Crime in suburbia

From The Landmark (subscription required):

Holden

Monday, Sept. 29

1:41 p.m. Request from former owners of foreclosed home for extra checks of property; bottles on lawn, ashes in upstairs room; concerned it will be vandalized

Tuesday, Sept. 30

1:02 a.m. Water reported pouring out of garage, Highland St.; washing machine did not shut off
4:21 a.m. Driver hit two deer, Bailey Rd.; no contact
11:16 p.m. Deer hit, Reservoir Rd.

Wednesday, Oct. 1

9:31 a.m. Motor vehicle lockout, Main St.
9:32 a.m. 911/child playing with phone, Salisbury St.
10:28 a.m. 911/child playing with phone, Donald Ave.
7:30 p.m. Walk-in regarding child exchange at police station
8:10 p.m. Caller to apologize for child's actions

Thursday, Oct. 2

1:48 a.m. Individual on foot reported; just out for a walk
3:56 p.m. Walk-in asking for officer to speak to son about unbuckling while in the car

Saturday, Oct. 4

4:12 p.m. Caller lost engagement ring and wedding band

Paxton

Tuesday, Sept. 30

2:46 p.m. Caller says suspicious male taking mail from mailbox, Hemlock Rd.; Checked, it's letter carrier

Thursday, Oct. 2

4:11 p.m. Neighbor's donkey keeps wandering into caller's yard, currently near pool, Grove St.; animal retrieved by owner

Princeton

Monday, Sept. 29

6:27 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Willson Rd.

Tuesday, Sept. 30

10:03 a.m. Request for animal control officer, Goodnow Rd.

Wednesday, Oct. 1

4:29 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Hobbs Rd.

Thursday, Oct. 2

1:39 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Beaman Rd.

Friday, Oct. 3

8:07 a.m. Request for animal control officer, Laurel Ln.

Saturday, Oct. 4

12:29 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Hubbardston Rd.
1:45 p.m. Assist animal control officer, Oak Cir.

Sunday, Oct. 4

5:15 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Calamint Hill Rd. N

Map of Animal Control Calls

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Rutland

Wednesday, Oct. 1

5:45 p.m. Person living in woods behind Main St.
9:01 p.m. Cow in road, Glenwood/Main St.

Thursday, Oct. 2

3:28 a.m. Dead beaver in middle of Main St.
12:15 p.m. False/defective alarm, E. County Rd.

Saturday, Oct. 4

9:49 a.m. Complaint of vehicle parked in wrong direction with jet ski in tow, Maple Ave.
7:08 p.m. Eight-foot limb across Vista Cir., suspicious youths seen walking away.

Sterling

Wednesday, Oct. 1

6:54 a.m. Report of dead rabbit hanging from street sign, Bean Rd.

David Brooks: Sarah Palin "Represents A Fatal Cancer To The Republican Party"

David Brooks is a columnist for the New York Times and is often described as liberals' favorite conservative. Brooks frequently appears as a commentator on PBS. This article, David Brooks: Sarah Palin "Represents A Fatal Cancer To The Republican Party", is based on an interview with The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg.

Brooks began his career working with and for William F. Buckley and developed a deep appreciation for politicians who think. There are many politicians who are charming, witty, and inspirational, but whose folksy style masks a cynical anti-intellectualism. There are others, such as the two adversaries in the 90s, Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich, who were usually the smartest guys in the room and weren't afraid to show it.

From the interview:

...there has been a counter, more populist tradition, which is not only to scorn liberal ideas but to scorn ideas entirely. And I'm afraid that Sarah Palin has those prejudices. I think President Bush has those prejudices.

Roaster Boy's Playlist

1)	The Clash: Live at Shea Stadium London Calling Police On My Back The Guns of Brixton Tommy Gun Magnificent 7 Armagideon Time Magnificent 7 (Return) Rock ... http://rbplaylist.blogspot.com/2008/10/clash-live-at-shea-stadium.html
2)	Beyond The Beat Generation Beyond The Beat Generation. An unusual mix of underground music from the late 60s. Here's a link to their playlist. http://rbplaylist.blogspot.com/2008/10/beyond-beat-generation.html
3)	Tom Rush - Urge for Goin' An achingly tender cover of Joni Mitchell's gem, arguably the best and saddest song about autumn. "See the geese in chevron ... http://rbplaylist.blogspot.com/2008/10/tom-rush-urge-for-goin.html

