Meticulously reported, exquisitely written, and grippingly told, Say Nothing is a work of revelation.” –David Grann, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon From award-winning New Yorker staff writer Patrick Radden Keefe, a stunning, intricate narrative about a notorious killing in Northern Ireland and its devastating repercussions In December 1972, Jean McConville, a thirty-eight-year-old mother of ten, was dragged from her Belfast home by masked intruders, her children clinging to her legs. They never saw her again. Her abduction was one of the most notorious episodes of the vicious conflict known as The Troubles. Everyone in the neighborhood knew the I.R.A. was responsible. But in a climate of fear and paranoia, no one would speak of it. In 2003, five years after an accord brought an uneasy peace to Northern Ireland, a set of human bones was discovered on a beach. McConville’s children knew it was their mother when they were told a blue safety pin was attached to the dress–with so many kids, McConville always kept it handy for diapers or ripped clothes. Patrick Radden Keefe’s mesmerizing book on the bitter conflict in Northern Ireland and its aftermath uses the McConville case as a starting point for the tale of a society wracked by a violent guerrilla war, a war whose consequences have never been reckoned with. The brutal violence seared not only people like the McConville children, but also I.R.A. members embittered by a peace that fell far short of the goal of a united Ireland, and left them wondering whether the killings they committed were not justified acts of war, but simple murders. From radical and impetuous I.R.A. terrorists–or volunteers, depending on which side one was on–such as Dolours Price, who, when she was barely out of her teens, was already planting bombs in London and targeting informers for execution, to the ferocious I.R.A. mastermind known as The Dark, to the spy games and dirty schemes of the British Army, to Gerry Adams, who negotiated the peace and denied his I.R.A. past, betraying his hardcore comrades–Say Nothing conjures a world of passion, betrayal, vengeance, and anguish
Tom igoe has written an excellent critique and background piece:
Victor Frankenstein, son of an illustrious Swiss family seems to have everything: wealth, youth, friends and family. He also has a burning desire for knowledge which he aims to satiate by studying at the prestigious Ingolstadt University. However his passion for learning leads him to perform a deed as terrible as it is marvelous. He finds the secret to life itself and builds a man, a towering monster of a man and endows it with life. Horrified and repulsed by his own creation, Frankenstein flies from the university and from anything related to his field of research. Shocked and weakened by his labors and the horror he has endured, Frankenstein becomes an unhappy shadow of his former self. He returns home to find that his creation is sentient, aware of him and has already committed murder. Shunned by all, lonely and abandoned by even its creator, the miserable monster requests him to make a companion for him. Frankenstein refuses to unleash another such fiend upon the human race. A struggle begins between the two: the maker and his fiend- A struggle that can end only in complete destruction of either- A struggle that will reveal the true nature of both. It raises the question: who is the true author of evil, the creator or the creation?
From the great historian of the American Revolution, New York Times-bestselling and Pulitzer-winning Gordon Wood, comes a majestic dual biography of two of America’s most enduringly fascinating figures, whose partnership helped birth a nation, and whose subsequent falling out did much to fix its course.Thomas Jefferson and John Adams could scarcely have come from more different worlds, or been more different in temperament. Jefferson, the optimist with enough faith in the innate goodness of his fellow man to be democracy’s champion, was an aristocratic Southern slaveowner, while Adams, the overachiever from New England’s rising middling classes, painfully aware he was no aristocrat, was a skeptic about popular rule and a defender of a more elitist view of government. They worked closely in the crucible of revolution, crafting the Declaration of Independence and leading, with Franklin, the diplomatic effort that brought France into the fight. But ultimately, their profound differences would lead to a fundamental crisis, in their friendship and in the nation writ large, as they became the figureheads of two entirely new forces, the first American political parties. It was a bitter breach, lasting through the presidential administrations of both men, and beyond. But late in life, something remarkable happened: these two men were nudged into reconciliation. What started as a grudging trickle of correspondence became a great flood, and a friendship was rekindled, over the course of hundreds of letters. In their final years they were the last surviving founding fathers and cherished their role in this mighty young republic as it approached the half century mark in 1826. At last, on the afternoon of July 4th, 50 years to the day after the signing of the Declaration, Adams let out a sigh and said, “At least Jefferson still lives.” He died soon thereafter. In fact, a few hours earlier on that same day, far to the south in his home in Monticello, Jefferson died as well. Arguably no relationship in this country’s history carries as much freight as that of John Adams of Massachusetts and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. Gordon Wood has more than done justice to these entwined lives and their meaning; he has written a magnificent new addition to America’s collective story
From a preeminent presidential historian comes a groundbreaking and often surprising saga of America’s wartime chief executives Ten years in the research and writing, Presidents of War is a fresh, magisterial, intimate look at a procession of American leaders as they took the nation into conflict and mobilized their country for victory. It brings us into the room as they make the most difficult decisions that face any President, at times sending hundreds of thousands of American men and women to their deaths. From James Madison and the War of 1812 to recent times, we see them struggling with Congress, the courts, the press, their own advisors and antiwar protesters; seeking comfort from their spouses, families and friends; and dropping to their knees in prayer. We come to understand how these Presidents were able to withstand the pressures of war–both physically and emotionally–or were broken by them. Beschloss’s interviews with surviving participants in the drama and his findings in original letters, diaries, once-classified national security documents, and other sources help him to tell this story in a way it has not been told before. Presidents of War combines the sense of being there with the overarching context of two centuries of American history. This important book shows how far we have traveled from the time of our Founders, who tried to constrain presidential power, to our modern day, when a single leader has the potential to launch nuclear weapons that can destroy much of the human race.
