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How does BOT serve the library market?

Books on Tape (BOT) is a company you can trust. We pioneered the concept of unabridged audiobooks, and we’re celebrating 35 years of offering the greatest variety, the highest quality, and the best service. BOT has been creating partnerships with libraries for over three decades, and together we have provided patrons with a comprehensive selection of titles ranging from Dickens to Obama. Audiobooks have now become a multi-billion dollar industry, further validating the concept behind BOT.

We are proud to exclusively have Listening Library as our children’s library imprint. Listening Library is the premier audiobook publisher for children’s and young adult literature.

As audiobooks continue to increase in popularity, BOT will continue to publish more of the bestselling titles library patrons are demanding. Moreover, we will deliver them with a complement of services tailored to meet the special needs of librarians.

I’m a consumer, how to I purchase BOT product?

Thank you for visiting the Books on Tape website. You can now purchase audio product from the Random House Audio website.

This audio product still showcases the same authors and titles you have become familiar with on the BOT format. The RH audio product is just packaged differently, but you can trust the story line and audio quality to be top notch!

You will need to set up a new account on the Random House Audio site, as your consumer BOT account is no longer active. We appreciate your patronage throughout the years and hope you will continue to enjoy our most popular titles.

If you have any problems or questions, please contact us at ecustomerservice@randomhouse.com

Who is listening to audiobooks?

According to the Audio Publisher’s Association (APA) 2008 survey, 28% of Americans are listening to audiobooks and 72% of those listeners are listening for an average of 5 hours a week. In audiobook households, 63% of children are also listeners! Entertainment on long drives and trips is the number one reason for listening to audiobooks.

Where are BOT audiobooks produced?

All of our audiobooks are created in our own state-of-the-art studios in Los Angeles and New York. The locations of our studios allow our producers to access the largest pool of stage and screen talent to narrate our audiobooks. Our producers work hard to marry the perfect voice to each project, and our top-of-the-line studios allow us to engineer the finest sound quality recordings.

How is a book chosen to become a BOT audiobook?

Our editorial staff receives manuscripts, galleys and advance reading copies from all the major publishing houses, agents, and sometimes from the authors themselves. From this we determine which titles would be appropriate for our customer base in the audiobook format.

In order to provide you with bestsellers simultaneously with the print editions, our editorial staff works as far as 12 months in advance negotiating rights.

What literary genres are available from BOT?

Our vast collection spans every genre, including: African American, Business & Personal Finance, Christian Interest, Classics, Current Affairs & Politics, General Fiction, General Non-Fiction, Health & Fitness, Historical Fiction, History, Horror, Humor, Memoir & Biography, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Poetry, Religion, Science, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Self Help & Inspiration, Sports, Travel, Western, Women’s Fiction, and Romance.

Does BOT offer children’s audiobooks?

Yes, BOT is the proud publisher of Listening Library audiobooks for the school and library market. Listening Library is the premier publisher of unabridged audiobooks for children and young adults. Their reputation for quality productions of the best in children’s literature has set them apart from other audio producers. Their backlist of over 800 titles includes such popular characters like Arthur, Ramona, Amber Brown, Harry Potter, and such beloved authors as Judy Blume, Christopher Paolini, Mary Pope Osborne, Stephenie Meyer, Christopher Paul Curtis, and Philip Pullman.

The value of audiobooks as a learning tool in the education of children is widely recognized by experts. Audiobooks bring written text to life, adding an interactive quality that can ignite a child’s imagination. They encourage reading by broadening vocabularies, stretching attention spans, and fostering critical-thinking skills. Listening to audiobooks in the classroom can effectively enrich the reading experience and aid your students in understanding and appreciating literature, history, theatre arts, and more!

Who are your narrators?

All of our narrators are professionally trained and accomplished performers. Many have received national recognition for their work, such as Grammy® Awards, AudioFile Golden Voice and Earphone Awards, Audie Awards, and have made Library Journal‘s Best Audiobooks list. Most importantly, our productions have our listeners’ stamp of approval.

We continually survey our customers to ensure that we are selecting their favorite narrators for forthcoming books. We know that great narration is critical to an enjoyable listening experience!

To learn more about our readers, please visit our narrator page.

What is My Lists?

My Lists is a versatile tool that allows you to create custom title lists and download Brief MARC Records prior to adding them to your cart for checkout.* If your selections and ordering are handled by different departments, use My Lists to create a list of titles. You can then share your list and associated Brief MARC records electronically with your technical services team whenever you are ready to order.

*Please note: For security purposes, your cart will expire upon exiting the site or after being logged in for 8 hours. To save your titles for future purchases, please use My Lists and move titles into the cart when you are ready to place your order.

How is my order shipped?

Every BOT library customer enjoys FREE shipping. All school orders will be charged 6% of the net order value. Orders are shipped via UPS Ground. We will process your order and have it shipped within 3-5 days. UPS will take 7 to 10 days to deliver your order depending on your location. Overnight and 2-day services are available upon request. Please allow for an additional two weeks if you request cataloging and processing services.

To take advantage of our commitment to provide bestsellers simultaneously with the print editions you must place your order 45 days in advance of the on-sale date and we’ll ship the title before the hardcover edition goes on sale. Priority Processing: Here at BOT, we know the value of replacements. That’s why we built a state-of-the-art digital archive to turn around your replacement orders in one week or less.

What are my options for receiving backorders?

The preferred method is shipment based on on sale dates. This may lead to partial shipments, because on saledates fall throughout the month. However, complete shipping is available upon request. Should you choose this option your order will be held until every title in the order is available. Complete shipping will not allow libraries to take advantage of our commitment to provide simultaneous release of bestsellers with the hardcover edition.

What is your return policy?

If, for any reason, you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, product is fully returnable within 90 days of the date of receipt for a credit at the price and discount at which the product was purchased. Full copy returns are required for credit. Returns should be mailed, at customer expense, to: Random House LLC, Attn: Returns Department, 1019 N. State Road 47, Crawfordsville, IN 47933. Return authorization is not required; however, all returns should be made with a claim copy or packing slip indicating for each title the ISBN#, quantity, account name and number, and date of receipt of purchase.

What is your Replacement Policy?

You can purchase replacements as follows:
As of 3/1/12, there will be no free replacements.
Replacement pricing is as follows:
CDs $10.00 ea.
CD Binders $12.00 ea.
Inserts $5.00 ea

To order replacements please contact customer service.

How can I become a reader for your audiobooks?

Performers are selected by the individual producers working on each title most often in conjunction with the author. Our producers do not listen to audition tapes sent directly to Random House. Producers work mostly with New York and Los Angeles based talent agencies, and freelance directors to find the right voices for their projects. For more resources on becoming an audiobook narrator, please visit the Audio Publisher’s Association website at www.audiopub.org for more information.


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Gathering together a small sampling of the good stuff

Victorian posy of pansiesA rising San Francisco tech yuppie said what all the hard-working young San Franciscans think about the homeless and derelicts who swarm San Francisco’s streets but that none dare to say aloud.  (I remember well the quiet grumbling about the homeless back in my young days as a downtown yuppie, before political correctness permanently disabled saying such things.)  Needless to say, he’s in big trouble.

I’m not the only one who gets confused about the day on which Pearl Harbor falls.

Sometimes, people who are obsessive compulsive can harness that compulsive energy to create the most amazing beauty.

Despite the Left’s relentless, shrill, well-funded efforts, Americans did not buy into gun control in the year since a crazy man attacked an elementary school.

David Gerstman points out that al Qaeda is indeed on the run — but, contrary to our president’s past boasts, that’s not a good thing.  Gerstman shows definitively that al Qaeda is running to a variety of countries that haven’t previously hosted this anti-American jihadist organization, and then making itself at home there.

A small town police chief reads Kanye West the riot act.  It’s wonderful.

This might be the best paragraph written today:  “Okay, let’s give President Obama some credit. He promised openness, not honesty. You get to see the village. If it’s a Potemkin Village, that’s your problem.”

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  • Ymarsakar

    Entertainers buy into their self deception protocols they use for acting so much, they think they are the same as the heroes, explorers, and risk takers as they portray. Although in reality, they are the same as the wife beaters, the drug addicts, and the violent crooks in movies they portray.

