CapeCodToday Blog Chowder

May 12, 1997 - Divorce, Kennedy-style

Michael Kennedy has five-year affair with a girl who baby-sat his three children
A new book and another scandal may finally hit the Kennedys where it would hurt - in the ballot box

On this day in 1997 another Kennedy divorce rocked the Cape.  As Time Magazine wrote it;
"What remains of a once powerful dynasty is good teeth, good hair and the best public relations a trust fund can buy""When you look at the third generation of Kennedy men, much of what remains of a once powerful dynasty is good teeth, good hair and the best public relations a trust fund can buy. Some of the boys grew from being spoiled and bratty--belittling the help, once chasing the cook up a tree at Hickory Hill--into full-blown debauchery, driving fast, drinking hard, club hopping like wild men. Most of this got spun by family retainers into the playful high jinks of a raucous clan. But the escapades got seamier over time and the spinning harder: a joyride with Joe Kennedy II left a young woman paralyzed after an accident on Nantucket. Bobby Jr. was arrested for possession of heroin. David died in a Florida hotel of a cocaine, Demerol and Mellaril overdose. William Kennedy Smith was accused and acquitted of rape, after a night out with Uncle Ted, who can never erase Chappaquiddick.

Now Michael Kennedy, the sixth child of Robert Kennedy, who once seemed to have his father's quiet passion without the Kennedy sense of entitlement, finds himself at the center of a new scandal--that he allegedly had a five-year affair with a girl who baby-sat his three children at the family home in Cohasset, Mass., beginning when she was 14. At the same time, Joe II, a six-term Congressman planning to run for Governor, is trying to weather a just published book, "Shattered Faith, A woman's struggle to stop the Catholic Church from annulling her marriage", by ex-wife Sheila Rauch Kennedy that depicts him as a narcissistic bully and protests his efforts to have their 12-year marriage annulled.

In Kennedyland, where everyone is his brother's keeper, the blowback from Michael's scandal and publicity surrounding Shattered Faith have sent Joe's popularity sinking. In Boston Herald polls, 17% of voters said they are less likely to vote for Joe based on Michael's problems alone, and 1 in 4 has a less favorable view of Joe as a result of the book. Suddenly, worthy but dull attorney general Scott Harshbarger looks like a strong Democratic candidate for Governor in 1998. And the heretofore impossible in Massachusetts seems plausible: an office a Kennedy wants could be kept from him...  TIME.

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Start up your engines and get hot about this great nation---from the man who revitalized an auto industry

Mr. Lee Iacocca, who left Ford to strengthen the failing Chrysler Corporation, has a recent book, "Where have all the leaders gone?"  And it looks like it might just make the best sellers list.  From excerpts listed below, it appears he's trying to start some new engines--and I don't mean the one's sitting in your garage.  In plain talk, he's saying that we have been asleep at the wheel--and he's right! Now we just need to round up a few hundred thousand like him who are willing to speak out about the gross injustice of corporate greed and the current administration.  How  did they erode the fabric of our once thriving economy?  I hope Mr. Iacocca will do a book tour in Massachusetts sometime. In the meantime, I wanted to share the preview of a refreshing book that appears to tell it like it is. Thank you, Lee, for what looks to be a great hit and thanks for all those favorite cars you helped create:  The cool Ford Mustang, cozy, luxurious  and smooth riding Lincoln Continental Mark  III,  and my favorite, 1967'  fast and "they hear me comin", Mercury Cougar, all owned by family members.  (67' cougar was mine) Great cars and a great man who gives back to the people through his philanthropic dedication. At 83, he is still looking great! And obviously still has much fight left to inspire a nation.  We need it!

Finding a cure for type 1 diabetes remains the sole mission of The Iacocca Foundation.  Proceeds of his book go to support the Iacocca Foundation. 

By Lee Iacocca with Catherine Whitney

 I
Had Enough?

Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, "Stay the course."

Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned Titanic. I'll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out!

You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore. The President of the United States is given a free pass to ignore the Constitution, tap our phones, and lead us to war on a pack of lies. Congress responds to record deficits by passing a huge tax cut for the wealthy (thanks, but I don't need it). The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving pom-poms instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of America my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?

I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have.

My friends tell me to calm down. They say, "Lee, you're eighty-two years old. Leave the rage to the young people." I'd love to-as soon as I can pry them away from their iPods for five seconds and get them to pay attention. I'm going to speak up because it's my patriotic duty. I think people will listen to me. They say I have a reputation as a straight shooter. So I'll tell you how I see it, and it's not pretty, but at least it's real. I'm hoping to strike a nerve in those young folks who say they don't vote because they don't trust politicians to represent their interests. Hey, America, wake up. These guys work for us.

