CapeCodToday Blog Chowder

Dennis PD updates fleet with 25 Lamborghinis

The Dennis Police Department has just announced it has received the first five of 25 Lamborghini Gallardos it ordered to modernize their fleet of police cruisers.  This is the first time that a Lamborghini will be used by any American police department.

Each car, at a cost of $165,900 US, has a 5-liter, 10-cylinder engine, and puts out 500 horsepower.  It can do 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds, with a top speed of 190 mph, and has permanent four-wheel drive for top performance in the New England winters.

Because of its speed, each car is equipped with first aid equipment including defibrillators, electrocardiagram equipment, and the ability to quickly transport plasma and human organs for transplant.

When I talked to Chief Michael Whalen, I asked how the Town Finance Committee reacted to the $4,147,500 price tag for the new cars.

"They're not paying for it," he said.  "We're a member of the ATTF--the Anti-Terrorist Task Force--the Department of Homeland Security is footing the bill."

"So they're happy about it," I remarked.

"Not quite," said the Chief.  "They never waited for me to finish my sentence.  One had a stroke on the spot and is in the hospital, but he is expected to fully recover.  Another one, well, he is heavily sedated in a straitjacket in Bridgewater.  The doctors say it is a permanent condition.  We'll never see him again.  And you've probably noticed a third one walking around town with the 1000-yard stare, mumbling to himself."

"He mumbles?" I asked.

"Yes, mumbles.  We're thinking of running him for mayor of Boston."

"Have you tested one of the Gallardos at 190?" I asked.

"I haven't done it myself," said the Chief.  "but Captain Bill Monahan volunteered.  Right up Route 6, at 190!"

"That's a state road," I said.  "Did the State Police notice?"

"At first they gave chase," said the Chief, "but they gave up.  Now they just keep sipping ther coffee and eating their dougnuts as we whiz by."

"Congratulations on the new fleet, Chief," I said.  "Is there anything more we can look forward to in the near future?"

"Yes, we're having an open house in the Spring.  The whole town's invited.  It will be to welcome our three Blackhawk helicopters."

"Blackhawks?" I asked.

"Yes," said the Chief.  "They'll be landing right in our front parking lot.  It'll be quite a sight.  And they'll have those little machine guns on them that spit out 3,000 rounds per minute, you know, for those special occasions when we'll need a little extra firepower. "  

The message here is very clear:  If you're thinking of committing a criminal act, take it elsewhere, don't do it in Dennis.  By the time you look in your rear-view mirror to see if the cops are behind you, they'll be in front of you.  And you might feel the skids of a Blackhawk crushing in your roof at the same time. 

Chief, can I get a ride in one of those Lamborghinis?  Front seat of course--not the back seat with handcuffs on, please.

Biden is fed by Felis; Green business council formed; Orleans-connected Treasury Secretary's task

TODAY's quote: “Most consequential choices involve shades of gray, and some fog is often useful in getting things done.” - Treasury Secretary designate Timothy Geithner

Bidin' his time at Alberto's

Vice President-elect Joe Biden posed with Alberto's own Filisberto Barierro and his family on Saturday after dining at the Main Street Hyannis restaurant. Shown above with the vice president-elect are Felis, his wife Donna, and children Matthew, Daniel and Mikayla Barreiro.

By Walter Brooks

People walking past the windows of Alberto's Ristorante on Main Street, Hyannis, on Saturday may have thought they saw the newly elected Vice President Joe Biden and his family dining inside.

Arrabiata is a spicy Italian pasta sauce which is characterized by the use of simple, but fresh, ingredients. The sauce always features tomatoes and hot chili peppers, either fresh of dried. Other common ingredients are garlic, fresh herbs, olive oil and sometimes a little bit of meat or some Calamati olives for additional flavor and texture. Joe Biden (and this reporter) had Alberto's famous meatballs with it.

And they were right because the Biden party of four had lunch there on Saturday, Nov. 30 around noontime on their way back from Nantucket where they had spent the Thanksgiving holiday.

