More on reporters as opinionators

Nicole tells a fine story, A Confession « Nicole, Worcester,  about helping her grandmother vote during 2002. It's an excellent response to the column by Nick Kotsopoulos, Ballot help defies spirit of the law.
Voting isn't a social studies MCAS test where you have to demonstrate that you, unaided, know the answers. It's an act of civic participation whereby each voter expresses a viewpoint on the candidates and issues at hand. In town meetings, we vote in public, with plenty of opportunity to chat before and during the vote. Those votes are as legally binding as ballots on election day. Similarly, people can vote by absentee ballot, at home or wherever, with all manner of assistance and with no real time constraints. 
Our voting processes are complex and imprecise. We try to balance the rights of groups to voice their opinions, of individuals to act according to their consciences, and of the general public to know that the votes were counted as accurately as humanly possible.
We're coming up on the 10th anniversary of Bush v. Gore in which activist judges decided that the state of Florida should stop counting the votes in the 2000 presidential election because the Florida Supreme Court erred in its scheme to fashion a recount and that there wasn't time to create a new scheme that met constitutional requirements.

via Ballot help defies spirit of the law

So, people vote for many reasons and in many ways. Governments and others determine how the votes are tallied. As I said, our processes are complex and imprecise. We're trying to bring as many people into the process as we can. Yes, we need to do so legally. We're not helped by snarky comments about voters who are new to the process and uncertain about what to do. Particularly when those comments are made by an otherwise good political reporter.

---

RoasterBoy as athletic supporter

In order to graduate (again) from MWCC, I have to take gym. They call it something else, Fitness and Wellness, so it's not volleyball or synchronized swimming, but it's still gym.  I don't dispute the notion that I could use more exercise than I get, so I'm going along with this requirement with good humor and an open mind.
(One faculty member describes this as the means by which the staff at the Fitness and Wellness Center justifies itself. As far as I've been able to determine, Mt. Wachusett is alone in the Massachusetts community college system with such a requirement.)
When I tried to sign up for this course online, however, I was not able to do so. Apparently, in order to register for the gym class, I had to prove that I've taken college-level course in math and reading.

I was able to convince the person working in the Registrar's office that I'd taken a calculus course at a time close to when Newton had invented it. For the reading prerequisite, I read the catalog requirement that said that I needed to know how to read.
Now, I'm registered for gym, twice a week. I'm ready for all that's modern in the world of education.

RoasterBoy as athletic supporter

In order to graduate (again) from MWCC, I have to take gym. They call it something else, Fitness and Wellness, so it's not volleyball or synchronized swimming, but it's still gym.  I don't dispute the notion that I could use more exercise than I get, so I'm going along with this requirement with good humor and an open mind.
(One faculty member describes this as the means by which the staff at the Fitness and Wellness Center justifies itself. As far as I've been able to determine, Mt. Wachusett is alone in the Massachusetts community college system with such a requirement.)
When I tried to sign up for this course online, however, I was not able to do so. Apparently, in order to register for the gym class, I had to prove that I've taken college-level course in math and reading.

I was able to convince the person working in the Registrar's office that I'd taken a calculus course at a time close to when Newton had invented it. For the reading prerequisite, I read the catalog requirement that said that I needed to know how to read.
Now, I'm registered for gym, twice a week. I'm ready for all that's modern in the world of education.

Health news you can use, I think

via Triple That Vitamin D Intake, Panel Prescribes - WSJ.com (subscription)

via Extra Calcium and Vitamin D Aren’t Necessary, Report Says - NYTimes.com

The last Wikileaks post until the next one

So, let me see if I've got this: some lowly PFC has access to a gazillion secret military and diplomatic documents and, by pretending to listen to Lady Gaga, is able to squirrel them away on a DVD and ship them off so that an Australian nihilist can release them to selected newspapers around the world. If it was a TV show, it would never be produced, unless Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David made the pitch.
Meanwhile, on Sunday evening, WCVB runs a clip from their Washington bureau about the latest release of diplomatic documents, except that the clip doesn't reveal any of the content. Instead, everyone involved, from Julian Assange of Wikileaks.org to the newspapers that published the content of the memos to us, the prurient consumers.
And, Finland shouts from the cold north, "Hey, we've got secrets, too."
PFC Bradley Manning, the alleged distributor of the secret documents, is living out the dream of Arlo Guthrie's Last Guy, someone so otherwise anonymous that no one in the intelligence community bothered to check on his activities until he started bragging about them.
We're left with a familiar collision of first amendment rights against the very real need for some government activities to be secret. Just as many wish for a journalist's privilege to keep sources secret, so, too, do diplomats need privileged communications where the parties can speak candidly and sometimes crassly while they try to work through difficult problems.
All of which is rendered moot because, in these days of modern times, publishers can easily be outside American jurisdiction. Sure, the New York Times published many of findings and will no doubt publish more. The initial release, however, came via Germany's Der Speigel, U.K. Guardian, and other non-U.S. outlets. There will certainly be efforts to prosecute someone in American courts, but the long arm of the law can't contain all of the Internet.
One final note, from the U.K.'s Daily Mail, putting all of this into proper perspective in yesterday's home page.

Jeff Barnard

Jeff Barnard of Wormtown Taxi died this afternoon. All who knew Jeff wish they knew him better.
He wrote a lot and wrote with passion, eclectic thought, and humor. Our quirks, he called out, but with empathy. When he got serious, it tended to be on a few topics, such people who didn't care enough to do their jobs well. His frequent targets were politicians, particularly Worcester folks, and the press, particularly the reporters and columnists at the Telegram. He didn't mind mistakes or honest disagreements. What bothered him most, and what turned out to be his biggest charge to us all, is when folks phoned it in. He wanted us to take serious work seriously. Perhaps the gravest sin in the Taxi Guy Catechism was not voting.
In one of those scenarios that gives us all hope, a series of unplanned changes in work led him to drive a taxi which led him to writing which led him to a measure of fame and a lot of respect. A few weeks ago, he received the key to the city. This evening, his death is on the home page of the Telegram.


