Post-Gazette 12-4-09 Pqm.Pmd
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VOL. 113 - NO. 49 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, DECEMBER 4, 2009 $.30 A COPY 2009 U.S. SENATE ELECTION Vote Tuesday, December 8, 2009 39th Annual 2009 SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 - 1:00 P.M. SCOTT P. BROWN (R) MIKE CAPUANO (D) MARTHA COAKLEY (D) Wrentham, MA Somerville, MA Medford, MA SEE SANTA CLAUS ARRIVE AT NORTH END PARK BY HELICOPTER AT 1:00 P.M. In case of bad weather, Parade will be held the next Sunday, December 20th IN ASSOCIATION WITH The Nazzaro Center • North End Against Drugs • Mayor’s Offi ce of Arts, Tourism and Special Events Merry Christmas ALAN KHAZEI (D) STEVE PAGLIUCA (D) JACK E. ROBINSON (R) News Briefs Brookline, MA Weston, MA Duxbury, MA by Sal Giarratani DON’T FORGET TO VOTE ... EVERY VOTE DOES COUNT! East Boston Sons of Italy Christmas Party Mayor’s Column Don’t forget Sunday, December 6 when the by Thomas M. Menino, Mayor, City of Boston East Boston Sempre Avanti Lodge #1600 holds As mayor, assuring that children • Replicating success and turning its annual Christmas Party at Spinelli’s in Day in Boston receive the best possible around low-performing schools Square from 2pm until 6pm. For tickets call Joe education is my top priority. While I’m • Deepening partnerships with par- Guarino at 617-569-3405. proud of the progress our schools have ents, students, and the community Putting IOUs in the Basket made, we must — and will — do better. • Redesigning district services for Only in East Boston and at Our Lady of Mount With Superintendent Carol Johnson effectiveness, efficiency, and equity Carmel (Sunday service, 10am) can one put an announcing a five-year plan late last Dr. Johnson committed to more oppor- IOU in the basket at collection time. I know month, the transformation of Boston tunities in the arts, athletics, enrich- this for a fact since the person behind me in Public Schools has already begun. Not ment, and after-school activities, as well the pews forgot her money recently. She wrote only will we appoint two new members as college preparatory Advanced Place- out an IOU. The following week she did double to the School Committee in January, but ment courses. up her normal offering. By the way, the con- legislation pending at the State House Over the next few weeks, Dr. Johnson cept of an IOU to God is interesting. After all, would provide the flexibility needed to and her team will be working closely don’t we owe God for everything we have and in create major reform such as in-district with the teachers, school leaders, and the case of the lady in the pew behind me, for charters and performance pay for our parents at 14 schools that have been what we forgot to bring? hardworking teachers. identified for additional support. The goal Food Pantry at Grace Church While test scores have steadily is to turn-around these underperform- The Grace Church Food Pantry is open risen, more graduates continue their ing schools by identifying weaknesses Saturdays (10:00am to Noon) to East Boston education in college, and more families and replicating success. School princi- residents. For more info call the church at are considering our schools, I want pals, administrators, and teachers must 617-569-5358. all of our schools to be choice schools. act with a sense of urgency. In the end, Anyone for Salsa? Dr. Johnson’s plan, the “Acceleration making all of our schools centers of East Boston area residents are invited to Agenda, 2009-2014,” focuses on student excellence is not about us, but rather “Salsa Libre,” free beginners lessons every outcomes and outlines the desired skills about the students who depend on us to Thursday, (5:00pm-6:00pm) at the Maverick and characteristics of all BPS graduates. give them every opportunity to become Landing Meeting House, 31 Liverpool Street. The plan organizes programs and ini- scholars in their own right. For more info call P.J. Schott at 617-834-9876. tiatives into four key strategies: As we work on these initiatives, it’s • Strengthening teaching and school (Continued on Page 15) leadership (Continued on Page 15) THE POST-GAZETTE SATELLITE OFFICE IS NOW OPEN AT 35 BENNINGTON STREET, EAST BOSTON This office is open on Mondays and Tuesdays from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM and Thursdays from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PMPM, for the convenience of our East Boston and North Shore clients and contributors Call 617-227-8929 for more information Page 2 POST-GAZETTE, DECEMBER 4, 2009 Res Publica by David Trumbull You Really Are a Mean One, MR. GRINCH STAINED GLASS The Massachusetts Re- Rudolph, coniferous green- “The age