Terry Cowgill

LJ 08.30.07 (and reax to Salisbury School)

Hey, I’m back from vacation and rarin’ to go. So I started perusing this week’s LJ to see what I might follow up on.

I noticed on the front page — among other things — that my water rates will definitely be going up by more than 50 percent and that Cornwall is one of the few towns in the Northwest Corner which is seeing contested races for the Board of Selectmen (and in a primary, no less). Good stories, both by Karen Bartomioli.

But what struck me was the residual reax to the story last week about the two disappointed Salisbury School football recruits from Boston. We ran a fine editorial on the subject — fair and incredibly balanced.

Then there were two letters to the editor (not posted online) taking us to task for reprinting a lot of the material published in the original story that ran earlier this month in The Boston Globe. In addition, while on vacation, I received a few emails, phone calls and comments on this blog from Adamson’s former players and their parents

Continue reading LJ 08.30.07 (and reax to Salisbury School)…

Putting My Feet Up …

Sorry for the sparse blogging. I am vacationing on the Queen of American Lakes with my family. And I don’t feel like blogging at the moment. But my current state of lethargy is subject to change. At any rate, I’ll be back in full action on Thursday. Cheers.

Communication Breakdown

It’s been quite a week in The Boston Globe for private schools. On Sunday, we had the sad story of two football recruits at Salisbury School (see post below).

Now another story has crossed my desk. Yesterday, The Globe ran a story based on an advance copy of a book about the crazy goings-on at Milton Academy.

The book, “Restless Virgins,” chronicles the lives of several students at Milton. It paints a picture of rampant and extreme sex and it comes in the wake of a string of scandals in recent years at the elite prep school just outside of Boston.

But there is evidence that the subjects interviewed for the book were misled about the nature of the project. Another “failure to communicate” of the kind that might have happened at Salisbury?

Salisbury-Boston Axis Takes A Hit?

I wonder what Salisbury School’s approval ratings are like in Beantown after this troubling story that appeared in today’s Sunday Boston Globe.

I have a feeling there’s a lot more to this story. The only person quoted from Salisbury is the football coach. Still, it’s not a pleasant thing to read. I feel bad for those kids from Dorchester who say they were screwed.

How Dirty Could It Be?

Try cleaning out this guy’s cage. Sort of makes pit bull owners look sane, eh? I love the comment of the SPCA guy: “There are so many unwanted dogs and cats that would make good pets. What kind of love can you get from a spider?”

Thanks, Colin.

Starbuck-ology?

With apologies to Jill Goodman, I’m not a big believer in astrology, but I do concede there could be something to it. Far more interesting to me, however, is someone who can read my personality traits from what I drink.

A group of sages who run something called The Oracle of Starbucks can give you a personality profile based not only on what you order at the coffee powerhouse, but you can also get the inside dope on your friends (or, presumably, on the stranger you’re stalking while sipping that Frappacino).

Here’s what it told me about myself when I typed in double-tall latte (my usual):

Behold the Oracle’s wisdom:

Personality type: Lame. You’re a simple person with modest tastes and a reasonable lifestyle. In other words, you’re boring. Going to Starbucks makes you feel sophisticated; you’d like to be snooty and order an espresso but aren’t sure if you’re ready for that level of excitement. People laugh at you because you use fake curse words like “friggin’” and “oh, crumb!” Everyone who thinks America’s Funniest Home Videos is a great show drinks double tall latte.
Also drinks: V8
Can also be found: On the couch at home

They had it right — up until the fake curse words (I think I used “friggin” when I was in high school in suburban Boston). Also, I drink red wine (not V-8) and am more likely to be found in my office chair in front of the computer than on the couch. Otherwise not a bad profile.

Since Starbucks are nonexistent in the NWC, a coffee lover like me gets to visit them only when I travel or when I’m in Winsted, where there’s a Starbucks kiosk at the Super Stop & Shop.

