Despite Rep. Patrick Kennedy’s screaming-wild finger-pointing rant against the “despicable” press, a resolution calling for the removal of troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year failed 356-65 in the House yesterday.

Kennedy did not vote for the measure.

Here’s how the Bay State delegation voted:

Capuano, Yes;

Delahunt, No;

Frank, Yes;

Lynch, No;

Markey, Yes;

McGovern, Yes;

Neal, Yes;

Olver, Yes;

Tierney, Yes;

Tsongas, Yes.

So, did Kennedy’s podium meltdown — calculated or not — help or hurt the measure? Go vote in the poll and I’ll report back later.

UPDATE: As promised, here’s the UMass tally — $8.7 million in buybacks bringing the total for last year under this perk to $50 million for taxpayers.

Savvy salary watchdogs will notice one page is missing from today’s story on state vacation and sick-time buybacks … UMass.

Yesterday we discovered an error in adding up the days cashed in by UMass employees heading out the door, so the state Comptroller asked for those rows back and we’ll update anew this week.

So, the $41 million spent last year buying back unused sick and vacation days is a conservative number … very conservative. A preliminary look at the UMass system shows millions more was handed out. Stay tuned …

In defense of the Comptroller’s office — where all salaries are recorded — the UMass payroll system has just been folded into the state’s adding more transparency to the payroll report. They are still working out a few bugs. We both caught an error and will report back the real deal this week.

Until then, here’s the latest state payroll …

• State pay with gross pay for last year

In a poignant collage, former Herald photojournalist George Martell brings us along with him and Cardinal Sean O’Malley to the ruins of Haiti. I’ll let his work do the rest of the talking. It’s must-see …

Haiti Earthquake - 7 weeks later from bostoncatholic on Vimeo.

Math was a challenge in college, but not logic. That’s why today’s installment of “Your Tax Dollars at Work” report has me asking how can anybody work that many overtime hours?

The state civil engineer who built up $129,000 in overtime last year logged 4,434 hours on the job in 2009, if you calculate his base pay vs. overtime pay. Back me up and do the math yourself:

• Here we spell out top overtime earners
• The main story on the overtime issue, for a good foundation
  
• The new state payroll for 2010, if you want more examples

I’m working on a follow-up story now … with more examples of overtime paid out to rush construction projects into the pipeline. Stay tuned

I guess Florida is the spot to bask while the rest of us plow through a winter of discontent. The state’s shark pro (Greg Skomal, pictured) says five great whites tagged this past September off Chatham are sending back reports of their holiday in the land of orange groves and rum drinks. (See today’s story.)

Unlike their brethren in the Pacific, the great whites don’t head out into the Atlantic, they slowly migrate down the east coast to feed in Florida.

And, they’ll be back!

The sharks prefer 60 degree water temperatures, Skomal says. And they feed from 100-150 feet down. One monster of the deep did plunge to 1,500 feet for some reason. Probably chasing some unfortunate prey.

Fascinating stuff. Skomal also says he’s not sure how many great whites travel together. Let’s hope nobody swims into their party this summer.

New York cops are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man found dead on a beach on Plum Island, located just off of Long Island.

But here’s the mystery, the public does not have access to the island. Homeland  Security runs a research lab on the island, a New York homicide detective told me tonight. The victim — a 5-foot, 10-inch tall black man between 50 to 70 years old — also has a “well-healed head injury and indications of prior neurosurgery.”

He may also be from Massachusetts, Connecticut or Rhode Island, police say. But they won’t say much more than to accept tips to 631-852-6392 or Crime Stoppers at 800-220-TIPS.

So, we have a dead man on a restricted island who survived brain surgery. Know him?

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Today we learn where the Great White sharks tagged off Cape Cod this fall have been lurking while they wait for all of us to hit the beach again.

Here’s the release from the state fisheries folks:

Senior Biologist Greg Skomal will announce the results of the electronic tagging of five white sharks that were spotted off the coast of Monomoy Island in Chatham in September. An analysis of three of the tags, which surfaced earlier this year off the coast of northern Florida, provides clues to the migration paths and behaviors of this marine species.

The announcement will be at 2 p.m. today at the New England Aquarium. (Check back, we’ll fish out all the details.)

And, never one to waste a metaphor,  your loyal blogger has been weighted down circling around a few new stories to chew on. I’ve fished them out and will be posting tomorrow. Keep the tips coming to joed@bostonherald.com.

The once-mysteriously missing police reports from Braintree on the Dec. 6, 1986, shotgun slaughter of Seth Bishop by his big sister Amy Bishop reveal a tragic path of missed opportunities.

