Crime in suburbia

From The Landmark (subscription required):

Holden

Monday, April 13

1:11 p.m. Motor vehicle lockout, Shrewsbury St.
1:23 p.m. Suspicious male for the second time at residence, River St.
2:45 p.m. Motor vehicle lockout at Dunkin' Donuts
6:22 p.m. Large black bear climbing up tree and causing traffic delay, Highland St.
7:41 p.m. Teens on bikes reported posing safety hazard
9:09 p.m. Bear went back into the woods
10:42 p.m. Motor vehicle lockout

Tuesday, April 14

12:27 a.m. Pedestrian signal on lights at center activating
8:22 a.m. Pedestrian crossing lights cycling
9:30 a.m. Pedestrian crossing lights fixed
9:45 a.m. Motor vehicle lockout, Main St.
11:11 a.m. Caller reporting dog in yard; owners got dog
11:53 a.m. Lockout, Lovell Rd.
6:59 p.m. Dog chased jogger, Bullard St.; owner spoken with
11:05 p.m. Loud music, Main St.
11:10 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle in parking lot, Shrewsbury St.; OK, making phone call

Wednesday, April 15

12:35 a.m. Suspicious person behind Papa Gino's; OK, having trouble with vehicle
1:24 p.m. Solicitors selling meat, Wachusett St.
2:05 p.m. Moped in woods, Wild Rose Ave.
5:54 p.m. Report of receiving weird letters
6:52 p.m. Tenant making noise late at night

Thursday, April 16

8:15 a.m. Caller believes son and friends are using drugs; requests extra patrols
8:30 a.m. Truck with uncovered load
8:54 a.m. Stray cat, Wachusett St.
3:11 p.m. Report of black bear, Harris St.
3:30 p.m. Water flowing out of sewer and crack in Kendall Rd.

11:06 p.m. State police report if gunshots are heard on Newell Rd., they're putting down a deer

Friday, April 17

4:16 a.m. Loud animal sounds, Mark Cir,/Salisbury St.
6:08 a.m. Private investigator working in area, Greenbriar Ln.
9:08 a.m. Woman with child in southbound travel lane, Main St.
10:36 a.m. Tree company dropped tree on Greenwood Pkwy.
11:05 a.m. Complaint of brush piles at residence too high for folks making turns off Reservoir St.;
1:40 p.m. Private investigator in area
9:18 p.m. Caller unable to contact boyfriend on cell

Saturday, April 18

1:52 a.m. Man and woman walking in travel lane, Main St.
2:23 a.m. Motor vehicle with dome light on, Nola Dr.

12:02 p.m. Vehicle on both sides of Clark St. obstructing traffic
12:21 p.m. Call about removal of leaked fuel into garbage can
12:48 p.m. Irate customer at gas station
4:50 p.m. Overload of cars at St. Mary's due to church function
6:36 p.m. Kids in lot on Main St. advised to leave
11:40 p.m. Report of new occupants on Main St. with loud stereo

Sunday, April 19

12:30 p.m. Off-road motorcycle speeding toward maze

Paxton

Monday, April 13

9:39 a.m. Caller reports a suspicious man with a rake. Turns out he is landscaper, Shanadoah Dr.

Tuesday, April 14

11:09 a.m. Horse caught in fence, Richards Ave.

Wednesday, April 15

2:33 p.m. Spencer Rescue Squad advising they have locked themselves out of the ambulance. Requesting officer, Paxton Garage.
11:00 p.m. Office flagged down to attend to a raccoon that was hit by car. Advised the animal is code 4.

Thursday, April 16

3:55 p.m. Town crossing guards reporting loose beagle in Country Bank parking lot
3:59 p.m. Caller reporting that a male with long hair and beard is riding his bike erratically, near Maple and Grove Sts.

Saturday, April 18

4:15 p.m. Caller reporting people down by the reservoir, retrieving brush. Concerned for their safety. Reservoir security notified

Sunday, April 19

11:55 a.m. House at Monticello Dr. has brush in roadway, traffic hazard
5:02 p.m. Missing poodle "Elmo" Has tags and harness, last seen at Keep Ave.

Princeton

Tuesday, April 14

5:10 p.m. Public service, Mountain Rd.

