage parlors,” also listed Aroma Spa at 120 Cedar St. in Wellesley. The site added that the business takes cash only, and listed hours as 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.<br />
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According to police reports, investigating Wellesley Detective Robert J. Gallagher later determined that no massage license existed for the Aroma Spa. On Aug. 11, Gallagher and Detective Domenic Tiberi, a detective working with NORPAC Task Force, devised an undercover operation. That evening, Tiberi made an appointment with Qiao over the phone via the number posted on Craigslist for 5:45 that night.<br />
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According to the report, that Thursday night Qiao charged $60 for a massage, and Tiberi asked if she would “take care of him,”and she nodded yes. Tiberi paid with a pre-marked $100 bill, and Qiao proceeded to give him a 45-minute massage, according to the report on file at the Dedham District Court.<br />
<br />
During the massage Qiao allegedly placed the $40 change on a table, the police report states. After Tiberi gave it back to her, the report notes, she allegedly placed it in her bra and began massaging Tiberi’s genitals. This, the report states, was interrupted by a pre-planned call from Wellesley Det. Gallagher, pretending to inform Tiberi of a family emergency.<br />
<br />
(Tiberi's actions have since been called into question, and you can read the Townsman article <a href="http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/news/x1852621688/Was-officers-conduct-in-Wellesley-prostitution-sting-appropriate#axzz1V2QEIQd2">here</a> that investigates his actions.)<br />
<br />
The report goes on to state that after Tiberi left the building, a cohort of Wellesley and Needham police officers entered the business, recovered the marked bills, and arrested Qiao. She was then taken to the Wellesley police station, processed, and read her rights, the report states.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><b>The Aftermath</b></div><div align="center"><br />
</div>Qiao, who speaks primarily Mandarin Chinese, needed a translator for both her interview with Wellesley police and arraignment at Dedham District Court.<br />
<br />
According to the report, Larry Ng, a local business-owner, served as her translator at the police station. During this time, Qiao allegedly claimed she had no massage license because she only did “bodyworks.” She also had no identification with her.<br />
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Along with signs in the lobby of 120 Cedar St. and keys to the business, Wellesley Police seized six pages of customer record sheets, according to the report.<br />
<br />
If convicted of all three charges, Qiao could have served up to three and a half years in a house of correction and paid a penalty of up to $600. She had a pre-trial hearing originally set for Sept. 9, and would have been represented by attorney Frank DiMento Jr., according to reports from the Dedham District Court.<br />
<br />
The building at 120 Cedar St. is owned by the E. Reynolds Realty Partnership.<br />
<br />
Raymond Reynolds, the owner of the building, declined to comment for this article. According to the police report, officers apprised Reynolds of the situation on Thursday night after making the arrest.<br />
<br />
Phone calls placed to the craigslist number for the Aroma Spa by the Townsman were not returned, although a voice-mail was set up.<br />
<br />
Roy Switzler, of Switzler Realty, was the listing agent for 120 Cedar St. He said he never met the tenant, and the leasing in this case was done by a local co-broker, Marta Malina. The name on the lease was Hong Tao Shao, of Connecticut, Switzler said.<br />
<br />
Switzler said the second floor, where the Aroma Spa was located, had been empty for almost two years, and Reynolds was pleased to finally have a tenant when Qiao moved in roughly a month ago.<br />
<br />
“The [lessee's] background and credit both checked out and she had good references but, evidently, something happened along the way, said Switzler. “It’s just a sad thing, and it’s a total surprise for me.”<br />
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In the report, Detective Gallagher wrote about “ongoing investigations” that started in 2007 among many Norfolk County communities. These investigations have focused on identifying prostitution businesses in the MetroWest area.<br />
<br />
Such businesses have become increasingly common in suburban communities like Wellesley, where detection can be more difficult for law enforcement officials.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">-30-</div></div><i></i>Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-39780730669469821112011-08-18T16:06:00.001-04:002011-08-18T16:47:56.889-04:00Was Officer's Conduct In Wellesley Sting Operation Appropriate?<i>This is part two of a two-part investigative story <a href="http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/news/x1852621688/Was-officers-conduct-in-Wellesley-prostitution-sting-appropriate#axzz1V2QEIQd2">published </a>in the August 18th issue of The Wellesley Townsman. The stories investigate a undercover prostitution bust made by Wellesley police and NORPAC detectives on Aug. 11, and the subsequent fallout from that bust. This part of the story was co-written with Teddy Applebaum, a reporter with The Brookline TAB. The story has since been picked up by Boston Channel 5 (WCVB) and can be read <a href="http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/28905384/detail.html">here</a>.</i><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRMjVgGaI_IF-o2_ba9aPtexIZz3ViY6poHOo4xXgbAo3GsgCAI8XDReZmSxDGbBwWXjAHFW0wFccYLM1LdyOxB7SkW8YTgsFfm0xW6mVlMng2mk6xzCFXaNp9ba4QOtWqpyuWagciQM/s1600/DSCN5764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRMjVgGaI_IF-o2_ba9aPtexIZz3ViY6poHOo4xXgbAo3GsgCAI8XDReZmSxDGbBwWXjAHFW0wFccYLM1LdyOxB7SkW8YTgsFfm0xW6mVlMng2mk6xzCFXaNp9ba4QOtWqpyuWagciQM/s400/DSCN5764.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The building, 120 Cedar Street, that housed the Aroma Spa Massage, where Aiying Qiao was arrested on Aug. 11. Photo by Rhys Heyden.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> WELLESLEY, Mass. - - An undercover officer who allowed his genitals to be massaged by a woman who was the target of a <a href="http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/news/x919538780/D-A-drops-prostitution-charges-in-Wellesley-undercover-sting#axzz1V2QEIQd2">prostitution sting operation</a> may have gone too far, according to a criminal defense attorney.<br />
<br />
Aiying Qiao, 52, who was arrested on Aug. 11 during a prostitution sting at 120 Cedar St., was facing several charges, including keeping a house of prostitution, before the case was dropped late Wednesday afternoon by the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office.<br />
<br />
Peter Elikann, a Boston criminal defense attorney with over 30 years of experience with prostitution cases, told the Townsman that sexual contact like what Domenic Tiberi allegedly allowed is “extraordinarily unusual.” Tiberi is a detective with the Norfolk County Police Anti-Crime Task Force.<br />
<br />
“Generally speaking it’s enough for the alleged prostitute or masseuse to simply solicit and to make the offer,” he said. “Once there is an agreement to commit the crime that’s all that is needed to make an arrest.”<br />
<br />
“There’s absolutely no requirement that they have to consummate the act or that the person has to be touched illegally,” he continued. “In all my years I haven’t heard of an instance like this.”<br />
<br />
According to the police report, Tiberi obtained a non-verbal agreement from Qiao regarding sexual services to be performed, and then paid Qiao $100. After a 45-minute massage, a nude Tiberi paid Qiao an additional $40, which she accepted, and sexual contact ensued.<br />
<br />
Early on Wednesday, before the charges were dropped, Police spokesperson Lt. Marie Cleary said she wouldn’t comment on the incident because it’s department policy not to discuss open investigations. Deputy Chief Bill Brooks, who was involved with the sting, was on vacation. Police Chief Terrence Cunningham defended the operation, saying case law supported it.<br />
<br />
Cunningham said later in the day he had not yet had an opportunity to talk with the D.A.’s office about why the case is no longer pending.<br />
<br />
According to Elikann, generally an undercover officer will simply discuss a desired sex act with the alleged prostitute, and once they reach an agreement, make the arrest.<br />
<br />
And, he said, to avoid claims of entrapment the best practice is to wait for the alleged prostitute to bring the illegal act on his or her own, instead of having the officer raise the idea. According to reports officer Tiberi first breached the idea by asking Qiao if she would “take care of him.”<br />
<br />
“Generally you want the masseuse to be the one to make the suggestion rather then you,” Elikann said. “In all the cases that I’ve seen that’s how it generally works.”<br />
<br />
In fact, for prosecution purposes the officer will generally try to get the suspect to clarify exactly what they plan to do, and for how much it will cost, during that initial conversation, Elikann said.<br />
<br />
“It’s usually put in so many words,” he said. “If the masseuse were to suggest [the act] very subtly at the beginning the police officer will want a little bit more clarification.”<br />
<br />
In summation, Elikann said the situation was definitely odd.<br />
<br />
‘This is a first,” he said.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">-30- </div>Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-33954153401003531042011-08-18T15:53:00.005-04:002011-08-18T15:56:34.562-04:00Mobsters And Losters: Wellesley Duo Launches New Boston Trolley Tour<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>This story was originally published in the August 18th issue of The Wellesley Townsman.</i></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjtc4Y9nAU-v1Sw9eg31Ti4RQjmlbXkXDiT_Y9KqtimL6rDuHhF1MbPB5vwuXZ6E37FQWEhUtPqaoiiKrkX50QpCH5UmwF8zlxD9iUZx5fL2hk5Fw6xxuhQVPyxEX9cB6atYrtzikT0o/s1600/tom+collins.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjtc4Y9nAU-v1Sw9eg31Ti4RQjmlbXkXDiT_Y9KqtimL6rDuHhF1MbPB5vwuXZ6E37FQWEhUtPqaoiiKrkX50QpCH5UmwF8zlxD9iUZx5fL2hk5Fw6xxuhQVPyxEX9cB6atYrtzikT0o/s400/tom+collins.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tour guide Tom Collins with the trolley. Courtesy photo.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">WELLESLEY, Mass. - - Wellesley residents Marcia Weaver and Jack Keating have what seems to be one of those meant-to-be business partnerships, but it took sheer coincidence to bring them together.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The two became friends when their paths serendipitously crossed at South Station. Jack, a locomotive engineer for Amtrak, and Marcia, an entrepreneur with a concierge business at the station, realized they had something important in common.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Keating, who grew up in hardscrabble South Boston in the late 50s and early 60s, had a plethora of gangster stories from his childhood. Marcia was a published author with a passion for stories about Boston’s underbelly. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The two immediately saw the potential for combining their skills. Their first venture, the “Mobsters and Lobsters Trolley Tour,” launches on Aug. 18.