"First in a seven-part series"
THIS is what they are devoting their INVESTIGATIVE, JOURNALISTIC ACUMEN TOWARDS?
Sigh. This FRONT-PAGE LEAD speaks more about them than any words I could ever type.
"Missed opportunities; Boston's student-athletes face a sports program in distress" by Bob Hohler, Globe Staff | June 21, 2009
In a golden age of professional sports in Boston, they are portraits of a bleak reality for student-athletes in the city’s public schools.
Once again, I shouldn't be surprised by the focus:
"NASCAR coverage was also expanded on the cable channel New England Sports Network, which is owned by New England Sports Ventures, the parent company of the Red Sox and Fenway Sports Group. The New York Times Co., which owns The Boston Globe, holds a 17 percent stake in New England Sports Ventures."
And it's not like I want sports to go away or high-school athletics to be underfunded -- I obviously don't (related: Hey Reporter, What Game You Watchin'?; they can't even get that correct)!
What I object to is the TRILLIONS of LOOT that went for WARS and BANKS as well as the STATE'S WASTEFUL WAYS!
Need money?
I know just where to look:
Governor Guts State ServicesPigs at the State Trough
A Slow Saturday Special: Statehouse Slush Fund
Hollywood S***s on Massachusetts
Biotech Giveaway Was Borrowed Money
How many times I gotta put 'em up?
Turns out STATE GOVERNMENT is nothing but a LOOTING JOB for BANKS, FAVORED CORPORATIONS and AGENDAS, and POCKET-STUFFING POLITICIANS!!!
And then they WAX BACK TO US how much they LUUUUUUVVVVVV US!!!!!
City leaders point to a few splendid new fields and facilities and offer promises of better days.
I'll bet they were overcharged and looted for the fields, and promises, promises, promises!
But as students like Ceron know all too well, Boston’s high school athletic program languishes in chronic distress. A system that could inspire greater achievement on the field and in the classroom while providing a vital alternative to the hazards of the streets is failing because of inadequacies in funding, facilities, equipment, coaching, oversight, and vision, according to a nine-month review by the Globe.
All the things they could be investigating -- and it's this?
The first measure of failure is financial.
Of course. Money is the top issue to the corporate jewspress.
City leaders allocated just under $4 million this year for athletics, less than one-half percent of the total budget of $833 million. That’s far less than the statewide average of 3 to 4 percent, according to the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. The national average is 1 to 3 percent, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Oh, we are SO SMUG and HIGH on our LIBERAL HORSES -- and yet WE SCREW KIDS!! That's because the TAXPAYER $$$$ are going OUT of STATE and INTO CORPORATE (or political) POCKETS!
You know, I guess they have more important things to learn.
Boston dedicates a smaller percentage of its school budget to athletics than neighboring cities such as Cambridge and Somerville and similarly sized urban centers, including San Francisco and Atlanta. Boston’s athletic budget has not increased in more than six years....
I need even type anything, or....
I mean, it is NOT LIKE you couldn't FIND a MILLION DOLLARS!!!!
"This Tall tale is one for the books; Standoff between Menino and Sail Boston ends with a Pyrrhic settlement" by Sam Allis, Globe Columnist | June 21, 2009
The mere idea of the city using its dough for some tall ships as Boston Mayor Tom Menino is losing teachers tries our souls. Also, why did Sail Boston have such a hard time raising money if the Tall Ships are so popular?
It’s not as if we’re talking about the massive parades honoring the Patriots and the Red Sox whenever they conquer the world. Corporate sponsors cover almost all of those attendant costs. Tall Ships can’t compare with the emotion and meaning of those demonstrations to Boston, so remind me again why the city should cover the Tall Ships in the first place?
Or why they can't pay for the sports.
Now where could you get, say, $6 MILLION dollars?!!!
Hey, we worship war more than sports (in fact, sports is good propaganda -- corporations behind it -- for wars).
Now back to your regularly scheduled blog post.
The second measure is opportunity. Only about 3,000 students participate in Boston’s struggling sports system, as countless others are effectively deprived of the opportunity to play because the programs are not available to them. While 68 percent of students statewide play interscholastic sports, a mere 28 percent participate in the Boston Public Schools, according to an MIAA survey last year. It’s not that many Boston students don’t want to play. It’s because, for a host of reasons, they can’t. At Charlestown High School, for instance, girls have the option of playing only five sports all year - volleyball, basketball, softball, and indoor and outdoor track - and they turn out in small numbers to participate. By comparison, girls in neighboring Everett enjoy many more sports options, including field hockey, ice hockey, soccer, tennis, and swimming, and they participate at much higher levels....
Everett has a lot more $$$$.
The situation is even bleaker at Boston’s 22 middle schools. The only interscholastic sports available to those children are basketball and spring track....
No wonder the feeder programs suck and there are youth with nothing to do all over town.
In a city where school spirit, neighborhood pride in athletics, and a sense of personal security among students have plummeted, it’s no wonder that most of Boston’s best athletes have abandoned the public schools for private and parochial schools, and that others have enrolled in suburban schools through the Metco program, according to many coaches, parents, and advocates.
