CapeCodToday Blog Chowder

3-alarm fire in Dennis; SEMASS fire; Hyannis crash; Ptown man charged with OUI

Three-alarm house fire in Dennis

     Firefighters pour water on a house fire on Route 28 in Dennis                           Jake O'Callaghan
DENNIS - Firefighters from several towns are on the scene of a major blaze in Dennis. The fire broke out in a large antique house at 197 Route 28 sometime after 9 PM. Reports from the scene say no one was home at the time but sources tell CWN four show dogs perished in the fire. THe wail of air horns was heard at one point as firefighters were pulled out of the building. They then began a defensive attack from the outside. The fire was declared out about 11:30 PM. The State Fire Marshal's office has been called to investigate the cause of the fire. Officials believe a leaking gas valve was the cause of the fire. Photo right courtesy of R. Copley.
Click here for a slideshow of additional photos.

Huge fire at SEMASS plant in Rochester
ROCHESTER - A general alarm fire broke out late Friday evening at the trash to energy SEMASS plant in Rochester, MA. Multiple tankers and engines were on scene and drafting was taking place from a nearby pond. So many units were called that a task force which included an engine from Bourne was called for from the Cape. Residents of parts of Plymouth and Bristol counties are being advised to shut and tape their windows to keep smoke drifting through the region from seeping in. Trash from Cape Cod is routinely hauled to the plant. Read WHDH-TV story with video and photo here. Read more about the impact of the fire in our "Extra" blog. Monday Massachusetts State Fire Marshall Stephen Coan together with Rochester Fire Chief Scott Ashworth told CWN how they believed the fire started and issued a warning for people throwing out trash. Coan told CWN, "The fire was caused by an explosion in one of the shredders." He added, "Investigators have ruled out any intentional act." Coan added, "Apparently someone inappropriately threw away an item such as a small propane or butane tank. These pressurized cylinders cannot be sent to an incinerator and it usually says so right on the container." He added, "Plant staff has pulled many similar inappropriate items from the trash in the past such as LP-gas grill cylinders, preventing many similar incidents. I would ask citizens across the Commonwealth to dispose of this kind of refuse safely and properly."

Ptown man charged with OUI after "suicide alley" crash
ORLEANS - A Provincetown man was arrested for his second offense OUI after flipping a pickup truck on Route 6 near the Orleans rotary Friday. State Police say witnessses tell them the truck was trying to pass a vehicle in the no passing zone when it went out of control. In addition to the alleged drunken driving, Robinson was also charged with operating to endanger and operating with a suspended license. The Times reports Robinson was not injured but a passenger 27-year old Olive Brown was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.  

Children escape serious injury in Hyannis crash
HYANNIS - Barnstable Police are investigating what could have been a tragic scene. A vehicle was reportedly backing out of a driveway on Ridgewood Avenue around noon when a passing vehicle crashed into it. Reports say some kids were riding in the second vehicle. Hyannis rescuers took them to Cape Cod Hospital just as a precaution. No word if any charges will be filed. Further details were not immediately available. Photo courtesy of Frank Paparo/NEVN.

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Sandwich Is Being Evacuated

BREAKING NEWS!
The town of Sandwich has been placed under martial law, and a dusk-to-dawn curfew is in effect.

National Guard units are converging at the Massachusetts Military reservation, where they are being equipped with CBN warfare equipment. Reports of F-16s scrambling from the Otis Air National Guard base cannot be confirmed by CapeCodToday.com at this time, but we wouldn't recommend flying any kites today.

Governor Deval Patrick has declared a state of emergency for Barnstable County, and has invoked a little-known 1797 law that allows him to call out the state militia. They are to mass in the Myles Standish State Forest, for the eventual movement South.

Any medical and emergency personnel are required by law to be at their stations, and State Police escorts will be available for anyone having difficulty with transportation. East Of Boston cannot confirm or deny reports that advance elements of the US 10th Mountain Infantry Division are being deployed around the Plymouth Nuclear Power Plant.

Why?

King Kong Bundy has been spotted in Sandwich.