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“We tell about 16 stories over the course of a few hours,” said Weaver. “They take place all over the city, and people will get to see the places where a lot of these things happened; the Boston Strangler, Whitey Bulger, Sacco and Vanzetti, the jewel heist at the Parker House Hotel, all that good stuff.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The trolley, which seats 40 and is chartered from City View Trolley Tours, departs from the waterfront Boston Aquarium. The tour ends with an Italian seafood dinner and wine tasting at the Venezia Waterfront Restaurant and Boston Winery in coastal Dorchester (thus the “lobsters” in the title).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tom Collins, another South Boston native, will lead the tours. “He’s worked on a lot of the Boston-made movies, and he has an appropriately gritty persona,” said Weaver.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Weaver wrote the script used for the tour over nearly three years, consulting with Keating frequently about his firsthand stories.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Marcia tells me that I’m her inspiration, growing up in Southie,” said Keating in a textbook Irish Boston accent. “That was a wild time to grow up. The gangsters were who you looked up to.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Keating started shining gangsters’ shoes in bars on Friday and Saturday nights at the tender age of 12. A couple of topsy-turvy years later, he remembers a Boston judge telling him, “Go find somebody in armed forces that’ll take you, or I will.” Jack served in the Navy for 4 years, and put his former life of crime well behind him. Many of his childhood friends, however, ended up running with Whitey Bulger.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“My mother knew Whitey, and thought he was a gentleman and a wonderful man. He was brilliant, and really could have done anything with his life,” said Keating. “It’s sad that he chose the evil side, and I just can’t glorify that kind of criminality.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A portion of every ticket sold for the tour will go to the Dorchester Youth Collaborative, an organization that works to decrease violence in Boston.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “I would say that most of the events that I’ve planned in my life, I’ve tried to do them with a social conscience. It’s good to be helping other people when you’re having a good time,” said Weaver.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Weaver said the tours will run approximately once a week, and that scheduling will be based on demand, which is still an unknown.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“I think there are always interesting stories about the places we live that we don’t really know about. A lot of people don’t know about this stuff about Boston. It was kind of a wild time in Boston, and it’s really amazing how it all turned out,” said Weaver.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">-30- </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The inaugural “Mobsters and Lobsters” Boston trolley tour departs from the Boston Aquarium at 6:30 pm on Aug. 18. The cost of the tour is $99, which includes the price of dinner and wine tasting. For reservations and questions, call (617) 274-4715. </i></span></div>Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-31650068976210210022011-08-18T15:44:00.002-04:002011-08-18T15:56:01.312-04:00Q & A With Jamie Chisum, New Interim Principal at WMS<i>This story was originally published in the August 18th issue of The Wellesley Townsman.</i><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiX0I9ldL4q4yoYUqh-NWORx2wxfSXAi8SRg_K-nxI5w6w6XZgMfRTcl_lB7irki25FxDsk2sgFTg7wKMtm6Yb91SXWUXcnGPGUK_B6pstWJ-kmwYNOnehcGjgMaoGvYyyHh0O6ZDRPrQ/s1600/g32025800000000000093bfacb2c37ee00bb7336bbd89fc40d1ffeacd2c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiX0I9ldL4q4yoYUqh-NWORx2wxfSXAi8SRg_K-nxI5w6w6XZgMfRTcl_lB7irki25FxDsk2sgFTg7wKMtm6Yb91SXWUXcnGPGUK_B6pstWJ-kmwYNOnehcGjgMaoGvYyyHh0O6ZDRPrQ/s400/g32025800000000000093bfacb2c37ee00bb7336bbd89fc40d1ffeacd2c.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jamie Chisum at his new home, Wellesley Middle School. Wicked Local photo by Kate Flock<i>.</i></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Townsman sat down
and caught up with Wellesley Middle School Interim Principal Jamie Chisum
during his preparations for the 2011-12 school year.</i>
<i> </i>
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Townsman: </b>What
was your journey to this position?
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chisum: </b>Well, I’m
nearly 42 years old, and I graduated from college in ’91, so it’s been a few
years. I did a little bit of substitute teaching, I did some track coaching,
and then I went to grad school. I thought I wanted to be a writer, I was
actually studying English at the University of Oregon, but then I decided that
wasn’t what I wanted to do for my career. I moved back to Massachusetts, went
to UMass, and got my masters degree. I taught 9<sup>th</sup> grade English for
5 years at Taconic High School in Pittsfield, then I met my wife, who was
living in Wayland at the time. I decided that commuting all the way from
Pittsfield was too far, and so I looked for a teaching job here. I was really
fortunate to get hired as an English teacher at WHS, which I did for 7 years,
and then I applied to be the assistant principal, and I got that job 6 years
ago. In June of this year, Superintendent [Bella] Wong tapped me on the
shoulder and asked me if I would be interested in serving as an interim here at
WMS, and I said yes.
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Townsman: </b>What
interested you in the interim principal position?
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chisum: </b>I love
Wellesley, I wanted to be a principal, and this opened up and it allowed me to
be a principal and stay in Wellesley, and that really appealed to me. I was
curious, I guess, was the largest thing. I’ve never worked at a middle school
before, and I just thought it was a neat opportunity to learn more.
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Townsman: </b>How has
your summer been? What kind of prep work have you been doing?
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chisum: </b>My summer
has been a lot of learning. I’ve been doing a lot of listening, and a lot of
interviewing of folks because we’ve had a lot of hiring to do. I’ve also had to
learn about this place, learn about this age group, and learn about the people
– where they’ve been, where they want to go, and what they might need from me.
I’m going to continue to do that for a while, the school year is going to start
and I’ll still have a lot to learn.
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Townsman: </b>What
are you looking forward to most about being WMS principal?
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chisum: </b>I’m
excited to work with this age group. The Guidance Director said, you know, what
you need to understand about middle school kids is that some of them still
sleep with stuffed animals. When the 6<sup>th</sup> graders come in, they’re
just bridging the gap. It’s a marked difference and, I can’t help it, it makes
me smile when I just start to think about how eager and curious and cute
they’re going to be. People in this building just love this age group.
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Townsman: </b>What do
you remember of middle school? It’s kind of stereotyped to be a very tough
time, a lot of social problems and bullying and such. Did you have any
particularly tough experiences as a teenager?
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chisum: </b>Middle
school is tough; I remember it being hard and awkward. It was hard to fit in. I
grew up in the Berkshires and I went to this regional middle school where they
combined eight towns into one school. I remember coming in and just being
terrified, this big building and I didn’t know my way around, and all these
other kids knew each other. By the time we were eighth graders, though it
seemed like everybody got along just fine.
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Townsman: </b>What do
you think will be your biggest challenges with this new position?
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chisum: </b>One of
the roles that I have to play is to help this middle school community prepare
for their search for a full-time principal. We’ve got to make sure that this
year isn’t just treading water; people should still be challenged professionally.
We don’t want to take a step backwards.
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Townsman: </b>How
does the whole interim role work? How long will you be here?
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chisum: </b>I could
be the new permanent principal, but that’s not my choice. They’ll have a full
search, and that the way it ought to be. It’s what the middle school deserves,
to cast the net. At the end of the day, if that person happens to be me, then
awesome for me, but it needs to be awesome for the middle school first and
foremost.
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Townsman: </b>What do
you think the main difference will be between the middle school and the high
school?
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chisum: </b>Developmentally,
obviously, the kids are at a different place. It seems to me that [middle
school] is more a time of exploration then the high school tends to be. That’s
refreshing to me.
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Townsman: </b>Are you
still planning on being involved with the track team, as you were at WHS?
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chisum: </b>Oh, I’m
going to be a big fan, but I can’t coach. It’s too much time. What’s crazy is
that I’m also in a graduate program at BC, getting my doctorate and I’ve got three
kids at home. Personally, that’s a very difficult thing for me to give up. I
love coaching track, and I’m going to miss it terribly.
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Townsman: </b>Did
your predecessor, Josh Frank, give you any advice about the position? Are you
trying to emulate any of his initiatives or perhaps looking to make changes?
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chisum: </b>What Josh
told me is that this is a great place with passionate teachers and that the
kids are awesome, he loved the kids here, and I think that would be something I
want to continue to do. The trap, I think, is to get caught up in this office.
There are a lot of important meetings and no one would blame me for spending
lots of time talking to adults, but you need to know the kids. We should never
lose track of that.
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Townsman: </b>How
would you summarize your personal teaching philosophy?
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chisum: </b>I think
I’m a relational teacher and relational learner. That’s why I’ve been wading in
and listening and being as patient as I can this summer. You need to build
relationships with kids. They need to know who you are. It’s the same thing as
a leader, you build relationships first and it’s easier to handle difficult
things. I would also say I try to be proactive, not reactive, and trust is
definitely a big component.
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Townsman: </b>Any
closing thoughts? Have you been able to find your way around the new building?