    I ran Michael J White through a psychological profile, when he was interviewed on another subject. One thing he said that surprised me was that he noticed that Hollywood actors are treated as heroes for playing heroes. The fact that he noticed this and openly denied Hollywood virtue, surprised me. That’s an example that he isn’t in line very much with the circle dance.
    MJW’s martial art level is also at a point where I can respect. You can notice it when you watch his tutorial videos. So if you want movies that your Democrat friends won’t activate their anti American bomb shelters for, check out this guy’s movies. And slip in that knife.

  • Ymarsakar

    Oh btw, your page “Book” no longer has any comments on it.
    Don’t think it made the conversion.

  • MacG

    The OCD snow artist looks like the sensei for the crop circle guys.  Abomominable Snow circles?

  • Ymarsakar

    Have you seen what people are talking about and reacting at to this, Book?
    These are some crazy mofos.
    If I had been like that at a publicly renowned conservative or neo con blog between 2008-2012, they would have put me on a watchlist and dropped me over the Mari trench (after IRS).
    But now that the “static” is on the net, it’s less risky to openly talk about such things. So if anyone had wondered why I’m only now talking about the things I always believed were true… I just tell people I’m a Keyboard Warrior, some guy on the internet that thinks he knows what’s going on, and no real threat at all. If I ever get to the point where I feel like I’m in an Echo Chamber, I know there’s a profile going on.
    I’m just your regular Draco (riot) + Helen Losse. Just a normal Democrat fearing, Islamic faithful believer. Yep sirree.
    Make sure to keep your head down, Book, and emphasize your Democrat connections. You never know who amongst the Marin community is an infiltrator or Stazi spy. And again, I’m not kidding.

  • Libby

    As always, Ramirez captures the true essence of the Mandela memorial scandal:

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The weekly Amy Purdy update

Yes, I continue to be impressed by Amy Purdy’s turn on Dancing With The Stars.  What she is able to do despite having two prosthetic legs is a testament to so many things:  modern prosthetics, Derek Hough’s superb choreography, Purdy’s  innate physicality and, most of all, her will power and optimistic personality.

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  • shirleyelizabeth

    I watch the episodes the next day, and this time I had the thought that they have to keep finding ways to give Derek a tougher situation to keep him from blowing out the competition. I can’t imagine how this girl is doing all of these dances with prosthetics.

  • jj

    Hough does his job – which is to put her front and center and make her the star – very well.  The job of choreographers and male dancers is to display the female dancer – something which toads like Hillary and her pals never understood.  “Ginger Rogers could do anything Fred Astaire could do, only backwards, and in high heels.”  Sure she could.  If you believe that, Hillary ol’ fat-ass, it just means you didn’t understand what you were looking at.
    Hough is perfect for this girl: he puts her there and gives her to you; he takes her right to but never past the point she can go; he keeps her balanced and comfortable; and he gives her as solid a rock to stand on as Fred gave Ginger, or Gene gave Leslie.  She is extraordinary – but so is he.

  • Bookworm

    Shirleyelizabeth and jj:  I couldn’t agree more with both of you.  I’m especially pleased about Derek’s solid work.  He’d gotten awfully arrogant a couple of seasons ago, and needed both a challenge and someone/something to teach him humility.  This seems to be working.

  • Ymarsakar

    You know the saying where there is a will, there is a way?
    Other people think that when there is agreement, there’s a will.


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‘Bourne Legacy’ can’t revive the franchise without Matt Damon

If you’re going to make a “Bourne” movie without Matt Damon, Jeremy Renner isn’t a bad second choice. He’s runty but determined, with some of the bantam confidence of Jimmy Cagney in his prime. And he gets things done, more so in his character of Aaron Cross, another on-the-run survivor of the CIA’s top secret superspy program, than as a newly minted star assigned the task of reviving a dormant movie franchise. The best thing that can be said about “The Bourne Legacy” is that Renner will survive it.

Tony Gilroy, who had a hand in writing the first three “Bourne” films, climbs into the director’s chair, working from a script co-written with his brother Dan that’s “inspired” by Robert Ludlum’s novels. “Legacy” starts off well, steadily intercutting between the agency spooks panicking as their secrets are threatened with exposure and Cross all the way up in Alaska, where he’s on a sort of Outward Bound course for Übermensches. The behavior modification of the Damon movies has branched out to viruses, genetics, and pharmaceuticals, with the hero popping “blues” and “greens” to keep his power levels up. Says one character of Cross, “If he doesn’t viral out, he’s gonna run out of brain.”

That’s about as cogent as the dialogue gets. It helps to have seen the earlier Bourne movies—maybe within the past week—so you can follow the hectic datelines (“Reston, VA 4:14 a.m.”), military crypto-speak (“Solo, fuel to Bingo is green”), and general alarm as head spook Col. Eric Beyer (Edward Norton) shuts down the project by having everyone killed. An early scene in which a colleague of lab scientist Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz) goes on a shooting rampage is deeply harrowing, but partly just due to recent headlines.

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Gilroy has a knack for modish, middleweight character study that served him well in his directorial debut, 2007’s “Michael Clayton,” but he has a way to go as an action director. “The Bourne Legacy” moves, all right, but with a jittery visual sense that comes increasingly unglued. Another early sequence in Shearing’s house, with her and Cross fighting off a team of heavily armed CIA “grief counselors,” is a tightly choreographed set-piece that pays off. Later, though, there are fight scenes in which it’s impossible to tell who’s hitting whom, and a climactic motorcycle chase through the packed streets of Manila that manages to be fast, noisy, overlong, and dull.

What’s missing from “Legacy” is any emotional stake. Damon’s Jason Bourne—who’s alluded to in the new film but seen only in a newscast—was a James Bond hero in the throes of an existential identity crisis, and the actor let you feel the character’s confusion and anger. As enjoyable as he is to watch, Renner’s underwritten Cross doesn’t carry the same weight. There’s a devilish comedy that you occasionally glimpse in the back of the star’s eyes, but he’s too much of a pro to let it out.

Weisz, by contrast, plays her role the way you or I would behave in a similar situation: Shearing is completely freaked out. A novel approach, but “The Bourne Legacy” isn’t sure what to do with it. It’s been a while, in fact, since I’ve seen a movie fall apart so completely in its final 20 minutes. A new-model government super-
assassin (Louis Ozawa Changchien) is abruptly introduced to chase down the heroes, and the film suddenly turns into “Terminator 2.” Norton’s character drops down the rabbit hole, Joan Allen and David Strathairn from the earlier movies suddenly reappear, and “The Bourne Legacy” folds its hand with a limp romantic fade-out and a cheesy pop song. Don’t expect the series to be back for a fifth movie, either. It ran out of brain.

[Editor’s note: This story has been expanded with online bonus content.]

Ty Burr can be reached at tburr@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @tyburr.


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Christopher Reddy

Let's not forget Exxon Valdez

Crude oil from the tanker Exxon Valdez swirled on the surface of Prince William Sound near Naked Island in Alaska on April 9, 1989. Crude oil from the tanker Exxon Valdez swirled on the surface of Prince William Sound near Naked Island in Alaska on April 9, 1989. (John Gaps III/Associated Press/File)
By Christopher Reddy
March 24, 2009
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TWENTY YEARS ago today, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez spilled 10.8 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound. Much will be written about the impacts of this devastating spill and Exxon's responsibilities. Yet, it's important to reflect on how this country has successfully avoided and managed oil spills since this disaster - and how this success may diminish in the future.

The United States has reduced the amount of oil spilled since the Exxon Valdez. The number of oil spills documented by the Coast Guard that were greater than 5,000 gallons decreased from 55 to 14 from 1991 to 2004, with none over 1 million gallons. In addition, there is a growing trend that freighters, not high-volume tankers like the Exxon Valdez, are the spillers.

There are numerous reasons why spills are less frequent, including digital charts, GPS, improved weather prediction, and even cellphones. Communications cannot be overlooked. Years back, once a vessel left the dock, the captain was king. Now, position and speed can be monitored half way around the globe. Training has increased for the fleet, too, under requirements of the Oil Pollution Act, which passed in 1990 in response to the Exxon Valdez and other spills. It is also very expensive for spillers, who are required by law to pay for the clean-up, restore damaged areas, and settle claims.

