Old

I was driving down High Street in Clinton Saturday afternoon with the windows down and Journey playing on the stereo.

It struck me that 20 years ago, I also would have been driving down High Street with the windows down listening to Journey on the stereo.

Only I wouldn't have been driving a sensible family SUV, I wouldn't have had a trunk full of lawn tools, and I certainly wouldn't have had a baby sleeping in the back seat.

Tags: Massachusetts Clinton Old

A terrible reminder

Reading the news of the car crash that claimed the lives of four teenagers this weekend brought a knot to the pit of my stomach. The story was eerily similar to the deaths of the SLA students last January. There were no drugs or alcohol involved, the crash was within a mile of the driver's home, the students killed were all athletes, and just one survived.

Butcher was killed Friday when the driver of the 2007 Toyota Scion, 17-year-old Nathan Plaza of Leicester, slammed into a tree. Also killed were Bryan Rossik , 17, of Leicester, and Julianne "Julie" Caron , 18, of North Brookfield.

The fifth person, Lauren Bennett , 17, of North Brookfield, broke her clavicle and was in stable condition yesterday at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, her mother said. Bennett remained sedated yesterday, as doctors continued to monitor her for internal injuries or brain swelling, Paula Bennett said.

I was especially struck by the stories of the North Brookfield students holding vigil with Lauren at UMass Memorial hospital. It reminded me of the scene at the hospital last January 20.

Visitors have streamed to the hospital and sat with Bennett in the intensive care unit, her mother said.

Many of the young visitors were friends of the victims and were particularly close to Caron, whose family declined to comment yesterday.

The visitors have taken comfort in keeping vigil over Bennett, her mother said.

"They needed to see the one that survived," Bennett said, "and tell her she needs to hang on, because Julie's friends need Lauren to help them get through her death."

I "knew" Julie Caron and Lauren Bennett in the sense that we played North Brookfield twice a year during the four years I coached at SLA. I got to see both of them play (usually running circles around and shooting at will over us) quite a bit over those years, and admired the way they played the game.

You just don't think when you shake hands with kids before or after a game that in just a few months you'll be reading their obituary, or praying that they survive their injuries.

Tags: Massachusetts Leicester North Brookfield Crash

Show the whole Cho video

I think NBC made a mistake in the way it handled the discovery of the materials created by Virginia Tech gunman Cho Seung-Hui.

Suppress it? Keep it off the air? No way. NBC should have published the whole thing and let it's viewers decide.

There has been a lot of discussion over the last 24 hours about NBC's decision to air segments of the video and writings that Cho mailed them during a lull in his rampage. Most of the debate has been around the question of whether or not NBC should have aired it at all, or whether the publication of the video and his documents glorifies the killer, disrespects the victims and their families, and encourages copy-cats to follow through on their delusions.

I think the debate misses the point. Rather than question why NBC would show it at all, I'm more concerned that NBC found it newsworthy, but then decided not to show all of it. In effect, they decided what was and was not appropriate for us to see.

If NBC or any other network found it "newsworthy," they should have shown the whole thing unedited, or made it available online, and printed the entire manifesto.

I have more of a problem with them deciding that I'm too fragile or stupid to interpret that stuff for what it is. Same thing with the scenes of 9-11 or the scenes from Iraq that they all have in their archives but never used. The worlds a tough place, I think we'd be better off seeing exactly what it's like (or at least having the choice), instead of having it packaged and sanitized in the name of decency.

I am not suggesting that news organizations should publish everything they find. Clearly there are things that happen that are not newsworthy, and it's the prerogative of the news organization to determine what is and isn't news. But in this era of the Internet, cable news, and a seemingly infinite ability to present information, once an organization has decided that something has news value that organization should publish all of it--if not in their paper or on their air, at least on their Internet sites--so readers and viewers decide for themselves.

Tags: Virginia Tech Cho Seung-Hui NBC Shooting

Who'll stop the rain?

The flooding in Lancaster (and in my basement!) continues to be a concern. The Telegram and Gazette reported this morning that a handful of homes near the meeting of the rivers were only accessible by boat:

A boat was needed to get to two homes off Bolton Road in Lancaster yesterday afternoon, making that part of town look more like the Louisiana bayou than New England. “One occupant has voluntarily evacuated, but the other is staying,” said Lancaster Fire Chief John T. Fleck. “That means if there’s an emergency, we can only get to them by boat.”...

In Lancaster, the rising water levels of the Nashua River forced the closing of busy Route 117 in the North Village yesterday. Chief Fleck said he expected to open the road by 5 p.m. yesterday if the water had receded.

Bolton and Center Bridge roads remain closed and under several feet of water. The rising water yesterday flooded over a 2-foot earthen berm around a Center Bridge Road home, causing water to pour into the house.

I can tell you route 117 was not open last night as of about 6 p.m. All of the traffic was still being routed through South Lancaster via route 110 and Mill Street. That area of town was near gridlock with all of the traffic heading home to Leominster.

This is the second time in a year (and third time in a little over 18 months) that significant flooding has affected town.

The Times & Courier has posted a couple of videos of the flooding at Center Bridge Road (via you tube):

Tags: Massachusetts Lancaster Flood Nashua River

Changing my mind on rain

I used to enjoy big rainstorms. There was something kind of cool about watching the rivers rise around Lancaster, seeing the Bolton Flats flood, and wondering if I could drive down 117 to work, or if I'd have to find another way around.

