Joshua Norman
New York
RPCV. Dad of Bear.
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Articles by Joshua Norman
At least 50 die in a storm as fearsome as Camille
Hurricane Katrina devastated South Mississippi on Monday with a force not seen since Camille 36 years ago, sweeping aside multimillion-dollar casinos, burying the beach highway and killing at least 50 people in Harrison County. "This," said Biloxi Mayor A.J. Holloway, "is our tsunami." At least 50 people are confirmed dead in Gulfport and Biloxi. Katrina raged ashore in Mississippi at dawn and terrorized the Coast until winds subsided after 3 p.m., leaving massive damage in her wake.
Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness: Yanovsky for State Rep
This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own. I will be voting for Republican Vladislav “Steve” Yanovsky to serve as the next State Representative from the 11th Middlesex District on Tuesday November 5.
Reelect Kathy Lynch to Serve as Republican State Committee Woman
I am writing to urge my fellow Republican and Unenrolled voters living in Westford, Fitchburg, Leominster, Clinton, Lancaster, Lunenburg, Ashby, Groton, Shirley, and Townsend to please vote to reelect Kathleen Lynch to continue to serve as your Republican State Committee Woman in the Middlesex & Worcester District in the March 5 primary election.
Reelect Steven Fruzzetti to Serve as Republican State Committee Man
I am writing to urge my fellow Republican and Unenrolled voters living in Milton, Stoughton, West Bridgewater, Easton, Bridgewater, Precincts 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B1, 4A, 5A, 5B, 6B of Braintree and Precincts 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12 of Randolph to please vote to reelect Steven Fruzzetti to continue to serve as your Republican State Committee Man in the Norfolk, Bristol & Plymouth District in the March 5 primary election. No one works harder than Steve Fruzzetti on behalf of candidates and causes.
Examining the City of Newton's Pension Plan Problems
In the wake of Newton voters prudently voting to reject the $9.175 Million operating override proposed by Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller and the Newton City Council, Newton responded by adjusting its pension plan funding timetable. This resulted in Newton reducing its pension plan contribution growth rate from 9.6% to 6.6%, which freed up funds in the operating budget, but resulted in a later date in which the pension plan's assets were estimated to equal its liabilities.
Taxes On Taxes On Taxes
This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own. I previously wrote two articles advocating that Newton voters should VOTE NO on all three Proposition 2.5 override and debt exclusion ballot questions based on Newton’s structural spending problem due to the lavish compensation and pay raises it bestows on its unions and bureaucrats. Newton has already passed two override packages in 2002 and 2013 and does not need a third one.
No Overrides For Lavish Union Pay Raises
This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own. Last week, I wrote an article exposing the structural spending problem of the government of the City of Newton and why Newton voters should vote NO on all three override and debt exclusion ballot questions in the March 14, 2023 special election. Newton’s taxpayers pay property taxes with the expectation that Newton’s public servants will be good stewards of their money.
Say No to Newton's Structural Spending Problem
This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own. I served as the Co-Chairman of Moving Newton Forward (with Fiscal Responsibility), the Ballot Question Committee organized to OPPOSE the 2013 Newton Proposition 2½ override and debt exclusion ballot questions.
The world's enduring dictators: Mswati III, Swaziland
King Mswati III of Swaziland in 2001. AP This is an installment in the WorldWatch series, "The world's enduring dictators," inspired by events in Tunisia and Egypt, in which CBSNews.com takes a look at the men who continue to rule their lands unimpeded by law. See a complete explanation of the series and a list of others profiled here. Mswati III, Swaziland Length of rule: 24 years. One of the world's last absolute monarchs, Mswati III took the throne in 1986.
Texas Pushes for Increased Small Business Support
Credit: World Travel & Tourism Council under Creative Common License Times are rough for all businesses across the country, but the smaller ones are being hit much harder. In August, the CEOs of famous companies like Walmart and Google signed a letterto the federal government, detailing how small businesses urgently needed help.
Will Tom Brady & Rob Gronkowsi Make a Difference for Bucs?
Coming into the 2020 season, not too many people have had their eye on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Following the dissolution of the New England Patriots dynasty, many fans have been happy to look beyond the AFC East. The Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, and Green Bay Packers have fans excited to see how the regular season will shake out. However, when news came in early summer that tight end Rob Gronkowski had been traded from the Patriots to join the Buccaneers, attention shifted.
