By Maureen Schwab

The landscape and views of Green Island have changed greatly since the 1970’s when The Little Sisters of the Assumption first arrived in Green Island to establish Pernet Family Health Services, and embark upon their mission to improve the lives of people who were poor and hurting.   One thing that has not and probably never will change; the ongoing need for health, social and educational services in a neighborhood still considered one of the poorest in Worcester.

The Little Sisters were invited to come to Worcester by Bishop Wright with Monsignor Edmund Tinsley’s help, who was then a Director of Catholic Charities. According to the Pernet Family Health Service website, the essential mission of the Sisters then, as it is now, is to” provide health care and support to the disadvantaged families and to revitalize the spirit of those degraded by poverty.”.

When they first arrived in Worcester, in 1955,  the Sisters were assigned to live and work in Princeton, but they soon found that the population did not include many poor families. They  then relocated to Worcester, took up residence on Claremont Street, a few blocks from Clark University, and started working with families in the Main South neighborhood. Home visits were made by the Sisters to families where a mother might be ill, and there was a need for someone to care for her children and cook meals until she was recovered. They worked in collaboration with Catholic Charities, who at the time were also providing services to the poor of Green Island.

In 1968, the Sisters incorporated and became a certified home health agency under the title Pernet Family Health Service, the property on Millbury Street was purchased, and the agency headquarters was established. The Sisters also moved their residence from Claremont Street to the Millbury Street location, where they lived until they moved once more in 1992 to their current residence on Endicott Street.

The dwindling numbers of vocations has taken its toll on all religious orders, and sadly, the last Little Sister of the Assumption retired from active service to Pernet last December.  Sr. Gemma, who was 95 at the time of her retirement, spent her last 10 years of service working as the receptionist at the Millbury Street office.  The day to day running is no longer in the hands of the Sisters, but they remain sponsors of the agency, and have a permanent member on The Board of Directors. Click to continue »

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…

Talking instead of Doing

By Michael Gaffney, Worcester City Councilor at Large candidate

As you are aware, the issue of foreclosure mediation has be debated by the Worcester City Council for several months with plenty of discussion, but no action.  Growing frustrated with the lack of action, I wrote to the most vocal council member on the topic as follows.  I did not seek to attach myself to the issue for political advantage; rather, I handed out a solution and would have been satisfied if any action were taken to achieve a result.  Clearly, if any action had been taken, I would not be writing.  I will let the email chain speak for itself:

On Apr 2, 2013, at 9:16 PM, I wrote to an email from my phone titled “Foreclosure Mediation” to Councilor X:

Springfield Mass program seems to work…  Looks like a settlement just made to implement the plan:

http://blog.aboutrsi.org/2012/program-management/foreclosure-mediation-upheld-against-cons titutional-challenge/

RI has plans in Cranston, Providence and Warwick:

http://www.housingwire.com/news/2010/01/12/rhode-island-city-set-roll-out-foreclosure-medi ation-servicer-fines

So, it appears we have a format to follow.  Love the fine Springfield imposes against the banks for not attending.

The RI bankruptcy court also has a plan for mediation in Chapter 13 plans.

Michael

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Smartphone

Response from Councilor X:

Thanks.

Sent from my iPhone

Email sent to Councilor X on April 3, 2013

Councilor X:

I sent over some information to you last night relative to the foreclosure programs in other cities. Now that I am at a computer, I am able to forward more substantial information.  I have attended a number of conferences on the issue relative to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court’s program in Chapter 13 Plans that started in RI, so I have a bit of background.

Attached you will find the Springfield and Providence Ordinances.

Springfield uses a neutral not-for-cost mediation program. There are several options available. First, you could simply try the Worcester Bar Association to administer a program of volunteers (POC = Polly Tatum, President #508-795-1557.) Second, the Better Business Bureau currently administers the Lemon Law Arbitration Program under Massachusetts Law, the arbitrators get a “gratuity” of $100.00 per case (POC Nancy Cahalen, President #508-755-3340 x109.) Third, the District Court uses a mediation program formally administered by the WCAC now being administered by Mediation Services of North Central Mass (I do not have any contacts other than what is listed on the website – POC Elaine Sherrin, Director #978-466-9595.) Finally, the Massachusetts Justice Project currently runs the Lawyer for the Day Program and through  volunteers administers free legal services such as bankruptcy cases (I do handle free bankruptcy cases, but do not have a POC, the just send them over to me, the main number is #800-639-1209.)