Who Are These Guys, Anyway?

Why are we in this mess? How did we end up with this crowd in Washington? Well, we voted for them-or at least some of us did. But I'll tell you what we didn't do. We didn't agree to suspend the Constitution. We didn't agree to stop asking questions or demanding answers. Some of us are sick and tired of people who call free speech treason. Where I come from that's a dictatorship, not a democracy.

And don't tell me it's all the fault of right-wing Republicans or liberal Democrats. That's an intellectually lazy argument, and it's part of the reason we're in this stew. We're not just a nation of factions. We're a people. We share common principles and ideals. And we rise and fall together.

Where are the voices of leaders who can inspire us to action and make us stand taller? What happened to the strong and resolute party of Lincoln? What happened to the courageous, populist party of FDR and Truman? There was a time in this country when the voices of great leaders lifted us up and made us want to do better. Where have all the leaders gone?

The Test of a Leader

I've never been Commander in Chief, but I've been a CEO. I understand a few things about leadership at the top. I've figured out nine points-not ten (I don't want people accusing me of thinking I'm Moses). I call them the "Nine Cs of Leadership." They're not fancy or complicated. Just clear, obvious qualities that every true leader should have. We should look at how the current administration stacks up. Like it or not, this crew is going to be around until January 2009. Maybe we can learn something before we go to the polls in 2008. Then let's be sure we use the leadership test to screen the candidates who say they want to run the country. It's up to us to choose wisely.

So, here's my C list:

A leader has to show CURIOSITY. He has to listen to people outside of the "Yes, sir" crowd in his inner circle. He has to read voraciously, because the world is a big, complicated place. George W. Bush brags about never reading a newspaper. "I just scan the headlines," he says. Am I hearing this right? He's the President of the United States and he never reads a newspaper? Thomas Jefferson once said, "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate for a moment to prefer the latter." Bush disagrees. As long as he gets his daily hour in the gym, with Fox News piped through the sound system, he's ready to go.

If a leader never steps outside his comfort zone to hear different ideas, he grows stale. If he doesn't put his beliefs to the test, how does he know he's right? The inability to listen is a form of arrogance. It means either you think you already know it all, or you just don't care. Before the 2006 election, George Bush made a big point of saying he didn't listen to the polls. Yeah, that's what they all say when the polls stink. But maybe he should have listened, because 70 percent of the people were saying he was on the wrong track. It took a "thumping" on election day to wake him up, but even then you got the feeling he wasn't listening so much as he was calculating how to do a better job of convincing everyone he was right.

A leader has to be CREATIVE, go out on a limb, be willing to try something different. You know, think outside the box. George Bush prides himself on never changing, even as the world around him is spinning out of control. God forbid someone should accuse him of flip-flopping. There's a disturbingly messianic fervor to his certainty. Senator Joe Biden recalled a conversation he had with Bush a few months after our troops marched into Baghdad. Joe was in the Oval Office outlining his concerns to the President-the explosive mix of Shiite and Sunni, the disbanded Iraqi army, the problems securing the oil fields. "The President was serene," Joe recalled. "He told me he was sure that we were on the right course and that all would be well. 'Mr. President,' I finally said, 'how can you be so sure when you don't yet know all the facts?'" Bush then reached over and put a steadying hand on Joe's shoulder. "My instincts," he said. "My instincts." Joe was flabbergasted. He told Bush, "Mr. President, your instincts aren't good enough." Joe Biden sure didn't think the matter was settled. And, as we all know now, it wasn't.

Leadership is all about managing change-whether you're leading a company or leading a country. Things change, and you get creative. You adapt. Maybe Bush was absent the day they covered that at Harvard Business School.

A leader has to COMMUNICATE. I'm not talking about running off at the mouth or spouting sound bites. I'm talking about facing reality and telling the truth. Nobody in the current administration seems to know how to talk straight anymore. Instead, they spend most of their time trying to convince us that things are not really as bad as they seem. I don't know if it's denial or dishonesty, but it can start to drive you crazy after a while. Communication has to start with telling the truth, even when it's painful. The war in Iraq has been, among other things, a grand failure of communication. Bush is like the boy who didn't cry wolf when the wolf was at the door. After years of being told that all is well, even as the casualties and chaos mount, we've stopped listening to him.

A leader has to be a person of CHARACTER. That means knowing the difference between right and wrong and having the guts to do the right thing. Abraham Lincoln once said, "If you want to test a man's character, give him power." George Bush has a lot of power. What does it say about his character? Bush has shown a willingness to take bold action on the world stage because he has the power, but he shows little regard for the grievous consequences. He has sent our troops (not to mention hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens) to their deaths-for what? To build our oil reserves? To avenge his daddy because Saddam Hussein once tried to have him killed? To show his daddy he's tougher? The motivations behind the war in Iraq are questionable, and the execution of the war has been a disaster. A man of character does not ask a single soldier to die for a failed policy.

