Spencer - Southbridge Evening News

8 SPENCER NEW
VIEWPOINT
LEADER • Friday, April 4, 2008
OPINION AND COMMENTARY FROM SPENCER, LEICESTER AND THE BROOKFIELDS
EDITORIAL
Combating
gas prices not
an easy task
The skyrocketing cost of gasoline
is, of course, a major contributor
to the nation’s economic woes.
But not only is the soaring cost of gas
causing prices of just about everything
else to inflate — commuters are finding
the $35 to $50 it now takes to fill a car’s
tank especially distressing.
Gas prices in the $2.50 range, common
throughout much of 2007, seem a downright
bargain compared to the typical $3
per gallon (and even more for high-grade
fuels) that consumers are now shelling out
at the pump. It’s hard to fathom that a
decade ago a person could top off his or
her car for well under $20.
So where do we turn? Penalizing the big
oil companies with higher taxes has emotional
appeal, but they ultimately are not
the only source of the problem. Moreover,
nothing can prevent ExxonMobil and the
like from raising their prices even further
to protect lucrative profits.
Developing alternative sources of energy
is the long-term answer, but so far the
federal government seems to be paying
only lip service to such an initiative.
Another solution is to purchase a hybrid
car, but they are expensive and relatively
few models are available.
For now, individuals need to take steps
to increase the fuel efficiency of their
vehicles. The Automotive Aftermarket
Industry Association has suggestions that
it claims can save a commuter up to $1,200
annually on trips to the pump.
• Make sure your vehicle’s gas cap is in
proper working order. Damaged, loose or
missing caps cause nearly 150 million gallons
of gasoline to vaporize into thin air
every year.
• Keep your vehicle’s tires properly
inflated, otherwise they can cost up to two
miles a gallon of fuel efficiency.
• Replace your vehicle’s spark plugs on a
regular basis. Old or dirty plugs can cause
engine misfiring, which wastes fuel.
• Replace your vehicle’s air filter on a
regular basis to prevent clogging and
improve fuel efficiency by as much as 10
percent.
• Maintain your vehicle properly, including
having regular tune-ups. Repairing a
serious maintenance issue can have a dramatic
impact on fuel efficiency, perhaps as
much as 40 percent.
The most opportune time to start this
“fuel friendly” behavior is now, rather
than waiting until gasoline hits $4 a gallon.
Unfortunately, that day doesn’t seem to
be very far around the corner.
— Blackstone Valley Tribune
LETTERSPOLICY
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Leader, 25 Elm St., Southbridge, MA 01550,
or faxed to (508) 764-8015. Letters may also
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1 8 7 2 - 2 0 0 7
25 Elm St., Southbridge, MA 01550
Telephone (800) 367-9898
Fax (508) 764-8015
www.spencernewleader.com
FRANK G.
CHILINSKI
PRESIDENT AND
PUBLISHER
WALTER C.
BIRD JR.
WEEKLY EDITOR
AT-LARGE
DAVID F. DORE
EDITOR, SPENCER NEW LEADER
AND STURBRIDGE VILLAGER
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Scott: My visionary statement for the future of Brookfield
To the Editor:
When thinking about the future of
Brookfield, the first thing I do is to look outside.
What do I see? I see thick lush forests
that provide shelter and nourishment for
the many animals that most people don’t
think exist. We know they do. We have seen
them. I look to the vast openness from a
view on Lake Road and find it to be breathtaking
even after all these years. I see hills
and valleys, old cart roads, and stone walls
that remind us of those who came before us.
I see a town that is so rich in American
History that most of the people in this country
will never see. Markers from the revolution
and King Philips War litter our side
streets. Livestock, horses and farms are
scattered throughout the town. I see a town
that is perfect for solace when one wants to
get out of the big city madness. Brookfield
is a place to think, a place to grow, a place to
learn, a place to live.
The next thing I do is think of how it was
when I first moved here and I become disappointed.
At one time, Brookfield managed to
have several small businesses that could
sustain the residents until their weekly trip
to the “city” for food, clothing, and other
supplies. Kids had the opportunity of many
local first time jobs.
Although I am not a lifer, like so many residents,
I am a longtime transplant. I wonder
if the downfall of Brookfield really had to
do with big companies moving in, like so
many people assume. I seriously doubt it, as
this downward spiral has been going on
long before the big name stores were close
by. Without an outlet for employment, or
constructive activities, kids get into trouble.
We all know that. We currently have a population
of 3,000 and not even a bank, only a
machine. I would like to see grants become
available for people to start up a business. A
coffee shop, a bookstore, possibly a small
dry goods place, and even a bed and breakfast
would be nice.
If I had to give the town of Brookfield a
one-word description, it would be “artsy.”