Wednesday, April 15

10:21 a.m. Disturbance, gun shots, Rte. 140 N
5:12 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Bullard Rd.

Thursday, April 16

11:00 a.m. Assist fire department, Hubbardston/Allen Hill Rds.

Friday, April 17

1:52 p.m. Trash/litter complaint, Worcester Rd.
6:04 p.m. Traffic safety hazard, Dowds Ln.

Saturday, April 18

9:20 a.m. Disturbance, Fitchburg Rd.
2:04 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Hubbardston Rd.

Sunday, April 19

3:52 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Mountain Rd.
4:21p.m. Assist fire department, Clearings Way
6:07 p.m. Assist fire department, Whitaker Ln.

Rutland

Monday, April 13

5:49 p.m. Rubbish dumping, Maple Ave.
9:33 p.m. Motor vehicle lockout, Miles Rd.

Tuesday, April 14

1:15 p.m. Black wire hanging low over roadway, Kenwood Dr.
4:15 p.m. Motorist reports she ran over something and it damaged her oil pan, Maple Ave.

Wednesday, April 15

6:44 p.m. Parking violation, access road at the schools
8:14 p.m. Several attempts to serve summons, Memorial Dr., Glenwood Rd.

Thursday, April 16

10:04 a.m. Person at station to speak with officer regarding tractor dispute, Main St.
1:51 p.m. Person wants to speak with officer on duty, Main St.
5:58 p.m. Complaints about vehicles parked at the schools, school access road

Friday, April 17

6:33 a.m. Report of moose at end of Pommogussett Rd.
4:07 p.m. Officer speaks to youths on skateboards, Main St.
5:46 p.m. Suspicious white van in beach area, Crawford Rd.

Saturday, April 18

8:30 a.m. Person wants it recorded that someone left a beer can in her mailbox overnight, Birchwood Rd.
9:35 a.m. Yellow/orange bike left at end of driveway, Main St.
10:03 a.m. Green ATV in roadway, Glenwood Rd.
2:32 p.m. Person to speak with officer regarding carrying a hand gun, Main St.
6:00 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.
10:21 p.m. Motor vehicle lockout, Main St.

Sunday, April 19

10:38 a.m. Party complaining about neighbors on ATV on sidewalks, Glenwood Rd.
7:29 p.m. Erratic driver all over road, Main St.
9:04 p.m. Erratic operator, Main St.
10:28 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Main St.

Sterling

Monday, April 13

8:21 a.m. Call about loose dog, Chace Hill Rd.
3:01 p.m. Person dropped off item found on Laurelwood Rd.
8:30 p.m. Black bear and cub in area of Elliott Rd.

Tuesday, April 14

7:57 a.m. Report of problem at intersection of Riverview/ Greenland Rds.
2:48 p.m. Person asking whether anyone on Chace Hill Road has seen two small white dogs
3:11 p.m. Suspicious male in roadway, Squareshire Rd.
6:32 p.m. Police remove two juvenile skateboarders from middle of Worcester Rd.
6:59 p.m. Caller reports dirt bikes on Old Beaman Rd.
8:39 p.m. Black bear on porch, advised to remove bird feeders, Upper N. Row Rd.

Wednesday, April 15

9:31 a.m. Handful of screws found at end of driveway, Elliott Rd.
1:34 p.m. Two small dogs running in traffic, Leominster/Pratts Jct. Rds.
5:29 p.m. Police asked to check on skateboarders behind church, Bridge St.
5:51 p.m. Excessive barking of dog, Glendale Ave.
6:09 p.m. Skateboarders, Waushacum Ave./Newell Hill Rd.
7:23 p.m. Vandalism, screws found in driveway, Elliott Rd.

Thursday, April 16

8:44 a.m. Screws found in driveway, Elliott Rd.
9:16 a.m. Bear sighting, Upper N. Row Rd.

Friday, April 17

2:38 a.m. Assist State Police checking area of Muddy Pond Rd. for anyone on foot
9:07 a.m. Car in parking lot is running, person at wheel sleeping, Leominster Rd.
10:22 a.m. Solicitors going door-to-door, Fitch Farm Ln.
9:24 p.m. Disturbance, loud music, Wilder Rd. Loudest noise is the crickets

Saturday, April 18

5:00 a.m. Caller reports road blocked by tree limbs, Olde Parish Ln.
6:38 p.m. Suspicious activity, Pratts Jct. Rd.
10:55 p.m. Suspicious activity, motor vehicle, pulling into driveways, Chace Hill Rd.