Oh yeah, same out here.
“I know people want to be optimistic,’’ said Latin football coach John McDonough, “but if you look at the situation and think about whether the glass is half-full or half-empty, I want to say, ‘It’s half-empty. Fill the damn thing, would you?’ ’’
Did the Globe just put damn (I know it's a quote) in the paper?
A city whose high school teams once were envied by suburban rivals now fosters a system that inspires little more than pity.
“My heart goes out to those folks,’’ said Nancy O’Neil, the athletic director at Lincoln-Sudbury High School, which competes against Latin in the Dual County League. “There’s no question that across Massachusetts you have the haves and the have-nots, and the Boston schools clearly fall into the category of the have-nots. It’s such a tragedy.’’
No, no, no, NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Not in EGALITARIAN, LIBERAL, COMPASSIONATE, Massachushitts!!!!!
Mayor Thomas M. Menino said he is committed to improving the city’s high school athletic system. “Can we do better? We sure can,’’ the mayor said. “It’s a work in progress. We’re making some gains, but the issue is resources. We need to find a way to do more in these difficult financial times.’’
Like about a MILLION DOLLARS more?
....
Unlike most communities in the state, Boston does not charge students a user fee to play sports. The fee to play football at Hamilton-Wenham, for example, was $969....
Think of it as an EXTRA TAX on what you ALREADY PAY for SCHOOLS, Bay Staters. I'm wondering when you all are gonna have enough, come of that liberal Democrap hihgh horse, and HEAD for the HARBOR!!!
I mean, you TAKE SUCH PRIDE in the BOSTON TEA PARTY in my STATE HISTORY TEXTS (otherwise known as school).
Dennis Wilson, the boys basketball coach at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School. “We need to get the word to the bigwig politicians that they need to add to the sports budget. We need more equipment, more resources, more opportunities....’’
Yeah, and A LOT of OTHER THINGS!! They can START with the TRUTH and then STOP STEALING FROM US!!
And how would YOU like YOUR KID PRACTICING on THIS?
The Brighton football team works out on an uneven field so littered with dog feces and goose droppings that players call it “the toilet bowl.’’
A shortage of uniforms forced members of Charlestown’s champion track team to swap sweat-soaked jerseys during meets. South Boston football coach Sean Guthrie and other coaches scavenged for equipment and reached into their pockets for thousands of dollars to outfit their teams....
WTF? THEY SHOULD NOT have to DO THAT!!!
You KNOW where ALL the TAX MONEY is GOING -- and now they are RAISING THEM AGAIN!!!
The need for a vibrant high school athletic system has never been greater, according to administrators, coaches, and advocates who said experience has shown that students who participate in sports are more likely to stay out of trouble and achieve better grades....
Oh, REALLY?
Then PLEASE EXPLAIN to ME the CROP of THUGS like Plaxico Burress and all the rest that are currently populating pro sports!
Hell, A GUY KILLED A MAN while DRIVING DRUNK and he ONLY GOT 30 DAYS!!!!!!!!
Boston Police Superintendent Paul Joyce said:
“.... We’ve found that sports can help them gain the confidence and self-esteem they need to say no to picking up a gun.’’
Until it comes time to go to war based upon lies.
And RESERVE JUDGMENT on how good "competitive" sports is for the kids -- or anyone else, really. We NEED COOPERATION not COMPETITION! Ah, not on the agenda, 'eh?
And wait until you get this:
Boston’s struggle to sustain competitive athletic programs is also made more difficult by the city’s surge of immigrant students who have never been exposed to numerous sports, most notably football and hockey. Coaches in those sports routinely struggle to recruit enough athletes to field teams.
Yup, they BURDEN the HEALTH CARE and SCHOOL SYSTEMS -- hey, no one is objecting to LEGAL IMMIGRANTS but that is NOT WHAT WE HAVE HERE -- despite the Globe's omission.
And again, I WOULD NOT CARE AT ALL and WANT THEM ALL FUNDED (as trillions go to banks, war-looters, etc, etc) if the IMMIGRATION ISSUE and the WIDE-OPEN BORDERS (Israel is building a wall, China has a wall, they seem to work) was not part of the ECONOMIC INTEGRATION PLANS of the GLOBALISTS!!!
Turns out, the SAME CREW is LOOTING MY STATE!
The challenge is particularly acute at Burke, which has a large number of Cape Verdean immigrants; Hyde Park, which enrolls an abundance of newcomers from Haiti; and Madison Park, where English is a second language for 51 percent of the students. Coaches often rely on bilingual players to translate their instructions.
“The nationalities of our players go from A to Z,’’ said Madison Park football coach Roosevelt Robinson. “When I ask everybody who is American to stand up, nobody does.’’
(Blog author feels naive and is flabbergasted; the problem is MUCH WORSE than I THOUGHT!)
Shortcomings in the system are less extreme at the exam schools, particularly Latin, which enjoys most of the privileges of its suburban counterparts thanks to generous financial support from alumni. But coaches and students in the non-exam schools consider the disparity between Latin’s programs and theirs a form of de facto discrimination.
