Crime in suburbia

From The Landmark (subscription required):
[Editor's note: 18 suspicious things]

Monday, September 21

9:05 a.m. Suspicious vehicle in lot on Holden St.
10:08 a.m. Suspicious male party on Kendall Rd.
12:00 p.m. Front license plate stolen
12:42 p.m. Larceny of wallet at sleepover reported
1:23 p.m. Telephone line ripped down from residence on Parker Ave.
3:25 p.m. Homeowner finding soiled diapers in driveway on Salisbury St.

Tuesday, September 22

2:04 a.m. 911 Laurelwood Rd. resident reports hearing someone screaming; no contact
2:24 a.m. Vehicle with open door on Manning St.
5:00 a.m. Private investigator on Industrial Dr.
6:39 a.m. Car carrier blocking driveway on Manning St.; driver uncooperative
8:42 a.m. Request for officer to speak with student regarding truancy
3:05 p.m. Scam reported
8:20 p.m. 911 Seven phone calls received in five minutes on Fairchild Dr. from person saying he was outside house
10:18 p.m. Disorderly female reported using golf clubs to smash door and grass

Wednesday, September 23

12:43 a.m. Male hiding in bushes at Mountview
7:51 a.m. Party on motorcycle in Rutland speaking to youth waiting for bus; spoke with party
11:51 a.m. Caller looking for somewhere to picnic
2:34 p.m. Stray Golden Retriever found
3:42 p.m. "Massachusetts Taxpayer" to speak with chief
3:55 p.m. 911 Possible past breaking and entering on Mayflower Cir.; pizza consumed, AC unit pushed out
4:55 p.m. Report of multiple people parking in handicapped spots at high school
5:09 p.m. Question regarding faded inspection sticker
8:16 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle on Lovell Rd.

Thursday, September 24

8:33 a.m. Large branch in road on Sawyer Lane
9:25 a.m. Two suspicious motor vehicles parked across from home on Fox Hill Dr.
10:40 a.m. Water coming from door at rear of town pool building
1:05 a.m. Bag of ammunition turned in
2:50 p.m. Kids hanging out in front of station moved along
5:17 p.m. Parent reports kids smoking cigars in woods on nature trail near Davis Hill School
9:15 p.m. 911 hang-up; advised everything all set

Friday, September 25

8:52 a.m. Report of vehicles traveling at 45 mph in school zone, refusing to stop
12:34 p.m. Ongoing dispute between neighbors regarding damage from ice storm
1:22 p.m. Lost cat on Parker Ave.
1:57 p.m. Two trucks removed from roadway on Salisbury St.
2:01 p.m. Caller with question about people hunting on nearby property
6:47 p.m. Erratic operation of a bicycle
7:04 p.m. Party backed into vehicle while driving rental truck
9:27 p.m. Individual spoken to about standing in the middle of the road after dark
11:50 p.m. Call received from someone pretending to be state police captain

Saturday, September 26

1:30 a.m. Suspicious vehicle with no plates parked in road on Dorothy Ave.
5:46 p.m. Suspicious person taking flowers at store on Main St.
5:53 p.m. Loose dog in road on Salisbury St.
9:09 p.m. Large dog in road on Fort Sumter eating skunk

Sunday, September 27

2:20 a.m. Request for area to be checked for barking dogs on Nola Dr.
4:09 a.m. Private investigator on Industrial Dr.
7:04 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle parked across from pool on Salisbury St.
8:38 p.m. Request for additional patrols of area where telephone line was cut

Paxton

Monday, September 21

3:32 a.m. Person at station with bunny hit by a car, Pleasant St.
5:52 p.m. Small dog in and out of traffic, Richards Ave./Crocker Hill Dr.
8:45 p.m. Caller advises she only has half power to her home, Bel Arbor Dr.

Tuesday, September 22

1:33 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle without tags, Sunset Ln.
6:28 a.m. Car alarm going off for two hours, Sunset Ln.
8:01 a.m. Officer off for follow-up, Pleasant St.
10:04 a.m. Caller's mailbox hit, Holbrook Ln.

Thursday, September 24

12:17 p.m. Motor vehicle lockout, Sunset Ln.
7:18 p.m. Complaint about barking dog, West St.
10:18 p.m. Possible gun shots in area, Woodland Dr.

Friday, September 25

3:45 p.m. Loose dog found, Holden Rd. Owner will pick up

Princeton

Monday, September 21

6:46 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Birchwood Dr.
4:36 p.m. Welfare check, Boylston Ave.
8:17 p.m. Public service, Mountain Rd.

