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Editor's Note: The Standard-Times interviewed five prominent SouthCoast women yesterday about the death of Princess Diana. Below are the accounts of the interviews.
Mattapoisett Selectman Michele Bernier learned of Diana's death from The Standard-Times early Sunday morning.
"When I think of how shy she was, and her difficulty in dealing with the press when she was first engaged to Charles, she came a long way to arriving at a place where she could deal with the legitimate press.
"And to have her demise somehow related to the hunting paparazzi is just tragic."
Ms. Bernier spoke of a young Diana, before her engagement to Prince Charles, who lived a life many American women could relate to -- living in a flat with friends, teaching school.
NEW BEDFORD -- Sixteen years ago, they watched her Cinderella wedding to Prince Charles with fascination and a little envy. Yesterday, they mourned.
News of Princess Diana's death draped sadness over the area. Local residents said they were shocked and grasping for answers about the car crash that marked the final chapter in Diana's oft fairy-tale life.
"It's tragic," said Bette Machado, who said she followed Diana's life closely. "Every little girl wishes she could grow up and marry a prince."
The Ernestina was in some pretty heady company recently -- the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit at the Museum of Science, Walden Pond, Computer Museum Network and on-line with WGBH educational television.
The Schooner Ernestina Commission Web site joined those Internet sites last month as one of the finalists in the 1997 Massachusetts Interactive Media Council Awards.
The Web site, entitled "An Expedition of Discovery, the Schooner Ernestina," shows that the historic ship is just as at home surfing the Internet as it is sailing New England's coastal waters.
These eight workers, in what is supposed to be economic good times, are all in some way worried.
All consider themselves better off than they were a year ago, but some are scared their children face tougher times than they did, that companies are using more part-time help, and that on Labor Day, workers are more likely asked to spend the day at their job.
None, however, is concerned their job is in jeopardy.
Even Barbara Raposa of Fall River, who was working last week for a temporary agency, is confident a full-time job is right around the corner.
DARTMOUTH -- Three UMass Dartmouth physics professors are part of a team of scientists who discovered evidence of a rare subnuclear particle at Brookhaven National Laboratory.
The discovery helps validate the central theory of modern physics called the standard model.
In the standard model of physics, three quarks make a proton or neutron and two can combine to make another subatomic particle known as a meson. Quarks are the most basic type of subatomic particle known.
If the observation is confirmed, physicists said, the study of exotic mesons could reveal details of how quarks -- and thus everything in the universe -- are stuck together.
FALL RIVER -- Jeffrey Duggan of New Bedford and his mobility coach for the visually impaired have been spending the summer strolling around the Bristol Community College campus to prepare for his first semester there this fall.
"I came for mobility lessons this summer until I felt comfortable enough with the campus on my own," said Mr. Duggan, who is partially blind. "I'm ready now and I can't wait for the semester to begin so I can meet new people."
Mr. Duggan, one of the 1,300 new students attending the college this year, is anxious to take part in the college's culinary arts program.
NEW BEDFORD -- City Council President George Rogers is looking for some federal help in paying for the $200 million sewer plant.
Mr. Rogers, at the Sept. 11 council meeting, will ask colleagues to appeal to Congress for 90 percent funding of the plant at Fort Rodman, which has made the city's sewer rate one of the highest in the state.
"The 90 percent funding was available for many years, but the city never took advantage of this level of funding because the various mayors at the time did not want to burden the taxpayers with having to pay a grand total of $2 million," Mr. Rogers said,
By Maureen Johnson, Associated Press writer
LONDON -- Prince Charles brought Princess Diana home for the last time Sunday, escorting the body of his "English rose" back to the land where their storybook romance ended in sorrow and scandal, a nation now in shock over a final, stunning tragedy.
The grim-faced prince and the flag-draped coffin bearing his ex-wife's remains were flown in from France to an air base outside London, landing under leaden skies about 7 p.m. (2 p.m. EDT), just 16 hours after Diana died from injuries suffered when her automobile, chased by paparazzi, crashed in a Paris traffic tunnel.
At the Seine riverside tunnel, along the air base fence, at her Kensington Palace home, mourners heaped flowers in tribute to the much-admired Diana. Her 36-year-old boyfriend, the millionaire Dodi Fayed, and their chauffeur were also killed in the wreck.
By Audrey Woods, Associated Press writer
LONDON -- Paparazzi lurked in the shrubbery, hovered outside her gym and trained telephoto lenses on her vacations. The market for intimate photographs of Princess Diana was endless and the money amazing.
