Take out a one dollar bill, and look at it. The one dollar bill you’re looking at first came off the presses in 1957 in its present design. This so-called paper money is in fact a cotton and linen blend, with red and blue minute silk fibers running through it.  It is actually material. We’ve all washed it without it falling apart. A special blend of ink is used, the contents we will never know. It is overprinted with symbols and then it is starched to make it water resistant and pressed to give it that nice crisp look.

If you look on the front of the bill, you will see the United States Treasury Seal.

 
 
On the top you will see the scales for a balanced budget.
In the center you have a carpenter’s square, a tool used for an even cut.
 Underneath is the Key to the United States Treasury.
 That’s all pretty easy to figure out, but what is on the back of that dollar bill is something we should all know.
 
If you turn the bill over, you will see two circles. Both circles, together, comprise the Great Seal of the United States ..

 The First Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin and a group of men come up with a Seal. It took them four years to accomplish this task and another two years to get  it approved.
 
If you look at the left-hand circle, you will see a Pyramid.

 Notice the face is lighted, and the western side is dark. This country was just beginning. We had not begun to explore the West or decided what we could do for Western Civilization.
 
The Pyramid is uncapped, again signifying that we were not even close to being finished.  Inside the capstone you have the all-seeing eye, an ancient symbol for divinity.
 
It was Franklin’s belief that one  man couldn’t do it alone, but a group of men, with the help of God, could do anything.
 
‘IN GOD WE TRUST’ is on this currency.

 The Latin above the pyramid,  ANNUIT COEPTIS, means, ‘God has favored our undertaking.’
 
The Latin below the pyramid, NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, means, ‘a new order has begun.’
 At the base of the pyramid is the Roman Numeral for 1776. (MDCCLXXVI)
 If you look at the right-hand circle, and check it carefully, you will learn that it is on every National Cemetery  in the United States .

 It is also on the Parade of Flags Walkway at the Bushnell, Florida National Cemetery , and is the centerpiece of most hero’s monuments.
 
Slightly modified, it is the seal of the President of the United States, and it is always visible whenever he speaks, yet very few people know what the symbols mean.
The Bald Eagle was selected as a symbol for victory for two reasons: First, he is not afraid of a storm; he is strong, and he is smart enough to soar above it.
 Secondly, he wears no material crown.  We had just broken from the King of England .
 Also, notice the shield is unsupported.  This country can now stand on its own..
 At the top of that shield you have a white bar signifying congress, a unifying factor.
 We were coming together as one nation.
 In the Eagle’s beak you will read, ‘ E PLURIBUS UNUM’, meaning, ‘one nation from many people’.
 Above the Eagle, you have thirteen stars, representing the thirteen original  colonies, and any clouds of misunderstanding rolling away.  Again, we were  coming together as one.
 Notice what the Eagle holds in his talons.
 He holds an olive branch and arrows.
This country wants peace, but we will never be afraid to fight to preserve peace.
 The Eagle always wants to face the olive branch, but in time of war, his gaze turns toward the arrows.
 
They say that the number 13 is an unlucky number.
 
This is almost a  worldwide belief.
 
You will usually never see a room numbered 13, or any hotels or motels with a 13th floor.
 But think about this:
 
13 original colonies,
 
13  signers of the Declaration of Independence,
 
13 stripes on our flag,
 
13 steps on the Pyramid,
 
13 letters in the Latin above,
 
13 letters in ‘E Pluribus Unum’,
 
13 stars above the Eagle,
 
13 bars on that shield,
 
13 leaves on the olive branch,
 
13 fruits, and if you look closely, 13 arrows.
 
And, for minorities: the 13th Amendment.
 
I always ask people, ‘Why don’t you know this?’  Your children don’t know this, and their history teachers don’t know this.
 Too many veterans have given up too much to ever let the meaning fade.
 Many veterans remember coming home to an America that didn’t care.
 Too many veterans never came home at all.
 
 
 

The building which houses Debsan’s, formerly R & L Furniture, is named Red Man’s Hall. I wonder if anyone will tell the owner to rename the building.

A reporter from the Tab must have noticed how ugly Fiske Pond and it’s shores are, because in writing about it in last weeks paper, they made a point of mentioning that the pond is owned by the state. Guess they wanted to make sure our Conservation Commission wasn’t to blame for the sorry lack of landscaping there.

Naturally, the newspaper followed up by questioning the conservation commission, which has finally done something. They’re getting the state to “mow the grass” underwater. Nice job. Now who’s responsible for the sorry state of the bushes and weeds around that potentially beautiful pond? If the same pond were located in Wellesley, Newton, or Brookline, it would probably be more appreciated, and have a jogging trail around it.

Some people in Natick think their nickname issue is unique. It’s not. Sorry folks, but many towns have had their traditions assaulted by newcomers. Here’s a letter from Framingham which tells the story from their point of view. (I’ll just reprint as-is)

“So you wonder about people getting upset over changing the name Redmen, and that an issue like this can stir up so much debate is astounding you? There is nothing astounding about this at all, it’s all quite simple if you have true roots in the town.