Tuesday, September 22

12:59 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, E. Princeton Rd.
2:11 p.m. Assist other PD, Main St.
4:05 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Sterling Rd.
4:20 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Rte. 140 N
7:19 p.m. Suspicious person, Mountain Rd.
10:09 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Gates Rd.

Wednesday, September 23

10:00 a.m. Traffic safety hazard, Leominster Rd./ Main St.
2:55 p.m. Motor vehicle lockout, Town Hall Dr.
3:25 p.m. Public service, Town Hall Dr.
5:42 p.m. Traffic safety hazard, Rte. 140 N

Thursday, September 24

4:50 a.m. Traffic control duty, Rte. 140 N/Fitchburg Rd.
6:25 a.m. Public service, E. Princeton Rd.
6:52 p.m. Assist animal control officer, Main St.

Friday, September 25

5:48 p.m. Public service, Rte. 140 N
6:18 p.m. Assist animal control officer, Mirick Rd.
11:21 p.m. Motor vehicle lockout, Westminster Rd.

Saturday, September 26

11:36 a.m. Assist animal control officer, Greene Rd.
1:23 p.m. Property found, Rhodes Rd.
6:35 p.m. Disturbance, Sterling Rd.

Sunday, September 27

12:38 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Fitchburg Rd.
11:58 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Ball Hill Rd.

Rutland

Monday, September 21

9:29 a.m. Disturbance - lots of yelling from neighbors, Dickson Way
1:55 p.m. Assist Hubbardston PD, escort tow truck with pontoon boat that has broken trailer axel, Intervale Rd.
3:22 p.m. Traffic safety issue, monitoring traffic, Main St.
9:34 p.m. Loose dog in area, Main St.

Tuesday, September 22

1:23 a.m. Records check requested
8:40 a.m. Request that officer speak to youth refusing to go to school, Bushy Ln.
2:09 p.m. Report that golden retriever came onto deck of home and charged homeowner, Wheeler Rd.

Wednesday, September 23

3:30 a.m. Complaint about barking dog, Birchwood Rd.
7:29 a.m. Report that person on motorcycle pulled up to boy at bus stop and started yelling at him, Rte. 122A/Millbrook St., Holden
12:00 p.m. Man reporting that a female took his picture while he was out walking his dog, Maple Ave.
3:22 p.m. Report of person bitten by cat that may be feral, Central Tree Rd.
9:00 p.m. Missing black Labrador dog, Charnock Hill Rd; later returned
9:46 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.

Thursday, September 24

11:15 a.m. Wolf-like dog seen on Irish Ln., got loose from electric fence area
1:45 p.m. UPS driver requesting that dog be restrained, Cameron Dr.
5:39 p.m. Caller notifying area towns about lost black and white rat terrier
5:45 p.m. Summons delivered, Maple Ave.
6:14 p.m. Summons delivered, Maple Ave.
6:28 p.m. Attempt to deliver summons, Bigelow Rd.
6:37 p.m. Large black bear crossed 122A, heading down Pleasantdale Rd.
6:46 p.m. UMass Medical Center requesting information so doctor can report dog bite
7:01 p.m. Request that officer stop juveniles from riding up and down Jamie Ann Dr.
10:17 p.m. Report that female tampered with vehicle, Maple Ave.

Friday, September 25

9:51 a.m. Resident received quarantine notice for dog, John Robert Dr.
11:05 a.m. Vandalism to hose splitter, Wachusett St.
11:10 a.m. Person at station for paperwork, Main St.
11:23 a.m. Motor vehicle lockout, playground parking lot
11:57 a.m. Westminster animal control officer has yellow Labrador dog found in her town with Rutland tag, Vista Cir.
12:33 p.m. Request to speak with animal control officer about letter from neighbors regarding her dog, Peters Ave.
1:22 p.m. Report of black bear in yard, Victoria Ave.
1:51 p.m. Street sign with large reflector knocked down and thrown into woods, Walnut St.
3:20 p.m. Person at station with information, Main St.
3:42 p.m. Person left items at station, Main St.
4:05 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.
6:31 p.m. Black cow loose, Glenwood Rd.
9:06 p.m. Complaint of four-wheeler on road, Jamie Ann Dr.

