Not telling you how to drive

We don't need to be told how to drive and I'm not about to start in on that. Instead, I'll offer just a few ideas that will make winter driving more interesting.

1. I've often wondered why Holden has three national pharmacy chains. This week, I got a partial answer. We need a place where we can get a special deal on stuff that will aid our various states of motion.
   You can get a recliner for those days when you've got nothin'. On better days, hop onto a scooter and get around the neighborhood. And, finally, when you're really ready to inflict your driving on your fellow citizens, pick up a GPS for Dummies.

via walgreens.com
2. Then, strap on your driving bib.
   
   
   
   
   via The J-Walk Blog: Driving Bib
   
   
3. Scrape the windshield just a bit.

via bookofjoe: Police Alert for 'Peephole' Drivers
4. Sequence your genome: Slashdot Science Story | Bad Driving May Have Genetic Basis
   
5. Order your car insurance from Progressive, one of America's pro-homosexual giants: 2010
6. And hit the road:
   
   
   
   
   via Convertible Fail
   
   

Stalking the wild fropa

I worked for a guy who moved from New England to San Deigo. He told the story of watching tv one night. The weather guy started into the forecast, paused, tossed the papers in the air, and shouted, "Why do I bother? The weather's gonna be great. It was great yesterday. It's great today. It's gonna be great tomorrow." He then walked off the set.
It's a good story, whether it's true or not.

To weather nerds, a day of low clouds and fog is just as interesting as a bright sunny day. Neither, of course, is as exciting as impending storms, but there'd be some of that, too. On that Saturday, a cold front was due, bringing the possibility of strong winds and rain and perhaps a thunderboomer. The SkyWarn team was ready.
You might think that the people who show up for a conference about weather might be people who, oh, how do I say this, might not have a lot of dates on Saturday nights?
In truth, the folks who attended the 10th Annual Southern New England Weather Conference, for the most part, looked quite normal. They're just really, really passionate about weather.
The 200 attendees included professionals from the broadcasting, the National Weather Services, other government agencies, businesses, and academia and amateurs ranging in age from 11 to those who gave the maritime forecast to Noah.
We gathered at The Clay Center at Dexter and Southfield Schools in Brookline, in a neighborhood where the houses for sale are listed on Sotheby's. The cars driven by the attendees, however, were Subarus, minivans, and old red pickups.

The presentations were rich with interesting detail. Some presenters were professionals, such as Mish Michaels talking about the New Hampshire Tornado of  2008. She brought video clips from her tv coverage and referred to herself as a reporter as much as a meteorologist. Other people were professionals in their own domains, but hadn't spent a lot of time making conference presentations. As a result, there were quite a few "I-don't-know-how-this-thing-works." moments as they struggled with Powerpoint.
All, however, knew their stuff and brought passion to their material. Joe DelliCarpini, National Weather Service office in Taunton, detailed the convergence of wind, moisture, and temperature at the several layers of the atmosphere that resulted in the December 2008 ice storm.From the report by Christine Sullivan of the U.S.Department of Agriculture (PDF)), I learned the decisions regarding tree-replanting after the 1953 tornado led to the Asian long-horneded beetle infestation, which, in turn, left the trees in Greendale even more vulnerable to the ice accretion.

The conference featured a series of presentations on education, showcasing how kids and college students can learn about the weather. In one session, two high school freshmen showed us how to identify highs and lows, warm and cold fronts, areas of high moisture content, low temperatures, and strong, jet stream winds using the tools of the modern era - maps and other data from the National Weather Service.
Hurricanes and other tropical systems that go past us or go out to sea often have a significant impact on the Canadian maritime seas and shorline. A system that misses us can push 100' waves against the Nova Scotia coast. We learned this because Canada has a Canadian Hurricane Centre. Peter J. Bowyer (PDF link) explained, for example, how deep ocean waves can be refracted against the undersea ridges along George's Bank, amplifying the wave heights and pushing walls of water against Peggy's Cove.
We have satellites watching over us at every moment, generating a firehose of data that the Internet can bring to our desks and laps and pockets. It's in the times of serious trouble, though, that legions of old-school ham operators, with their battery-operated radios and wire antennae that can whip in the winds, bring news to all who listen. It was the hams who filled the gap in emergency communications during the ice storms. Julio Ripoli of the National Hurricane Center in Miami (PDF link), spoke of the hams who report on falling buildings and crashing waves in the Caribbean during hurricanes. If you meet a ham operator, thank them as you would thank a soldier or anyone in public safety.
Broadcast meteorologists in New England are our rock stars. As such, I tried to be cool when I had the chance to meet Dick Albert, Harvey Leonard, the aforementioned Mish Michaels, Cindy Fitzgibbon, Matt Noyes,  and others. I didn't ask for autographs, but, later, I did befriend Noyes on Facebook.

Panel: Cindy Fitzgibbon, Fox 25 - Boston, Michelle Muscatello, Harvey Leonard, Nick Morganelli | CBS 3 Springfield, Matt Noyes.

I drove home through heavy rain and wind, comforted in the knowledge that there are weather nuts, professional, amateur, and student, standing watch with the promise of a sunny day tomorrow.

* fropa is weather slang for frontal passage, a change of wind direction that often triggers precipitation and brings a change of air mass.

Finding food

As some of you may remember, I've recently been pushed to the curb while the Army of Wheat-Eaters^[1] marches on.
Truth be told, it's not been bad. I have to be careful, read labels, and be a bit resourceful. Those meatballs in the freezer, those yummy ones, for example, include bread crumbs. So, it's just rice pasta and sauce, but no one left the table hungry.
(Our sons recall that, one time, I was using a meat loaf recipe that called for seasoned bread crumbs. We didn't have any, so I used animal crackers.)
Most stores have special needs sections, although the selections aren't always plentiful.

Free of gluten-free

The Intertubes come to the rescue. This site, | Gluten free, food allergy free, provides maps to restaurants that are prepared a number of dietary restrictions. For example, here's what's in our area:

Not a lot, but not bad.

Portrait of a something as a young someone

I'm gonna guess that this picture was taken on Christmas Eve when I was about three. We exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve; it made it difficult to get into the whole Santa Claus thing, but I was otherwise quite well immersed into the rest of the American culture.

This picture was taken in Westminster. We lived in the garage while my father was building the house. As you can see, well, you can see.
My father's mother, Mummu, is on the right.

99 years

My father's parents would be celebrating their 99th wedding anniversary today. They were married in Kivijärvi in Finland on this day in 1910. (Note that the newspaper's typography couldn't handle the umlauts in the town's name.)

Click to enbiggen (1.8MB file image).