4)	FARK.com: Fark Video Player (3919654) In memory of Nick Reynolds, here's the Kingston Trio performing M.T.A FARK.com: Fark Video Player (3919654) In memory of Nick Reynolds, here's the Kingston Trio performing M.T.A http://rbplaylist.blogspot.com/2008/10/farkcom-fark-video-player-3919654-in.html
5)	Arlo Guthrie | Live From Folk Alley Arlo Guthrie | Live From Folk Alley http://rbplaylist.blogspot.com/2008/10/arlo-guthrie-live-from-folk-alley.html
6)	Kingston Trio's Nick Reynolds Dies At 75 NoDepression.com - Founding member of Kingston Trio dies. http://rbplaylist.blogspot.com/2008/10/kingston-trios-nick-reynolds-dies-at-75.html
7)	David Bromberg | Live From Folk Alley David Bromberg | Live From Folk Alley http://rbplaylist.blogspot.com/2008/10/david-bromberg-live-from-folk-alley.html

8)	Bob Dylan's 'Tell Tale Signs' : NPR Music Exclusive Preview: Bob Dylan's 'Tell Tale Signs' : NPR MusicDylan at his most reflective. http://rbplaylist.blogspot.com/2008/09/bob-dylans-tell-tale-signs-npr-music_30.html
9)	Bob Dylan's 'Tell Tale Signs' : NPR Music Exclusive Preview: Bob Dylan's 'Tell Tale Signs' : NPR MusicDylan at his most reflective. http://rbplaylist.blogspot.com/2008/09/bob-dylans-tell-tale-signs-npr-music.html
10)	The Rolling Stones, in "Simpathy fot the Devil", Rock & Roll Circus, live, 1968. The Rolling Stones, in "Simpathy fot the Devil", Rock & Roll Circus, live, 1968. (sic)OK, we were all young and ... http://rbplaylist.blogspot.com/2008/09/rolling-stones-in-simpathy-fot-devil.html

We're as good as we're gonna get

According a British geneticist, humans will not evolve further. Because we have developed the capacity to keep people alive in myriad ways, we've pretty much undermined natural selection. Something as simple as eyeglasses, for example, allows a ultra-myopic blogger like yours truly to live well, not walk into too many things, and probably find food in the wild if I had to.

Aw, c'mon. It's time to act like big kids.

This story, about police in Woburn protesting the use of civilian flaggers at roadside projects, has been picked up by the wire services and most local papers. While the right to protest is inviolable, the way that these cops have behaved reinforces the conviction in most people's minds that the issue is about money and perks, not about public safety. It's a shame because the police officers who serve us work hard and are honorable, literally going into harm's way on our behalf. This behavior, however, is petty and cynical.

The profession that dares not speak its name

Business Rule #1

All verbs all the time

It took me a few moments to parse this headline from this morning's Wall Street Journal. There are four verbs in the headline, but two of them are also nouns and one is an adjective:

Business News, Finance News, World, Political & Sports News from The Wall Street Journal - WSJ.com via kwout

Hyvää huomenta

There's an old saying: If a person who speaks two languages is called bilingual, what do you call a person who speaks just one language? American.
This morning's Worcester Telegram has an article, Easy for you to say – in Finnish, about Finnish classes at the Saima Center in Fitchburg. Back in the 60s, my mother taught a similar course. It was a spin-off from her application to get into graduate school at Clark. Back then, you had to demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language to get into grad school. She easily met the requirement, having spoken Finnish around the house when she was growing up. The trouble was that she couldn't find a test to pass. No college in New England offered Finnish. She wound up going to Columbia in New York to take an exam. In the process of preparing to take a college-level exam, as opposed to the colloquial Finnish that she spoke at home, she studied quite a bit. The material fresh in her mind, she offered her knowledge back to the community in the form of a basic Finnish course.

(The title is Finnish for Good Morning.)

Worcestershire Journal - Turn Your Radio On

My latest post on Real Worcester: Worcestershire Journal - Turn Your Radio On

God hates it when Sarah Palin winks

Dwindling In Unbelief: God hates it when Sarah Palin winks