Eagle Feathers #189 – The Home Front

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

On December 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan attacked American Naval and Army bases at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. It launched America into a two-front war with Japan and Germany that would change the country forever. America, the Sleeping Giant, had been treacherously awakened. Suddenly, she had to re-tool from her peaceful pursuits into an all-out war industry.

— Tufts University Photo

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and members of the Tufts Partnership Negotiating Committee invite residents to a community meeting on Wednesday, October 30, for an update on the current status of negotiations with Tufts University about a new Partnership Agreement between the city and the University. The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the TAB Building, 167 Holland St. The previous Partnership Agreement expired on June 30, 2018. In addition to Tufts’ Payments in Lieu of Taxes (aka “PILOT payments”), the Partnership Agreement covers issues related to student housing, partnership with Somerville schools, the university’s planning process, and other topics.

The cities of Cambridge and Somerville and the Cambridge Community Foundation would like to invite the public at large and also area businesses and organizations to come and “dance for dignity” on October 25 at the Center for Arts at the Armory in Somerville: 7:00 – 10:30 p.m.

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Review by Off The Shelf correspondent Dennis Daly

James R. Scrimgeour communes with spirits and he does it with wit and wisdom. In Scrimgeour’s new poetry collection, Voices of Dogtown, he conjures up the denizens of a long abandoned New England village on the outskirts of Gloucester, Massachusetts. The few specters that still haunt this plot of land, called Dogtown, are not happy campers. Without any mollycoddling, the poet gives them voices and listens to their grievances, all the while working into these poems a jumble of scholarly citations, guidebook descriptions, ekphrastic commentaries, and even conjectures from an earlier eminent poet. Consider this book a topographical and historical adventure. At the end of his introductory poem entitled Dogtown, Scrimgeour sets the tone:

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After living in Los Angeles for many years, Jake Tringali is now back in his home city of Boston. Runs rad restaurants. Thrives in a habitat of bars, punk rock shows, and late-night adventures. Jake writes about the edges of society, and frequently about the things we no longer see, such as the hidden letters of the alphabet (“recanted”). With a strong background in cyberpunk and the hard sciences, he has a focus on the intersection of technology and human interaction. The reader will find him equally comfortable inside a mosh pit, or enjoying a 12-course dinner service. First published in 2014. Journals include Catch & Release, Boston Poetry Magazine, Indiana Voice Journal, and forty other fine periodicals.

Arrests:
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Jarod Bryan, of 65 Legate Hill Rd., Leominister, September 30, 12:14 p.m., arrested at Middlesex Ave. on charges of larceny under $1200 and possession of a class B drug.

David Polyak, of 32 Sciarappa St., Cambridge, September 30, 10:49 p.m., arrested at Washington St. on a warrant charge of operation of a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs.

5 puppet performances in East Somerville
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The Somerville Arts Council takes you on one last adventure: “Puppet Palooza 2019: Tales from Around the World!” Stories have always been a connective thread that brings cultures together. For this series, Tales from Around the World, our featured performers bring those stories to life. Audiences are whisked away on journeys to far-away lands featuring global tales from Africa, Persia, Indonesia, and many more. So, grab your passport and prepare for thrilling escapes and unexpected surprises along the way.

Copies of ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ now available at all library branches.

The Somerville Public Library announces the 2019 “Somerville Reads” events series. Somerville Read is a citywide reading initiative that encourages all Somerville residents to read and discuss the same book to promote literacy and community engagement. Throughout the month of October, the Somerville Public Library will host various intergenerational programs including discussions, book clubs, and more, all related to the themes found in The Haunting of Hill House, the 2019 Somerville Reads selection.

Roughly 45 volunteers attended a special recognition event hosted by Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services at The Independent in Somerville on September 19. The recognition will become an annual event, going forward.

The contributions of volunteers who assist older adults took center stage at a special volunteer appreciation event hosted by Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES) on September 19.

In thanking those who attended, Executive Director Paul Hollings noted that SCES has more volunteers than employees, saying they play an important role in helping local older adults maintain health and independence.

The Kennedy School’s indoor and outdoor spaces were colorfully updated during the school day on Friday, September 20 during the second City Year/Biogen Care Deeply day of service in the district in as many weeks. Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone, district Assistant Superintendent Chad Mazza, and several other Kennedy School and Somerville Public Schools staff offered words of appreciation to the City Year and Biogen team members during the opening ceremony.