Jeff would appreciate the twist that the story of his passing made the papers, but is behind the Telegram.com paywall.
So, g'bye, Jeff. We'll miss you, but we're not going to sit around long and be sad. You showed us how to take our work seriously while taking ourselves not seriously at all. It's now up to us to keep doing that work.

What do you get when you put a bunch of bloggers in a room?

Me, neither.
Let's find out.

Blogger Coffee
5:30 pm on December 8, 2010
Panera Bread
120 Gold Star Boulevard
Worcester MA

Add this event to your calendar. (Right-click and save the link to your system. You can then open the .ics file in your favorite calendar program.)

One thought for one day

Return of the credit wave

This afternoon's mail brought three letters from banks with whom I have no accounts. They're offering me credit - two credit card offers and one for a home equity loan. There have been similar offers lately. About one in three has the same misspelling of my name.
The envelopes make a brief stop at the desk before heading to the wood stove.

Didn't we go through this a few years back? Didn't the credit card companies offer new cards to anyone who could fog a mirror? Didn't some folks wind up with an inch-thick stack of cards, all maxed out, unable to pay and the companies unable to collect?

Let us give thanks

... that we have just a month and day until the nation's retailers can start stocking the shelves with Valentine's Day detritus.
I'm weary. It's been a long siege already. It started in late August when pallets of Christmas started to appear in the back of the stores.
By the end of September, the green-and-red packaging was unabashedly on display. The music started in October.
For most of this month, newspapers have been running stories about Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the great American hunger for cheap stuff made in China, southeast Asia, and south Asia. Walmart has positioned crates of things that we've just got to have, wrapped in black plastic, around their stores in readiness for that great and glorious day, which is not Christmas or Judgment Day, but the day when we shop even more deliriously.

The Boston Globe has discovered that, during Advent, they can make more money from their advertisers by giving their paper away on Thursdays.

I don't enjoy being a curmudgeon about Christmas. I want to share the joy of Christmas morning with the grandkids, but even there it's getting sketchy. When the local news station reports that kids want the iPad more than any other gift, I grieve because we may have lost another generation.
We'll make it, though. The spirit of Christmas triumphs over stupid each year, although each year the score is closer. We'll make it. We always do.

In sickness and in health

A cross-post from my OnTheCommon.com blog: In sickness and in health
Our six-year-old granddaughter has made certain that we understand that, under no circumstances, will she tolerate this joke:

"How old are you?"
I'm six."
"Oh, you're sick. that's too bad. I hope you get better soon."

She got tired of it during the summer, several months before she turned six. She's already figured out that the family has a tradition of bad jokes. Some of the jokes she enjoys.

"Knock, knock."
"Who's there?"
"Interrupting cow?"
"Interrupting c.."
"MOO!"

Last weekend, we learned on NPR's "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!" that there's a word for this condition. Researchers have identified a mental condition and they've called it Witzelsuch.

"Why was 6 scared of 7?"
"Why?"
"Because 7 8 9."

Apparently, damage to the right frontal lobe can lead people to tell bad jokes and to do so inappropriately.
(You can read more than you ever thought you wanted to in this 2005 report by Taiwanese researchers here (PDF document).)

"Knock, knock."
"Who's there?"
"Interrupting fish?"
"Interrupting fish ..."

As we can see, the line between family holiday gatherings and pathology is pretty thin indeed.

"What does the farmer say when he discovers that his tractor is missing?"
"I don't know. What?"
"Where's my tractor?"

Old folkies still have something for the youth of today

As Gordon Lightfoot told us so many years ago, You can't jump a jet plane like you can a freight train.
Delvonte Tisdale was last seen at his family's home in North Carolina less than 24 hours before his mutilated body was found in a wooded area of Milton MA. Police have yet to explain how Tisdale could have made it to the Boston area and be beaten up so badly in such a short time.
The latest theory is that the young man hid in the wheelwell of a plane and fell out as the plane lowered its landing gear.

It's not personal. It's business.

KH Note:
After discussion with a commenter and reflection from this side of the keyboard, I've decided to remove this post. I made a mistake.

Mitt Romney taking a page from the Nixon playbook

Last month, Dan Balz of the Washington Post wrote about Mitt Romney's campaign activity for Republican candidates around the country.The article points out Romney, rarely shy about promoting himself, is trying to stay out of the spotlight. In Ohio, for example, Romney attended a tech conference in support of then-candidate and now Senator-elect Rob Portman. Asked by a reporter about his 2012 plans, Romney replied, "I'm just working for this guy [Portman]. Let's get this guy in."
After his defeat in the 1962 California gubernatorial election, Richard Nixon famously declared himself out of politics, only to re-emerge six years later with the Republican presidential nomination. How'd he do that? In the 1966 mid-terms, he worked hard on behalf of local candidates, particularly in the South, raising money, helping with organizations, doing the tedious work of building a network of gratitude. When he announced his candidacy for the 1968 nomination, he already had the party workers on his side. Unlike what we've typically thought of Nixon, he worked from the bottom up, rather than trying to get to his goal from the top down.
So, too, does it appear that Mitt Romney is working hard to build that network. In the bright lights of 24-7 news, it's not as easy to stay out of view. In addition, because fund-raising is now more complex, it's not surprising that campaign donations may take odd paths from donor to campaign. Nevertheless, we're not likely to see Mitt Romney speaking directly on his behalf for quite a while. That's not where nominations are won.

Why Holden needs three national pharmacy chains.

Another in the occasional series about Holden's need for three national pharmacy chains.
This edition focuses on how the pharmacy chains are helping our fair townspeople celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, by the sharing of gifts.
'Cuz nothing says I love the Baby Jesus like the Turbo Snake at CVS.