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chisum: </b>I’d just
add that we’re going to continue and try to be an excellent school. You know, one
of my biggest fears is that some 6<sup>th</sup> grader is going to come up to
me with one of those floor-plan maps of the middle school, and he’ll ask me how
to get to Room 245, and I’ll just have no idea at all. I’m working on getting
to know the building better.</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">-30-</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkY0mnb8Ega9w1NUvOqf3LV2Dv-PSSy9AI36uGvjsrt59BZn_b_BEHThwY9JcBt9XECLLFc-Itl5bQNUWUXrQ5ni_t4Cn_SmXU1qbBKXpgybIOgYrvCwCUDZHHQWAowbC2W2-WpO7v6Lw/s1600/g3202580000000000008ac7522211113676b16c628cceb4e2b6a6901d7b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkY0mnb8Ega9w1NUvOqf3LV2Dv-PSSy9AI36uGvjsrt59BZn_b_BEHThwY9JcBt9XECLLFc-Itl5bQNUWUXrQ5ni_t4Cn_SmXU1qbBKXpgybIOgYrvCwCUDZHHQWAowbC2W2-WpO7v6Lw/s400/g3202580000000000008ac7522211113676b16c628cceb4e2b6a6901d7b.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jamie Chisum discusses his future at WMS in an Aug. 15 interview with the Townsman. Wicked Local photo by Kate Flock. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div>Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-20804910090103287852011-08-18T13:24:00.003-04:002011-08-18T13:28:03.331-04:00Longfellow Pond, Wellesley Industry, And A Mysterious Gravestone<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>This story was originally <a href="http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/features/x1852621537/Longfellow-Pond-Wellesley-industry-and-a-mysterious-gravestone#axzz1V2QEIQd2">published</a> in the August 18th issue of The Wellesley Townsman.</i></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN8vFZNIEFsSjBt3sjsz7GYWeuLTpYR2V_JymLkVbRFUoP2VHjs-B9iXSO-8IWX3vUmdQ3N8_cBT-DGDDKDYwhyM9zYW15CY6GK4C92Ed02N2HL3PFmcp7uuhrjkff55w3Z9scP5tqz5w/s1600/DSCN5736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN8vFZNIEFsSjBt3sjsz7GYWeuLTpYR2V_JymLkVbRFUoP2VHjs-B9iXSO-8IWX3vUmdQ3N8_cBT-DGDDKDYwhyM9zYW15CY6GK4C92Ed02N2HL3PFmcp7uuhrjkff55w3Z9scP5tqz5w/s400/DSCN5736.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mysterious Hastings burial plot by Wellesley's Longfellow Pond. Photo by Rhys Heyden.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0.1pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">WELLESLEY, Mass. - - Today, Wellesley’s Longfellow Pond is a tranquil spot crisscrossed by hiking trails, where the most prominent residents are a flock of quacking ducks.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">However, back in the mid-1800s, the pond was the closest thing Wellesley had to an industrial epicenter.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Over 170 years ago, the pond area was home to the Charles Tetti Nail Factory, a Crane Paper Mill, and an icehouse that used the pond for ice during the winter months. All of these businesses are gone today, and the sole remaining testament to the area’s residents is a mysterious gravestone marking the “Hastings Burial Plot.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Why is the gravestone there, and what does the Hastings family have to do with anything?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0.1pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>1815-1870</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0.1pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">According to Beth Hinchliffe, Wellesley’s town historian, Longfellow Pond was an artificial millpond created in 1815. Hinchliffe said the nearby paper and nail factories ran off waterpower from the pond.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Back in the early 1800s, Wellesley (then West Needham) was a very sparsely populated farming community,” said Hinchliffe. “Aaron Hastings was one of the first settlers who was drawn to the area by this small industry. The Hastings family was very prominent in West Needham, and actually dates back to the Revolutionary War.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">According to Hinchliffe, Hastings built a homestead next to Longfellow Pond in 1833, and lived there for many years. Nathan Longfellow bought the Crane Paper Mill in 1836, and the pond was subsequently named after him.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">As the railroad came to Wellesley and other businesses began cropping up, all the industry around the pond gradually died out, and was completely gone by around 1870.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0.1pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>1870-1940</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sometime during this period, Aaron Hastings passed away, though it’s unclear exactly when. According to Janet Bowser, director of Wellesley’s Natural Resources Commission, Aaron’s son, John Hastings, also took up residence in the homestead.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">The area was no longer an industrial center, and the woods began to reclaim much of the area surrounding the homestead. John lived in the crumbling house until he passed away in 1930. Later, the house burned down.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Town of Wellesley purchased the homestead during the 1940s, adding its acreage to the now-200-acre Town Forest, which was designed for recreation and aquifer protection.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0.1pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>1940-2011</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">When the homestead area was designated part of the town forest, the woods began reclaiming the old house in earnest. Today, the stone foundation of the Hastings homestead is barely visible and completely ensnared in poison ivy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0.1pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Still surviving, however, is a more-recent stone that was placed there in the 20<sup>th</sup> century, with the inscription, “Hastings Burial Plot, 1837.” According to Bowser, it is unknown who exactly is buried at this site, but it is likely the final resting place of one or more Hastings family members.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Hastings name lives on today in the form of Wellesley’s Hastings Street, home of Fiske Elementary School.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The clearing where the gravestone has been placed. Photo by Rhys Heyden.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-18723361737817901802011-08-11T11:09:00.001-04:002011-08-11T11:09:25.541-04:00On A Mission: Seven Members of Sherborn's Pilgrim Church Complete PMC<i>This story was originally <a href="http://bit.ly/oiSUw9">published</a> in the August 11th issue of The Dover-Sherborn Press.</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All seven members of the Pilgrim Church's Pan-Mass Challenge team. Photo courtesy of Pastor John Hudson.</td></tr>
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SHERBORN, Mass. - - This past weekend, seven parishioners from the Pilgrim Church in Sherborn rode the 163 miles from Wellesley to Provincetown in the 32nd annual <a href="http://www.pmc.org/">Pan-Massachusetts Challenge</a>, raising money for loved ones afflicted by cancer.<br />
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Riding on the team helmed by Pilgrim Church Pastor John Hudson were parishioners Carol Austin, Jeff Moore, David Boyles, Don Spongberg, Steve Solomon and Brooks Zug.<br />
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“For me, riding in the PMC was all about converting my faith into action. I was using muscle and bone to make love real, and raising funds for a very important cause,” said Hudson.<br />
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“I’d have to say in many ways, it was a ride of a lifetime. Given my age and so forth, the ride was something I had always wanted to do. I wasn’t sure whether I could make it, but I did it. I just had a terrific time,” said Steve Solomon.<br />
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Hudson, who had been training with his church’s team since April, was riding for three women from his congregation affected by cancer. He attached a laminated picture of them and glued it on his bike, using it as inspiration to get through the tougher stretches of the race.<br />
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Solomon was riding for former Pilgrim Church Pastor Ken Powell, who succumbed to cancer in 2007, as well as two family members who had been affected by the disease.<br />
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The Wellesley-to-Provincetown route is designed to take two days, and the Pilgrim Church team rode for 7 1/2 hours on Saturday and seven hours on Sunday.<br />
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“By the end of the day, your legs and backside are sore. But you can’t get off the bike, you just have to keep going,” said Hudson. “It’s about endurance. I’m far from a world-class athlete, but I can push through the pain.”<br />
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On Sunday morning, the Pilgrim Church team hit a low point. Exhausted from the previous day’s ride, they were forced to rise at 3:30 a.m. to get into place at Sunday’s starting point, the Mass. Maritime Academy. As they left the house where they were staying, it was raining heavily.<br />
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“We were just dreading being on the bikes for seven to eight hours in the pouring rain,” said Hudson. “All of the sudden, the rain just stopped. There was this big, dark cloud looming the entire seven hours, but it didn’t rain one drop. Literally as soon as we finished, the skies opened up.”<br />
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“As John would say in his ministerial way, that was our PMC miracle,” said Solomon. “We’re looking forward to doing it again next year.”<br />
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This year, the Pan-Mass Challenge featured roughly 5,100 riders and had a fundraising target of $34 million, all of which will be donated to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Also riding in the PMC were seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, and U.S. senators John Kerry, (D-Mass.), and Scott Brown, (R-Mass.)<br />
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The following list is a compilation of all Dover and Sherborn participants in the Pan-Mass Challenge: <br />
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Dover Riders: Kit Beaudouin, Mark Beaudouin, Susie Caspar, Joan Davenport, Thomas Davenport, Benjamin Dawson, Klarina Donoghue, Andrew Epstein, Elizabeth Freeman, Michael Hanley, Robin Hauck, Steve Hauck, Carol Hollingsworth, Val Hollingsworth, David Kasparian, Lisa Kasparian, Bob Kelly, Holly Kelsey, P.J. Kelsey, Adam Liebhoff, Alan Lisbon, Robert Litle, Gilbert Menna, Michael Menna, David Mittelman, Michele Mittelman, Douglas Novitch, David Perini, Michael Picard, Stephen Pratt, Ted Saraceno, John Shue, Matthew Stover, Payson Swaffield, Tom Swaffield and Marko Zatylny.<br />
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Sherborn Riders: Carol Austin, Matthew Bergstresser, Chris Decker, Anthony Downs, Robert Eckert, Jonas Geiger, Sandra Geiger, Margot Hahn, Daniel Holland, John Hudson, Naomi Kooker, Dave Morris, Patrick Olski, Robert Rosenthal, Steven Solomon, Dan Sunderland, Danny Sunderland, Bill Thornton.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">-30- </div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br />
</div>Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-14904776170723826422011-08-11T10:55:00.003-04:002011-08-11T11:01:49.973-04:00No Shoes, No Sleep, No Problem: 2nd Annual Wellesley Barefoot Soccer Event Kicks Into Gear Aug. 19<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>This story was originally <a href="http://bit.ly/rlmWXF">published</a> in the August 11th issue of The Wellesley Townsman.</i> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last year's event at 1 a.m, the seventh consecutive hour of soccer. Photo courtesy of Peter Diana.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>WELLESLEY, Mass. - - Last September, around 250 soccer enthusiasts ran and kicked their way through 24 consecutive hours of chaotic barefoot soccer at Wellesley’s Hunnewell Fields.<br />
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This year, organizers say they are gearing up for an event they hope will be even larger, crazier and more fun.<br />
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The event, which will run from 6 p.m. on Aug. 19 to 6 p.m. on Aug. 20 at the Hunnewell Fields on Route 16, will likely feature celebrity appearances by players from the New England Revolution and Boston Breakers. All proceeds will go to support Grassroot Soccer, a nonprofit organization that “uses the power of soccer to educate, inspire, and mobilize communities to stop the spread of HIV,” according to its website.<br />
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“Every participant makes a donation to Grassroot Soccer and then plays for as long as they want. Some people play for an hour or two, some play for much longer,” said Peter Diana, one of the event’s founders.<br />
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Last year, the inaugural event was hampered by the absence of Labor Day vacationers, and Hurricane Earl, which delayed the proceedings. That event still drew roughly 250 attendees, so the organizers are hoping for well over 300 this year. Their fundraising target is $15,000.<br />
