Happy 205th Anniversary, West Point!

In 1802, the U.S. Congress authorized the establishment of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

I'm Exhausted

Just got in from "Girl's Night". We hit Joe's wake before dinner. I was conveying my condolences to Joe's daughter and something I said triggered a response and she said "You're BostonMaggie!" LOL I was floored, but laughed and confessed. She was surfing the web looking for stuff about her dad. She thanked me for the post. Funny stuff. Then I met her sister who was standing with a friend. The friend turns to me after a moment and says "Two pees to a flush!" I was completely thrown and it took me a moment. She was referring to a speech I made before Town Meeting years and years ago when we were fighting for town sewerage funding. It was actually "Three pees to a flush" but, whatever. The engineering company loved me and credited me for the positive vote. They were too kind, the credit actually belonged with Red Rizzo, my dear, dear friend who passed away last week.

Then it was on to dinner where I was ripped by Jen over the firefighter story. I maintain that I was flirting and he was interested. Jen's view is that he was "frightened" by my "craziness". Whatever.

I was doing some light surfing and came across a few things that made me laugh. This tag line was one of them.
I drink in moderation. "Moderation" is an imaginary place that exists wherever I am.
I don't really drink, but if you substitute chocolate.......

I'm Back

I snuck off with my mother and sisters Tuesday night until late last night.

Came back to news that I now have a 5th wake to attend. A friend of Frankie's, young kid, only 23, killed on his motorcycle.

Don't stand too close to me. This is not how I want to spend the run up to my birthday next Tuesday. I wanted to blog about the rest of the EPIIC Symposium and the details of my mini-trip with my mother and sisters. I want to blog about my birthday wishlist and phone calls to SB where I torment him with tales of attentive firefighters. I hope this isn't a sign of how 46 is going to be for me.

I doesn't help that 20 minutes after telling me about his friend, Frankie mentioned wanting a motorcycle.

Ahh, the Ides of March.

Joe Palombo

Joe was a great guy and a good friend. He was a Selectman in the town of Kingston. He will be missed by many.
I am having a bad week. This will be the 4th wake in 8 days.

Joseph M. Palombo, former three-term Kingston Selectmen, dies at 66

Joseph M. Palombo, who served nine years on the Kingston Board of Selectmen, died on Tuesday, March 13, following a brief illness. He was 66.

Mr. Palombo was also a charter member of the Kingston Housing Authority, first elected to the position in 1973 and re-elected every five years thereafter. He served as both Chairman and Vice-Chairman of this board. He was part of the original membership that oversaw the construction and completion of the 48-unit Meadowcrest Housing units on Hillcrest Avenue

Born in Boston, he was the son of the late Joseph James Palombo and Carmela (Millie) Caliri. He moved to Kingston in 1971. He was first elected to the Board of Selectmen in 1981. He was re-elected twice and served on the board until 1990. He was the board's chairman from 1983-1984 and from 1989-1990. He also served on Kingston's Zoning Board of Appeals from 1996 to 2004.

He was the founder of the Silver Lake Regional School's Youth Football program.

Mr. Palombo was one of the original members of the Kingston Democratic Town Committee, serving for more than 25 years. He held a similar role with the Plymouth County Democratic League, and served both organizations as chairman for a number of years.

In 1988, he narrowly missed the chance to become the State Representative for the 12th Plymouth District, losing the Democratic primary by only two votes. Although he did not run again for that position, he did remain active in supporting candidates for local and regional office. He worked in law enforcement in a number of different capacities, as a Deputy Sheriff as well as most recently Director of Civil Process for the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department and as a police officer in the Town of Rochester. He had also served in the Army National Guard.

In addition to his work in the public sector, he ran his own Civil Process business known as Legal Support Services.

He loved hunting, and being able to help people wherever he could.

Mr. Palombo was honored in late November at the Halifax Country Club by more than 400 well-wishers, family and friends. He received glowing tributes from Plymouth County Sheriff Joseph MacDonald, former Sheriffs Flynn, Forman, Decas and Dorr along with Senator Therese Murray, former State Representative Tom O'Brien, State Representative Tom Calter, former State Representative Peter Forman and many others, all characterizing Mr. Palombo as someone who gave unselfishly to the community and to others. State Representative Daniel Webster presented him with Resolutions from the Massachusetts House of Representatives for his dedication and contributions to Plymouth County and the Town of Kingston, along with a Governor's Citation for his dedicated service to the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department and the Town of Kingston.