But, Mom might need something special, so let's go to Rite-Aid.

If those don't seem just right, you can just give your loved one some breath mints from Walgreens. I'm sure they'll appreciate the thought.

Crime in suburbia

From The Landmark (subscription required):

[Editor's note: There were 24 suspicious items this week.]

Monday, November 8

5:35 a.m. Report of tree in road on Wachusett; no tree on Wachusett, but one on Chapel St.
8:45 a.m. Loose dog recovered, Wachusett St.
9:11 a.m. Caller reports banner loose across Main St.
10:22 a.m. Caller reports suspicious phone call about grandson being in auto accident in London and needing money; advised it is most likely a scam
12:30 p.m. Elderly female in road, Malden St.
4:05 p.m. Injured turkey, Harris St.; bird should be fine
4:09 p.m. 911, individuals stuck in library elevator; precocious child caused problem
6:58 p.m. Dog missing from Rutland
7:17 p.m. Vehicle reported driving in sandpit at night on Quinapoxet St. for several nights; owner spoken to; all is in order
8:13 p.m. Two suspicious males standing in doorway of business, Main St.
9:10 p.m. Caller reports finding bank deposit slip dated today in her house; she hasn’t left house all day, concerned that someone was in her garage
9:15 p.m. 911, out of control female teen; screaming in background

Tuesday, November 9

12:05 p.m. Suspicious truck in parking lot, Main St.
2:04 a.m. Suspicious person, Main St.
2:10 p.m. Several cars removed from business lot, Main St.
2:20 p.m. Assist with chainsaw matter at business, Main St.
5:35 p.m. Suspicious vehicle, Shrewsbury Street
6:52 p.m. 911 hang up; meant to call 411
7:52 p.m. Request for well-being check on Causeway St.; no one home
11:50 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Reservoir St.

Wednesday, November 10

8:03 a.m. Inquiry regarding Pop Warner donation and possible scam
8:08 a.m. 911 misdial; children playing with phone
8:36 a.m. Vehicle driving on wrong side of road; operator said she was sneezing
2:05 p.m. Caller reports neighbor upset with him for burning his wood stove
5:25 p.m. Caller reports bicycle missing from West Boylston store; advised of West Boylston police department number

Thursday, November 11

12:10 a.m. West Boylston advises ponies in road, Malden St.
7:45 a.m. Motor vehicle taking up entire travel lane, Chapel St.
8:50 a.m. Caller reports ponies in her backyard, Malden St.; advised to contact West Boylston PD
9:08 a.m. Motor vehicle back in roadway, Chapel St. blocking lane of travel
9:21 a.m. Rutland PD requests help contacting individual whose vehicle has been parked at business in their town for several days
6:33 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle on Causeway St.
8:45 p.m. Walk-in with 13-year-old son; says he used profanity to his parents

Friday, November 12

6:58 p.m. Unfamiliar vehicle driving kind of fast, Winthrop Lane
7:28 p.m. Report of suspicious vehicle in sand pit, Quinapoxet St.

Saturday, November 13

4:36 a.m. Homeowner reports garage door opening and closing over and over, someone may be in garage; faulty door
10:01 a.m. Caller displeased that motor vehicle passed too close to him while riding his bicycle, Shrewsbury St.
10:09 a.m. Caller reports he was yelled at by angry cyclist, Shrewsbury St.
12:14 p.m. Suspicious person pulled over, Salisbury St.
2:19 p.m. 911, female teen walking on Reservoir St., male appears to be trying to get her to come back into car
4:47 p.m. Caller wants periodic checks on son at home alone; on probation and should have no one at the house
5:16 p.m. Suspicious man stopping by pedestrians, Salisbury St.

Sunday, November 14

12:02 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Salisbury St.
1:27 p.m. Water reported dirty, High St.
2:08 p.m. Motor vehicle drove over lawn on Ridgewood Rd.; children regularly play in area, vehicle almost struck hydrant

5:40 p.m. Suspicious individuals, Lowell Ave.
6:02 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Main St.
7:38 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Main St.

Paxton

Monday, November 8

3:46 p.m. Old couch dumped on Winter St.

Tuesday, November 9

3:54 p.m. Suspicious vehicle at end of driveway, Holden Rd.

Wednesday, November 10

9:07 a.m. Suspicious vehicle parked on Winter St.
5:16 p.m. Solicitors selling beef products from white van, Whitney Dr. Caller concerned about legitimacy of business
9:16 p.m. Suspicious vehicle in parking lot, Pleasant St.

Thursday, November 11

12:05 p.m. Several youths climbing on school roof, West St.
3:00 p.m. Jack Russell terrier found, Maple St.

Friday, November 12

6:04 p.m. Vehicle in parking lot with lights on and no license plate, Pleasant St.
7:00 p.m. Missing pit bull mix dog, Wildwood Dr.

Saturday, November 13

10:01 a.m. Resident burning brush, Crystal St. Advised of burning regulations
2:38 p.m. Person advises he will be shooting in his backyard, Rockland St.

Sunday, November 14

7:54 a.m. Power out. Report of fuse blown by deceased squirrel, Knollwood Rd.
9:45 a.m. Suspicious people on private property, Hemlock St.
11:45 a.m. Person wants to speak with animal control officer about dog, Pleasant St.

Princeton

Monday, November 8

3:30 a.m. Police officer removed tree from roadway, Sterling Rd.
6:25 a.m. Bus company requests officer to assist while backing bus up onto Rte. 31; can’t get by due to large tree down, Mirick Rd.

Tuesday, November 9

9:35 a.m. Police transport female from parking lot on Hubbardston Rd. to residence on Wheeler Rd.
12:05 p.m. Suspicious vehicle parked at playground at Leominster Rd./Main St. Person goes there for better cell service

Wednesday, November 10

9:36 a.m. Suspicious parked vehicle, Merriam Rd.
11:43 a.m. Westminster PD requests Princeton PD check parking lots at Leominster State Forest for unattended vehicles

Thursday, November 11

9:43 p.m. Suspicious vehicle parked for long time, Mountain Rd.