Photographers pursued Diana and her wealthy beau through the Paris streets on Sunday -- and, cameras flashing, were the first to the scene of the crash that killed the princess, Dodi Fayed and their chauffeur. Police are investigating whether the pursuit played a role in her death.
Revulsion at that prospect spilled into displays of grief: A message left outside Diana's Kensington Palace home decried "a life wasted by the crooked greed of the media." A woman outside the palace shouted, "You're horrible!" at TV cameramen, sobs choking her words.
WASHINGTON -- Combatants in the tobacco wars spent the summer building lobbying arsenals for an intense fall legislative campaign that begins this week with Congress' return.
Senate Republican Whip Don Nickles of Oklahoma has already put together legislation to implement the proposed $368 billion tobacco settlement. He's has held an initial meeting with administration officials to talk about it.
Nickles, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, received $12,000 in campaign money from tobacco companies in the first six months of 1997, more than any other non-tobacco-state member of Congress.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- A car crashed through a railing on an elevated section of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and sank in 12 to 15 feet of water, killing three women and two children.
The bodies were recovered early Sunday.
The driver of the car had tried to pass another vehicle late Saturday on the bridge-tunnel combination, which connects Virginia Beach and Virginia's Eastern Shore, said Lorraine Smith, spokeswoman for operators of the two-lane, 18-mile-long thoroughfare.
MOSCOW -- A mob in southern Russia attacked police to free an ethnic Chechen rape suspect, initiating a series of armed clashes that killed at least one man and wounded 11, authorities said yesterday.
Saturday's fighting started after police detained an ethnic Chechen suspected of rape in Khasavyurt, Russia's Interior Ministry said. The town is in the republic of Dagestan, near the border with the breakaway republic of Chechnya.
Dozens of ethnic Chechens blocked the road on which the man was being transported and freed him. Police seized two of the attackers, the ministry said in a report, cited by the Interfax and ITAR-Tass news agencies.
BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- U.S. forces are on the spot in a power struggle that might seem to have little to do with them: indicted Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic vs. his former ally, Bosnian Serb President Biljana Plavsic.
At stake, however, is the peace that America fashioned for Bosnia. NATO is hoping to withdraw the more than 30,000 troops in its peace force by June 30, but international officials and Bosnians alike have been pressing for them to stay longer.
The United States and its allies believe the 1995 Dayton peace accord can work only if Karadzic is stripped of power and, if possible, brought to trial on international war crimes indictments.
DERRY, N.H. -- Police say they have arrested two men in connection with the kidnapping and rape of a Lowell woman.
Authorities said William Rushworth, 29, of Derry, and Frank Pendergast, 30, of Sudbury, were arrested around 6:30 a.m. yesterday.
Derry police Lt. Vern Thomas said Rushworth and Pendergast picked the woman up in Lowell late Saturday night. He did not know what prompted the attack or where it took place.
By Erica Noonan, Associated Press writer
BOSTON -- Fanueil Hall, the Freedom Trail and downtown Boston's other popular tourist attractions are facing unexpected competition this summer from a beguiling neighbor with an $11 billion budget.
Unlike most everything else in Boston, this 2-year-old hot spot is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Admission is free. Earplugs cost extra.
Locals call the massive Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel project the "Big Dig." The downtown portion is known as the most ambitious transportation public works project in U.S. history, and it has become an increasingly popular spot for gawkers.
BARNSTABLE -- A Cape Cod institution, Four Seas Ice Cream near Craigville Beach has been drawing crowds for 41 summers.
This year, the lines at the door were even longer.
"Any refreshment business and beach-type business has to be having a great summer," beamed Richard Warren, the owner, who planned to close up for the season Monday night and head to the golf course for some rest and recreation. "We've got nothing to complain about."
PLAINVILLE -- An elderly Massachusetts man was in critical condition yesterday after contracting Eastern equine encephalitis.
State health officials confirmed that the 69-year-old man, who they did not identify by name, had the rare mosquito-borne disease. It was the first human case of Eastern equine encephalitis this year in Massachusetts.
The Plainville man became ill Wednesday, health officials said.
WAKEFIELD -- A state trooper was injured early yesterday after being hit by an alleged drunken driver while he was arresting another motorist on Route 128 in Wakefield.
Trooper Ronald Baker, who is assigned to the Danvers barracks of the Massachusetts State Police, sustained minor injuries.
Looking for a book to read on your next business flight? Try "All I Need to Know in Business I Learned at Microsoft: Insider Strategies to Help You Succeed" (Pocket, $16).