That all changed yesterday. Michelle and I came home from a weekend at her brother's wedding to find a foot of water in our basement. Now, you might wonder how in the world a house on the top of a hill could fill up with water. I know I do. It's not like we are in a basin or have a raging river near by. But there it was, a basement full of water.

After two days of pumping, we're mostly dry. I can't get the pilot on the hot water heater to light, however. Anyone care to share a hot shower?

Opening Day

How 'bout them Red Sox!

Sperm banks, terrorists, and teenage vasectomies

The title can only mean one thing: it's the Saturday letters to the editor of the Telegram and Gazette!

Here's one man's plan to level the playing field when it comes to a woman's right to choose:

Adolescent males, upon reaching puberty, should secure seminal samples in a reputable sperm bank. Then they should undergo a vasectomy. Only then can they have the same freedom of choice now granted to women.

Of course, we might be left to wonder what would become of the future of America if terrorists decided to target those sperm banks.

We might also be left to wonder what in hell this guy is talking about.

Previous T&G Letters to the Editor:
"T&G Readers are off their meds again"
"I like Jasmine Guy"
BREAKING: Election fraud in Auburn
"The sting of unboozed Democrats"
"Why is Mitt Romney ashamed of Massachusetts?"
"hot condiments cause them to be...interested in sex"
Disgust with that nasty Francona grows
It's that dirty Francona's fault
T&G reader takes on terrorism
Worcester: the San Diego of the East
Is State Senator Barrios a Bush Crony
Rem-Dawg Debate Rages in Worcester
Jerry Remy has "lost all touch with reality"

Tags: Abortion Sperm Bank Vasectomy

Good Housekeeping, Bad Advice

I'm not sure what makes one qualified to be a consumer advocate, but it's pretty clear that common sense isn't part of the equation. Take this advice from Delia Hammock, nutrition director of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute in a story this morning on Good Morning America:

[I]f you want to save a few bucks, there are some healthy alternatives that cost less, like frozen orange juice.

"Frozen orange juice concentrate is basically the same as the carton orange juice that you buy from the store," said Delia Hammock, nutrition director of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute.

According to Hammock, consumers can replace milk from the dairy case with shelf-stable milk.

"Shelf-stable milk is the same as regular liquid milk," she said. "It is pasteurized a bit longer and it tastes a little bit different, but it's the same."

Oh, where to begin? I'm not a milk drinker, but the idea that milk that has been sitting on a shelf for weeks is as good as a fresh jug of milk is absurd on it's face. Not to mention this idea that "It is pasteurized a bit longer and it tastes a little bit different, but it's the same."

Well, if it tastes a little bit different it's not the same, is it? Milk is pasteurized a bit longer and it tastes a little different than orange juice. I suppose they are the same too.

But maybe worse than her lack of taste, is her complete ignorance of what things cost at the grocery store. If she'd either go shopping or watch the Price is Right, she'd know that her other pieces of advice are no good at all.

For instance, buying "shelf-stable milk" (there's a focus-group marketing term if there ever was one) might be more efficient if one is stocking up for the Great Milk Disaster of '07. But if you're buying it every week, you'd go broke taking this lady's advice.

According Peapod, a 32 oz. box of Parmalat is going to run you a cool $2.39, which means junior will suck down 60 cents worth of milk with his bowl of cereal. Buying the real thing at the same site would cost $4.39 per gallon, for a cost-per-serving of less than 28 cents.

In other words, if you take Delia's advice and buy shelf-stable milk to save money, you'll pay twice as much.

Great advice, Delia!

For instance, buying frozen OJ is not cheaper than buying the same thing at the store. At Peapod, they are offering a 12 oz. can of Minute Maid OJ concentrate (which makes a 48 oz. pitcher) for $2.29. Compare that to Minute Maid's 64 oz. carton (also from concentrate, by the way) which is on sale this week for $2.69. A little math shows that an 8 oz. glass of the frozen OJ costs 38 cents, while the same size serving from the carton costs just under 34 cents.

(Eight ounces of the better-tasting Tropicana--which I buy because it's not from concentrate and therefore belies the suggestion that it's "the same as the carton orange juice that you buy from the store"--costs me 45 cents, by the way.)

Tags: Good Housekeeping Good Morning America consumer prices milk orange juice

Will the real John Jones please stand up?

In a story about the Packers' naming a woman as their vice president, ESPN links to a page referring to John Jones:

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers have appointed a woman as a vice president for the first time in their 89-year history.

Vicki Vannieuwenhoven was selected Tuesday as vice president of finance.

Incoming chief executive officer John Jones also named Jason Wied as vice president of administration. Jones, the current team president, will take over as CEO for Bob Harlan at the team's Board of Directors' meeting on May 30.

That John Jones is definitely not this John Jones. Something tells me the man pictured here has never caught a pass in anger in the NFL or anywhere else.

Tags: ESPN Green Bay Packers John Jones NFL

Happy Easter

One of our neighbors stopped by last week and invited us to come to a neighborhood Easter egg hunt at their home yesterday. Jackson had a great time. Here are a couple pictures.

Jackson with the first egg he found.

Sitting in the grass.

With his basket.

Happy Easter.