Take an evening sail on the Sound on the schooner Soundwaters followed by dinner at the Crab Shell. While aboard a naturalist will talk about the “Maritime History of Long Island Sound.”
Cost of the two-hour sail is $15 per person. There is space on board for a maximum of 40 people.
Participants are invited to bring their own snacks or beverages such as beer, wine and soft drinks.
Park in Boccuzzi Park, 200 Southfield Ave. Stamford. It is on the West side of Stamford. There is construction in the area, plus the usual I95 congestion through Stamford, so allow extra time. The boat sails promptly at 5. My GPS took me to Exit 6 then left on West, left on Selleck, and right onto Southfield. A crew member will be at the parking lot to give you a parking permit and escort you to the Soundwaters. It is a short walk but there are ramps and floating docks that are a bit unsteady. There are port-a-johns at the parking lot they ask you to use vs. the on-board head. There are also public restrooms off the boardwalk at the Crab Shell.
Dinner after the sail is available at the Crab Shell or Prime – 46 Southfield Ave., Stamford. You can also park at Prime/Crab Shell and walk 15 minutes south (to your right) on a pleasant boardwalk to the SoundWaters.
SoundWaters, founded in 1989, is the premier environmental education organization focused on the protection of Long Island Sound and its watershed.
Davis. Coltrane. Parker. These names are pillars of jazz history. To the long-time connoisseur and the curious neophyte alike, their lives and music continue to inspire – and perplex. With its roots in gospel and blues music, jazz evolved into a popular style by the 1930s, with swing music dominating the American dance floor. But after the Second World War, things began to change at a rapid pace. Gone were the large swing bands, replaced by smaller, tight-knit ensembles playing strange and virtuosic music. Carnegie Hall, host to Benny Goodman’s band in the late 1930s, was supplanted by future jazz meccas such as Minton’s Playhouse, the Onyx Club, and Birdland. A dark side of jazz culture – drug and alcohol abuse – began to rear its head, afflicting many of the greatest performers and claiming many lives all too early. Amidst a sea of tumultuous race relations, a steadily evolving record industry, and swiftly changing musical styles, one thing remained constant – the impulse to innovate.
Gil Harel (PhD, Brandeis University) is a musicologist and music theorist whose interests include styles ranging from classical repertoire to jazz and popular music, as well as opera, medieval, and renaissance music. Previously, he has served on the faculty at CUNY Baruch College, where he was awarded the prestigious “Presidential Excellence Award for Distinguished Teaching”, as well as the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in Chengdu, China. Currently, he teaches at Naugatuck Valley Community College, where he was recently presented with the “Merit Award for Exemplary Service to the College.” At NVCC, Dr. Harel conducts the college chorale, teaches music history and theory, and serves as musical director of theater productions. His commitment to community-oriented lecturing spans many years. In addition to regularly leading seminars for Brandeis University’s BOLLI program, he has been hosted as a featured speaker at many learning-oriented events in Connecticut, New York, as well as Massachusetts. Outside of teaching, he enjoys staying active as a pianist and vocalist.
The event will be at the DCA. Coffee and sweets at 6:00, program at 7:00.
Everybody has an opinion – and someone to blame – but in this discussion we’ll dig deep into the data and look for realistic solutions.
You’re gonna need these …
Opening commentary:
CONNECTICUT FISCAL STABILITY AND ECONOMIC GROWTH
Connecticut has been amassing unfunded liabilities for decades and the amount today approaches $100 billion, primarily associated with employee and teacher pensions, and associated other post employment benefits (OPEB). Part of today’s problem is driven by an attempt to more fully fund this exposure.
