CapeCodToday Blog Chowder

The Portable book vs The Portable Book

Back in the olden times, books were a big deal, and I do mean big!  Most hand written copies and available to only the nobility and crazy ass rich.  The books were often jewel encrusted with heavy wood covers and fancy metal hinges. Unusually you needed a book assistant to move the massive thing and turn its pages for you.

When along in 1436 those modern sophisticated movers and shakers invented the printing press. The man who gets the credit was Johannes Gutenberg from Germany. Well, before we were enjoying our favorite German weird gory fiction that we all love, we still had massive books, but the road had been struck, we were well on our way to the books that just one person can carry and enjoy today. They called this feat of technology the “portable book.”

Well time marches on and the portable book became cheaper, smaller and before you know it you could march down to your ye olde local book store and pick up you favorite Dickens yarn or poetry by Milton and feel pretty cool.

Now you can’t swing a dead cat without someplace that sells book; Drug stores, airports, department stores, supermarkets, hotels. I even bought a book one time in a gas station. Oh yeah and lets not forget the mega book store chains that take up half a city block.

Where do we go from here? Tiny book that beam in to your head via invisible ray?  Well sort of. Today we have the e-reader or the portable book. When I first started this blog a few years ago the e reader was cutting edge stuff, there was multiple formats and a us and them mentality, well ok, that hasn’t changed but what has changed is now everybody has one, I bet you do to.  My Grandfather has one and let me tell you the guy knows how to use it. Like the massive coffee table books of old that really were the size of actual coffee tables, the e readers have gotten smaller and cheaper so now we can enjoy our favorite weird gory German fiction in the palm of our hands.

Ah, I love it when a plan comes together, that’s from the A-team but its true! We have moved full circle. The future is in the palm of our hands and we feel pretty cool!

Egypt: A Sticky Wicket for United States

The uprising in Tunisia was bad enough, but to have one pop up so unexpectedly in Egypt, the crown jewel of US policy in the Arab states of the Middle East, is disastrous. The most populous country in North Africa, guardian of the vital Suez Canal, Egypt has been a staunch partner in the US/Israeli alliance against the Palestinians, Egypt's neighbors.

A recipient of $1.6 billion a year in US aid, Egypt has been a steady customer of our military/industrial complex, signing contracts for F-16s, helicopters, Abrams tanks, missiles, and defense systems. The likes of Lockheed and Boeing would not like to contemplate a change in this arrangement.

Little mention has been made in the media about President Mubarak's willingness to participate in the "extraordinary rendition" program whereby US detainees are shipped off to one or another client state to be tortured.

Caught at a disadvantage by the fast-paced rebellion in Egypt, President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton have been playing catch-up over the past week, coming up a dollar short and a day late in their pronouncements.

Like parents speaking to unruly children, they asked at first for both sides to refrain from violence, overlooking the fact that it was not the protesters who were firing off "Made In the USA" tear gas canisters and rubber bullets, beating people, and turning water cannons on the crowds.

Their pompous pronouncements that the Egyptian people were entitled to the universal rights of freedom of speech, of assembly, of participation in their governance sounded hollow, indeed, when they have stood solidly behind the repressive rulers of Honduras and Haiti. Now that the people are clearly winning, they are calling for "a peaceful transition." Is anyone paying them any attention?

Their number one objective is to be seen as a friend to whatever government is elected if they have any hopes of keeping the stars aligned. However, others in the region - the Saudis, for example, who are also overdue for a comeuppance - would not welcome a wholehearted endorsement of this uprising. It is tricky because it has been no secret that the so-called Arab street is not happy over their leaders' quiescence in the matter of the treatment of the Palestinians.

The worst possible outcome for the US would be a turn by Egypt toward socialism. If a new president and a new parliament seek to alleviate an impoverished forty percent of the population and eliminate the joblessness of the young, it will have little choice. When a country has such a large proportion of its population without resources to participate in a market economy, socialism is the only way to move forward.