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Grassroot Soccer encourages participants to play barefoot, in solidarity with African children who are unable to afford shoes. The 24-hour idea was Peter Diana’s creation, which he jokingly described as, “the stupidest thing about all of this.”<br />
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“It’s fun to be playing with friends, but [playing barefoot] is not something that I would usually do. I think it’s more the symbolism and the novelty of it,” said Owen Diana, a rising junior at WHS, Peter’s son, and member of the WHS varsity soccer team.<br />
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“I think playing barefoot allows for a game more based on skill and flair rather than one based on fitness and physicality, which is great. The game is very laid back, and there are a lot of different ages playing,” said Lee Wickham, also a rising junior at WHS and a soccer player.<br />
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Owen Diana and Wickham estimated that they played for 12 or 13 hours nonconsecutively last year. Michael Youniss, a high school friend of theirs, set the record when he played last year for 17 consecutive hours, from about 7 p.m. to noon the next day.<br />
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For a $25 minimum entrance fee, all participants receive either a green or yellow “24 Hours of Barefoot Soccer” T-shirt indicating their presence on one of two teams. They then play for as long as they wish. There are many pickup-style games of various sizes, speeds and talent levels on four different fields for the entire 24-hour duration.<br />
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Three main families – the Dianas, Wickhams and Speers – run the event, and the organizers expect an influx of additional volunteers this year. This will allow most of the staff to get at least some sleep amid the 24-hour mayhem, which was a near-impossibility last year.<br />
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The event is also sponsored by a number of local businesses this year; they will provide everything from food to coffee to tents for the participants.<br />
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“For me, the most rewarding thing about this event is just seeing it happen. It started with the sort of goofy idea, and this was just something Owen and I thought of and talked about, and then it happened, and it was amazing,” said Peter Diana.<br />
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“It think it’s really nice to see how the passion for soccer than Owen and I have can be transmitted into something good for the world that makes a difference,” said Wickham.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">-30- </div><br />
<i>The second annual “24 Hours of Barefoot Soccer” event will take place at the Hunnewell Fields starting at 6 p.m. on Aug. 19. You can register online at <a href="http://www.24hoursofsoccer.com/">www.24hoursofsoccer.com</a>. For more information about Grassroot Soccer, please visit <a href="http://www.grassrootsoccer.org/">www.grassrootsoccer.org</a></i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">24 Hours Of Barefoot Soccer's exhausted organizers at the conclusion of the 24th consecutive hour of soccer last year. Photo courtesy of Peter Diana.</td></tr>
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</div>Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-33015728373321983172011-08-04T12:38:00.004-04:002011-08-05T14:00:56.200-04:00Behind Bars: Dedham Cops Jail Citizens For Charity<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><i>This story was originally <a href="http://www.dailynewstranscript.com/news/x181928615/National-Night-Out-Dedham-residents-behind-bars-for-a-good-cause#axzz1UB8fESWs">published</a> in the August 4th issue of The Dedham Transcript.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Retired Police Chief Mike Weir interrogates 95-year-old "convict" Joe Pagliucia at the Dedham Police Department's "Jail and Bail" Fundraiser on Tuesday, August 2. Photo by Rhys Heyden.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i> </i> </div><div class="MsoNormal">DEDHAM, Mass. - - With a stern gaze and an unrelenting gavel, Mike Weir deals out ice-cold justice in his black judicial robes. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Suddenly, the intimidating judge is laughing uncontrollably.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“This is just too much,” said Weir, throwing his hands up in the air. “You’re free to go.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Thankfully, justice is not the primary goal of this court. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On the afternoon of Tuesday, Aug. 2, the Endicott Estate was transformed into a makeshift court, and prominent Dedham citizens played the role of criminals. It was all part of the Dedham Police Department’s “Jail and Bail” Fundraiser, where all profits went to support participating Dedham civic groups.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Weir, Dedham’s retired police chief, played the role of judge with aplomb, jokingly berating and interrogating a constant stream of “convicts,” all of whom had to pay bail in order to be freed.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Participating groups included the Oakdale Square Alliance, the Mother Brook Community Group, the Dedham Square Circle, and Manor Neighborhood Watch Group. The Police Department raised around $1,000 at this event.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">First up to be questioned was Ziad Greige, owner of the Tedeschi Food Shop on Cedar Street.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Whaddya think he’ll give us?” asked Weir.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“You gotta figure at least a slush or a coffee or something,” joked current Dedham Police Chief Mike d’Entremont.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Weir and d’Entremont agreed to charge Greige with a violation of the wholly imaginary “meal tax.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Greige, as it turned out, was in a generous mood. Clad in a convincing Norfolk County Correctional orange prison uniform and less-convincing plastic handcuffs, Greige offered up $400 for the Dedham Square Circle and his release.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“You see, here’s a man who really understands the seriousness of his crimes,” cracked Weir. “You’re free to go.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Off to the side of the judge, a pack of jovial Dedham cops take turns busting each other’s chops. Lieutenants Bob Nedder and Mark Black, as well as Chief d’Entremont, are responsible for transporting the convicts to and from the Endicott Estate, but they still find time to reminisce about last Sunday's softball game.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The conversation stopped whenever a new convict entered the Endicott Estate. After all, the serious business of taking <a href="http://www.dailynewstranscript.com/news/x555041716/Dedham-residents-behind-bars-for-Night-Out-fundraiser">mugshots</a> in the estate’s mock-jail area was vital to the whole operation.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“You’ve got to make sure and get the profile shot,” explained d’Entremont. “That’s very important.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The court’s final convict is, perhaps, its most entertaining. 95-year-old Joe Pagliucia, affiliated with the Oakdale Square Alliance, eagerly recounted a list of his imaginary crimes to Judge Weir.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Did you bring any bail money with you?” asked Weir.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“I certainly did,” said Pagliucia. “By God, you do make a good lookin’ judge.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Case Dismissed!” roared Weir, clutching his sides in laughter.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">-30-</div>Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-85318060080176119722011-08-04T11:09:00.000-04:002011-08-04T11:09:03.008-04:00How Does Wellesley Handle All Those Coins From Parking Meters?<i>This story was originally <a href="http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/features/x555038943/How-does-Wellesley-handle-all-those-coins-from-parking-meters#axzz1TzFgSWIJ">published</a> in the August 4th issue of The Wellesley Townsman.</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trevor Clark on the job in Wellesley. Photo by Rhys Heyden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>You feed the meters and hustle away, hoping to get your errands done fast enough so you don’t find a ticket on your windshield when you return. But what happens to all those coins piling up inside the meter? Who collects them and counts them?<br />
<br />
<strong>Who?</strong><br />
<br />
Wellesley contracts this business to Dunbar, a security company that handles all of the collections from meters. The meters are made by Duncan Industries of Harrison, Ark.<br />
<br />
In Wellesley, Dunbar driver/guard Trevor Clark is responsible for servicing all of Wellesley’s approximately 700 meters. He collects coins from Wellesley’s three designated meter areas – Lower Falls, Square, and Hills – every week on Tuesday. The town has 470 on-street metered spaces and 240 parking lot metered spaces.<br />
<br />
<strong>How?</strong><br />
<br />
Clark travels around Wellesley with his rolling cart, owned by the town, which has an intake slot for the sealed collection can of each meter. The cart has a detachable inner container that fills with coins. Clark has to unlock and empty every meter manually. The money is behind several locked layers of security at all times, and never even sees the light of day until it reaches Dunbar’s secure counting room. The location of the room is a well-kept secret. Clark said it takes him seven to eight hours to complete his rounds on a typical day.<br />
<br />
Clark also collects from the nine “pay and display” machines at various Wellesley parking lots, which are more sophisticated than meters. Five of those nine machines are located in commuter rail parking lots.<br />
<br />
“Dunbar collects, counts, sorts, and deposits all of the meter money,” said Terry Connolly, Wellesley’s Deputy Director. “They’re very efficient, and there’s much less risk of fraud then there would be if a town employee handled the collections.”<br />
<br />
<strong>How Much?</strong><br />
<br />
According to Connolly, the town collected $300,000 in revenue from its 710 meters in the 2011 financial year (July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2011). That revenue number does not include money paid to Dunbar for collection/counting services.<br />
<br />
Extrapolating, that means the town takes in roughly $25,000 from meters per month, and approximately $6,250 per week.<br />
<br />
Put another way, if the town has 710 meters and we assume that all meters are used equally, each meter averages roughly $423 per year in revenue, which breaks down to $35 per month and $8.80 per week. It costs 25 cents to park for one hour in most metered spots.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">-30- </div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trevor Clark and his cart stroll down Washington Street. Photo by Rhys Heyden.</td></tr>
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</div>Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-36861665183301423062011-08-01T12:53:00.005-04:002011-08-08T11:23:29.418-04:0037 Years And Counting: Walpole's Cheryl Cavanaugh Keeps On Swimming<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><i>This story was originally <a href="http://www.wickedlocal.com/walpole/sports/x1314057734/Hall-of-Fame-swim-Coach-Cavanaugh-pools-Walpoles-resources?img=2#axzz1TnFoZx9k">published</a> in the July 28th issue of The Walpole Times.</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walpole Barracudas and Walpole High Coach Cheryl Cavanaugh (left) keeps track of the score in a recent win over Dedham. Wicked Local photo by Keith Lewis.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">WALPOLE, Mass. - - In 1974 - when Richard Nixon still occupied the Oval Office and Muhammad Ali was preparing for The Rumble In The Jungle - Cheryl Cavanaugh started coaching swimming in Walpole.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">37 years later, she’s still going strong.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
