“I Make a Good Living...” Tom Hanks 2023 Commencement Address to Harvard

"Tom Hanks had Harvard graduates laughing out loud during his 2023 commencement address with a brutally funny self-roast. The Oscar-winning actor joked that he had never attended Harvard, never taken a class, and never even stepped inside the library, yet makes a great living playing people who did. 

Reflecting on his own unconventional educational journey through community college, California State University, and the “School of Hard Knocks,” Hanks delivered a heartfelt and humorous message about life, learning, and success. His candid remarks struck a chord with graduates and quickly became one of the ceremony’s most memorable moments."

Video link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVga4CX6kXA

State of Housing in MA: "housing costs are out of control"

State of Housing in MA:  "housing costs are out of control"

via Abundant Housing MA

The new State of the Nation’s Housing report from @Harvard_JCHS confirms what we already know: housing costs are out of control.

Massachusetts must act NOW to legalize more housing, build near transit, and invest in homes that people can afford.

Read Molly’s Recent Blog Post ➡️https://www.abundanthousingma.org/the-state-of-the-nations-housing-why-massachusetts-needs-bold-action-on-housing/


Check out the report ➡️ https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/reports/files/Harvard_JCHS_The_State_of_the_Nations_Housing_2025.pdf

Read our policy priorities to build a Massachusetts for everyone ➡️ https://www.abundanthousingma.org/2025-2026-priorities/

Shared from -> https://www.instagram.com/p/DLXWmorO7MV/

The Journalist Resource: "Our health editor dug through decades of research to address 15 common questions about fluoride in drinking water"

This week at The Journalist’s Resource we’re discussing the longtime practice of adding fluoride to public water systems in the U.S. as a community dental health measure.

15 common questions about fluoride in drinking water

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, avidly opposes fluorinating water.
 
Early last month, in a post on X, Kennedy called fluoride “an industrial waste,” and made unsubstantiated claims that the mineral is associated with a long list of health issues. He also posted that “the Trump White House will advise all U.S​. water systems to remove fluoride from public water.”
 
Meanwhile, many major public health organizations promote water fluoridation. In a scientific statement published in May, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that the agency “promotes the safety and benefits of community water fluoridation as an effective, cost-efficient method for preventing tooth decay and improving overall oral health," adding that 1 in 4 American children living below the poverty level experience untreated tooth decay.
 
To help journalists and their audiences navigate the fluoride debate, JR senior health editor Naseem S. Miller dug through decades of published research to address 15 common questions about fluorinating water. Among them:

• Who makes decisions about water fluoridation? “Community water fluoridation is not enforced at the federal level,” Miller notes. “The decision of whether and how much to fluoridate public drinking water is made by state and local officials.”
• How effective is water fluoridation? “Years of research have found that water fluoridation prevents dental cavities,” Miller writes. “In the decades following the implementation of water fluoridation, the reduction of cavities in children was significant. However, recent studies show that the effect of water fluoridation has lessened since the mid-1970s with the widespread use of fluoride toothpaste and fluoridated mouthwash.”
• Is fluoride in water safe? “The main documented risk of community water fluoridation is dental fluorosis, a cosmetic change in dental enamel, mostly in the form of visible white markings on teeth,” Miller writes. She also provides a helpful rundown of what the research shows about fluoride and several other health issues.

To learn more, read “Here are the answers to 15 common questions about fluoride in drinking water.” 

HKS Misinformation Review: “Fake news” may have limited effects beyond increasing beliefs in false claims

Today's #recommendedreading is by @andyguess, @BrendanNyhan, @iBALyons, @Jacob_Montg, @JasonReifler & Dominique Lockett, on how many claims about the effects of exposure to #fakenews may be overstated, or, at the very least, misunderstood.

“Fake news” may have limited effects beyond increasing beliefs in false claims

"Since 2016, there has been an explosion of interest in misinformation and its role in elections. Research by news outlets, government agencies, and academics alike has shown that millions of Americans have been exposed to dubious political news online. However, relatively little research has focused on documenting the effects of consuming this content. Our results suggest that many claims about the effects of exposure to false news may be overstated, or, at the very least, misunderstood."

Continue reading the article ->   https://misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/fake-news-limited-effects-on-political-participation/
https://t.co/Hz2OY6nIqQ

Shared from Twitter -> https://twitter.com/MisinfoReview/status/1631273900716986379

https://misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/fake-news-limited-effects-on-political-participation/

"local government 'is the least appreciated' level of government, 'but probably should be the most valued.'”

"A new report from the Rappaport Institute at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government highlights the strong partnership between the Baker-Polito administration and the state’s cities and towns, how it came to be, and the positive results it has achieved.

“We set out a few months ago to try to understand what was happening on the ground, what was so different about the way that this administration was working with cities and towns that we kept hearing about,” said Danielle Cerny, a visiting fellow at the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston and the author of the 50-page policy brief, during an unveiling event at Harvard on Sept. 28. “What were the pieces? Did it really work? Could we bottle it, particularly as we start to prepare for transitions here and elsewhere. How could we try to capture this?” 