Luckily for owners Felis and Donna Barreiro, their three children Matthew, Daniel and Mikayla were having lunch at Alberto's at the same time and met the newly elected vice president.

Joe Biden had the Angel Hair Arrabiata, a spicy homemade fresh tomato sauce with fresh herbs over angel hair pasta which is not on the menu, but Alberto's chef happily made it for Joe. 

When this reporter dined there the next evening, he ordered the same meal, and can attest to the condition of Joe Biden's stomach: Arabato is HOT as in Fra Diavolo gone wild. - WB
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10 firms join panel on green business
Environmental efficiency is key

Council of Environmental League of Massachusetts includes Cape Wind, Legal Sea Foods, Genzyme, Millipore.

Meet Beacon Hill's newest environmental advocates: Legal Sea Foods, Genzyme, and Millipore.  Ten leading Boston-area companies have joined a corporate council of the Environmental League of Massachusetts to advocate for environmental policies, help develop new regulations, and provide a counterpoint to the loud business lobbies that protest environmental regulations claiming they will quash economic growth.

"The purpose is to make clear that a healthy environment and a healthy economy are not in conflict," said George Bachrach, the former state senator and congressional candidate who took over as head of the Environmental League last year.

The council includes Cape Wind Associates, which wants to build a wind farm in Nantucket Sound; and Triumvirate Environmental, which handles environmental and hazardous waste; as well as companies with missions far beyond the environment - Millipore, a Billerica life sciences company that has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions; Genzyme, whose Cambridge headquarters features LEED-certified green architecture; Stop & Shop; Grossman Marketing; NStar; Legal Sea Foods; Shawmut Design and Construction; and Saunders Hotel Group.

"When you're talking about groups like Genzyme and Millipore - these are major businesses that I think any politician who is trying to get a good understanding of an issue is going to want to listen to such major players," said Tedd Saunders, chief environmental officer for Saunders Hotel Group, a council member and a leader in greening hotels.

The group is being formed after a string of environmental victories on Beacon Hill. One of the missions of the council will be to help advise the state on how it can satisfy the new Global Warming Solutions Act, which calls for dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions... Globe.
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Crisis to put Timothy Geithner to test
Grandson of Orleans Selectman has crucial role in new administration

Since at least 1992, he has not contributed to the campaigns of any candidate for federal office, including president, according to a search of Federal Election Commission records. However, his mother, Deborah Geithner, a self-employed piano teacher who gave as her address the family's longtime summer home in Orleans on Cape Cod, made a $ 400 donation to Obama's campaign on Sept. 29, FEC records show.
His grandfather, Charles F. Moore, was an advisor to two presiential candidates before retiring to Orleans where he was elected a selectman.

Timothy Geithner was among the first policymakers to shine a light on the unregulated $ 47 trillion credit-default swap market back in 2005. The New York Federal Reserve president has struggled since then to get dealers to carry out changes.

The industry has yet to launch a structure to safeguard against marketwide losses in case a dealer fails, though its leaders expect to get one off the ground by the end of the year. Geithner, selected last week by President-elect Barack Obama to be his Treasury secretary, has made clear that such a step is crucial to help contain the mushrooming credit crisis.

"In classic Tim and New York Fed style, the work has been done behind the scenes, among technocrats, largely by consensus," said Adam Posen, a former Fed official who is now at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. "The downside is that it takes awhile to get consensus." Geithner may not have the luxury of time in his new job as he faces a credit crisis that has morphed into a global recession. As Obama's chief economic spokesman, it will be up to Geithner to take the lead in quelling the turmoil in financial markets and turning the economy around... Arkansas Democrat & Gazette.

Never Argue With A Man Who Buys His Ink By The Barrel

Books are more important than sewers

Small town fun ensues as supporters of a library budget issue go after the newspaper that spoke out against it.

The Wareham Observer recently chose a side in a beef involving a pile 'o' funds being cut from the local library budget. The Observer felt that other departments in town needed money more than just the library, and was stone-wall-solid against the cuts being made up from an increase in sewer fees.

