Seven Years STRONG

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Hey Steve  This month, my "baby" is celebrating its 7th anniversary! I know....time flies! It would be an understatement to say that it was a lot of hard work to made Shades IN Place come this far. Looking back, I decided to list the seven biggest reasons that I believe have helped the most in keeping us alive. Just a side note: there is absolutely no order of importance and all the reasons somewhat interconnect to one another. HAVING FUN - I enjoy meeting new people and learning about how they live, their culture and how each individual sees their lives. I meet some very wealthy and bright minds and it fascinates me when I am able to provide a solution for them. It puts a smile on my face. GOING THE EXTRA SEVERAL MILES - Because I was a long haul truck driver in the past, to me, no job is too far. If my clients like my work so much that they trust me working on their vacation homes, why would I say no? For those "far away jobs" I bring Ana along for the ride and buy her a nice dinner at the end of the day.  At this point I have completed work in all six New England states plus NY. BILLBOARD ON WHEELS - if you don't promote your business how people will know about it? To me, every moment is an opportunity. I even got a nice job because the girl at the bakery shop saw my shirt and said: "Oh, you do curtains? Please call my friend." The "friend" was a nice high end contractor...go figure!  NEVER STOP LEARNING - I was called on a job in Boston for some hard to reach windows a few years back. The guy showed me the windows and what he wanted. Then I said "Sure, I can do it".  He said "NO, YOU CAN'T!"  And he followed "there were four companies before you and they all said no!"  Well, because I keep myself on top of the industry, I was able to provide a solution for his challenging windows. SUPPORT FROM ANA - If you are married you know.... no man can work 15 - 18 hour days for too long without getting complaints from the wife. But my wife Ana is unique and she was aware that she was marring a workaholic guy. Ok, I admit, she is slowly changing me. I now "only" work 14 hours day max. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION DRIVEN - My motto is "if you are happy, I am happy." And I also live by the principle of "treat people the way you would like to be treated." I am so shocked when people thank me for returning their call - it's my obligation to at least let you know if I can help you or not. LOVE CHALLENGES - this is my favorite! The harder, the more complicated the tallest the better...Some professionals like to make money the easy way. I, on the other hand, must be an exception because I LOVE the challenges and to solve problems other companies avoid confronting. Three years ago, one of my competitors called asking if I was interested in doing a job on behalf of his company. He said that none of his installers could do the job. Well, I did. Imagine that - even my competitors HIRE me! Thanks again for supporting Shades IN Place, Ana and me!   Now, if you want a piece of the birthday cake too you must be the SEVENTH person to call 508-520-6700 and sing "Happy Birthday". Ok...ok...if you are shy like me, you can email me your congratulations. It will count as well. See you again in seven years... Oh, wait! No, see you next month!     Roger Magalhaes  Shades IN Place, Inc. SHOWROOM HOURS Tue - 10am - 5pm Thru - 10am - 5pm Sat - 10am - 3pm *** Buy More...$ave More ***  Spring is in the air.And so is the several projects around the house. The more you buy, the more you save: 5 to 10 window coverings = 5% off 11 to 15 window coverings = 10% off 16 and up = 15% off

Forward email . Shades IN Place | 76 Grove St | Franklin | MA | 02038

This is water

This is water. "The capital T Truth!"




A good video for any day but maybe the best video to spend ten minutes with as this work week ends!

Tree advertising

I was in Chicago this weekend for a conference. One I have been fortunate to attend for several years now and it was worth it this time around too!

While there, I visited Millennium Park where I found this photo opportunity

trees keep us cooler

trees increase our property value

from 'cringe mode' to happiness (video)

Let's start the new week by stepping out of 'cringe mode' and open the gate to happiness.

Spend a little over a dozen minutes as Matt Smith tells us about the 'failure bow' and how we can celebrate failure in order to achieve happiness!



Do I see you standing with arms raised and "that dumb ass grin"?

Do I see you applauding someone who has done this?

Not yet... okay. Take it slow but take it!




Thanks to +John Haydon for sharing this

Alisa Vitti: What If Drugs Weren’t The Answer?

Jonathan Fields has a great video series underway called the "Good Life Project". Alisa Vitti is his most recent guest. She provides some great insights into the relationship between what we eat and how healthy we are.

Viewing this, I am changing how I drink coffee.
Coffee, yes...

Spend 45 minutes and this may change your approach to what you eat and drink



What do you think?