If an accident occurs, the United States is arguably the most experienced and prepared in responding to spills. This response is based on a unified command structure comprising federal, state, and spiller representatives, who work as a team. This integrated approach focuses on the singular goal to reduce damages. In some countries, efforts are often characterized by groups working against each other.

As an oil spill scientist, I have observed how the unified command performs and how spills are managed. The speed and efficiency of the unified command, for example, can stop a small spill from becoming a large one. During the 2007 spill of the Cosco Busan in San Francisco Bay, the cleanup teams moved faster than I could collect samples. On one occasion, I begged the supervisor of a cleanup team to let me collect some oil-covered rocks before they were removed by his Tyvek-suited crew. He let me take them.

To me, the Exxon Valdez is a source of significant scientific advancement. Classic manuscripts on the behavior and effects of the spill sit on my desk with the bindings worn from reading and rereading them. One thing that I have learned from this spill and others is that no two are ever the same. There are many variables that determine the outcome of a spill, including location, weather, and type and viscosity of oil. So when a spill does occur, try not to assume that it will be another Exxon Valdez.

Over the last two decades, government agents and representatives of spillers have led an impressive effort to reduce oil spills and diminish their impacts. They have exported American know-how to help other nations manage their own catastrophes. But here's the rub: Most of these people have retired or will be retiring soon and there are few experienced heirs apparent.

Increased priorities for homeland security, attention to impacts of global warming and other important issues, and an overall downturn in funding for response, preparedness, and research have contributed to draining talent away from work on spills. Ironically, oil company money set aside by the Oil Pollution Act specifically for training and preparedness by this act has never been appropriated to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - an agency that provides essential scientific support for oil spills.

On the 20th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez, the United States can take pride in its improved efforts to reduce spills and learning from them. However, oil spills are inevitable and training of a new generation of oil spill specialists is paramount for our continued success and the sharing of knowledge with others.

Christopher Reddy is a marine chemist and the director of the Coastal Ocean Institute at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole. His oil spill research has been funded by competitive awards from federal agencies and philanthropic foundations.

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text:
Natick parents starting middle school to offer a better fit

David Vaughn is one of the founders of the Tremont School, slated to open in September. David Vaughn is one of the founders of the Tremont School, slated to open in September. (Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff)
By Erica Noonan
Globe Staff / February 10, 2011

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NATICK — David Vaughn usually draws a chuckle from a crowd of parents with his favorite opening line: “Raise your hand if you loved middle school!’’

Hardly anyone admits to warm memories of the years from fifth to eighth grades, when growing bodies, expanding emotions, and a shifting social landscape can pose greater challenges than the most rigorous academic program. For children with learning differences or developmental delays, such as attention-deficit disorder, Asperger’s syndrome, anxiety, or depression, those years can be not just hard but overwhelming, and cause long-term problems.

Based on those concerns, Vaughn and his wife, Janice, along with fellow Natick residents Ed and Jill Walker, were determined to find a program in which their children could thrive.

“Middle school doesn’t have to be the lost years for anyone,’’ said Jill Walker, a librarian.

But even in Greater Boston, one of the most academically rich areas of the country, options for students who thrive in small classes with open and experiential-based curriculum were scarce.

So the Vaughns, the Walkers and another local family decided to found the Tremont School, a private middle school whose mission is to provide an inclusive environment for a wide variety of learners, with small classes and individually tailored programs.

The school will open this fall with about 20 students in grades 5 and 6, the organizers said, with the sixth-graders including Gus Vaughn and Emily Walker. The families hope to come close to doubling the total in the fall of 2012, when a seventh-grade class is added. Plans call for the school to add a grade each year until it offers classes through Grade 12.

David Vaughn, who was one of the founding board of directors for Edward W. Brooke Charter School in Roslindale and a member of the first board of directors for Mason Pilot Elementary School in Roxbury, said Tremont’s curriculum will be approved by the local school board in its host community — they plan to sign a lease soon on space in Natick, or a nearby community — and will be funded independently through tuition and fund-raising.

The idea for the Tremont School began in 2007 when the Walkers and Vaughns began to consider the academic future of Emily and Gus, then second-graders.

The families tried special-education programs in the public schools in several communities, where they did not find as much individualized support as the children needed, before landing happily at the Tobin School in Natick, a small private day facility where both children blossomed and the families have become deeply involved.

But Tobin ends in the fifth grade, and the families had not found a suitable option. So they decided to build one.

They founded the Collaborative Learning Project, a curriculum development initiative, for which Tremont will be the first school. The school is meant to fill a gap for students needing an alternative to the traditional classroom setting, whether or not they have been pigeonholed with a “special needs’’ label, but it is not a special needs school, the parents said.

“Labels and diagnoses are really not helpful at all,’’ said Ed Walker, director of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy. “We’re interested in each student, and their strengths and weaknesses.’’

The Walkers and Vaughns are quick to say that public school administrators worked hard to try to meet their children’s needs before the families turned to the Tobin.

But there are too many children who fall through the cracks in public schools, the parents said. Tremont is not meant as a challenge to the public schools, but as alternative for students who need another option.

“Even in the most amazing public school, there is only so much variety they can throw in when they are also coping with big class sizes and the MCAS,’’ said Jill Walker.

The idea at Tremont is to focus on each student’s learning style, and provide an atmosphere where teachers would know students so well that they could coach them on not only academic tasks, but also life skills, such as to how to interact with a classmate or working well in a small group.

A bumper sticker for the Tremont School might say, “What happens on the playground is as important as what happens in the classroom,’’ said Janice Vaughn, an administrator at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. “The emphasis is the whole child.’’

Gus Vaughn, age 10, a sports fan who has enjoyed working on the Tobin’s student newspaper, said he’s pleased that his parents are creating a school and is excited to go. “It will be a lot more advanced. It’s going to be hard work,’’ he said.

Emily Walker, 11, an avid skier, said she is game for the adventure as well, but insisted that her new school have some of the hallmarks of a traditional public school — no dress code, and “gray or blue’’ lockers with combination locks. “Because cubbies are babyish,’’ she said.

Waiting their turn are younger siblings Sadie Vaughn, 8, and Alicia Walker, 9, who said they are pleased at the prospect of attending the same school when they reach the fifth grade. Families with children who range widely in needs and abilities often struggle to find one school that they all can attend, their parents said.

The Collaborative Learning Project had raised $250,000 in private donations, and hopes to hire the school’s academic director and then several faculty members over the next several weeks. Several information sessions and a word-of-mouth recruitment effort have generated a group of prospective students from a number of area communities beyond Natick, including Bedford, Concord, Framingham, and Newton, although admissions will probably not be finalized until late spring. Tuition is set at $18,800 for the academic year starting in the fall.

Founding a new school is a daunting prospect; most of the local institutions opened in the last 20 years have been aimed at filling a religious niche, such as Gann Academy in Waltham and the Rashi School in Dedham, both Jewish day schools.

The shift from the supportive atmosphere, individualized treatment and social confidence often found in elementary school to the stiffer challenges and expectations of a large middle school can be difficult for any student.

While children with very severe learning issues can generally find suitable programs, said Sudbury-based educational consultant Tim Lee, there is a need for programs that serve students who may need extra support in developing social skills, connecting with peers, and coping with the stimuli of classroom routines.

Lee, who has served as informal adviser for the Tremont School group, has 30 years experience in helping parents choose the right private school and college to suit their children, he said.

“I do see a void there, and they are tapping into a need,’’ Lee said of the Tremont founders. “It will be tough in the beginning to serve a population without a track record, but there is a lot of appeal in a school that is accepting of individual differences.’’

Jerry Sparby, a retired Minnesota elementary school principal, said he recently joined Tremont’s advisory board because the model — if successful — could be replicated nationwide to improve how school districts serve youngsters who learn differently, including the growing number of children on the autism spectrum.

“I have seen teachers and parents looking for help, and there has been very little available for them up to now,’’ said Sparby, who teaches at St. Cloud State University in his home state.

Noting the typical practice of mainstreaming students on the autism spectrum, Sparby said “they get so stressed out trying to fit in they can barely function.

“What we are doing now isn’t working, and this could really change things for the better.’’