The coffers of the state treasury will be emptied when a very stubborn Mubarak finally decamps. In spite of being importuned over the years to make some changes, Mubarak in the words of John F. Kennedy, made evolution impossible and revolution inevitable.

Nobody ever claimed that running an empire was easy.

Here's What's Happening at the Hyannis Youth & Community Center this week!

No injuries reported after fire suppression system deploys at Sagamore gas station Monday; Truro Police nab man on 2nd OUI Sunday; Space still available for Yarmouth Citizen Police Academy

Truro Police nab man on 2nd OUI Sunday

NEW: CapeCodToday.com Court Reports

TRURO - The Truro Police Department responded to over 65 calls during the period of Monday, January 24 through Sunday, January 30 including reports of a suspicious person, suspicious activity and restraining order services, as well as offering mutual aid to other police and municipal departments.  One arrest was made during this period.

Information and booking photo courtesy of the Truro Police Department.

No injuries reported after fire suppression system deploys at Sagamore gas station Monday

A gas station employee cleans off a car covered in foam Monday morning.

SAGAMORE - There were no reported injuries after the fire suppression system was deployed at the Mobil Gas Station just over the Sagamore Bridge on Meetinghouse Lane Monday morning, January 31, 2011 around 11: 15 a.m.

Several cars and pumps were covered in foam by the system and according to emergency broadcast reports, two people were examined by Bourne firefighters at the gas station after they were exposed to the foam. It is believed that the exposure to the foam did not cause injury.

It is unknown at this time what caused the system to engage.

Photo by David G. Curran.

18th Yarmouth Citizen Police Academy begins this Wednesday

Space still available

YARMOUTH - The 18th Yarmouth Citizen Police Academy is scheduled to begin this Wednesday, February 2, 2011 and space is still available according to the Yarmouth Police Department.

The academy meets on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. through March 30, 2011 at police headquarters. The program provides participants with a behind-the-scenes looks at law enforcement and covers topics including the patrol division, detectives, 911 and telecommunications and SWAT operations.

Applications are available at police headquarters.  All applicants are subject to a background check. If chosen to participate, applicants will be contacted by telephone.

Yarmouth's is the first and longest running citizen police academy on Cape Cod. It is open to all qualified Cape Cod residents at no cost.

Source: Yarmouth Police Department.

EARTH FRIENDLIER WINTER GETAWAYS!

Link: http://greenwithbetsy.info/

We all need a break from the long New England winter, especially this year with its constant barrage of storms. But vacations can produce a lot of carbon emissions!  Whether ski vacations are your thing or escaping to the warmer weather of the islands, there are things you can do to minimize your carbon emissions and make your vacation "greener". 

Flying, driving long distances, staying in nice resorts, eating at fancy restaurants all use a lot of energy.  Airlines are becoming more eco-aware and some like Delta actually recycle.  When flying, ask if your airline recycles cups, cans and newspapers. The more people ask, the more the airlines will respond.  Decline a napkin unless you really need it.  Pack light – heavier luggage burns more fuel.  Bring only 3 oz. containers in your carry on.  Otherwise they will be thrown out and end up in the landfill.

When driving, again, pack light. Roof racks add a lot of weight and require more fuel.  Make sure your car is properly tuned and your tires inflated to increase efficiency.

If you need to rent a car, consider renting a hybrid.   Some rental car companies are starting to offer them.  Of course when it’s feasible, take public transportation instead.

Hotels are getting on board now too and post signs about reusing towels, not automatically changing the sheets everyday and recycling. Green hotels use low-flow showerheads and low-flow toilets, fluorescent light bulbs, motion sensors for public rooms, lights out cards, etc.  You can find them through green hotel accreditation directories.

Find restaurants that offer local and organic cuisine (usually fresher and better anyway). More and more are doing so.  Cruise lines are starting to produce less waste.  Ecotourism, which promotes responsible travel to natural areas, is gaining popularity.   There is even such a thing as green travel consultants to help you plan your “green” vacation!

