CapeCodToday Blog Chowder

Two rescued after sailboat capsizes in Falmouth

Two rescued after sailboat capsizes in Falmouth

   A woman is rescued by Falmouth Firefighters after a sailboat capsize.

FALMOUTH - Two people were rescued after their 13 foot sailboat capsized off Falmouth Heights around 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.    Falmouth Firefighters quickly came to their rescue in their Marine One patrol boat stationed in Falmouth Harbor. 

Both of the people rescued were wearing life jackets.  There were no reported injuries.

Photo and video by David G. Curran.

Handmade dollhouse auction to benefit Wellfleet Council on Aging

Over 185 hours to complete handmade contents including furniture and room decor

A dollhouse made by Marieke Hall, a member of the Board of the Friends of the Wellfleet Council on Aging, is being auctioned to raise funds for the Council.

The house itself is adapted from a bookcase.  Alterations such as the door and dividing walls were done by Marieke's husband Peter.

The entire contents including furniture, appliances, decorations, and room décor were handmade and took over 185 hours to complete.  The pieces are handpainted, some decorated with pyro- gravure and the upholstery, bedding and such is all handmade.

Many of the materials used were recycled items such as bottle caps, pill bottles, spray bottles, and scraps of lace and material.  Marieke found a use for everything from beads and golf tees to washers and other small pieces of hardware, even paper clips.

The needlepoint carpet has over 10,000 stitches; 65 cross stitches wide, 80 cross stitches long, two stitches per cross stitch. The painting over the couch is original, and reflects some of the Poppy Paintings Marieke paints as a professional artist. 

Marieke created a similar house last year for her seven-year-old granddaughter who has gotten many hours of enjoyment playing with it. 

The dollhouse is destined to become a family heirloom and a treasured possession.

There is an current bid of $425 on the dollhouse.  Bid increments in the amount of $10 can be placed at the COA at 715 Old King's Highway during regular hours, 8am-4pm, Monday through Friday. 

The last day to place a bid is November 18, 2009 at 3:45 p.m.

Courtesy of the Wellfleet COA.

Today in Oceanian Shenanigans!!

Cape Cod Times owner Rupert Murdoch's imperial chess-game follows an inscrutable longterm strategy this week as FoxNews openly solicits a Legal Fund for http://www.newscorpse.com/ncWP/?p=1411  Hannah Giles who portrayed the 'ho' in this summer's nationwide series of illegally-videotaped ACORN stings... right~ make Fox viewers 'pay for the play'!  Bloody Brilliant!   Today we hear that Rupe's UK SUN http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/benedict-brogan/6248447/The-sun-has-finally-set-on-New-Labours-love-affair-with-the-media.html  has officially withdrawn support from Gordon Brown's Labor Party, returning to its Reagan-era backing for the Conservatives.  Maggie Thatcher always used to say, "There is no Alternative" and that's true now... 

With Republicans in decline and Democrats firmly Neocon, there's no Alternative here either... All Hail Oceania!  Gotta love Big Brother Rupert....  where's my Victory Chocolate bar?  Gotta get the taste of Freedom out of my mouth...

Successfully navigating the way through special education

Ten years ago I was thrust into the world of special education. Through the kindness of a very special teacher I learned that one of my siblings, who was in sixth grade at the time, was not progressing at the same rate as his peers. I spent many years trying to successfully navigate the way through special education. Throughout the process I learned about the laws that were designed to help children with learning differences, programs that were designed to help students learn and courses about how to help children and families. Over the last ten years I’ve worked alongside my siblings to help them all walk across the stage to receive a high school diplomas.

I have always been passionate and dedicated to altering the lives of the over four thousand students on Cape Cod with a learning disability particularly those with language based learning disability. "Language-based learning disabilities are problems with age-appropriate reading, spelling, and/or writing. This disorder is not about how smart a person is. Most people diagnosed with learning disabilities have average to superior intelligence."^*1 I do not want another student to "fall apart" and parents and teachers believe it is just pure laziness, lack of focus, or inferior intelligence.

I hope that this blog will bring information and change to this community. That parents, educators, and children will come together and see that learning differently is just learning differently and isn’t a bad thing.