Erica Noonan can be reached at


text:
A new Archbishop for Boston Boston Globe
JULY 30, 2003
A new Archbishop for Boston Boston Globe

O'Malley named new Boston archbishop

What is your reaction to the appointment of Bishop Sean O'Malley, former leader of the Fall River diocese and current head of the Palm Beach, Fla., diocese, as archbishop of Boston? Will his leadership bring healing to the church, or are further steps needed? Share your thoughts.

Response pages:  1  2  3  4  5  6  7

Page 3

The Catholic church always has been and will always be a corrupt institution no matter who is in charge.

Mark, Cambridge

I'm sure O'Malley is a good man, however in my eyes, the Church has lowered itself in such a way, it is doubtful that most of what it preeches will ever again be believeable. This is not to say that any other religion should be held with any esteem. If the Catholic Church has sunk to this level, then the other religions are probably worse.

jonny, chelsea

First I would like to say that it should be a good thing for Boston Catholics to have a new leader. Second, it really is VERY disheartening to see all of the "who cares" and "cult" references to the Church. I am no longer Catholic, however, a Christian is a Christian and WE SHOULD ALL act as such-not with the hatred and anger I have been reading so far. You are supposed to forgive-and God didn't say it was going to be easy. What the peodifiles (SP?) was ABSOLUTELY wrong--and the cover up was ABSOLUTELY wrong too, however, I think that until everyone learns forgiveness and caring for each other-then nothing is going to ever be resolved and it doesn't matter who sits in that position. I pray for all of the victims--but I pray for the men who committed the crimes more. Also, to the guy who thinks religion is a "a crutch for weak minded people", I am going to pray for your soul the most.

saddened, anytown

I'm Catholic and I have to say that I honestly don't care about this. Will this affect my weekly visits to churh? No. Will it affect my fatih? No. The media is making this such a big deal about it.

Merry, Natick

The problems are not with One individual, the problems are institutional, and took GENERATIONS, to get to this point,,,,going to take at least that long to change the institutional mindset. Going to take a long time, and the institution is still ARROGANT................

Paulie, Huntington NY

As a former seminarian under Bishop O'Malley in his Fall River days, we were very excited to have him on board after the aloof and pastorally absent Daniel Cronin. As a current Boston resident, I am once again glad to see that Bishop Sean is returning to our area. At the time preceding his Fall River appointment, we were very preoccupied with who the new bishop would be, saying "The devil you know, is better than the devil you don't." I'm sure some were thinking the same, in the wake of Law's resignation. I know that there will be many, many posts on this discussion board that will offer a "doesn't matter who's bishop, this is a lost cause" or "nothing changes unless the Vatican changes" point of view. As a lapsed Catholic, my remaining catholic heartstrings are most closely allied with Bishop Sean's social and pastoral activism which softens his otherwise conservative theological viewpoint. It's true, his Capuchin Franciscan background makes a big difference. His point of view is less bureaucratic and hierarchically oriented (it is, ultimately, a matter of degrees). He offers true compassion backed with effective action. Aside from monetary compensation for the harm caused by some clergy, these two things are of primary importance, and put litigation into its proper context. Now, a comment to the Boston Globe: I was saddened that, along with the war-headline-sized caption on announcing Bishop Sean's appointment, that the article/category subcaption remains "Scandal in the Church." It seems that every news organ around had all sorts of cute titles for every phase and transition of the recent gulf war, indicating its progression and evolution. I really wish the Boston Globe, earnestly honoring its accolades for coverage of the clergy sex abuse crisis, would also demarcate some milestone by changing that subcaption to something that reflects the tangible changes in recent events that point to a "Church in Recovery" or a "Church in Healing" or a "Church in Redemption." It almost smacks of salacious in a FOX-news sort of way that the Globe is trying to eek out every bit of mileage on this story that has readers a bit weary, and wary. For now, regardless of comments of blind allegiance to the new bishop, or comments of utter dismissal of any corrective action taken by the church, I would suggest that this recent appointment of Sean O'Malley as one of the best things the Church can do, in its limited, broken capacities, to help restore the community of faith in Boston. Let us pray for hope and healing.

A. R., W. Roxbury

I have read other responses and would just like to say "I care". You can not blame everyone for the actions of some. They were so wrong I will admit, but there are many many good priests and religous people out there. I think Bishop O'Mally is one of them and I wish him the best.

maureen, anytown

May his appointment by the Holy See lead our Archdiocese into a phase of healing and restitution. May this appointment pave the way to reconciliation between the Church and the men and women her priests have so horribly transgressed.

Daniel W., Winthrop

I hope nobody is disheartened by all of the Catholic-bashing and disinterest by others on this board. Who cares, you ask? I do! And I'm sure I'm not the only one. This is truly great news. Fr. O'Malley sounds like exactly the type of person we need in the Boston Archdiocese - he seems like an incredibly capable and talented man. It will be interesting to see a Franciscan in this post. I, for one, have high hopes. Godspeed, Bishop O'Malley!

KB, Somerville

Time will tell, Catholics will rejoice. For all the negative postings, you should be ashamed.

fk, Milton

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Pawlenty vows to shrink government

He kick-starts campaign for president in Iowa

Tim Pawlenty, former governor of Minnesota, and his wife, Mary, greeted local residents after a town hall meeting at the State of Iowa Historical Building in Des Moines. Tim Pawlenty, former governor of Minnesota, and his wife, Mary, greeted local residents after a town hall meeting at the State of Iowa Historical Building in Des Moines. (Charlie Neibergall/ Associated Press)
By Philip Rucker
Washington Post / May 24, 2011

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DES MOINES — Republican Tim Pawlenty launched his campaign for president in Iowa yesterday by saying he would substantially scale back the role of government in society, including cutting or eliminating popular federal programs.

The former Minnesota governor said he would gradually raise the retirement age for Social Security, overhaul Medicare, freeze federal worker salaries, and, perhaps most consequential in the early presidential battleground of Iowa, end ethanol subsidies.

Kicking off a week of campaigning in the early voting states with an announcement speech in Des Moines, Pawlenty presented himself as a serious candidate for serious times who has the courage to tell Americans the truth about the challenges the country faces.

“We need to cut spending — and we need to cut it big-time,’’ Pawlenty said in a 23-minute speech before a few hundred supporters on the terrace of the Iowa Historical Building overlooking the State Capitol. “The hard truth is that there are no longer any sacred programs.’’

Pawlenty acknowledged that his agenda may be difficult for voters to embrace, but is calculating that the American public is hungry for a presidential candidate who will be honest and make difficult decisions.

“I could stand here and tell you that we can solve America’s debt crisis and fix our economy without making any tough choices,’’ Pawlenty said. “But we’ve heard those kinds of empty promises before and for the last three years, and we know where they’ve gotten us. Fluffy promises of hope and change don’t buy our groceries, make our mortgage payments, put gas in our cars, or pay for our children’s clothes.

He added, “Politicians are often afraid that if they’re too honest, they might lose an election. I’m afraid that in 2012, if we’re not honest enough, we may lose our country.’’

Pawlenty entered a contest that has become more solidified in recent days with the announcements by Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana, Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor, and real estate mogul Donald Trump that they would not run for president.

That leaves Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor, as the presumed front-runner. Pawlenty is hoping to emerge as the leading alternative to Romney, as is potential candidate Jon Huntsman Jr., the former Utah governor and ambassador to China.

Pawlenty, 50, began that effort with his speech in Des Moines, which he started with a direct declaration: “I’m Tim Pawlenty, and I’m running for president of the United States.’’

A former two-term governor who was on the short list to become John McCain’s running mate in 2008, Pawlenty had left little doubt that he would become an official candidate. He has visited Iowa 14 times since November 2008, more than any other potential candidate, according to And he has hired veteran Iowa operatives, including Eric Woolson, who managed Huckabee’s winning Iowa campaign in 2008.

Indeed, by announcing his candidacy here, Pawlenty signaled that a strong finish in the first-in-the-nation caucuses is central to his overall strategy.

But of the major candidates, Pawlenty has one of the lowest national profiles, registering in the single digits in most public polls.

“He’s acceptable to everybody in the party,’’ said Vin Weber, former congressman and a top supporter and adviser to Pawlenty. “There’s no problem hanging over Tim Pawlenty that’s going to emerge as a big roadblock to his candidacy. The biggest issue is he is not yet nationally known and we will not keep up with Romney in terms of fund-raising.’’