Friday, November 12

3:20 p.m. Public service, police stand by while person inspects his boundary line, Goodnow Rd.

Saturday, November 13

12:35 p.m. Minor car accident, Mile Hill Rd. Found to be in Westminster
6:39 p.m. Report that hunter entered woods early in the morning and truck is still parked beside Beaman Rd.

Rutland

Monday, November 8

8:59 a.m. Person at station to speak with officer about female wanting ride from Pleasantdale Rd. to Holden. Photo of missing female from Rutland sent to Holden PD.
9:45 a.m. Large limb fell from leaning tree, Ridge Rd.
2:12 p.m. Missing Norwegian elk hound with electric fence collar, Sumac Cir.
2:25 p.m. Person upset about ongoing issues, Main St.

Wednesday, November 10

9:52 a.m. Caller reports about 50 cats living around her house and under the porch, Hope Way

Thursday, November 11

1:08 p.m. Weimeraner missing, Brintnal Dr.
2:00 p.m. Balloon in tree with box attached, Irish Ln.

Friday, November 12

11:40 a.m. Attorney asking police to remove male picketing business, Barre Paxton Rd.
4:13 p.m. Report of poor business practices at business, Barre Paxton Rd.
4:24 p.m. Kids on dirt bikes, some with helmets but no headlights, pulling kids on regular bikes, Blueberry Ln./Beechwood Dr.

Saturday, November 13

4:54 a.m. Two dogs in area, Pleasantdale Rd.
3:36 p.m. Skunk in yard all day, walking funny, rolling around on leaves, spraying every so often, Ridge Rd.

Sterling

Tuesday, November 9

6:51 a.m. Stray yellow and black Labrador dogs in yard, Redstone Hill Rd.
12:56 p.m. Suspicious male soliciting. Police advise subject to check in at police station in future, Main St.
1:42 p.m. Two German shepherds attacking an animal, people screaming, Clinton Rd.

Wednesday, November 10

12:12 p.m. Request police for unruly employee, Chocksett Rd.

Thursday, November 11

8:26 a.m. Two small vials containing fluid found in vehicle, Leominster Rd.
9:16 a.m. Report of phone calls that person had won large sum of money, Beaman Rd.
11:48 a.m. Dog and skunk in fight, Shady Ln.
9:09 p.m. Assist State Police looking for individual who bailed out of vehicle, went into woods; tracking dog unable to locate

Friday, November 12

7:19 a.m. Stray cat at home, Riverview Rd.
9:40 a.m. Missing Lab/shepherd mix, James Rd.
3:49 p.m. Report that dog rips open trash bags on curb and recently jumped into car and stole a roast, Upper N. Row Rd.
4:10 p.m. Suspicious vehicle pulling in and out of driveways, Redemption Rock Trl.
6:19 p.m. Gold wedding band lost on rail trail in September

Sunday, November 14

8:24 a.m. Terrier found, Laurelwood Rd.
12:34 p.m. Police attempt to find people on ATVs, Beverly Dr.
3:28 p.m. Assist person with child seat, Leominster RD.
11:24 P.M. Suspicious vehicle near home where no one lives, Rowley Hill Rd.

Our ancestors could have picked a sunnier place to be

In Finnish, but with subtitles.


via Complaints Choirs of the World : Home
You can find more complaints choirs in more languages at Complaints Choirs Worldwide
(via Complaints Choirs Worldwide">MeFi)

There will now be a moment of silence, followed by more silence.

Some times you need to say something in response, but there's nothing to say that will add anything to what's been said. This is one of those times.
Wormtown Taxi: Kathy

In which real people bring us the world

When Lisa Mullins made the trek out to Greenfield yesterday, she passed through familiar lands. Long before hosting PRI's The World, she had her first radio gig at WEIM (now WPKZ) in Fitchburg. The World, a collaboration between the BBC, PRI, and WGBH, is a rare treasure, bringing international news to an American audience.
Mullins and The World editor Ken Bader spoke last night at an event sponsors by WFCR and Greenfield Community College. WFCR has just launched a new FM outlet, 91.7, in Greenfield, bringing the news channel to the static-free airwaves.
The crowd of 70 or so^[1] filled the chairs in a brick-walled room in The Arts Block, a renovated factory in the revitalized downtown. Through a presentation of photos, Mullins walked us through the production of the show. The World goes on the air at 3 PM Eastern. The staff starts shortly before 8 AM, reviewing the overnight news and holding conference calls with the BBC staff in London (where its early afternoon). She introduced us to the staff from the big league executives to the go-fers, providing a insightful anecdote about each.
The show doesn't do much breaking news. Bader noted that The World is more like a newspaper, developing a daily digest of news. The World also does longer investigative pieces. Mullins previewed a series on South African health care that will air in December. In that series, a medical panel makes the life-and-death decisions about who will have access to the limited dialysis services.
Mullins noted that, even with the reorganizations and budget cuts at the BBC, there's still no news organization with a greater reach than the BBC. The dictatorship in Burma doesn't allow foreign correspondents into their country. The BBC has a reporter in Burma.
Bader gave us a clever demonstration of editing for radio, taking the lead graf of a New York Times story and making it work for the listener. Simple sentences do the job.
The show is brought to us by a crew of reporters who get shot at, crawl into dark and dirty places to bring us the news, talk to leaders of the world and drummers from Brazil. Mullins played an audio clip of a Honduran bishop who was struggling with grief after Hurricane Mitch drowned the country in 1997. "I am very bad with God," said Bishop Leo Friday. Sometimes, she observed, you just have to let the interview go where it's going to go.
These are consummate professionals, but also, and most importantly, real people who work with real people to help us understand a complex and troubling world. Mullins, at once humble and confident, is one of those few people who could find both the Zambezi and Nashua rivers on a map.

