Winners and Winners...

Although I must express my disappointment that I didn't win, props to Al Gore, who often describes himself as the former future president, for winning the Nobel Peace prize. His ability to gather complex data and put it into a format that was clear and easily understood show all the hallmarks of a great teacher, and his refusal to believe that complicated issues can be resolved by a simple YES/KNOW framework should be a great inspiration to us all.

Ironically, he is sharing the award with the UN-based Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change. The latest research, as was predicted by NASA scientist James Hansen, whom our government tried unsuccessfully to censor, is wrong about global warming.


The Arctic Ice Cap is not melting as per their computer models. It is melting faster. The melt so far is decades ahead of what the computer model predicted.

I wonder if our house assessment will change if our house on Lime Street becomes beachfront property?

I also wanted to mention another, more local hero. Dr. Ralph Orlando has attended virtually every School Committee meeting for the past two years, has never shirked an opportunity to challenge us, and has worked cooperatively with anyone interested in finding funding for the schools. He is on the revenue task force, and has worked up a terrific power point presentation that takes the complex and breaks it down to manageable chunks. More than that, he has identified some reasonable areas within the current Chapter 70 formula where simple changes of how Newburyport is categorized can result in more funds for '09. He will be giving this presentation at the Education Forum on October 17th.

When Dr. Orlando speaks, people listen. He has been a major force on the state level, because of his unique access to those making the decisions, relationships cultivated during his many years of work with veterans.

Dr. O is a terrific example of community engagement that challenges and works with the real world to bring about meaningful change.