Sunday, April 19

1:45 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Lakeshore Dr.
2:11 p.m. Dog found on Beaman Rd, belongs on Pinewood Rd.
3:06 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Newell Hill Rd.
5:43 p.m. Complaint about loud music, Wilder Rd.
8:46 p.m. Youths throwing things at trailers, Main St.
9:19 p.m. Loud yelling, Glendale Ave.

Website terms unenforceable due to unlimited right to amend

Website terms unenforceable due to unlimited right to amend:

"The US District Court for the Northern District of Texas has said, though, that Blockbuster cannot rely on any of its terms and conditions because a clause allowing it to alter them creates too much uncertainty for customers."

It would be interesting to see if, by extension, this ruling could apply to credit card companies that have allegedly changed interest rates, fee structures, and penalties without appropriate notice.

Just in time for Mother's Day

From the PediSedate web site:

"PediSedate is a medical device consisting of a colorful, toy-like headset that connects to a game component such as the Nintendo Game Boy system or a portable CD player. Once the child places it on his or her head and swings the snorkel down from its resting place atop the head, PediSedate transparently monitors respiratory function and distributes nitrous oxide, an anesthetic gas."

via Nifty gaming gadget administers nitrous oxide to kids

Microsoft tests its new software delivery system.

Charlottetown, The Guardian: Local News | Important computer software found near rural Kings County road:

MONTAGUE – Police here have what they say is important computer software that was found along a rural road and they are searching for its owner.
RCMP Const. Jamie Parsons of the Kings District RCMP say a motorist driving along the Greenfield Road in Summerville, near Montague, located a container containing numerous computer CDs, with what Parsons believes is important computer software. The container was found Wednesday.
Anybody with information about the container is asked to contact Montague RCMP at (902) 838-9300."

They ought to charge $1K to get into the room, $2K to get

Joe the Plumber is campaigning for Steve Lonegan (NJ) Gubernatorial Campaign.
For a thousand bucks, you can have a private meeting with Joe (aka Samuel Wurzelbacher, which is an anagram for We Amaze Bush Cruller) the Plumber.
A licensed plumber charges more than that, but you'd be guaranteed to have less humanure than when you started.

FedEx: when you absolutely, positively want to keep unions out

The Wall Street Journal, Journal of Commerce, and other news sources are reporting that Federal Express has warned Congress that placing the company under the jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRD) would jeopardize FedEx's plans to purchase 30 new cargo planes from Boeing. Each plane goes for more than $250 million. Currently, FedEx is governed by the Railway Labor Act. The company believes that it would be easier for unions (Teamsters) to organize under NLRB rules.
Meanwhile, the Memphis Daily News is reporting that FedEx is reducing its air capacity because of the on-going recession.
So, FedEx won't buy airplanes that it may not buy anyway.
Oh, that company that FedEx might buy planes from if we let them, Boeing? It turns out that Boeing's largest customer is International Lease Finance Corp. ILFC's parent company is ... AIG.
So, one more time. Tell Congress to keep the unions out of FedEx so that they might or might not buy airplanes from a company whose biggest customer is another company that is so far in the hole that it has to stand on its head to see the bottom and in which we, the people, have an 80% stake.
You explain all that to Lucy, ok?

[Update 4/22/09:  Court: FedEx Drivers Not Employees: "Drivers for FedEx Ground are independent contractors, not employees, and therefore can't unionize, the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit decided today."

What do you want to be if you grow up?

Jeff at Wormtown Taxi has had a long-running series of posts regarding the Bump Installation Crew (B.I.C.), road crews in the city of Worcester who manage to install new bumps with each repair job.
Well, for that little guy or gal who wants to grow up and join a B.I.C., here's just the right gift, Bump Installation Crew action figures:

 

Available at the Stop and Shop on West Boylston Street.