This is a blog about work

I had a moment to look at my reflection in the stainless steel doors of the elevator. "This is a guy who has a job," I said to myself.
There were and are plenty of other details that jumped the queue - is a dual-boot Windows/Linux configuration is better than setting up virtual machines[1], is IE6 causing that display problem on the client's system?, do I have a blank engineering notebook?, are there any good Flash decomplilers?, what's for supper?, what am I not going to do now that I have paid work to do?
The way that I found this job is interesting as well. I've subscribed to a particular email list for something like 20 years. This list, managed by a former DECcie, posts occasional technical writing jobs along with various questions regarding tech doc work. Last Wednesday afternoon, this job showed up on the list. The description included several topics that I'd recently been discussing with some friends.
So, I replied with a brief cover note and a copy of my resume. The next day, the hiring manager called me. We talked on the phone for 45 minutes. I had a few quick answers that could help out immediately and planned to have a couple more resolved by the time that we would meet in person. Yesterday, the manager and I met. It was a good match. We liked each other and had plenty to talk about, on and off topic. I offered my references, but she said that she was convinced that I knew my stuff and could help.

Just like that. I have work to do. It sounds like fun.

[1]The CPU on my 64-bit laptop doesn't support 64-bit virtual images, so the only way to have a 64-bit Windows Server 2008 on my laptop is to install it in a dual-boot configuration.

More on time

For TaxiGuy:

via

Crime in suburbia

From The Landmark (subscription required):
[Editor's note: there were 17 suspicious and one strange person, activity, or thing.]

Holden

Monday, October 12

7:05 a.m. Suspicious pickup truck on Wachusett St.
8:27 a.m. Motor vehicle with flat tire on Chapel St.
10:37 a.m. Stray dog brought to police station
1:27 p.m. Occupants of pickup truck throwing eggs at passing vehicles on Brattle Street
1:58 p.m. Caller requesting directions
2:18 p.m. 911 Report of several juveniles on Bancroft Road; no problems at this time
2:47 p.m. Branch in roadway on Anderson Ave.
4:02 p.m. Tractor trailer ran out of gas on Doyle Rd.

5:06 p.m. Two suspicious males walked into woods with shotgun on Wachusett St.

Tuesday, October 13

4:20 p.m. Temp fences removed near bridge construction and equipment blocking entrances; caller concerned about kids going down tunnel
4:45 p.m. Child on bike fell, small injury, on Park Ave.; Boy Scout at scene took care of cut
6:01 p.m. Report of two females yelling, possible domestic, on Salisbury St.; not domestic, they were laughing
8:01 p.m. Loud explosion reported on Wachusett St.
8:31 p.m. Suspicious person attempting to solicit for water group/safe alternatives

Wednesday, October 14

9:21 a.m. Report of vehicle parked on Reservoir St. in woods for two mornings, could be hunting
9:57 a.m. Skunk caught in hockey net on Princeton St.

10:19 a.m. Two men walking on Doyle Road picking through people's trash
10:24 a.m. Fraud/scam investigation
3:14 p.m. Motorcycle speeding around Heather Circle

6:37 p.m. Caller reports car deliberately drove over trash can; husband chased car down the street and spoke to driver and occupants
9:01 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle at Eagle Lake
9:41 p.m. Vehicle having mechanical problems on railroad tracks on Sunnyside Ave.

Thursday, October 15

1:14 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle on Salisbury St.
10:38 a.m. Branch down on wires, three poles down on Doyle Rd.
10:53 a.m. 911 abandoned call from Birchwood Dr.; no emergency
12:23 p.m. Caller inquiring about sister in Lowell; advised to call Lowell
12:27 p.m. Dog in parking lot at school on Reservoir St.
1:27 p.m. Narcotics violation at high school
3:05 p.m. Elderly male got off bus and refused to get back on on Wachusett St.
3:38 p.m. Report of person slumped against window in car at high school; disabled vehicle
4:25 p.m. Report of skunk on Wyoming Dr.
6:01 p.m. Vehicles with three kids stealing pumpkins on Britney Dr.
7:54 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle on Mason Rd.
8:28 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle on Mayo Dr. with interior light on, no one in vehicle

Friday, October 16

2:17 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle on Mason Rd.
9:20 a.m. Well-being check on Main St.; baby heard crying, resident took a long time to answer door
12:30 p.m. Report of three youths on Parker Ave. rolling tire into street
7:42 p.m. Strange motor vehicle parked on Banbury Lane, not familiar to the area

11:45 p.m. Assisted motorist with directions to highway; GPS broken

Saturday, October 17

12:04 a.m. Report of excessively loud music on Slipper Hill Lane
12:27 a.m. Lights at center intersection cycling through crosswalk with no pedestrians present; MassHighway informed
8:34 a.m. Older male hitchhiking on Main St.
10:26 a.m. 911 hang-up; mother reports son had his phone taken away and is upset
2:06 p.m. Trash can fire at Davis Hill School
3:10 p.m. Suspicious person at children's school on Shrewsbury St.
6:34 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle on Reservoir St.
7:27 p.m. ATM cards switched at bank
10:52 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicles on Banbury Lane

Sunday, October 18

10:21 a.m. Suspicious phone calls
10:57 a.m. Large puddle on Main South by railroad bridge

2:26 p.m. Neighbor dispute over empty lot
4:53 p.m. 911 Accidental from Greenbriar Lane

Paxton

Monday, October 12

2:22 p.m. Caller lost keys while hiking at Moore State Park, Sawmill Rd.
5:53 p.m. Report of suspicious white van, Brigham Rd.

Tuesday, October 13

7:17 p.m. Caller reporting fish tank has been moved, concerned someone has been in house, South St.

Wednesday, October 14

7:37 a.m. Assist fire dept., Streeter Rd.

Friday, October 16

8:24 p.m. Assist fire dept., possible pole fire, Asnebumskit/Ridgewood Rds.

Saturday, October 17

4:06 p.m. Assist at fire call, fire extinguisher sprayed setting off alarms, Sunset Ln.

Princeton

Monday, October 12

6:43 p.m. Public service, Mountain Rd.
7:02 p.m. Motor vehicle lockout, Boylston Ave.
8:10 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Houghton Rd.
10:04 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Town Hall Dr.

Thursday, October 15

7:00 p.m. Assist animal control officer, Main St.
9:35 p.m. Property returned, Worcester Rd.

Friday, October 16

11:09 a.m. Request for animal control officer, Dowds Ln.
5:18 p.m. Assist animal control officer, Boylston Ave.
5:53 p.m. Traffic safety hazard, Esty Rd.
6:47 p.m. Traffic safety hazard, Mountain Rd.
9:31 p.m. Public service, Westminster Rd.
9:33 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Ball Hill Rd.

Saturday, October 17

10:53 a.m. Public service, Town Hall Dr.
11:25 a.m. Assist animal control officer, Mountain Rd.
1:19 p.m. Property found, Town Hall Dr.