A leader must have COURAGE. I'm talking about balls. (That even goes for female leaders.) Swagger isn't courage. Tough talk isn't courage. George Bush comes from a blue-blooded Connecticut family, but he likes to talk like a cowboy. You know, My gun is bigger than your gun. Courage in the twenty-first century doesn't mean posturing and bravado. Courage is a commitment to sit down at the negotiating table and talk.

If you're a politician, courage means taking a position even when you know it will cost you votes. Bush can't even make a public appearance unless the audience has been handpicked and sanitized. He did a series of so-called town hall meetings last year, in auditoriums packed with his most devoted fans. The questions were all softballs.

To be a leader you've got to have CONVICTION-a fire in your belly. You've got to have passion. You've got to really want to get something done. How do you measure fire in the belly? Bush has set the all-time record for number of vacation days taken by a U.S. President-four hundred and counting. He'd rather clear brush on his ranch than immerse himself in the business of governing. He even told an interviewer that the high point of his presidency so far was catching a seven-and-a-half-pound perch in his hand-stocked lake.

It's no better on Capitol Hill. Congress was in session only ninety-seven days in 2006. That's eleven days less than the record set in 1948, when President Harry Truman coined the term do-nothing Congress. Most people would expect to be fired if they worked so little and had nothing to show for it. But Congress managed to find the time to vote itself a raise. Now, that's not leadership.

A leader should have CHARISMA. I'm not talking about being flashy. Charisma is the quality that makes people want to follow you. It's the ability to inspire. People follow a leader because they trust him. That's my definition of charisma. Maybe George Bush is a great guy to hang out with at a barbecue or a ball game. But put him at a global summit where the future of our planet is at stake, and he doesn't look very presidential. Those frat-boy pranks and the kidding around he enjoys so much don't go over that well with world leaders. Just ask German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who received an unwelcome shoulder massage from our President at a G-8 Summit. When he came up behind her and started squeezing, I thought she was going to go right through the roof.

A leader has to be COMPETENT. That seems obvious, doesn't it? You've got to know what you're doing. More important than that, you've got to surround yourself with people who know what they're doing. Bush brags about being our first MBA President. Does that make him competent? Well, let's see. Thanks to our first MBA President, we've got the largest deficit in history, Social Security is on life support, and we've run up a half-a-trillion-dollar price tag (so far) in Iraq. And that's just for starters. A leader has to be a problem solver, and the biggest problems we face as a nation seem to be on the back burner.

You can't be a leader if you don't have COMMON SENSE. I call this Charlie Beacham's rule. When I was a young guy just starting out in the car business, one of my first jobs was as Ford's zone manager in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. My boss was a guy named Charlie Beacham, who was the East Coast regional manager. Charlie was a big Southerner, with a warm drawl, a huge smile, and a core of steel. Charlie used to tell me, "Remember, Lee, the only thing you've got going for you as a human being is your ability to reason and your common sense. If you don't know a dip of horseshit from a dip of vanilla ice cream, you'll never make it." George Bush doesn't have common sense. He just has a lot of sound bites. You know-Mr.they'll-welcome-us-as-liberators-no-child-left-behind-heck-of-a-job-Brownie-mission-accomplished Bush.

Former President Bill Clinton once said, "I grew up in an alcoholic home. I spent half my childhood trying to get into the reality-based world-and I like it here."

I think our current President should visit the real world once in a while.

The Biggest C is Crisis

Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.

On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. Where was George Bush? He was reading a story about a pet goat to kids in Florida when he heard about the attacks. He kept sitting there for twenty minutes with a baffled look on his face. It's all on tape. You can see it for yourself. Then, instead of taking the quickest route back to Washington and immediately going on the air to reassure the panicked people of this country, he decided it wasn't safe to return to the White House. He basically went into hiding for the day-and he told Vice President Dick Cheney to stay put in his bunker. We were all frozen in front of our TVs, scared out of our wits, waiting for our leaders to tell us that we were going to be okay, and there was nobody home. It took Bush a couple of days to get his bearings and devise the right photo op at Ground Zero.

That was George Bush's moment of truth, and he was paralyzed. And what did he do when he'd regained his composure? He led us down the road to Iraq-a road his own father had considered disastrous when he was President. But Bush didn't listen to Daddy. He listened to a higher father. He prides himself on being faith based, not reality based. If that doesn't scare the crap out of you, I don't know what will.

A Hell of a Mess

So here's where we stand. We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way. These are times that cry out for leadership.