Those records, now public and sparking outrage in Alabama where Amy Bishop, 44, is accused of murdering three University of Alabama/Huntsville colleagues and wounding three more, point to places where cops could have easily turned this “accident” into legal action, officials now agree. Maybe fate would have interceded and altered the course of events in that faculty room last Friday. Take a look and you decide …

“Amy Bishop was given her rights by me (Lt. James Sullivan) in the booking room. She said she wished to talk to me. She stated that earlier there had been a family ’spat’ and she had gone to her room.”

The officer adds in the report, obtained by the Herald, that he did not know “how much earlier this family ’spat’ had been.” Clearly, spats have at least triggered further investigation. We later learn the spat was with her father, according to a report by state police Trooper Brian Howe.

“(The father, Samuel Bishop, still alive today and living in Ipswich with his wife) stated that he had a disagreement with Amy before he left about a comment that she had made, and that she had gone to her room prior to his departing.”

But don’t stop there … Amy Bishop, then 20, ran out of the house with the family’s shotgun immediately after blasting her 18-year-old brother in the chest in the kitchen of the family’s Braintree home basically exploding the boy’s heart. She did not drop the gun and run … she kept a  firm grip on the 12-gauge, pump-action Mossberg. A hand-scrawled police report (by Officer Ronald Solimini) states …

“As I was checking out the area of Braintree Square, I spotted Miss Bishop at the end of Parkingway Dr. — near the rear of Village News. At this time I radioed the station that I spotted her. I then swung my cruiser around to the other side of Parkingway Dr. and spotted Miss Bishop again. I also observed her carrying the shotgun.”

Here is the key to this case. An adult toting a shotgun was roaming the streets of downtown Braintree. A loaded gun out in the public. That’s worthy of criminal charges, the DA now agrees. But hold on, there’s more …

 ”I observed workers of the Village News yelling and staying clear of the building.”

Clear and present danger? I’d say that’s worthy of a charge or two. Even the officer feared for his safety. His report states …

“I then exited my cruiser … and approached Miss Bishop with caution, with my gun out of my holster but to the side of my body without Miss Bishop seeing it. Miss Bishop seemed frightened, disoriented and confused. But she kepted (sic) both her hands  on the shotgun at all times as I was talking to her.”

Luckily, another officer surprised Amy Bishop from behind and grabbed the gun. Officer Ronald Solimini writes.

“I then placed the handcuffs on her for her safe keeping and ours.”

In a chilling addendum, the officer writes he found “another 12-gauge field load number 4 shell in her jacket pocket.” Ammo, a weapon, a tense scene in public, screaming and fear … and no charges filed.

Stay tuned, there’s more to come. But, as we’ve already reported …

• Even the police chief at the time says he now has second thoughts. 
• A former auto-body worker claims Amy Bishop put a gun to his chest and demanded a getaway car just minutes after she shot her brother to death.
• Officer Ronald Solimini’s dad, being forced to retire, was defended by Amy Bishop’s mom seven months before the shooting.

Add it up and the question remains … why no charges?

Readers have been hitting back with questions on the Herald’s rolling payroll report. (We like questions) … here’s the answers …

Where does the Massport revenue come from?

Massport makes a bulk of its cash from fees to airlines — for terminal rental and landing weight fees, Danny Levy of Massport says. The quasi-state agency also generates income from concessions, parking and from real estate holdings. Massport rents space in South Boston.

But, “airlines pay for a majority of the revenue,” Levy said. When you use the airport, you are kicking into the bottom line. Of couse these questions  follow last week’s report on salaries at the agency …

• Massport salaries soar on buybacks 
• The Massport line-by-line payroll report

As for the other payroll report from last week, we looked at the City of Boston payroll and followed it up with a report on where employees live. One worker has Craftsbury, Vt., listed as their hometown. It’s true. But the school worker just left their job here in January. A commute from Craftsbury would require a ton of coffee … as you can see it’s hard up against the Canadian border. The city’s payroll report shows former employees who collected a check in 2009 scattered all over the country … from California to Denver and south to Florida. They will all be on pension reports next year.

Here are the City of Boston payroll links …

• 1 in 3 city workers living outside of Boston
• Boston city workers cash in millions on buybacks
• The Boston line-by-line payroll

The comments are flying in on the latest City of Boston payroll, including how can a teacher pull down $310,048?

• Here’s a link to the latest Boston public payroll
• Here’s a link to the $310,000 payout to a teacher

The teacher was awarded the lump-sum payout after winning a discrimination complaint against the city, school officials tell the Herald. Diana Sabella complained of foot pain and not being able to stand for more than 15 minutes, yet she was transferred from Brighton High where her arrangements were helpful to Madison Park High where job sharing and other issues made life unbearable, court records state.

She resigned in 2005 and was awarded back pay — with interest — and emotional distress = $310,048, under orders from the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.

Hey, it’s your money. If you see a waste of cash in your community, drop a dime to joed@bostonherald.com and we’ll put new batteries in the calculator and dust off the public records law.