Sunday, October 18

2:47 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Mirick Rd.
5:22 p.m. Public service, Main St.
5:47 p.m. Request for highway department, Mountain Rd.
6:09 p.m. Disturbance, gun shots, Ball Hill Rd.

Rutland

Monday, October 12

9:41 a.m. Two small dogs running loose in Miles Rd. area
6:22 p.m. GPS stolen out of car at WPI, caller concerned that personal information might be accessed, Main St.
7:05 p.m. Lost orange and white cat, Cameron Dr.
8:20 p.m. Bear walking through yard, Pleasantdale Rd.

Tuesday, October 13

1:02 a.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.
9:03 a.m. Cow stuck with head under fence, Glenwood Rd.
9:08 a.m. Keene, N.H. PD requesting information, Main St.
10:36 a.m. Missing gray cat, Edson Ave.
12:13 p.m. Vehicle parked beside Milne Rd.
4:42 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.
5:32 p.m. Person at station for assistance with keys locked in vehicle, Maple Ave.

Wednesday, October 14

11:55 a.m. Employee reports being bitten by dog, Main St.
3:28 p.m. Traffic safety issue, Main St.
6:04 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.
6:24 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.

Thursday, October 15

9:34 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Memorial Dr.
11:31 a.m. Quarantine notice for dog served, Juniper Ln.
1:25 p.m. Assist other agency, Main St.
1:32 p.m. Assist police in South Carolina. with information
2:21 p.m. Motor vehicle lockout, Miles Rd.
3:15 p.m. Assist resident locked out of her home, Main St.

Friday, October 16

2:49 a.m. Motor vehicle accident, Maple Ave.
12:06 p.m. Caller wants information about his dog being quarantined, Juniper Ln.
12:53 p.m. Report of two dogs loose in yard of home, Turkey Hill Rd. One dog is chasing horses on the property
2:53 p.m. Person witnessed young girl punching dog in the head, Central Tree Rd.
6:15 p.m. Report of bear in yard, Wildbrook Dr.

Sunday, October 18

8:57 a.m. High water alarm, Miles Rd.
10:38 a.m. Dog hit by car, E. County Rd.
1:22 p.m. Repo agent having trouble with client, Maple Ave.
8:16 p.m. Truck stuck in grassy/muddy area, Hillside Rd.
8:17 p.m. People throwing snowballs at passing motorists, Maple Ave.
11:18 p.m. Assistance requested with log stuck under car, Miles Rd.

Sterling

Monday, October 12

2:06 p.m. Bear walked over swimming pool liner, fell in and clawed its way out seriously damaging liner and pool sub-structure

Tuesday, October 13

5:14 a.m. Someone in caller's back yard yelling, Sunset Dr.
7:59 a.m. Vehicles in driveway, alarm sounding, officer met with homeowner, Hazelhurst Way
8:33 a.m. Deceased calico cat in driveway, Leominster Rd.
8:42 a.m. Officer checked exterior of home where alarm is sounding, Boutelle Rd.
11:28 a.m. Person reports stolen truck, Riverview Rd., civil issue
2:31 p.m. Caller reporting someone in white van claiming to be tracking "rabid" raccoon, Laurelwood Rd.
5:01 p.m. Officer investigation, follow-up, Boutelle Rd.
5:29 p.m. Officer investigation, follow-up, Kendall Hill Rd.

Wednesday, October 14

9:16 a.m. Loose cows, Boutelle Rd.
10:03 a.m. Suspicious activity, Holden PD reports
3:12 p.m. Officer investigation, Kendall Hill Rd.
8:17 p.m. Family of skunks living under deck of home, Princeton Rd.

Thursday, October 15

1:18 a.m. Traffic stop, female transported to residence in Leominster, Leominster Rd.
7:06 a.m. Officer wanted, debris in road, possibly fell off truck, Pratts Jct./Leominster Rds.

Friday, October 26

10:11 a.m. Report that elderly gentleman entered barn, placed a saw in wheelbarrow and took it away, Clinton Rd.
5:48 p.m. Disturbance, police disperse gathering, Gates Rd. Youths on Rail Trail, yelling and screaming obscenities. No-trespass order issued to youths
8:46 p.m. Suspicious activity, Chace Hill area, people ordered to leave

Saturday, October 17

10:40 a.m. Parking violation, road blocked, Meetinghouse Hill Rd.
1:53 p.m. Parking violations, Hall Ave.
7:44 p.m. Four teenagers in middle of Rte. 62 won't move out of road
8:51 p.m. Possible gunshots, Kendall Hill Rd.

Sunday, October 18

12:06 a.m. Person at station reporting rocks thrown all over Main St.; services rendered
1:16 a.m. People throwing rocks behind light department, Main St.
10:39 a.m. Assist citizen with installation of car seat, Leominster Rd.
12:39 p.m. Person wants to file complaint against someone, Leominster Rd.

Top tech writing ... wait, what?

Top Technical Writing Blogs

But, wait. There's more.

How the folks in the Big City see it

Beat the Press - Telegram v. WPD:
Worcester Police boycott the Telegram & Gazette

Google Translate gets lots of things right

This isn't one of them.

Editor's note: for the page to misbehave, you must have the Google Toolbar installed and automatic translation enabled.

The paper of record vs. The New York Times

link

link

Happy Birthday, Matt

And, of course....

Crime in suburbia

From The Landmark (subscription required):
[Editor's note: there were 17 suspicious people or things.]

Holden

Monday, October 5

12:54 a.m. Very loud beeping near 1260 Main St.; smoke detector
8:10 a.m. 911 - Keys locked in car on Maple St.
8:57 a.m. Suspicious van in driveway, Steele St.


12:18 p.m. Questions on trespassing
5:27 p.m. Report of service lines down across Raymond St.; none found
6:41 p.m. Report of teens climbing on town sign, Main St.; no contact

Tuesday, October 6

12:13 a.m. 911 - Caller requesting police, language barrier; trouble with tint on television, in need of tech support
10:48 a.m. Suspicious person in area of high school; possibly person from disabled motor vehicle
3:30 p.m. Motor vehicle in handicapped space without proper tags
5:30 p.m. Motor vehicle in handicapped space without proper tags at high school
6:03 p.m. Motor vehicle possibly smoking/overheating, Shrewsbury St.

Wednesday, October 7

12:00 a.m. Vehicle in parking area, Shrewsbury St.; OK, party cooling off after argument
5:08 a.m. Wires down, Newell Rd.
11:59 a.m. Truck left on Winter Hill Rd.; will be moving in a few minutes
2:16 p.m. Wire down on Woodland Rd.; cars hitting it

5:21 p.m. Service line down, Brunnelle Dr.
8:22 p.m. Disturbance reported at business, Main St.
8:23 p.m. Disturbance reported at Rail Trail
9:24 p.m. Tree in Wachusett St.