I just don’t see where implementation of such a program would cost the city an inordinate amount of funds. Further, where we have language concerning ordinances in use, this matter shouldn’t continue to drag out in meeting after meeting. Finally, where the Federal District Court found the ordinance in Springfield to be constitutional and where the banks challenging it settled (and agreed to be bound) before the Appeals Court, passing such a measure is less likely to face a legal challenge or cost the city to defend it.

I am not trying to insert myself in this matter; rather, I been hearing the debate for several months and find it vexing that no progress has been made. This has been your issue; hence, I have communicated with you. If I can be of further assistance, let me know.

Thank you.

Michael Gaffney

Response from Councilor X, April 3, 2013:

No problem. I appreciated you sending the info.

Sent from my iPhone

Article sent to the Editor, Worcester Telegram and Gazette, May 1, 2013 (unpublished, but plenty of specious and inane comments were published on May 3, 2013)

Dear Sir/Madam:

Your recent article titled “Big Banks win again” concerning the $5,000.00 foreclosure bond ordinance showed the short falls in the current bond requirement.  We need to fix the unintended consequences of the bond requirement and strengthen the ordinance to help our citizens in foreclosure.

The cities of Springfield and Providence have passed ordinances that require the mortgage holder to mediate with the homeowner prior to foreclosure.  Springfield’s ordinance was upheld in Federal District Court and was settled on Appeal.  All the tools we need to update our ordinance are available and can be easily implemented.  We need to rewrite the current ordinance to protect our citizens.  We can’t let another month pass and another family be put out on the street without taking action.

Michael T. Gaffney

Worcester

Today is May 5, 2013.

reposting …

Speak out (for or against) the proposed slots parlor on WCCA TV 13 …

Tuesday (TOMORROW!) May 7, 3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Respect America!

By Edith Morgan

It’s election season again – isn’t it always nowadays? And so I hear once again the inevitable comment from friends who are less than engaged with the process: “They’re all crooks”. a comment usually used to excuse the speaker from having to vote (though some of these friends actually DO keep up with some media).

Looking for honest men (and now women too) is not a new preoccupation: Remember Diogenes, who somewhere around 350 to 400 B.C. wandered the streets of Athens, Greece, in broad daylight with a lantern, seeking an honest man? Diogenes of Sinope ( now in Turkey) was one of the founders of the philosophy of Cynicism, which is alive and well even today. But I suspect that while there are probably more and greater opportunities for dishonesty available today, the percentage of really dishonest politicians is no greater or less than it was 25 centuries go. And today we have far more access to information about everyone that was available in the past.

I have been active in politics for much of my adult life, and still participate now that I am in my eighties, So I think I can legitimately weigh in on the question of honesty among those we elect. I do not expect sainthood in those who self-select to run for political office, so I try to make judgments as to what to expect based on a lot of information, in many different venues: there are the usual forums, debates, interviews, profiles published in the newspapers ,financial statements about contributions published in the papers, comments from friends and others, and often at least one encounter with the candidate, at local meeting places or even at my door. Putting all this information together I can make a fairly good assessment about the person, and vote intelligently.

And after the vote, most of go to sleep and let politics take its course… and there is the problem: no one can do us any harm (or any good, for that matter), before the election. But once we hand over power to someone we elect to represent us, then is the time to watch and listen carefully. And there are many opportunities to be sure they do what we expect, provided that a majority of our fellow-citizens agree.

We do not have to become obsessed with every move they make, but it is usually enough that they know we are paying attention, and when something comes up about which we feel strongly we can come out of the woodwork and let them know- with phone calls, e-mails, petitions, and in local elections, appearing at their regular open meetings and speaking up, preferably with a handful of our neighbors and supporters. You would be surprised how much our local councilors and school committee members are affected by this kind of show of interest, since most of the time, they meet before nearly empty chambers.