---

^[1]Although the black population of Franklin County is just 1.7%, this crowd was whiter than that. The only black person in the room was the technician running the audio equipment.

Seeing the homeless

I've had a very nice place to live for a very long time. Before that, there were some places that were pretty nice, some just ok, a few that were sketchy, and a few places that weren't any place at all.
We'll be hearing a lot more about the homeless as the weather turns colder. There will be good programs to bring people in at night, to bathe, clothe, and feed them. Good programs run by good people that will keep many a folk alive.
Those who work with the homeless know how to find them. Most of us, even those who know something about homelessness but have been away from it for a while, won't know that there are homeless in our midst. We know how not to see and the homeless know how not to be seen.
Last week, I had a dinner with a guy who'd been homeless. He's living indoors now, in one of those single room occupancy buildings that we used to call rooming houses. You get a room, share a bathroom, and that's about it. He has a job collecting carts in the Walmart parking lot.
Funny thing. You wouldn't know that this guy was living in an SRO or that he was or had been homeless. He looks like just a guy about my age. He's articulate, undramatic, and affable. He's serious about stuff, including some stuff that's beyond what I can even begin to think about. We talk about what we have in common, which is quite a bit. He and I are graduates of the same college. By chance, we knew some of the same people in towns 100 miles away.
Plenty of people on the street have trouble with booze and drugs and mental illness and plenty on the streets don't. Each person got there by a singular path, a unique series of collapsing events. That's what makes homelessness so vexing. It's like health care. There are broad prescriptions that have to be tailored to the individual. We want big and fast answers. The trouble is, the good answers come one person at a time.

There are plenty more stories about the homelessness of friends, families, and others who are connected to you and me. For example, a high school classmate of mine who showed up on the front page of the Telegram recently. You can read his story, Finding a home, if you're a Telegram subscriber. The stories have wit, cleverness, endurance, tragedy, and so on. As a friend once said, however, the story is a lot better than the experience.

Adobe Illustrator help fail

So, I'm editing an encapsulated PostScript (EPS) file in Adobe Illustrator. I forget how to show what fonts are in use in the file. I click on help.

1. Forty seconds to update Adobe Air (the product that displays the online help.)
2. Three minutes to download the update to the online help
3. Two minutes to have the online help unpack the downloaded help files.
4. Two minutes to try to remember what question I wanted to ask because I've been off doing other stuff while waiting for steps 1-3 to complete.
5. Ten seconds to type question, get answer, and get back to work.

Crime in suburbia

From The Landmark (subscription required):

[Editor's note: There were 23 suspicious items this week.]

Holden

Monday, November 1

1:10 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Reservoir St.
2:59 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Reservoir St.; taking pet for a ride
8:07 a.m. Well-being check on mentally challenged individual out walking
9:24 a.m. Worcester PD calling about bomb threat at WRHS
10:46 a.m. Call about boyfriend’s accident; advised to have boyfriend call
2:24 p.m. Business owner calling from Main St. saying he has told kids to move along
8:20 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Wachusett St.; waiting for road service

Tuesday, November 2

6:42 a.m. Motor vehicle reported missing; advised it was repossessed
8:22 a.m. Refrigerator with unsecured doors, Salisbury St.; doors are taped shut
8:42 .m. Work crew working without detail, Rte. 31
12:14 p.m. Stolen political sign in Jefferson
1:45 p.m. Party in station to dispose of medications; advised to return them to pharmacy
3:02 p.m. Lost dog
4:16 p.m. Walk-in to speak to officer about past incident at high school
9:44 p.m. Motor vehicle lockout, Main St.

Wednesday, November 3

12:17 a.m. Suspicious vehicle parked in lot, Main St.; OK, building owner
1:47 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Boulder Hill Rd.
4:54 a.m. Two dogs walking on Wachusett St., almost hit by car
7:27 a.m. 911 caller being tailgated, Wachusett St.; advised to pull over
8:02 a.m. Two dogs running down Bullard St.
8:27 a.m. Call about vehicle on Lowell Ave.
8:37 a.m. Request to tag vehicle at high school
8:52 a.m. Complaint about people holding signs at intersection; car almost rear-ended vehicle that stopped to talk
11:20 a.m. Unknown alarm sounding, Salisbury St.; cordless phone with dead battery
12:15 p.m. Small Chihuahua running in and out of traffic, Shrewsbury St.
12:17 p.m. Dog in and out of traffic, Main St.
1:46 p.m. Caller reports business in town left him unpleasant voicemail after he took back chainsaw they said they couldn’t fix
2:17 p.m. Youths hanging around outside Main St. business
3:49 p.m. 911 call about vehicle tailgating and passing vehicles
3:51 p.m. Dog walking in Bullard St.

Thursday, November 4

6:55 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, Sherwood Hill Dr.
7:44 a.m. Suspicious van, Flagler Dr.
1:07 p.m. Unruly customer, refusing to pay at business, Main St.
1:24 p.m. Vehicle parked improperly at high school, contraband needs to be turned in

5:10 p.m. Suspicious individuals at vacant house, Salisbury St.
6:58 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle in front of home, Beechwood Rd.; waiting for someone

Friday, November 5

9:28 a.m. Roofing solicitor seems suspicious, South Rd.
2:03 p.m. Driver reports being tailgated, advised to pull over and let offender pass
5:04 p.m. Two large potholes in construction area, Reservoir St.; contractor advised to repair before weekend
7:24 p.m. Injured cat, Heritage Ln.
8:07 p.m. Caller overheard students planning fight after football game
9:46 p.m. Group of youths removed from parking lot, Main St.; moved to another parking lot