NBA Rescheduling Could Benefit the League
All aspects of life and sport have been affected by the pandemic, but some potential benefits have arisen for the NBA. The “bubble season” in Orlando has reached the NBA Finals, as the Lakers face an unexpected opponent in the Miami Heat, who haven’t reached the finals since the 2013-14 season, which has led organizers and pundits to focus on how the upcoming season will unfold. There are a lot of questions to be answered and not long to find answers.
Tom Hardy Heavily Linked as the Next James Bond
Tom Hardy is the latest front-runner in the race to replace Daniel Craig as James Bond, with Craig set to conclude a five-movie run as 007 with No Time to Die. Many names have been bandied about since Craig first stated his intentions to leave the role, with the Hardy bandwagon gaining momentum in recent weeks.
Will the Breeder’s Cup Go Ahead in November?
How California Wildfires Are Impacting Horse Racing The scenes from the ongoing California wildfires have been nothing short of horrifying, highlighting the combined dangers of climate change and the mismanagement of forest and woodland. Most of the pictures emerging from the midst of the raging infernos tend to focus on either the scale of the fires or the damage done to private property and vehicles.
Qaddafi: "You destroy our air conditioners"
Muammar Qaddafi As Libya's rebels fought their way into the capital city, Tripoli, for the first time since the uprising began six months ago, state TV broadcast what seemed to be an audio message from their dictator, Muammar Qaddafi. What was intended to be a message of strength and defiance instead came across as bizarre and slightly desperate, according to the many who listened in. "You destroy our air conditioners," Qaddafi is reported as saying, according to .
Vote Steve Fruzzetti For Republican State Committee Man
This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.
Service over Self: Vote Steve Tougas for GOP State Committee
This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.
Say NO to the Paper Grocery Bag Tax
This post was contributed by a community member. Last year, I wrote about a proposal by seven Newton City Councilors to slap a new tax (or "fee" as they call it) on paper grocery bags. Yes, seven Newton City Councilors have spent the last year navel-gazing on how to slap a new tax on people who shop for groceries in Newton.
The world's enduring dictators: Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Equatorial Guinea
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in 2009 Getty Images This is an installment in the WorldWatch series, "The world's enduring dictators," inspired by events in Tunisia and Egypt, in which CBSNews.com takes a look at the men who continue to rule their lands unimpeded by law. See a complete explanation of the series and a list of others profiled here. Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Equatorial Guinea Length of rule: 30 years.
Commentary: Newton Police have poor crime clearance performance
By Joshua Norman Wednesday Jan 16, 2019 at 6:09 PM Police Appreciation Day was Jan. 9, and I share my appreciation for growing up in Newton, Massachusetts, one of the safest cities in these United States. Newton has historically been one of the safest cities (of all cities with a population of 75,000 and up) in these United States as measured by the CQ Press, Neighborhood Scout and other assorted print and digital publications. I believe what makes Newton safe is primarily due to its demographics.
Did Pope Francis open the door to same-sex civil unions?
Pope Francis has famously declared a cessation of hostilities in the culture wars on same-sex marriage, contraception, and abortion that had defined the Catholic Church for much of the modern era. On Wednesday, he signaled a new direction in that regard when discussing civil unions in a short but wide-ranging interview that also touched on his discomfort with the hero worship that's sprung up around him.
Report: Offshore tax havens cost U.S. $100B
Goldman Sachs is reportedly among the many offenders when it comes to large corporations sheltering their fortunes from the IRS in overseas tax havens. Mario Tama/Getty Images Adding insult to injury on the day American taxpayers are due to file their returns, a new report by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group states that many of the biggest U.S. companies who took advantage of government bailouts or rely on government contracts regularly hide their money from the IRS in overseas tax havens.
The 1993 World Trade Center bombers: Where are they now?
On Feb. 26, 1993, an ugly new phase of terrorism was ushered in when Jordanian Eyad Ismoil drove Kuwaiti Ramzi Yousef and a 1,300-pound nitrate-hydrogen gas enhanced bomb also stuffed with cyanide into the parking garage below the World Trade Center in Manhattan. Yousef lit a 20-foot fuse, and the two fled quickly enough to evade immediate capture by authorities. The bomb killed six people and injured more than 1,000 that day.
9/11 conspiracy theories won't stop
On only this can the world agree: On Sept. 11, 2001, two planes crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in Manhattan. A short time later, both fell. Nearly every other detail of the terrorist attacks - from the reasons the towers fell to the actual number of planes hijacked to the blame for the events - on that day has been incredibly fertile ground for the production of alternating theories about what actually happened.
Paul Ryan: U.S. at "Tipping Point" over Debt
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) hammered home the main Republican talking point of late by repeatedly calling for less government spending to reduce the deficit while delivering his party's official response to President Obama's State of the Union speech.