 I love libraries myself, and respectfully disagree with the opinion of the Observer and its' publisher, Robert Slager. I used to be a teacher, and sort of side with whoever has more books in any argument. But Slager's views on small town funding aren't what we're here to discuss today.

It turns out that "a local" feels a little more strongly about supporting the library than I do. He/she has taken to a campaign of intimidation against both the paper and those who support it.

Peep this letter, which was sent in anonymity to several local businesses which stock the Observer:

"I am writing to you to express my concern over your decision to start selling The Wareham Observer for 75 cents at your place of business. This paper is destroying our community through its negative and biased reporting. Let me assure you that I nor any of my family members will frequent your establishment because of your decision. I will also encourage friends to shop elsewhere, as well. Please reconsider your decision to sell The Wareham Observer. We do not wish to boycott your business but have no other choice at this time. Thank you for your attention."

Like I said, I don't agree with Slager. But, like Voltaire said, I'll fight to defend his right to say it. Well, I'll have my giant husband do the fighting. I'm far too pretty to be scarred in some goofy library dispute. Funk that.

"He'd better not come into my store trying to scare my customers away. A man could get smashed repeatedly in the face with a tire iron for doing things like that." - Store clerk

As for the Intimidation factor, our anonymous friend seems to be lacking the chops for it. Both businessmen I spoke to who had received the letters- a gas station owner and a grocer- laughed off the attempt, noting the lack of balls shown by the anonymous letter and adding that he might want to, like, try using a letterhead or something.

"He'd better not come into my store trying to scare my customers away," said one rather less-than-intimidated clerk. "A man could get smashed repeatedly in the face with a tire iron for doing things like that."

We may as well put it out on the Internet right now that East Of Boston and Cape Cod Today can not be held responsible for damages suffered by people who act against us. Likewise, we cannot be held responsible for actions committed by people who view us as being wicked cool.

We would also like to add that "Stacey Monponsett," "Ellen Smithee," "Abdullah D. Butcher," "The Colonel," "Ana the Poet," and "Stunning Steve" are all fictional characters penned by, alternately, a French soccer mom, a Duxbury nanny, and a very, very dangerous Fall River bookie.

It's better to just not mess with us. Thank you very much.

Physician Apologies

Physician Apologies

By Bruce Bierhans

The Cape Cod Times recently published an editorial supporting an evidentiary change making physician apologies inadmissable at trial. The following is a copy of my Letter to the Editor, published a few days later.

"The Cape Cod Times Nov.22 editorial "When doctors fail" reflects a basic lack of understanding regarding our civil justice system and the rights of victims to be compensated for acts of negligence.

"Your Nov.22 editorial "When doctors fail" reflects a basic lack of understanding regarding our civil justice system and the rights of victims to be compensated for acts of negligence.

To support your position for an evidentiary change making physician apologies inadmissable at trial, you resort to utilizing figures provided by a physicians "tort reform" (substitute the words "deprive patients of their rights") organization. You ignore the many studies conducted by other organizations such as Public Citizen that indicate that malpractice premiums have risen because of poor financial investments made by liability insurers, not by runaway verdicts.

Our system is based upon the principle of accountability. A professional, whether attorney, physician, accountant or architect, should be held accountable to those who have sustained physical injury or economoc loss. "I'm sorry" is not an adequate response to a family that has lost a family member or a worker who can no longer work for a lifetime as the result of an act of carelessness.

If one adopts the theory espoused in your editorial perhaps we should also let the villians who created the subprime crisis and the resulting economic mess off after a simple "I'm sorry." I don't think so.

Attorney Bierhans has 26 years of experience trying cases in both business and personal injury law. He has been a dedicated advocate for "the little guy" in both areas of the law, perhaps as a result of his Bronx, NYC upbringing. He has been an officer in the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys and has lectured both locally and nationally on issues related to trial practice. He has an AV rating from Martindale , the highest national rating available. Attorney Bierhans has offices in Chatham, Wellfleet and Stoughton. See his website here.