But when you look around, you've got to ask: "Where have all the leaders gone?" Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, competence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.

Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo? We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.

Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane, or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm. Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.

Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when "the Big Three" referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen-and more important, what are we going to do about it?

Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.

I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bobblehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?

Had Enough?

Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope. I believe in America. In my lifetime I've had the privilege of living through some of America's greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises-the Great Depression, World War II, the Korean War, the Kennedy assassination, the Vietnam War, the 1970s oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11. If I've learned one thing, it's this: You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it's building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play. That's the challenge I'm raising in this book. It's a call to action for people who, like me, believe in America. It's not too late, but it's getting pretty close. So let's shake off the horseshit and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had enough. 

Excerpted from Where Have All the Leaders Gone?. Copyright © 2007 by Lee Iacocca. All rights reserved. 

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Citizens help nab armed man; Brewster crash; Pedestrian struck in Bourne; Street blocked after strange odor; Fingers severly lacerated

Just in: Power knocked out in Centerville
CENTERVILLE - Power was knocked out to a portion of Centerville around 11 p.m. Sunday. NStar eqipment aparently malfunctioned and caught fire on a pole on Lumbert Mill Road. Crews are responding to make repairs.

Citizens thwart armed robber
HYANNIS - Incredible bravery by citizens in Hyannis Sunday evening. Witnesses apparently saw a man with a gun allegedly attempting to rob someone in front the Hyannis Portuguese Foursquare Church at 298 Main Street while services were in progress. Several citizens jumped into action tackling the man and holding him until police arrived. He was arrested and taken to the police station. Luckily no one was injured. We'll bring you further details as we get them.

Truck vs. Tree in Brewster

     ^{The driver of this pickup truck lost control headed east on Setucket Road.}
WEST BREWSTER - Around 4:30 p.m. Sunday, a GMC Sonoma pickup truck headed east on Setucket Road in the vicinity of Wintergreen Lane was involved in a one-vehicle crash that sent the driver to the Cape Cod Hospital with unknown injuries. Evidence at the scene indicates that the truck ran up on the banking on the right side of the road as it exited a curve. The vehicle then came back on the roadway, crossed the center line, and ran up on the left shoulder plowing through brush and small trees. It then struck a dead pine tree just behind the driver-side door. The force of the collision snapped the top off the pine, which landed in the bed of the truck (right). The driver was the sole occupant. Brewster Police and Fire responded to the scene and an investigation is ongoing.
Story and photos by Kevin Morley

Pedestrian struck in Buzzards Bay
BOURNE - A pedestrian was struck by a car in Buzzards Bay Sunday afternoon. It happened about 4 p.m. at the intersection of Main Street and Holt Street. The victim was taken to Tobey Hospital in Wareham with unknown injuries. Bourne Police are investigating.

Strange odor closes busy Hyannis street
HYANNIS - At around 11 a.m. today the Hyannis fd responded to a call at Lewis St. in Hyannis that several of the employees at the Cape Cod Commercial Linen Service laundry in that complex, that also houses several other businesses, saw some haze and light smoke and smelled what they described as an acid smell, from a private drain in the parking lot (not town drain) on Lewis Street . Hyannis Firefighters called for police to bring orange cones to the scene and block off Lewis Street at Baxter Road and at Bearses Road behind the Cumberland Farms off Barnstable Road. The FD also called for Barnstable health and building inspectors to respond to the scene. The street remained closed for a couple of hours until officials determined the source was from the commercial laundry. A quantity of a bleach like substance sodium-chlorite apparently reacted with water. No injuries were reported. A large truck was on scene into the afternoon working to check and clean up the situation. Story by Frank Paparo.

Man taken to CCH after severely cutting fingers
MASHPEE - A man was taken to CCH after severely cutting his fingers. The victim arrived at the Mashpee Fire HQ shortly after 1:30 p.m. and was transported by ambulance. Its not clear how the accident happened.

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The Advent of the Thrift Boutique

A rising trend in the world of second-hand stores seems to be the creation of the 'thrift boutique.' No longer are thrift stores resigned to being the musty church basements of yesteryear; today, consignment and thrift stores rival the chic boutique atmosphere of designer shops in the cities. Case in point is the newly opened "Thrift Haven" in South Yarmouth owned by proprietress Judiann and managed by her daughter, Gianna. Like the owner herself, the store is warm and inviting and as you shop, upbeat music sounds from playlists on itunes.

Because she just opened on Saturday, Judiann is still putting the finishing touches on the store. She already has a great selection of clothes though, and I tried several pieces on. As I griped to her afterwards, I am in between sizes right now, so only one shirt fit: a pink Gap tee for $5. In addition to hip women's clothes, she features men's, children's, and maternity clothes as well as a great selection of shoes.