Saturday, September 26

1:35 p.m. Assist motorist whose car ran out of gas, Paxton Cemetery
3:53 p.m. Dogs running loose, Summerhill Dr.
4:53 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.
6:48 p.m. Suspicious people in yard, Glenwood Rd.
8:06 p.m. Raccoon hit by car, Main St.
8:24 p.m. Disturbance, people yelling and screaming, Maple Ave.

Sunday, September 27

10:55 a.m. Dead raccoon, Charnock Hill Rd.
11:11 a.m. Mail box, post and newspaper container stolen during night, Prospect St.

Sterling

Monday, September 21

8:38 a.m. Loose dog, animal control officer delivered letter to owner with conditions for correcting reoccuring problem, Clinton Rd.
12:42 p.m. Dog attacked by raccoon acting odd, Riverview Rd.; test shows raccoon was rabid
4:01 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer about material dumped on his property, Mortimer Rd.
6:02 p.m. Officer investigation, follow-up to dumping issue, Mortimer Rd.
8:54 p.m. Officer wanted, possible drug issue, Jill Ln.

Tuesday, September 22

12:45 p.m. Caller wants to speak with officer regarding a man that keeps returning to home that is for sale, Main St.
6:02 p.m. Officer wanted, vehicle had hard time making turn, checking for damage, Pratts Jct./Leominster Rd.
8:44 p.m. Suspicious activity, possible use of marijuana, Jill Ln.

Wednesday, September 23

2:58 p.m. Caller reports two males attempting to gain access through window of home, Oakwood Dr. It was homeowner who had locked himself out
8:13 p.m. Three individuals walking with flashlights, carrying large stick, looking for something in the woods, Pratts Jct. Rd. Found to be people looking for lost keys
8:58 p.m. Officer wanted at traffic island, possible damage to sign, Beaman/Princeton Rds.
9:15 p.m. Assist driver of tractor trailer unit with directions, Main St.

Thursday, September 24

11:51 a.m. Suspicious activity, Reed/Princeton Rds.
6:29 p.m. Report of juveniles harassing store patron to buy them cigarettes, Main St.
7:56 p.m. Car seat installation, Main St.

Friday, September 25

6:44 p.m. Dog attacked on Woodside Drive while owner was out walking the dog

Saturday, September 26

12:07 a.m. Report of three youths in cemetery, Clinton Rd.
6:09 p.m. Report of odor of dead animal, Campground Rd.
8:57 p.m. Suspicious male in woods behind 1835 Town Hall, Maple St.

Sunday, September 27

3:28 a.m. Message delivered to person, Wilder Ln.
2:05 p.m. Loose horse, Tanglewood Rd.
6:32 p.m. Officer wanted, problem between mother and daughter, Kendall Hill Rd.

I'm sure that the folks on American Samoa are comforted

Tsunami in South Pacific islands kills nearly 100.

But, ...

And, here's a bit about what happened, from New Scientist: What caused the Samoa islands tsunami?

Wait. What?!

BONE, according to The Free Dictionary, is shorthand for B-1 (B-One). There. I'll be you feel a lot better.
You folks in or near Bangor. You might want to, um, keep an eye on the skies and, um, be prepared to, oh, I don't know, run away.

Pirate radio stations in Worcester

No, not that kind.
When riding around the city today, I picked up a couple of radio stations that are not listed in the radio-locator.com database for licensed full-power radio stations. (There are 71 radio stations that may be within distant listening range of Worcester, Massachusetts. (42° 16' 08" N, 71° 48' 14" W)).

102.9

This is a new one for me. The broadcast that I heard earlier today included an extended bit of west African music, but with a lot of background talking. Then, at the top of hour (9AM), it mentioned something about "94.7FM talk." At first, I thought it might be a rebroadcast of Asempa 94.7FM. I've not been able to sync the online stream with what's coming over the air, so I can't confirm. radio-locator.com lists this frequency as unused:

105.5

These folks, Flava 105.5 - FM, have been around for a while. Their format is reggae/Caribbean, with some pretty wild preaching on Sunday. The signal is ok around the city and, almost as if there was a wire fence, drops off completely at the city line on the north and east. 105.5 is located in Easthampton and is a rebroadcaster of Boston's WEEI.

A check of Scan New England shows some mention of both broadcast frequencies, but not a lot of detail. I welcome any further information.

OntheCommon.com - Why Holden needs three pharmacy chains

OntheCommon.com - Why Holden needs three pharmacy chains

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Is that a ... in your pocket? Oh. It is. Well, have a seat, friend.