^{*1 http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/LBLD.htm#one}

25 years for prof's kiddie porn; US Chamber supports Cape Wind; Lower Cape Flu Clinics; Cranberry harvest down 27% this year; Deer hunting in the Punkhorn?

TODAY's quote: “It’s farming. If it was easy everybody would be doing it." - Dawn Gates-Allen.

Ex-professor gets 25 years in prison in kiddie-porn case

Prosecutors said in court papers that Ward's dalliances with young boys dated back to 1977 when he sexually abused two boys at his homes in Boston and Cape Cod.

A former emeritus professor of marketing at Penn's Wharton School of Business was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison yesterday on kiddie-porn charges.

Lawrence Scott Ward, 66, pleaded guilty last November to inducing a 16-year-old Brazilian boy identified in court papers as "J.D." to engage in sexually explicit conduct in 2006 in order to produce videos and photographs.

He also admitted to transporting and shipping child porn and lying to the State Department officials in Brazil to secure a visa for J.D. to come to the United States.

U.S. District Judge Petrese Tucker said that the sentence that she imposed would be served concurrently with a 15-year sentence Ward is serving in connection with a 2007 guilty plea in federal district court in Virginia for importing child porn from Brazil.

Tucker also ordered Ward, who authorities said had a net worth of $3 million in 2006, to pay $100,000 in restitution.

Ward, who appeared frail in court yesterday, will be almost 90 before he can become free again, assuming he gets credit for good behavior and lives that long... Philadelphia Daily News.
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How to own a moonbat misogynist
Andrew Sullivan vs Sarah Palin

When last heard from, Andrew Sullivan was trying to finagle out his marijuana bust on Cape Cod. That provided enough amusement. Now the deranged former "conservative" with the very unhealthy obsession over Sarah Palin is shocked -- shocked! -- Mrs. Palin managed to churn out a 400-page book in a scant four months. I think his problem is it will be a huge bestseller, far outpacing anything he could ever dream of. Let me guess. Is Sullivan planning a book compilation chronicling the past year's bizarre, incoherent ramblings about Trig Palin? Texas 4 Palin.

Local cranberry farmers expect decline from last year's bumper crop
Harvest of berries expected to fall 27 percent from last year

Experts expect a 10 percent decline nationwide in production. Massachusetts, the second-biggest producer of the red fruit nationwide, is among the states seeing a decrease. Last year in Massachusetts, 2.35 million barrels were harvested in the state, but only about 1.7 million barrels are expected this year, said Hannula...

Dawn Gates-Allen, communications manager of Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association, said she is expecting farmers will earn between $35 and $50 a barrel this year. That's about average, with prices topping out at $85 a barrel one year and an all-time low of $10, Allen said... Enterprise.
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Deer hunting in the Punkhorn?

Those who'd like to add venison to their diets might have an opportunity to hunt deer in a portion of the Punkhorn and in a second West Brewster parcel.
   The conservation commission is holding a public hearing in town hall Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m. on a proposal to allow the hunting of deer via archery or primitive firearm (black powder) in the two parcels of town land... The Cape Codder.

Lower Cape Flu Clinics

Some Lower Cape towns have scheduled flu shot clinics, but as Harwich Health Director Paula Champagne recently noted, "Eligible parties utilizing [other] flu shot venues would take a lot of stress off of the town clinics." Champagne added that Shaw's administers its flu shots by appointment, "so there will be no lines to wait in."

She noted that since all of the stores and pharmacies also accept Medicare, there is no fee for eligible patients. Due to the uncertainty about exactly when flu vaccines will be made available, readers are advised to call the chosen facility in advance. See the list in The Cape Codder.

United States Chamber of Commerce supports Cape Wind

Bill Kovacs, US Chamber Senior V.P.

Bill Kovacs, Senior Vice President for Environment, Technology & Regulatory Affairs of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, wrote in the Cape Wind blog today, "It has been a long, hard road for Cape Wind, but finally the light at the end of the tunnel is beginning to shine after years of environmental permitting challenges and activist opposition. Since 2001, the Cape Wind project has undergone a comprehensive federal and state permitting review. Opponents of the project have sued over allegations that the turbines would pose navigational and radar hazards, as well as a threat to birds. Affluent homeowners have argued that the unsightliness of the turbines could hurt their views. Indian tribes opposed to the project have even argued that the entire Nantucket Sound should be designated as an Indian historic property for listing on the National Register. The intense scrutiny this project has received has only reinforced its environmental soundness.