Sources close to East Of Boston tell me that a bald, 390 pound man appeared at Sweet Tomatoes pizza on rte 6A this afternoon and proceeded to lay waste to 7 large House Specials... before wandering into neighboring ice cream shop and demanding an entire frozen cow.

Experts from the WWE Historical Society (well, ok, me) were able to confirm Bundy's presence on Cape Cod, as well as predict his end destination: Sandwich High School.

NWW [New World Wrestling] newworldwrestling.com

(Proceeds go to the Sandwich High School Wrestling Team.)

Experts beg that if you should somehow be approached by King Kong Bundy... slowly back away, while admonishing him in a firm voice. Don't run- King Kong Bundy can reach speeds of 4 m/s over short distances, and is a terrible guy to have fall on you.

King Kong Bundy is the man who the family in Married: With Children was named after, and his 7 second Avalanching of legendary jobber S.D. "Special Delivery" Jones at Wrestlemania III stood as the fastest win in wrestling history until Trish Stratus polished off Christy Hemme in 4 seconds in 2003.

Remember... Bundy is 400 pounds. He's working out this evening. He's going to be hungry. The town is named "Sandwich," for God's sake. He may just start at the Snow Goose, and eat his way East. Watch yo nuggets.

Doors open at 6:15
Read the Impact Wrestling story King Kong Bundy discusses WrestleMania II, Hulk Hogan, Bobby Heenan, The Von Erichs and More!  here.

Abuse case settled for $1/2M; Cape Light likes Cape Wind; Mackerel turns with the tide

Father Foley Cape Cod abuse case settled For $550,000
Lawsuit Stems From Priest's Tenure As Fire Chaplain

The Archdiocese of Hartford agreed this week to pay $550,000 to a man who accused the Rev. Stephen Foley of using his position as Hartford County fire chaplain to sodomize him when he was a 14-year-old parishioner in Windsor Locks.  Foley, who has been accused of abuse by at least 11 men since 1993 and was removed from public ministry in 2002, is still affiliated with the county fire organization he belonged to when the alleged assault occurred. He now holds the title of "chaplain emeritus" of the group, according to board members... 

The current president of the group is Windsor Locks Fire Chief Gary Ruggiero. Haber said Ruggiero sent an e-mail to the board of directors Friday criticizing the newspaper for publishing a story last Sunday that exposed Foley's continued use of a police-equipped Crown Victoria with flashing lights, sirens and scanners...  ce on a weekend when the boy and his friend accompanied Foley to a home on Cape Cod, which Foley said was owned by his aunt, the brief said. Foley gave the boys alcohol before and during dinner, got them drunk, and then took the boy to bed with him.  "Foley took the plaintiff with him into his own bedroom and got into bed with him in his underwear," the brief says. "He then proceeded to fondle the plaintiff, perform oral sex on him and sodomize him."  This is the ninth complaint the diocese has settled against Foley since 1993. Two lawsuits remain unresolved...  Read the rest of this Hartford Courant story here.  Leave a comment
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Cape Light shines on Cape Wind
Seeks talks regarding energy supply contract

The governing board of the Cape Light Compact wants to talk business with Cape Wind Associates LLC.  A resolution, passed by a 10 to 3 vote Wednesday, instructs chief procurement officer Maggie Downey, the compact’s administrator, to “contact Cape Wind Associates for the purpose of entering into negotiations for a long-term power supply contract.”

The decision was something of a shock to observers who have seen the Compact board struggle for months over making even a general statement endorsing utilization of all types of alternative energy, including wind. The Compact is an aggregation of Cape and Vineyard towns organized to seek power supplies at favorable rates and administer energy efficiency programs...  Read the rest of this Barnstable Patriot story here.  Leave a comment
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Mackerel fishery turned like the tide
Not been on usual grounds south od Cape

The mackerel fishery for the mid-water trawl fleet had been dismal most of the winter, but it turned like the tide about 10 days ago.  A Gloucester boat finally found the fish. Unpredictability is nothing new for this small pelagics fishery.