Perry: Dump Turnpike Authority, plans for higher taxes

Faults Democrats' proposals to raise tolls or gasoline taxes
Says Massachusetts residents already are coping with more financial strain

State Rep. Jeffrey Davis Perry, R-Sandwich, has skewered proposals offered by Democrats to either raise Massachusetts Turnpike tolls or the state gasoline tax to meet the funding shortfall in the state's transportation budget.

Perry said the state needs reform before more taxation. He wants to dismantle the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, which he said would save the state hundreds of millions of dollars.

"Before we begin to consider raising taxes or tolls, we must fully examine all areas where we can cut spending and minimize the heightened burden on our taxpayers," Perry said in a statement released Sunday.

"Two solutions are being offered right now by Democrats and neither is appropriate or justified," he said. "The election was only two weeks ago and the majority party already wants to increase taxes instead of considering reform measures, such as the elimination and merger of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority."

Gov. Deval Patrick proposed raising tolls on the MassPike to help cover the funding gap. Democratic legislators have countered with plans to increase the gasoline taxes paid by motorists throughout Massachusetts.

"Instead of creating ways to save money and make government more efficient and accountable, some legislature leaders and the Patrick Administration are brainstorming to find ways to raise taxes," Perry said in his statement.

"This has to stop somewhere," he said. "There must be some accountability for the State's financial problems and that accountability rests with the government, not the taxpayers. It is up to the government to find a solution that does not further burden the taxpayers and citizens of the Commonwealth. We need reform before taxes."

Perry said Massachusetts residents are struggling now more than ever to make their financial ends meet.

"We in government need to be coming up with ways to help those people with their fiscal burdens instead of making them continue to pay the price for one-party rule in Massachusetts," he said.

"It is getting to the point where citizens may see the ‘price of civilization', as Governor Patrick put it, is simply too expensive in Massachusetts," Perry said. "It is not a coincidence that Massachusetts in one of only a few states losing population."

Mystery Street: Hollywood Solves Mystery of Lady in the Dunes

In 1950, Hollywood turned its attention toward crime on Cape Cod with the classic noir film, Mystery Street. The film recently came out for the first time on DVD, paired with another noir thriller, Act of Violence.

This taut police procedural was shot on location on Cape Cod and the Boston area. The film stars Ricardo Montalban as Barnstable detective Peter Moralas (an odd spelling, probably for legal reasons, for "Morales"). Moralas, who is responsible for the “Portuguese”section of Barnstable County, investigates a crime that is eerily reminiscent of the famous (and still unsolved) Lady in the Dunes case.

An unsuspecting birdwatcher finds a skeleton buried on a Cape Cod beach. Suspecting murder, Moralas brings the skeleton to a forensic scientist at Harvard University, Dr. McAdoo (Bruce Bennett).
 
The film unfolds like a 1950s version of the tee-vee program CSI. By combining state-of-the-art (at least for the era) forensic science and good-old-fashioned police work, Moralas pinpoints a suspect, Henry Shanway (Marshall Thompson). The audience knows that Shanway is innocent, a guy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And as the trial approaches, the forensic evidence begins to point to another suspect.

 Will Lt. Moralas find the real killer in time before Shamway gets sent to the electric chair? That would be telling. But the movie keeps you guessing up until the end.

Mystery Street benefits from having a tight script by Sydney Boehm and the Academy-Award winning Richard Brooks (writer of Key Largo, Blackboard Jungle, In Cold Blood, and Looking for Mr. Goodbar), and equally economical direction by John Sturges (The Great Escape, The Magnificent Seven, and Gunfight at the OK Corral). Montalban gives an energetic and charming performance as Det. Moralas, and he is ably assisted by a terrific supporting cast that includes the beautiful Jan Sterling as a B-girl/prostitute in trouble, and scene-stealer Elsa Lanchester, who plays a conniving woman who solves the mystery ahead of the police and then tries to blackmail the real murderer.

In addition to murder and thrills, Mystery Street also comes with some biting social commentary about conditions on Cape Cod in the 1950s. When Moralas serves a search warrant on a Hyannis man whose family had been living in Barnstable "before there was a United States," the Yankee sniffs, “But from the way you talk, you haven’t been around here long.” Moralas ignores the comment, and continues his search, but finds nothing. As he leaves, the Cape Codder tells him, “You know, I’m used to respect. People looking up to me.”