He is survived by his wife, Priscilla (Violette) Palombo of Kingston; a son, Mark Palombo of Plymouth; daughters Deana Palombo of Plymouth and Lynne Palombo of Portland, Oregon; sisters Joanne (Joni) Green of Panama City, FL; Mary Werlin and her husband Harold of Winchester, MA; a granddaughter, Abigail Jenkins of Plymouth; and many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins

Calling hours will be held Thursday, March 15 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Shepherd Funeral Home, 216 Main Street (Route 106), Kingston. Family and friends are welcome to gather at the Funeral Home on Friday, March 16 at 9 a.m., followed by a Mass at St. Joseph's Church in Kingston at 10 a.m. Burial will be at Evergreen Cemetery, Kingston. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Renal Cancer Research Fund, c/o Dr. Michael Atkins, Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center, Kirstein Building, Room 185, 330 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02115.

The truest line in this story is "He loved hunting, and being able to help people wherever he could." I don't know jack about hunting, but Joe was always willing to help people, even people who had been less than kind to him. He'd joke about it, but he'd do whatever he could for you. Also, he was more fun to flirt with than I can possibly tell you here.

Happy 95th to the Girl Scouts

In 1912, Juliette Gordon Low organized the first Girl Scouts of America troop in Savannah, Ga.

You know.........I was a Girl Scout.......

Well, I Certainly Understand

Halliburton Moving C.E.O. From Houston to Dubai

HOUSTON, March 11 — Halliburton, the big energy services company, said on Sunday that it would open a corporate headquarters in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai and move its chairman and chief executive, David J. Lesar, there.

How I wish Halliburton needed me! LOL

Major General Lynch & The 3rd ID

The unit that America can depend on.

It was a day of celebrations and farewells at Fort Stewart. Four thousand 3rd Infantry Division soldiers have been deployed to Iraq since the first of the year. Another 1,000 soldiers - including the division headquarters- will be leaving by mid-March.

The community and fellow soldiers got a chance Thursday to say thanks to the many going back to the war zone. Several hundred soldiers attended a luncheon this afternoon and heard words of encouragement from University of Georgia's head football coach Mark Richt.

In addition to the luncheon, soldiers got a chance to party with their friends and family. A street dance included a live band, food, and lots of activities for children. Fort Stewart held the event for everyone to come together and just have fun.

One of the day's most emotional events was the Division Casing and Retreat Ceremony. The ceremony is very symbolic because it shows that the commanding general and his division are deploying from Fort Stewart. It may just seem like a bunch of flags to civilians – but for soldiers, it's much more.

"The heart and the soul of the third infantry division reside in those colors. You see, they're more than mere fabric. They represent the blood and sweat of all Marne soldiers who came before us," explains Major General Rick Lynch.

Now the division's colors are being cased for the trip to Iraq and many soldiers at the ceremony will soon be there, too.

"You always know that you're gonna go back over until they say that's it. We're done in Iraq and that the Iraqi people are really free," says Private 1st Class Anthony Bonvino.

"I hope people just look at it and realize that a lot of soldiers lost their lives to help our country and make the world a better place in general and a lot of young people did it, too," says Specialist Shawn Brouhard.

Major General Lynch told the crowd that the 3rd ID has a reputation of being the unit that America can depend on. Many soldiers are ready to show everyone just how true that reputation is.

"I just re-enlisted for six years. I love what I do and I love serving my country," says Sergeant Angelo Glover, and he'll soon have that chance. This ceremony and the casing of the colors marks a new chapter for the 3rd ID.

"They are a record of our past, the standard of our present and an inspiration to all those who will follow us in the future," says Major General Lynch. "You inspire us and we will not let you down."

In his speech, Major General Lynch asked the crowd to keep the 3rd ID in their prayers, help keep their families strong, and when the time comes – be back at Fort Stewart to welcome them home.

Will do, sir.

Should You Vote

I stole this from the Castle. I only got an A+. I was careless and clicking through too fast, so that's all I deserve. As stated on their website......DontVote.org's mission is to combat the "Get out the Vote" movement that is pushed by organizations that would like to increase the number of uneducated voters to help their cause. DontVote.org encourages people to Vote, but only AFTER they have educated themselves on the policies and individuals for which they are voting. Voting should be considered a privilege and exercised with responsibility and discretion. Just like a final exam, responsible voting requires self-education and thought. When the time comes to cast your ballot, if you don't know for what or whom you're voting, then DON'T VOTE.

I completely agree.

Mini Blog Meet

Tonight I had dinner with Sanger Magee (aka SangerM @ The Castle). We talked non-stop for three plus hours over pizza at Za's in Arlington. He brought along a friend from class and we all had a great time. We'd probably still be there but they shut off most of the lights and cleaned every table except the one where we were sitting.

It was a true adventure, I had the Bosc Pear, Sweet Onion, Gorgonzola, EVOO, Toasted Walnuts, Dried Cranberries, Thyme, and Scallions pizza. It was delish!

