- on loc.gov/concerts
- the Library's YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/loc)
- and the Performing Arts at the Library of Congress Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/libraryofcongressperformingarts/videos/)
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Providing accurate and timely information about what matters in Franklin, MA since 2007. * Working in collaboration with Franklin TV and Radio (wfpr.fm) since October 2019 *
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Applications are open for a Rockland Trust scholarship
If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication: https://forms.gle/oPdi8X3ZbHHyrHzo6
Community Calendar |
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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm).
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
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Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.
I hope you enjoy!
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"The state releases a map on a weekly basis that uses coronavirus case counts to show which Massachusetts communities are at high, moderate, and low risk for COVID-19 infection. The state’s latest report lists a total of 66 Massachusetts communities now considered high risk for the spread of COVID-19.
The statewide average daily rate of infection per 100,000 residents was at 30, down from 38.5, last week, and Boston’s average daily rate was at 30.4, down from 38.8 last week."
"Massachusetts is a global leader in heavy-duty technology fields such as robotics and artificial intelligence, yet the state government continues to have a nightmarish time running a simple website to let residents easily book COVID-19 vaccine appointments.
The latest and most spectacular failure occurred Thursday morning, when the state’s main vaccine scheduling site repeatedly crashed under heavy traffic from thousands of newly eligible residents chasing the few available appointments. It resumed service later in the day.
The state issued a statement Thursday evening from PrepMod, one of its vendors for the online appointments, in which the company took responsibility for the site crash. “As public health servants and your partner, we are sorry for not meeting expectations,’' the PrepMod statement said. “We accept full responsibility for the problem today."
"THE STATE WEBSITE for finding an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine crashed Thursday morning as a torrent of people 65 and above rushed to sign up, the latest chapter in the Baker administration’s ongoing difficulty responding to the pandemic.Many people who logged on to the website at 8 a.m. were met with a message saying “this application crashed” and to try again later. By about 8:25 a.m. it was possible to get into the website, but it appeared all the appointments had been booked at major mass vaccination sites and other locations. Later in the morning the website was accessible but no appointments were available except in Greenfield."
Read #MIAA updated communication regarding general & sport modifications for Fall II Season. #patience #OneTeamOneMIAA #maskupMIAA😷
MIAA web page = https://t.co/7BHpt3Q2lfShared from Twitter = https://t.co/kh17FId6A4
Tweet from MIAA - Updated Communications on Fall II Season |
Photos captured during the meeting and shared via Twitter can be found in one album https://photos.app.goo.gl/D5ZBXuVmqXWBKwv68
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Town Council - recap of Feb 17, 2021 Meeting |
Statement from Senate President Karen E. Spilka
"I am deeply disappointed that today (2/18/21) so many Massachusetts residents are feeling frustration and anger on a day when we should be experiencing hope. I hear it and I feel it too. The Senate and House are holding a public, livestreamed oversight hearing on Thursday, February 25 and we expect answers from those responsible for this failure. The Administration must deliver a better experience for our residents, who have already dealt with so much anxiety and disruption."
"The state's website to find and book vaccine appointments experienced delays and technical difficulties and the administration sincerely apologizes for the frustration and inconvenience residents experienced over the course of the day. (1/6)Despite these difficulties, 60,000 mass vaccination appointments for the week were booked. At this time, there are no availabilities for Fenway, Foxboro, Danvers, Natick, Dartmouth and Springfield. (2/6)After the web vendor Prep Mod addressed the issues, the state’s website is currently operating. The Administration is now pressure testing the site to ensure the vendor’s adjustments are adequate. (3/6)While the mass vaccination sites are booked for the week, a small number of appointments for other locations will be posted over the next several days. This includes pharmacies and regional collaboratives. (4/6)Currently, approximately one million residents are now eligible and because supply is still severely limited by the federal government, it is expected to take at least a month for residents to book appointments. (5/6)The Command Center will continue to work on website improvements to streamline and improve this process.” -Command Spokesperson (6/6)"
Mass.gov -> Update on vaccine scheduling website |
"THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION accelerated its vaccine rollout, announcing that starting Thursday individuals over 65 and those with two or more underlying health conditions can start booking appointments for initial doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
Last week, the administration had indicated it would be “several weeks” before it would move on from vaccinating those 75 and older. But Marylou Sudders, the secretary of health and human services, said in a briefing with reporters on Wednesday that the uptake by the over-75 group went better than expected, resulting in more than 50 percent of the group receiving at least a first dose."
"THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE intends to put Gov. Charlie Baker on the hot seat over the vaccine rollout, calling an oversight hearing that has been used sparingly in the past.
Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ronald Mariano said Wednesday morning that they will convene a joint committee for a series of oversight hearings to get answers from the administration on its vaccine efforts."
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"Artists and creative workers from Arlington, Beverly, Boston, and Franklin are sharing how they're impacted by COVID-19."
MAPC: "Across the region, arts and culture has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic" |
Today (2/17/21), the Massachusetts Legislature announced it will hold the first in a series of oversight hearings on the state’s COVID-19 vaccination distribution plan on February 25, 2021. The House and Senate hearings will be held by the newly-created Joint Committee on Covid-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management and will seek testimony from the Baker Administration on the state’s COVID vaccine distribution operation and plans moving forward.