“So am I,” Moralas answers as he starts out the door. “And my family hasn’t even been in this country for one hundred years.”

Ironically, Montalban is Mexican, not Portuguese. But to Hollywood in 1950, one Latino accent is as good as another.

For those who care about the quality of their DVDs, the transfer is pretty good, and there are no distracting scratches or pops. The film also comes with a commentary track by two historians of the film noir style, Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward. While these two know a lot about noir, they know absolutely nothing about Massachusetts geography. They don't seem to understand that Montalban plays a Cape Cod police detective, not a Boston detective, or that Harvard is in Cambridge.

I haven't found Mystery Street in local stores. It's possible that it is listed under "Act of Violence," which is the first title on the DVD. I got my copy from Amazon, and you can find it HERE. If you are looking for a stocking stuffer for that Cape Codder who has everything, this might do the trick.

If you happen to be a fan of film noir, Mystery Street also comes as part of the Film Noir Classic Collection (Vol. 4), a multi-disk DVD of 10 films: Act of Violence, Crime Wave, Decoy, Illegal, The Big Steal, They Live By Night, Side Street, Where Danger Lives, and Tension, in addition to Mystery Street. For an extra 10 bucks, you can get eight more films. You can buy it from Amazon HERE.

If you would like to see the trailer, Turner Classic Movies has it HERE.

That Sinking Feeling

Link: http://gourl.org/dsfaq

PART I
Loose Lips Do Sink Ships

That means people drown. Are you like me? Were you ever drowning and didn't even know  it? Did you ever stand in front of AAs in church basements and tell them “I am practicing these principles in all my affairs” then, the visceral realization that you are lying kicks in and so you added the ubiquitous dis-qualifier “to the best of my ability.” 

In that way we do not feel like we are lying anymore and still get credit for “having a program”. Yup. I have been that much of an asshole - had that large an ego - and was that insensitive to the newcomer that I could easily let slip stuff that could kill him if he takes heed.

What that "program" was pretty much resembled that of everyone else I knew in "the rooms" - going to meetings everyday, being a nice guy, “putting a hand out” to a newcomer - whatever the hell that means - giving him my phone number that I know he‘ll never use? - - I guess just not telling him to go screw when he tried to talk to me - forcing myself out of the house to arrive early at meetings so I could make the coffee and set up the chairs.

These were the supreme sacrifices of time and energy for this self-centered alkie and looking back I know that they were good things. I had never put myself out or inconvenienced myself for the benefit of another human in decades I don’t think. Least-ways can't recall it. This is what they mean by faking it till I made it.

Well, 'fake' is also phony and phony is not the truth and what is untrue more often than not is just a plain lie.

Since all of these things represented stuff I really would not have chosen to do if given a chance and they were also new things in my life - I figure that the aggregate of them must mean that I had “A PROGRAM”. I didn’t. At least not the one proposed by the co-authors of “Alcoholics Anonymous” and the one that they used and by which their liquor problem was resolved.

So while I was not apparently a still drinking pants peeing puking drunk and was for all intent and purposes entirely dry - my body,  pants and the tops of my shoes at least - there was one thing that was definitely NOT happening me --- I was not recovering from alcoholism. I was getting SICKER - NOT BETTER!

If someone who abuses alcohol - who is not a true alcoholic - stops drinking, his alcohol problem is solved. He can now solve the life’s problems that had previously been mounting and piling up on him - fix his relationships and get back into the mainstream of life. He doesn’t haven’t to neglect life and the world anymore. He doesn’t ever have to drink again unless he chooses to.

Funny thing about us real alcoholics though - something that non-alcoholics, even those with drinking problems, do not experience - - when alcohol is removed from us we do not get better - we get WORSE!

Alcohol is not my problem - it is my SOLUTION! We do not drink because we want to - we drink even when we do not want to - because we HAVE to. "Don't drink no matter what?" Are you frakin kidding me?