Click here to read the rest of Bill Kovacs' post on the Cape Wind Voices blog.

Warrants, Cocaine charges top Yarmouth Police weekly arrests

Yarmouth Police Department arrests for week ending 09/29/09

Warrants and drug-related charges top list

YARMOUTH - During the period of Tuesday, September 22, 8 a.m. through Tuesday, September 29, 8 a.m., the men and women of the Yarmouth Police Department responded to 606 calls of which 38 resulted in arrests.  Among those were the following.

Release and photos courtesy of the Yarmouth Police Department.

Editor's note: The information and images (mugshots) are included in this blog as a matter of public safety.  Inappropriate comments on this blog post will be deleted.

A Hatful of Problems-No Solutions In Sight

The United States is surrounded with problems and there is a growing feeling that the federal government has no idea of what to do about them. 

This isn't the first time we've had a busy presidency.  Johnson and Nixon were as busy as any two presidents in history.  They didn't always perform as we would have liked, but most of us felt, rightly or wrongly, that they knew what they were doing -- both were re-elected by huge majorities.

Reagan was faced with the Iranian crisis, the Cold War, Central America turmoil, an out-of-control federal budget, a sick economy and the threat of national bankruptcy.  His decisions weren't always correct, but most of us felt he knew what he was doing -- he was re-elected by a huge majority.

George Bush, much like President Obama, was greeted with a recession that, among other things, resulted in a reduction in federal income (the most severe in modern presidential history), inclining federal deficits, a corporate scandal that shocked Wall Street, the devastating attack of 9-11 and the wars that followed. 

Bush didn't always do the right thing, but most of us believed he was in charge -- in 2004 he was re-elected with twelve million more votes than he got four years before.     

Today we once again have an administration faced with a variety of problems.  So far, they are not new ones.  There was plenty of time before, during and after the election to study them, and to devise, at the least, the appearance of confidence in dealing with them.  Perhaps over time, rightly or wrongly, we will come to believe the administration is in charge -- it has developed plans that will lead to solutions. 

That is not presently the case, for example:    

IRAQ

America, rightly or wrongly, invested considerable capital and American blood to bring Iraq to the state the new administration inherited in January 2009.  The threat of civil war was gone; there was safety on most streets; a reasonably stable government was in place; people voted from all sections of the country and the remaining issues to be negotiated by the Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites had been reduced to a few. 

But the threat of Al-Qaeda and other mischief makers was still sufficient to maintain an American presence.  To hold gains -- to achieve promised benefits -- careful management was still needed.   

If the remaining days of the project went as planned, the United States would end up with another reliable friend in the Middle East (Israel is the other).  As a bonus, Iraq has one of the largest oil reserves in the world and could serve as an invaluable ally against Iranian aggression. 

It was the job of the incoming administration to manage this project to a successful conclusion.  What has been done?

Discussion from Washington has seldom, if ever, mentioned the word "victory," or pointed to benefits that would flow from it.  Instead we get: Expressions of concerns over the civil rights of murderers who were captured on the battle field; arguments about when to free prisoners from the relatively luxurious accommodations of Guantanamo because Europeans disapprove of it; demands to prosecute C.I.A. personnel; plans to get out of Iraq as soon as possible irrespective of consequences; apologies for the actions of Americans during the war, etc. 

One gets the feeling that the management of the existing situation in Iraq is not in good hands; one suspects that making political points on this issue is more important than victory.

TERRORISM

"Terrorism" is an unfashionable word with the current administration.  Those who kill and bomb us are once again viewed as criminals (as they were under Clinton) who should be caught and processed through the American court system.

Is America at war?  Or is America dealing with a crime wave?  Which is it?

Being able to ask such questions at this stage of conflict with the bad guys is not comforting.

AFGHANISTAN

The war in Afghanistan was labeled by Democrats as the necessary war -- the legitimate war (as opposed to the Bush war in Iraq).  What is being done to win it?

Policy in Afghanistan has been largely unchanged.  The surge planned by Gen. Petraeus has yet to materialize. 