Thursday, October 8

1:26 a.m. Large branch on Salisbury St.
1:37 a.m. Three suspicious males, Main St.
10:35 a.m. Caller about hunting season; advised it's bow season
3:25 p.m. Rude and disgruntled person in to speak with chief
4:36 p.m. Parent heard son's name on scanner; advised son was told to move away from parking lot
6:14 p.m. Caller wondering how to dispose of deceased cat
7:14 p.m. Male thumbing for ride, Doyle Rd.
8:33 p.m. Skateboarders/bicyclists in Subway refusing to leave, Main St.; ongoing problem

Friday, October 9

1:23 a.m. Large tree limb on Salisbury St.
6:49 a.m. 911 hang-up from high school
8:25 a.m. Suspicious parked van, Stoneleigh Rd.
10:59 a.m. Report of contents of safe taken, possibly by chimney cleaning crew
11:01 a.m. Several kids on corner of Salisbury St., playing hide-and-seek around cars
2:12 p.m. Four kids entered shed behind senior center
2:14 p.m. Suspicious female at hardware store
2:49 p.m. Rear-end accident, no injuries reported; is in Worcester
9:08 p.m. Motor vehicle versus tree, no apparent injuries

Saturday, October 10

2:21 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Main St.
2:26 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Birchwood Dr.
4:54 a.m. Power outage, Main St.
11:23 a.m. Caller believes bear may have been in her back yard
12:04 p.m. Motor vehicle lockout at post office
1:25 p.m. Caller to assist with previous incident in Subway parking lot, Main St. 
4:08 p.m. Caller wants to find out if his daughter was in an accident
4:46 p.m. Caller regarding accident; occurred in Rutland
6:35 p.m. Large bear on porch, Paxton Road; took birdfeeder and left
6:48 p.m. ATM froze and didn't give money, receipt or card
10:04 p.m. Large group of teens smashing things, Sycamore Dr.

Sunday, October 11

4:05 p.m. Caller inquiring whether license was suspended
6:35 p.m. Three dogs running on Highland St.
11:35 p.m. Suspicious individuals, Highland St.

Paxton

Monday, October 5

12:21 a.m. Assist Rutland PD with open window call at business in that town
10:35 a.m. Report of gunshots near Richards Ave.
2:05 a.m. Possible scam phone calls, Woodland Dr.
3:56 p.m. Loose dog, Holden Rd.
4:11 p.m. Large stone in road, Richards Ave.
6:21 p.m. Report of eight-year-old running down Pleasant St.; no contact
7:11 p.m. Past drag racing reported, Streeter Rd.
8:42 p.m. 911 hang-up, Marshall St.; thought neighbor's car alarm going off

Tuesday, October 6

9:17 p.m. Streeter Rd. resident reports streetlight out; streetlight found working

Wednesday, October 7

4:14 a.m. Suspicious auto near entrance to school; gone on arrival
2:50 p.m. Tree on power lines, Grove Street

Thursday, October 8

11:55 p.m. Walk-in reports vehicle spinning donuts at intersection, Rtes. 122/56

Friday, October 9

2:38 a.m. Group of kids behaving suspiciously in Spring Dr. area
9:28 a.m. Past suspicious person reported, Colony Ln.

Saturday, October 10

1:33 a.m. 911 caller reports wife in labor and baby crowning; baby delivered four minutes later
7:51 a.m. Private investigator on Marshall St.
1:48 p.m. Report of loud noise, possibly vehicle spinning tires, Camp Street area
7:30 p.m. Lost dog from Leicester Sports Club earlier in day

Princeton

Monday, October 5

4:26 p.m. Traffic control duty, Hobbs Rd.
6:18 p.m. Assist other PD, Old Colony Rd.
6:25 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Fitchburg Rd.
6:42 p.m. Lost hiker, Wachusett Mountain, Westminster Rd.
7:07 p.m. Public service, Westminster Rd.
7:48 p.m. 911 abandoned call, Mirick Rd.

Tuesday, October 6

6:05 a.m. Traffic control duty, Hubbardston/Ball Hill Rds.
11:07 a.m. Request for animal control officer, Mountain Rd.
5:54 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Administration Rd.
6:46 p.m. Public service, Mountain Rd.
8:47 p.m. Suspicious person, Brooks Station Rd.

Wednesday, October 7

4:21 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Sharon Dr.
6:48 p.m. Traffic safety hazard, Sterling Rd.
7:07 p.m. 911 abandoned call, Goodnow Rd.; investigated
8:48 p.m. Assist light dept., Mirick Rd.
9:00 a.m. Request for light dept., Mirick Rd.

Thursday, October 8

10:06 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Beaman Rd.
1:27 p.m. Public service, Rhodes Rd.
1:35 p.m. Public service, Hubbardston Rd.

Saturday, October 10

8:03 a.m. Traffic safety hazard, Mountain Rd.

Sunday, October 11

12:40 p.m. Suspicious person, East Princeton Rd.
2:02 p.m. Traffic safety hazard, Ball Hill Rd.
4:30 p.m. Disabled motor vehicle, Main St.
9:45 p.m. Assist other PD, Mountain Rd.

Rutland

Monday, October 5

8:00 a.m. Trespassing incident, horses being ridden through private property behind Overlook Services
10:13 a.m. Caller reports finding dead cat in woods behind his house, Clearview Rd.
3:25 p.m. Monitoring traffic, Main St.
3:41 p.m. Report of pellet or paintball gun sounds, disturbing neighbor, Karen Way
3:43 p.m. Suspicious phone call, Valley View Cir.

Tuesday, October 6

12:09 p.m. Lawn mower on fire, Pleasantdale Rd.
2:09 p.m. Loose Akita in area of Hickory Dr.
3:08 p.m. Bus driver reporting large hole in road next to pile of dirt, can't get through, Marjorie Ln./ Richards Ave.
5:18 p.m. Report of loud noises at all hours of the day, Maple Ave.

Wednesday, October 7

1:00 p.m. Orange-colored cat missing for several days, Forest Hill Dr.

Thursday, October 8

6:41 a.m. Bus tangled up in low-hanging wires, Pleasantdale Rd.
11:02 a.m. Dead fox in roadway, Main/Naquag Sts.
7:33 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.
7:35 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.

Friday, October 9

10:43 a.m. Caller reporting someone camping near her car port, sleeping bag, food and a bicycle there, Prescott St.
12:51 p.m. Small black cat found, Pleasantdale Rd.
2:01 p.m. Report of dead deer, E. County Rd.
3:43 p.m. Report of giant orange-dressed man in neighborhood; shirt says "Worcester Tornados," Jamie Ann Dr.
5:07 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.
5:57 p.m. Person at station to file police report, Main St.

