Friday, July 27, 2012

Franklin Farmers Market: noon to 6:00 PM



The Farmers Market is open today on the Town Common from noon to 6:00 PM.

Franklin, MA: Farmers Market

Where in Franklin is the Town Common?


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"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

In the News: debate date, Gillette boxing, airsoft shooting



Democratic candidates for 10th Norfolk District state rep to debate

Thursday, July 26, 2012

10th Norfolk - Democratic candidate debate - Jul 30, 2012

Mark your calendar! Hold the date!
Democratic candidates for the 10th Norfolk District, Jeffrey Roy and Peter Padula, will hold a debate on Monday, July 30, 2012, at the Thomas H Mercer Auditorium, Horace Mann Middle School, located at 224 Oak Street Franklin, MA. The debate will be from 7:30p.m. to 8:45p.m. and will be moderated by Franklin Chief of Police Stephan Semerjian. 
The debate will be broadcast on cable television and WMRC radio. The public is welcome to attend to meet the candidates. 
A second debate is scheduled for August 21, 2012 in Medway.

For additional information on the candidates, you can visit their websites

Peter Padula  http://padulaforrep.com/

Jeff Roy  http://jeffreyroy.com/


Note: yours truly is honored to be one of the panelists asking questions of the candidates. If you would like to add a question to the potential listing, feel free to do so here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/07/what-would-you-ask-candidate.html

In the News: Class of '37, performing arts, cancer patient


Franklin High, Class of '37, seeks members




Worlds apart, kids bond at Franklin arts school


Supporters of fired cancer patient from Franklin to picket

David Rottenberg and Gwendolyn Goes Hollywood

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:


Things you can do from here:

Massachusetts Second in Nation for Child Well-Being



MassBudget    Information.
   Participation.
 Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy.
Mass. Second in Nation For Child Well-Being, Economic Challenges Persist


Massachusetts leads the nation in Education and ranks second in child Health (with the highest percentage of insured children), according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation's 2012 KIDS COUNT Data Book Like so many across the nation, however, children in Massachusetts face significant economic hurdles.
  • Fourteen percent of all Massachusetts children--200,000 children--are currently living in poverty.
  • Twice that many—424,000 children--live in families where no parent has full-time, year-round work.
  • Even parents who can find work face very high housing costs.
The Data Book evaluates all 50 states on a range of different measures, all organized into four domains (in each case, one is best and 50 worst.)
  • Economic Well-Being: Massachusetts ranks 11th overall, but it has a large number of households with high housing costs.
  • Education: Massachusetts ranks first overall, thanks to top ratings for reading and math proficiency.
  • Health: Massachusetts ranks second overall, and first in health care coverage.
  • Family and Community: Massachusetts ranks 10th overall—third in teen birth rate but 21st for children in high-poverty areas.
The Data Book is the signature report of The Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT initiative, and MassBudget is now the KIDS COUNT group for Massachusetts. That means that in addition to our long-standing work on economic and fiscal issues affecting low- and middle-income people, we are going to produce additional research on the well-being of children in Massachusetts. If you want to learn more about our role with KIDS COUNT, visit the KIDS COUNT area of our website.

The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts.

MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER
15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700
BOSTON, MA 02108
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This email was sent to shersteve@gmail.com by nberger@massbudget.org |  

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center | 15 Court Square | Suite 700 | Boston | MA | 02108