"The mackerel have just not been on their usual grounds. We just haven't had any quantity yet. We have packed only about 25 percent of what we normally do," Dave Ellenton, vice president of Cape Seafoods Inc., reported about a month ago...  In the past, the trawlers have found the mackerel masses south of Cape Cod anywhere from just three miles offshore to the submarine canyons along the continental slope. Fishery biologists deem this stock healthy, and the fishery is open access....  Read the rest of this Gloucester Times story here.

St. Joe's in Falmouth to close; Sandwich seeks farm tenant; Red Sox rap

Upper Cape News, March 30, 2007

^{The Enterprise covers news in the Upper Cape towns of Falmouth, Mashpee and Bourne and Sandwich. The Upper Cape Codder covers the towns of Sandwich and Bourne.}

Headlines from the Enterprise:
Falmouth: Bishop Coleman announces St. Joseph's will close
- The parishioners of St. Joseph Church in Woods Hole had good reason to feel optimistic over the past few months. In December, the Reverend Bernard R. Kelly, the priest who embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from the church, pled guilty to the criminal charges.  His pondfront home in Cummaquid was sold, and the parish received a check to settle the civil suit for the embezzlement of $1.1 million. Bishop George W. Coleman of the Fall River Diocese had promised that the embezzled money would be returned to the parish.  Church members were planning for a 125th anniversary celebration in June. St. Joseph, founded in 1882, is one of the oldest Catholic churches on Cape Cod.

Region: Valle Group working with HAC to build homes and community
- Partnership to build workforce housing
Mashpee: New England loses its native cottontail, as its habitat fades
- Estimates of only 2,500 left in New England
Bourne Red Tide relief falls short, fishermen say
- $1,000 in federal relief funds won't put a dent in loss
Sandwich: town seeks new tenant for old farm
- town seeks new tenant for Roberti Farm

Read the rest of the Enterprise here.  
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Headlines from the Upper Cape Codder:
Baseball in the air: loyal fans ready for another go-around
- Opening day just around the corner, Red Sox talk is everywhere in Sandwich
Will track repairs get new lease on life?
- Sprint/Nextel antenna deal in the air
Administrator's pay hike becomes issue for candidates
- Questioning Guerino's pending pay increase
Guerino remains finalist for top Wilbraham job
- Bourne town administrator still  a top pick for Western MA job
Sandwich tries again on Roberti Farm
- request for proposals being accepted through next month
Stephen Mealy seeks reelection
- seeks a full term following recall last year
Former Chief Ford wants selectman's seat
- Bourne's recently retire police chief seeks new position
Bourne voters have choices beyond selectmen seats
- Voters faced with choice in two other town races
Bourne aims to curb spending
- Guerino sends out another warning memo

Read the rest of the Upper Cape Codder here.

Zachary's Pub, the Crazy Aunt at the Dinner Table

Make a left after the strip club...and a right on Elm

I've been thinking about Zachary's Pub this week after mentioning it in one of my blogs. I've always been somewhat fascinated with the place.  It's a landmark on the well-trodden path of family life---exactly half way between my house and the school.  In fact, if this were Mister Rogers' neighborhood, our trolley would pass right by it on the way to see King Friday.  

Like most people in Mashpee, I see Zachary's as the crazy aunt at the dinner table.  You know she's nuts, but she's family, so everyone smiles and looks the other way.   

Zachary's isn't the only strip club nestled in a town by the sea.  Maine and Rhode Island boast a few themselves, except they're not located in a residential neighborhood like Zachary's.  Zachary's neighbors include a church, the town hall and a farm stand in the summer months.  Mostly, there are houses on Great Neck Road, which comes in handy when you're  giving directions to your relatives:  "Then make a left after the strip club...and a right on Elm."   

There are a few things about Zachary's that amuse me.  

I like the way they decorate for the holiday season.  They really try hard to be a good neighbor;  I have to give them that.  They hang lights on the front porch and throw a big Santa in the red antique car parked on the lawn.  I don't think you'd catch Norman Rockwell out there with his sketch pad, but the place looks festive in December.  

 In the summer months, some of the dancers come out front to sunbathe on the small swatch of grass near the road.  When the warm weather comes and the windows open,  all the stuff in Zachary's comes tumbling out with the summer wind and you suddenly get a real life view of its innards.  Sometimes people beep at the girls on their way by, as if to punctuate the point that yes, by golly, there really are girls in there.  