Another great thing about her store is that she accepts consignment but, unlike other shops, she actually gives you the money up front. Most other stores won't give you money until your clothes are sold, but Judiann's philosophy is simple: you shouldn't have to wait to get paid! I couldn't agree more.

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N.E. Researcher First To Witness Right Whale Birth; Boston, Cape make Forbes Top 25; New Thoreau tome

N.E. Researcher First To Witness Right Whale Birth

For the first time ever, photos of a right whale giving birth have been released. The photos were taken by New England Aquarium researcher Monica Zani.
Click image to see slide show.When New England Aquarium researcher Monica Zani first saw the bloody water surrounding the thrashing 50-foot endangered right whale, she feared the worst.  The critically endangered whales are often injured or killed by vessels or by being caught in gear entanglements.

But as her crew's helicopter approached the massive creature, she realized it hadn't been hit by a vessel as first thought, but was moving in a more rhythmic and purposeful way.  Moments later, the whale retreated under the ocean only to resurface with a limp baby calf beside her.

The 12-foot calf was listless and Zani said its tale appeared to be curled under. The mother then dipped back under the surface of the water and then reappeared with the baby draped over back.  After taking in its first break of air, it rolled off its mother and began to swim beside her...

Last month, about 75 right whales were in Cape Cod Bay feeding on the dense bloom of zooplankton.  Their presence prompted warnings to boaters to take extra caution while navigating waters off Cape Cod... WBZ.
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Boston, Cape Cod Seashore make Forbes Top 25 Hottest Tourist Destinations
Faneuil Hall and our National Seashore Park make the list

Boston's Faneuil Hall Marketplace is the fourth most popular tourist destination in America with more than 20 million visitors each year, according to the current edition of Forbes Traveler magazine.  A second Massachusetts top hot spot that made the list is the Cape Cod National Seashore with ranking in at No. 22.

The historical Faneuil Hall was built in 1742 by Peter Faneuil, a wealthy Boston merchant, and also includes the restored 19th-century Quincy Market. 

In describing America's first vacationland, Henry David Thoreau described it as "The bared and bended arm of Massachusetts." This is Marconi Beach in Wellfleet.  cctoday photo.Cape Cod National Seashore, boasts lighthouses, cranberry bogs, dunes and forests line the 44,600 acres of preserved coastline in Massachusetts. The bicycle and hiking trails and sandy beaches enticed more than 4.35 million visitors last year in a faction of the time other vacation areas are up and running.   The entire Cape receives upwards of 8 million vsitors and almost all of them between Memorial Day weekend at the end of May and Columbus Day in mid-October.

If the Cape climate allowed for year round tourism like Cemtral Florida that total would easily exceed twenty million visitors a year.  Click here to check out Forbes top 25 tourist attractions.
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Journalist searches for Thoreau and finds nature and himself

Tom Slayton set out hoping to renew interest in Henry David Thoreau, using his feet and his pen.  It turned out that following Thoreau’s footsteps to Cape Cod, Walden Pond and Maine’s Mount Katahdin burnished his own admiration of the Walden author.

Now he hopes the fruit of his travels, a book called Searching for Thoreau: On the Trails and Shores of Wild New England, will do the same for others.  “What I hope the book does is give people intimate access to Thoreau, to make him approachable to them,” he said. “Once people make his acquaintance, he’s such a brilliant, wonderful writer on so many subjects, they’ll want to know more...

“Humanize him, personalize him, make him accessible is the most I can hope my book does.”

Searching for Thoreau (Images From the Past; $18.95), which hit bookshelves last year, pairs literary analysis of Walden and other lesser-known Thoreau works with step-by-step descriptions of Slayton’s visits to the places that inspired Thoreau and his own narrative of where he went and what he felt...  Kansas City Star.

Passing through Eastham in 1862 Thoreau wrote, "the town agreed that a part of every whale cast on shore be appropriated for the support of the ministry. ...Think of a whale having the breath of life beaten out of him by a storm, and dragging in over the bars and guzzles, for the support of the ministry! What a consolation it must have been to him!" Read our Cape Cod History blog "The Day Thoreau died" here.