Happy 40th, AJH

Martha C. (Thomas) Ferrecchia

It's with great sadness that we note the passing of Martha Ferrecchia. She was the copy editor at the time that I worked at the Hudson Daily Sun/Marlborough Enterprise.
We used the UPI style guide, which differed just enough from the AP guide that I'd learned in college that I tripped up at least once a day. I came to look forward to her gentle, light-hearted, but ever clear edits. She was a writer's best friend.
Telegram obituary: "Martha C. (Thomas) Ferrecchia"

Your hometown newspaper

Once again, the front page of the Telegram has no stories with a Worcester byline. Boston's important, to be sure, state capital, big marathon, and all that. But should there be two wire service stories, including one about the 'Craigslist Killer,'^[1] be on the front page?

^[1]To their credit, neither the AP nor the Telegram used the 'Craigslist Killer' monicker to describe this creep. The same can't be said for nearly 1000 other news outlets.

---

Disclaimer: although I now write for OnTheCommon.com, a blogging service on the Telegram.com site, I do not work for the Telegram.

Memo to WSJ: do you know that you have an online edition?

A bunch of years ago, I used to pick up a copy of the Wall Street Journal at the corner store while on my way to work. It was and is not only the best business newspaper in the country, its general reporting about politics, world events, and social trends is pretty darn good. Rupert Murdoch's ownership over the last two years hasn't had a major impact on the quality or tone of reporting. (The WSJ editorial board is decidely conservative, but the news reporting is, to coin a phrase, fair and balanced.)
Shortly after WSJ.com came online, I signed up for a subscription and, except for one brief break, I've been a subscriber for nearly a dozen years. I find the online version easy to scan and search. It's available whenever I want it. Also, I don't have to toss out yet another daily paper. Oh, and one more thing, it was particularly handy when I doing a lot of business travel. I could read the Journal whenever and wherever.
So, this morning, I get this email from the WSJ, offering a special deal whereby I can get the paper edition of the Journal for free when I stay in Marriott hotels.
OK, now that's nice, a good free newspaper instead of just the USA Today that's typically left outside my hotel room. Nevertheless, it's odd that the WSJ doesn't understand why most people, particularly business travelers, subscribe to the online version - so that they can read the paper online whenever, wherever.

Quotes without a home

As I was reading a critique of President Obama's economic policies, I was intrigued by this quote, attributed to Karl Marx in Das Kapital from 1867:

"Owners of capital will stimulate the working class to buy more and more of expensive goods, houses and technology, pushing them to take more and more expensive credits, until their debt becomes unbearable. The unpaid debt will lead to bankruptcy of banks, which will have to be nationalized and the State will have to take the road which will eventually lead to Communism."

The quote is interesting on a couple of levels. First of all, it seems to describe our current situation pretty accurately. Of course, the analysts go on to blame the president for this condition when Marx is presciently describing the result of the failed policies and practices of capitalists. Cheap credit and an over-stimulated housing market has led to many people becoming prisoners of debt and, in turn, crippled banks and other corporations.
Whether we wind up in Communism or not (or whether we're there now or not) is a point of discussion for another day. I've been most intrigued by the quote because I can't find a source for it.
A Google search of any of the phrases in this quote will turn up lots of citations of this quote, but none of them, as best as I've been able to tell, are in Das Kapital. The best source for an English translation of Capital seems to come from the folks at marxists.org. There I could find no occurence of this quote. Marx and his fellow travelers said a lot of things about technology, credit, and debt, and the spirit of this quote isn't too far from what Marx would have said. Nevertheless, the quote doesn't appear in the book.
As an additional bit of info, I translated the quote into German , using Google Translate, and then tried to find even a few strings, such as "Häuser und Technologie" (houses and technology), in the original German text. Again, no joy.
Quotes are illustrative, helping us put big ideas into packages that we can fit into our pockets. Let's first, however, make sure that what's being quoted was actually said or written.

[Update 4/21/09]
The good folks at snopes.com published similar research on this quote and confirmed what I'd suspected, that Marx didn't write this in Das Kapital or anywhere else.