Earlier this month, Romney announced he had raised more than $10 million in a single day, a feat few candidates are likely to match. On NBC’s “Today Show’’ yesterday, Matt Lauer asked Pawlenty about his ability to raise enough money to be competitive.

“We’re not going to be the money champion in the race,’’ Pawlenty said. “It may not be the BMW or the Mercedes campaign, but it’s going to be a good strong Buick, and maybe trending towards a Cadillac.’’

In his speech, Pawlenty did not mention his Republican rivals, but criticized President Obama.

He blamed the president for the nation’s unemployment and called Obama’s health care law an “unmitigated disaster.’’

“We’ve tried Barack Obama’s way, and his way has failed,’’ Pawlenty said. “Three years into his term, we’re no longer just running out of money. We’re running out of time.’’

On ethanol subsidies, a popular program in Iowa that presidential candidates have long supported, Pawlenty said the country can no longer afford them.

“The truth about federal energy subsidies, including federal subsidies for ethanol, is that they have to be phased out,’’ he said. “We need to do it gradually. We need to do it fairly. But we need to do it.’’

Pawlenty will campaign today in Florida, where he said he will tell young people that he would raise the retirement age on Social Security and tell wealthy elderly people that their benefits would be means-tested.

Later in the week, he will campaign in New York, where he said he would tell Wall Street: “If I’m elected, the era of bailouts, handouts, carve-outs are over. No more subsidies, no more special treatment, no more Fannie and Freddie, no more TARP, and no more ‘too big to fail.’ ’’


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your connection to The Boston Globe

Envoy picked as French prime minister

Chirac says de Villepin's task is to create jobs

PARIS -- Responding to one of the worst political crises of his 10 years in office, French President Jacques Chirac named a veteran diplomat as prime minister yesterday and said the new government will concentrate on reducing unemployment.

Best known as the fiery spokesman for France's opposition to the Iraq war, the silver-haired Dominique de Villepin replaced Jean-Pierre Raffarin, who resigned yesterday after voters rejected the proposed European Constitution.

The referendum's defeat Sunday was a rebuff of EU policies seen as a threat to French prosperity and sovereignty. But the results also reflected anger over Chirac's stewardship of the economy, which is weighed down by a 10 percent unemployment rate.

Chirac appointed Raffarin in 2002, presenting him then as a low-key and accessible figure sympathetic to the needs of voters exasperated by France's economic and political stagnation. Instead, Raffarin became a long-suffering symbol of the government's inability to create jobs, spur economic growth and reform a bloated state bureaucracy.

Villepin, 51, takes the helm as an influential presidential ally who has advised Chirac during victories and debacles. As foreign minister in 2003, Villepin led a diplomatic offensive against the coming Iraq war that culminated with France threatening to wield its veto in the UN Security Council. The risky gambit hurt French-US relations but sent Chirac's popularity soaring at home and in the Arab world.

On the other hand, some center-right leaders blame Villepin's taste for dramatic moves for Chirac's decision in 1997 to call early legislative elections in response to labor protests. The gamble backfired: The opposition won control of Parliament, forcing Chirac to share power with a center-left Cabinet for five years.

This year, the French president once again gambled and lost by choosing to submit approval of the European Constitution to the people in Sunday's vote, rather than opting for legislative approval.

Villepin, an admirer of Napoleon who writes poetry and political essays, now must focus his hard-charging style and volcanic oratory on reviving a battered government. While Chirac announced that Villepin's top mission would be creating jobs, he said the government wanted to avoid US-style free-market strategies that many French leaders see as favoring business over workers.

''The priority of governmental action . . . is evidently employment," Chirac said in a televised speech. ''It requires national mobilization. I have decided this mobilization will be carried out resolutely with respect to our French model. . . . This is not an Anglo-Saxon type of model, but it is not a model synonymous with immobility."

Villepin's career does not give a preview of his potential policies.

''He has not made major statements on his economic and social vision for France," said Francois Heisbourg, a political analyst. ''He's very, very determined. He may have the ability to pull part of the electorate behind him. . . . I would argue we need a good ideas person as prime minister."

But Villepin has weaknesses. Although he spent the past 14 months overseeing domestic security as interior minister, his experience is mostly international; he seems more comfortable mixing with world leaders than street cops. He has never run for elective office.

Villepin also has bitter rivals in his ruling center-right coalition, including parliamentary leaders and Nicholas Sarkozy, the popular head of Chirac's party.

The French would have preferred Sarkozy to Villepin as prime minister by more than a 2-1 ratio, according to opinion polls.

Chirac, 72, treats Villepin as the son he never had, observers say. The question is whether the team will produce results. A high-ranking European diplomat based in Paris said in an interview that the two share a penchant for bold, grand initiatives, tending to egg each other on.

''If I have a right-hand man, I want him to have different qualities that complement mine," said the diplomat, who asked to remain anonymous. ''Chirac and Villepin don't complement each other. They multiply each other."

Dominique de Villepin

A look at the government service of France's new prime minister.

1953 Born
1980-84 Foreign Ministry - African affairs
1984-89 French Embassy in Washington.
1989-92 French Embassy in New Delhi.
1992-93 Foreign Ministry - African affairs.
1993-95 Chief of staff of the minister of foreign affairs.
1995 Director of Jacques Chirac's presidential campaign.
1995-02 Secretary general of the presidency.
2002 Appointed foreign minister. Became the face and voice of French opposition to the Iraq war.
2004 Appointed interior minister.
Yesterday Appointed prime minister.

SOURCES: BBC, Who's Who, Wikipedia

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42 arrested in China baby-trafficking

Associated Press / October 24, 2009

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BEIJING - Police in China have arrested 42 alleged members of a trafficking ring that sold dozens of infants stolen or bought from their rural parents, state media reported yesterday.

The ring had separate units to handle the procurement, transport, and sale of the children, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

It trafficked 52 children over two years, earning the equivalent of nearly $60,000, the report said.

China has a thriving black market in girls and women, often used as laborers or as brides for unwed sons. A traditional preference for male heirs also drives the market in baby boys, who fetch a considerably higher price than girls.

Some families sell their female babies in order to try for a boy, since national policy limits most families to having one child.

Xinhua said the ring had operated in impoverished rural areas of the country’s north. It began to falter after officers stopped a van in May containing three men and a baby boy, the report said.

It said the child had been rejected by his would-be new parents for not being healthy enough and was on his way to being returned to a pair of middlemen who had procured a total of 13 babies for the ring.

The ring had earned $58,600 from the sale of the 19 boys and 33 girls, Xinhua said.


text:
New scrutiny for Bridgewater State Hospital after complaints

Group investigates facility over restraints, isolation

An aerial view of Bridgewater State Hospital.

David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

An aerial view of Bridgewater State Hospital.

A federally funded watchdog group has launched an investigation into the alleged abuse and neglect of inmates at Bridgewater State Hospital, interviewing staff and inmates this week about reports that guards and clinicians are illegally putting mentally ill men into physical restraints and isolation cells.

Lawyers from the Disability Law Center, designated under federal law to investigate complaints about the abuse of disabled people, converged on the medium-security prison Tuesday to meet with administrators, gather records, and meet with patients, the Department of Correction confirmed Wednesday.

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“We are acting pursuant to our concern that individuals with mental illness are subject to abuse and neglect at the facility, including but not limited to a deep concern about the amount of restraint and seclusion,” the center’s executive director, Christine M. Griffin, wrote in an April 8 letter to state Public Safety Secretary Andrea Cabral.

If Disability Law Center officials conclude they have found wrongdoing, they could file a federal lawsuit against the state to force changes. In 2007, the center sued the department over allegations that the state’s prison system was subjecting mentally ill prison inmates to cruel and unusual punishment by placing them in solitary confinement for long periods and won significant concessions.

This time, Griffin wrote in her letter, the center is launching its open-ended review after receiving complaints from “various individuals” and seeing “numerous media reports about improper treatment of patients at BSH.”

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Under state law, mental health patients may be secluded or restrained only in cases of emergency where they are committing or threatening to commit acts of “extreme violence.”

Department of Correction spokesman Darren Duarte described the Tuesday visit by lawyers from the center as “a positive meeting.”