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Give fish a chance; Rare birds fly north; Chinese visitors fly east

Give fish a fighting chance (Boston Globe Editorial today)

Tourism caters to Chinese
   Rich socialite Alva Belmont spent a fortune building a Chinese-style teahouse behind her mansion in this seaside resort for Gilded Age industrialists. Now, nearly a century later, Chinese visitors are arriving in her backyard.
   As China's economy booms, its emerging middle class is venturing abroad. Sensing a market worth billions of dollars, New England tourism officials from Newport to Boston to Vermont are trying to tap into it, making attractions accessible to Chinese-speaking visitors, offering cruises that cater to Chinese tourists, and marketing themselves in China...
   Few Chinese tourists, if any, visit the United States just to see the Newport mansions. But Chinese bus tour operators often stop for a few hours in Newport while shuttling between New York, Boston, Cape Cod, and Montreal, said Dan Fryer, who coordinates the bus tours for the Preservation Society... Globe.Overfishing threatens the survival of sea life in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, which stretches between Cape Ann and Cape Cod at the mouth of Massachusetts Bay. But the open-ocean sanctuary, home to 80 species of fish and 22 species of marine mammals, including the endangered humpback, fin, and right whales, is also in danger of being studied to death.

This week, after almost a decade of research and analysis, sanctuary officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a draft plan to protect one of the world's richest ocean feeding grounds. The authors absorbed information from hundreds of scientific articles and exhaustive meetings with environmentalists and commercial fishermen. But the report doesn't take a tough enough stand. A reticence runs through it.

It has been well-established that Stellwagen Bank is being degraded by bottom trawlers, whale entanglements, water quality problems, heavy cargo traffic, poor enforcement, and whale watch cruises and charter fishing. No one should be proposing across-the-board bans on such activities. But it is time that Stellwagen Bank lived up to its name. It is a national marine sanctuary - one of just 13 in the United States - not a national marine stock exchange...  Read the rest here.

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Flocks of volunteers seek out changing habitat of state's birds

MASHPEE - Stalking breeding birds is not always a walk in the woods.  So here's Mary Keleher scrambling through a worksite where bulldozers are carving yet another parking lot for Cape Cod. She gains a vantage point overlooking a vast electronics emporium and focuses her high-powered telescope in tight.


A Killdeer snuggled in her nest, see a slideshow from the Birding Atlas here.
Bingo!

There's a killdeer snuggled in a new nest, nearly invisible on the gravel and tar roof of the big box store. The habitat approximates the pebbly flats where the spindly legged shorebirds typically bear offspring.  "You check out birds where you find them," said Keleher, one of the more tenacious volunteers in an ambitious five-year study of all feathery species that breed from Nantucket to North Adams. "It could be a wetland. It could be a shopping strip or suburban yard."

This is no ordinary bird watch.
The study, the Breeding Bird Atlas, marks the first time since the 1970s that the Massachusetts Audubon Society has sought to exhaustively determine what species of birds reproduce in the Bay State, as well as the extent and nature of their breeding grounds.  One striking discovery, so far, is that increasing numbers of southern birds are settling into Massachusetts for mating season...  Globe.

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1908: Marconi sends messages 1,700 miles to sea from Cape Cod

WIRELESS WAVES TO BRITAIN
Marconi Secretary Says Signals Have
Frequently Crossed Atlantic

On this day in 1908 the Marconi station in Wellfleet was sending wireless messages to vessels at sea as far offshore as 1,700 miles.  In 1900, Marconi set up a high-powered transmitting station at Poldhu, on the English Coast at Cornwall. In 1901, Marconi built a wireless station at Signal Hill, Newfoundland and on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. On the right is a photograph taken that year of his station in South Wellfleet.

Marconi selected Cape Cod since it had been described by Henry David Thoreau as a place "where a man may stand and put all of America behind him." After passing up a location in Barnstable and being denied permission to build his wireless station near the Highland Light, Marconi settled for an eight-acre site on a high bluff in South Wellfleet. Marconi set up headquarters at the Holbrook House in Wellfleet.

The South Wellfleet station was similar to the Poldhu one with a circular series of twenty 200-foot ship's masts set back 165 feet from the edge of the bluff.

Storms blew down the aerials at Poldhu on September 17, 1901 and a Nor'easter toppled the aerials on Cape Cod on November 25th. Nevertheless, Marconi received the first transatlantic signal - the three-dot Morse code letter "S" tapped out from Poldhu on December 12th at the Newfoundland station. The aerial at Poldhu was held aloft by a canvas kite. (Read More)

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Where does the spin stop at the Barnstable Town Hall?

Barnstable Officials Have As Many Questions to Answer As Building Inspector Does

by Peter Robbins

I make no excuses for illegal actions for anyone, and do believe you are innocent until proven guilty. But you have to ask yourself, where does the spin stop?

If the town just followed its own application format, surely the background of Mr. LeBoeuf would have been discovered.Barnstable town manager John Klimm was quoted in the Cape Cod Times as saying, "The coming policy changes will put Barnstable ahead of the curve." I ask, ahead of what curve ? The curve ball just thrown out to the public via the daily press? Having selective policies on positions that require a CORI (Criminal Offense Record Inquiry) or background check, opens the door for politics in hiring.

