Late fall in New England means disposing of all of those leaves that evolved from lush green of summer to brilliant reds, yellows and oranges of early fall to a crispy tan of late October and early November. Today by a combination of raking, blowing, grinding and shoveling, we filled 77 brown paper yard waste recycling bags. After a lifetime of leave raking, one becomes an expert on determining wind direction. Today it was from the south.
I was recently reminded that back on October 16, Jim Peters posted this article in which he singled out three council challengers – the three who were elected last Tuesday. I don’t know of anyone else whose electoral prediction was so accurate, so congratulations, Jim. Here’s the relevant part of what he had to say:
Vesna Nuon and Marty Lorrey get two more of my votes. Vesna and Marty are good, honest men whom I have known for years and always viewed them as putting the city first and politics last. As far as my other six picks go, I am not quite sure yet. I like the way that Ed Kennedy has been really pushing for a seat. I have encountered him a number of times, going door-to-door to get out his vote. For the large part, the rest of the field seems to be taking it for granted that they will be “picked” and do not have to get out there and fight for their votes.
The entry below is being cross posted from Marjorie Arons-Barron’s own blog. Be sure to check it out.
Anyone who has read this blog over the past year knows I am no fan of Rick Perry. But there’s no way I would delight in what he experienced in Wednesday’s Republican debate when he forgot that the third agency he would abolish is the Energy Department. There is nothing to compare to the humiliation a person can experience when losing it on the public stage. The Boston Globe’s Scot Lehigh laid out his “Rick Perry moment” in this morning’s paper.
I am no stranger to this experience. Back in 1991, at the beginning of the first Gulf War -Desert Storm – I was airing regular editorials on WCVB-TV, Channel 5. Usually we taped the editorials, which ran three times a day, right after the news. But our then-news director Emily Rooney, my friend then and now, decided that, given the significance of the wartime situation, it was important for the editorials to be broadcast live. I agreed. Early afternoon, she handed my script to the producer of the six o’clock news to input on the teleprompter. At the prescribed time, I joined the anchors on the news set.
Natalie Jacobson said, “And now, with a Channel 5 editorial is editorial director Marjorie Arons-Barron.”
“Thanks, Nat,” I said and turned toward the ‘prompter. Alas, there was nothing there. The producer had neglected to input the script. And I didn’t have within reach my own typewritten version. The seriousness of the content meant it was not a time to vamp. After seconds, which seemed like hours, I lamely turned to Natalie and mumbled something about “the content isn’t there.” She deftly acknowledged there was a technical problem and led into the network’s nightly news program.
I was mortified, and everyone knew it. Reporters and producers poured out of their cubicles to console me, telling me of their own horror stories. Jim Boyd, with his script pages getting scrambled. Jorge Quiroga caught on camera taunting Tom Ellis on location at a chemical spill. Emily sent flowers the next day. But their kindness could not eliminate the fact that my “Rick Perry moment” was a little like skating in Rockefeller Center only to look down and discover I had no clothes on.
Rick Perry is lucky. He has ways to do damage control. Witness his quite funny appearance on David Letterman’s show, outlining the top ten reasons for his brain cramp.
The next night we went at it again. Natalie led off to me, saying “If you were with us last night, you know we had technical difficulty with our editorial. Here again is Channel Five’s editorial director Marjorie Arons-Barron.”
I thanked her and added, “And Nat, after that happened, the newsroom got a call from a viewer of the previous night’s lapse who said he’d “never agreed more with the station’s editorials.” I then turned to the camera, and this time all was well. I have the tape of the editorial that wasn’t there, but in 20 years, I’ve never had the stomach to look at it. Perhaps now I will.
Meanwhile, the media should spend more time focusing on the potential impact of eliminating the departments of commerce, energy and education and less time on the stark moment of the candidate’s inability to name the third department that would face extinction.
Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
On this day – November 13, 1830 – a poem by Oliver Wendall Holmes, Sr. entitled “Old Ironsides” was published.
The USS Constitution – “Old Ironsides” – on her 213th birthday – October 21, 2010. She is berthed at Pier 1 of the former Charlestown Navy Yard in Massachusetts.
Holmes had read a short article in a Boston newspaper about the renowned 18th century frigate USS Constitution, which was about to be dismantled by the Navy. Holmes was moved to write a poem – “Old Ironsides” – in opposition to the ship’s scrapping. The patriotic poem was published in the Boston Advertiser and was soon printed by papers in New York, Philadelphia and Washington. It not only brought the author immediate national attention, but the three-stanza poem also generated enough public sentiment that the historic ship was preserved.
Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts – Oliver Wendall Holmes, (August 29, 1809 – October 7, 1894) was an American physician, professor, lecturer, and author. Regarded by his peers as one of the best writers of the 19th century, he is also recognized as an important medical reformer. In 1847 Oliver was appointed Parkman professor of anatomy and physiology at Harvard Medical School, where he served as dean from 1847 to 1853. Holmes remained at Harvard until 1882. Holmes left his mark on his time period, and many honors came to him both at home and abroad.
Old Ironsides
Ay, tear her tattered ensign down!
Long has it waved on high.,
And many an eye has danced to see
That banner in the sky;
Beneath it rung the battle-shout,
And burst the cannon’s roar:
The meteor of the ocean air
Shall sweep the clouds no more!
Her deck, once red with heroes’ blood,
Where knelt the vanquished foe,
When winds were hurrying o’er the flood
And waves were white below,
No more shall feel the victor’s tread
Or know the conquered knee:
The harpies of the shore shall pluck
The eagle of the sea!
O better that her shattered hulk
Should sink beneath the wave!
Her thunders shook the mighty deep,
And there should be her grave:
Nail to the mast her holy flag,
Set every threadbare sail,
And give her to the god of storms,
The lightning and the gale!
Community Teamwork, Inc. & the Merrimack Valley Regional Network to End Homelessness Present:
Lura Smith in a Gospel Concert of Thanksgiving
November 19, 2911 from 12:00 – 2:00PM
Eliot Presbyterian Church 273 Summer Street Lowell MA
Special Guest Gospel Musicians and Recording Artists
James Seibles
David Dubinsky
Dou Leafer
David Hurst
Bernard Smith
The Andover Baptist Church Unity Choir
The Twelfth Baptist Church Gospel Ensemble
The New Hope Baptist Church Gospel Choir
Natalie Mariel and
New Orleans Vocalist Henri Smith
All proceeds to End Homelessness and to provide Middlesex Community College Scholarship Opportunities
Suggested Donation Starts at $20.00 Per Person
Call 978-459-0551 for more information
Check here for my blog comments after attending the very successful and moving 2010 benefit concert.
Culture, Current Events, Greater Lowell, Lowell | 
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