Ludwick Marishane: A bath without water (video)

This TEDTalk is less than 6 minutes. Ludwick briefly summarizes his motivation and process to develop a waterless bathing solution.



The key for me is his motivation. The second and related key is how he persisted to develop his idea with only his cell phone.

Reminds me of that familiar adage "If there is a will, there is a way!"

MassDOT Introduces 857-DOT-INFO (857-368-4636)

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

MassDOT Introduces 857-DOT-INFO (857-368-4636)

via Commonwealth Conversations: Transportation by Klark Jessen on 11/2/12

MassDOT today announced a new telephone number to provide customers easy, direct access to statewide transportation information as part of its internal OneVoice transition.

"We are speaking with one voice throughout MassDOT," said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Richard A. Davey. "It's a voice that is focused on the customer. Maybe you don't know your highway district, nearest airport, bus route or what time the local RMV opens on Thursdays. Today, we are telling our customers all that information is just one call away, 857-DOT-INFO."

In 2009, Transportation Reform integrated stand alone agencies including the Turnpike Authority and MassHighway. Today, MassDOT is comprised of four divisions: the Highway Division, Registry of Motor Vehicles Division, Rail and Transit Division and the Aeronautics Division.

Reform has allowed MassDOT to consolidate functions and see cost savings. The OneVoice telephone transition will result in phone bill and maintenance savings of approximately $422,000 each year.

Registry of Motor Vehicles customers may be familiar with 857-DOT, as the call center transitioned to 857-DOT-8000 earlier this year. For MBTA customers, this new line complements the existing customer service line, 617-222-3200, which remains active.

MassDOT is maximizing existing resources to acquaint the public with 857-DOT-INFO. Customers will notice ads on the MBTA system and on the Highway Division's digital billboard PSA program and inside our RMV offices.

Employees with the new area code and exchange include those working at the State Transportation Building, the Registry of Motor Vehicles Headquarters in Quincy and its Boston branch, as well as MassDOT Highway District 6.

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to Commonwealth Conversations: Transportation using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

from collaborative consumption to digital ghosts

As one who does spend a lot of time online, creating and sharing information, reputation capital is a concept that I understand. I am comfortable walking in real life and sharing what I see (pictures) and hear (text from meetings) online. While it may seem to some that this is all I do, there are limits. There are whole aspects of daily life that don't go online. There is no need to put those there, they shouldn't be drivers for my reputation.

What do you do online? How much of a digital trail do you create? Are you working on your reputation?

Spend 20 minutes and listen to Rachel Botsman talk about collaborative consumption.



One phrase I really like is "digital ghosts". How to reach them in an increasingly online world is a challenge.

The Oscar Meyer Wienermobile: photo essay

The Oscar Meyer Wienermobile came to Franklin yesterday as part of the Big Y celbrating their grand opening.



As a big kid, and one who grew up with Oscar Meyer (yes, showing my age!) I couldn't pass up the opportunity.



Especially since Beefilicious Ben had sent me an email letting me know they were coming. If they took the time to find me, I could only return the favor!

I was justly rewarded with the visit



The inside reminded me more of Pooh Bear (similar colors)



I think I would could get used to seeing the hot dog on the dash after awhile. At least I hope so



This is only the most recent of a long line of vehicles that goes back to 1936. Is anyone around who remembers one of these earlier versions?



You can enter a contest to get driving around in the luxury vehicle if you register on oscarmeyer.com

This was one way to bring smiles to those who came by the Big Y on Saturday!

Big Y coins

Dolores and I made our first visit to the Big Y on Friday night. The parking lot was busy but there were open spots fairly easy to find. The store is nice. I got the feeling that some of the crowding, negotiating in the aisle will settle down as folks figure out their path through the store. Right now, there is a lot of looking and exploring going on.

And there is a lot to see and explore. Folks will hand out a store layout so you'll be able to find the produce or meat section readily. There are plenty of baggers and cashiers available. This is always the cash for a new store. It will be interesting to see how many there will be on a regular basis going forward.

You can sign up for a frequent buyer card. They apparently have multiple levels as we found out at the register when asked if we had any coins to use. Coins?

Yes, apparently based upon purchases, you can earn coins and then use them for reduced prices on future purchases. I understand the concept behind it but tracking and remembering to bring the coins back with you might be too inconvenient for some (including moi!).

I do like and appreciate their efforts to use local products. There were some stuffed clams that we purchased at a good price that were made in RI.