Every year, we have a primary (if enough people run) and our usual “first-Tuesday-of- November” election. This year, we have local elections then. And we also have a special election to replace Senator Kerry, with a primary on April 30^th, and the final choice on July 25^th.

Every profession has its crooks, or its members who succumb  to the lure of money and power – but we have a unique chance to  keep down the numbers by being involved…..and changing the rules if there is too much money and influence in the game.

GAME ON!

11.15.2012 – 04.27.2013

On exhibit through Saturday, May 4
Free with museum admission, Worcester Historical Museum, Elm Street

How about a game of Twister or give the hula-hoop a try? This is the last week to get your “game on” and learn about the fun history of toys and games at WHM.
Experience a new way to learn about history in the fun and interactive exhibition Game On.  Exploring the history of toys and games in America, Game On is designed like a board game encouraging children and adults to explore the gallery and artifacts – like LEGOs, the first paper dolls manufactured in America, Toy Soldiers, Puzzles, Barbies, and more – while answering trivia, playing games and having fun.

Game On surveys the development of “play” and the toy industry, looking at New England based giants like Parker Brothers, Milton Bradley and Hasbro, smaller companies like Worcester Toy Company and Ralphco Inc, the marketing of toys and the development of franchises. Audiences, young and old, will be able to connect with future generations by the associations that toys and games have with childhood.

This exhibition was supported in in part by a grant from the Worcester Arts Council, a local agency, which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

By Kathy Guillermo

The horseracing industry is the new Lance Armstrong of the sports world. Before you mix your mint juleps or place that online bet for the Kentucky Derby, think about this: Everyone from the barn hand to the top trainer knows that horses in the racing industry are being doped in a quest to win. And like Armstrong, they deny, deny, deny.

But doping is the worst-kept secret in horseracing: It’s pervasive and entrenched. Equine performance-enhancing drugs are being concocted in barns and makeshift laboratories with no regulatory oversight. These backyard alchemists use anything available to see whether it will lead to faster race times: growth hormones, toxic chemicals, even Viagra.

Some trainers inject horses with cobra venom or dermorphin, a powerful opioid derived from the venom secreted by certain South American frogs. Others use a technique called “milkshaking,” which involves forcing a large quantity of sodium bicarbonate and sugar into a horse’s stomach through a tube. Both procedures are believed to make horses run races faster.

But it’s not just illegal drugs that keep unfit horses running—legal painkillers and anti-inflammatory corticosteroids are also being used, and they’re killing horses throughout North America. Nearly every horse used in racing is dosed with Lasix, an anti-bleeding medication that also acts as a diuretic, reducing bodyweight and thereby increasing speeds. Lasix also flushes out traces of other medications, which helps avoid detection of these drugs. Click to continue »

By Edith Morgan

In 1951, armed with a B.A. from a great liberal arts college, and recently married, I set out to find work so that my husband could finish his degree . After a summer stint as a complaint adjuster at Montgomery Ward (since a degree in liberal arts, while wonderfully broadening, did not really prepare me for a career), I eventually went into public school teaching. In those days, there was a shortage, and we “retreads” could begin teaching and acquire the needed education courses to become certified. Coming from a background and a culture where teachers are revered and held in high esteem, it was not difficult for me to feel I had fallen into the right choice.

So, I began teaching, at the princely sum of $3,000 a year. AS a female, I was not considered “head of household”, even though I was supporting my husband who was still in graduate school) but at least we had progressed to the point where married women could teach.

Having attended 8 years of public school in France, I expected that there would be an agreed-to curriculum, which I would then apply to the children before me, and do what I felt was needed to be sure that each learned what was required. When I closed the door to my room, I was in charge, and responsible. The first two or three years I was up until two and three in the morning, going over the day’s activities, creating materials, correcting papers, doing lessons plans, and mulling over notes about various children who were not achieving as expected. After a while I was able to cut down on the midnight oil, and attended Saturday classes, Click to continue »