Saturday, October 10

3:02 p.m. Report that branch that was hanging at windshield level was removed, Pleasantdale Rd.

Sunday, October 11

3:31 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.
3:40 p.m. Golden retriever found, Campbell St.
11:32 p.m. Report of male lying on the ground, Main St./Pleasantdale Rd.

Sterling

Monday, October 5

9:19 a.m. Two white goats running loose in Meetinghouse Hill Rd.
9:34 a.m. Caller reports walking on town beach when a German shepherd nipped at them, Squareshire Rd.
10:19 a.m. Golden retriever escaped yard and is running loose, Meetinghouse Hill Rd.
10:41 a.m. Loose black Labrador, captured and waiting for animal control officer, Swett Hill Rd.
1:04 p.m. Loose rottwiellers; motorist captured and placed them in pen, Clinton Rd.
3:30 p.m. Report of stolen mountain bike, Wiles Rd. Later found in bushes
4:52 p.m. Caller reports water bottle was thrown at his vehicle and dented the trunk, Jewett Rd.

Tuesday, October 6

8:16 a.m. Loose dog getting into rubbish, Gates Ter.
11:54 a.m. Utility line came off house, Clinton Rd.
8:35 p.m. Officer wanted, caller heard noise, possible scream, from dead end area of Sherwood Dr.

Wednesday, October 7

10:23 p.m. Alarm sounding from electronic safe dumped beside Meetinghouse Hill Rd.

Thursday, October 8

8:19 a.m. Caller wants to speak with officer regarding domestic cat, Princeton Rd.
10:45 a.m. Two dogs loose behind school near track, Boutelle Rd.
12:-5 p.m. Miniature horses loose, Beaman Rd.
2:32 p.m. 911 hang-up, building checked, Park St.
3:22 p.m. 911 hang-up, police confirm accidental call, child playing with phone, Tuttle Rd.
7:55 p.m. Report of gunshots, Princeton Rd.
9:07 p.m. Emergency room nurse reporting dog bite, Chocksett Rd.

Friday, October 9

8:12 p.m. Pickup truck pulled over and lights turned off, Redemption Rock Trl.
8:50 p.m. Paperwork served, Meetinghouse Hill Rd.
11:16 p.m. Suspicious pickup truck parked at end of driveway, Redemption Rock Trl.

Saturday, October 10

2:16 p.m. Report of bicycle on Rail Trail, Waushacum Ave.
11:14 p.m. Report of possible gunshot, Pikes Hill Rd.

Sunday, October 11

12:10 a.m. Assist Holden PD at Trout Brook
3:11 p.m. Officer investigation, Lucas Rd.
4:24 p.m. 911 hang-up, Laurelwood Rd.

More on entitlements

Some 25 or more years ago, I managed a small team of system administrators, developers, and tech support folk. We had beepers and everything.
A supervisor in one of the groups that we supported wasn't happy with our service. We were, he told me, so focused on our way of doing things that we creating more problems than we were solving. We were, in his word, obstructionist.

As you can tell, I took that criticism to heart. I didn't (and don't) always remember to apply it, but I learned something important that, when remembered, makes a big difference in my life and a bigger difference in those around me.
I marvel at good parents. Two traits that I most often observe are

1. They speak in full sentences.
   The parents have given enough thought, if only a second or two, to give a considered response.
   
2. They're more inclined to say 'yes' than 'no.'
   The parents are more interested in what the kid is doing than in their own fears that things will slide out of control. In the end, good parents save the 'no' for important stuff.
   

These themes of obstructionism, impulsive responses, and fear are showing up in a lot of places these days.
It's in ...

• the administrator at a local college who says that it's against his religion to work too hard.
• the hour-long technical presentation that uses the first 40 minutes to describe the approval process used by the corporation to let the project go forward.
• the various unions and individuals who, in the middle of a crisis, are more vocal about their own real or imagined losses than they are about the people they serve (and, in some cases) protect.
• the folks who complain that, because the cost of living isn't going up, they won't be getting their Social Security cost-of-living increases.
• the senior administrators in service agencies who lay off the front-line workers so that the public will feel the maximum pain, all the while ensuring the permanence of their own jobs and compensation.
• the radio and television personalities who misread and/or misuse history to toss another cupful of gasoline on the fire.
• the companies who make their money by way of patent extortion rather than building new products.
  

I can go on, but it wouldn't aid anyone's digestion. And, if I had an answer, I'd be living it.

And which local TV stations would those be?

The Worcester police department has released a memo (posted by Worcesteria here) that describes a new public relations policy that favors ' local radio stations and television station' at the expense of print outlets. This is pretty clearly a shot at the Telegram and Gazette's reporting on various police matters.
We'll leave the issue of the T&G's reporting for another day. I'm most intrigued by the designation of local TV stations as a preferred outlet. Remembering that Worcester has no local broadcast television station (see FCC database), we do have to wonder where all this great new information will appear.

Congratulations to Jennie

Cool Running :: Baystate Marathon & Lowell Sun 1/2 Marathon Race Results

What did he know and why did he know it?

Test Your News IQ - Pew Research Center

More here: What Does the Public Know?

I'm pretty sure that there's one of me, but ...

is the Internet trying to tell me something?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are or fewer people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Dept. of Snow. We has it.

As you've no doubt heard, we're getting our first snow of the season.

And, it's time for a morning stroll

Corollary to the Basic Laws of Stupidity

Re: The fourth basic law from The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity

Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals. In particular non-stupid people constantly forget that at all times and places and under any circumstances to deal and/or associate with stupid people always turns out to be a costly mistake.

The corollary:

It takes just one stupid person to undo the work of a thousand very smart people.

The ASTM-International has a subcommittee on furniture safety. The Consumers Union, the folks who bring your Consumer Reports, is working with ASTM to come up with safer designs for furniture. They're looking at standards to make furniture tip-proof and to establish a standard for shatter-proof glass in tables.
Meanwhile, there are people who will sell you an attic bedroom that has only half of a floor:

Not included: Casts, Crutches, Insurance for when your guests fall through the frikkin’ hole in the floor. Wait, that isn’t even a hole. That’s just a lack of floor. There is floor, and then the floor suddenly stops. Be reeeal careful pushing that wheeled chair back…

We report ...

http://comics.com/ripleys_believe_it_or_not/2009-10-15/you decide:

Follow the science or something else.

