DEPARTMENT OF LABOR STANDARDS RECOGNIZED FOR WORKER SAFETY INITIATIVE

Written by admin on May 18th, 2013

BOSTON – A 2012 campaign led by Massachusetts’ Department of Labor Standards (DLS) aimed at fighting the leading cause of death for Massachusetts construction workers was recognized with an award from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Office of Small Business Assistance last month.

According to a Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) report, falls from construction sites to a lower level claimed the lives of more Massachusetts construction workers than any other type of incident from 2007-2011. More than half of those who lost their lives after a fall were employed on residential construction sites. The campaign aims to both provide small contractors with the training and resources needed to perform jobs safely and raise general public awareness of the dangers of construction site falls.

“I’m proud of the Department of Labor Standards’ hard work on this important initiative,” said Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Joanne F. Goldstein. “Falls on construction sites are deadly but preventable. We can save lives by educating Massachusetts’ contractors about how to protect their employees by reducing the number of falls.” Click to continue »

If you’re thinking of adopting a dog this summer, there are a few things you need to consider‏ …

Written by admin on May 18th, 2013
By Deb Young
 

Everyone at home should be on board with the idea of getting a new dog, making sure the dog will have a primary care taker.
If there are youngsters in your household, they are usually not developmentally suited for puppies 5 months old or toy-sized (under 15 pounds) dogs of any age, are there frail elderly or physically challenged individuals in the household? If so, strong vigorous adolescent dogs are not a wise idea.

Are you and your family willing to make a 10 – 15 year commitment to this sentient being in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer, for as long as all shall live?
Think Adoption first & the benefits of adoption:

1. Save $$$: Adopting from a rescue or shelter is much less expensive than a pet store or breeder.

2. Your dog will be Vet Checked: The dogs you get from a shelter or rescue group, have had veterinary care, up to date on their vaccinations and are always spayed or neutered.
 

3. Choose from a variety of breeds: Shelters and rescues have many breeds and mixed breeds of all ages, from puppies to adult canines.

4. Reduce pet overpopulation: The fees you pay for your adopted dog help to pay for spaying and neutering of other dogs, and since your dog will be fixed before you bring him home, you ensure that your dog, won’t be contributing to the problem.

5. Save a life & stop the abuse: If you adopt from a  “kill shelter,” you are literally saving a dog that might otherwise be slated to be put down within days or even hours.1000’s of wonderful animals die everyday in shelters across the USA!

Please, Do not buy from that pet store in the mall. Although adorable, they’re most likely the products of puppy mills, born to overbred and abused mothers who are often discarded when they can no longer produce litters. And by supporting those stores, you’re helping perpetuate a legacy of animal abuse.

The first couple of weeks you and your pet are “getting to know one another”. He doesn’t know why he has come to your home or what is expected of him. Please be patient with him and anticipate problems before they occur. Don’t leave tempting shoes, etc , within reach of your dog.

It is often a good idea to take some time off from work, maybe a vacation week to spend time with him and teach him a routine. If you must leave him home alone ,try to leave the home with as little fanfare as possible.Tearful goodbyes do nothing but add to your dog’s anxiety.
Within a week or two, your dog will have settled into his new home and his new routine. Some will take a little longer.  In most cases the dog will be a well-adjusted member of the family within a month. In fact, you will probably have trouble remembering when he wasn’t one of you.
‘’Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole”

 

Love your mother – “Mother Earth”!

Written by admin on May 18th, 2013

 

By Edith Morgan

Sunday, May 12, was Mothers’ Day – and April 22 was the universal mother earth’s Day, with our own earth day cleanup on April 27.

Before the European settlers came to these shores, this continent was by and large populated by various groups whom we in our ignorance called “Indians”. Though there were many “tribes” or peoples, they mostly shared a philosophy that regarded the land upon which they lived as their mother, our sustainer and provider of food and shelter. All the creatures and plants lived here as part of a cycle, each contributing to the balance that enabled life to go on.  Mother Earth was not “owned” by anyone, and working WITH nature was basic to the philosophy. It was not until European settlers came with their notions of property and overpowering nature, with the idea that all this bounty was put here for our exploitation and profit, that Mother Earth needed a day to remind us that she needs to be taken care of, and kept safe for us all, into the future.