I then must wonder how you’d have felt over the long battles of The school colors and athletic names for the town you live in. I just bet you have no idea what I am talking about. Do you or a few others in the town you now call home and are doing battle for one thing or an other on a daily basis on the political level of your playing field have any awareness of the Flyers?

I will clue you new comers to town in. Framingham went from a single high school to a two high school town for many years. The original high school logo was the Flyers and colors were blue and white. When North high was built the sports teams took on the name Spartan’s with colors of green and gold. Now the town was going to back to one high school and it had a big problem. I mean a really big problem, not like some of the silly arguments or new laws you sit around the camp fire and come up with, this one was serious. Do you go with the Flyers and colors of blue and white, the original colors of the school or the Spartan’s that really are new to the town even though they have been a logo for quite a few years? Trust me, I have been in many a debate with a variety of issues for many years but this one was of the utmost importance.

Dealing with a tradition, a land mark, your name, your colors, the thing you carried with you as your badge of honor in your youth and later as your almamater is not something you joke about. Not in Framingham and not in Natick.

These names and colors are the back bones of our youth, our town, our memories and our loyalty. Yes, tucked away in a closet in my house are my memorabilia with something with the F. logo on it from my day and a Flyers Jacket of my daughter’s. These are treasures of great memories you won’t see me throwing out.

This is what gives the meaning to roots, to loyalty to a town in good times and bad.

So now that you have moved into Framingham and have taken up your own personal battles on things like if dogs can run free at Callahan State park or who or what should now move into town or if you can chop a tree down or put a well in at your own property. In the back ground the Flyers live on in their Blue and White, and as usual, we will be there to cheer them on. Welcome to the town of loyalty and the Flyers and go Natick to hold on to your heritage.

Just a bit of Framingham 1 0 1.

Ginny Marino”

thanks for the refreshing perspective. Natick School Committee is made up of outsiders who don’t really have anything at stake.  (None of the School Committee members actually went to school in Natick. Loyalty to tradition? No such luck. How some of them managed to get elected is a topic for another day.)

Let’s highlight and go over this topic again. Folks shouldn’t forget that one day they’ll have a choice.

I like the idea of open space through an urban area, for exercise, and just plain fun. In addition, it would look nice. The rail trail idea has it’s charm. And maybe it could serve a more important function, as a way to relieve the traffic problems on our roads. So I thought I’d do a little investigation, and think about the details of what Natick will be making a choice on in the near future. First, the climate. How does commuter bicycling work in an area with a winter? This is what I learned.

Minneapolis is the top city in the country for bicycling commuters, according to their own city web site on bicycle paths. The city has 56 miles of off street and 34 miles of on street bicycle roadways and designated lanes. Much of the off street are paved rail trails. Their rating comes from a figure of just under 3 percent of commuters biking. The numbers come from their own web site which promotes bicycling. There are 382,000 people or 162,000 households living in Minneapolis.

If we translate the numbers to Natick’s population, we find that considering climate similarities, the possibility exists that 1000 commuters would use a bike path if one were built from the Cochituate Rail Trail in Saxonville, to join Natick and run to the downtown. Certainly a healthy number, if the trail were maintained, plowed, lighted, and paved. (And wouldn’t it be a pleasant surprise if the projection held true, for it would require a major culture change, behavior modification and massive public relations in order to attain the lofty plateau.)

Bicycling to work at Boston Scientific, the Mall, downtown Natick, or the office parks on Old Connecticut park would benefit some who live within bicycling distance of the trail. But only if the trail were built to be bicycle friendly. Key consideration needs to be given to the ancillary roads, where people live. How suited to bicycle use are they? How far would one expect to ride a bike to get to the trail’s various entrance points? Where are those key entrance spots? Are the roads leading to them safe for bicycling during the rush hours?  If bicyclists were headed to the railroad station to shift onto the train, we would probably need to accomodate many of bicycles downtown. Where are those dozens, if not more, racks to be located?  Will main roads leading to the entrances of the trail have bike lanes for safe travel? Mechanic Street might offer a spot to “get on” the trail. Widening of North Main St. might make that bike route safer.

To get started on the hard costs, how much would paving a rail trail to make it suitable for bicycling commuters be?  What would the annual maintenance budget be for such a trail? What would it cost to install lighting, and what would the electrical figure be? How would landsaping needs be budgeted? What are the safety concerns, such as police protection?

From the rail trail’s own web sites, we see pictures of the land being unpaved stretches of walking path cut through woodland. As such, they are wonderful for a leisure activity on a Saturday or Sunday for younger, healthy people. However, unpaved rail trails aren’t useful to elderly and infirmed, and certainly not pleasant at any age during rainy, or snowy seasons, or when it’s just plain cold and icy.

So maybe the idea wouldn’t be primarily for commuters, but just for fun! Looking at Natick’s demographics, there are just under 4000 families with school age children. What would you rather see your tax dollars cover? Certainly the money it would cost to maintain a trail would be enough to relieve those families of bus fees, if the choice were made that way. And if the taxpayers had a choice between spending a few million dollars to aquire the land from CSX, vs a portion of the building of a new High School, what would they prefer to do? Would residents rather spend the money on improved roads, relieving congestion at key intersections with better turnoff lanes, and traffic signals? Would they like to use tax dollars for operations, in order to avoid a tax override?