Former Microsoftie Julie Bick organized her book into short, easy-to-read lessons with clear headlines and introductory summaries. You can choose from three levels of depth, depending on the length of the flight.
On a commuter hop, scan the lesson titles, like Lesson 4 in the chapter on how to be a good boss: "Give Credit."
Now that you've read the amazing story of 116-year-old Bishop W.L. Johnson and beheld the Riverdance gyrations his still-supple body is called upon to underline a point in his preaching (Page 1, Standard-Times, Aug. 25), you may want to know his secret, what makes him tick.
If so, read on and you'll be duly rewarded.
Bishop Johnson was guest preacher at Calvary Pentecostal Church in East Freetown on Aug. 24. He mesmerized the congregation with his vitality, with the power of his voice and his message. With his antics and anecdotes, he made them laugh till they cried.
Talk about a link with the past. This one connects a SouthCoast village, its church and church founder with people and places in Genesis, the first book of the Bible.
Lusty people. Enchanting places.
To appease his troubled spouse, Rebekah, "disgusted with life because of the Hittite women," Isaac sent their son, Jacob, to the distant home of an uncle, there to choose a wife.
If a mass gathering of Christians at a city sports arena sounds like the men-only Promise Keepers, look again. Those are skirts in the stands.
About 16,500 women recently came to the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh for the Women of Faith Joyful Journey Conference. Pittsburgh was the 11th and northeastern-most stop on the 15-city tour in 1997, the conference's second year.
"A lot of our husbands have gone to Promise Keepers before, and we know what a great experience that was for them," Jennifer Dimmick said of the 45 women who came with her on a bus from the United Methodist Church in Mentor, Ohio.
By Robert Greene, Associated Press education writer
Applying to college by computer was only natural for Mark Garneau.
The 18-year-old from Closter, N.J., spends two or three hours a day exploring the Internet. Virginia Tech, one of the most heavily wired campuses, had the most detailed Web page -- and an online application form.
He could apply without leaving his perch or dragging out a typewriter, a foreign practice for many youngsters yet still required at many institutions.
"The other ones, I had to think about keeping them neat and typed and stuff like that," said Mr. Garneau, now an incoming freshman at Virginia Tech.
When most people become vegaritans, they say farewell to steak, chicken and lobster. Some may even give up ice cream and omelets.
But for Peter Nelson, becoming a vegetarian also meant flushing Proctor & Gamble down the drain and swearing off leather shoes. No more Tide, Scope, Head & Shoulders, Puffs, Old Spice, Pepto-Bismol, Vicks, Duncan Hines or Pringles.
FOXBORO -- They didn't stray too far from the basics during the preseason, but every so often the New England Patriots would flex their offensive muscles in a way that should have made it easy to see this coming.
A Drew Bledsoe-to-Terry Glenn bomb, a slashing run by tailback Curtis Martin, a big gain on a swing pass by fullback Sam Gash and a bunch of clutch third-down receptions by tight end Ben Coates should have served as strong hints that this football team might be explosive when the real games began.
Still, new coach Pete Carroll may have been among only a handful of witnesses who weren't surprised to see the Pats score on five of their first six possessions yesterday on the way to a 41-7 thrashing of the San Diego Chargers.
FOXBORO -- They had recovered a fumble on the San Diego Chargers' 24-yard line just before halftime but the scoreboard clock at Foxboro Stadium was showing 0:00 when Tedy Bruschi, the Patriots' rambunctious linebacker, ran over to an official and tried to talk him into giving back a second.
"Hey ref, one second . . . There was still one second left," Bruschi yelled. "You owe us a second."
Bruschi was hoping to get a second so Adam Vinatieri, the Pats' placekicker, could have a shot at a field goal. The official smiled.
FOXBORO -- Defensive tackle Henry Thomas says he wasn't trying to make a point when he sacked and forced a fumble by quarterback Stan Humphries yesterday that led to a field goal by Adam Vinatieri yesterday.
"It was no big deal," reported Thomas. "In fact, I feel as if I've just put in another day at the office. I mean, they brought me here to provide some inside pressure, right?"
Thomas, who came to New England from Detroit as a free agent, said he was able to get to Humphries quickly because the Pats were in the right defensive front and the Chargers didn't react quickly enough.
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Maybe the Chicago Bears were searching for something, anything to stoke them up.
After all, they head into Lambeau Field Monday night as 15-point underdogs to the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers and feeling the sting of six straight losses to their northern neighbors in the NFC Central.
But what started as an innocuous comment by Bill Schroeder, the Packers' new No. 4 receiver and punt returner, escalated into a war of words.