Given historical realities, if these lines about consumer debt were indeed written by Marx, it was more likely to have been Groucho than Karl.

a “strange, little, wet, fried, angry place”

My wife's family name is MacGregor, so the following is presented with all due reverence.
Daily Express | UK News :: English study has the Scots written off as a dozy bunch
Study leader Jason Rentfrow said early analysis revealed that personalities were becoming clustered into distinct geographical patterns. He said:

“London is becoming psychologically separate from the rest of the nation.
“People in London tend to be, on average, more analytical, assertive, dominant, efficient and creative.
“People in Scotland are less open-minded and less tolerant of differences."
...
Scots actor John Hannah, who now lives in London, described his home land as a “strange, little, wet, fried, angry place.”

Rentfrow had previously created a personality map of the United States. It showed significant regional differences in personality types.

Map source: The United States of Mind, Wall Street Journal (subscription)

Scott Adams is reading my cell phone bill

As noted, I recently bought a new cell phone. The price of the phone was based on a $50 rebate. 



I made it past Rebaterus and get the card. I learn that it's a debit card, not a credit card, but when I try to use it, I should call it a credit card. And don't let the restaurant try to add the tip because the card might be rejected.
I haven't tried using the card. Stay tuned.

Lunchtime patent tricks

Whether it was the Earl of Sandwich or the Duke of Shrewsbury who first invented the staple of American luncheon dining, it is those purveyors of fine Scottish cuisine, McDonald's, who are seeking a patent on the manufacture of same.
From McDonald's filing with the World Intellectual Property Organiztion (WIPO): (WO/2006/068863) METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING A SANDWICH

The present invention relates to methods of making a sandwich. In one aspect, the invention relates to pre-assembly of sandwich components and simultaneous preparation of different parts of the same sandwich. In one aspect, the invention relates to one or more of the following: pre-assembly of meat and cheese; simultaneous toasting of a bread component and heating a pre-assembled meat and/or cheese filling; and assembly of sandwich garnishes and condiments on a sandwich assembly tool. In another aspect, the present invention relates to a sandwich assembly tool useful in the foregoing methods for preparation of a sandwich, including, for example, a made-to-order sandwich.

via Overlawyered: Will your lunch violate intellectual property laws?

When corned-beef becomes hash

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Sen. John McCain called for the United States to emulate Ireland, particularly its 11% business tax rate.

if you go to the country where it’s 11 percent tax versus 35 percent, you’re going to be able to create jobs, increase your business, make more investment, et cetera.

He didn't say that the fundamentals of the Irish economy were sound, but he came close.
Seven months later, we learn from New York Times colulmnist, and Nobel laureate, Paul Krugman, that

the Irish government now predicts that this year G.D.P. will fall more than 10 percent from its peak, crossing the line that is sometimes used to distinguish between a recession and a depression.
But there’s more to it than that: to satisfy nervous lenders, Ireland is being forced to raise taxes and slash government spending in the face of an economic slump — policies that will further deepen the slump.

Apparently, the Irish government and bankers over-leveraged their financial assets, in much the same way as happened in Iceland.
Unfortunately, the Irish government is responding to the banking crisis in much the same was as the U.S. is doing: bailing out the banks without fixing the fundamental problems with the banking systems.

Not to put too fine a point on it, that’s one reason I’m so concerned about the Obama administration’s bank plan. If, as some of us fear, taxpayer funds end up providing windfalls to financial operators instead of fixing what needs to be fixed, we might not have the money to go back and do it right.

Such are the joys of politics, economics, and world finance - everyone has a chance to get it seriously, dangerously wrong.
Oh, and about that 35% tax rate? It doesn't seem too burdensome for many corporations. According to the GAO, between 1998 and 2005, two-thirds of American corporations paid no income taxes.

Pump up the amps

From the Worcester Tea Party rss feed:

Asian beetle threatens national pastime

No, not that beetle. This beetle:


Men's Journal, April 2009 -- Baseball’s Bug Problem
Add a new crisis for Major League Baseball: a tiny Asian import named the emerald ash borer. This beetle, discovered in Michigan in 2002, has quickly ravaged forests from there to Ohio, Indiana, and Maryland, killing tens of millions of white ash trees — the same type used by Louisville Slugger to make MLB’s official bats.

via J-Walk Blog and MLB.com.

OntheCommon.com -= - Our towns, our people, our stuff

I have joined the Worcester Telegram and Gazette OnTheCommon.com blogging team. I will be writing about Holden and Phillipston.
This is my first post: Our towns, our people, our stuff