The parking situation is an effective means of disclosure at Zachary's.  Most of the patron's cars are visible from the road, which is no big deal, unless you see your neighbor's car in the lot.  The kids in Mashpee know whose fathers' frequent the place simply by car identification.  Once, we hired a handyman to do some work in our kitchen. We weren't too happy with his services and overhearing us my daughter said, "Well, no wonder. He hangs out at Zachary's.  Everyone knows that."   We gave her the usual speech about not judging people, but I was surprised to find that some kids at school were judged by what their fathers were up to.  Maybe Zachary's needs a parking garage.  

I remember the spring of 2003, when Zachary's made national news after showing up at the Mashpee High School Job Fair.  They escaped detection because they'd registered for the event under the name Diamond Real Estate, which is the club owner's other business. The sign they erected at their display table in the gym, however, read  "Zachary's Pub."  Apparently they were looking for assistant bartenders---a clothed position.  It was a rather sneaky ploy, and it certainly didn't endear them to the town.  According to the AP wire story, one of the Mashpee students remarked, "Zachary's is a place that we're embarrassed about, not a place we want to work."  Apparently, the club's family values are only extended at Christmas.  

 And lest we forget the Hurricane Katrina refugees living at Camp Edwards who were spending tax payer's money on lap dances.  That, too, made the big news, keeping Zachary's somewhere between unmentionable and in the national spotlight.  For a little strip club in a small coastal town, they certainly do get around. 

Last year, Seattle's City Council spent quite a bit of time and money trying to put strip clubs out of business.  They passed new regulations that require clubs to be lighted as brightly as a typical office and they forbid customers from handing tips directly to dancers. They also prohibit strippers from getting within four feet of patrons, effectively outlawing lap dances.  And in the state of Washington, alcohol is prohibited in strip clubs, not exactly firm ground for the clubs to procreate.  Interestingly, Seattle voters sided with council members in a referendum, and the new rules stand.  

In Salem, Oregon, frantic city council members worked late hours trying to prevent the opening of a new strip club in a residential area in March.  Council members bemoaned the fact that the club resided near playgrounds, churches and bus stops and many residents were nothing short of livid that the club was coming to their neighborhood. Despite all the effort, the club was given a license to operate, prompting a vigilante-style response from members of a neighborhood association.  A spokeswoman says the group has vowed to "fight and keep fighting" to close the club's doors, even going so far as to have neighbors armed with cell phones, reporting illegally parked cars to have them towed.  Neighborhood Association Chairperson Julia Allison said "The laws in Oregon need to be changed, not only to protect our children, but to make the community a better place to live as a whole."  They're now working to get an initiative petition on the November 2008 ballot that will allow local and state governments to restrict the location and operation of the clubs.   

Julia, we feel your pain.   

Or do we?   

I don't see strip clubs as much a moral issue as I do a zoning issue.  Go ahead and have your fun, but not in my neighborhood.  Winding roads with farm stands and little cape houses hardly seems an appropriate place for a club.  Its presence seems to erode the character of a town already dealing with identity issues.  The new high school, the Mashpee Commons and South Cape Beach add cache to the town's character, but the strip club?  Not so much.  

Maybe I'm too judgmental.  One need only to hang out in Provincetown for a day to recognize the Cape's eccentricities.  There's all kinds of interesting relatives at our Thanksgiving table and it makes the whole Cape more memorable.   

If you remember the old Casino in Falmouth---that seaside icon for more than a hundred years---you may be interested to know that part of it's failure in the last few years was the neighbors.  It, too, was in a residential area and Falmouth Height's residents had grown tired of the late night noise.  Not everyone was as sorry as I was when it was torn down and rebuilt into swanky condos with a restaurant overlooking the beach.  

But maybe there's a lesson here:  On Cape Cod, you can do what you like, as long as you do it quietly.                                    

A romantic spring evening, Saturday March 31

I received the greatest email from my niece in Denver.  