As we try to understand how we got here, 2 years in recent history have had very significant impact, 1991 and 2008. After a bitter battle, CT enacted an income tax in 1991. The top rate was 4.5%, partially offset by a reduction in sales tax from7.5% to 5%. In 1990, the population was 3.29 million and the general fund expenses were $7.1 Billion.
By 2008, the year the deepest and longest recession in memory began, our population had grown about 7% to 3.5 million, and the State budget had doubled to $14.1 billion. A move to raise the top tax rate to 7.5% from 5% was vetoed and the sales tax was increased slightly to try to balance the budget.
In the last decade, the population remained essentially flat at 3.57 million while the proposed budget for 2020 has grown by nearly 50% to $20.9 billion. In the meantime, CT remains the only State to have lost jobs in that period, and only 10,000 jobs were added last year. In this last(lost) decade our Gross State Product (GSP) has declined 7%, while all surrounding States have seen an increase of from 3 to 7%. Connecticut ranks near bottom in terms of business friendliness. (tax & infrastructure)
The no growth problem is exacerbated by a demographic shift as older, wealthier people who do not tax the infrastructure are replaced by relatively younger, less established people who do. (schools, roads and affordable housing)
The bottom line is that expenses have been growing and are likely to continue to grow faster than revenues, given long term State employee commitments and dismal revenue growth prospects. New revenue sources must be tapped or expenses reduced, or preferably both.
GOVERNOR LAMONT’S 2020-2021 BUDGET PROPOSAL
With decisions made by last year’s legislature, CT faces a $1.5 billion deficit in 2020 and a $2 billion deficit in 2021, (the biennium), and that does not include the $400 million earmarked for transportation infrastructure. Gov. Lamont has submitted a budget that closes these gaps. Key elements of his proposal, which requires legislative approval are the following:
Keep in place those policy items proposed to sunset this year. That produces just under $1 billion in revenue. Key items include maintaining the hospital surcharge and the concomitant Federal reimbursement it brings for a total of almost $800 million. Also, no reduction in corporate income tax, but phase out of gift tax and increased estate tax threshold plan stays.
“Modernize” the sales tax to include many services not currently taxed. No tax on medical or grocery bills. 2020 impact is $292 million; 2021 impact is $505 million.
Combine the State and teacher’s retirement funds, change teacher’s fund growth assumption to match State at 6.9%, and refinance these over 30 years, instead of eliminating unfunded liabilities in 12 years, which was the plan. 2020 impact is$365 million; 2021 impact is $467 million.
Do not transfer $400 million per year out of general fund to the transportation fund, but finance these years from the current surplus. Develop a new revenue source for transportation via tolls on I-95, I-91, I-87 and the Merritt Parkway. Estimated cost for 50 gantries is $5 million each and 5 years before $1 of revenue. Bond this project to level the expense/revenue flows.
Governor Lamont’s proposed budget closes the gap and provides for balance in both years. He has accomplished this without any meaningful expense cuts and with no increase in tax rates, but choosing to tax new elements through broadening the sales tax and tolling major roads. His proposed budget includes a host of items which have minimal financial impact, but which informed citizens should be aware of, including the following:
1) Forced school regionalization to achieve economies of scale. This has been
modified to “encourage voluntary efforts by schools to seek procurement
savings, etc.”
2) A portion of teacher current new pension costs to be charged to Towns, by
formula. 5% of costs for troubled cities; 25% of costs for most Towns;
higher costs for Towns paying teachers over State median wage.
3) State employee and retiree health care prices to be tied to Medicare by
formula; doctors and hospitals to bear cost.
4) State to implement a “debt diet” to limit new bond authorizations.
5) New container deposit. 10 cents per bag; 25 cents per wine/alcohol bottle.
6) Tobacco & e-cig purchase age 21; tax e-cigs for parity with tobacco.
7) Tax of 1.5 cents on sugar sweetened beverages.
8) Increase CT minimum wage in steps to $15/Hr by 1/1/2023.
Unfortunately, with regard to proposed expenses, Connecticut does not employ zero based budgeting. In the governor’s proposal, all adjustments are shown as changes from the prior year, so it is difficult to know where the money is going. Here is the best I can do. Of the $21.2 Billion total, $19.3B is for the General Fund, up $.3B and $1.7 B is for the special transportation fund, up $.4B. The other largest categories are insurance at $105M and the tribal fund at $50M, unchanged.