When asked “Danny do you have an alcohol problem” I always responded with an indignant "No" and walk away with a resentment that could choke a horse. I was more right than wrong but the whole truth would have been, "No, I have an alcohol solution”. That was the problem.

Huh?

Time passed - nealry two years and I got drunk again. If you understand alcoholism then you already know why. If you don’t them this will baffle you. It took a couple of years for it to happen - but it did. It was foreordained. Distraction, redirection, and unabashed AA sloganeering will successfully postpone a relapse I can tell you that - but at some point the alcoholic obsession will worm and weave a slimy tentacle through and around those things, wrap itself around the neck and with one tug we are gone. It is cunning. One could say ‘Machiavellian’ and only sound odd to those with no real and unprejudiced knowledge of what alcoholism really is.

Simply calling it a "disease" is popular and smart sounding but it doesn't carry any real weight anywhere but with non-alcoholics, in treatment centers and with others in the "disease" biz.

Not knowing any of this cost me plenty. I relapsed and so does every true alcoholic who fails to enlarge his spiritual life. We can ‘read’ spiritual - ‘talk’ spiritual - maybe even ‘be’ spiritual - but unless we grow spiritually we degrade and for the alcoholic that means a relapse. Our sobroety unravels like a ball of yarn in a hurrican. Make no mistake about that.

Part of the problem back then was that I was still listening to people that I had ought not listen to. AA meetings are by and large populated with some of the most self-absorbed, sickest human beings we will ever encounter - and we LOVE giving advice. What’s a newcomer to do?

NEXT: PART II
To Whom Do We Listen?

Peace,

Danny S

My Bookie Is An Awesome Bookie

There was something about Pilgrims, Wampanoags, Living In Peace, and Turkey that was supposed to mean something important last Thursday, but  all that is secondary after what happened in this column over the holidays.

Abdullah is usually more behind the scenes here, serving to offer Elle advice on her football picks and actually running our stuff to the bookie. When Elle and I became hopelessly tied up in our Thanksgiving prep (we had the whole famn damily over), Abdullah was the perfect choice to fill in writing this column. Besides, I don't think Muslims do Thanksgiving.

Elle doesn't always take Abdullah's advice when writing the column, and she usually pays for it with an L. I don't think that will be a problem any more, after what Abby did last Thursday.

I call a game really well sometimes, almost down to the right score. Abdullah, on the other hand, predicted what the score would be at a particular time in the afternoon, and he was pretty much right on. I actually had to get up from the dinner table and excuse myself by saying, "I have to make a call... my bookie just did something preternatural."

Anywho... Abby is back to doing what Abby does, and the Stacey/Elle machine should be in charge for the rest of the season... unless something happens.

Here are this week's picks: 

San Francisco 49ers at Buffalo Bills
The worst city I've ever visited was Buffalo. Our big night on the town consisted of Arby's and a movie.

Buffy, 30-20

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals
Baltimore looks to be in gear after sh*tting on the Eagles last week. The Bungles don't look to do any better than the Eagles did.

Baltimore, 20-14

Indianapolis Colts at Cleveland Browns
Another team that seems to be rounding into form, Indianapolis should beat Cleveland (who benched Brady Quinn) like a government mule.

Indy, 34-10

Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers
This one looks like a barnburner, and I'll go with the home team. Carolina folks have a different definition of cold than Wisconsin folk do, and this may come into play Sunday

Green Bay, 21-20

Denver Broncos at New York Jets

Stacey's upset of the week. The Jets aren't as good as their record, and the Broncos aren't as bad as theirs.

Denver, 17-16

Miami Dolphins at St. Louis Rams

The Rams have been taking beatings lately that would make a masochist cry Uncle.

Miami, 21-13

New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

My Saints are rolling, and are about to put an unholy whupping on the Bucs.

Saints, 28-17

New York Giants at Washington Redskins

The Giants aree for real, and the Redskins aren't.
NYG, 20-14 

Atlanta Falcons at San Diego Chargers

Last summer, you'd have been laughed out of the tavern if you suggested that the Falcons would have a better record than San Diego at this point in the season.