This town has so many talented people here
it’s a shame not to promote it as such. To do
this, we would have to look back in history
to see what worked when it was a sustainable
community.
This is my vision, a balance with nature
and commerce. The Brookfield Master Plan
Committee wants to know your visions. The
committee welcomes volunteers, visitors at
meetings, donations and community feedback.
They are also looking for interested in
high school students becoming involved in
this endeavor.
The next meetings are Thursday, April 17
and Wednesday, April 30. All meetings are
held at Town Hall at 6:30 p.m.
You may contact the Master Plan
Committee at masterplancommittee
@gmail.com.
CINDY SCOTT
BROOKFIELD
Editor’s Note: The author is a resident of
Brookfield and the chairperson of the
Brookfield Master Plan Committee.
Swanson: Newspaper, Brewer support art accomplishments
To the Editor:
This is in response to Mark Ashton’s
“Time to get off the ban wagon” column in
the March 21 edition.
Mr. Ashton contends there are only two
choices paper or plastic. There is a third
choice: canvas. I have been using canvas
bags for at least 10 years. While there is an
initial cost to me, the cost can be recouped
by shopping chains (such as Hannaford’s,
Whole Foods and many others) that refund
me 5 cents each time I use these bags. So if I
spent $5 on one bag, if I use the bag once a
week over the course of 10 years I get back
$26. What’s more, the bags are not really
free; they are just written in the cost of
higher prices. The discount Price-Rite
chain (one is in Worcester) charges lower
food prices, but charges 10 cents per bag.
Mr. Ashton contends that plastic is the
cheapest; I say canvas is a lot cheaper. Even
without the above-mentioned refunds, I
would still use canvas bags.
The formal definition of biodegradation
To the Editor:
On behalf of the Youth Art Month
Committee, the art teachers and the art students,
I would like to thank The New Leader
and Sen. Stephen M. Brewer for joining us
in celebrating Youth Art Month. The New
Leader has encouraged local students by
acknowledging their accomplishments in
the arts. Your recognition of the effort and
hard work is appreciated.
Sen. Brewer supports our students with
his annual winter card contest and his continued
involvement with the Youth Art
Month reception. This year, he graciously
stepped in at short notice to address the
friends and families of our youth artists. He
believes, as we do, that the cultural growth
of our communities will continue with our
children and their creative spirit.
Thank you for supporting arts education.
CHRISTINE SWANSON
YOUTH ART MONTH COMMITTEE
Wojdak: Paper, plastic or canvas — there’s a third choice
To the Editor:
On Easter Monday, March 24, Mary,
Queen of the Rosary Parish voted to accept
the offer from the Diocese of Worcester, in
the name of the Bishop Robert McManus,
the sum of $201,000 to dismantle and demolish
Saint Mary’s Church in Spencer.
How heart rendering it is that the plotting
to bring down Our Father’s House should
occur during the holiest season for
Catholics. Like the Thirty Pieces of Silver
offered to Judas to hand over our Lord, the
Diocese of Worcester came with their own
offer of Blood Money. The parishioners
attending the meeting were more than
happy to accept this generous offer from the
bishop.
I will be forever grateful that I left this
meeting before I could hear the applause
and stamping of feet at the expense of the
few people present that continued in the
hope that Saint Mary’s Church would
remain a valuable property to the parish.
The applause rang out like the cries to
“Crucify Him, Crucify Him.”
How have these people forgotten that this
church was built with great sacrifice by our
ancestors in honor of Our Blessed Mother,
and that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was
offered there for generations? No Catholic
should ever rejoice in the knowledge that
there will be one less place to worship our
God. As Christ hung on the cross, he offered
the words, “Father, forgive them, they know
not what they do.” No amount of rubble will
ever fill the hole in the hearts of those who
loved this church. This masterpiece of
architecture, a treasure to cherish will be
is “the process by which organic substances
are broken down by the enzymes
produced by living organisms” (source:
wikipedia.org).
We live in a throw away society with
entirely too much waste, without much concern
for the environment. Plastic bags
never biodegrade; they do break down into
microscopic pieces, only to leave behind
substances that pollute our water supply.
These pieces have to end up somewhere. Do
you want your kids (great-great-great ...
grandkids) to be drinking this stuff ?
In an ideal world everyone world recycle
and not litter, but some people do. With
springtime, look at the side on any roadway
and the amount of litter. It is time to think
about long-term solutions to a simple problem
and start caring about the environment.
Canvas bags present a simple solution
to a complicated problem.
JOHN WOJDAK
BROOKFIELD
Beer: Destruction of St. Mary’s not worthy of applause
gone and the landscape of the town, will be
changed forever.
Over the past 10 years, many of the former
members of Saint Mary’s Church have
passed away, and many others have left and
moved to surrounding Catholic churches.
Like myself, they found it impossible to continue
here under these circumstances.