I was disappointed that while Big Y offers the 'store brand' of Greek yogurt, they don't offer their own for regular yogurt. Odd. They must have a reason for it. May be one factor keeping us from being a regular customer. Like others, it may very well be another stop for a good sale but may not replace our regular shopping.

What do you think of the Big Y?

Area Sikhs: Shootings 'a sad teachable moment'

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Area Sikhs: Shootings 'a sad teachable moment'

via The Milford Daily News News RSS by Matt Tota/Daily News staff on 8/6/12

Simran Kaur believes ignorance might have motivated the gunman who killed six people at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis., on Sunday.  "I think it was a hate crime," she said Monday at the Sikh temple in Milford.

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to The Milford Daily News News RSS using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

"for the good of the whole"

On my commute to work, I used to be able to open my laptop, read a book, or take a nap when I used the commuter rail. Using my car is the only practical option these days so I have found some internet radio shows or podcasts to listen to while driving. One of the regular listens is to Krista Tippett and her On Being podcast. In this show she talks with David Sloan Wilson about the evolution of a city. Binghamton, NY is where he lives and works. Binghamton has a population of about 50,000. Not too much larger than Franklin which is reported to be about 33,000.

Ms. Tippett: Again, this is another thing that you point out that just makes logical sense, but it's a thought that I hadn't quite conceptualized before. You know, you say cities decay like other organisms and Binghamton, as you said before, is a place that's like many places and has some of the same issues now that many American cities are struggling with, unemployment, an industrial base that's shifted. You say cities decay like other organisms and also the people take their cues from environments and that they behave in disorderly ways when they're in a disorderly environment. 

Dr. Wilson: Yeah, that's a great point and there's a lot of science which is showing that our instincts for what we do are largely subconscious. So our conscious decisions about how to behave are the tip of an iceberg of decisions that take place below the surface of consciousness.

They talk of an experiment and the insights it provides into how our first impressions, instincts, help to drive our behavior. Not terribly surprising if you really think about it. The implications of this and how it can be used in his 'pro-social' terms are interesting.

Later in their conversation, David outlines the 8 design features for well functioning social group. If you only review this listing, it should be worth your time.


The full text transcript of the podcast can be found here
http://www.onbeing.org/program/transcript/4726#main_content

You can listen to the audio podcast here
http://www.onbeing.org/program/evolving-city/4720/audio

Additional information and more links can be found here
http://www.onbeing.org/program/evolving-city/4720

TED Talks: Jane McGonigal - add 7.5 minutes to your life

Summer time, time to be busy about doing something different while school is out. wouldn't it be nice to have some extra time anytime? In this TED Talk, Jane McGonigal shares a way to gain sometime.

When game designer Jane McGonigal found herself bedridden and suicidal following a severe concussion, she had a fascinating idea for how to get better. She dove into the scientific research and created the healing game, SuperBetter. In this moving talk, McGonigal explains how a game can boost resilience -- and promises to add 7.5 minutes to your life.

Enjoy!

Nick Alfieri will be missed

I was fortunate to have met and talked with Nick Alfieri at a number of meetings over the years. He was always helpful and took time to explain the details and the impact of the issue at hand. My tour of the Del Carte property with Nick and Jeff Livingstone is all the more memorable due to the insights he shared along the way.

Alfieri, who lived in Franklin for 17 years, holding multiple positions in town government, including town planner and geographic information system administrator, died in his sleep of a heart attack Sunday. He was 53. 

“Nick played a very large role in turning around and fixing the relationship between the town and the Conservation Commission,” said Commissioner Jeff Livingstone. “He really did change the entire town’s perception of obtaining the right permits as a hassle-filled process to one that was more of partnership driven.” 

And Livingstone said yesterday he expects Alfieri’s passing to affect the commission for a long time. 

“Franklin has become a poster child for how to do things and a highly rated town in terms of its ability to promote conversation initiatives,” he said. “We have relied extremely heavily on Nick’s perception, his feedback and his knowledge of the town.”

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1052258710/Franklin-Conservation-Agent-Nick-Alfieri-dies-at-53#ixzz20J09rA3J

As part of the outreach by the Conservation Commission, Nick submitted this article in January
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/01/nick-alfieri-why-conservation.html

The obituary can be found here:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/milforddailynews/obituary.aspx?n=nicholas-alfieri&pid=158473884
(services will be private and burial will be in PA).