“We have a longstanding relationship of working together with [the Disability Law Center] to address issues of mutual concern and have assured DLC our full cooperation throughout their review,” Duarte said in a prepared statement. “Bridgewater State Hospital remains committed to reducing the use of seclusion and restraint through patient care improvement initiatives and additional staff training.”

The center’s investigation follows a series of Globe articles highlighting the increasingly discredited use of restraints and seclusion at Bridgewater. The facility houses about 340 men, including a wide range of mental health patients, all of whom have had some contact with the criminal justice system

Some are dangerous convicted criminals referred from other prisons, but others have been accused of only minor offenses and have never been criminally convicted. In 2009, a 23-year-old mental health patient who was accused of assaulting a staff member in a psychiatric facility died as prison guards were strapping his wrists and ankles to a small bed.

After the Globe reported the case of Joshua K. Messier, Governor Deval Patrick disciplined a half-dozen correction officials involved in the case.

The Globe also found that the use of restraints and seclusion by clinicians and prison guards rose 27 percent in the years following Messier’s death, despite a decade of promises to cut down on the use of those measures and a policy to “prevent, reduce, and strive to eliminate” them.

Messier’s parents sued the state and the firm that provides mental health services at Bridgewater and were awarded a $3 million settlement. Meanwhile, another parent has filed a suit alleging that her son has been held in seclusion and restraints 70 percent of the time over the last 14 months, even though he has never been convicted of a crime.

A Norfolk Superior Court hearing on the lawsuit, concerning the treatment of Bridgewater inmate Peter Minich, is scheduled Thursday.

The Disability Law Center, which receives most of its funding from the federal government, is particularly feared at the Department of Correction. When the center began a preliminary investigation into the death of Messier in 2009, internal e-mails show that staff members reacted with alarm.

Karin Bergeron, then Bridgewater’s superintendent, e-mailed a superior to say that producing a report on Messier’s death “became bigger than a breadbox when the DLC entered the picture.” Bergeron also said she was worried about “the potential for disaster here” if the report fell into the center’s hands.

In the center’s 2007 lawsuit against the state prison system, it said the isolation of mentally ill inmates exacerbates their illnesses. It also said that, while social isolation and sensory deprivation would be difficult for any inmate, “for prisoners with mental illnesses, they exceed the limit of human endurance.”

The suit was settled two years ago, after the department agreed to minimize use of isolation for mentally ill inmates and provide specialized housing units for mentally ill inmates who may be violent. The settlement also followed a Globe Spotlight Team investigation, which found that inadequate care for mentally ill prisoners often resulted in suicides.

A US judge in Boston will continue to oversee whether the state complies with the agreement for another year.

The center has periodically come to the aid of individual Bridgewater patients. In 2007, it interceded with Bridgewater officials on behalf of Timothy Grabosky, a former Bridgewater patient who said he had been held illegally in isolation on numerous occasions.

But the center dropped its investigation into the death of Messier when lawyers were persuaded that other investigators, including Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz, were looking into the matter.

Cruz never pursued criminal charges, even though Messier’s death was ruled a homicide. But last month Patrick placed three of the guards involved in Messier’s death on paid administrative leave, pending disciplinary proceedings, and reprimanded Commissioner Luis S. Spencer and Bridgewater Superintendent Robert Murphy for failing to take action on official reports on the use of force involved in Messier’s death.

Spencer has also faced criticism for not personally reviewing Bridgewater State’s use of restraints and isolation, despite a state law calling for him to “review and sign within 30 days” all seclusion and restraint authorization forms at Bridgewater.

Spencer said in an interview that he is following the law by having experts in his department review the forms, but outside experts on seclusion and restraint say his leadership is crucial for the prison to change its outdated practices.

“If the senior leadership are not fully engaged from the very beginning and have a commitment to be fully engaged for a number of years, it won’t work,” said Kevin Huckshorn, a noted expert in cutting the use of seclusion and restraints who is also director of Delaware’s Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health.

In his statement, Duarte, the department spokesman, said Bridgewater “has initiated and completed a number of performance improvement measures during the last decade in an effort to reduce seclusion and restraint, and is currently pursuing other such initiatives.”

Michael Rezendes can be reached at michael.rezendes
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text:
Romney proposes 20% cut in tax rates

WASHINGTON -- It’s a day of dueling tax plans.

Moments after President Obama rolled out a sweeping overhaul proposal for corporate taxes -- wiping out many deductions while reducing the corporate tax rate -- Republican primary contender Mitt Romney this afternoon introduced tax reductions of his own.

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Turkey moves to block YouTube

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish authorities pressed Thursday to block access to YouTube following similar action against Twitter, a move sure to provoke further outrage in a country where social media is widely used.

Turkey’s technology minister, Fikri Isik, said the national telecommunications authority was imposing the block ‘‘as a precaution’’ after an audio recording of a government security meeting was leaked on the video-sharing website.

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Despite the government’s actions, YouTube was still widely accessible following the announcement.

Key allies, including the US and the European Union, had criticized Turkey’s earlier move against Twitter as a restriction of free speech and a step backward for Turkish democracy. That ban came shortly after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to ‘‘rip out the roots’’ of Twitter, which has been a conduit for links to recordings suggesting government corruption.

Turkey holds crucial local elections Sunday that are widely regarded as a referendum on Erdogan’s rule.

The ban against YouTube comes after an alleged audio recording of a meeting between the Turkey’s foreign minister, intelligence chief and top military and Foreign Ministry officials was leaked on YouTube. The four are allegedly heard discussing a military intervention in neighboring Syria, a sensitive political issue in Turkey, although the context of the conversation is not clear.

A Foreign Ministry statement said the meeting was held to discuss threats of a possible attack on a mausoleum in Syria — of the grandfather of the Ottoman Empire’s founder — which is considered Turkish territory and protected by Turkish troops.

A government official said access to YouTube was closed down out of ‘‘national security concerns and because of the urgency of the situation.’’ The official said the move aimed to prevent the ‘‘posting of other recordings that may threaten national security.’’ The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of government rules that bar civil servants from speaking to journalists without authorization.

Erdogan railed against the audio leak.

‘‘This is immoral, this is sleaze, this is shameful, this is dishonorable,’’ he said during a campaign rally.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called the leak an act of espionage and an ‘‘open declaration of war against the Turkish republic.’’ In a statement, his office called eavesdropping on a top-secret meeting an attack on Turkey’s security and said those responsible would be severely punished.

The state-run Anadolu Agency reported that a chief prosecutor had launched an investigation into possible espionage over the YouTube leak and the country’s media watchdog imposed a news blackout on the details of the recording.

Google Inc. owns YouTube and Google spokeswoman Abbi Tatton said some users in Turkey weren’t able to access YouTube.

‘‘There is no technical issue on our side and we’re looking into the situation,’’ she said.

The US-based firm Renesys confirmed a partial blocking of YouTube while the number of tweets mentioning Turkey and YouTube had multiplied several times on Twitter, according to the social media monitoring firm Brandwatch.

In a tweet, European Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes called the block against YouTube ‘‘another desperate and depressing move in Turkey.’’

‘‘I express my support for all those supporters of real freedom and democracy,’’ she said. ‘‘We in Europe stand for an open Internet and free expression on it.’’

The government’s attempted crackdown on Twitter came after links to other wiretapped recordings suggesting corruption were spread on the microblogging site, causing Erdogan’s government major embarrassment before Sunday’s election.

Erdogan has confirmed that he personally ordered the block on Twitter, alleging that the company wasn’t following Turkish laws. Despite the block, many Turkish users have found ways to access Twitter.

Erdogan has blamed a movement led by U.S.-based moderate Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former political ally of Erdogan, for the leaks.

Also Thursday, a television station linked to Gulen said Turkish authorities had withdrawn its license to broadcast nationally.

Suzan Fraser in Ankara contributed to this report.

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text:
lawrence harmon

Boston firefighters’ airport hot point

A powerful cadre of deputy fire chiefs in Boston cited changes in “running’’ cards for Logan Airport as one in a list of reasons for running Steve Abraira — the city’s hapless fire chief — out of town last week. Boston Fire Commissioner Rod Fraser attributes the trouble to the deputies’ contempt of any boss who doesn’t rise through their ranks. But the incident does shine an important light on airport safety.