Some of us don't need reasons to stay out of bars, but here's one more, just in case one is in Arizona.
Guns allowed in Arizona bars starting Wednesday.

Interestingly, you can carry a concealed weapon, but you can't openly carry a gun. Guess we won't be seeing Cassidy Nicosia making the trek to Arizona any time soon.

Finding true north

Research is confirming what we've demonstrated empirically, that people who are lost will walk in circles, all the while convinced that they're walking in a straight line.
Recently, my wife's car, a 2000 Avalon, needed a new alternator, requiring that the battery be disconnected while the mechanic worked on the car. As a result, the cool dashboard display widgets needed to be reset. Setting the date and time wasn't much a problem. We drove away, everything fine until we noticed that the on-board compass was off by about 110^°. We'd be going north and the compass read southwest.
After mucking around with the controls for a very long time, we finally reached the end of the line, the bleak wilderness of unknowing that brought us to the next desperate step - we read the fine manual. (For the record, Sandra and I have a combined 60 years of technical writing experience.)
Here's what we found:

Drive in circles. That's what they tell us to do. Drive in circles until the car figures out where magnetic north is located.
A 10-year-old car with 150,000 miles can find north by going in circles. As humans, we go in circles and all we find is more circles.
Oh, and did you like the nice way that Toyota suggests that we obey traffic laws and run into or over people or things during this calibration drill?

On risk and the news

We've seen the ads, made the jokes, and then said, you know, it's probably not a bad idea to have one of these gadgets. My mother had one during the last months of her life. We didn't have to use it, but she and we were more comfortable because of it.
And then comes this news:

A further search shows that the headline writers amp'd it up a bit.

It's not too frantic, but it's also a reminder how poorly we assess risk. This story, after all, talks about six cases of serious injury or death since 1998. For the people who experienced these injuries, the risk was 100%.
Statistically, though, it's much, much more dangerous to have a cat. The CDC estimates that cats and dogs cause 86,000 nofatal falls per year. The number of deaths associated with per-related falls hasn't been reported, but, given the number of falls overall, we can infer that the number of deaths is greater than six.
Not only that, but canes and walkers cause 47,000 fall injuries.
Just as an aside, the Centers for Disease Control has an elaborate set of recommendations regarding fall-prevention. Their definitive document, Preventing Falls: What Works A CDC Compendium of Effective Community-based Interventions from Around the World. ( 14.5MB, 102 pages)
, doesn't mention canes, walkers, or pets at all. Lots of stuff about exercise, community programs, and 'multifaceted intervention." Nothing about Poochy lying on the floor in a darkened hallway.
Anyway, this is all a reminder that we often miss simple, abundant, and major risks because we concentrate so much on the rare but spectacular. Psychology Today describes 10 Ways We Get the Odds Wrong. For example,

After 9/11, 1.4 million people changed their holiday travel plans to avoid flying. The vast majority chose to drive instead. But driving is far more dangerous than flying, and the decision to switch caused roughly 1,000 additional auto fatalities, according to two separate analyses comparing traffic patterns in late 2001 to those the year before. In other words, 1,000 people who chose to drive wouldn't have died had they flown instead.

If you want to play with some numbers about mortality risk, take a look at this site: Death Risk Rankings.
In sum, be careful. but remember that your risk of dying from lightning is much greater than from your emergency call necklace.

Look out, Princesses, here comes the Estrogen Express

Five years ago, we took the family to Disney World and Miss Cassie, who was not yet born, has not let us forget it. She wasn't impressed with the explanation that she got to go on all the rides while inside her mother's tummy. Nope, she wanted the real deal, Princesses on every street corner, talking crabs and crickets, water slides, fireworks, and some mouse named Mickey. And, did I mention Princesses?
So, in a confluence of milestone birthdays and a bit of money left to us by my thrifty father, we decided that it was a good time for another trip. Further, we decided that we'd match Disney's princesses with princesses of our own. So, Sandra, our daughters-in-law, Lynn and Jennie, and granddaughter, Krista, Tess, Lily (whose 10th birthday is today), and the aforementioned, one and only, Cassie, are in Disney World this week.

Mike and I drove the gang to Logan this morning. At this writing, noon on Monday, they have landed safely and are at the park. They're scheduled for a late Princess Storybook Dining lunch.

Say what you will about Disney's marketing mojo with the whole Princess brand thing. There's one four-year-old who is so happy that she's about to hit her resonance frequency.