Franklin Matters

Sunday, November 28, 2021

Boston Globe: "A bill heading to Governor Charlie Baker’s desk would require Mass. school districts to teach about genocides"

Jeffrey N. Roy (@jeffroy) tweeted Sat, Nov 27, 2021:

"Bill requires teaching students about the history of genocide and human rights issues and sets up a Genocide Education Trust Fund to help build the new curricula. "

https://t.co/GyUUOwAxu9 via @BostonGlobe

"A bill that could be just days from becoming law in Massachusetts would require school districts to teach middle and high school students about the history of genocide and human rights issues and set up a Genocide Education Trust Fund to help build the new curricula.

The bill was passed by the state Legislature on Wednesday and sent to Governor Charlie Baker for his signature.

Massachusetts does not currently require schools to teach students about the Holocaust or other genocides, but the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education offers optional curriculum frameworks. Districts get to choose which materials and teaching approaches to use.

“It’s quite obvious that killing millions of people is wrong, but if that’s so clear-cut, why do people continue to do it? If it’s self-evident, why do so many people continue to commit genocides?” said State Representative Jeff Roy, lead sponsor of the House bill. “At a bottom line, we have to give and arm our students with the knowledge that they need to recognize the warning signs and feel empowered to prevent genocides in the future.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/11/26/metro/bill-heading-governor-charlie-bakers-desk-would-require-mass-school-districts-teach-about-genocides/

Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeffroy/status/1464574932537561093

Massachusetts does not currently require schools to teach students about the Holocaust or other genocides.CRAIG F. WALKER/GLOBE STAFF/THE BOSTON GLOBE

Franklin Newcomers and Friends: Annual Yankee Swap and Holiday Party - Dec 15

Come join your Franklin friends and neighbors at the Franklin Newcomers and Friends annual Yankee Swap and Holiday Party. Meet us upstairs at "3" Restaurant on Wednesday, December 15 at 7:30. To participate in the swap, bring a wrapped gift ($20 limit) and get one in return during the swap - you never know what you'll get! Complimentary appetizers and beverages are served and a cash bar is available.

No need to be a newcomer to the area . . . and no need to RSVP. Come join us and have fun while you make connections in your community. We are a multi-generational club offering a wide range of activities for all ages with an emphasis on fun and camaraderie. We are a member driven organization and are always excited to welcome new faces and new ideas.

Residents of Franklin, or any surrounding town that doesn't have a Newcomers Club, are welcome to join us the 3rd Wednesday of the month. Occasionally, special circumstances may cause us to switch Wednesdays. We run our meetings September through May. We also hold many fun and varied events throughout the year to stay connected. We meet at “3” Restaurant, 461 W. Central Street, Franklin, upstairs in a private room.

So come join us on the 3rd Wednesday at “3”!

Look for us on our Meetup and Facebook pages for more information.
https://www.meetup.com/Franklin-Newcomers-Friends
https://facebook.com/FranklinNewcomersFriendsClub

Franklin Newcomers and Friends - Yankee Swap - Dec 15

A mother's song (essay, video)

Via Dan Rather, Elliot Kirschner, and Steady Team:

"‘Tis the season to gather with family.

The notion of family is a complicated one. We are born into families, but we also make them and choose them. We join new families through our life partners. And families can grow, with new births, and as siblings, children, and other relatives bring in their own partners and have their own children. Families also shrink and fracture, with death and through trauma and miscommunication.

But at the most elemental level, family is often created and centered around one of the strongest bonds of nature, that between mother and child."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://steady.substack.com/p/a-mothers-song

Direct link to YouTube video => https://youtu.be/JLNr95zE5yA

On the second day before leaving Facebook My true love sent to me

"On the second day before leaving Facebook
My true love sent to me
Two Talk Franklin sessions a month"

The two "Talk Franklin" session can be considered a bonus that you receive by subscribing (for free). These sessions with Town Administrator Jamie Hellen get you insights on what's going on that are not available elsewhere.

And because you acted promptly, we’ll include the Town Council Quarterbacking sessions with Town Council Chair Tom Mercer. In about 20-30 minutes we provide a condensed view of what happened at the recent Town Council meeting.

These interviews are among those regularly scheduled and available to Franklin Matters subscribers. The audio session to celebrate the anniversary of Franklin Matters can be found here -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/11/happy-anniversary-franklin-matters.html

On the second day before leaving Facebook My true love sent to me

MA city/town COVID-19 daily new cases - Nov 27, 2021

This Flourish view of COVID-19 data for the CommonWealth of MA is interactive so you can select and compare one or more communities to the State or each other. I set up a comparison of Franklin to the State level shown in the photo capture shown here.

This is not a good turn to the data. Let's be careful...

Thanks to Nathan Ahlgren for this tool -> https://app.flourish.studio/visualisation/4817758/?s=03

Updated in response to some questions via Facebook

A chart with the age group distribution for each week's reports since Sep 2021 (.jpg shown, PDF linked)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ay5ir3TKkCgT0F8B5fBqGnuaQOo3nNYu/view?usp=sharing

MA city/town COVID-19 daily new cases

Saturday, November 27, 2021

Reminder: Christmas on the Town Common - Nov 28 at 4 PM

For the young and young at heart, Santa arrives on the Town Common, Sunday, Nov 28, 2021 at 4 PM. He is reported to be arriving via a special Franklin fire truck. Will Mrs. Claus be with him too?