of every histori- making an excellent grade in order to avoid the trans- publican Party is holding a ery, silver bells, and eggnog. cal style of architecture, in of stained glass. This glass portation difficulties associ- Christmas Party on Wed- I don’t worship mighty pursuit of its own particular was, of course, the ideal ated with the huge finished nesday, December 9, 2009. Woden, nor hammer wield- brand of expression, found solution to the problem of product. Windows in these Details and sign-up form are ing Thor, but I have no hesi- the material which best occupying the space in medieval churches and available on the Party’s tancy to call the fourth and suited its wishes, therefore, question. cathedrals were never stan- website www.massgop.com. fifth days of the week by an appropriate architecture There were many fables dardized in size. Each win- Yes, a Christmas Party, not names that evoke the will immediately arise when about stained glass. It was dow was tailor-made to fit a Holiday Party, nor a Winter memory of these gods of the use is made of the means said that the blue color was the masonry opening; there- Party. No doubt we’ll soon Germanic races — Wednes- which the new industrial obtained by grinding down fore working at the job site see a return to hanging her- day and Thursday. Why even techniques offer”. These are sapphires, and that deep facilitated the fabrication etics on the Common and Quakers, who formerly said the words of the master ar- reds were obtained by adding and installation. burning witches — at least “First Day,” “Second Day,” chitects of our day. Reduce pure gold to the mix. The Stained glass windows if you listen to some liberals and so forth to avoid honor- all of this to terms which we actual secrets came from an were fabricated by first you’d get the impression that ing the pagan gods of the can easily understand, it old manuscript which was sketching the desired de- the mere utterance of the Sun and Moon, have largely simply states that when written by a monk named sign on a heavy wooden “C word” will surely lead to set aside that curious cus- technology develops a new Theophilus. workbench. Pieces of colored persecution of the infidels tom. product, architects and build- The formula called for glass were then laid over the among us. Yes, we’ve come Change the names and ers will bust their breeches one part river sand, two parts cartoon in overlapping fash- to the point where “Peace on you lose connection to our to use that product in any of beechwood ash, plus a ion, and then adjusted for Earth; goodwill toward man” history. Sever people from way, shape or form. coarse fern called “bracken”. size, color, and position. is taken, at least in our gov- their history and you take During the development of A little salt was added as a The individual pieces were ernment-run schools, as a away their understanding of the Gothic system, the use flux, and the mixture was then cut to size with a red code phrase for “Holy war; who they are. Take away that of rib vaulting concentrated kept hot for several hours. hot iron, and held firmly in intolerance toward anyone self-identity and you can the weight and thrusts from Glass from this simple mix- position by pouring hot lead who differs from us.” make the people into your the roof to the piers. The ture was light green in color. into the joints. These leaded Personally, I’ve never un- slaves. That is the radical need for counterthrust, Prolonged fusion changed glass sections were then derstood why some persons agenda. That is the “why” therefore, was only at the the color slightly, but red was joined into vast composi- recoil at the word Christmas. behind the war on Christ- piers. Exterior walls between obtained by adding copper, tions which were secured It is, after all, the legal name mas. To quote the character the piers no longer carried and cobalt provided various within an iron or stone of the civil holiday, even if Lady Bracknell in The Impor- any appreciable weight and shades of blue. The intensity framework called a tracery. the name does acknowledge tance of Being Ernest: “[It] re- could therefore be opened up. of the colors varied with the The period of highest per- its Christian origin. Surely minds one of the worst ex- The next question was, of thickness of the pieces of fection in French stained the various secular “Christ- cesses of the French Revo- course, exactly what to put glass, and air bubbles or glass is reflected in the mas” parties and festivities lution. And I presume you into that space. Just about sand grains produced spar- Abbey of St. Denis, near that start after Thanks- know what that unfortunate this time in history it be- kling refractions of light.