“The city treats the big three exam schools like real schools,’’ Robinson said. “They get special privileges. It’s a shame the rest of the schools aren’t treated that way.’’
Welcome to the MODUS OPERANDI of Massachushitts/i>!!!!!
--more--"And who is watching all this?
"AD is hindered by demanding workload" by Bob Hohler, Globe Staff | June 21, 2009
Ken Still, the lone AD for 18 Boston public high schools that field teams:
“.... We have illegal players playing all the time.’’
Eligibility rules are violated with impunity.... Still has ideas about how to improve Boston’s athletic system by developing better feeder programs and exposing more children to sports at younger ages, but he has little chance to pursue them.
Why must we propagandize kids?
We are already shoving so much agenda-pushing s*** in their faces these days.
Can't we just LET THEM be KIDS and develop their own interests?
Financial constraints have taken a toll, as the athletic department’s $3.7 million budget has remained steady since Still started the job in 2003....
Trillions for wars, trillions for...., oh, never mind!
Still also captained the Brandeis basketball team, then coached at Brandeis from 1991 to 2001.
Every time you turn around.
He earns about $100,000 a year as Boston’s athletic director....
WHAT? Are YOU KIDDING ME?
And the looting just goes on and on!
--more--"Meanwhile, KIDS are PRACTICING in SHIT!!!
Oh, and about SPORTS building character and self-esteem:
FLASHBACK:
"YMCA coach charged, held in rape; Alleged victim was female player under 14" by Milton J. Valencia, Globe Staff | February 14, 2009
A popular girls basketball coach and a site director at the YMCA in Melrose was charged yesterday with raping one of his young players over the course of several years, according to the office of Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr.
James Conner, 51, of North Reading was arraigned in Woburn District Court on two counts of rape of a child by force and one count of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14.... Conner was a popular basketball coach who worked on several teams with girls ranging in age from 10 to 15.
Now I am REALLY PISSED because I LOVE GIRLS' HIGH-SCHOOL BASKETBALL and THIS SCUMBAG is RUINING THEM!!!
Corey Welford, a spokesman for Leone, said the victim was under 14 when the alleged crimes occurred and that the assaults occurred over several years. The Globe does not publish the names of alleged victims of sexual assault....
--more--""Coach indicted on child rape charges; Recorded assault on girls, police say" by Martin Finucane, Globe Staff | April 3, 2009
Middlesex prosecutors said yesterday that a popular Melrose YMCA girls basketball coach sexually assaulted two young girls numerous times over a six-year period and used hidden cameras to record himself in the act.
Nevertheless, further down in the article we find:
"Conner, who is free on $25,000 cash bail but under GPS monitoring"
WTF?!!!! Oh, he's on GPS MONITORING, huh?
See: Illegal Enabler "Escapes"
Only in LIBERAL MASSACHUSETTS, let me tell you (where is she, anyway, Globe?)!
Good thing the Y is looking out for the kids, huh?
"Melrose residents seek YMCA officials' ouster; Behavior of worker accused of rape was ignored, state alleges" by Franci R. Ellement, Globe Correspondent | June 12, 2009A group of incensed Melrose residents is demanding the resignation of two senior administrators at the city's YMCA after a state report alleged the officials repeatedly ignored the "red flag" behaviors of an after-school program employee for years before he was charged with the systematic sexual abuse of two girls.
The arrest of the employee and a scathing report by the state have galvanized angry parents and other community members, who are urging the YMCA to oust president Richard Whitworth and vice president Nancy Madden....
How would you feel?
I know how I do:
And if he "cuts" it off?
Of course, this guy doesn't have any inside help because they have never found that lady -- and likely never will.
The state report details the "red flags." When Dauteuil was hiring Conner in 2001, he told her he was terminated from the Andover YMCA for a misunderstanding caused when a child jumped into his lap. Two administrators also called Dauteuil and Madden, warning them Conner was terminated for "pretty serious" behavior. Other questions were raised at the Reading YMCA, where Conner had also worked. At the Andover YMCA, Conner was alleged to have slept next to a young girl on a sleepover and also would have the same girl sit on his lap during bus trips. Later, other allegations surfaced regarding a girl at the Melrose program as well.
The state report found that in 2008, many administrators - including Dauteuil, Madden, and Whitworth - required Conner to sign an agreement that he would stay away from the girl who attended the Melrose program. The district attorney's office alleges Conner sexually abused the same young girl as she rode with him in the back of the bus to the after-school program.
In a note to parents, Whitworth said: "It is also important from my perspective that only two children in the YMCA program are reported to have been abused. All the others in our care were safe from abuse."
He said with crossed fingers.
The explanations have not gone over well with some Melrose residents.
"Their abject negligence has ruined two lives and they should not be rewarded with jobs after what happened," said Patricia Wright, a Melrose attorney and resident organizing the protest.
Melrose resident Andrew White, who has three small children, is also appalled....
I think we all are.
--more--"