The Town of Barnstable Employment Application (see a photo copy below) is one of the most comprehensive ones I have reviewed. If the town just followed its own application format, surely the background of Mr. LeBoeuf would have been discovered. The Town of Barnstable employment "applicationhr/hroffice/forms/application012703web.doc rev. 01/27/03" is five pages of questions and  covers everything from criminal history to drug testing.

The application was in place prior to the hiring of Mr. LeBoeuf, as it was revised on 01/27/03.

It's little more than boiler plate questions concerning education, office skills, employment history and business references until you get to section IX, criminal history.

A. Have you ever been convicted of a criminal offense ? It goes on to explain how the applicant may answer "no record" for a conviction on certain misdemeanors or sealed records. Those sections do not apply in this situation. In Section IX -B, there is one that becomes questionable.

Town application requires a criminal background check

The Town of Barnstable requires a Criminal Offense Record Inquiry (CORI check) on all prospective employees for certain positions. Where required, this check will be performed regardless of criminal history information provided above.

My question would be, if you knew about a criminal history, could you, as the potential employer, make the determination that this "certain position" did not require a CORI check?

That being the case, what was the answer to the question under section IX-A: have you ever been convicted of a criminal offense?

Who makes that decision? Does it depend on who you are, or maybe who you know? Additional sections cover medical information, pre-employment drug testing, and Massachusetts regulations on pre-employment lie detector tests. Section XIV sections A through H covers it all. (See below)

Why would you even make reference to "certain positions"?  Does this mean that the CORI check was overlooked for other positions as well? Who makes that decision? Does it depend on who you are, or maybe who you know?

I'm not saying it does, but it certainly opens the door for that possibility. In today's litigious society, the same standards should apply to all. Never should a governmental body leave the door open for such issues. The upcoming policy changes to put the town " ahead of the curve" are simple.

Wherever the word "certain" is written, insert "all."

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Dennis home invasion; Pedestrian critically injured in Eastham; Speed blamed for Ptown crash; CO scare in West Barnstable; wicked wreck in Hyannisport; Harwich water rescue

Developing story: Home invasion reported in Dennis
DENNIS - Dennis Police are searching for a suspect who reportedly forced his way into a home at knife point and assaulted a woman early Sunday morning. We'll bring you further details as we get them from the Dennis Police Department.

Top story: Pedestrian critically injured in Eastham

     Investigators check a Toyota Scion coupe involved in a pedestrian crash on Rt. 6 in Eastham.
EASTHAM - A pedestrian was critically injured after being struck by a car on Route 6 in Eastham early Sunday morning. The crash happened about 1:30 a.m. in front of the Tedeschi's Food Mart in Eastham Center. Medflight was not available because of weather conditions so the victim 21-year old Justin Kiklis of Eastham was rushed to Cape Cod Hospital in critical condition.

The driver of the Toyota Scion coupe 22-year old Erik Jodko of Truro stayed at the scene and was interviewed by police. The passenger side of the car's front windshield was smashed from the impact.  The Cape Cod Regional Accident Reconstruction Team was on scene investigating. In the bottom right an object can be seen in the highway (far right) that is believed to be the victim's shoe. Story and photos by Tim Caldwell.

Speed blamed for Provincetown crash

PROVINCETOWN - Three young women were lucky to escape injury after crashing their car in Provincetown about 12:30 a.m. Sunday. Police reportedly noticed a vehicle entering town on Route 6 at a high rate of speed. By the time officers turned around, they discovered the driver of  a Cadillac Catera had apparently failed to negotiate a curve onto Race Point Road and struck a guardrail. The three young women were evaluated at the scene by EMTs. The driver was reportedly cited for speeding and other motor vehicle offenses. Story and photos by Tim Caldwell.

Nine treated for carbon monoxide exposure
WEST BARNSTABLE - Nine people were treated for exposure to potentially deadly carbon monoxide fumes and are lucky to be alive. Rescuers had to respond by four-wheel-drive vehicle to a cabin on Sandy Neck around 9:45 p.m. Saturday evening. Reports say a charcoal grill used inside the cabin caused the colorless, odorless gas to build up. Fortunately, all nine are expected to fully recover. Further details were not immediately available.

Car's wheels torn off in Hyannisport crash Saturday

HYANNISPORT - At 5 p.m. Saturday Barnstable Police and the Hyannis Fire Department responded to a car vs a pole in Hyannisport at Massachusetts Avenue and Scudder Avenue.

The Saturn sedan's front was destroyed and the front tires torn off. The pole was dented and some wood was torn off.