Saturday, November 6

7:29 a.m. Suspicious alarm, Lovell Rd.; accidental
8:25 a.m. Sewage odor, Lovell Rd.
3:06 p.m. Report of two males smoking marijuana in vehicle in parking lot, Reservoir St.
3:26 p.m. Suspicious male wearing dark clothing on Forest Dr.; attending surprise party
3:42 p.m. Two parties riding dirt bikes, Wachusett St.
5:20 p.m. Large pothole, Reservoir St.
5:45 p.m. Dead cat in yard
6:24 p.m. Boy Scouts will be in cemetery taking photos for Eagle Scout project
7:59 p.m. Loose dog barking constantly, North St.
9:44 p.m. Report of past incident, Brennan Way

Sunday, November 7

12:41 a.m. Suspicious vehicle at business. Rte. 31
2:11 a.m. Suspicious vehicle parked for half hour, Salisbury St.; OK, limo service
3:00 a.m. Suspicious vehicle at First Congregational Church
8:58 a.m. Suspicious vehicle in school lot, Shrewsbury St.
9:55 a.m. Report of someone dumping batteries and tires, River St.
10:20 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, Reservoir St.

Paxton

Tuesday, November 2

8:35 a.m. Skunk trapped in catch basin, Sunset Ln.
9:55 a.m. Suspicious auto driving slowly, Crystal St.
3:05 p.m. Illegal burning, Grove St.

Wednesday, November 3

8 a.m. Misdial 911, West St.; meant to call 411
2:10 p.m. Neighbors’ cellar door open, Terrace Place; wind blew open
5:02 p.m. 911 call about mattress in eastbound travel lane of I-290; forwarded to state police

Thursday, November 4

6:10 p.m. Anna Maria College security recovered two empty BB rifle packages by student center
8:26 p.m. Suspicious trucks in driveway of vacant home, Highland St.; OK, plumbers

Friday, November 5

10:45 a.m. Lost black Labrador, Grove St.
11:41 a.m. Suspicious vehicle without license plate, Reservoir Rd.
2:20 p.m. Stray black and white cat found, Grove St.
3:55 p.m. Abandoned vehicle parked on Franklin St. all week
7:41 p.m. Assist Worcester PD going to home on Pleasant St. to contact individual; person wasn’t there

Saturday, November 6

8:09 p.m. Caller reports his dog is lost on Intervale Rd. in Rutland

Sunday, November 7

7:49 a.m. Caller wants to speak with officer about bag of white powder found near his vehicle, Tanglewood Rd.
2:10 p.m. Suspicious vehicle, white box truck, person attempting to hitchhike, Pleasant St.
4:32 p.m. Stray cat hanging around home, Burtenmar Cir.

Princeton

Tuesday, November 2

5:03 p.m. Report of empty baby carriage beside Houghton Rd.
10:28 p.m. Police transport occupants of vehicle to station to make arrangements for a ride, Worcester Rd.

Wednesday, November 3

3:12 p.m. Report that bus hit sign on Rte. 62. Police find no damage to sign or bus
4:07 p.m. Caller lost cell phone on town common on Halloween night
10:55 p.m. Report of vehicle parked and people yelling, Fitchburg Rd./Rte. 140 North

Saturday, November 6

2:05 a.m. Police remove several traffic cones from roadway, Worcester Rd.
3:06 p.m. Person reports seeing and smelling smoke on Rte. 31 heading south to west. Rutland Fire notified also

Sunday, November 7

11:22 a.m. Abandoned 911 call, police investigate, no one around building, Mountain Rd

Rutland

Monday, November 1

7:06 a.m. Car hit deer, Main St. Deer still alive.
7:21 a.m. Coyote on sidewalk, Valley View Cir.
8:10 a.m. Vehicle lock-out, Kenwood Dr.
9:06 p.m. Lost cat, East County Rd.
12:43 p.m. Dead rabbit, Winifred’s Way
1:30 p.m. Verizon technician lost piece of phone testing equipment off truck, Ridge Rd.
2:08 p.m. Two unleashed dogs, Edson Ave.
6:48 p.m. Lost golden/corgi reported.

Tuesday, November 2

9:20 p.m. Loose Golden retriever, Central Tree Ave.
12:13 p.m. Home lock-out, East County Rd.
2:47 p.m. Missing golden retriever, Kalloch Dr.

Thursday, November 4

8:03 a.m. Male with short, dark hair and winter jacket, reported jumping out of vehicle with a pocket book and ran down Pleasantdale Rd on the Spencer side. Advised it is a verbal argument.
11:19 a.m. Driver accidentally pressed wrong button on dump truck and lost part of his stone load in the street. Notify DPW and driver’s boss. Cruiser on scene, advised DPW did very good job cleaning up mess.
12:45 p.m. Office requested for out of control client, Miles Rd. Juvenile Arrest: Defacing property.
1:06 p.m. Party calling to report that her pocketbook was stolen from the gym. She would like officer to check her house because someone now has her keys, Maple St. Officer advised but is tied up with an arrest.
1:36 p.m. Officer wanted to keep the peace while furniture is being moved. Officer advised, still with arrest.
2:43 p.m. Missing black lab, Sassawanna Rd.

Friday, November 5

9:32 a.m. Advised bear was on deck last night, Sunset Tr.
6 p.m. Car lockout, Main St.
6:15 p.m. Assist Hubbardston police remove two stolen kittens, may be removing firearms as well, Old Boston Turnpike
7:09 p.m. Walk-in looking for girlfriend’s ID, said was taken by Rutland PD last week
7:25 p.m. Hubbardston police advise that car is heading to tavern, males in car have supposedly been drinking.
7:59 p.m. Suspicious auto, Irish Ln. Car came up driveway, waited, then left when male went outside.

Saturday, November 6

1:48 p.m. Two loose chocolate labs at house, Maple Ave. Found owner, returning dogs.
5:19 p.m. 911, Brunelle Dr. Resident not sure how 911 was called from home, but children are present.
8:14 p.m. Paxton PD reporting resident lost dog in Rutland.