Keep in mind, that a similar choice in how to spend money was made a few years ago, and it was on land already owned by the town. That was when residents were convinced building a golf course was a good idea. In this case, buying the land might be the cheapest part of the whole idea.
Town Meeting was convinced that they should invest similar amounts of money to satisy a handful of people with a special interest in a golf course. It’s time for reasoned evaluation, rather than emotional interest in something that might just be another operational expense, serving a handful of interested parties.

Let’s not make the same mistake again.

The Natick Pharmacy was located at the intersection of Speen Street and Route 9, in a group of stores which also included the Coach House Candy, Kinney Shoes (now called Pet World) and a Bickford’s Pancake House. (now the site of Pizza Hut).

A trip to the pharmacy always included a visit to the toy department downstairs, where the owner, Mr Finklestein used to keep close watch on whatever the neighborhood kids were up to. Occasionally, someone would tease him and he’d start yelling, chasing the perpetrators up the stairs and out the doors.

On the main floor of the Pharmacy, was a soda fountain, where we would buy creme soda with vanilla shakes. On a Sunday, the routine was usually to park in the back of the Pharmacy to buy the Sunday newspaper, then walk across Speen St. to Dunkin Donuts for a dozen honey dipped. This black and white photo may be the only one in existence, of this great place.

I wonder if anyone has bought a condo on South Street. The ones next to Casey’s Diner look pretty impressive, until you think about their view . When you move in, you’ll look out your front window, and see a parking lot, and the back of the Fire Station and Police Headquarters. Would you spend nearly half a million dollars on a place that has a view like that? You and I wouldn’t, and nobody with any common sense would either. But when sales lag, people will blame the economy.

It’s called the HOOP district, where downtown business owners hope people will invest, so that their own business will become very valuable.  Now can anyone tell us the names of those who have the biggest stake in downtown success?  Couldn’t be a Natick Selectman and his business partner who was given a large sum of tax money to help this venture, in the form of a group called the Natick 360, could it?

I read that the DPW discounted the idea of buying a side loading rubbish truck, which would have saved on payroll, because Natick has such narrow streets.

I had to smile, because I’m sure we’re very special in that way.

I hope someone on Fin Com can find out who manufactures those trucks to get information which might prove the people who made such excuses were lying.

After all, the city of Chicago doesn’t have any narrow streets, does it?

Natick conducted a study a few years ago, and if you click on this link and read the report, you won’t understand why Town Meeting approved the fluoridation in the first place. Now we’re paying $700,000 to clean of the manganese which is a byproduct of this health risk. (Thanks to cutaia for the link.) 

http://www.fluoridation.com/natick.htm

Natick’s Planning Board was “irked” when the Commonwealth rejected their request for a $17 million dollar grant for support of infrastructure requirements due to the proposed Mathworks expansion plans, according to an article in the Metrowest Daily News.

Click on this link to read the story. http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x795996467

I won’t say “the entire story” because there’s a lot more to the issue. First, why do our town officials always expect the state to bail them out of problems created by a developer’s expansion plans? Why is it alway’s someone else’s problem to solve?
The town granted the “TIF” tax loophole discount to Mathworks a couple of years ago. Did they expect the money saved by Mathworks would go entirely to support sidewalks, soccer fields, and TCAN? Of course they did. However, anyone who could see beyond the town line knew Mathworks wasn’t saving money to give away.

It’s kind of like the exuses offered for why Town Hall needs to replace a $25,000 eight year old boiler. Or why a ten year old cafeteria tile floor in the Brown School needs a replacement at a cost of $65,000. (Hey, I could have someone do it right for about half that and make myself a few grand profit. What’s so expensive?) The excuse offered by Charles Sisitsky “Town Hall was built to minimum specifications.” Where did we hear that one before? Whenever someone points out the problems, it’s always the other guys problem.

So the state said, “no” and it’s not the Mathworks, nor their sponsors in Town Hall who are to blame for traffic woes and neighborhood encroachment. It’s the state’s fault.

Can I blame the state for the $190,000 tab out of my property tax bill to rehab a well at the state-owned Elm Bank, located in Wellesley? Of course not. The Town Meeting approved it. Thanks guys. They snuck that one in between a carpet at the library and new gutters at the 10 year old DPW Headquarters. (was that another example of good supervision of building, or just more “minimum basics?”

We all understand the desire to be better than the one nextdoor, but please folks. Natick will never be another Wellesley, no matter how much granite is put into those curbstones. And it really doesn’t matter if you helped push the bluecollar factory out of town in order to find a developer to build faux townhomes on a strip of land called a “rail trail”. Those details aren’t going to turn the suspected arsenic-laden site into an short version of the Minuteman Bikeway. It’s already been done, and alot better, all around us. Just click on this link. http://minutemanbikeway.org/Pages/beyond.html