The Hyannis Fire Department extricated the woman from the vehicle and transported her to Cape Cod Hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries. The Hyannisport bound lane of Scudder Avenue was blocked for one hour until the County CIO could come to photograph the scene and a flatbed could remove the car.  Photos by Frank Paparo.

Plane blows tire upon landing
HYANNIS - A Cessna 402 blew a tire upon landing at Barnstable Municipal Airport about 6:15 p.m. Saturday evening. It was not immediately clear which airline was involved. No injuries or other damage was reported.

Couple rescued after drifting into Nantucket Sound

     A Harwich rescue boat approaches a couple adrift and headed out to sea Saturday.
HARWICH - At 2:30 p.m. Saturday a young couple was spotted drifting in a small boat off Pleasant Road Beach. The Harwich Fire Department responded in Marine 76 and was able to rescue the couple who were approximately two miles off shore by the time the rescue boat reached them. Strong wind gusts pushed them out into Nantucket Sound. They are seen here obviously relieved and thankful (right) arriving back at Wixon Dock where they were treated for exposure. They did not have life jackets in their boat. Coast Guard officials have issued warnings that even though it has been warmer, the water is still dangerously cold.

Photos by Jake O'Callaghan.

Reward offered for info on post office break in
FALMOUTH - A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest for those responsible for breaking into the Waquoit Post Office sometime last weekend. Officials refused to say what if anything was taken. Tampering with the mails is a federal offense with stiff penalties. Anyone with information is urged to contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at (877) 876-2455 or inspector John Kehoe at (401) 276-3962.

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And The President Is....

Obama!  I'm not voting for McCain unless "Mr. French Fry" can come up with a wham dinger for lower gas prices dating back to $2.50 a gallon.  Hehe.

The Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band tour whirls along now..

Queen + Paul Rodgers is quickly gearing up for Nelson Mandelas 46664 concert in Britian come June something or another.  Should be a very worthy show with perhaps Bono and or U2 involved.

Landscaping is quite the vigorous work out lately, but 40 plus hours a week is fine for the last month and one week or so now.

Writing of gas, I know why gas is cheaper in the lower Cape Cod area, it was $3.60  for regular per gallon of gas Thursday.  Although it's not summer yet, it's already $3.83 at the  corner of Bass River Bridge, South Yarmouth area.

Could be working in a very musical environment this summer, details I will know more of this coming Sunday.

Living single recently is not so much of a challenge, it's more of a piece of cake for starters, although lonely.

Thy country below China, you know, with near 500,000 dead due to a cyclone.  I do hope the government of Myanmar will all0w more than one plane of USA aide in there.  Gawd awful mess over there.  Ever notice that so far in the news it's "aide coming in" but only America is the c0untry that is spoken of by name?  I'm quite sure Thailand and China as well as India and Vietnam are helping out.  No Democracy here, go away, so what, 500k....if that is the mentality of the press over there and government when we, America, USA has the best detection programs around we'd probably give for free.  I didn't like the fact our USA government said something like "we'd help if they change their government".

Dear Cape Cod & The Islands, I predict we get our collective asps kicked come late hurricane season, 2008.  Thank God I have a car and enough room to get my belongings, all of them in there.  That week I'll take a long, long drive over the bridge and far out west.

No, no gloom and doom here from me, just a matter of fact, I smile more now that I am not attached to my now former wife.  I do hope she's happy.

A friend of mine over in California got to meet my favorite British guitar player, Brian May, legendary guitarist for the band Queen (now Queen + Paul Rodgers) last week, photos included in her MySpace blog.  He did a book signing.  He's a got a doctorate or something like that within the last 2 - 3 years for Astronomy.

Religion.  Christianity is about accepting all people, regardless of religion choice true?  Well tell the Osterville Baptist Church that.  Seems another internet friend (netbud is what I call 'em) lost her children to her cheating hubby as he is a member of that church, with the churches help.  All reports last week, DSS was going to make sure she got them back as of yesterday, Friday May 9, 2008.

If there is one person I miss, he's a cat named Oscar,  a 14 year old Maine Coon Cat in my ex-wifes custody.  He's got cancer near his tail, on his back as of late August 2007.  Untreated it is as well despite the aok from her Aunt Janet E. Morris that she, Mrs. Morris would pay the money for the cancers removal.  It's neglect I tell you, neglect!

By the way, the last time I went to court over alimony, my ex's boyfriend told the chief probation officer of probate that he was not living with my ex.  Oh but why did Rent-A-Center call me and ask if I'd vouch for the two of them, ex and boyfriend regarding a new bed not a month before that (of course I said no) and why did a friend of all of ours tell me privately he is living with her, felony conviction(s) and all whilst she has Section 8?

Come on Barnstable Housing Authority take a drive over to her place...

All for now,

William K. Mahler

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