Lop Notes

19 October 2011

Reflection Starter from Thomas Babington Macaulay

"There is not, and there never was on this earth, a work of human policy so well deserving of examination as the Roman Catholic Church. . . . She saw the commencement of all the governments and of all the ecclesiastical establishments that now exist in the world; and we feel no assurance that she is not destined to see the end of them all. She was great and respected before the Saxon had set foot on Britain, before the Frank had passed the Rhine, when Grecian eloquence still flourished at Antioch, when idols were still worshipped in the temple of Mecca. And she may still exist in undiminished vigour when some traveller from New Zealand shall, in the midst of a vast solitude, take his stand on a broken arch of London Bridge to sketch the ruins of St. Paul's." - attributed to Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1840

18 October 2011

New England Municipal Government News Headlines

Recent news stories related to municipal government in New England include these articles:

CT: Seals cracking on street lamps in Southbury (Waterbury Republican-American)

ME: Parents, officials detail problems at aging Scarborough school (Portland Press Herald)

MA: Norfolk changes elementary foundation (The Sun Chronicle)

NH: Number of properties that may be taken by town of Exeter dwindles (Portsmouth Herald)

RI: In raucus session, citizens seek accountability from ‘arrogant’ Smithfield school board (Valley Breeze)

VT: Town mulls liquor license stipulations (Brattleboro Reformer)

Background information:

Town of Southbury, CT

Scarborough, ME, School Department

Town of Scarborough, ME

Norfolk, MA, Elementary Education Foundation

Norfolk, MA, Public Schools

Town of Norfolk, MA

Town of Exeter, NH

Smithfield, RI, Public Schools

Town of Smithfield, RI

Town of Brattleboro, VT

Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) Program

The Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) program is an initiative that strives to improve children's reading and communication skills by reading to a dog - but not just any dog. R.E.A.D. dogs are registered therapy animals who volunteer with their owner/handlers as a team, going to schools, libraries, and other settings as reading companions for children.

The mission of the R.E.A.D. program is to improve the literacy skills of children through the assistance of registered therapy teams as literacy mentors.

Intermountain Therapy Animals, a nonprofit organization, launched R.E.A.D. in 1999 as the first comprehensive literacy program built around the idea of reading to dogs.

For more information about this program, please visit:

Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) Program

This Week’s New England City & Town Weekly Dispatch

To access this week’s issue of New England City & Town Weekly Dispatch, please visit:

New England City & Town Weekly Dispatch - 18 October 2011

Presidential Proclamation - National Character Counts Week, 2011

NATIONAL CHARACTER COUNTS WEEK, 2011

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

In times of adversity and triumph alike, the American people have been guided by the strength of our character. With resilience and compassion, we have provided for our neighbors, lifted their spirits, and embraced our shared humanity. During National Character Counts Week, we celebrate our country's core values and commit to passing them on to the next generation.

By setting a positive example for our children, we can inspire in them the virtues that define our Nation: personal integrity, bold ingenuity, and a drive to serve others. America's role models from parents and teachers to community leaders and coaches play an integral role in shaping character. They foster patriotism, promote civic pride, and teach young people to live by the Golden Rule by treating others the way they want to be treated. Together, all Americans must cultivate moral fortitude, preach tolerance, and demonstrate the value of respect for those different from ourselves.

Tragic events in our Nation remind us why it is imperative that we create a climate of acceptance and compassion in our schools and communities. Our country has mourned as we have heard heartbreaking stories of promising young men and women subjected to harassment and bullying, driving some out of school, and others to ultimately take their own lives. No family should have to endure such a loss, and no child should feel that alone. Let us honor their memories by striving to make our neighborhoods and schools safe and affirming places for every child to learn, grow, and dream.

Our Nation's character is engrained in our past, central to our present, and key to our future. All of us share a responsibility to preserve and uphold the values that have kept our country strong, prosperous, and free. This week, we resolve to stay true to the American spirit and live according to our highest ideals.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 16 through October 22, 2011, as National Character Counts Week. I call upon public officials, educators, parents, students, and all Americans to observe this week with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA

Roy Peter Clark on the Writing Process

A recent article in The Cowl, the student newspaper of Providence College, covered a writing workshop recently presented by a P.C. classmate of mine, Roy Peter Clark. The workshop, entitled "What I Learned about Writing from Listening to the Beatles," was designed to offer Roy's thoughts on the creative writing process.

To access this article from The Cowl, please visit:

The Cowl: Alumnus Returns to Teach Writing, the Beatles (6 OCT 11)

Background information:

Wikipedia: Roy Peter Clark

Roy Peter Clark: The Tools of The Writer

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for smiles that lift our spirits when we are feeling down.

Russell Shaw on the Persecution of Religion in the United States

"'What the Catholic Church in the United States really needs to stiffen its backbone is a good persecution.' How often, I wonder, have I heard somebody say something like that? How often have I said something like it myself?

"Be careful what you ask for - you may get it. The persecution of religion in America has begun, with the Catholic Church a prime target."

In a recent commentary, Our Sunday Visitor contributing editor Russell Shaw reflected on the possibility that "the coercive power of the state [will be] brought to bear on church-related institutions to act against conscience or go out of business."

To access Mr. Shaw's complete post, please visit:

OSV Daily Take: Guess who is prime target of religious persecution in the United States? (17 OCT 11)