To those of you who toiled with great sacrifice
to support St. Mary’s, I offer you my
deepest gratitude for the gift we were given.
I consider myself so fortunate to have
attended her school because of the sacrifice
of my parents and the Sisters, priests and
lay teachers who taught us there. Their
deep love for their faith was evident
through the good works they performed.
I can close my eyes and see myself as a
young schoolgirl walking with classmates
through the open doors of St. Mary’s
Church and attending the French Mass as
we did on the First Friday of the month.
The beautiful stain glass windows were
open, and the birds sang outside. The
priest’s French was not always understood,
but it was as familiar as my Memere and
Pepere.
How truly blessed were those who shared
this wonderful place in time, and I am so
sorry that it cannot continue to be passed
on to future generations to come. And I beg
that those of you who are ready to move forward
with the destruction of this church,
please hold your applause for another day.
GAYLE BEER
SPENCER
Things (or
nothing) that
go bump in
the night
When it comes to seeing and hearing
things, especially late at
night, my fiancée will tell you I
pretty much take the cake.
She’ll also tell you much of it is made up
in my mind — a figment, if you will, of an
overactive and rather anxious imagination.
Of course, I would point out that many of
these late-night happenings really … well,
happened.
There was, for example,
BIRD’S
NEST
WALTER
BIRD JR.
the Bat Episode, which
pretty much entailed yours
truly laying on a couch late
at night (for an image you
surely don’t want, I’ll
acknowledge that underwear
was the only garment
being worn) and hearing a
fluttering noise. That was
followed by a high-pitched
screaming sound — which
was, once again, yours
truly as he ran into the
bedroom after seeing a bat
twitter through the house.
Other times, OK, maybe it wasn’t a “real”
sighting, but it sure seemed it.
Like not so long ago, when I was on a pill
to help defeat a tough nicotine habit.
One of the side effects as listed on the
instructions was “strange dreams.”
Strange, indeed.
Never mind the one where I introduced
Larry David to an audience before getting
into a fight with Howie Mandel.
One night, I woke up convinced someone
was shining a flashlight into our third-floor
apartment. All I know is I saw a bright,
white light. Seeing how it was somewhere
around 3 a.m., a bright, white light is not
expected.
Being the sworn protector of a loving
fiancée and two helpless little birds, I did
what any sane and rational man would do
at 3 a.m.: I jumped out of bed and grabbed
the folding knife I keep on my dresser for
those times when, well, for nothing, really.
It’s small and barely accomplishes such
challenging tasks as cutting cardboard —
but at least I was armed.
And so it went that I roamed our apartment,
every room, only to find it was as it
had been when we retired for the evening —
dark and empty.
My fiancée, the next day, convinced me I
had had another of those “strange”
dreams.
Ah, but to prove that it is not I alone who
sees and hears things, I offer up my fiancée
(without having sought her approval, of
course) as Exhibit A.
Sleeping the other night, I was roused
from slumber by my much more attractive
significant other. She bore a wide-eyed,
panic-stricken look and was quite obviously
saying something important to me.
However, it should be noted that I wear a
hearing aid. That instrument comes out at
bedtime. Without it, I am, as has been clinically
noted, moderately to severely hard of
hearing.
Why is that important?
Because while I could clearly see my
fiancée’s lips moving, I couldn’t hear a
blessed thing.
Obviously frustrated she leapt from the
bed as I fumbled to affix the hearing aid to
my ear. As I did, I heard something about
“person” and “breaking in.”
Seeing as it was around 5 a.m., that is not
the sort of activity you’re expecting.
I finally got the hearing aid in and adjusted
properly. By that time, however, my SO
(that’s hip lingo for “significant other”) had
already approached the back door of our
apartment, where she had heard the noise
initially. Exercising not one ounce of concern
for her own personal safety, she flung
open the door and let out a scream. The
screen door was wide open and there was,
indeed, a figure outside our apartment.
My fiancée turned away and walked back
to the bedroom, saying something about a
“raccoon.”
Being not so quite as brave as my future
wife, I peered out the window of the inside
door and, to my surprise, saw a masked
creature staring up at me.
“Hey,” I said. “There’s a raccoon out
here.”
Master of the obvious, that’s me.
The rather portly looking thing eventually
waddled down the back porch stairs, presumably
back to its home, as the sun was
coming up. My fiancée was climbing back
in bed, and I joined her, only too happy to
point out that it’s not just me who hears
and sees things.
And, heck, my reasons for being terrified
were certainly better than hers. A bat, certainly
intent on sucking the blood from an
unsuspecting nighttime TV watcher? A
bright white light in the dead of night?
Sure beats a raccoon at the back door.
Walter Bird Jr. may be reached at (508)
909-4107, or by e-mail at wbird@stonebridgepress.com.