It had originated in Sydney, Australia. 

It announced a hour of candlelight to be experienced world wide from 7:30pm to 8:30pm on March 31.  This Saturday people all over the globe are going to be using no electricity for just one hour.  The statistics on how this impacts the total greenhouse effect is really amazing.  

So, Saturday night, if any Cape Codders want to join all of us at the Studio on Slough Road in Brewster , we have decided to to take their advice and enjoy one hour of candlelight and conversation.

There are suggestions for things to do in that hour on their website, earthhour.com. The fun for us was more than the idea of conservation of  power, but the idea that we could set aside one hour to talk by candlelight, to stop all the  distraction of modern life and walk with our lantern( solar) to the beach.  Then we could  actually see the immense gift of this fragile , beautiful  place.

Cape Cod when you look on the map is phenomenal.   I took my children and grandchildren to the Museum of Natural History, where you can can see the formation of the land and how erosion has changed it over time.

It was powerful thinking we had been given this unique beautiful place on the edge of the earth to enjoy.   Now we have a reason to actually commit to spending one hour looking at it, with our own eyes, hearing it with our own ears, without the interference of modern technology.  For all of you who come to this beautiful place for just that reason, join us in this celebration.

Turn everything off for this one hour and go out and claim your gift. 

If you want to read about the idea , the website is www.earthhour.com.

Man arrested for arson after overnight blaze

Two women injured in Hyannis crash
HYANNIS - Two women were injured in a collision in Hyannis late Friday afternoon. The crash happened at Route 28 and Lincoln Road around 4:30 PM. Ambulances from Hyannis and Centerville transported the victims to Cape Cod Hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries. The crash is under investigation by Barnstable Police. 

Explosion seriously injures man in Chatham
CHATHAM - A man was seriously injured at the Wayside Inn Friday morning. 46-year old John Souza of Brewster the owner of Souza Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration was reportedly working on a refrigeration unit in the kitchen when a compressor line apparently blew around 8:30 AM.

Souza reportedly suffered a severe arm injury and was rushed to Chatham airport and then Medflighted to a Boston hospital for treatment.

Chatham Police and OSHA are investigating the incident. Further details were not immediately available. Photo courtesy of Jake O'Callaghan.

Man charged with arson in overnight Dennis blaze
DENNIS - A Dennis man was charged with arson after a fire destroyed a barn attached to the old Columns Restaurant on Route 28. Dennis Police say about 12:15 Patrolman Matt Turner, while on routine patrol in the village of West Dennis, discovered the barn at the rear of 401 Route 28 (formerly The Columns Restaurant) fully involved in fire.

The incident was reported to the Dennis Fire Department who responded to the scene. The fire totally consumed the structure which was assessed by the Town at $47,000. As a result of a joint investigation of the fire scene conducted by Dennis Police and Fire investigators as well as state police personnel assigned to the State Fire Marshall's office, the fire was determined to have been intentionally set. During the course of the investigation, Dennis Police located a person of interest residing at the Plantation Condominiums, 371 Route 28. A complex located next door to the fire scene. As a result of further investigation and questioning by Dennis Police detectives the individual 46-year old Kevin M. Gannon of West Dennis was arrested on suspicion of arson.

Additionally, Mr. Gannon is alleged and charged in connection with two recent fire related incidents which occurred in close proximity to his residence in West Dennis during the past week. In the first incident Mr. Gannon is being charged with one count of Breaking & Entering a Motor Vehicle and one count of Burning of Personal Property (Motor Vehicle) in connection with the arson fire to a motor vehicle parked at the Bay State Hot Rod shop, located at 331 Route 28 West Dennis. This incident was reported to police on Friday evening March 23, 2007 and totally destroyed a 1995 GMC Jimmy four wheel drive vehicle which was being restored at the shop. The estimated lose in this instance was $1,000.

In the second incident Mr. Gannon was charged with one count of Arson to a Building under renovation at 459 Route 28 West Dennis. This incident was reported to the police on Monday morning March 26th and is believed to have occurred sometime during the previous weekend. The building received only minor damage. No one was injured as a result of the fires. Mr. Gannon was held without bail at the Dennis Police Station and was due to be arraigned in Orleans District Court this morning.