Schroeder, who will be playing in his first regular season NFL game, echoed an oft-repeated sentiment last week when he said the long rivalry between the teams that dates to 1921 had lost some of its luster.
Millions of people sat up late into the night Saturday upon the news that Diana, princess of Wales, had been involved in a horrific car accident in Paris, a crash that we were told, early on, took the life of her new-found love, Dodi Fayed, and their chauffeur. As the grainy images of the scene were transmitted around the world, we quickly became prepared for the terrible news that eventually came: Princess Diana was dead of her injuries.
Great Britain began its swift descent into a state of shock and national mourning, which Americans and people around the world deeply shared. The loss quickly was compared to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, who, like Diana, was a national symbol of youthful optimism, purpose and glamour.
Working people everywhere can join the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in declaring victory against United Parcel Service. These courageous workers took on corporate America and won -- a triumph for working Americans from California to Maine.
The Teamsters' success against UPS, however, is only the first step. The reality is that working families in Massachusetts are celebrating Labor Day 1997 with reports of a thriving economy and little proof of it in their own pockets.
Employers are reporting record profits and banner sales while workers are still fighting the uphill battle to keep their lights on, their children fed and their heating bills paid.
Were ever two holidays more at odds with our animal spirits than the bookend celebrations of Memorial Day and Labor Day? On the former we honor our sacred dead, but, be our thoughts ever so reverent, the faint report of a starter's pistol commences the great national dash into promising summer. And today, Labor Day, strain as we might to smilingly salute our working ethos, in truth we bury another summer. Oh, joy.
Funny about summer. It's the only mortal season, the only one whose passing seems a clear subtraction. We may love the snows of winter, the colors of fall, the birds of spring. But when those seasons expire, we slide pretty much unreflectively into the next. But summer's end feels like a loss of a bit of us, who will never again frolic in the waves or lie listening to miles-off thunder in quite the same way. You can so go home again. It's the beach that's never just as you left it.
I am one of those people who are very interested in rain forests. And not just in a Sierra Club kind of way.
What mainly interests me about rain forests is that there weren't any when I was a kid. All we had back then were jungles.
At the Saturday afternoon movies you could thrill to the adventures of Jungle Jim. But nobody ever heard of Rain Forest Jim. Not in my neighborhood, anyway.
HOLLYWOOD I wanted to do a magazine interview with John Travolta about "Primary Colors," which has just wrapped.
Nix. Word came back that the studio, Universal, did not want any political writers interviewing the stars of the Mike Nichols movie based on the Joe Klein novel.
I had heard that Nichols and some of the cast members were trying to play down the idea that "Primary Colors" is about the Clintons, even though "Primary Colors" is about the Clintons.
For parents who worry that their children grow up too fast, the summer movie season didn't provide much comfort.
More than ever, kids seem to be heading to movies intended for the next age group up. In doing so, they are playing a growing role in determining which mass-market movies become hits -- and which ones flop.
This summer, young children gravitated to both teen-targeted fare like "Men in Black" and obviously adult material like "My Best Friend's Wedding" and "Air Force One." That left a lot of traditional family movies -- like Universal Pictures' "A Simple Wish" or Warner Bros.' "Free Willy 3: The Rescue" -- gasping for air at the box office.
By Ken Guggenheim, Associated Press writer
"Macbeth," Act I, Scene 4: King Duncan inquires about the fate of the Thane of Cawdor, a traitorous nobleman. Suddenly, a white Mitsubishi Eclipse speeds away.
A modernist foreshadowing of Macbeth's impending betrayal? No. Just a couple of bewildered people who had left their car in a parking lot a bit too long. By the time they returned, the lot had become a stage, a pair of bucket car seats had become the Scottish throne, and an audience of 120, on blankets and folding chairs, was watching the driver make a very rapid exit.
The spontaneous mixture of Shakespeare and modern city life is part of the fun of "Shakespeare in the Parking Lot," a three-year-old summer festival of Shakespearean plays performed for free each summer in a municipal parking lot in Manhattan's Lower East Side.
Ted L. Nancy is one lucky "nut."
Two years ago, Mr. Nancy was living in obscurity in suburban Los Angeles, spending too much of his free time writing quirky letters to major corporations, minor celebrities, casinos and world leaders. In the meantime, he was building up an entertaining collection of responses.
Mr. Nancy's life changed during Labor Day weekend, 1995. The story goes that Jerry Seinfeld discovered the letters at a friend's house, thought they were hilarious, and used his influence to get them published in a collection that has become "Letters From a Nut" (Avon, $15).
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