The world's enduring dictators: Nursultan A. Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan
Length of rule: 21 years. Nazarbayev was elected president of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic in 1990. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the independence of Kazakhstan in 1991, he was re-elected president in a popular vote. Nazarbayev just won another five-year term in a presidential election in April in which he received a whopping 95.5 percent of the vote.
Commentary: Getting nickled and dimed by the Newton City Council
Joshua Norman I just read about the recent proposal by seven Newton City Councilors to put a tax on paper grocery bags (or “fee” as they call it). You should read it too. I view it as the latest scheme by the Newton City Council to nickel and dime Newton’s long-suffering taxpayers. It reinforces the position of the Newton Taxpayers Association that our city councilors are penny-wise and pound-foolish.
After war, vets fight for jobs at home
(CBS News) In 2006, following two tours in Iraq working motor transport, former Marine Mike Liguori went through the Department of Labor's Transition Assistance Program for military members and used the modern G.I. Bill to get a business administration degree at Menlo College in northern California, where he still lives. However, even with the TAP program behind him and his new four-year degree under his arm, Liguori said he was still unprepared. He found no meaningful work.
Ivory Coast conflict may raise chocolate prices
(CBS/AP) Hundreds have died in the battle over the disputed presidency in the Ivory Coast that is increasingly starting to resemble a civil war. Yet the three-month-old conflict has not resonated on the world stage like the more recent uprisings in Libya and Egypt. Now that world chocolate prices might be affected by it, that could change. Shortly after the international community declared Alassane Ouattara the winner of the Nov.
Artist Creates New Batch of "Porn for the Blind"
Toronto artist Lisa J. Murphy believes we live in a highly sexualized world that often leaves the visually impaired behind. So she decided a while ago to do something about it. Last year, Murphy's book called "Tactile Mind," which featured several nude, 3-D pictures of men and women along with braille descriptions, gained new life in the media, two years after its release.
Saudi Arabia: If Iran builds nukes, so will we
Mideast watchers probably could have seen this coming: A Saudi Arabian official has warned that his country will not tolerate losing a nuclear arms race to Iran. Speaking to The Guardian newspaper, a senior official in Riyadh said: "We cannot live in a situation where Iran has nuclear weapons and we don't. It's as simple as that.
After toddler is left to die, China disquieted
The video from Foshan City of Guangdong Province in China is unequivocal: A two-year-old is seen lying in a pool of blood on a market street having just been hit by a truck, which sped away after slowly running over her with its back wheels too, after which more than a dozen people walk around the toddler, none offering help.
Gulf Coast marks a difficult 6 yrs since Katrina
Monday marked the passage of six difficult years of rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina for devastated Gulf Coast communities. In dozens of towns along the Coast in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, residents gathered to honor the more than 1,800 people who lost their lives to the storm and the catastrophic human failure to protect against it.
Justin Bieber finding no peace in Israel
(CBS) Many an empire have crashed on the shores of frustration in the Land of Canaan, and Justin Bieber is proving to be no exception. Upon arrival, Bieber's expectations were modest, writing on Twitter: "I just want to have the same personal experience that others have here." However, when you are the world's single biggest teen-pop sensation, that is apparently as over-eager and far-fetched a desire as Richard the Lionheart's Third Crusade.
For Edward Snowden, why Ecuador?
Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor currently trying to evade a U.S. arrest warrant, has applied for political asylum in Ecuador, a South American republic best known internationally for its dominion over the Galapagos Islands and many years of relative political stability. The government of populist President Rafael Correa said Monday it is considering Snowden's request, but if recent history is any indication, it is likely to accept it.
Have Your In-Laws Mubaraked? ... and Other Egypt Humor
Even the most serious of situations - like momentous and violent political/cultural shifts - can produce some humor. As protests in Egypt against President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year reign grind on towards their third week, a little levity has slipped into the public discussion of the situation. In Egypt, the most recent humorous meme is the creation of a new verb via the Twittersphere.
Pakistani transgenders get expanded rights
Pakistan is well known for being a fiercely conservative Muslim country. Two politicians have already been assassinated there this year for opposing the country's so-called "blasphemy laws," which ban blasphemy against Islam under the penalty of death. So it may come as a surprise to many that Pakistani transgender people, known as "hijras," have gained expanded federal protection and recognition in the last few years.
Despite more enforcement, piracy will get worse
Several of the world's militaries spend a lot of money patrolling pirated waters, and shipping costs rise as insurance gets more expensive and shipping companies are forced to take extra security measures and longer routes around dangerous seas using more fuel. Add those expenditures to the frequent multi-million dollar ransoms paid pirates, and piracy costs the world $8 billion a year, a figure that is projected to double by 2015, The Independent newspaper reports.