Most kids I know finish kindergarten in one year

Via

Open Source, insert foot

As I've mentioned several times, I've been running Linux (Ubuntu) on my laptop since late last year. For the most part, it's been terrific. My system starts up much more quickly, runs all of the software I need, and, although this may not seem like much of a feature, shuts down in a matter of seconds. We have a desktop system that runs Vista; it can take five minutes or more to shut down the system.
There are a few quirks. Adobe Flash takes a bit of extra setup because my systems is 64-bit. Some devices are finicky. If you search for help online, you'll find five different ways to accomplish a task, but that's if you don't search very hard.
In addition to keeping up with the technical information regarding Linux, I also try to keep current on topics related to open source software. There are very interesting legal, technical, and political threads in the blogosphere. A few companies, such as Black Duck Software, are making a living by helping other companies manage intellectual property, including licenses and copyrights, in a complex software development world.
Yesterday I attended, or, rather, tried to attend, a webinar on Unraveling the Complexities of the GPL. GPL is the GNU General Public License. The GPL is the North Star for discussions related to open source software.
Without a troubled thought, I connected to the designated website at the appointed time and learned that the web conferencing software, gotomeeting.com, doesn't support Linux.
Grumble, grumble. Fortunately, I have a virtual image of Windows 7 by way of VirtualBox. With a quick scramble, I started the virtual machine, connected to the web site, downloaded the conferencing software, and joined the presentation five minutes late.
After the meeting, I had an email exchange with the Black Duck marketing director. I explained my problem. The director empathized but said that most of their users ran Windows or MacOS.
Shortly after the presentation, I received an announcement of the next meeting:

At the web site, I learn that still there's no joy to be had.

Remember the summer that we didn't have?

Well, it's being followed by a fall that isn't much:

Wunder Blog : Weather Underground

The professor, bird dogs, and German social analysis

There was a nice blurb about a former professor of mine, Jan Dizard, in this past Sunday's Boston Globe. In classes and out, Dizard was just as eager to talk about shad fishing in the Connecticut River or that the wonderful asparagus fields in Hadley were being paved over for shopping centers.
And then, without missing a beat, he'd assign us a chapter from On the Pragmatics of Social Interaction: Preliminary Studies in the Theory of Communicative Action by Jürgen Habermas with chapter titles such as, and I quote, "The Phenomenological Constitutive Theory of Society: The Fundamental Role of Claims to Validity and the Monadological Foundations of Intersubjectivity."
I like the guy, but sometimes he was too smart for my own good.
Here's a link to an interview with Dizard.

OntheCommon.com - Notes from Queen Lake in October

OntheCommon.com:

Most rituals have humble, practical origins.

When Sandra first visited the camp, she wondered about the old spoon that was on the window sill on the front porch.

'That's the official spoon,' I said.

'The official spoon?'

...

Equal parts rock and roll

I have the Wave.

Why he just spent three days changing my passwords on over 300 Web sites

Why I just spent three days changing my passwords on over 300 Web sites « Something better to do: "If you’re using the same password on multiple Web sites, then stop it right now. Really."

In a similar vein, the author reports on these web sites, Password security hall of shame « Something better to do as having particularly bad password policies.

A Changed Generation - Wait. What?

A Changed Generation « The Official Blog of The Jordan Levy Show: "Little has been said or written about a new and different generation."

Let me Google that for you.

Technology helps but a little

 We should also remember, however, that Mel Brooks, as the 2000-year-old man, admonished us,  We mock the thing we are to be.

Pretty much where it all began

This announcement in 1993 brought Mosaic, the first web browser for general use, into the mainstream, albeit if your mainstream was a place where there were workstations made by DEC, Sun, IBM, or SGI.

Message from discussion NCSA Mosaic for X 0.10 available.

It would be a few months before a version of Mosaic was available for VAX/VMS workstations and a few years before it was available on Windows.
The rest is more than history.

How to remember better

Ray Kurzweil is a very smart guy with an eclectic set of interests, although most of what he does focuses on intelligence - what it is, how we get it, and how machines might someday be more intelligent than us.
It's not surprising, then, that Kurzweil would find very different approaches to learning and memory.
In one article, Why One Way Of Learning Is Better Than Another, he reports that a study of mollusks confirms that the brain learns better with lots of small doses of learning over a longer time rather than intense learning in a short time. In other words, cramming for exams is not effective. (For something completely different, here's a way to learn something about mollusks from Monty Python (YouTube).)
Or, as Kurzweil discovered,  you can just spray some stuff up your nose and get smarter. - Scientists Develop Nasal Spray That Improves Memory.

Er, um, wow!

Barack Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize - NYTimes.com

Crime in suburbia

From The Landmark (subscription required):
[Editor's note: 28 suspicious people, things, or events]

Holden

Monday, September 28

4:00 a.m. Pumping station alarm sounding on Quinapoxet St.
10:46 a.m. Lost-looking German shepherd
1:53 p.m. Motor vehicle with possible radiator issues, may be on fire
10:02 p.m. Sewage backup on Boyden Rd.

Tuesday, September 29

1:20 p.m. 911 Suspicious person on Anderson Ave.
4:43 p.m. Suspicious male in Centerwood Dr. area; okay, just picking mushrooms
6:16 p.m. Two suspicious males on Woodland Rd., looks like they're casing houses
6:31 p.m. Suspicious person in Big Y Plaza
10:32 p.m. 911 People yelling and screaming on Main St.

Wednesday, September 30

5:33 p.m. Suspicious call regarding credit card, believes it was a scam
6:01 p.m. No power on Quinapoxet St.
6:06 p.m. 911 Truck driving on sidewalk
6:41 p.m. Power outage on Quinapoxet St.
11:04 p.m. Three suspicious males looking in windows of business on Main St.
11:51 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle in parking lot on Reservoir St.

Thursday, October 1

2:12 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle on Reservoir St.
12:47 p.m. Caller requesting information on how to start vehicle
12:54 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle on Bailey Rd.
5:25 p.m. Two males in Grove Cemetery
6:30 p.m. Complaint about neighbor's dogs barking on Winthrop Lane
6:32 p.m. Dog found on Wildwood Rd.
9:50 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle in Dawson Recreation parking area

Friday, October 2

2:02 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle on Main St.
8:38 a.m. Landscaping vehicle parked on Salisbury St. inhibiting visibility
3:33 p.m. Suspicious incident at Mountview School
4:10 p.m. Caller regarding disposing of dead cat in front of house
4:12 p.m. Golf ball from golf course struck vehicle and caused damage; caller reports response unsatisfactory
4:31 p.m. Car hit by acorns on Autumn Circle; caught little girl throwing them

Saturday, October 3

2:51 a.m. Two suspicious individuals on Main St.
9:55 a.m. Crosswalk light stuck on red near Subway
10:03 a.m. Older male hitchhiking down Main St.
10:20 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle at Dunkin Donuts
11:42 p.m. Approximately 30 youths in Friendly's lot on Main St.; threatened business workers who asked them to leave

Sunday, October 4

12:28 a.m. Individuals behind Dawson Recreation
1:50 p.m. Crutches noticed near home on Cook St.
8:39 p.m. Person taken into protective custody

Paxton

Monday, September 28

9:45 a.m. Officer out with disabled motor vehicle, Richards Ave.
9:00 p.m. Possible blown transformer, power outage, Pleasant St.

