Left In Lowell

Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts has been invited by our new superintendent to come to this Wednesday’s School Committee meeting to discuss their views on what is good sex ed in our schools. They invite any and all to come and listen to an overview of the middle school program PPLM is offering around the state.

This is a good opportunity to express your support for comprehensive sex ed in Lowell, so if you are interested, the meeting will take place this Wednesday, August 20 at 7pm in the City Council chambers.

Unbelievable. Anyone who says George W. Bush is the Security President ought to have their head examined. Just more proof that it matters who you elect, folks.

(Again, tip o’ the hat to my husband.)

I recommend reading this article (hat tip: Mr. Lynne) if you want to understand the context of the Georgian-Russian conflict. The short version: no one is the good guy in this, up to and including the United States, which has consistently embarrassed or ignored Russia by doing things such as violating the ABM treaty.

This doesn’t look so good for the Kazanjian name, does it?

A 54-year-old Hudson, N.H., man is facing fraud charges based on allegations that he tried to renew a lucrative snow-plowing contract with the city of Lowell using an altered certificate that showed he had workers’-compensation insurance when he was not covered.

Michael Kazanjian pleaded innocent in Middlesex Superior Court Thursday to charges of providing a false statement to agencies and public instrumentalities departments, attempted larceny by false pretenses, and failure to maintain worker’s compensation insurance.
…
On Dec. 1, 2005, Kazanjian submitted a “certificate of insurance” to the city to obtain a snow-plowing contract for the 2005/2006 season. The original certificate, generated by the Hoyt-Costello insurance company on Nov. 29, 2005, was marked as an automobile policy and included the words “No Snow Plowing.”

Kazanjian allegedly altered the certificate before to sending it to the city on Dec. 1, 2005, by inserting the words “For Snow Plowing.” City officials then learned through the insurance company that Kazanjian was not covered.

The more interesting - and by interesting I mean really funny - thing is that Kazanjian is claiming that this doctored document was accidentally sent to the city. He admits to doctoring it. The reason? So that his assistant could see what sort of document it was he needed. Um, wouldn’t a sticky note stating “we need to be insured for snow plowing so that this reads ‘For Snow Plowing’” suffice? And take a lot less time?

He also did not have the proper coverage at some time during the 2004/2005 winter season.

Does this entire family think that the rules don’t apply to them?

Update: This story has disappeared from the front page, though it comes up if you click on Headline News. Hmm.

Secondly, is anyone else as annoyed as I am? Every time I load the Sun home page, or some of the article pages, the stupid Suncast thing starts automatically playing. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Web Usability 101 generally states that this is not good user interface design. Especially as I have had to hit pause about 10 times as I go back and forth from the home page to the article pages I’m interested in. I am not amused.