The Adult Congenital Heart Association website can be found http://www.achaheart.org/

Related post on the the Del Carte property visit
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2010/09/fm-72-week-ending-91210.html

Franklin High School Experience

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Franklin High School Experience

via Lifelong Learning by Pandora Carlucci on 4/27/12

Registrations for the Franklin High School Experience (HSE) 2012 are arriving daily. The HSE is a one-week program that brings together students from several middle schools: Annie Sullivan Middle School, Horace Mann Middle School, Remington Middle School, the middle school from the BFCCPS, and some private middle schools.

Directed by Ms. Cerce, Director of Health and Physical Education for the Franklin Public Schools District, this program welcomes all incoming grade 9 students to FHS. During the week of August 13, students will have the opportunity to meet and to ask questions of the Principal and Assistant Principals, the Athletic Director and the Director of Music.

Students will be introduced to the technology used by the high school: Its Learning. Additionally, they will participate in Challenge by Choice Project Adventure Games, a scavenger hunt and other activities. The students begin and end the day with a large group gathering. Later, they will separated into cohorts of 12 or 14 students, which are led by a FHS faculty member. Students have lunch as a group each day ... pizza, a cook out, and more.

Each freshman student receives a Class of 2016 HSE tee-shirt and a Class of 2016 key lanyard. Last summer almost 2/3 of the incoming freshman class participated in the HSE. We hope to have 100% of incoming grade 9 students participate this summer.

 You can register online: www.franklin.k12.ma.us, select Lifelong, select Summer Program, select High School Experience. If you have a question: e-mail us: lifelong@franklin.k12.ma.us telephone us: 508-553-4814 Come and be part of the fun!!

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to Lifelong Learning using Google Reader
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The power of music

Spend a few minutes to see the power of music! (Video less than 7 minutes)

Actually the promo for a documentary film:

Music imprints itself on the brain deeper than any other human experience. It speaks to us in a different language and arouses every emotion. It connects us all, it is a force that ignites our souls. 

Alive Inside is a documentary film that follows Dan Cohen’s Music & Memory project, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing personalized music into the lives of the elderly and infirm, thereby vastly improving their day-to-day existence.

Teachers as Individuals (1946)

Perspective is important. Some issues that we face today have been faced before. How does that saying go, "if we don't learn from the past we are condemned to repeat it?"

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Teachers as Individuals (1946)

via ASCD Inservice by ASCD Bloggers on 4/12/12

Those looking to get some historical perspective on the issue of avoiding teacher burnout should investigate the March 1946 issue of Educational Leadership on the theme "Teachers as Individuals." Read the full issue: Teachers as Individuals In the introductory essay,...

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to ASCD Inservice using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

The Cult of Lego

As a place cited for being good to raise a family, there must be a few sets of LEGOs around. Perhaps this would be a good holiday gift idea for the LEGO fan you know.

Cult of Lego Trailer from John Baichtal on Vimeo.

Enjoy!

"Unlocking the Door to Interest" (video)

Tom Asacker writes:

"Unlocking the Door to Interest is about drawing curious people towards you by creating something valuable and memorable. It must be something that connects deeply with their desires and sense of self; something that will, ultimately, move them to action."

The quality of life here in Franklin matters to you. You want to know more about what is going on. You want to get original and real time reporting. You have found the right place.

Thank you!


Spread the word to your friends and neighbors that if they want to get their own email newsletter (either daily or weekly), to look for "Franklin Matters". Or send them this link in email.
http://www.franklinmatters.org/p/welcome.html


Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the video

Franklin MAtters: Changes to be aware of

I spent some time at the Community Garden on Saturday talking with a few of the folks that came to tend their gardens. The better part of the time it was just Chris Clay and I chatting as we both took pictures and he explained this or that about the garden and plants. In the course of our conversation we got around to comparing notes and we found we have much in common.




With Irene providing the time, and the conversation with Chris providing the inspiration, I have done some clean up here on the website. You may notice that there are less navigation tabs. Yes, I removed a few.

The Welcome page has been updated to remove the audio option. The effort to produce that was not generating enough of an audience to continue. You can subscribe to receive updates as they are published via email daily or weekly. Your choice.

Why Franklin Matters - remains

I am resuming my Weekly Summary as a text only summary (no audio) so that tab remains.

I have combined all the Meeting Notes into one tab. On this page, the meetings for 2011 are at the top with those from 2010, 2009 and 2008 below as you continue to scroll down.

The Important Links tab provides easy access to some key pages. For example, I just added a link for Election 2011 to collect all the election information as it is published.





I hope these changes will be helpful. If you have suggestions for things I should do more (or less) of, please feel free to comment or send me an email.