Gov. Patrick Is In Iraq. Why?

Published July 22, 2010

Gov. Deval Patrick in a C-130 on Wednesday

Gov. Deval Patrick in a C-130 on Wednesday

Gov. Deval Patrick made a surprise trip to Iraq on Wednesday. (His schedule is not being disclosed, so we don’t know when the governor will return.)

My question is, Why? What is worth the time and expense of a governor’s top-secret trip to Iraq?

In a statement, a spokesman said:

There are currently over 1,100 Massachusetts National Guard troops deployed in the region. The Governor serves as Commander in Chief of the Massachusetts National Guard, and felt it was important to check on our servicemen and women in harm’s way and to be briefed on the progress of their mission.

Patrick has no bearing on foreign policy, and there is nothing he can’t learn about our troops on the ground from his advisers. Can anyone tell me the benefit of these trips? It seems highly political — and an advantage his campaign rivals don’t have.

iPhone App Update Is Live (Get It Now)

Published July 22, 2010

WBUR iPhone iconThe first update to WBUR’s iPhone app is live now in the App Store. Download now on iTunes or tap the “Updates” button in the iPhone App Store.

Changes in version 1.0.1 include:

  • Fixed iOS 4 crashes
  • Background audio support (continue streaming after switching apps)
  • Fast app switching (instantly return to your place when you come back)
  • Improved swipe support
  • Improved styling of news articles
  • Expiration date on the virtual member card
  • Other bug fixes and speed improvements

We built this app on your ideas, and we’re making improvements based on your feedback. Leave bug reports or feature requests in the comments. And if you left a 1-star rating on iTunes, please give the app another chance and revise your review.

Watch For Warnings In Woosta

Published July 21, 2010

Dorothy and Toto in "The Wizard Of Oz"

Two in one week, Toto!

What’s with all the twista warnings lately? Not watches, mind you. Warnings are more severe and much less common. They come and go in a flash. There have been two tornado warnings this week in Worcester County, the most recent one just a few minutes ago.

Confused? (I was.) Here’s the National Weather Service definition of watch:

A watch is used when the risk of a hazardous weather or hydrologic event has increased significantly, but its occurrence, location, and/or timing is still uncertain. It is intended to provide enough lead time so that those who need to set their plans in motion can do so.

And the definition of warning:

A warning is issued when a hazardous weather or hydrologic event is occurring, is imminent, or has a very high probability of occurring. A warning is used for conditions posing a threat to life or property.

In other words, if you hear a warning, get moving. What to do if you get caught in a tornado? The NWS has a complete guide, but:

  • Avoid windows.
  • Get to the lowest floor — the basement, if there is one.
  • If you’re in a car, park it safely and get out. Find shelter in a building.
  • If you can’t find shelter, lie flat on the ground and cover your head. Stay away from trees and cars.

Watch out for severe thunderstorms throughout Massachusetts until 8 p.m. That’s a watch, not a warning!

Beauty Bests Age In D.C. Slugfest

Published July 21, 2010

If you want to understand the differences between Massachusetts’ senior and junior senators, you could watch them play softball.

The lanky Sen. Kerry, in suit shirt and pants, grounds out and doesn’t even run for first base. Sen. Brown, on the other hand, comes dressed to play with the number 41 on his jersey. (Get it?) Brown hits kind of puny-like — I mean the guy is a triathlete — but at least he puts in some real effort to getting to first.

Brown’s team ultimately prevailed 11-6, the Globe reports.

WBUR’s Dave Shaw, providing play-by-play as he watches over my shoulder, remarks: “That’s sort of a low-scoring softball game, to be honest with you.”

(Footage shared by freelance journalist Byron C. Tau, who might be going after the record for shakiest video ever.)

Decision Time For Mass. Board Of Ed

Published July 21, 2010

The state board of education votes today on whether to adopt national standards for math and English, called “Common Core,” or stick with the Bay State’s own highly regarded standards. (Our Bianca Vazquez Toness is there now.) Update: The board has approved adoption of Common Core standards.

Need to get up to speed? Here’s the latest.

On Monday, I linked to a Pioneer Institute report (read on Scribd) that finds deep flaws in the national standards and advises Massachusetts not to fix what ain’t broke. A member of the board of ed and a former superintendent of Boston schools debated the matter on Radio Boston.

Afterward, I received an e-mail from Jonathan Palumbo, the spokesman for the state’s executive office of education:

I see that you have posted on your website materials from a research group here in Boston with opinions on the Common Core national standards. Is there any way to post as well the reports from the Massachusetts teachers and professors who also reviewed Common Core and came to a different conclusion than this group?

The reports from English and math experts are on the ESE website: http://www.doe.mass.edu/boe/docs/0710/item1.html.

I think it would be fair for your visitors to have the opportunity to see both sides as opposed on just one.

Agreed. Those findings prompted Education Commissioner to back the Common Core standards. The Boston Globe, in an editorial Tuesday, also backed the new standards.