The government is not as stable as before.  Neighboring Pakistan is still a wobbly ally; the Taliban is stronger than ever; American commanders report the war will be lost absent the addition of about forty thousand new troops; the administration (which announced in March it had devised changed policy) has not responded to the request for troops, on the grounds that policy must again be reviewed.  More than likely, the decision is being avoided because of political pressure from the far left. 

The field commander may resign if administration support is not forthcoming.   

The handling of this war has been erratic and unproductive.  National confidence in the competence of the administration has waned.

NORTH KOREA

North Korea, holder of nuclear weapons, has been firing test missiles like firecrackers,   since Obama was elected, thumbing its nose at warnings to behave.  The sureness of how to handle this problem, articulated so frequently by Democrats for years, is no longer observable.  

Zero progress has been made on this front.

RUSSIA

The U.S. announced under the previous administration, over the objection of Russia, its intention to establish missile defenses in Eastern Europe as a deterrent against the war-making capacities of the rogue nation, Iran.

Under the current administration, the missile defense plan has been scrapped with no apparent quid pro quo from Russia.    

This is viewed by the world as a sign of American weakness. 

IRAN/ISRAEL

Iran has just fired its latest barrage of test missiles with the range to reach American troops in Iraq, many European cities and Israel. 

Iran threatens to destroy Israel; it refuses the United Nation's request to investigate its nuclear development program, which is being supported by Russia. 

Thus far, the administration's reaction to Iran has been to repeat warnings that are ignored, to schedule talks and to criticize Israel for not being more cooperative in its peace negotiations with Palestinians.

No mention is made of the fact that Iran supports the aggressive tactics of Hezbollah (Lebanon) and Hamas (Palestine) that for years have kept Israel under attack.  One is not sure that the administration knows what to do about this situation. 

Tiny Israel will probably be forced to demonstrate to America and the world how leaders make necessary decisions.  If no help is in sight, it will probably cripple Iran's nuclear capacity within eighteen months. 

What will happen next?  God only knows.

HEALTH CARE

President Obama announced on several occasions he favors socialized medicine in the Canadian/European model.  Other Democratic leaders agree.  They never demonstrate why they believe it will be a better system for the patient -- focus seems to be on cost, not quality. 

First, Obama insisted on a government plan in competition with private plans; next, he felt a government plan would be nice, but not imperative; now, Democrats are debating over a cooperative plan (a government plan in sheep's clothing).     

Since Democrats have been trying to socialize American medicine for more than a century, most notably under Clinton, one would think they would, by this time, know how to get it, especially when they own a veto-proof Congress, which is the case today.  But they don't know how. 

Why?  Because it's very difficult to be sneaky and believable at the same time; because they won't level with us; because they know they can't pass socialized health care under that name (some Democrats would not support it); because to get it they must devise a way to fool us -- some complicated way to get enough of it established in law so that it will inevitably evolve into socialized form.   

Obama has repeatedly claimed there is at least $500 billion of fraud in the Medicare system that will pay for the system change.  Question: If so, why wait for legislation to pass.  Go get it!  

If the handling of this problem wasn't so serious, it would be funny.  But indeed it is serious. 

America as we know it will be lost if the administration gets what it wants.  To see our future, look at toothless societies in Europe, which can no longer defend themselves --   social programs have eaten up their revenue.  Or look at European patients who can't get care because it is rationed, or because waiting lines are too long -- or because of the doctor shortage.

ENERGY

If the administration's health care initiative does not destroy America, its cap and trade energy program will. 

Sold as a solution to America's need for energy independence, the entire idea is a huge fraud, based upon wobbly evidence that the globe is dangerously warming and mankind is responsible for it, largely because of its dependence on fossil fuels.

One does not turn an economy upside down based upon the speculations of a former vice president supported by carefully selected "experts."  Temperatures have been cooling for a decade; many climatologists debunk the alarmist claims that support cap and trade. 

History will record U.S. stupidity over the energy question since the 1970s.  The solution is simple to state, if difficult to achieve. 

The first priority is to get away from dependence on foreign energy by producing our own -- oil, gas, coal, nuclear and anything else that will turn on a light bulb, or energize an engine.    

The second step is to reduce dependence on fossil fuels for environmental reasons, and irrespective of climate change arguments. 

These obvious steps are not taken for a reason, for example: Cap and trade results in a huge flow of revenue to the federal government that will begin whenever it says so, and will continue ad infinitum.  In fact, the administration's energy program is a huge tax increase.