Sunday, November 7

2:17 p.m. Animal laying in driveway, caller not sure what type of animal, Wachusett St.
8:56 p.m. Disabled vehicle, East County Rd. Car ran out of gas, driver waiting for ride
9:24 p.m. Caller locked keys in car, Miles Rd.

Sterling

Monday, November 1

3:31 p.m. Dog dropped off at station
6:54 p.m. Something scratching at caller’s door, Heywood Rd.; advised probably small rodent
7:30 p.m. Walk-in reports lost prescription for medication, believes wife washed it. Got new prescription.

Tuesday, November 2

12:49 p.m. Caller found piece of jewelry on rail trail last week
4:21 p.m. Motor vehicle accident, Leominster Rd. Vehicle drove through yard and hit tree. Female operator appears “gone crazy”

Wednesday, November 3

7:25 a.m. Walk-in requests escort to house, Osgood Rd.
1:09 p.m. Caller has stray cat at house for several days, Mortimer Rd.
3:11 p.m. Skunk in chicken coop, Maple St. Skunk left

Thursday, November 4

10:10 p.m. Disturbance, Jill Ln. Caller hears banging and stomping every night at this time from neighbor’s apartment. No one answers door. Ongoing problem with next-door neighbor.

Friday, November 5

7:04 a.m. Hit & run motor vehicle accident, Dana Hill Rd. Driver is illegal immigrant, works at nursing home.
9:53 a.m. Suspicious activity, Flanagan Hill Rd. Grandmother encountered two people in her driveway several times. Female approached and asked for directions.
6:15 p.m. 911, Redstone Pl. Mother-son domestic disturbance in driveway; caller believes turning physical. Parties say verbal altercation

Saturday, November 6

8:26 p.m. Walk-in found snub nose revolver while hunting in Greenville, N.H.; reported lost/stolen in Greenville

Sunday, November 7

9:11 a.m. Complaint about noise from developer, Williams Rd. Developer had told caller would not work on Sundays, agreed to stop for the day
10:43 a.m. Large half-eaten deer in resident’s brook, Beaman Rd.
11:59 a.m. Report of plane landing on I-190S. Nothing found. Sterling fire dept. reports small runway in area that makes it look like planes landing on highway
12:02 p.m. Walk-in needs help locating homeless shelter; given directions to shelter in Fitchburg
2:30 p.m. Caller found money, School St.
3:59 p.m. Report of 12-year-old missing for 2.5 hours, Squareshire Rd.; located at friend’s house

Citizenship is complicated in other places, too.

If your people moved from what is now Finland to a part of what was then Finland but is now part of Russia and which was controlled by Sweden then, you can't settle in what is now Finland unless you join the Finnish army.
via Ingrians to lose returning migrant status

Not everything true needs to be said

I found a link, The glory years | The Ideas Economy, that indicated that the over-60 crowd still has some usefulness. When I log in to the site, the truth is revealed.

Cassius Clay and Cat Stevens

Our brief encounter with the restoration of sanity is fading away like so many other tokens of our youth, such as birds, clean air, tuna, Taiwan. We still meet a few people and get to describe what we saw and heard. When I mention that Yusuf Islam performed his song Peace Train, my listener usually offers a blank expression.
"Oh," says the other, "Cat Stevens."
The singer, born Steven Giorgiou, embraced Islam and changed his name in 1978.
Thirty-two years is a long time, about 10 times as long as it took for the public to accept Cassius Clay's profession of faith.

"Cassius Clay is a slave name. I didn't choose it, and I didn't want it. I am Muhammad Ali, a free name. It means beloved of God, and I insist people use it when speaking to me and of me."

via Sports Illustrated The best of Muhammad Ali quotes - SI.com

Public acceptance of Ali's new identity wouldn't have happened as quickly, if at all, without Howard Cosell.
I don't remember exactly how long it took, but it seemed that within a small number of months that Cosell started addressing the boxer as Muhammad in interviews. Now, it was all virtue and inclusion that led the sportscaster to embrace Ali. Cosell knew that his fame was tied to the fighter's career. Ali knew it, too. It wasn't all self-promotion, either. As Dave Kindred notes in Sound and Fury: Two Powerful Lives, One Fateful Friendship, Cosell, a lawyer, may not have agreed with all or any of Ali's positions, but he was wiling to defend Ali's right to hold those positions.^[1].
For all kinds of reasons, no one has championed Islam's case in the same way.  For all kinds of reasons, we don't remember the guy's name.

In the company of TV strangers

At least we don't watch Glenn Beck.

via The Reign of Right-Wing Primetime - Live Feed

According the Hollywood Reporter,  a study by Experian Simmons shows that a surprising number of the favorite TV shows in Chez Roasterboy are also favorites among those who don't vote as we do. Is that we don't understand them? Or that they don't understand what they're watching? Or that we don't understand ourselves?

On the eleventh hour ...

Armistice Signed, End Of The War! Berlin Seized By Revolutionists; New Chancellor Begs For Order

via New York Times On This Day.

Wait. What did they do to our money?

The G20 is meeting in South Korea. One of the really contentious topics will be international currency exchange rates. It looks as though Alan Greenspan (or Matt Drudge) has already exchanged our American dollar for something new and not all that welcome.

via Drudge Report: GREENSPAN WARNS OVER WEARKER DOLLAR...

Save money on your auto insurance

Pay for the accident with weed.

SPENCER —  Police last night were searching for a man who slammed a truck into the ice cooler at the Hess station on Route 9, then offered the clerk a bag of marijuana to pay for the damage.
via Police seeking man who offered marijuana

So, instead of having the station owner put in a claim for the accident and spending the insurance company's hard-earned money, this guy offers to settle out of court. Almost a good idea.

Save money on your auto insurance

Pay for the accident with weed.