Woman suffers severe eye injury in apparent domestic assault
YARMOUTH - A local man was arrested accused of battering a woman and leaving her with a severe eye injury. The Times reports Barnstable Police were called to CCH early Friday morning where the victim had gone for treatment. She reportedly directed investigators to the Econo Lodge in Yarmouth in West Yarmouth where 37-year old Lawrence M. Baker was arrested for assault and battery and assault and battery with intent to cause serious injury. He was due to be arraigned Friday in Barnstable District Court.

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State gives OK to Cape Wind

Nation's first offshore wind farm clears important hurdle
Project "adequately and properly complies" with state environmental laws

By Walter Brooks 

Cape Wind's efforts to place the nation's first offshore wind farm on Horseshoe Shoals in Nantucket Sound cleared a major hurdle today by getting Massachusetts' approval of an environmental report (FEIR) submitted by the project's developers last month.

Ian Bowles, the state's secretary of environmental affairs, approved the environmental report at 10am this morning noting that the project "adequately and properly complies" with state environmental laws.  The certificate triggers additional state permitting processes. 

Bowles added that the environmental benefits of the project would offset any environmental damage.

He said that each year the clean energy project would prevent the release of enough carbon dioxide that it would equal taking 175,000 cars off the road.

The US Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service, the agency which took over vetting the project from the US Army Corps. of Engineers two years ago, is expected to release a draft report on the project's environmental impact report as early as this May. The public will then have time to comment. The MMS will make a final decision in early 2008.

Local Reaction; 

“Secretary Bowles determination of adequacy of Cape Wind’s FEIR is a bold step towards advancing the Commonwealth’s energy policy goals.   We are extremely proud of the work done and support from thousands of citizens over the past six years, in spite of well funded obstructionist efforts, which got us to this historic moment. This is a great day for the state of Massachusetts and highlights the courageous leadership and commitment from this administration towards a healthier environment now and for the long term.", Barbara Hill, Executive Director of Clean Power Now a 7,000 member grassroots organization.

This reporter called and emailed the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound asking for a comment or reaction to this decision by the state, and they have not replied to either request.  The Boston Herald reported that the move shocked the project opponent   “We were stunned by the decision,” said Susan Nickerson, executive director of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound according to the newspaper. “We’re seeing this as a scam."  The Globe reported her saying that the decision "shows a willingness on the part of the administration to sacrifice Nantucket Sound to advance a political agenda on the renewable energy front."  Opponents cannot appeal the award of the state environmental certificate, however, Nickerson said they also could challenge the issuance of permits needed to build the wind farm.  Ernie Corrigan, a spokesman for the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, said opponents will fight the release of state permits as well as to continue intervening in the federal review.

Conservation Law Foundation President Phil Warburg said, “Projects like the Cape Wind offshore wind energy proposal are critically important in our effort to combat climate change and lessen our dangerous dependence on fossil fuels.  Today, the Patrick Administration showed us that the state is ready to respond to the global crisis of climate change by embracing responsible renewable energy solutions and moving them forward through environmental and permitting review.”

WBZ-TV's Jon Keller’s Spin-O-Meter quotes Senator O'Leary

“We’re privatizing 24 square miles of public ocean.” - State Rep. Robert D. O’Leary (D-Barnstable), decrying a state ruling green-lighting the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm.  Keller writes in the Herald;  Oh no, not that! Let’s see, what are the current public uses of the shallow shoals where the windmills would go? An occasional private fisherman, a passing private boat or two, the pristine view from Ted Kennedy’s very private property. And the results of that despicable privatization? Clean, low-cost energy and the equivalent pollution of 175,000 cars removed from the public’s lungs. Thank goodness some public servants are willing to stand up against those evil private interests!

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick says the project would save millions of dollars in energy costs and help the United States reduce its reliance on foreign oil at a time of high crude prices.  "We have work to do as we build a clean energy economy ... let's get on with it." 