One does not get the feeling that the administration is on top of the energy problem. 

One solution to this mess?  Vote every office holder out when the next election comes, and continue to do so for so long as sensible challengers appear until those in charge begin to govern for us, not for themselves. 

GOP representatives to collect signatures at Yarmouth Town Meeting Tuesday night

Meeting set for Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

The Town of Yarmouth will be holding a Special Town Meeting, Tuesday, September 29 at 7 p.m. at the Mattacheese Middle School.

There are eight articles on the Special Warrant.

Several members of the GOP will be on hand collecting signatures for the following:

• Senator Scott Brown
• Repeal 40-B
• Rollback the sales tax

Mattacheese Middle School is located at 400 Higgins Crowell Road in West Yarmouth.

Email us any upcoming Cape Cod political events (campaign kick-offs, fund raisers, informational sessions, debates, monthly meetings, etc.) and we'll feature them here on our Cape Cod Political calendar.

Sportfishing boat sinks in Woods Hole

Sportfishing boat sinks in Woods Hole

WOODS HOLE - A 33 foot sportfishing yacht was found partially underwater on Eel Pond this morning at Pinky's Marina. 

An unknown amount of fuel spilled into Eel Pond.  Falmouth firefighters responded to the scene and attempted to contain the spill--an orange oil spill containment boom can be seen surrounding the sunken vessel.

The US Coast Guard and the MA DEP are investigating the cause of the sinking.

According to the Cape Cod Times, the boat, named Cinfullee, is owned by a Lee Larson. Below, a member of the US Coast Guard examines the partially sunken boat.

Photo by David G. Curran.

Pulitzer Prize winning poet Mary Oliver to speak at Cape Cod Community College

Renowned poet and author to read from her works in October

   Poet Mary Oliver. Photo courtesy of Beacon Press.

One of the most celebrated and best-selling poets in America, named by the Boston Globe as one of the “Seven Wonders of Massachusetts,” Pulitzer Prize winning poet and author Mary Oliver will read from her works at the Tilden Arts Center on Cape Cod Community College’s West Barnstable campus, Wednesday October 14th at 7 p.m. 

“The College is very excited to partner with Titcomb’s Bookshop of  East Sandwich and Beacon Press of Boston as Titcomb’s celebrates its 40th year by offering the public this rare chance to hear Mary Oliver speak, read from her works, and greet the public at a book signing immediately following her presentation. This event is free and open to all, and we strongly urge the public to take advantage of this unique opportunity,” stated Kathleen Schatzberg, President of CCCC.

“This event is free and open to all, and we strongly urge the public to take advantage of this unique opportunity.” - Kathleen Schatzberg, President of CCCC.

Mary Oliver has been honored with fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Guggenheim Foundation. She’s received The National Book Award, an American Academy and Institute of the Arts and Letter Achievement Award, a Lannan Literary Award, The Christopher and LL Winship/PEN New England Award, The New England Booksellers Association Award for Literary Excellence, and the Poetry Society of America’s Shelley Memorial Prize.

Her most recent book of poetry, Evidence, again explores the wonder of the natural world around us. Oliver is a skilled guide to the rarest and most exquisite insights of the natural world. “After a few hours in her quiet, exuberant presence,” writes Los Angeles Times columnist Susan Salter Reynolds, “one feels as though the raw sunlight in the room, the brightness of the water, the white wood and flashing wings outside the window are bleaching unimportant details from the day.”

Ms. Oliver was born in Maple Heights, Ohio. As a teenager, she lived briefly in the home of Edna St. Vincent Millay, where she helped Millay's family sort through the papers the poet left behind.  In the mid-1950s, she attended both Ohio State University and Vassar College. She makes her home in Provincetown, MA.

Ms. Oliver’s talk is part of a 4-month long series of book related events scheduled by Titcomb’s Bookshop to celebrate the Bookshop’s 40th anniversary.   Ms. Oliver’s books will be available for sale at the event.  

For further information, or to reserve a signed copy of one or more of Mary Oliver’s books, you may contact Titcomb’s Bookshop at 508-888-2331.  Titcomb’s Bookshop is a family-owned independent bookstore selling new and used books since 1969.

Courtesy of Cape Cod Community College.