Seven Villages, Janet Joakim

sunset over Long Beach

The weekend that ties up our busy summer season is looking good.

Today is a bit cloudy, but that gives us a chance to tie up loose Continue reading Have a wonderful weekend!…

I have made a pledge not to read the hate blogs that misrepresent their conspiracy theories as truths.

I have constituents who do, and who on occasion, will let me know if there appears to be libelous statements made about me. In these cases, I am given a summary or a quote from a particular blog, but I still remain committed to not reading them.  Continue reading I do not play anonymous games - but, the childish hate mongers are at it again…

From the wall street journals free content section: 

By JAMES R. HAGERTY and KEN GEPFERT  August 16, 2007; Page A1

FULLERTON, Calif. — Nearly two years ago, Mario and Leticia Montes found a home they loved, a gray stucco bungalow with a hot tub in the backyard in a middle-class neighborhood of Orange County.

Continue reading HOME SECURITY — One Family’s Journey Into a Subprime Trap…

 Today was a great day.

 I ventured out into the neighborhood today, (despite a painful bout with a congenital hip problem), to take part in an effort that joined the Barnstable Police Departments CART team, COMM water department, and neighbors, to clean up the wooded areas that surround our neighborhoods here in precinct 6.  The CART team included the Barnstable Police Department - with Officer Mark Delaney coordinating today’s effort and the departments of resources, conservation, recreation, solid waste division, and natural resources. Continue reading this town IS doing good things!…

hypocrite. Main Entry: hyp·o·crite Pronunciation: ‘hi-p&-”krit
Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English ypocrite, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin hypocrita, from Greek hypokritEs actor, hypocrite, from hypokrinesthai
1 : a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2 : a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings
- hypocrite adjective

These days I don’t often find myself agreeing with Paul Gauvin.    For example, the field of candidates for our local elections is wider than it has been in the past few years - did the pay increase have anything do with it? Who knows?  But the latter half of that recent column was one of those times when I thank him for hitting the nail on the head.

This fellow - Eric Schwaab, who until recently dwelled primarily in Brighton, MA where is wife is still a registered voter, has now registered to vote here where his summer home sits empty for most of the off-season. Continue reading Hypocrisy - would YOU vote for this man?…

The following is taken from a flyer put together by a neighbor on Rosemary Lane - lets get a crowd out there for a few hours to clean this place up and take it back!! Continue reading Operation Clean Sweep — Nye Road and Lumberts Pond…

 Rt. 28 and Lumberts Mill, Rt. 28 and South County, and Rt. 28 and 149

 Mass Highway’s public hearing regarding Rt. 28 and Lumberts Mill, Rt. 28 and South County, and Rt. 28 and 149 can be found here - to download to be able to manipulate, right click on the link and choose save target as….

http://www.town.barnstable.ma.us/video/video2007/Public%20Hearing%20DPW-MassHighway%201H-53Min.wmv

 We are looking for feedback! If these intersections are important to you, take a look at the presentation by Mass Highway and post a comment here, or send me an email — janetjoakim@aol.com – and I will include it in my response to Mass Highway. 

Do you know how things work within your municipal government? 

Who manages whom?

Who makes decisions about road work and how?

How is public safety coordinated?

Where do your tax dollars go?

What DO those boards and commissions do? 

Here is a chance to learn how your municipal government works.

The “Inside Barnstable Town Government, A Citizens Leadership Academy” program has been used as a model by communities across the state and country. This program runs from Sept. 5 and run through Nov. 15,  on Wednesday evenings from 6.30 to 9 p.m. at various locations throughout the town.

Guest speakers and site visits are a part of the program which is coordinated and presented by Sue French and Meg Loughran, two popular teachers from our school system.

There is usually a wait list for space in this class, but seats are available now.

To sign up - call 508-862-4610, or check out this page on the town website for class schedules and details, including an application for the program:

http://www.town.barnstable.ma.us/TownManager/CitizensAcademy.asp

Well - at some point… but we must stay vigilant and watchful over the Mass Highway schedule.

I will be posting a summary of our meeting last week, and info about the future of the lights proposed for Lumberts Mill and rt 28, the lights proposed for Rt 28 and South County, and the lights NOT proposed for Rt 149 and Rt. 28 - and there is the rub ….. more info coming soon!