Somebody has to be a watchdog. As we report today …

• Massport allows employees to cash in unused vacation time
• Here’s the full Massport payroll for 2009

Here’s a good tip from an astute reader who wonders, “Why two signs?”

The reader writes …

“Our tax dollars hard at work.  This is the Rte. 12 / Rte. 2 interchange in Fitchburg.  It’s been like this for a while.  For arguments sake, let’s say we needed a new sign.  Why didn’t they take the old one down when the new one went up?  We’ll need some more orange cone guys, police detail and 10 state workers to milk this for all it’s worth.  Ahhhhhh!!!! There are other signs just like this.”

We’ll make a call today to the new transportation mega bureau for an answer. Keep it coming …

If a bully has insulted your race, religion or sexual orientation try tossing a civil rights violation back at them. That might get them to shut up for a while. Here’s how …

• Call the Attorney General’s Office at 617-727-2200 and just ask for the Civil Rights Division.
• Read up on the law before you make that call here.

Here’s a key paragraph in the law (and thanks to the Attorney General’s office for the assist) …

If you have been the victim of threats, intimidation or coercion based upon your race, color, national origin, religion, age, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation or disability, or because you engaged in a protected activity (for example, the right to vote, or the right to obtain an education, or the right to freely associate), your civil rights under the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act may have been violated.

Victims of bullying — past and present — are calling us and asking what can they do? So we got to work. I’ll be back at it tomorrow, so feel free to e-mail joed@bostonherald.com or call 617-619-6177. We’ll do our best to place calls, get answers … do anything we can to fight back against bullies.

“Tell me what to do?”

Parents calling the Herald — night and day — are torn over how to help their kids deal with bullies. Our series of stories today tell of heartbreaking tales of torment in Bay State schools. You wonder how a kid can focus on their school work at all these days. But, you want strategies.

Here’s some expert advise plucked from the Web … it’s worth sharing …

• Avoid the bully and use the buddy system. Use a different bathroom if a bully is nearby and don’t go to your locker when there is nobody around. Make sure you have someone with you so that you’re not alone with the bully. Buddy up with a friend on the bus, in the hallways, or at recess — wherever the bully is. Offer to do the same for a friend.
• Hold the anger. It’s natural to get upset by the bully, but that’s what bullies thrive on. It makes them feel more powerful. Practice not reacting by crying or looking red or upset. It takes a lot of practice, but it’s a useful skill for keeping off of a bully’s radar. Sometimes kids find it useful to practice “cool down” strategies such as counting to 10, writing down their angry words, taking deep breaths or walking away. Sometimes the best thing to do is to teach kids to wear a “poker face” until they are clear of any danger (smiling or laughing may provoke the bully).
• Act brave, walk away, and ignore the bully. Firmly and clearly tell the bully to stop, then walk away. Practice ways to ignore the hurtful remarks, like acting uninterested or texting someone on your cell phone. By ignoring the bully, you’re showing that you don’t care. Eventually, the bully will probably get bored with trying to bother you.
• Tell an adult. Teachers, principals, parents, and lunchroom personnel at school can all help stop bullying.
• Talk about it. Talk to someone you trust, such as a guidance counselor, teacher, sibling, or friend. They may offer some helpful suggestions, and even if they can’t fix the situation, it may help you feel a little less alone.
• Remove the incentives. If the bully is demanding your lunch money, start bringing your lunch. If he’s trying to get your music player, don’t bring it to school.

SOURCE: Kids Health.com

There’s a whole lot of hurt out there. The frustration is so thick you can feel it over the phone. A grandmother crying the other day while telling about her grandson dealing with bullies as he rebounds from cancer is shocking for its sheer cruelty. (We write about it today.) How can any kid be that inhumane?

Do parents realize just how idiotic their children can be? Or, are we too consumed by our jobs and lives to listen? It’s the story we’re refusing to shelve, especially in the wake of the apparent suicide of a South Hadley 15-year-old who was bullied in school, at home and in cyberspace.

As the Herald’s Margery Eagan writes, “in conversations with parents and in more than 100 voice mails and e-mails, I learned that protecting bullies, not the bullied, is hardly unique to South Hadley. It’s now the rule in our schools.” A sad truth.

NOTE: If you want to share your story of bullying, e-mail joed@bostonherald.com or call 617-619-6177 and we’ll do our best to help. As you write and call, somebody needs to make the tough calls. That’s something we do well!

Tankers carrying liquefied natural gas from Yemen — a haven for terrorists — will slip into Boston Harbor late this month over the objections of many … including Mayor Thomas M. Menino. Here’s the mayor’s statement today on the matter …

Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s Statement on Decision to Allow LNG Tanker from Yemen

“The shipment of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) through Boston Harbor is not a new issue, for years it has been a major problem and will continue to be until a long-term solution is found. I am disappointed by the decision of the United States Coast Guard to allow the shipment of LNG from Yemen and believe that this is the wrong decision for the people of Boston and the metropolitan area. It is unreasonable and unsafe to continually put the interests of large corporations ahead of the security of Boston area residents and it is time to solve this problem once and for all. Extra security alone is not a proper solution and it is the duty of the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, to develop a long-term strategy that will significantly limit, if not eliminate, the need for LNG tankers to travel through Boston Harbor.”