SB - My car and it's Bush bumper stickers emerged unscathed despite being parked on Mass Ave for several hours.

I really enjoyed the evening - Thanks Sanger.

Charles "Red" Rizzo

Someone very important in my life..............since childhood.........has passed away. A good friend......a Marine during WWII.......a community leader...........

I will miss you Red.

Charles S. “Red” Rizzo a Needham resident for over 50 years died on Tuesday, March 6th at Avery manor in Needham He was 84 years old. Born in Boston, he was the son of the late Charles and Mamie (Sozio) Rizzo. Red at the age of 19 enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and was a veteran of World War II. He served in the South Pacific and was discharged in 1945 with the rank of Sergeant. Mr. Rizzo worked as a salesman in the graphic arts industry in the Boston area for many years. An active member of the Needham community, Red was a former Town Meeting Member and a former Park and Recreation Commissioner. He was a Past President of Needham Little League, a member of the Needham Exchange Club and was involved with the Charles River Workshop. Mr. Rizzo was also a member of the Plymouth Country Club. Red summered in and ran Rocky Nook in Kingston for many years. The beloved husband of 45 years of the late Florence T. (Anacone), he was the loving father of Ronald and his wife Joanne Rizzo of No Weymouth and Stephen and his wife Patricia Rizzo of Needham. Brother of Rita Covelle of Stoneham and Marie Rizzo of Medford. Dear grandfather of Christopher, Jeffrey, Jennifer, Brandon and Stephen Rizzo. Funeral from the Eaton Funeral Home 1351 Highland Ave Needham on Saturday March 10th at 9:00 AM followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Joseph Church at 10:00 AM. Visiting hours Friday 4-7 PM. Interment St. Mary’s Cemetery in Needham. In lieu of flowers memorials in Red’s memory may be made to the Stanley Tippett House 920 South St. Needham MA 02492.

Long Day

No posting due to my 11 hour work day today. Plus when I got home I had to entertain SB. You know how I do that, don'cha? That's right..........I breathe. LOL

If you are bored here, head on over to Blackfive and watch Uncle Jimbo discuss Iran. He is a funny bastid.

EPIIC - Some of Saturday

Somehow I managed to be only 20 minutes late for the first panel at 9 am "Confronting Pandemics". I missed the beginning of Frances Townsend's remarks on avian flu, but what I caught was good. Then onto a favorite from last year, Gwyn Prins from the London School of Ecomonics. He spoke about AIDS and mentioned a paper he wrote for the UN "HIV/AIDS and Security". I haven't read it yet, but I intend to (as you can imagine, I have a whole new reading list). He sat next to me on Friday night and broke into one of the panels. I teased him for being a troublemaker. He is a very engaging person. Lots of the questioned bristled about the lack of money being spent on AIDS research, etc. He brought up a very interesting point about the anti-retro-virals and how if people are not taking them correctly they are just creating stronger bugs. The questions are often where the most interesting info comes out. One student asked Ms. Townsend about closing the borders if/when the avian flu hits our continent. She told us that according to the experts it only buys you 2 weeks and that's not enough time to create the vaccine so that's not part of the plan.

Next up "Global Enviromental Crises: From Climate Change to Water Scarcity"
Leon Fuerth - Gore apologist, long pauses, made me sleepy.
Jin Zidell of Blue Planet Run Foundation - great speaker, great video, good points, good cause. He wants everyone to give just $25.00 to provide one person with clean, safe drinking water for life. He stated that 50% of hospital patients worldwide were there because of unsafe drinking water. I did my part.
Gwyn Prins - again, I adore him.
David Jhirad - Ethanol is not the answer, Bush took a hit. Carbon footprint needs to be reduced.
Overall, what you learn is that in the future water security is going to be as important as energy security and I've already heard this from SB (that SB is a smart cookie). Still, very interesting. Gore's film is premeiring on Flix Sunday night and Jen and I will watch it. I never said I wouldn't watch it, I said I wouldn't pay for it.

After this panel finished up, people were milling about while they set up for the next one. I looked up and saw Peter Roudik of the Library of Congress, (where he is a senior foreign law specialist). He came over to say hello. He absolutely stunned me when he asked about the blog and I realized he read it, lol. Yeah, that's right, I was speechless.......too bad the rest of you weren't there to enjoy it, it's a rare occurrence.

It's late and I will pick up with the next panel tomorrow.

EPIIC Thursday and Friday

Thursday night's panel "The Future of Nuclear Proliferation" was more upbeat than the subject matter would suggest. There were five interesting speakers although the best was Jim Walsh from MIT. I learned lot's about the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty, India's nuclear program, and what the current thoughts are regarding Iran's nuclear program. I enjoyed Dr. Walsh very much.