Wednesday, September 30

10:47 a.m. Report of home being fraudulently listed on Craig's list as part of rental property scam, Pleasant St.
5:10 p.m. Metal object in roadway at West St./Wildwood Dr.

Thursday, October 1

5:52 p.m. Manhole cover out of place at West St./Wildewood Dr.

Friday, October 2

11:57 a.m. Suspicious male with gas can walking down Pleasant St.
3:20 p.m. Trash dumped near South/West Sts.
3:25 p.m. Call regarding suspicious person, Camelot Dr.
5:28 p.m. Loose dog in distress in swimming pool, Hill St. Animal out and returned to owner
6:35 p.m. Unmanned construction vehicle has headlights on, Laurel/Marshall Sts.
8:28 p.m. Caller locked out of her home, Woodland Heights/Village Rd.

Saturday, October 3

8:07 a.m. Female's keys are locked inside her vehicle, Suomi St.
10:19 p.m. Report of loud music, South St.

Sunday, October 4

10:51 p.m. Report of car alarms sounding, Suomi St.

Princeton

Monday, September 28

2:25 a.m. Assist other PD, Justice Hill Rd., Sterling
9:05 a.m. Officer investigation, Town Hall Dr.
9:28 a.m. Request for animal control officer, Rte. 140 N
3:14 p.m. Assist animal control officer, Calamint Hill Rd. N
3:23 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Clearings Way
6:05 p.m. Officer investigation, Prospect St.
11:46 p.m. Public service, Main St.

Tuesday, September 29

7:49 a.m. Traffic control duty, Sterling Rd.
1:09 p.m. Person at station with item found on Worcester Rd.
6:15 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Boylston Ave.
7:09 p.m. Public service, Mountain Rd.

Wednesday, September 30

7:07 a.m. Traffic control duty, Fitchburg Rd.
8:01 a.m. Public service, Main St.
8:12 a.m. Assist other PD, Sterling Rd.
3:20 p.m. Public service, Ball Hill Rd.
6:53 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Mountain Rd.

Thursday, October 1

8:46 a.m. Request for animal control officer, Gregory Rd.
9:20 a.m. Assist other PD, Leominster State Forest
11:39 a.m. Suspicious incident, Sterling Rd.
4:24 p.m. Request for traffic control, Hobbs Rd.
11:48 p.m. Assist fire dept., Ralph Rd.

Friday, October 2

4:49 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Westminster Rd.
4:38 p.m. Traffic control duty, Hobbs Rd.

Saturday, October 3

2:39 a.m. Domestic disturbance, Goodnow Rd.
11:59 a.m. Request for animal control officer, Beaman Rd.
12:52 p.m. Assist fire dept., Beaman Rd.

Sunday, October 4

2:16 a.m. Assist animal control officer, Beaman Rd.
3:30 a.m. Suspicious incident, Brooks Station Rd.
12:35 p.m. 911 hang-up, Mountain Rd.
12:45 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Thompson Rd.
4:19 p.m. Motor vehicle lockout, Sterling Rd.
8:09 p.m. Public service, Mountain Rd.

Rutland

Monday, September 28

8:41 a.m. Larceny of kid's bike, Main St.
8:59 a.m. People in yard taking signs off barn, Main St.
9:22 a.m. Caller wants to speak with dog officer about loose dog, Main St.
12:41 p.m. Man trying to wave down vehicles, Main St.
1:22 p.m. Officer at school, community policing, Main St.
1:25 p.m. Car parked at Rural Cemetery with young male in back seat and another person who appears to be sleeping
1:29 p.m. Person at station to turn in items that came in mail. Unauthorized purchases using her credit card
8:38 p.m. Officer requested to remove person involved in shouting match, Main St.

Tuesday, September 29

11:30 a.m. Report that neighbor put sugar in gas tank of car, Maple Ave.
11:45 a.m. Mandatory quarantine on cat attacked by unknown animal, Pleasantdale Rd. Cat vaccinated and received booster
4:05 p.m. Suspicious activity, possible sale of drugs, Memorial Dr.
8:15 p.m. Report of missing female, Miles Rd.
11:00 p.m. Line painting crew that only had DPW for traffic safety, shut down, Pommogussett Rd.
11:39 p.m. Officer wanted for line painting monitoring, Pommogussett Rd.

Wednesday, September 30

11:40 a.m. Request to speak with officer, Main St.
12:05 p.m. Officer speaks to female on E. County Rd.
3:39 p.m. Caller complaining that dog won't let her pass by house, River Rd.
4:12 p.m. Stop sign knocked over, Pommogussett Rd.
6:09 p.m. Caller wants officer for people in her back yard and problems with their dogs, Maple Ave.

Thursday, October 1

6:08 a.m. Caller reporting her dog got loose, Lynnwood Dr. Dog later returned home
10:55 a.m. Loose cows, Pommogussett Rd.
1:39 p.m. Resident wants to speak with animal control officer about dog issue, Peters Ave.
3:17 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.
10:07 p.m. Flashing blue light at neighbor's house, Village Way

Friday, October 2

4:10 a.m. Strange vehicle in front of house and three people headed toward door, Colonial Dr.
11:05 a.m. Person at station to speak with officer about neighbor issues, Main St.
11:10 a.m. Report of someone dumping trash in Dumpster, Peters Ave.
4:18 p.m. Suspicious male in vehicle parked across from pool, Maple Ave.
4:25 p.m. Report of golden retriever in yard, Campbell St.
5:11 p.m. Person has out-of-control six year old, East Hill Rd.
5:29 p.m. Person reports a skunk in his son's soccer bag, Crestview Dr.
11:15 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle parked behind building, Main St.

Saturday, October 3

9:19 a.m. Complaint that horseback riders rode through property and left a mess, Overlook Rd.
3:00 p.m. Person came to station to discuss landlord/tenant problems, Main St.
4:15 p.m. Report that gas line in car ruptured, Pleasantdale Rd.

Sterling

Monday, September 28

2:08 a.m. Suspicious activity, two people in back yard by vegetable garden with flashlights, Princeton PD notified, Justice Hill Rd.
6:18 a.m. One of three golf carts missing from Sholan Farms found in woods, Upper N. Row Rd.
8:59 a.m. Dog dragging pink leash, running in road causing problems with heavy vehicular traffic, Redemption Rock Trl. Princeton PD advised
9:42 a.m. Attempt to deliver message, Worcester Rd.
11:36 a.m. Officer wanted, person stole two bags of apples, Kendall Hill Rd.
4:16 p.m. Residential lockout, Main St.
5:45 p.m. Suspicious-looking male looking for pills, Laurelwood Rd.
7:17 p.m. Argument between male and female walking away from car, Mellon Hollow Rd.