Within the General Fund, assuming prior year breakout, 33.3%is for personnel, including fringes; 13.5% is for Medicaid grants; 5.5% for teacher’s retirement; 11.5% for education equalization grants; 3% for magnet /pilot schools; 11% for debt service; and 9% for other current expense and equipment. Examined by function, 28% is for education, museums and libraries; 17% is for human services; 10% for health; 8% for correction; 10% for government services, including judicial, protection, conservation and legislative. A very large 26% is for non-functional use.
CONCLUSION/CHALLENGE
Connecticut would have a temporary budget balance for 2020-2021, without trimming expenses or raising tax rates. Instead, new sales taxes on services and highway/congestion tolls would be imposed. However, in future, expenses would continue to rise faster than revenues in all likelihood with current trajectories.
Assuming most session attendees will have read this summary or are otherwise familiar with the issue, I would propose that discussion focus on creative ways to increase revenues, lower expenses and most of all, ways to encourage economic growth.
Next Steps on Implementing the proposed CTDOT Enhancements on the New Canaan Branch Line
New Canaan Study Team Detailed Report on CTDOT Enhancements to the New Canaan Branch Line
Click on this URL HIGHWAY TOLLIING to view the following documents:
CTDOT Study for Implementing Tolls in Connecticut
Debunking the Myths about Highway Tolling
Tolling the Freeway: Congestion Pricing and the Economics of Managing Traffic
Dynamic Tolls for Congestion Control
Click on the following URL to watch a video of Jim Cameron and Joe McGee talking about how Jobs Growth in Connecticut is linked to significant upgrading of Connecticut’s Transportation Infrastructure: https://vimeo.com/258249483
Connecticut’s Commission on Financial Stability and Economic Growth (FSEG)
Robert Patricelli’s Observations on Lamont’s Recommended Budget for FY 2020 – FY 2021
James C. Smith presentation on Stimulating Economic Growth through Private/Public Partnerships
Overview of the Fiscal Stability and Economic Growth (FSEG) Commission
Senate Bill No. 1502 June Special Session, Public Act No. 17-2 Sec.250 established a Commission on Fiscal Stability and Economic Growth which shall develop and recommend policies to achieve state government fiscal stability and promote economic growth and competitiveness within the state. The commission shall study and make recommendations regarding state revenues, tax structures, spending, debt, administrative and organizational actions and related activities, including relevant municipal activities, to (1) achieve consistently balanced and timely budgets that are supportive of the interests of families and businesses and the revitalization of major cities within the state, and (2) materially improve the attractiveness of the state for existing and future businesses and residents.
While the FSEG Commission was disbanded when it submitted their Report on March 1, 2018 it continued to function and on November 28, 2018 a second round of recommendations to curb the state’s multibillion-dollar deficit and jumpstart growth was issued by Patricelli and Smith. They billed the new recommendations as “Report 2.0” at the state Capitol building even though it is no longer operating under the state.
On March 13, 2019 Bob Patricelli and Jim Smith spoke to the Darien Men’s Association about the Connecticut Commission on Fiscal Stability and Economic Growth (FSEG) to the. Bob’s presentation gave his Observations on Governor Lamont’s Budget Proposal and Jim’s presentation gave his ideas on Stimulating Economic Growth through Private/Public Partnership. They also stated that they have been collaborating with Governor Lamont to agree on the best options for addressing Connecticut’s problems.
DNA Privacy. It is now inexpensive to at least partially sequence a person’s genome. Companies like Ancestry.com, GEDMatch and 23andMe.com have done it for over 20 million people. There are other databases where people have uploaded their DNA profile insearch of relatives. There are also growing databases, some public, with individual’s DNA gathered from medical testing or crime events. Recently, a cold case of rape/murder was solved by taking DNA from the crime scene and quickly identifying the killer’s cousin that then lead to an arrest. That’s good to solve a horrible crime but there are also risks and concerns.
Certainties:
Almost all of us have, will shortly have, our DNA profile, or that of a close relative, in an on-line database. It could be from genealogy hobbyists, voluntary samples, medical tests or police actions. There will be incentives and pressure to be profiled, e.g., Stamford Health will need your DNA profile as part of their standard healthcare program – you may have already consented. Babies are being tested at birth. All those routine blood tests could be stored for medical research.
The massive DNA databases, along with personal medical history will lead to healthcare breakthroughs for both us personally and the public health overall. Personalized medicine – both treatments and prevention is the future.
The DNA databases can be searched with a court order, but many are open and companies will be building their own databases. It easy to picture an offer for a “free” DNA test (like free email or facebook) if you send them a sample. Police can simply upload a DNA profile and search for relatives.