Friday's first panel wasn't until noon and I still missed it. I am always tardy.

The second panel was "Cocaine and Kalishnakovs: How Illicit Trade Fuels Conflict". I am now more worried about MS13 than Al Qaeda. My favorite speaker in this panel was Paul Kan from the US Army War College. Another speaker was Moses Naim, the editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy magazine (I am a subscriber and a fan).

After a dinner break, during which I checked into the hotel Priceline picked out for me (Naval officers in the lobby, yum!), there was "Forward Engagement: Global Risks and Governance". Interesting topic and stimulating questions raised by William Moomaw. This one was quick and then we were onto "Democratization in the Middle East". Several interesting speakers and then,..........duh, duh, duh.......there's always one! On this night it was Tony Smith. What an asshat! According to him, America is a "rogue state". Yeah, whatever buddy. Don't get me wrong, everyone is entitled to their opinion. I go to these things deliberately to keep my mind open. I learn lots and lots of new things. I always come away the better for it. But how does it advance any discussion to spew such vitriol and hate? Bush is the imperial presidency or...wink, wink, nudge, nudge...... Cheney is the imperial vice-presidency. Yeah, pal, that's helpful, I'm really listening. Fortunately there were several speakers and they were all more reasoned even though pretty much everyone had a view to the left of mine.

So, back to the hotel, where I'm thinking that finding the bar in the lobby full of sailors would be nice.....but no. So I went to bed.

My Only Defense is Lack of Sleep

I popped over to Murdoc and started reading and rubbed my eyes in disbelief. Murdoc, soliciting anti-war protesters? WTF? Then I re-read and realized he was poking fun at anti-war protesters. That's better.

Wouldn't You Be Disappointed.......

....if you came out here and didn't find a post about the Boston Massacre? Of course you would!

Today in History - March 5th

In 1770, British troops killed five colonials in the Boston Massacre, one of the events that led to the American Revolution.

Remember, history is important. American history is more important. Boston history is the most important. But some other stuff did happen on this day. Winston Churchill visited Westminster College in 1946.
Mr. Churchill painted a dark picture of post-war Europe, on which "an iron curtain has descended across the Continent" from Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic

I'm Home

I'm exhausted. I have 66 emails...........I'm too tired to read them. I have lots to say about the EPIIC Symposium. My head is swimming. So much really great stuff, so much aggraavating stuff.

SB, I answered your MaryLou's girls comments. My arms are crossed. I am going to bed pouting.

No Blogging....

......for a bit. EPIIC will take up my weekend and I will stay up in the city. Also, Sunday I may go see the Kennedy with my nephews. It's in Boston this weekend on it's final tour.

EPIIC

The 2007 EPIIC Symposium starts today and continues through the weekend. I will miss the first panel, "UNcertain Future?"
Bummer
But I should make all the others starting with "The Future of Nuclear Proliferation" at 1900 tonight.

Arthur Schlesinger

Arthur Schlesinger, Historian of Power, Dies at 89

Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., the historian whose more than 20 books shaped discussions for two generations about America’s past and who himself was a provocative, unabashedly liberal partisan, most notably in serving in the Kennedy White House, died last night in Manhattan. He was 89.

Camelot fades everywhere but in own hearts, huh Southie.

Dunkin' Donuts

I don't drink coffee (although I have eaten more donuts than I should), so I've never really understood the Dunkin' Donuts phenomenon. There is a funny piece in the Phoenix about it.

Mom’s got it bad. Who can fault her for hoping to pin blame on nefarious additives for her daily five-mile trek to and from a Dunkin’ drive-thru for a fix in a Styrofoam cup? She’s not alone. Heck, she’s better off than a lot of people. Like the lady in the TV ad — based on one Brocktonian’s true story — who bushwhacks her way through what seems like miles of highway-side bramble, finally steps gingerly over a guardrail, and crosses three lanes of traffic to bring coffee to her gridlock-stuck carpool mates. Or the transplanted New Englander in Houston who drove 35 miles every weekend to the nearest Dunkin’ just for a cup of that sweet, creamy Arabica nectar.

It's the one aspect of Boston life I have always felt slightly removed from. I prefer tea and Dunkin' Donuts tea always seemed too weak compared to Irish breakfast tea......they don't have Chamomile and Starbucks Chai is better. As far as donuts go, Lori-Ann's on Bunker had incredible donuts that no other place could touch. Alas they closed a few years ago.

Dunkin' Donuts actually caused a low score for me in one of those online quizzes. "How Massachusetts Are You?" I only scored 84% because I missed all the Dunkin' questions (and I wouldn't own a T-Shirt with an obscenity on it, no matter how much I hate the Yankees).