Every small step is beneficial for you, the travel industry and the earth.  Why not try incorporating some green travel on your next trip!

For more green travel tips, visit http://gogreentravelgreen.com.

For questions or comments, visit greenwithbetsy.info.

Monday Sports Update

Celtics Beat LA!

The Boston Celtics whipped the Los Angeles Lakers yesterdat in a nationally televised rematch of the NBA Finals.The final score was 109-96.

Boston vs. Los Angeles - Box Score - 30, 2011 - Basketball - NBA - SI.com

It always feel good to take it to the Lake, and yesterday was no exception. The Lakers beat us last summer for the NBA title. The Celtics had beaten the Lakers for the 2008 Finals.

Both teams are considered to be the favorites to return to the Finals this summer. The Lakers don't have a legitimate contender in their conference with them, and should be able to coast into the Finals. Boston has toyed with the Miami Heat, who were the favorites to take the East after adding LeBron James and Chris Bosh to Dwaye Wade. The smart money currently calls for a Boston/LA final.

The Lakers are led by Kobe Bryant, who banged in 41 points with zero assistisus yesterday. Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, and Pau Gasol all scored 11-15 points, and everyone else essentially watched Kobe gun away.

The Celtics were led by 32 points from P-Double, The Truth, Paul Pierce. Ray Allen scored 21 and Kevin Garnett had 18. KG also went for 13 rebounds. We had a double digit lead on them in rebounding yesterday.

The Celtics were built to beat the Lakers, and have added big men Shaquille O'Neal and Jermaine O'Neal. They also have Kendrick Perkins returning from his injured knee of last June. One of our draft picks was 7 footer Semih Urden (or something like that), a second round draft pick from Turkey.

The big lineup kept LA off the boards yesterday, brought home the W, and set the stage for another Boston/LA tilt in the Finals.

Lidstrom Beats Staal!

The NHL toyed with a funny idea for their All Star Game yesterday.

Normally, fans vote all year, and get to see their favorites play in a high-scoring exhibition game. This year, the players were selected by a sort of fantasy draft conducted by the respective team Captains or something.

The game was played in Raleigh, North Carolina... because when someone says "hockey," you immediately think "Raleigh, North Carolina."

The Boston Bruins were represented well. Tim Thomas was the winning goaltender and stopped 11 shots. Zdeno Chara won the Hardest Shot competition with a 105 mph slapshot. Tyler Seguin played in the Rookie Skills Challenge.

Read Sports Illustrated thrilling summary of the game here.

NFC Beats AFC

The NFL Pro Bowl was won by the NFC, 55-41.

Deangleo Hall had a fumble recovery TD to win the MVP award. The level of play was described as "just beyond touch football or a Powderpuff game."

Several Patriots played. Wes Welker had 5 catches or so, but also coughed up a fumble that was returned for a TD. Devin McCourty snagged an interception, but he also got scorched by Larry Fitzgerald for a 25 yard TD. Matt Light and Logan Mankins blocked up a storm. Jerod Mayo snuffed Tony Gonzalez on the goal line to save a TD. Brandon meriweather also played.

New England coach (and the namesake of this column) Bill Belichick coached his second pro Bowl, and took the L.

TONITE: Mwalim On The Tim Greene Radio Show - WGIV @ 8:40 PM

CHARLOTTE, NC - Tonight, LMMGM Recording Artist, Mwalim joins nationally acclaimed radio personality and filmmaker, Tim Greene on his soon-to-be syndicated radio show on WGIV. They will be talking about Mwalim's music as including his upcoming release "The Abyss" which has been steadily gaining rotation on club, radio and podcast mix-shows throughout the world including Europe, Africa, Japan, the USA and Canada. You can tune into WGIV by going to www.wgiv.net and clicking on the "Listen Now" button on the right hand side of the page.

[Click Here] - WGIV

On Sunday, Mwalim appeared with musical talk-show host Leasa Rosolino on "The Musician's Social Club" broadcast from Detroit Michigan. An archived version of that broadcast can be heard by visiting Blogtalkradio.com/musicianssocialclub.