The gripping stories of bullying are landing in the City Desk inbox with conviction. (We asked for them, and you are sharing them.)

We’re looking into them all. The extra work is worth it, even if it saves one kid from suicide. Who can stop thinking about Phoebe Prince? The South Hadley 15-year-old took her own life when the tormenting at school became just too much. As Joe Fitzgerald writes today … where were her heroes?

We’re living in a time when kindness is too often mistaken for weakness.

Was there no one in that vicious crowd who privately ached for Phoebe Prince, no one who, in the name of compassion, felt an urge to stand by her side in her obvious hour of need?

There’s more. One caller urges the Herald to promise to do “our best” to help report on bullying. Her point is we’ll never stop it. It starts in school and lasts a lifetime, for some. It’s like a virus that won’t die.

Here’s some key points from mothers, fathers and grandparents who are forced to deal with bullying today. (We’re checking on their full stories for later in the week). They all plead for the bullies to give it a rest, or a few bravehearts to step in …

“My heart breaks for Phoebe and her parents, as I have lived this, too. It is SO unnecessary. And so very painful to watch.”

“These stories need to be told and this problem has gone on long enough.”

“My heart goes out to what Phoebe went through, and what her family feels now. Your colleague Margery Eagan suugests prosecuting the tormentors who drove her to this. I only wish there was some way to make them understand their cruelty. Both of my daughters had minor bouts of this abuse and I know how evil it is from girls as well as boys.”

E-mail your bullying story to joed@bostonherald.com and we’ll do our best to look into it. Somebody has to. It’s all confidential, until you give the OK.

The post-State of the Union roadshow pulls into Nashua Tuesday. The president, back in campaign mode, is once again dropping down into the Granite State. Here’s the announcement that just landed in the City Desk inbox …

President Obama to Hold Town Hall Meeting in New Hampshire

WASHINGTON - On Tuesday, February 2, 2010 President Obama will hold a town hall meeting in Nashua, NH to discuss jobs and the economy. This event at Nashua High School North is free and open to the public, however, tickets are required. Members of the general public wishing to attend the town hall should visit the following website to register for the opportunity to attend the town hall: http://www.whitehouse.gov/webform/rsvp/nashua-nh-100202. The website will be available until 5:00 pm ET, Saturday, January 30th.

This is not “Moby Dick” or “The Snows of Kilimanjaro,” but it’s close.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston just announced a Nantucket man — a scrimshaw artist — was convicted today of smuggling sperm whale teeth and elephant ivory. Here’s the meat of the release …

 A Nantucket man was convicted today in federal court of multiple felony counts resulting from his participation in an international conspiracy to smuggle wildlife parts, specifically sperm whale teeth and elephant ivory, into the United States.

CHARLES MANGHIS, 54, of Nantucket, was convicted by U.S. District Judge Nancy Gertner of one count of conspiracy to smuggle wildlife, six substantive counts of smuggling wildlife and two counts of making false statements to federal agents.

Evidence showed that he conspired with a Ukranian national and others to smuggle large amounts of sperm whale ivory into the United States. Importation of sperm whale ivory into the United States has been banned since the early 1970’s.

He faces up to five years imprisonment on each of the nine felony counts, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and a $ 250,000 fine on each count.

Just as the wired world is going agog over Apple’s iPad, this news hits today …

Texting while driving would be banned for all Massachusetts motorists and junior operators would also be banned from talking on cell phones while driving, under legislation backed by the Legislature’s Transportation Committee.

We’re inundated with gadgets and it’s making driving an eye-opening experience. Whomever invents a gadget that can help you keep your eyes on the road will be a real winner.

At 8:30 tonight, we’ll launch a live chat leading up to and all the way through the president’s State of the Union address. See you then …

The chat window is open for any and all opinions …

Since we’re knocking Craigslist, the bottom-dwelling online see-what-sticks site, here’s an update on the so-called Craigslist killer. The DA reports …

Tomorrow’s hearing for PHILIP MARKOFF (D.O.B. 2/12/86) has been postponed in light of the assigned prosecutor’s commitments in an unrelated ongoing murder trial. I’ll advise with a new date as soon as one has been set.

The DA just announced the next court hearing is Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. in courtroom 906.

Markoff, a bounced B.U. medical student, is accused of pouncing on prostitutes and stealing their money and panties. In a struggle at a Hub hotel, he allegedly killed one of his victims. He’s up on murder and related charges.