Cavanaugh, 54, has coached Walpole’s age group team since 1974, started Walpole High’s girls and boys swim teams in 1989, and spends 11 months out of the year teaching boys and girls from 3 to 18 how to swim.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Cavanaugh was WHS’ Coach of the Year in 2010, and was inducted into Walpole’s Hall of Fame earlier this year.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Sometimes, I feel like Grandmother Swim Team,” said Cavanaugh, with a chuckle.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In a cramped office at the old Walpole town pool, walls adorned with countless photos of her swimmers and loving thank-you messages, Cavanaugh held court on a recent scorching Friday afternoon.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Swimmers and lifeguards of all ages constantly popped their heads into her office: asking her questions, cracking a joke, or commiserating about the heat. Cavanaugh, extremely tan and sporting a swimmer’s signature chlorine-frizzed blonde hair, doled out one-liners and sage advice in equal doses.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“I’ve been swimming since I was seven years old, when I joined the Walpole age group team. I don’t know what I’d do without it, I’ve been doing it forever and it’s just part of my life,” said Cavanaugh, who is a Walpole lifer and WHS graduate.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Cavanaugh coaches the Barracudas (the age group team) in the summer while also serving as the town’s Aquatics Director. In the fall, she’ll coach the girl’s high school team. The Barracudas then have a second season that goes from October to March. April is her one and only month off, and she spends it in Florida.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Perhaps most of all, Cavanaugh deserves credit for thriving in a sport up against some fierce competition and obstacles.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Walpole does not have a regulation swimming pool, so the high school team is forced to carpool to Blue Hills Regional School in Canton, where they hold practices and meets. Swimming also takes place in the fall athletic season, meaning Cavanaugh has to wrest her swimmers away from WHS’ über-popular field hockey and soccer teams.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“I have some great swimmers that play field hockey or soccer instead. It’s unfortunate that it’s not my sport, but we wish them luck,” said Cavanaugh.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Despite all this, the team features anywhere from 22 to 30 girls, and has won back-to-back Bay State titles in addition to being three-time Herget champs. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> “When one of my girls make state or sectional cutoff times, you know, when they reach their goals, that’s where I feel the most achievement and pride,” said Cavanaugh.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Cavanaugh has high hopes for her team this fall, as they have a history of success and will feature 12 seniors. Standing in their way is chief foil and archrival Framingham, who has spoiled the team’s postseason runs repeatedly.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For the future, Cavanaugh wants to continue coaching all of her teams, and hopes for improved swimming facilities.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“I dream about a pool at WHS. I ask the A.D. all the time – “Is this the year you’re gonna put my pool in?” He laughs, but I keep hoping,” said Cavanaugh.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">-30-</div>Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-74856283461469960672011-07-28T16:27:00.002-04:002011-07-28T16:32:58.260-04:00Wellesley High School Grads' Documentary Examines Race Relations In Hometown<div class="entry-content"><i>This story was originally <a href="http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/news/x1314055298/Wellesley-High-School-grads-documentary-examines-race-relations-in-hometown#axzz1TMYltDqe">published</a> on the front page of the July 28th issue of The Wellesley Townsman.</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve Cameron (left) and Jake Sobol (right) goof off for the camera. Photo courtesy of Jake Sobol.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i> </div>WELLESLEY, Mass. - - After 18 years of feeling simultaneously comfortable and alienated in their hometown of Wellesley, WHS graduates Jake Sobol and Steve Cameron decided to make a film that expressed those conflicting emotions.<br />
<br />
The result, a 79-minute documentary called “<a href="http://www.vimeo.com/26678574">A Conscious Effort</a>,” painstakingly filmed and edited over a six-week period for their senior project, was released online on July 20, where it received more than 50 views in one day.<br />
<br />
“Basically, this film is an examination of racial dynamics stemming out of what we’ve seen in Wellesley conducted through interviews,” Sobol said.<br />
<br />
“I would say it’s a study of race relations in the suburbs, asking a variety of different people and getting different opinions,” Cameron said.<br />
<br />
Although Sobol and Cameron are two (self-professed) privileged white kids from the suburbs, they say their interests and opinions run contrary to those espoused by most of their peers.<br />
<br />
“So many kids want to be just like what they have here in Wellesley and don’t want to stem out or do anything different,” said Sobol.<br />
<br />
After taking an African-American Studies class together in the fall of 2010, they said it was a logical extension for them to examine race relations in Wellesley for their senior project.<br />
<br />
“We decided to make something that would help the African-American Studies class, more than just a narrative film,” said Sobol.<br />
<br />
The film features lengthy interviews with several past and present METCO students, students and teachers from WHS, and Selwyn Cudjoe, a professor of comparative African-American literature at Wellesley College.<br />
<br />
“I don’t think what makes it good is that we’re particularly great filmmakers, there’s just a lot of good content with the interviews. It did its job,” Cameron said.<br />
<br />
The lion’s share of the filming and editing took place from April 4 to May 18. Sobol and Cameron had to cut it down from the over seven hours of film they initially collected.<br />
<br />
The film centers on a few key themes: white privilege, defining “the Wellesley community,” and a debate on what best represents “the real world.”<br />
<br />
“I don’t think Wellesley is an unreal world, I just think it’s a world that not many people ever get the chance to see or live in,” said Grant Hightower, a special education teacher at WHS, during his interview in the film.<br />
<br />
“In the end, you don’t really know anything. You can never be prepared for the real world. We had to admit that there’s a certain type of racial dynamic that we’ll never understand,” Sobol said.<br />
<br />
Sobol and Cameron said they constantly have to toe the line between living in Wellesley and feeling alienated there.<br />
<br />
“My friends are my home, of course. My house is my home, of course. But the town that surrounds it, I don’t feel at home there at all,” said Sobol. “That being said, I’ll admit, I own a pair of Sperry’s.”<br />
<br />
“It’s a very comfortable place to live and it’s very easy to get in that bubble. However, I think any kind of isolated environment like Wellesley isn’t really conducive to having a nice, well-rounded personality,” said Cameron.<br />
<br />
Sobol, who will attend Hampshire College in Amherst this fall, plans to study filmmaking and radical politics. Cameron will head to Emerson College in Boston, where he’ll study radio production.<br />
<br />
Their documentary can be seen online at: <u>http://www.vimeo.com/26678574</u></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">-30-</div></div>Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-90538483107014012592011-07-28T12:30:00.000-04:002011-07-28T12:30:14.099-04:00Yellow Dot Program Will Help Seniors, EMS Workers In Emergencies<div class="entry-content"><i>This story was originally <a href="http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/news/x1217538079/Yellow-Dot-program-is-coming-to-Wellesley#axzz1TMYltDqe">published</a> on Page 4 of the July 28th issue of The Wellesley Townsman.</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Yellow Dot. Photo courtesy of NCSO.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i> </div>WELLESLEY, Mass. - - On July 12, Norfolk Country Sheriff Michael G. Bellotti announced the launch of his new “Yellow Dot” program, designed to help both senior citizens and emergency medical personnel in the event of an automobile accident.<br />
<br />
Bellotti described the Yellow Dot program as a natural extension of his “File of Life” program, which encourages senior citizens to place an index card with their crucial medical information in an accessible place.<br />
<br />
The yellow dot will simply signify that the owner of the vehicle has a File of Life in their glove compartment. Files of Life had previously been primarily kept inside a person’s home.<br />
<br />
“This program will provide greater security for our seniors,” said Bellotti. “It will also help inform medical personnel in an emergency situation, so they can provide the proper care and attention. Seniors are living longer and more independently, and we need to provide them with these types of programs so they can have a better quality of life.”<br />
<br />
The File of Life includes information about allergies, medications, and any medical conditions that the owner of the vehicle may have. A photo of the person is also included, in order to eliminate any confusion if someone else is driving the car.<br />
<br />
Both programs are voluntary, but the sheriff’s office claims to have distributed over 90,000 Files of Life, and expects to distribute many more for new automobile placement.<br />
<br />
According to David Weber, Communications Director at the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO), the yellow dot is about three to four inches in diameter and should be affixed to the rear windshield of the car. It is designed to be highly visible but not block the driver’s vision.<br />
<br />
“It’s really not a major expense, it comes out of our budget, and it’s funny that a program that’s based entirely on a sticker and a card of info is still the best way to communicate with emergency care provider in this technological age,” said Bellotti.<br />
<br />
The Yellow Dot program is already being piloted in Cohasset, and Bellotti plans to roll the program out in towns across Norfolk County this summer. In Wellesley, the program will be introduced at the Aug. 19 meeting of police/fire officials, the Council on Aging, and NCSO officials.<br />
<br />
Bellotti admitted that it might be difficult to get seniors to sign up for a program that can seem to single them out.<br />
<br />
“You know, my dad is 88, good luck getting him to sign up for this,” said Bellotti. “We really need to educate folks – this is a program that helps people.”<br />
<br />
<em>You can find out more about the Yellow Dot program and other NCSO initiatives at: </em><a href="http://norfolksheriff.com/programs/"><em>http://norfolksheriff.com/programs/</em></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><em>-30- </em></div></div>Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-13326487928421261402011-07-28T12:00:00.005-04:002011-07-28T15:32:46.692-04:00Serendipity<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The triumphant journalist. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I thought I'd switch things up a little bit today, and talk about a personal experience instead of just re-posting an article I'd already written.<br />
<br />
In my experience, being an intern at GateHouse Media is mostly a slog - budget meetings, interviews, writing stories, editing stories, decoding the office argot, sitting at your cubicle pretending to work, spinning around aimlessly in your office chair - all that difficult stuff.<br />
<br />
What makes this job ultimately pretty cool is the unexpected little moments of insight or surprise that break up the monotony. I had one of these moments earlier this morning.<br />
<br />
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my editor at the Dedham Transcript/Norwood Bulletin, Andrea Salisbury, approaching the intern cubicles. Usually, this means that she's coming over to give me edits or a new story assignment - not necessarily bad things - but work nonetheless.<br />
<br />
Then, I noticed something odd. Andrea appeared to be holding a floral greeting card.<br />
<br />
I adopted what I think was a look of cautious optimism, but may have resembled one of constipation<br />
<br />
"In all my years at The Transcript," said Andrea, "I've only ever had two thank-you notes from readers. This is the second."<br />
<br />
I laughed. <br />
<br />
Turns out, I had a big fan. Sean Roche, who was a source for my <a href="http://rhysjournalism.blogspot.com/2011/07/turkeys-run-amok-in-dedham.html">story</a> about wild turkeys run amok in Dedham's Harmony Hill neighborhood, graciously decided to thank me personally.<br />
<br />
His note reads:<br />
<br />
<i>To the staff at the Dedham Transcript, the residents of Harmony Hill in Dedham offer our deepest thanks, for your generous help with our turkey problem. The turkey's (sic) are still here, the Animal Rescue League came, (we're sure thanks to you), and Animal Control is on board with a plan. Many thanks. - - Sean Patrick Roche</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
Although it was assuredly not my muck-raking-est story, I was delighted to hear that something I had written had improved the lives of the people on this street.<br />
<br />
Andrea told me that I should keep the note, and I plan to display it somewhere prominent. <br />
<br />