Recently, we have increasingly begun to pay the price for our depredations. Yes, there have always been storms and various natural disasters, but they are coming more frequently and more powerfully than ever, and we are told to expect that they will increase steadily in strength and frequency. Sinkholes and earthquakes also appear more often and in unusual places, all testaments to the abuse being heaped on this small planet.

So it is a good thing, although merely a tiny beginning, that we look around our surroundings, and at least clean up the surface on which we live every day, and once it is pristine, vow to keep it picked up. Even if we did not toss the litter onto public places, picking it up will enable us to live and walk comfortably in our neighborhoods, parks, and other public places. If we show that we care about our environment, others passing through or living here will notice, and not wish to be the first to spoil it. It is always easier to mess up someplace that is already a mess, than it is to be the first….

Earth Day is just a beginning – for many of us, it is not just one day a year: we try to treat our little planet with care and respect every day, in many ways: we save on power, re-use, recycle, and give thought to the many ways we can live well without harming our environment. Our city recycles, and picks up weekly. Our streets are being cleared of winter debris, and the many parks throughout our city are being fixed, and in use by our families.

I get out into my garden and try to grow a few tomatoes, some chives, garlic, rosemary, swiss chard – with varying degrees of success. But mostly it is for the joy of watching something grow and develop.  Now that the trees are leafing out, grass is getting ready to be mowed again, and the bulbs are awakening and pushing up leaves and blooms, once again all seems right with the world, so long as we take care of it…And it is a chance to see and speak with neighbors, also outside, to exchange bulbs, ideas, and gossip too perhaps…

 

 

Do we eat horses? … Let’s not restore an unpopular industry!

Written by admin on May 17th, 2013
By Deb Young

While no horse slaughterhouses currently operate in the United States, it is true that American horses are still trucked over our borders to slaughtering facilities in Mexico and Canada.

When we use the term “horse slaughter,” we are referring exclusively to the killing and processing of horses for human consumption.
To be clear: Horse slaughter is NOT humane euthanasia. The methods used to kill horses rarely result in quick deaths: They often endure repeated stuns or blows, and sometimes remained conscious during their slaughter.

Words used by the pro-slaughter lobby such as “unwanted horse, rendering, processing, necessary evil”, and the like are words used to cleanse the process in the minds of people with compassion and kindness towards life of any kind. The pro-slaughter lobby should use the terms that are more applicable such as “brutal, inhumane, horse slaughter, torturous,” and other words too numerous to list in this brief article.
Slaughter of horses is opposed by the vast majority of Americans, as shown in multiple professionally-conducted surveys. Horses are widely perceived as companion animals like cats and dogs, or deserving of humane consideration because of their roles serving Americans as working animals and for sport and because they are not bred or raised for food in the U.S.

The routine abuse and inhumane treatment horses are subjected to in the slaughter pipeline has created strong objection from horse owners to the industry’s continued usage of American horses.

MYTH: Only sick and old horses are sent to slaughter.

FACT: A U.S. Dept of Agriculture study revealed that more than 92% of horses going to slaughter are healthy.

MYTH: If horse slaughter is ended, there will be a flood of abandoned horses.

FACT: Slaughter actually promotes illegal neglect and abandonment.

In addition to animal welfare concerns, opponents have said slaughtering horses for human consumption could pose a threat to human health and safety. American horses are often treated with drugs and medications that are not approved for use in animals intended for food. Opportunities for contamination or fraud along the food chain are many, and the effects on human health include outbreaks of salmonella and e. coli, and even the potential for avian flu epidemics.

Horse slaughter opponents are pushing legislation in Congress to ban domestic slaughter, as well as the export of horses to other countries for slaughter.

Many animal humane groups and public officials are outraged at the idea of resuming domestic slaughter.

President Obama’s 2014 fiscal-year budget proposal includes a request for Congress to block spending for horse slaughter plant inspections.
Six companies have been shaping up to resume horse slaughter on US soil, applying to the agriculture dept. for inspections which are mandatory for such plants.

Given the fiscal choices facing our officials in Washington, restoring an unpopular industry that only serves to drain taxpayers money every year, this should be the easiest spending cut they can approve and would leave horse slaughter stalled at the gates!