Yet another report, released this morning by the nonprofit Fordham Institute (read on Scribd), is cagier, saying the pros and cons of adopting Common Core make it “too close to call.” The study’s lead author, Chester Finn, explained the findings to WBUR’s Bob Oakes on Morning Edition today.

More:

Phoebe Prince Was Troubled

Published July 21, 2010

Phoebe Prince

Phoebe Prince

Phoebe Prince, the South Hadley teenager whose suicide led to the demonization of her bullies, may have been more troubled than we knew.

In a startling, 12,000-word article on Slate, reporter Emily Bazelon () says the case is far more complicated than the press has let on.

A recent immigrant from Ireland, Phoebe Prince was pretty, smart and popular in high school. But she was vulnerable. Destructive. Instead of fighting back when kids picked on her, she hurt herself. She encroached on other relationships. She fell out with friends.

My investigation into the events that gave rise to Phoebe’s death, based on extensive interviews and review of law enforcement records, reveals the uncomfortable fact that Phoebe helped set in motion the conflicts with other students that ended in them turning on her. Her death was tragic, and she shouldn’t have been bullied. But she was deeply troubled long before she ever met the six defendants. And her own behavior made other students understandably upset.

The author says she grappled with whether to write the story at all. “But when the D.A. charged kids with causing Phoebe’s death and threatened them with prison, she invited an inquiry into other potential causes.” The case reveals just how poorly equipped we all are to understand and deal with teen bullying.

It’s a fascinating read.

Update: Here & Now talked to Bazelon on the show Wednesday.

More On Trooper Safety

Published July 20, 2010

Model of an old Massachusetts State Police car

Watch out for Staties. (Ward/Flickr)

With the recent spate of car accidents involving Bay State troopers on duty, the president of the state police union is calling for a crackdown on drunk drivers.

On Monday, in my Q&A about the issue, reporter Curt Nickisch said Massachusetts could do more than enforce its “move over” law in trying to protect emergency responders.

Afterward, I received an e-mail from Howard Cohen, who runs the nonprofit website ResponderSafety.com. Apparently, research to that effect is more than 10 years old.

An edited excerpt of his note:

The issue of public safety personnel getting struck and injured or killed is a growing problem that generally gets little attention, but which is garnering some attention now with the five Massachusetts troopers struck, one fatally, in the past month. In about the same period, a Shelton, Conn., police officer has also been struck and killed, along with three CHP officers and a New Jersey state trooper.

We began our effort in 1998 after one of our members was struck and killed on a Maryland highway, though we soon realized the “struck-by” problem disproportionately affects police officers. On our website, ResponderSafety.com, we track struck-by’s nationwide on a daily basis, track move-over laws and move-over law developments, have free training material, offer a “white paper” that we produced on this issue more than 10 years ago and a great deal more.

The white paper (PDF), dating back to October 1999, warned of many of these problems:

Until recently the “more lights are better” approach, often incorporating variously colored strobes, rotating beacons, and pulses of light, has been in vogue.    This is being rethought in the wake of research and statistics indicating that the multitude of brilliant flashing lights may: (1) effectively blind motorists; (2) attract impaired (drunk, drugged, or dozing) motorists, and (3) emphasize apparatus but obscure response personnel.

That’s exactly what I covered yesterday.

Lobster Salad In The News

Published July 20, 2010

A lobster in Boston Harbor (Jess Bidgood for WBUR)

A lobster in Boston Harbor (Jess Bidgood for WBUR)

When I rounded up the summer’s most predictable news stories, I failed to consider the lobster. There’s good coverage of our favorite summer delicacy around the Hub this week.

This morning NPR reported that life is good for Maine lobsters and lobster eaters — but not so much for lobstermen. Supply is so plentiful that prices are low. Meanwhile, the Boston Globe reports the same for lobstermen here in Massachusetts.

If you missed it, WBUR’s Curt Nickisch reported a fine piece from Boston Harbor as part of our ongoing series, “Looking Out.” Curt (and photographer Jess Bidgood) went out on the water at 4 in the morning to talk with commercial fishermen. You at least owe it to yourself to look at the sideshow.

And finally, you gotta see the “freak lobster” with three pincers in the Herald.

Update: Incredible albino lobster caught off Gloucester from the same guy who caught the three-pincered crustacean

Q&A: State Could Do More To Protect Staties

Published July 19, 2010

Police lights at night

Apparently, it's not just drivers who share responsibility for avoiding police cruisers. (Sanford Kearns/Flickr)

Five state troopers have been struck by cars in recent weeks, most recently on Route 24 in Taunton. Early Saturday morning, an allegedly drunk driver struck Trooper Corey Rose, who was pulled over with his hazard lights flashing.

If you think there oughta be a law, there is. If you see a cruiser on the side of the road, you must move one lane over. There are flashing signs in some towns to remind drivers.

The law doesn’t help much if someone is driving drunk, of course. WBUR’s Curt Nickisch has been following this story and tells me there is a lot more Massachusetts could do to protect Staties on-duty. Research shows more and brighter lights are not always better. Here’s our Q&A.

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