SPENCER —  Police last night were searching for a man who slammed a truck into the ice cooler at the Hess station on Route 9, then offered the clerk a bag of marijuana to pay for the damage.
via Police seeking man who offered marijuana

So, instead of having the station owner put in a claim for the accident and spending the insurance company's hard-earned money, this guy offers to settle out of court. Almost a good idea.

No help for me

So, I'm working on a Microsoft Word document that has a bunch of fields in it. In this case, the document is a journal that shows how much work I've done on a project. The fields represent the number of hours I've worked on each task. Word has some features that let you do basic arithmetic such as add a column of numbers.
The newer version of Word have moved their option settings into places that I don't remember. I needed help finding how to have Word automatically update those fields and recalculate the number of hours I've worked. I knew it was one of the options, but couldn't remember where those options were set.
So, being a good technical writer and faithful to my profession, I looked the online help that's included with Word.



Oh, well, let's see if there's some help out there on the Intertubes.


I've known people who were technical writers and help system architects at Microsoft. They were smart people, dedicated to their work, eager to ensure that users received good online help in a timely fashion. I've been away from that business for a while. A check of LinkedIn shows that none of the people I knew are still working at Microsoft. More's the pity.

No help for me

So, I'm working on a Microsoft Word document that has a bunch of fields in it. In this case, the document is a journal that shows how much work I've done on a project. The fields represent the number of hours I've worked on each task. Word has some features that let you do basic arithmetic such as add a column of numbers.
The newer version of Word have moved their option settings into places that I don't remember. I needed help finding how to have Word automatically update those fields and recalculate the number of hours I've worked. I knew it was one of the options, but couldn't remember where those options were set.
So, being a good technical writer and faithful to my profession, I looked the online help that's included with Word.



Oh, well, let's see if there's some help out there on the Intertubes.


I've known people who were technical writers and help system architects at Microsoft. They were smart people, dedicated to their work, eager to ensure that users received good online help in a timely fashion. I've been away from that business for a while. A check of LinkedIn shows that none of the people I knew are still working at Microsoft. More's the pity.

The Patch is getting closer

On a related note regarding local news, the Patch placed an ad on Craiglist, looking for  reporters and writers in Northborough. This is the latest in a series of job listings for general assignment and sports reporters.
The Patch, aka Patch.com, is an AOL project to establish local web-based news outlets. They currently have forty sites in Massachusetts with another couple dozen in the queue. The closest is the Shrewsbury, MA Patch.
A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with an editor with one of the Patch sites in eastern Massachusetts. It's a tough place to work. The daily quota for output is hefty, both for stories and tweets. Dan Kennedy, writing for WGBH's Beat the Press site, provides more detail on the working conditions at Patch - Hard times working the Patch.
The Patch wants to be the next big thing in news, as the Atlantic's news and commentary site reported - Will AOL's 'Patch' Kill Your Local Newspaper?
Al Franken predicted this way back when on Saturday Night Live.

The Patch is getting closer

On a related note regarding local news, the Patch placed an ad on Craiglist, looking for  reporters and writers in Northborough. This is the latest in a series of job listings for general assignment and sports reporters.
The Patch, aka Patch.com, is an AOL project to establish local web-based news outlets. They currently have forty sites in Massachusetts with another couple dozen in the queue. The closest is the Shrewsbury, MA Patch.
A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with an editor with one of the Patch sites in eastern Massachusetts. It's a tough place to work. The daily quota for output is hefty, both for stories and tweets. Dan Kennedy, writing for WGBH's Beat the Press site, provides more detail on the working conditions at Patch - Hard times working the Patch.
The Patch wants to be the next big thing in news, as the Atlantic's news and commentary site reported - Will AOL's 'Patch' Kill Your Local Newspaper?
Al Franken predicted this way back when on Saturday Night Live.

Where to find Holden news

Last night, Holden held a special town meeting to discuss, among other things, plans to renovate the Mountview middle school. While the Telegram had a set-up story about the meeting yesterday morning, Holden news in this morning's paper was limited to Dianne's response to a Holden residents complain about audience attire at Spamalot.
Upstart TheDailyHolden.com had the story and pictures.

via Holden voters pass Mountview Feasibility study at Special Town Meeting

Kudos to the new kids.

Where to find Holden news

Last night, Holden held a special town meeting to discuss, among other things, plans to renovate the Mountview middle school. While the Telegram had a set-up story about the meeting yesterday morning, Holden news in this morning's paper was limited to Dianne's response to a Holden residents complain about audience attire at Spamalot.
Upstart TheDailyHolden.com had the story and pictures.

via Holden voters pass Mountview Feasibility study at Special Town Meeting

Kudos to the new kids.

It's too bad that they'll miss English class today

The topic was going to be subject-verb agreement.

It's too bad that they'll miss English class today

The topic was going to be subject-verb agreement.

Just like I remembered it

Huck used to warn me each fall that wet leaves were slipperier than snow. There is, however, as any parent knows, a big difference between being heard and being heeded. I made it a point, whenever I could, to test his theory. I'd get on an old road covered with wet leaves and give the accelerator a kick to make the wheels spin. I'd do the same on snow. And on ice, just because.

via Just like I remembered it

Seeing Worcester

In the spirit of the Wormtown Fleet, where area bloggers try to bring Jeff's way of finding fresh views of the city, James Hunt brings us Hadwen Arboretum. James is a superb photographer and a rare talent who writes well about his craft.
Enjoy.

Hadwen Arboretum « Jameshuntphotography's Blog

Seeing Worcester

In the spirit of the Wormtown Fleet, where area bloggers try to bring Jeff's way of finding fresh views of the city, James Hunt brings us Hadwen Arboretum. James is a superb photographer and a rare talent who writes well about his craft.
Enjoy.

Hadwen Arboretum « Jameshuntphotography's Blog

Remember this stuff?

via Holden, Massachusetts (01520) Conditions & Forecast : Weather Underground

Remember this stuff?

via Holden, Massachusetts (01520) Conditions & Forecast : Weather Underground