For more information on Mwalim and his music, visit www.mwalim.com

Mid Cape bird count down; Falmouth Selectmen OK wastewater plan; Cutter heads north to chop ice; Mode 4 concert

TODAY's quote: "The seemingly endless miles traveled and hours worked were all done to help ships get through the ice and on their way to bring materials and goods to their ports of call." - Lt. Jonathan Tice, USCG Morro Bay.

Sure, our snow totals on Cape Cod aren't are high as many off-Cape, but yesterday afternoon the ones in the North Street, Hyannis parking lot behind Alberto's Ristorante were still a small, white mountains, this one with a Brewster tween atop it. Photo by Walter Brooks.

Mode 4 at Pope John Paul II Sunday

Straight Flush was one of over twenty local rock groups and soloists trained at Mode 4 Music Studios who performed for a packed auditorium Sunday afternoon at Pope John Paul II High School in Hyannis. The group above includes Will Brooks - Drums, Lily Karras - Bass, Andrew Gottsche - Guitar, James Ledoux - Guitar and Caley Dooling - Vocalist.

They cover Fuel's  "Shimmer." See "Celebrity Skin" here.

Weather cuts down bird count totals
16 birders count 131 species on Mid Cape

It's been colder than usual, and we've had a series of winter storms, so it didn't surprise birdwatchers that the recent Mid Cape count was down over last year the Barnstable Enterprise reports. The Mid Cape bird count covers all of the towns of Barnstable, Yarmouth and Dennis and parts of Sandwich.

The birders counted a total of 25,150 birds over the 24 hours of the count, which is actually fewer birds than usual. Last year, birders counted 43,008, but that included a roost of an estimated 24,000 robins. This year, Jeremiah Trimble, a curatorial associate in ornithology at Harvard, said that roost was not seen. In fact, he said, there were few "frugivores," birds that eat fruit, seen on the count.

Read the Enterprise story here.

Falmouth Selectmen OK Wastewater plan

The Falmouth Bulletin reports that last Monday night the Falmouth selectmen voted to accept the recommendations of the Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan, which will appear on April's Town Meeting warrant, but for anything to happen, the voters must agree at the next town meeting.

There were, however, changes made in the original plan. The new proposal includes reducing the area covered by the project, using the Falmouth wastewater treatment plant, and making use of alternative technologies.

Ronald Smolowitz objected saying, "this is the tip of the iceberg. $6 million is 5 percent of the town's annual budget. We're throwing around $200,000 here and there, and we're furloughing employees."

Read the Falmouth Bulletin story here.

USCG Cutter Morro Bay doesn't go south in winter

The Coast Guard cutter Morro Bay clears a path through the ice near Neebish Island, Michigan. Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class George Degener.

The CG Cutter Morro Bay is usually plying the waters of Nantucket,  the Cape Cod Canal and Cape Cod Bay this time of year, but when ice makes the Great Lakes shipping lanes impossible, she heads north to help.

The New London Day reports that each winter, Coast Guard ships convene in the Great Lakes for the country's largest domestic icebreaking operations. The cutter Morro Bay, which is homeported in New London, left Connecticut in late November for Cleveland.

The crew of the 140-foot cutter spent three weeks icebreaking this month, and members described their experiences via journal entries on Facebook.

Read The Day story here.

Another "Found Off The Street" Jalopy on Cape Cod
A "real" Willys Jeep made in 1954

We love this blog. It always featured crazy cars we would love to own ourselves. The Jalopnik Blog begins this time with: Welcome to Found Off The Street, our look at cars found on the cape that rust liked so much it decided to summer there; Cape Cod, MA. Today we have a 1954 Willys CJ-3B.

This week's FOTS Jeep was produced right here in America at the Willys plant in Toledo, Ohio. Where it was originally sold or exactly when it appeared on the cape that rust remembered isn't known precisely, but its here now. Sitting up a little higher than when it left the factory, this CJ-3B has been the recipient of a few interesting modifications.