Continue reading the article at MMA -> 

https://www.mma.org/report-explores-successful-state-local-partnership-under-baker-polito/

Direct link to full report ->

https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Taubman/RIGB/Empowering%20Cities%20and%20Towns%20Paper%20web%20version%20-%2009-2022.pdf

Rappaport Institute at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government

Library of Congress: Danielle Allen to Deliver Address Nov 16

Danielle Allen to Receive Kluge Prize, Deliver Address on Educating for Democracy On Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021 Danielle Allen will accept the Library's John W. Kluge Prize for the Study of Humanity in a livestreamed gala from the Great Hall of the Library of Congress. Allen will deliver an address titled "Educating for American Democracy," in which she considers the role of education in fostering a common purpose in American society. At a time when the idea of cooperation for the public good is tested by crisis and political division, Allen's work connects us and brings us together around shared goals, all while maintaining the importance of the differences that make the United States what it is. Click here for more information.   Danielle Allen, recipient of the John W. Kluge Prize for Achievement in the Study of Humanity. Photo credit: Laura Rose

Harvest Festival recap

Sunday was a great day for the Harvest Festival in downtown Franklin! If you stayed home to flip between the Pats and the Red Sox, you missed a good time.

Outside Cafe Dolce, Random Play was turning out some good music. The Franklin Republican Town Committee tent was located right there. So close it was hard to have a conversation with the band playing so well.

In the photo above, Don Newton stepped the front with his wireless guitar.

On the triangle over the railroad bridge, Knuf Said was holding forth for their fans arrayed in the shade near their tent.

On Depot St, before heading in to the kids area, Mary Pat McSharry of Closet\and Storage Concepts had their new vehicle and table set up. Nothing like a smart car to show how smartly you can get organized!

I talked with Alan Mercer, Director of Advancement for the New England Center for the Performing Arts about the fund raising they are doing for their new facility to showcase what we know today as the Franklin School for Performing Arts.

I talked with Linda Waters of Back to Business about her new product: Confidence Beads. The website is coming soon.

In front of Rockland Trust, Nothing to No One was getting into their groove.

On such a glorious Sunday, the only real disappointment was in not finding many of the candidates for the Franklin Election in November. Glenn Jones (Town Council) had a tent down by the Post Office (an interview with Glenn is in draft). I did talk with Matt Kelly about setting time for his interview. I met Dan Ballinger for the first time. He may follow up to set up time for an interview with Franklin Matters. Bob Vallee was observed minding one of his grand-daughters. Roberta Trahan (School Committee) worked at the Downtown Partnership table. With no competition for the seven School Committee seats, I am not too worried about that part of the election. The Town Council is respectfully, the more important race this November. If other candidates were around, I missed them in my travels.

It was a real treat to walk down Main St without worrying about the traffic. 

Thanks to the efforts of all involved, especially the Downtown Partnership, the local businesses and vendors, the Franklin Police. This was a great event!

Addressing FHS wear and tear

Charlie Franklin had commented:

The High School is approximately 1/6th - 1/7th the age of Harvard & Yale, and it is only 37 years old. If from what has been mentioned about it.. Is it the workmanship from when it was built, or the lack of proactive steps to keep up on the building? Or...is it the kids who go to the school that cause much of the damage? If that is the case, then there should be more oversight and someone is lacking in their job performance. It took years to get it to this stage..and the School Committee was in charge of the school for most of it, until recently when they could pawn off their responsibilities.

The full post and comment is here.


1 - to address the maintenance status of the building

I posted Mike D'Angelo's memo outlining the capital expenses on the high school building over the last 10 years here.

Specifically from D'Angelo's memo I quote:

The news media showcased some of the tours and the need to renovate Franklin High in a negative way. That is not because we have not been maintaining the building but because the programmatic needs of the educational system have changed. The things we are looking for in a renovation will change the focus of the building. We will change a High School that probably had only 30% of its students enrolled in college prep programs in 1970 to one that has more than 90% in 2008. The building needs to change to support that enrollment change.

2 - to address your comparison to Harvard's buildings

I managed to find a document on the Harvard buildings submitted to the Cambridge, MA government website that depicts the age of the buildings in color code. In particular, when you match the buildings coded black (those under 50 years old) those are the ones where science and math are taught. The building coded red or yellow (either "historical" or those over 50 years), those are used for dormitory and office space. They are not used for the advanced technical laboratory needs of the institution.

• You can find the document here. (May open slowly as it is a PDF file)
• Scroll to page 6. On the bottom of page 6 is the color code table.

Of interest is the Harvard Yard Tour (a 3 minute video) during which they confirm that the oldest buildings surrounding the yard are dormitories.

You can also look to the Harvard FactBook published by the Provost of Harvard University and found on their website here (PDF).

Skipping through the pages to #34 and #35 will bring you to the facts on the physical plant.

For example:

The University owns and operates more than six hundred buildings of varying sizes and characteristics spread over a wide geographic area. They encompass approximately 24.5 million gross square feet of space. The physical plant provides living space for students and faculty, research facilities to advance our base of knowledge, classroom and library spaces for the dissemination of knowledge, and space for administrative and support services.

Of interest is their new science complex under construction in Allston, slide show here

And this chart depicting the growth of their campus over time:



Therefore the comparison of the age and condition of the Franklin High School building to those at Harvard doesn't work.