“We have heard the frustration and anger of people across Massachusetts about the constantly changing and confusing vaccination roll out plan, and we are using the tools at our disposal to help people get answers, especially about what we can expect moving forward,” stated Senate President Karen E. Spilka. “It is essential that we get a greater understanding of the Baker Administration’s plans to improve our vaccination rates, especially for those communities and populations hardest hit, including persons who are medically fragile or with disabilities, teachers, and communities of color.”
“The state's COVID-19 vaccination plan was developed by experts and guided by science, but the rollout has been marked by both logistical and communications shortcomings,” said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano. “It is our hope that through these hearings, we will ascertain valuable information about the failures of the rollout and help contribute to solutions for the people of the Commonwealth. We are specifically focused on delivering equitable access to vaccines and increasing supports for our most vulnerable residents. While flexibility is important, it must be matched with sound operational decisions, as well as clear and consistent communications with the Legislature and the general public.”
In addition to the administration, the committee will be inviting the chairs of the Joint Committees on Racial Equity, Civil Rights and Inclusion and Healthcare Financing and Public Health to testify.
"We can't get to work fast enough. I'm pleased to be working with Chair Bill Driscoll and fellow committee members in this oversight capacity so that we can dig in together on wide-spread concerns around the vaccine roll out, the COVID-19 response thus far, and our Commonwealth's emergency preparedness status going forward. COVID-19 hit our Commonwealth, its residents, our businesses, and families like a wrecking ball and the Committee will spare no effort to deliver on its charge of oversight and preparedness," noted Senator Jo Comerford, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Covid-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management (D-Northampton).
“The Commonwealth seems to have been underprepared for the complexities in Phase One of the vaccine roll out,” said Representative Bill Driscoll Jr., House Chair of the Joint Committee on Covid-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management (D-Milton). “We all understand that patience is paramount in our current pandemic circumstances, but patience and public trust wear thin when there are constant pivots in the plan. It is important for us to get a deeper understanding of what the Administration’s planning and operational outlook is for the next phases of the rollout and how they intend to improve delivery now and on a going forward basis.”
The joint oversight hearing will be held remotely on Thursday, February 25, 2021. Further details will follow. Testimony will be by invitation only, but the hearing will be viewable by the public. A series of similar hearings, including one that will be open to public testimony, will be scheduled in the coming weeks.
Those seeking more information should contact Jared Freedman in Senator Comerford’s office or Summer Ordaz in Representative Driscoll’s office.
"The next HOME poetry reading and workshop will be on March 5-6. The theme is "I Belong There", and the facilitator is Monica Sok. In this workshop, we will read poetry of exile and ask ourselves what it means to create (be)longing inside of our poems."
"Millions of jobs that have been shortchanged or wiped out entirely by the coronavirus pandemic are unlikely to come back, economists warn, setting up a massive need for career changes and retraining in the United States.
The coronavirus pandemic has triggered permanent shifts in how and where people work. Businesses are planning for a future where more people are working from home, traveling less for business, or replacing workers with robots. All of these modifications mean many workers will not be able to do the same job they did before the pandemic, even after much of the U.S. population gets vaccinated against the deadly virus.
Microsoft founder-turned-philanthropist Bill Gates raised eyebrows in November when he predicted that half of business travel and 30 percent of “days in the office” would go away forever. That forecast no longer seems far-fetched. In a report coming out later this week that was previewed to The Washington Post, the McKinsey Global Institute says that 20 percent of business travel won’t come back and about 20 percent of workers could end up working from home indefinitely. These shifts mean fewer jobs at hotels, restaurants and downtown shops, in addition to ongoing automation of office support roles and some factory jobs."
"Revealed: chemicals giant sold Louisiana plant amid fears over cost of offsetting toxic emissions"
"Chemicals giant DuPont decided to sell a plant in south Louisiana that emits a likely cancer causing pollutant, citing “major concerns” that government agencies would regulate its emissions to protect the community living nearby, internal documents seen by the Guardian reveal.Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
The documents show the multibillion-dollar company worried in 2011 about the potential cost of offsetting its emissions of the “likely human carcinogen”, chloroprene, and so moved to sell the plant, the Pontchartrain Works facility.
The company codenamed the sale “Project Elm” in an apparent bid to keep the deal, completed in 2015, secretive. It is also alleged the company withheld details of its own research to offset emissions from the plant’s new owners."
"If the cover-up was to work, the high jumper Danil Lysenko realized far too late, he had better familiarize himself with the Moscow hospital where Russian track and field officials had insisted he had undergone a battery of medical tests.
The details mattered. The tests were the centerpiece of Russia’s explanation for why antidoping officials had been unable to locate Lysenko in the spring of 2018.
The punishment mattered, too: Athletes found guilty of so-called whereabouts failures — effectively failing to make themselves available for random drug tests — can face suspensions of up to two years. Those caught lying, falsifying documents or obstructing investigators risked even worse. Either sanction, though, would most likely keep Lysenko, a talented high jumper who has just turned 21, from representing Russia at the Tokyo Olympics."
The first event as part of our Creative Economy Workshop Series in partnership with @MassArt is in three days! All workshops are free and happening virtually.
Register here to learn how to improve your grant and proposal writing skills: https://t.co/4VGrvHqbOz
Shared from Twitter: https://t.co/h9DDC8AVee
Mayor's Office of Arts & Culture Boston: grant writing workshops