Tuesday, September 29

11:19 a.m. Officer investigation, Justice Hill Rd.
11:42 a.m. Officer investigation, Upper N. Row Rd.
3:20 p.m. Officer investigation, Clinton Rd.
4:50 p.m. Missing cat, white with black spots, Redstone Hill Rd.

Wednesday, September 30

12:10 a.m. Assist citizen who is lost, Leominster Rd.
8:14 a.m. Dead animal at Princeton/Wilder Rds. Traffic swerving to avoid it
9:30 a.m. Officer investigation, Redemption Rock Trl.
11:35 a.m. Suspicious activity, Waushacum Ave. Medicine cabinet open in home, tracks in house
6:25 p.m. Paperwork served to person on Holden Rd.

Thursday, October 1

10:35 a.m. Black and white dog roaming area of Maple and Main Sts.

Saturday, October 3

5:06 p.m. Multiple 911-hang-ups, advise children about playing with phone, Laurelwood Rd.
9:07 p.m. Someone yelling in woods behind home, Newell Hill Rd.

Let the record show: I got nothin'

New Federal Trade Commission guidelines (FTC Publishes Final Guides Governing Endorsements, Testimonials) define how bloggers and others must declare their financial relationship with products or services that they review. The particulars of the guidelines are laid out in 81 luscious pages (PDF document) with annotations such as this:

Well, truth be told (and that's what this is all about), the guidelines aren't that onerous. It's pretty much this:

If you receive compensation from companies whose products or services you review, you must disclose that relationship. 

There is a lot of angst (The No-Fun Police target the blogosphere and Is the FTC being used to marginalize independent bloggers?, for example) in the blogosphere about all this and some of the discussion is insightful.
If there are to be rules, and that seems to be the core issue, then us body-temperature-IQ bloggers, however, need simple rules and I think we have them.
So, for all who care, believe me, I've received no compensation from anyone and that non-compensation has had no influence on any products or services that I've discussed in these journals.

Dept. of unsolicited tweets

Through various means, people can set up automatic schemes to follow you on Twitter. Mostly, it's benign. If they're following you, they can see your posts (tweets), but can't send anything to you unless you follow them. You can take the added step of blocking that user so that they can no longer see your posts.
Every day, I get a few of these unsolicited follower notices. I block all but a very few. This one is a superb example of why I would a) not follow and b) block one of these subgeniuses:

The next time I need Greating Cards, I'll know where to go.
I have no idea if the company, SendOutCards®,to whom that shortened url points,is responsible for this Twitted intrusion. I hope not.
Then, again, this how the company presents its Compensation Plan to its distributors:

Dunno if these folks read my blog, but ...

A few months ago, I wrote about the bleakness that is Santa’s Workshop in Rovaniemi, Finland (Where there was no darkness).
Now, the Helsingin Sanomat is reporting that folks in Rovaniemi are wondering about the same thing.
Arctic Circle needs new magic to attract more tourists.
It's even thought that Santa, while all powerful at Christmastime, doesn't have enough mojo in the off-season.

“What does Santa do the rest of the year? As he is a mythical figure, could he convene a conference of other mythical figures in the summer -such as Batman or Superman? I think that there would be many ways to make Santa Claus a more special, year-round experience.”

The war for our hearts and minds goes up a notch

The Liberty Counsel has created a Adopt a Liberal Home program.
Until such time as I gain wider notoriety, you can just call me The "Unknown Liberal"
The good folks at WorldNet Daily, who brought this service to light in their story, Tired of gritting your teeth over liberals?, also note that

Liberty Counsel also said it will be creating a deck of cards similar to baseball trading cards, with one side featuring the picture of a liberal and on the other side some of their liberal positions "that negatively impact life, liberty and family."
"In this way people can pray for a specific person and then trade cards with their friends," the organization said. "There will be 51 cards, which is one card short of a full deck!"

One for Mrs. Meacham

Our high school English teacher, Mrs. Meacham, tried to teach us the basics of grammar. She would have enjoyed the headline on in this morning's Telegram:

It's a fun headline and in the same league as the line attributed to Groucho Marx Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana..

---

And, the Dept. of What the Heck?, the Telegram wimps out in the later online versions of the story by changing the headline to something parsable.
You can see an image of the full front page here

Gambling et al

I still think that a plan to boost revenues to cities and towns by way of casino gambling is dumb. It is dumb on a few levels:

• I think that it's a cowardly and cynical way for government to raise revenue by calling it 'fun'.
  It's one thing to tax cigarettes, booze, dining out, or other forms of entertainment. We are not, in those instances, promoting those activities as good for our educational system. We're taxing those activities because we can.
  In the case of the Lottery and, I believe, casino gambling, we are encouraging those activities because we want the money.
  
• It doesn't work.
  With more states adding more casinos, we've reached the point where we're all just chasing the same dollars.
  

The details of both arguments I'll leave for another time.
I arrived at my opinions based on my own observations, irrespective of the Telegram and Gazette's editorial policy. (Jeff, whom I respect greatly, and I differ on this one.)
That said, I don't have strong objections to people having fun in the way that they want to.
For example, one of my ideas of fun is to find old newspapers in my attic and see what they said about life then and how it might apply to life now.

In March of 1980, the Telegram offered this editorial on beano.
(At one time, games named Bingo were outlawed in Massachusetts. Social groups used the name Beano instead. Bingo was re-legalized in 1971, with the state getting a piece of the action, but beano was still commonly used for several years. Beano, the game, to my knowledge, had no relationship to this product, although these basement social halls did get a bit odoriferous after a night of play.)

The salient point, I think, is that the game of raising money takes the focus of the real mission of the institution, be it a church, Legion, or social club.

From the front page ads on the paper of the same day,

The issues, raised by religious leaders, however, are not exclusively religious or moral issues. The issues focus on how an organization works to build and sustain itself through its own contributions.

Who's your idiot?

On Saturday morning, while Glenn Beck loaded up on Vicks® VapoRub® and talked to local idiots, some of us showed our good sense and went to the Fallon Clinic on North Lake Ave. There we stood for 20 minutes in the rain to get a flu shot. Some (well, one) had neither jacket or umbrella. 

There were, by some blogger's count, about 150 people in line. There were few complaints, with several folks remarking that they could have done a great business selling coffee to the queued patients.

The cop who was helping with crowd control also provided valuable assistance to people getting from and to their cars.

Now, where's that VapoRub®?