Running cards contain the predetermined assignments of fire companies based on proximity, street patterns, road obstructions, and other factors that might affect the quickest response to an emergency. Regional running cards are used to establish the order of response when one jurisdiction calls on outside departments for help. Massport, the agency that runs Logan, has historically designated the Boston Fire Department as the only outside department to respond to structural fires of up to five alarms at the airport. Under the new running card, Boston’s fire response would end after two alarms.

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Unlike previous Boston fire chiefs, Abraira didn’t resist Massport Fire Chief Robert Donahue’s efforts to expand the mutual aid network to Winthrop, Revere, Chelsea, Medford, Lynn, Saugus, and several other fire departments in the event of a multialarm fire at the airport. The Boston deputies are angry that Abraira never consulted them. They insist that it makes no sense to have outside departments driving past staffed Boston firehouses while responding to the airport. Boston Deputy Fire Chief Joseph Finn, one of 13 deputies who expressed a recent vote of no confidence in Abraira, cited his own firehouse on the downtown waterfront as a prime example. Under the new plan, said Finn, his sophisticated technical rescue unit comprising engine, tower, and rescue companies would be split up or would sit idle while outlying departments responded to the airport from as far south as Quincy and as far north as Wakefield.

“I can the see the airport from the window of my firehouse,” said Finn.

Massport’s Donahue said he has long worried about the “unidirectional flow of equipment’’ from Boston fire companies, especially equipment arriving from the west via tunnels or bridges. The new running card creates a “faster and more robust response,’’ he said. And besides, he said, “a ladder truck is a ladder truck.’’

Turf, politics, professional jealousies, old scores, and lots of other issues are at play here. But all that should matter to the public is who gets to the airport fastest with the best trained firefighters and the best equipment. Boston would appear to have that edge.

While all of the metro region firefighters are certified and well-trained, Boston’s firefighters are more accustomed to complex situations. Boston’s engine and ladder companies arrive with four firefighters on board, not the usual complement of three from surrounding communities. And while it’s true that a downtown Boston engine company could encounter tunnel traffic, so could an outside department trying to reach the airport along Route 1A or Route 93 from the north.

Turf, politics, professional jealousies, old scores, and lots of other issues are at play.

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Massport maintains its own 100-member fire department to deal primarily with medical, aircraft, and runway emergencies. But the force has little experience with structural fires. Donahue could recall only about a half dozen one-alarm fires and a single two-alarm blaze over the last 30 years. Yet stakes are always high at the airport, and there is no room for confusion. Massport policy, it turns out, acknowledges as much. It requires that the command of “fire ground operations’’ be transferred from Massport commanders to Boston commanders in the event of a building fire at the airport.

If Massport puts that much faith in the Boston Fire Department, then why limit its involvement to two alarms or interfere with the ability of Boston commanders to fight the fire with familiar troops instead of forcing them to manage unknown personnel from the far-flung departments on the new running card? Perhaps outlying fire departments should be brought in earlier to supplement Boston. But not at the expense of leaving the city’s most experienced firefighters sitting on their hands in the event of a major emergency at the airport.

These issues deserve a full airing at Friday’s scheduled City Council hearing on the events leading up to Abraira’s resignation, including the deputies’ charges that Abraira shirked his duties during the Marathon bombings. The deputies say they will be there to make their case. But neither Boston fire commissioner Fraser nor Massport’s Donahue has committed to attend. Their absences would be keenly felt by a public eager to hear all sides of this story.

Lawrence Harmon can be reached at
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text:
letters | race for the senate

GOP falters in Mass. when it plays by Democrats’ rules

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The Globe’s May 2 editorial on getting the two senatorial candidates to pledge not to run “outside attack” ads came hardly as the ink had dried on stories about results of the April 30 primary election (“Politicking aside, Gomez should join Markey in ‘people’s pledge’ ”). It almost seems as if you were asking: How can we stack the June 25 election in favor of Ed Markey? Recent in-state elections have shown that results favor Democrats here when Republicans play by Democratic rules, such as agreeing to limits on campaign spending. Gomez will be well served if he ignores the Globe’s advice and allows his campaign to remain open to campaign ads by outside groups.

James P. Keeney

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From the archives

Red Sox fans are used to this type of heartache

Bucky Dent’s home run was a crushing blow to the Red Sox.

Bucky Dent’s home run was a crushing blow to the Red Sox.

Hit me. Hit me again.

I am from Boston. I can take it.

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Dance me around the room. Kiss me on the ear. Whisper sweet nothings, night and day, and tell me in the end that there is someone else. No problem. I understand.

I am from Boston. I can take it.

Rattle your punches off my rib cage. Dribble my ego behind your back. Drive me as far as we both can imagine, open the door, roll me out and tell me to walk. I don’t mind. It’s OK. It’s fine.

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I am from Boston. I can take it.

I am bred to disappointment the way a thoroughbred is bred to run. I know how to fall. I curl my body into a fine fetal position. I stick my thumb into my mouth. I absorb the impact, mutter something about “not meaning anything, anyway,” bounce up smiling. I’ve been there before, Charlie.

I am from Boston. I can take it.

I don’t need any sympathy about any Red Sox today. I don’t need any welcome wagon, Salvation Army words about “good show” and “stiff upper lip” and “maybe next year” and all the rest. Maybe I would if I had been surprised, if this had been some lightning shot out of the blue, if something like this never had happened in this town before, but ...

I am from Boston. I can take it.

The Yankees won in the end? The Yankees always win in the end, don’t they? The Red Sox lost? The Red Sox always lose in the end. But it was close? Very, very close? It always is very, very close.

I know how these things go. I have seen the Red Sox, I have seen the Yankees. I have seen the Bruins, I have seen the Montreal Canadiens. I have seen the Patriots and I have seen rush-hour confusion on the Expressway and I have seen my local politicians and I have seen more than any one man can see.

I am from Boston. I can take it.

Was Bucky Dent’s 306-foot home run over a fence 305 feet away supposed to be a surprise? Was the miracle story, the story of the bat handed to him a moment before the hit really supposed to be a shock? Was the fact that Bucky Dent wouldn’t even have been hitting in that situation if someone else weren’t injured supposed to be an added kick?

I thought it all simply was normal.

The early euphoric Red Sox lead? Normal. Dent’s seventh-inning home run, the ninth batter in the lineup just changing the direction of the game? Normal. Reggie Jackson’s eventual winning homer? The Red Sox’ wild, but not- good-enough comeback? The final two outs-Jim Rice’s fly ball that was 10 feet away from being a homer, Carl Yastrzemski’s pop fly with the winning run on third? Normal. Normal. Normal.

I have seen the seventh games in ‘67 and ‘75. I have seen Enos Slaughter sliding home. I have seen Luis Aparicio, tripping, rounding third, a pennant lost by only half of a game. I know the filling inside life is only air, not whipped cream. I know the stories about the end of a lollipop only being a fuzzy stick are true. Normal. I know.

These Red Sox were not any different than the Yankees. They were just as good. They might have been better. They had better hitting. They had pitching that was just as good. They had a shakier bench and more inconsistent relief pitching, but overall they were just as good. Maybe better.

They had a season that gave this town some long stretches of baseball that were as good as any that we have seen. They had that overpowering start, that full-blown comeback, a string of excitement that was more than anyone could have expected. They won 99 games, a figure that would have been enough to put them into any playoff just about anywhere.

They simply happened to be playing in the one division with a team that could win 100 games. They simply were the Red Sox.

“No matter what the Yankees do, no matter how far they go, I am going to sit at home, convinced that we could have done the same,” Red Sox shortstop Rick Burleson said in the gloom of the end. “I don’t care what you say. I am convinced.”

“They are as good as we are,” Yankees third baseman Graig Nettles said. “Sure they are. But, the fact is that nobody is going to remember that. They are second. Nobody remembers who finishes second. They remember, maybe the teams that play in the World Series, but before that? Nobody remembers who finishes second.”

Also normal.

I think I would be bothered, maybe, by all of this if I were from New York and things had gone the other way. I think if I came from any other place in this country I would have been bothered by fate and No. 9 hitters and changes in the wind and the fact that a right fielder somehow found a ball he couldn’t even see. I might even have been found kicking a can in the early hours of this morning, strangling my cat or high-walking the tallest building I could find. I might have been found doing a lot of things.

I am, however, from Boston. I can take it.