Changing the world, one turkey article at a time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOHJZFP6t6HeF70K09rmnknxU6fxZv5qXObDmepTsFOTqAPIyn-3da3rin26oevQLa0uL6mZlJweJdAWpovJC7f7GuF3VrFqe1PQXsprKlf5DHAKV2Bxt1eSphJXJHQ1vTbxthKrmqh4/s1600/Photo+on+2011-07-28+at+11.31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOHJZFP6t6HeF70K09rmnknxU6fxZv5qXObDmepTsFOTqAPIyn-3da3rin26oevQLa0uL6mZlJweJdAWpovJC7f7GuF3VrFqe1PQXsprKlf5DHAKV2Bxt1eSphJXJHQ1vTbxthKrmqh4/s320/Photo+on+2011-07-28+at+11.31.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The note.</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">-30-</div>Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-56093278222487189502011-07-22T14:45:00.005-04:002011-07-27T18:27:33.008-04:00Foam-Covered Kids Enjoy Norwood Tradition<i>This story was originally <a href="http://www.wickedlocal.com/norwood/news/x371603900/Foam-covered-kids-enjoy-annual-event-in-Norwood#axzz1SrQGe4qF">published</a>, center and above the fold, on the front page of the July 22nd edition of The Norwood Transcript and Bulletin.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK16JoCrQgY7n4Hf8wCmyljEjjppKV62N5XLo0c7umxlkXpEGMxopnDpT37m5i77iUecwJSCwH4uSBUyv872gyLAbXuHchcPauEuCtVU0vpKjUeXFsZza8elmY4yk539iB23t8lkZ9ZOU/s1600/g2e22e20000000000009c70afa64a560f798b4d0a92a70af0a1d1ab1f56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK16JoCrQgY7n4Hf8wCmyljEjjppKV62N5XLo0c7umxlkXpEGMxopnDpT37m5i77iUecwJSCwH4uSBUyv872gyLAbXuHchcPauEuCtVU0vpKjUeXFsZza8elmY4yk539iB23t8lkZ9ZOU/s400/g2e22e20000000000009c70afa64a560f798b4d0a92a70af0a1d1ab1f56.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Norwood Firefighter Mike McCarthy operates "The Bazooka." Wicked Local photo by David Gordon.</td></tr>
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<div class="m10t cleafix"><div class="float_l m5r dateline" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">NORWOOD, Mass. - - On a sunny Friday morning Joey Barry, 8, dove headfirst into a massive, undulating blob and emerged grinning from ear to ear, his entire body outlined in foam.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="entry-content"><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Awesome!” he declared, and so began the annual Foam Day celebration in Norwood on July 15.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The woman behind the magic, Norwood firefighter Jennifer Gover, dressed in heavy-duty rubber waders, stood hip-deep in the blob.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“It’s so fun to watch the kids, they really seem to enjoy running around in the foam,” said Gover, who volunteered specifically for this shift.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Perched on the side of Norwood Engine 3, Gover patiently explained the mechanics of the foam contraption – appropriately nicknamed “The Bazooka” – to a group of kids, the technological details going right over the frosty-topped heads of her young audience.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The blob itself is roughly oval-shaped, and grows to be about 50 feet long and 30 feet wide.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A circle of smiling parents and tentative youngsters surrounded the blob, which inevitably created a game of sprinting out of the blob, covered in foam, to slather up the foam-averse. Little trails of foam spiral out of the blob in all directions as lasting evidence of these mini-missions.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“This is crazy,” yelled one exuberant, foam-covered boy.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“I didn’t even recognize you, silly,” chastised his mother, who cleared the bubbles off his face. He immediately plunged back into the melee, rendering her efforts practically for naught.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As the bazooka starts to wind down, the kids divided into two camps.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hailey Roberts, 9, and others carefully rinse off all traces of foam in a shower protruding from the back of the fire engine. Their male compatriots, however, determinedly plunk down in the middle of the shrinking foam blob.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“I don’t want to leave,” said one boy.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“I’m finally clean, so don’t touch me,” Hailey said.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Eventually, the foam gets downright grimy, and even its steadfast supporters have to leave it behind, reluctantly.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“It’s a simple concept that kids really enjoy,” said Linda Berger, Recreation Program Director for the Town of Norwood. “You can just see it in their faces.”</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Appropriately, most faces on this day were covered in foam.</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">-30-</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZGpcpGqNEafGJEMksU6KP-YmClJ4ID3yKgkiSM3EuyzOoLedZOQprff0sN3TAoEgGE4PFpOG4jq7UsC8XCYAKXgHLHH5ZSW6rEsco32v_kKJeP6Spz9xusvEbibsWP5yUgtyFGMG6CI/s1600/g26c2e2000000000000ce34df1492e9ad698066aac2fa849d8b0afec34a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZGpcpGqNEafGJEMksU6KP-YmClJ4ID3yKgkiSM3EuyzOoLedZOQprff0sN3TAoEgGE4PFpOG4jq7UsC8XCYAKXgHLHH5ZSW6rEsco32v_kKJeP6Spz9xusvEbibsWP5yUgtyFGMG6CI/s400/g26c2e2000000000000ce34df1492e9ad698066aac2fa849d8b0afec34a.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maggie Curran, 8, emerges from the foam pit covered head to toe on Friday afternoon, July 15, 2011 during Foam Day. Wicked Local photo by David Gordon. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div></div></div>Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-36386735006473707672011-07-21T10:51:00.001-04:002011-07-21T10:52:14.514-04:00Working On A Miracle<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><i>This story was originally <a href="http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/features/x920800489/Wellesley-resident-helps-Miracles-win-National-Senior-Games-womens-basketball-title#axzz1Sf7Gmh2T">published</a> in the July 21st issue of The Wellesley Townsman.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8o2jkjNcVbSJ7HOEIgF985cieNwOPi1oQuYOA53RorMR0fbkVhCzHbCPbkAkzqJgFVKckdFd8UI95XlClH2bgIok4NPE1y0GjUnWZNvILh0BAz8WkmoZVNJIvLanrUfj2m21L4VW_Ls/s1600/g2e22e2000000000000cce99de6bf07e400982326d76dfd3b4c488a0124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8o2jkjNcVbSJ7HOEIgF985cieNwOPi1oQuYOA53RorMR0fbkVhCzHbCPbkAkzqJgFVKckdFd8UI95XlClH2bgIok4NPE1y0GjUnWZNvILh0BAz8WkmoZVNJIvLanrUfj2m21L4VW_Ls/s400/g2e22e2000000000000cce99de6bf07e400982326d76dfd3b4c488a0124.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Massachusetts Miracles' Barbara Cherecwich, left, sets a pick on Wellesley's Jane Mooney, center, for Colleen Barton, right, during Saturday's practice at Regis College in Weston. Wicked Local photo by Sean Browne.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><i> </i> </div><div class="MsoNormal">WELLESLEY, Mass. - - The Massachusetts Miracles senior women’s three on three basketball team started out with two basketball novices and one registered cyclist competing in the 2006 Massachusetts Senior Games. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Five years later, the Miracles are national champions.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On June 19, the team founded and coordinated by Wellesley resident Jane Mooney defeated the Colorado Long Shots, 39-26, to claim the gold medal in the 50-plus age bracket at the 2011 National Senior Games in Houston.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The five members of the championship team are Barbara Cherecwich of North Attleboro, Kris Krablin of Stow, Megan Ladd of Stoneham, Tina Quick of Winchester, and June Walton, from East Hartford, Conn.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“It was fabulous,” said Krablin. “I think it his you more a week later. It was really a great time, especially as we were getting into the last few minutes of the game. For me, I’ve been playing in sports for a very long time, and this is the first time I’ve won a championship.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Though winning the gold was a thrill for these athletes, they have now directed their competitive fire toward securing greater awareness for their sport, long neglected by the general public, and doubly handicapped by the age and gender of its participants.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Team</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Miracles, made up of roughly 20 New England women all over the age of 50, come to the game of basketball from almost every conceivable angle. Krablin, for example, grew up with a hoop in her backyard, was a star athlete in high school and college, and says the game is “in her blood.” Mooney, on the other hand, never even played sports or picked up a basketball until she was over 50.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“We come from all different walks of life,” said Mooney. ”We have lawyers, teachers, all kinds of professional women on the team, and they all come together on the basketball court. It’s an exciting thing.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The team actually consists of women who participate in two different age brackets, 50-plus and 55-plus, and Mooney said the Miracles are currently building a 6o-plus team too. The Miracles play in 8 to 12 State Games up and down the East Coast every year and, of course, the National Senior Games, which happen once every two years. The women practice together at Regis College in Weston once a week.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Krablin described the 50-plus team’s style of play as very aggressive and centered on a ferocious defense that tries to take advantage of the transition game inherent in three on three, half-court play. Madeline “Mal” Lannin-Cotton, who plays in the 55+ bracket, said her team is still working on developing a distinctive style of play, but works well together, utilizing a lot of screens and pick and rolls.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Miracles’ 55-plus team, which has nine members, including Cotton and Mooney, placed 7th out of 18 teams at the same Houston games, which Cotton described as a “great accomplishment.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Game</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Miracles have no delusions of grandeur. Mostly, they play for sparse crowds at modest events, and even have to cover their own travel expenses for tournaments. All that said, many members of the team feel that the attention and awareness that they receive does not match up with the increasingly high level of athleticism and competition they see in their sport.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“It’s sort of this hidden thing,” said Mooney. “There are a lot of people involved in this and until you become a part of it you don’t realize how much activity there is in this sport at the senior level.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Senior athletics should absolutely get more coverage. The effort that the athletes put in, you’re sometimes talking about athletes in their eighties and nineties, it’s just phenomenal. We need to find ways to make it more visible. Many of us really just stumbled on this. I was 53 when I heard about it,” said Krablin.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">When Title IX was enacted in 1972, it opened up funding and thus greater awareness and participation in women’s high school and college athletics. Many of the current members of the Miracles just missed the effects of Title IX, but they are seeing younger women filtering in nowadays that have been playing sports competitively for their whole lives. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“I think that women’s basketball has progressed tremendously in the past few years” said Krablin.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Gold, and The Future</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Though the 50-plus segment of the Miracles were undefeated, both in pool play and the medal round, the games were not without intense moments.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Miracles downed their archrivals, the Maine Triple Threat, by a score of 42-30 in the first round. The Miracles also defeated teams from Arizona, Texas, Arkansas, Nevada, and Tennessee en route to their first national championship.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Only a few weeks later, the Miracles are back at work, practicing together for several hours a week during the summer.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Of course we’re practicing,” said Mooney. “We have tournaments in the fall and we don’t want to get rusty. Plus, we have a championship to defend.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You can find out more about the Miracles' run to the title, and the National Senior Games, which featured over 10,000 athletes this year, at <a href="http://www.nsga.com/">www.nsga.com</a>.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miracles work on their shooting at Saturday's practice. Wicked Local photo by Sean Browne.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">-30-</div>Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-83915489402181917432011-07-20T12:12:00.002-04:002011-07-20T12:14:03.138-04:00The Legality of Credit Card Minimums/Maximums<i>With a dazzling headline like that, how could you not read this entire article? All kidding aside, I contributed research to this article which was primarily written by Townsman reporter Julie Balise. It was originally <a href="http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/features/x920796158/Can-merchants-impose-minimums-or-maximums-on-credit-card-purchases#axzz1Sf7Gmh2T">published</a> in the July 14th issue of The Wellesley Townsman.</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Laws surrounding the use of credit cards can be quite murky. Photo courtesy Flickr.</td></tr>