SD, 30-21

Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots
Can the Steel Curtain hassle Matt Cassel? Yes.

Steelers, 30-13

 This may be the greatest touchdown celebration ever:

Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders
Whoever loses this game should have to fire their head coach.

KC, 2-0

Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings 

That Peterson kid runs almost as well as I do.

Minny, 14-13

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans

An all out war between fair-to-middlin' expansion teams.

Jacksonville, 20-19

Higher Power; Preserving our nautical past

TODAY's quote: "There are our sheep, and right down here at the end of the fence is where we're going to put our turbine." - Sister Mariann Garrity

Artifacts of the Cape's call to sea

The Cape Cod Maritime Museum overlooks Hyannis Harbor and preserves the salvaged timbers of the Sparrowhawk that foundered off Orleans in 1626.

Looking out the windows of the Cape Cod Maritime Museum at the boats bobbing in Hyannis Harbor, it's easy to think that the Cape is all about the sea. But the museum tells quite another tale. The first Europeans to settle the area were land-lubber farmers "who detested the sea and stayed well away from it," as a wall placard explains.

Founded in 2004, the little museum sits on a stretch of the harbor between the Hy-Line and Steamship Authority docks. The two main exhibitions this season complement each other in a powerful way. The marine archeological display of the remains of the 40-foot-long Sparrow-Hawk, on loan from Plymouth's Pilgrim Hall Museum, demonstrates how shockingly small some of the vessels were that brought settlers to the New World.

The Sparrow-Hawk sailed from England bound for Virginia in 1626 but foundered off Orleans in a winter gale. An 1862 storm exposed the timbers, long-buried in the mud and sand of Old Ship Harbor, and they were recovered and reassembled. Only the keel and timbers from below the waterline survive, yet this ghost of a ship is a poignant touchstone of the incredible bravery (or foolhardiness) of European settlers of nearly four centuries past... Globe.

EDITOR's NOTE: Cape Cod Maritime Museum is dedicated to developing Cape Cod's first maritime museum so that we may preserve the rich seafaring tradition and history for which Cape Cod and the islands is famous. See their Cape blog here.
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Higher power
What if some nuns in Wrentham decided to put up a wind turbine? And then high school officials in Worcester? And a Canton bank chairman? And pretty soon, the question wasn't where do wind farms belong, but how many windmills can we squeeze in to every last available space? That day is coming.

Sisters Mariann Garrity and Christa Maria Hofmann near where the Abbey's new wind turbine will be placed.
While rich people with summer homes have spent the better part of the last decade fighting Cape Wind, a large offshore wind farm proposed for Nantucket Sound, single turbine projects, like the one going up at the abbey, are becoming increasingly common. In the last three years, the state has awarded $23 million to people looking to build one or two wind turbines on their property. There are now roughly 100 projects either scheduled to be built or being studied, according to the state.

Down a gravel road, past a weathered, one-armed statue of St. Joseph somewhere near the Franklin-Wrentham town line, there is a field, a nun, and a dream. The nun, 52-year-old Sister Mariann Garrity, moves gingerly through the waist-high grass in a black veil and bright white New Balance sneakers. This way, she beckons, and keeps going.

She and the other 49 nuns who stay at Mount St. Mary's Abbey in Wrentham practice silence and simplicity. They awake every morning to pray at 3:20 and pray together another six times throughout the day. They wear traditional black and white nun's habits and, for the most part, forsake modern-day gadgets like cellphones and iPods. The last time the nuns even allowed themselves to watch television was seven years ago: September 11, 2001.

But don't confuse simplicity with technological ignorance. The nuns live in the same century as the rest of us. They know all about carbon footprints and fossil-fuel costs. And here in this grass-choked field, on this hill where Sister Garrity stands, the nuns have plans, big 21st-century plans. "There are our sheep," she says, gesturing to the livestock in the pasture. "And right down here at the end of the fence is where we're going to put our turbine"... Globe.