The predictive value of your DNA profile will improve – or at least people and organizations will believe it is predictive. Those predictions could involve health, behavior, intelligence, …
Companies and organizations will figure out a way to monetise and benefit from that data.
I have a bad feeling this is already out of control:
Companies such as insurance, pharmaceutical, your employer, police, or schools will exploit your DNA profile. Given the experience with google and facebook, any sort of opt-in or consent laws will be ineffective. Think of spam from a pharmaceutical company “Your DNA profile indicates you are at risk of macular degeneration – take our stuff now and save your eyes. ” Or “Your child’s DNA profile indicates they will not succeed in our most demanding academic program.” “Your DNA profile indicates you should not own a gun, have a pilot’s license, or be trusted with children.” Companies would claim they are providing a public service – and say talk to your doctor. Modern day eugenics.
How about discoveries made from your DNA? Think of Henrietta Lacks – 17,000 patents derived from her cells without compensation. A few people survive deadly things – ebola, HIV, cancer, … Do you deserve compensation if you have some unique and valuable genetic trait that a pharmaceutical company uses? Legal precedent is you don’t have rights over your bio samples.
Can a dating company require genetic testing to claim they only match people who have compatible genetics? Should you avoid marrying a person who carries the same deadly recessive gene as you?
Most of us would not volunteer our fingerprints or consent to have our phone tapped. Yet we don’t even have to directly have our DNA sequenced to be visible to the government. It is legal to collect a coffee cup or cigarette butt to get a DNA sample. Police departments are using desktop machines, under less than rigorous laboratory protocols by people with limited training. Seems like fishing is inevitable – e.g. browse for local people who “lack empathy”. Risk of false charges or being brought in for questioning.
Are we capable of responsibly interpreting the data? The public is not allowed to write their own prescriptions. Could people have their lives ruined – be filled with anxiety, get dangerous or useless medical treatments, fall prey to quacks, even be driven to suicide by not having a medical professional interpret the data? Google “headache” to get a scare.
Already the DNA testing companies warn people they may be upset by what they find. Your parents and siblings are not biologically who you thought they were. Sperm donors being identified. A sibling you didn’t know you had. There are happy endings for sure – but not always.
Lack of checks and balances. Without them there will be abuse.
China Uses DNA to Track Its People, With the Help of American Expertise. The Chinese authorities turned to a Massachusetts company and a prominent Yale researcher as they built an enormous system of surveillance and control.
How an Unlikely Family History Website Transformed Cold Case Investigations. Fifteen murder and sexual assault cases have been solved since April with a single genealogy website. This is how GEDmatch went from a casual side project to a revolutionary tool. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/15/science/gedmatch-genealogy-cold-cases.html
Thank you for your inquiry. Generally, and depending on the test ordered by your physician, blood samples are retained anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks after the testing is performed, after which they are appropriately discarded.
Meticulously reported, exquisitely written, and grippingly told, Say Nothing is a work of revelation.” –David Grann, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon From award-winning New Yorker staff writer Patrick Radden Keefe, a stunning, intricate narrative about a notorious killing in Northern Ireland and its devastating repercussions In December 1972, Jean McConville, a thirty-eight-year-old mother of ten, was dragged from her Belfast home by masked intruders, her children clinging to her legs. They never saw her again. Her abduction was one of the most notorious episodes of the vicious conflict known as The Troubles. Everyone in the neighborhood knew the I.R.A. was responsible. But in a climate of fear and paranoia, no one would speak of it. In 2003, five years after an accord brought an uneasy peace to Northern Ireland, a set of human bones was discovered on a beach. McConville’s children knew it was their mother when they were told a blue safety pin was attached to the dress–with so many kids, McConville always kept it handy for diapers or ripped clothes. Patrick Radden Keefe’s mesmerizing book on the bitter conflict in Northern Ireland and its aftermath uses the McConville case as a starting point for the tale of a society wracked by a violent guerrilla war, a war whose consequences have never been reckoned with. The brutal violence seared not only people like the McConville children, but also I.R.A. members embittered by a peace that fell far short of the goal of a united Ireland, and left them wondering whether the killings they committed were not justified acts of war, but simple murders. From radical and impetuous I.R.A. terrorists–or volunteers, depending on which side one was on–such as Dolours Price, who, when she was barely out of her teens, was already planting bombs in London and targeting informers for execution, to the ferocious I.R.A. mastermind known as The Dark, to the spy games and dirty schemes of the British Army, to Gerry Adams, who negotiated the peace and denied his I.R.A. past, betraying his hardcore comrades–Say Nothing conjures a world of passion, betrayal, vengeance, and anguish