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WELLESLEY, Mass. - - It’s been a year since the nation’s leaders approved a sweeping financial overhaul bill aimed at improving the country’s fiscal stability. One change prevents credit card networks from inhibiting merchants’ ability to set minimum or maximum purchase requirements.<br />
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Known as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the nearly 900-page law includes sections on financial stability, real estate, hedge funds and credit cards. One change applying to credit card networks prevents them from setting minimum or maximum purchase requirements.<br />
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Minimum purchase requirements cannot differentiate between credit card issuers and must not exceed $10, according to the act.<br />
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Previously, credit card issuers prohibited merchants from setting such minimums or passing transaction fees onto customers.<br />
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A Townsman survey of 13 Wellesley shops showed that many continue to abide by the old regulations. Eleven did not implement a minimum charge requirement for credit cards. One required a $10 purchase, and stated so on a sign. Another required a $5 purchase.<br />
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Quebrada Baking Co. of Wellesley Hills tried to implement a minimum purchase requirement years ago, said Catering and Events Manager Katy Curtin. The minimum upset a lot of people, she said, and appeared to be in violation of credit card regulations.<br />
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Eliminating the requirement has worked well for them.<br />
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“We’re a small business and we were trying to expedite things,” she said. “It’s more expeditious to just to take the card no matter the amount.”<br />
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The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act’s section allowing merchants to use credit card minimums appears on page 698 within section 1075.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">-30- </div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br />
</div>Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-23486911469939443352011-07-15T14:35:00.012-04:002011-07-15T16:58:35.881-04:00WIld Turkeys Run Amok In Dedham<div class="m10t cleafix"><div class="float_l m5r dateline"><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>This story was originally <a href="http://www.dailynewstranscript.com/news/x327788939/Wild-turkey-fix-eyed-for-Harmony-Hill-in-Dedham#axzz1S71577P0">published</a> on the front page of the July 14th issue of The Dedham Transcript.</i></span></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpNCw6ppcSlY2nawHSe1IBdnpGokudkZOuZh0kLIaChVA6d4_I3ReDQw4Ccb6bQ6cM3RqAlyvHA24kPSI6iMnGll4gz31Li_h2RRP6xEHLQ2Im5C1HiemczBniEStgDXrCfJRo3vONtI/s1600/-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpNCw6ppcSlY2nawHSe1IBdnpGokudkZOuZh0kLIaChVA6d4_I3ReDQw4Ccb6bQ6cM3RqAlyvHA24kPSI6iMnGll4gz31Li_h2RRP6xEHLQ2Im5C1HiemczBniEStgDXrCfJRo3vONtI/s400/-1.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wild turkey struts around near a road in Dedham's Harmony Hill neighborhood. Photo by Robin Heyden.</td></tr>
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<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">DEDHAM, Mass. - - Four months remain before Thanksgiving, but the turkeys have already arrived on Harmony Hill. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">No one, however, is feeling particularly thankful.</span></div></div><div class="entry-content"><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Much to the dismay of residents, motorists, and animal control professionals, a small flock of wild turkeys has taken up residence in this quiet, residential corner of Dedham adjacent to I-95 and Washington Street.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“It’s been really bad,” said Harmony Hill resident Sean Roche. “The biggest (male) turkey was in front of my back door the other day, and I couldn’t get out of the house. I tried scaring it away by making noises with my iPhone, but that didn’t work. Eventually, I had to use my dogs to scare it away, which I hate to do.”</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Roche estimated the size of the flock to be around four with several poults (young turkeys), and said the turkeys show very little fear of humans or cars.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“They have been causing commotion in the Washington/Harmony Hill intersection for over a month,” Roche said.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Animal control authorities are now involved in Harmony Hill’s turkey situation, and trying to resolve the problem without ruffling too many feathers, according to town officials.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Typically, turkeys don’t pose much of a problem,” said Dr. Andrew Cartoceti, a veterinarian at the New England Wildlife Center. “They’re usually spooked by humans, so this is perplexing for us as well.”</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Last Saturday a representative from the Dedham Animal Rescue League and Christina McKee of Dedham Animal Control tried to capture the turkeys for over an hour. McKee said they plan on returning with more volunteers later this week to make a second attempt. Once captured, they plan to release the birds in a more secluded, wooded area.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“The single biggest thing you can do to get rid of turkeys is actually to minimize the factors that attract them to an area,” Cartoceti said. “That means no feeding, because these animals will pick up on patterns and recognize food-rich areas.”</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Roche said he knew someone who was feeding the birds in the surrounding neighborhood, which he thinks could be the root cause of the problem.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“As much as possible, we encourage people not to directly interact with wildlife and enjoy the animals from a safe distance,” Cartoceti said.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“I trust Animal Control, and I just really want to see this resolved,” Roche said.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">MassWildlife has compiled an exhaustive <a href="http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/wildlife/facts/birds/turkey/turkey_faqs.htm">list</a> about dealing with wild turkeys, here are a few tips adapted from that list that Dedham residents should find helpful:</span></div><ul style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;"> Get rid of any bird feeders or shiny objects in your backyard. Both of these things attract turkeys.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"> Don’t let turkeys intimidate you. Don’t hesitate to scare or threaten a bold, aggressive, or territorial wild turkey by spraying it with a hose or making loud noises.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"> Do not allow turkeys to become habituated to people. Wild turkeys that become conditioned to human foods and/or habituated to people are likely to cause damage or to attempt to dominate people.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"> Remove or secure all potential sources of food away from the reach of turkeys.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"> Call Dedham Animal Control at 781-751-9106 if turkeys become problematic in your neighborhood.</span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">-30- </span></div><ul></ul></div></div>Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-58214443260638611202011-07-05T14:29:00.005-04:002011-07-15T15:04:19.479-04:00Wanted: A Home<i>This story was originally <a href="http://www.dailynewstranscript.com/news/x1721560946/Want-a-cat-Stop-by-the-Dedham-branch-of-Animal-Rescue-League#axzz1RFxN9Kfc">published</a> on the front page (!) of the June 30th issue of The Dedham Transcript. It was co-written with Tyler Baldwin, a fellow intern at GHMNE.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfY6FOtVCG0Vi7rDEOIw4MWeOEyY00eRW6xPuzJfBto-8m2mpVkj5TfZhDRiD73asQuKBQ8ijxytz95vgs_xNsBVUJ7HeKHDcPFVKrSsuzoybAErGsIvMISNRWFlzI5a7rJBVKrb95apw/s1600/g2e22e200000000000069322866d6277d9efcb2df301dd8bdf717f7b637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfY6FOtVCG0Vi7rDEOIw4MWeOEyY00eRW6xPuzJfBto-8m2mpVkj5TfZhDRiD73asQuKBQ8ijxytz95vgs_xNsBVUJ7HeKHDcPFVKrSsuzoybAErGsIvMISNRWFlzI5a7rJBVKrb95apw/s400/g2e22e200000000000069322866d6277d9efcb2df301dd8bdf717f7b637.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dedham branch of the Animal Rescue League of Boston is stressing the needs for cat adoptions before it undergoes renovations. There are currently 18 cats, including this one, ready for a new home. Photo by Tyler Baldwin. <br />
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</tbody></table><div class="m10t cleafix"><div class="float_l m5r dateline">DEDHAM, Mass. -- Eighteen pairs of cat eyes stare out behind the bars, hoping to find their next owner. Managers at the Dedham branch of the <a href="http://www.arlboston.org/site/PageServer?pagename=new_homepage">Animal Rescue League of Boston</a> share this wish.</div><div class="entry-content"><br />
“These last two weeks have been really slow,” Lisa Lagos, branch manager said on a recent Tuesday afternoon, “Now is the time we really need (foster parents).”<br />
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In mid-July the Pine Street facility will undergo a $2.7 million-facelift. During this time, Lagos said, the animal storage capacity will be cut in half.<br />
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The building will be closed during renovations, but the center will remain functional. Animals ready for adoption will be transferred to customized trailers in Dedham, and surrender animals will go to the shelter’s headquarters in Boston, according to Jennifer Wooliscroft, director of communications for the league.<br />
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The shelter is currently a temporary home for 18 cats, seven dogs, two guinea pigs, one pig, one horse, and one parrot. Some animals that aren’t adopted will be sent to other shelters, a process, Lagos said, the shelter would like to avoid. Others will be moved to a 25-foot by 60-foot trailer, where space will be limited.<br />
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“Adopting will help us have a much smoother transition to our new home. Most of the animals that are left have been here the longest; they are our ‘lifers.’ They need a home the most,” Ashley Arseneau, livestock liaison for the branch, said.<br />
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Arseneau has been working with the Animal Rescue League for 6 years. She said in that time she’s experienced may different cases.<br />
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“For me, the best part of the job is when we get law enforcement cases,” she said. “These are severely neglected animals, skin and bones, and we run this re-feeding program to get them nourished. It is a 24-hour shift, and I love doing that and then finding them homes.”<br />
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Lagos joined the league right out of college 17 years ago. She said her work is, “really meaningful. There’s a sense of satisfaction.”<br />
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The Dedham shelter is currently experiencing what Lagos described as the “summer doldrums,” the recent roadwork and construction detours on Dedham’s streets has kept many prospective adopters away.<br />
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Despite the lull in business, the facility buzzed with activity last Tuesday afternoon. Several families browsed the building’s cat wing, while others strolled about the kennel, all amidst the noise of more than 25 animals that inhabit the small building.<br />
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Outside is open and quiet. A large red barn, spacious livestock enclosures, and a wooded pet cemetery occupy a hilltop along with the central facility and offices. Come mid-July, the area will be transformed into a construction zone and the remaining animals will be relocated.<br />
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“How many people have brought us a stray cat or dog, and we helped you out? Please come full circle and help us out now by adopting in our time of need,” said Beth Finn, assistant manager of the branch. She’s been with the league for almost 10 years. “If people adopt them out, then we can take them in. It’s contingent upon our public,” added Lagos.<br />
