by Bob Jampol | Sep 19, 2021 | Newton |
On Monday evening, September 20, the Jewish festival of Sukkot begins. Traditional observance requires that during the week of Sukkot a Jew reside in a sukkah, a hut that in ancient days served as a temporary harvest lodging in the fields. The custom suits the Middle... by Bob Jampol | Aug 24, 2021 | Newton |
In a move initiated by Councilor Mark Laredo, all twenty-four members of the City Council have just sent a memorandum urging the mayor to require all city workers to get vaccinated for Covid-19. Here is the text: City Council 2020-21 City of Newton Memorandum To:...
by Bob Jampol | Aug 19, 2021 | Newton |
This afternoon I took advantage of a break in the line of thunderstorms to accomplish some errands on bicycle. My route took me past Newton North High School. I stopped alongside the track to take in the memorial, recently dedicated, to Jim Blackburn. The sculptor...
by Bob Jampol | Jun 27, 2021 | Newton |
Mason Rice bike rack #1 I took this photograph with my cell phone while tooling through Newton Centre Playground in early June. This is but one of three bike racks surrounding Mason Rice Elementary School. Let’s suppose that upward of thirty students, perhaps... by Bob Jampol | May 5, 2021 | Newton |
Typically, as I ride through Newton my mind focuses mostly on the road but reserves a bit of space for random reflection. And so it happened recently as I criss-crossed the city, from Brae Burn Country Club on Commonwealth Avenue to Wells Avenue on the Needham line.... by Bob Jampol | Apr 12, 2021 | Newton |
This year both North and South have experimented with a new schedule: beginning classes at 9 AM each day and ending close to 4 PM. Some teachers that I respect have lauded the change, noting that their students are much more alert during the first block of the day... by Bob Jampol | Apr 4, 2021 | Newton |
(This post was co-authored by Karen Bray and Bob Jampol) In 2017 Newton’s City Council passed an ordinance that states that all leaf blowers, all year round, must be no louder than 65 decibels. In addition, between Memorial Day and Labor Day onIy one electric...
by Bob Jampol | Mar 31, 2021 | Newton |
Grading students was, is, and always will be controversial. It was when I was teaching, and so it has remained in the six years since I retired. In my thirty-four tenure at South a class’s grades never conformed to a bell curve with most students clustered around C.... by Bob Jampol | Mar 4, 2021 | Newton |
Recently, this post appeared on a community email stream: I’ve noticed a curious pattern in the Newton City Council race I don’t understand. There seems to be some unofficial teams among the candidates – many people seem to support Barash & Ranalli or Lucas...
by Bob Jampol | Mar 3, 2021 | Newton |
I serve on the steering committee of Bike Newton, a nonprofit that strives to make Newton a safer place for both cyclists and pedestrians. We believe that in keeping with the city’s own long-term plans to reduce its carbon footprint, the mayor and city... by Bob Jampol | Feb 15, 2021 | Newton |
The cultural war raging around the City Council’s decision to rename Columbus Day as “Indigenous Peoples Day” poses a question being addressed throughout the country. To what extent do we acknowledge that the prosperity of the United States came with...
by Bob Jampol | Dec 22, 2020 | Newton |
After thirteen years of existence, the Friends of Newton Tennis (FoNT) has finally launched a website to inform the public of our work to improve the quality of tennis in Newton: https://playtennis.usta.com/the-friends-of-newton-tennis-inc. FoNT came into existence in...