Heidi, the Cross-Eyed Opossum, Becomes a Star in Germany
First, it was Knut, the overwhelmingly cute polar bear. Then, it was Paul, the World Cup oracle octopus. Now, the latest German zoo resident to gain massive fame is Heidi, the cross-eyed opossum, currently in residence at the Leipzig Zoo. Heidi will not be on public view until July, but she already has 50,000 Facebook fans, a YouTube hit and a stuffed doll modeled after her, reports the German news magazine, Der Spiegel.
Fela Kuti's son carries on agitator tradition
The late African music legend Fela Kuti was an unapologetic and very vocal agitator against Nigeria's rampant governmental unscrupulousness. It was a position that often got him in trouble, and, according to one of his songs, led to a military raid on his family compound that eventually killed his mother, who was herself a prominent feminist and voracious anti-corruption protester. That agitator strain has apparently been passed down to his kids, of which there were many.
Peace Corps regrets response to rapes, deaths
WASHINGTON -- As the Peace Corps celebrates its 50th anniversary, most Americans give little thought to the dangers of being a volunteer. However, a recent ABC News investigation coupled with dramatic congressional testimony on Wednesday from Peace Corps director Aaron Williams and assault victims is bringing to light the fact that volunteering to serve overseas - even in an agency with the word "peace" in its title - is still fraught with grave danger, especially for women.
How WikiLeaks Enlightened Us in 2010
Eine Frau haelt am Dienstag (30.11.10) in Berlin fuer eine Fotoillustration eine Lupe vor die Internetseite der Enthuellungsplattform Wikileaks. Die Veroeffentlichung teils geheimer Dokumente durch die Enthuellungsplattform Wikileaks ist nach Auffassung des Bundesdatenschutzbeauftragten Peter Schaar ein "alarmierendes Signal". In der "Neuen Osnabruecker Zeitung" (Dienstagausgabe vom 30.11.10) sprach er sich dafuer aus, weniger Daten als bisher zu speichern.
Pope Francis continues charting a unique course
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, called it “The Pope Francis effect”; Catholics aren’t just returning to the Church after years of scandals and combative culture wars, but millions everywhere, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, are talking about what the former Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio is doing and saying since he ascended to lead the world’s largest religious institution earlier this year.
New war vet unemployment rate dips, but doubts remain
For nearly 10 years, there have been dire warnings and signs about a generation of war veterans unemployed and lost amid the ups and downs of America's economy. In the last two years or so, politicians, government agencies, corporations and non-profit groups started earnestly taking up the cause, and the advocacy appears to have finally made a difference.
Pro-Aborts Are Right: Abortion Is Settled Law
Next week recalls one of the darkest days in these united states at it marks the 45th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which decriminalized abortion in our federal republic and resulted in the legal destruction of 60 million innocent pre-born babies. I have no respect for politicians and political operatives who claim “they are personally pro-life, but that abortion [through Roe v.
Commentary: An override tax hike by another name
Joshua Norman I read the recent Newton Mayoral Transition Report and was disappointed to see that on Page 96 they proposed a new trash removal tax (Dubbed “Pay-As-You-Throw”). We at the Newton Taxpayers Association oppose paying a separate cost for trash removal services on top of our existing tax burden.
Commentary: How to better reform City Council
Joshua Norman I opposed the Newton League of Women Voters’ Charter Commission Proposal in 2015 because I was well aware that they wanted to downsize the City Council and eliminate locally elected representation.
Commentary: How to better reform City Council
Joshua Norman I opposed the Newton League of Women Voters’ Charter Commission Proposal in 2015 because I was well aware that they wanted to downsize the City Council and eliminate locally elected representation.
Put Your Faith in G-d, Not a 'King'
In the second reading of this week’s Torah Portion (Shoftim, or Judges), G-d anticipates that the Children of Israel will forget G-d many years after settling Eretz Yisrael (D’Varim 17:14-20) and demand a king like all the nations around it. This occurred in Chapter Eight of the First Book of Samuel when the Israelites asked Samuel to give them a king because Samuel was old and his sons were corrupt.
Remembering Sam Robbins this Saturday
Joshua Norman On Aug. 28, Samuel Morrill Robbins was laid to rest at the Adath Jeshrun Cemetery in West Roxbury after living 93 long, happy and rich years on this earth. In attendance were numerous friends, family and about a dozen people from the Newton Republican City Committee and Newton Taxpayers Association. On Aug.
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