P.S. I’d be willing to bet The Oracle works fine if you tell it what you order at Irving Farm or The Roast. Just don’t tell Joe I told you to lie or they’ll add that unfortunate trait to the double-tall latte profile, too. Then I’ll be sunk if a future client does some research on me.

P.P.S. Hey, Marshall and Mike, what does The Oracle say about people who order green tea?

LJ 08.16.07

News Alert: Sharon Invades Cornwall. More below …

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This turned out to be a better issue than I thought it would be a few days ago, thanks to some late-breaking stories. In fact, the paper is chock-full of news and features this week.

In the realm of Connecticut’s public utilities, we’re all accustomed to keeping an eye out for CL&P, the state’s dominant electric company which has increased its rates so many times that it makes your head spin. But if you’re a water customer of Aquarion, watch your wallet, as Karen Bartomioli reports in this week’s lead story.

Jennifer Kronholm reports Sharon Hospital has opened its new women services center (they used to be called maternity wards). I toured it a few weeks ago and it looks like a four-star hotel. The most amusing part of the story is that each birthing suite contains a trundle bed for … the fathers. After all, what with the profound pain and agony the mothers are going through, we have to accommodate the fathers who pass out just from the stress of witnessing it all.

Continue reading LJ 08.16.07…

In Droves Against Rove

The reax to Karl Rove’s announced departure has been swift and certain. As usual, Connecticut’s own Denis Horgan goes over-the-top, while Gawker does likewise. It’s still early, but if this is an exmaple of the kind of thoughfulness coming out of the BDS crowd, I might as well stop reading now (they blame everything on him, you know).

On the right, Michelle Malkin surprises me by arguing that Rove hung on for too long. I agree. He should have left a year ago when he foolishly predicted the GOP would retain control of Congress.

But you know how it is with this administration. The most controversial characters (Rummy, Gonzales) hang on for too long so that when they resign later, it won’t look like anyone was pushing GWB around.

I don’t know whether Rove really wants to spend more time with his family (SMTWF) or not. I recall (in 1994, if memory serves) when, after less than four years in office, Tom Lord resigned as headmaster of Berkshire School. Yep, the school announced in a press release that he wanted to SMTWF. Sure, I thought … until I learned more about the circumstances. In that case, it made sense. Maybe it does for Rove, too.

Pro-Choice Bill?

My man Bill Richardson has once again shown himself to be ill-prepared and extremely uncomfortable in the endless “debates” during this interminable presidential campaign. Why hadn’t he anticipated such a fundamental question at the Logo and HRC forum?

This one came from Melissa Etheridge, who asked the New Mexico governor whether being gay was “a choice.” Note that when Bill replied that it was a choice, Etheridge looked askance and said, “I’m not sure you understand the question.” As if to say, as Tucker Carlson mused, “You’re not allowed to believe that here!”

In fact, with the exception of Gravel and Kucinich, all the candidates looked very uncomfortable with the whole question of same-sex marriage. That just might have something to do with polls showing 38% of Americans would not vote for a presidential candidate who supports gay marriage.

Not exactly profiles in courage, those Dems. On the other hand, at least 6 of the 8 had the guts to show up, unlike the Republicans, who all refused to appear at what would surely have been a very hostile environment for them. Would the Dems attend the Southern Baptist Convention and answer questions about abortion and evolution? I’d pay good money to see that.

Cast Your Vote Before Xmas?

South Carolina’s Republican Party will apparently travel to — of all places — New Hampshire to announce today that its presidential primary will be moved up to Jan. 19. This could cause a snowball effect with the Granite State primary and the Iowa caucuses sliding up a week or so in order to avoid being eclipsed. In fact, there is a chance we could see Iowa scheduling its caucus before Christmas.

When will the insanity stop? South Carolina’s actions are just the latest example of why we need a national primary (or regional primaries). My favorite MSM political analyst, Chuck Todd, does a great job explaining the madness in this video clip. Meanwhile, if you live in the Hawkeye State, prepare to put off a trip to the mall in order to travel to you local school to vote in the caucuses.