A West Coast Cape Cod; Hams remember Portland; BSO's Keith Lockhart touts Orleans' Gloriae Dei Cantores Choir

TODAY's quote: "Contents of the vessel began washing onto the beaches. There were life vests, oars, the ship's sign and doors. Bodies also began washing up. Unfortunately, the exact number of passengers on board remains unknown. The passanger list was not turned in before departure. It was estimated about 191-200 people had been lost, including members of Maine's Abyssinian Church. The vessel sank about seven miles out to sea, off the coast of Cape Cod." - Bill Quinn

Pacific Northwest Finally Has Its Cape Cod Escape
Washington State has an ersatz Eastham

Seabrook is on the Washington coast, just two or three hours from Seattle, depending on traffic.

Growing up on the west coast, I was always jealous of my friends with their rich tales of childhood Cape Cod vacations. California has Carmel, if you're lucky enough, and Florida has Seaside, but once you get up to the Pacific Northwest, you're pretty much limited to forgotten logging and fishing towns, and the experience just doesn't compare. Recently, however, the planned oceanfront community of Seabrook has brought that famous experience West, and unlike the Hamptons, it's actually affordable.

Seabrook is on the Washington coast, just two or three hours from Seattle, depending on traffic. It's a bit north of Ocean Shores geographically, but miles away in terms of what it is and what you'll get from your vacation... Puerto Rico Lifestyle Magazine.
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Shipwreck: Portland Gale,
November 26, 1898

The recorded martime history of the East Coast details many storms with high incidences of vessels and people lost. Killer gales were recorded in1839, 1851, 1873 and 1886.
   But none was to compare with the great hurricane of November 26 to 28, 1898. This storm is commonly referred to as the Portland Gale, after the steamer Portland, which was lost at sea with all hands.
   The Portland was a side-wheel wooden passenger vessel of 2,283 gross tons. She was 280-feet long, 42-feet in beam and 15-feet in depth. She was built at Bath, Maine, in 1890.
   The storm wrecked more ships than any other in the history of New England. It is estimated that over 150 vessels were lost, both in the harbors and at sea. Many were never heard from after sailing. Miles of coastline from Buzzards Bay to Cape Ann were strewn with wreckage. A Boston pilot vessel was smashed against a house in Quincy. The physical appearance of the shoreline was altered by the wind and waves. The snowfall was very deep. Telephone and telegraph lines were down everywhere the storm had hit. Wreckage and bodies from the ill-fated steamer washed ashore along the entire backside of Cape Cod.
   Because the storm interrupted all communications, there was difficulty in getting the news to Boston. It was decided to send a wire to France over the trans-Atlantic French cable from the station in Orleans. From there the news was wired back to New York over another cable. The storm was then telegraphed to Boston.

Massachusetts radio operators remember shipwreck
Hams gather inTruro to recall The Portland wreck and gale

The shipwreck of the Steamship Portland, known as "New England's Titanic," was remembered 110 years later as Cape ham radio operators transmitted the story of the tragedy far and wide.

Nearly 200 people were killed when the Portland went down about 25 miles north of Truro in a vicious storm in November 1898. Many of the victims were headed back to Portland from Boston after Thanksgiving. No one knows why the ship's captain left port, despite forecasts of bad weather... Herald.
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 Q&A with Keith Lockhart, Boston Pops conductor
He raves about the Orleans' the Gloriae Dei Cantores Choir

D
ubbed “America’s Orchestra,” the Boston Pops is especially beloved during the holidays, when it performs many of the traditional songs to which people attach fond memories with the holiday season. The Norwich Bulletin spoke with conductor Keith Lockhart, who has brought his own style to the widely received orchestra best known for its Christmas and Fourth of July performances:

Q: The Boston Pops will be getting some help in the form of a chorus, the Gloriae Dei Cantores Choir. What can you tell me about them? What kind of sound do they have?

A: Well it’s a really wonderful chorus; I’ve worked with them off and on over 12 or 13 years. They are based in Orleans, Mass., on the Cape. They are actually one of the best amateur chorus groups I’ve ever worked with. They have a wonderful blend of English choral tradition sound. They’re tons of fun to work with and add a lot to anything we do... Norwich Bulletin.