Congress: Where food reforms go to die?

Written by admin on May 17th, 2013

Egg-laying chickens on factory farms are unable to turn around in their cages … and yet common sense laws cannot get passed …

- R. T.

By

Two seemingly common-sense, bipartisan food reforms have gotten mugged on Capitol Hill in recent days. If you’re a loyal reader of The Salt, you’ve heard of them.

First, there’s the proposal — backed by an odd-couple alliance of egg producers and animal-welfare activists — to set minimum standards for the housing of egg-laying chickens. Second, the Obama administration wants to change the way the United States provides food aid to people in foreign countries, buying more of that food close to where it’s needed.

Neither proposal seems, at first glance, controversial. Changing the rules for food aid should save money, according to most independent analyses, allowing the program to feed more hungry people. Similar reforms, in fact, were proposed by President George W. Bush. The “egg bill,” meanwhile, is a remarkable instance of pragmatic compromise between bitter adversaries. …

To read entire story, click here!

 

State high court rules Worcester college student apartments are not lodging houses

Written by admin on May 17th, 2013

From The Boston Globe. We were hoping the City of Worcester would win this one … – R. T.

By Martin Finucane Globe Staff

The state’s highest court has rejected an attempt by the city of Worcester to declare that apartments rented out to four college students were “lodgings” and fell under the state lodging house law.

“While we recognize that the city seeks to protect student safety, and apparently regards the apartments at issue here as being the equivalent of dormitories, such concerns are better addressed through enforcement of applicable zoning ordinances and provisions of the sanitary and fire safety codes,” the Supreme Judicial Court wrote in an opinion today.

The court drew a distinction between tenants and lodgers in lodging houses. …

Click here to read entire story!


JAZZED UP concert!!!

Written by admin on May 16th, 2013

Jazzed Up Duo featuring vocalist/pianist Mauro DePasquale and guitarist Peter DePasquale, with special guest vocalist Elaine Simone, perform for the re-opening of “The Gene J. DeFeudis Italian American Cultural Center.”

Our Lady of Mt Carmel Parish, 28 Mulberry Street, Worcester, MA

Tuesday, May 21, 7 pm

Wine and appetizers will be served!

Donations Accepted …

Contact joan_dargenis@yahoo.com

Hope to see you there!
Maurojazzedup.netfacebook.com/jazzedupmusic

And where would Fred Astaire be without the …

Written by admin on May 16th, 2013

… equally athletic and brilliant Ginger Rogers?! – R. Tirella

Ephemeral …

Written by admin on May 16th, 2013

From The Guardian: Cannes 2013: The Great Gatsby red carpet – in pictures … – R. T.

From Leonardo DiCaprio to Carey Mulligan, the stars turn out for the opening night of the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival

Day One Cannes : Day one on the red carpet at Cannes Film Festival

Click here to see more fashion photos

MASSACHUSETTS UNEMPLOYMENT RATE AT 6.4 PERCENT

Written by admin on May 16th, 2013

Jobs down 1,400 in April, up 12,900 in 2013

BOSTON – The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development today reported that the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ preliminary estimates show that Massachusetts’ total unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.4 percent and the Commonwealth lost 1,400 jobs in April.

Professional, Scientific, and Business Services, Information, and the Education and Health Services sectors added jobs in April. In the first four months of 2013, Massachusetts added 12,900 jobs. Over the year, Massachusetts added 46,200 jobs, 43,600 of which were in the private sector.

Over the year, the unemployment rate was down 0.2 of a percentage point from the April 2012 rate of 6.6 percent. Revised numbers from the BLS estimate Massachusetts lost 3,800 jobs in March rather than 5,500 jobs as was reported last month.

April 2013 Employment Overview

Professional, Scientific, and Business Services added 4,500 (+0.9%) jobs over the month. Over the year, Professional, Scientific, and Business Services added 16,200 (+3.3%) jobs.

Information gained 900 (+1.0%) jobs over the month. Over the year, Information gained 2,700 (+3.1%) jobs.

Education and Health Services added 700 (+0.1%) jobs over the month. Over the year, Education and Health Services gained 15,600 (+2.3%) jobs. Click to continue »