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The facility at 238 Pine St. is open for pet adoptions from 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and noon to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Potential adopters must fill out an application and interview with staff member before bringing the pet home. Necessary paperwork and information can be found at <a href="http://www.arlboston.org/" target="_blank">www.arlboston.org</a>.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">-30- </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifI8bKGQVLtzUlPPxgX31Dp49BIqUQ_9mHEL1gtX515W5Ial0WLyrkQ5CDjy386Yng8XmWqzTaH3Y4N10XFWTs2p4-uIXrNVCuR80_JzsS2voZo9jDEQ25d-cnVaiShxYuzsfwlLjDuAY/s1600/g2e22e2000000000000b9a0fd81e5b825d02eaf567a0ff838e2e6b8fa39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifI8bKGQVLtzUlPPxgX31Dp49BIqUQ_9mHEL1gtX515W5Ial0WLyrkQ5CDjy386Yng8XmWqzTaH3Y4N10XFWTs2p4-uIXrNVCuR80_JzsS2voZo9jDEQ25d-cnVaiShxYuzsfwlLjDuAY/s400/g2e22e2000000000000b9a0fd81e5b825d02eaf567a0ff838e2e6b8fa39.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Tyler Baldwin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div></div><i></i>Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-36559070450851892532011-06-27T17:43:00.003-04:002011-07-05T14:36:11.662-04:00Wellesley Student Reaches 20,000 From Attic<i>This story was originally <a href="http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/news/x438680580/Wellesley-student-reaches-20-000-listeners-from-his-attic">published</a> in the June 23rd issue of The Wellesley Townsman.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkqqez6CSJk2LGa7M0dkvGXwQbV_y-QBuY-I058-WcVb5aQgcjNwPXVrCcXz4ZpsejsrAiGeCZGPMQ9cYyUyEjaouHjB9BeXhk8Po78VPBtjiwx_r6IcRlifa6JyvjJVVBg3V5TmSQ_o/s1600/DSCN5344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkqqez6CSJk2LGa7M0dkvGXwQbV_y-QBuY-I058-WcVb5aQgcjNwPXVrCcXz4ZpsejsrAiGeCZGPMQ9cYyUyEjaouHjB9BeXhk8Po78VPBtjiwx_r6IcRlifa6JyvjJVVBg3V5TmSQ_o/s400/DSCN5344.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris Ulian (a.k.a. Chris Herlihy) records his show in his attic studio. Photo by Rhys Heyden.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">In the attic of a quiet, picturesque Wellesley house, up two curvy flights of stairs, amid a sea of Legos, and opposite a foosball table, Chris Ulian, 15, is recording a radio show that will reach 20,000 unique listeners.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Suffice to say, Ulian’s age and appearance belie his occupation. Ulian, who records under the alias <a href="http://www.facebook.com/officialchrisherlihy">Chris Herlihy</a>, has a passion for music that he has parlayed into a weekly online radio show, currently simulcasted by two British stations, “<a href="http://offthechartradio.co.uk/">Off The Chart Radio</a>” and “<a href="http://www.musicxray.com/profiles/2001">Galaxy 24/7</a>.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Unlikely DJ</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Though Ulian is unfailingly modest about his success, it’s rather remarkable that this rising sophomore at WHS has snagged such a prime gig after sending demos to radio stations for the first time this January.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“I don’t watch a lot of TV. I have a satellite radio in my room that carries a station from England called BBC Radio 1. That’s something that I listened to a lot. After I listened to that for a really long time, I got into it, and I really like what the DJs were doing and really wanted to see if I could do that myself,” said Ulian.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“I wasn’t really looking for a British or an American station, I was looking for any station that would carry me. It turned out that those were the two that seemed the most professional and exciting.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Off The Chart is one of Britain’s largest online radio stations, and claims to reach 20,000 unique listeners per week. Ulian is in the process of moving over there exclusively from the smaller Galaxy 24/7, which he said would become official after July 18.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“The aim of our station is to give young people who have an interest in radio somewhere to work on their skills, learn and make mistakes so that they can go on and make a career for themselves professionally in the future, should they wish to. Chris is by no means the finished article but he has a raw passion for music which really comes across in his shows and a desire to improve himself as a DJ which I am more than happy to support him on,” said Tim Willet, Director at Off The Chart Radio.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Ulian is perhaps best described as a consummate professional at a small-time level. His recording equipment is spartan, but effective. He deftly navigates through GarageBand (the Macintosh program for audio production) to mix his show, but admits that he would like to use a more professional audio program like Audacity. He turns off the fan in his stifling attic “studio” to cut down on microphone feedback and authoritatively shuts the door, but acquiesces when his mother comes in and offers a glass of cold water.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Show</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">During the week, Ulian chooses all of the music he’s going to play on the weekend two-hour show. He puts it all into the tracks on GarageBand, records it all on Saturday and puts his voice into it. On Saturday evening, he uploads it to the Off The Chart website’s servers. It broadcasts Sundays 9-11 a.m. and Tuesday from 7-9 p.m. EST.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The show is definitely eclectic, and when asked to define its level of “underground-ness,” Ulian quips that, “On the underground rating from 1-10, 1 being, like, ‘My second cousin put together this awesome demo, you should check it out’, and 10 being KISS 108, I think I’m about a 6.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“I liked the style of show that he does, it's something different and because it was already airing on another station, it has it's own audience who will tune in to it on OTC as well,” said Willet.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Ulian lists rapper Donnis, rock/pop group Architecture In Helsinki, electronic rocker Madeon, and Boston pop artist Sid Sriram as some of his current favorite musicians.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">During the school year, Ulian tries not to spend as much time on the radio show, and focuses on his schoolwork instead. During the summer, however, he’ll spend roughly 10 hours a week listening to music, selecting tracks, and producing his show.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Ulian unabashedly looks up to BBC Radio 1 DJs like Chris Moyles and Greg James, and points out that, “…in the UK they have a different style. They talk about more than just the music. It’s much more friend-ish than a DJ just sitting in a studio somewhere.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“The whole idea for my show was that I was trying to use that [personal] style and do it with an American voice, and see if I could make it work. It’s going pretty well,” said Ulian with a grin.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Future</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As is the case with most 15 years olds, Ulian has little to no idea what his future holds, but is open to most everything.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“I think it would be cool to work in radio if the opportunity came up,” said Ulian, “when I started out, it was the best-case scenario that I would get onto Galaxy. When I got onto Galaxy, the best-case scenario was that I would move onto Off The Chart. So my goals just keep progressing.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Though Ulian is clearly still a fledgling DJ (his Facebook page, much to his dismay, has only around 200 ‘likes’), he has moments of greatness that more than make up for his occasional flubs and inexperience.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“I do have a very big interview possibly coming up, so definitely put that in there,” he told me, “I won’t say what’s going to happen. I will say that it’s not Rihanna, just in case you were wondering,” he deadpanned.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s funny today, but one can’t help but wonder if he’ll be deadly serious soon enough.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Chris Ulian’s weekly radio show can be heard from 9-11 a.m. on Sundays and 7-9 p.m. on Tuesdays at <a href="http://www.offthechart.co.uk/">www.offthechart.co.uk</a>. Like him on Facebook at: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/officialchrisherlihy">www.facebook.com/officialchrisherlihy</a>.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">-30-<i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">UPDATE: Since the time I wrote this piece, Herlihy's FB fan group has quadrupled in size, from around 50 to 200, and he has been profiled by <a href="http://articles.boston.com/2011-06-20/yourtown/29680647_1_internet-radio-listeners-commercial-radio">The Boston Globe</a>.</span><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Herlihy has also snagged an interview with Owl City's Adam Young. Best of luck to Chris and his show.</span><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></i></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4910197025336292807.post-55133708815339168902011-06-16T10:24:00.003-04:002011-06-27T17:45:53.547-04:00A Shocking Discovery<i>This story was originally published in the June 16th issue of The Wellesley Townsman.</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left: WHS Biology teacher Kenneth Bateman stands with juniors Reid Williamson, Dan Wilkins, Andres Kwart, and Jacob Mingolla. Courtesy photo.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">Bacteria. Mud. Water.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">These are things that conjure up images of a stagnant pond or perhaps a garbage dump. An enterprising team of <a href="http://www.wellesley.k12.ma.us/whs/index.html">Wellesley High School</a> students, however, saw something else.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Using local swamp mud filled with bacteria, WHS juniors Andres Kwart, Daniel Wilkins, Jacob Mingolla, and Reid Williamson ingeniously constructed a working microbial fuel cell, an invention that has won them substantial accolades.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The four students, at the urging of Kwart’s biology teacher, Kenneth Bateman, entered the Siemens “<a href="http://www.wecanchange.com/">We Can Change The World Challenge</a>” in April.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A few weeks later, the team found out they were <a href="http://www.wecanchange.com/high-school/about-challenge/2011-challenge-winners/2011-high-school-state-finalists/">state finalists</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“The fact that we were nominated as being the best in Massachusetts really came as a surprise to all of us. None of us had seen it coming. Since we had such a late start, we assumed we would be the underdogs in the competition,” said Kwart.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Siemens Challenge, which draws hundreds of applications from teams of high school students across the country, “…encourages student teams to identify an energy-related issue that has local, national and global implications and provide a viable solution,” according to the challenge’s website.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“It was the boys who really wanted to do the experiment. There was very little suggestion from any teacher,” said Bateman.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The microbial fuel cell designed by the WHS team attacked the problem of finding alternative, “green” sources of energy, and the fuel cell is both simple and cost-effective.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The team’s major breakthrough was their use of inexpensive graphite electrodes and dialysis tubing to capture electricity in lieu of platinum electrodes and semi-permeable membranes. This saved the team hundreds of dollars and flew in the face of what established science said was necessary for the experiment to work.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“The moment we received those first signs of voltage, we all knew we had successfully created something that could possibly play a part in our futures,” said Kwart.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As Kwart explained, the fuel cell works through a simple mechanism. Anaerobic bacteria (in the form of swamp mud) are fed glucose as fuel, which they process into energy through fermentation. Graphite electrodes capture this energy, and a voltmeter records the electrical output. The cell emits no more pollutants than healthy bacteria in a normal environment.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The maximum voltage the team recorded was about 340 millivolts, a significant, if not substantial, amount of electricity.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“We feel as though this project could be a substantial step in the production of something very significant in our increasingly eco-friendly future. Although we were not able to gather a substantial amount of energy, we believe that, if seriously researched, the microbial fuel cell could be made into something extraordinary,” said Kwart.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Although the team did not end up placing in the top three finalists, they said it was an honor just to be considered, and remain hopeful for the future of their invention.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Maybe, even, we could one day stick two graphite electrodes into our own compost piles and generate power for our house,” said Kwart.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">-30-</div>Rhyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16139205355656017900noreply@blogger.com0