Cape Wind President Jim Gordon was pleased with the news, “The Agency’s favorable decision on Cape Wind reflects the fact that our economic and environmental future is best served by rising to the challenges of energy independence and climate change.  Today’s decision brings Cape Wind and the benefits of new jobs, a healthier environment and greater energy security one step closer to the people of Massachusetts and the region.”

The PDF of the certificate is here.
Read Secretary Bowles statement today here.

Talk Radio Background Noise

Local Revisionist History on the Air Waves

I have an annoying habit of allowing talk radio to drone on in the background when I am doing things unrelated to listening to the radio or thinking about the many political issues that are commented on.  Usually I am sitting at my computer writing when this goes on and usually the radio station is WXTK FM, not because it is the most interesting, or politically correct, but because it comes in clear on my radio.

From time to time I pause at the keyboard and let my ear listen to the discussion. They generally are supportive of President Bush, hate Hillary Clinton and almost all Democrats, think Scooter Libby was railroaded by an over-zealous special prosecutor, and can't understand why Attorney General Gonzales can't get away with lying about firing US Attorneys because they serve at the pleasure of the president. They delight in pondering the idea that Army hospital neglect and lying about Pat Tilman's death are part of a vast left wing conspiracy to cripple the Bush presidency.

One entertaining aspect of listening in is that you get to hear the sometimes shear madness of the callers.  You get the feeling that no world problem is so large that a good bombing run, perhaps nuclear, would straighten things out and give America back her primacy in the world. These callers have an easy answer to control errant teenagers.  We simply need to instill discipline.

Illegal immigration is another favorite subject.  There are people who have a very easy time with this: "If you cannot obey the law, then off with your head." They have no time for guest workers and, I am sure, see the word "amnesty" as some kind of wuss word which should be illegal to utter.

I'll give these stations credit for not overdosing on Anna Nicole or Britney.  They and their listeners don't seem to gravitate to this celebrity junk, unless it is to bash liberal Hollywood do-gooders like Streisand, Penn and Clooney for using their celebrity to highlight world problems.  Most of the talk radio guys I hear have written books and are not shy about promoting them over public air waves.  There is always talk about the new book, where they will be for signing parties, and repeated references to chapters, titles and catchwords.  These guys are "looking out for me," "saying the things which must be said" and giving me the final unvarnished and unspun truth.

I have always tried to engage in independent thinking and to be able to identify propaganda, distortions, and misleading claims. I try to look for the finer shades and probably am guilty of using some of this screwy programming as negative reference points to define my positions on world and national affairs.  You know, if Scooter Libby is thought to have been screwed by the system, than I will look for reasons why this convicted felon is truly an evil man.

Sometimes these programs will focus on a statement made by Vice President Cheney. I have found that parsing his quotes and then going to the opposite corner of the verbal boxing ring, is a good way to develop a firm and usually accurate position about what is going on in the world.  I chuckle to remember that when he picked himself to become Vice President the media hailed the decision as bringing "gravitas" to the Republican ticket.  Is there a Latin word for the opposite of "gravitas?"  Perhaps it means lightness or comical.

Anyway, that is the state of my present relationship with talk radio as background noise.  It is not doing much for me.  Maybe I should switch to religious broadcasting.

Star-studded Longfellow concert

            By Libby Hughes, Boston Bureau

Longfellow lovers exist everywhere. Wherever they are, celebrations are popping up around the country because 2007 is Henry's Bicentennial. One of these galas happened in Cambridge on Sunday afternoon March 25 at Harvard University's famed Sanders Theatre.

Preparation for the 200th

The Bicentennial Committee, spearheaded by educator and Longfellow expert Marian R. Carlson, has had plans in place for almost two years for the Sanders event. It drew 900 Longfellow admirers - young and old - from California, Alabama, Italy, and from the Boston area to fill the theatre.

Local Boston celebrity, Christopher Lydon of public radio, acted as Master of Ceremonies.

Music

Music was featured throughout the program. Longfellow loved music and was a pianist himself. He said, "Music is the universal language of mankind..." He especially loved opera, which he learned to enjoy as a young man traveling through Europe. Mozart's Don Giovanni was one of Longfellow's favorites. Hungarian composer Franz Liszt even set two of his poems to music.