When I first noticed this Jeep a few years ago it was blue. As you can see, the paint was changed to the love it or hate it orange and white somewhat recently. Although it is certainly not for everyone, I kind of like it. Another interesting addition to this CJ-3B is the bed extension on the back. Although it isn't factory it appears pretty well done. There is at least one other Willys of the same vintage on the cape that rust remembered with a similar extended bed. I'm not sure if it was a rare factory option or if it is just a local who has modified a few.

Read Jalopnik here.

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Chargoggagoggmanchauggauggchaubunagungamaugg; Pocasset teacher has 'walkabout' with Oprah; Barnstable pol spends weekend in jail; Vonnegut writes from the grave; Whalers whack Barons 7-2; Brewster override this year?

Sunday, January 30, 2010 -- What's Happening at the HYCC

SUNDAY JAN 30 -- LYNDON P. LORUSSO YOUTH CENTER 12-9PM. Zumba 10-11AM. Figure Skating Walk On Ice 12:10PM. Public Skate 2:30pm-4:20pm. Open Gym 3:30-9PM. Adult Stick Time 9:10PM.

Zumba Class is offered in the Gymnasium at the Hyannis Youth & Community Center each Sunday. Drop-in fee is $10.  Try it out and if you like it, you can sign up for the next session!

For advancing competitive figure skaters, we offer an hour of Walk-On Ice on Sundays at 12:10PM and again on Tuesays at 6:15 to practice their routines.  Fee is $10.

Public Skate is a popular way to enjoy the cold weather at any time of the year! Affordable for the whole family, come and enjoy our beautiful Butler Rink and skate to the beat of popular music today and every day! Admission is $7 Adults, $5 Students and $2 Seniors. Skate rentals are available for $5.

Open Gym and structured supervised play is available for HYCC Members or day pass holders. Affordable annual memberships are available at the front desk for a cost of $20 for Barnstable residents and $40 for non-residents and include the use of the gym during scheduled Open Gym times and all the amenities and supervised activities in the Computer Lab, Game Room (which includes free Wii, table games and coin-operated arcade games).  The Walking Track is open early every day (usually by 7AM) and offers three lanes of rubberized surface for optimal conditions for exercise at any age.

Adult Stick Time is offered to hockey players seeking to practice and refinetheir skills for competitive play.  Immediately following is the men's league over 45+ play. For more information or to register your team for the upcoming season, please call Scott Wiinikainen at 508.790.6345 or scott.wiinikainen@town.barnstable.ma.us.

K9 leads Yarmouth Police to attempted armed robbery suspect Friday night

K9 leads Yarmouth Police to attempted armed robbery suspect Friday night

WEST YARMOUTH - Just after 5 p.m. on Friday, January 28, 2011, Yarmouth Patrol Officers Cheryl Nugent Gomsey and Michael Zontini responded to a report of attempted armed robbery at the Cumberland Farms convenience store on Route 28.

Patrick Anthony Fitzgerald, charged with attempted armed robbery. YPD Booking Photo.

The store clerk told officers that a man brandishing a handgun had tried to rob him and when unsuccessful, had fled the store on foot.  Additional officers, including K9 Patrol Officer Mark Thibeault and his dog Clark were called to the scene to begin an investigation of the area.  Barnstable County Sheriff's Office crime scene investigators were also called in to process the scene.

Clark the K9 dog led officers to a nearby neighborhood, where they arrested Patrick Anthony Fitzgerald, 35, of 17 Courtland Way.  Fitzgerald was transported to Yarmouth Police headquarters where he was charged with Felony Assault to Rob While Armed with a Firearm and will be held until his arraignment Monday at Barnstable District Court.

Detectives discovered clothing, a .357 replica handgun, sunglasses and a hat matching those used during the attempted robbery in a nearby roadway. Detectives also matched foot impressions found at the store to impressions found at Fitzgerald's home in the snow.

Source: Yarmouth Police Department.