So shake me up. Shake me down. Take me to the final five minutes of the movie and break the projector. Stick out a foot as I toddle toward the finish. Pound my head. Bend my mind. Hit me. Hit me, again.

I am from Boston. I can take it.

Just give me a minute to catch my breath this time.

Will you, huh?

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Lineup switch didn’t change Cardinals’ bad run

Matt Holliday gets high marks from the Cardinals dugout for his solo homer that tied the game in the fourth inning.

jim davis/globe staff

Matt Holliday gets high marks from the Cardinals dugout for his solo homer that tied the game in the fourth inning.

ST. LOUIS — Looking for ways to set up the bigger bats in his lineup, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny reworked his batting order for Game 5 of the World Series Monday night, benching Matt Adams (who was 3 for 17 in the series with no RBIs), moving Carlos Beltran into the No. 4 spot, and rolling the dice on a less-than-full-strength Allen Craig, who had been 4 for 9 as a DH and pinch hitter.

Beltran went 1 for 3 in St. Louis’s 3-1 loss Monday and is hitting .308 in the series with two RBIs and two walks. Of his 17 plate appearances, only three have come with runners in scoring position.

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In the ninth inning of Game 4 Sunday night, with the Cardinals trailing, 4-2, Beltran had the bat taken out of his hands when pinch runner Kolten Wong was picked off at first to end the game. Monday’s game ended with Beltran on deck.

The Cardinals have just 10 hits over the last two games and are hitting .218 for the series.

Matheny also benched center fielder Jon Jay (2 for 13 in the series) for Shane Robinson, who was 2 for 5 in the series and 5 for 13 this postseason. Robinson pinch hit in the seventh inning Sunday night, lacing a double and then scoring on a Matt Carpenter single.

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Robinson went 0 for 3 Monday and was pinch hit for by Jay, who grounded out in the ninth.

The idea of Craig playing in Game 5 was something he had discussed with Matheny.

“It was something that we had talked about a couple days ago,” Craig said. “If I was feeling good enough, maybe I’d start on Monday against [Jon] Lester.

“[Sunday], obviously I wasn’t feeling good, but I woke up this morning feeling better than I expected, so I thought that I should see it through. I felt good enough to contribute and I told Mike, and that’s why I was in there.

The ball didn’t hesitate to find him. David Ortiz sent a liner slicing low down the first-base line in the first.

All Craig could do was lay out for it in vain.

“I don’t think I would’ve got it even if I was feeling 100 percent,” Craig said.

Matheny said he will likely have Craig serve as DH in Boston.

No comfort zone

Carpenter did his best to bite his tongue after home plate umpire Bill Miller rung him up looking at a 3-and-2 cutter inside from Lester in the third.

It was a tough spot for a punchout with the a runner on second and the Cardinals down, 1-0.

The tracking tool PITCHf/x showed it being well inside, and even though he thought it was off the plate, Carpenter didn’t argue.

“I’m not going to throw anybody under the bus,” he said. “I mean, I didn’t swing at it because I thought it was a ball. [Miller] called it a strike, so it is what it is.”

The cutter was Lester’s go-to pitch most of the night. He threw 38 of them, 24 for strikes.

“He just has the ability to throw that cutter that looks like it’s going to hit you and then it comes around, never goes over the plate, but the guy catches it for a strike,” Carpenter said.

“That’s just not an easy pitch to throw. It’s a pretty unhittable pitch. All you can do is foul it off, if you can even swing at it.

“He has a unique ability to throw that consistently and he does the same thing to righties and it just comes around the plate and it’s never in a spot where you can do much to it, and he had it working. When he has that going, it’s a real tough fight.”

Carpenter agreed with the notion that the strike zone has been pitcher friendly.

“I wouldn’t say the zone has been bad, but I would definitely say that more often than not it’s gone the pitcher’s way — from both sides,’’ he said.

Harsh lesson

Getting picked off to end Game 4 weighed on Wong so heavily that he tweeted an apology to Cardinals fans. Matheny said teammates supported Wong afterward.

“Fortunately we have a good group of guys around here,” Matheny said. “We’ve talked about how they’ve helped these guys and prepared them. They’ve also helped him through troubles because they’ve been there. Maybe not getting picked off to end a game in the World Series, but they’ve had their issues that we’ve all had, decisions that we’ve made that didn’t necessarily work out.’’

Wong, a 23-year-old rookie who debuted Aug. 16, was successful on all three of his steal attempts this year (and 20 of 21 in the minors). Koji Uehara had picked off only two runners in his career. Looking for a chance to go to third on a single, Wong said he was trying to get a jump and slipped.

“Once I went to plant and go back, my back foot just gave out and I ended up falling short,” Wong said.

Out to get him

Matheny was asked, jokingly, how big the fine would be for throwing a strike to Ortiz. “No fine process in place, but obviously we’re talking about a very hot hitter, who is a good hitter,” the manager said . . . Quintin Berry’s steal in Game 4 was the first time the Sox tried to run on catcher Yadier Molina all series. Matheny said keeping the Sox’ running game in check was a priority. “We respect the fact that there’s some players on this club that can run,” Matheny said. “O ur pitchers pay attention to the running game, they mix up their time and their holds.”

Julian Benbow can be reached at
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Home / Articles / Today / National Today /  Obama to publish children's book
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Wednesday, September 15,2010

Obama to publish children's book

By McClatchy-Tribune News Service

WASHINGTON — President Obama, who has worked to shield his daughters from the spotlight, will publish a children's book later this fall framed as a letter from him to them.

Aides to Obama say the president and first lady aren't worried that the book will foist the children into the public eye, because it is not about them, but rather a tribute to 13 Americans and their commitment to the nation.

The Obamas intend to continue protecting the privacy of their daughters, Malia and Sasha, according to White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. The girls rarely take part in official events with their parents, and the White House actively discourages press coverage of their comings and goings.

"Our encouragement is to keep their private lives private," Gibbs said Wednesday. The volume is "an inspirational book about the country they live in and about their ability and the ability for children throughout this country to dream ... to dream big and accomplish whatever they want to."

"Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters" is a children's illustrated book, a slim volume with a small amount of text written by Obama, according to its publisher, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children's Books. The book is due out on Nov. 16, written in English and will be available around the world.

The manuscript is part of a three-volume deal Obama signed after his election to the Senate in 2004, and was completed before he was sworn in as president. It is being marketed as a "moving tribute" to groundbreaking Americans and the ideals that have shaped the nation.

Artist Georgia O'Keeffe, baseball great Jackie Robinson and President George Washington are among those whose stories it profiles.

Upon moving into the White House, first lady Michelle Obama consulted with her predecessors about their own practices for keeping their children out of the limelight. In many ways, the Obamas follow the precedent that Bill and Hillary Clinton set for their daughter, Chelsea, during their residence here.

After all, said Gibbs, Malia and Sasha Obama didn't make the decision to move to Washington, and their parents want them to "live as normal a set of lives as they can."

Gibbs said the president will not be deeply involved in marketing the book.

Knopf Executive Editor Michelle Frey edited "Of Thee I Sing," which the publishing house says it acquired from the president's attorney, Robert B. Barnett.

Illustrated by best-selling artist Loren Long, the book will carry a retail price of $17.99. Its first run will see 500,000 copies printed, and proceeds will go to a scholarship fund for the children of dead and disabled soldiers.

(c) 2010, Tribune Co.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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Northward: Peary’s 1908-09 Expedition

Note from the Captain

Twenty seven below this morning, and fine & clear but is clouding up now and seems chilly. The Mate and I went up over the hill with a gun but didnt see anything. One of the Eskimos that went away last night got a hare, and the two boys with an Eskimo got in today with 4 hare and a seal arrive at 12 oclock. Two Eskimos from the Coms. party arrived last night at 10. oclock, had a note from the Capt. saying they were forty miles from land and held up by a lead (open water) but expected to go along next day said it was fine going they had been out four days the seventh of March. Those two that came in said they were sick with a bad cold and have across the chest, but they seemed to be all right when they got here. They said there were two more with lame legs up a Cape Columbia and couldn't travel to the ship but say they got plenty to eat and plenty of oil. They had never left the land at all and one of them was to be with Mat. in the leading party. We thought him one of the best men. We dont have very dark nights snowy daylight until about nine. The Bar. is 30.10 tonight.

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