Boston Landmarks Orchestra, under the direction of international conductor Charles Ansbacher, opened with a soft, short piece, Solitude on the Mountain, composed by a good friend of Longfellow's, Norwegian virtuoso violinist Ole Bull.

Secret about Longfellow

Next came the young author of two bestselling books, The Dante Club and The Poe Shadow. Matthew Pearl, a Harvard and Yale graduate, strolled casually to the microphone to present his tribute to Longfellow.

"Here is the secret about Longfellow. He is patient. Whitman pushes and insists we read him upon first contact. But Longfellow waits. He can wait for us to come to him...Some great writers, Dante and Poe, for example, try to kick at the wrong readers, the readers they don't want. Not Longfellow. Once there was a Cambridge resident, a known bore, who would sit with Longfellow for hours and waste his time. Longfellow's friends asked him why he tolerated it, and Longfellow said, ‘If I am not kind to him, who will be?' This is how I think he is with readers, with us, too... Today we celebrate Longfellow."

Paul Revere's Ride narration woven into music

The main event of the afternoon was the orchestra's rendition of composer Julian Wachner's The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. This thrilling musical gallop accompanied David Connor's narration of Longfellow's famous poem. Connor has been portraying Paul Revere in full period dress for three decades. He has even appeared on A & E's biography series. Lest anyone should forget, Senators Kennedy and Byrd can recite Paul Revere's Ride completely from memory. The piece ended with a flourish.

At intermission, the audience flooded into the high-ceiling lobby to view Longfellow exhibits and buy Longfellow calendars, buttons, T-shirts, and books as reminders of their favorite poet's birthday.

School chorus sings Snow Flakes

The second half began with the Haggerty School Chorus from Cambridge, directed by Lynn McKay with Joo Hyun Kang on piano. The elementary students were dressed in bright yellow T-shirts and black trousers. Those in the back row stood on gray crates, peering over the heads of their fellow singers. Guess what? They were on perfect pitch throughout as they sang Longfellow's Snow Flakes, to Lauren Bernofsky's original composition!

Boston Baritone

Boston's baritone Brett Johnson talked about Longfellow's poem A Psalm of Life, which celebrates the joy of living in the present and "Be a hero in strife."  The familiar phrase, "Learn to labor and to wait" comes from this poem. While Ya-Fei Chuang played the piano, Johnson sang the poem in deep and sonorous tones to C.C. Miller's music.

Pianist Ya-Fei Chuang stayed to play selections from Felix Mendelssohn, Songs Without Words, with great feeling. Mendelssohn was another of Longfellow's favorite composers.

Longfellow medal

Then, Ted Hansen, president of the Cambridge Historical Society, presented Myra Harrison, Superintendent of the National Park Service's three historic houses in the Boston area, with the Longfellow Medal, awarded to the Longfellow National Historic Site (Longfellow's house on Brattle Street in Cambridge).

Unveiling Longfellow stamp

Next, a moment of historic significance resounded throughout the hall as a national postage stamp, celebrating Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, was unveiled. The Postmaster of Boston, Marsha Cannon, made some compelling remarks.

"We have shown on stamps (since 1846) the great moments in the cause of liberty such as those close to the heart of Boston and Cambridge like the Boston Tea Party and the Battles of Lexington and Concord.. We have commemorated those who settled in it-the native American tribes...all themes central to the heart of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's writings....the 23^rd honoree in the U.S. Postal Service's Literary Arts Stamp Series." For the full text go to the website.

Let it be known that the Longfellow Bicentennial Committee initiated the application for the new Longfellow stamp, which is in a dramatic blue and yellow, featuring the white-bearded Longfellow with Paul Revere on his horse in the background.

Finale

The Boston Landmarks Orchestra concluded the celebration by playing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9 in E flat, K27 with Ya-Fei Chuang again at the piano and Charles Ansbacher conducting.

After wild applause and ovations, the audience finished their Longfellow gourmet menu of music, full and satisfied until the Tricentennial! Upcoming events, poems, and news can be found on the bicentennial website.  Photo courtesy of Susana Brown.