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REILLY: Once again, toys bent on killing your kids
It's time once again for one of our country's most hallowed holiday traditions. No, not the one where the op-ed page runs the commentary from the history professor who patiently explains that the Pilgrim fathers were really cultural imperialists who exploited the peaceful, earth-centered native peoples and that they didn't really eat turkey at the first Thanksgiving or even play football, so there.

ROSE: A lucky day to visit RMV
It was the triple witching hour for me at the end of last week. It was Friday the 13th, it was my birthday and finally ... it was the day my driver's license expired. So what made this unusual confluence of events so unnerving for me? Was it the fact that I was only one year short of turning the big "6" "0?" Or was it the triskaidephobic's fear of Friday the 13th? No ... it was a trip to the Registry to renew my license that threw me into a panic.

GUEST COLUMN: 'Reform' proposals would hurt charters
The Massachusetts Charter Public School Association is deeply concerned about a number of proposals within the Senate Ways and Means version of the Education Reform bill. While we share the overall goal to expand charter public schools, there are provisions that would undermine this goal.

KIRBY: Numbers tell story
Another column for those who believe numbers can tell a story:

Kessler: Q&A with Rev E Nues
It had been a while since my last question-and-answer session with my old friends, Rev E Nues, a semi-retired talk-show host, and Never A Winner, a once-retired racehorse who was forced to go back to the stables to make ends meet, so I sought out their wisdom on a few topics.

HAND: What voters don't know
The first rule of running a successful political campaign is "Get your voters to the polls on election day," but what if the voters do not know when election day is?

BRISTOL: $9M bridge at Gillette a good public investment?
Picture this: a giant walkway soaring over Route 1 at Gillette Stadium. With elevators on either end, pedestrians will be able to get easily and safely from one side of the highway to the other and traffic won't have to be stopped. That's worth $9 million, right?

D'ARCONTE: Every street should have its mayor...
I live on a street that is in the heart of the city, and this street, only two blocks long, has a pretty good heart, too.

SHEA-TAYLOR: One desire for conservatives, liberals, blacks, gays, Muslims
Snow had begun powdering, then trashing the city streets in earnest by the weekday lunch break, and the forecast was ominous. Hours remained until quitting time, the prospect of an unnerving, risky and cheerless highway commute home looking ever more likely.

Voices: Friendship in the time of H1N1
Signs of the times:

ZUCK: The end is near
Take a closer look at your list of things to do for this weekend. Grocery shopping: check. Laundry: check. Take out the trash: check. Decide what to do with the next three years of your life: check.

GOUVEIA: Why security flap at Gillette? Follow the cash
Hey, here's a switch - somebody is taking financial advantage of the New England Patriots.

REILLY: Harvard museum is a natural
All of the world's great museums fall into two categories. You have your Smithsonian Institution or your British Museum, great centers of research and learning, gathering and distilling information in the service of science. And then you have your collections of just deeply weirdstuff. (Think "Ripley's Believe it or Not.")

Love of country drove captain
He was all legs and arms - this first date of my daughter. In navy blue short-sleeved button-down shirt, khaki shorts and patterned tie, he appeared at our doorstep for the first time 16 years ago.

KESSLER: Perils to troops continue 91 years after war to end wars
Ninety-one years ago today, the war to end all wars, The Great War, ended with the signing of the Armistice at the "11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month." Twenty-one years later, when Germany invaded Poland to start an even greater war, the events that preceded the Nov. 11, 1918, Armistice became known as World War I.

GUEST COLUMN: Religious conviction fueled Ft. Hood attack
As the dead and wounded still lay sprawled on the earth of Fort Hood, our president tells us "not to jump to conclusions." What conclusions do you mean, Mr. President? That Malik Husan was operating out of the same mindset that murdered 3,000 Americans in New York on 9/11? That Malik Husan was part of the ideology of Islamic terrorists upturned in variegated plots all across the country over the last couple of months? Unfortunately, despite the deception of the mainstream media, the immediate proclamation from the FBI that the act was not terrorist-related, and the usual condemnation by Muslim advocacy groups, the conclusion that the president did not want us to jump to is being manifested clearly in every detail that rises to the surface. Husan was motivated by religious conviction and the act was perfectly aligned with the mindset of the 9/11 terrorists and the Muslim fanatics who seek the extinction of America.

KIRBY: The embodiment of the ideal North citizen
In the last 13 years, I've walked next door to the Van De Giesens hundreds of times.

HAND: Incumbents put on notice
There was clearly an anti-incumbent backlash in the Attleboro School Committee election this week, which leads to the question: How would city councilors have fared if they had more competition.

Voices: They make a difference - like Jesus
Jesus lived a life of service by caring for the needs of others. Anyone reading the gospels will be impressed with the way Jesus consistently cared for the needy of his day. When asked to give proof that he was the promised one from God, Jesus responded by saying, "The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor." (Matthew 11:5)

SHEA-TAYLOR: Flu buddies wanted
BY BETSY SHEA-TAYLOR

GUEST COLUMN: Despite loss, it was a pleasure
Nineteen months ago I decided to run for Ward 1 city council because I wanted to give the people of Ward 1 an accountable and accessible voice. I was pleased to be in a race that was energetic, engaging and issue-oriented.

GUEST COLUMN: Day at polls awe-inspiring
I would like to say "Thank You" for the honor of the trust Ward 1 has shown in me. I want to live up to that trust. There are so many wonderful people in our ward and this race has given me the opportunity to get to know them better. To those who supported me I cannot say "Thank You" enough. To those who didn't support me I would say that I would be happy to listen to your thoughts and concerns.

REILLY: TV was better when it was worse
According to figures compiled by the Neilsen Company, the people who keep track of America's television viewing habits, children watch a lot of TV.

BRISTOL: A bad idea from Beacon Hill
The state issued a new mandate for schools this year. Each school district has to calculate the body mass index - BMI - of students in the first, fourth, seventh and 10th grades. The kids will be called into the nurse's office, told to take off their shoes, and have their height measured. Then they'll be weighed. Using those numbers, the nurse will determine the BMI of the child or teenager and send the result home, along with advice on how parents can help overweight children slim down.

HICKMAN: A men's book club? You bet
For centuries, men have sought fellowship in clubs where they could talk about books and discuss ideas. Lately, however, the Oprah Book Club phenomenon has cast a shadow over such gatherings, creating the perception that book clubs tend to be the ladies' domain.

ZUCK: Reforms overdue for vacation policies
Vacations make me awfully cranky. Actually, that's not quite right. It's coming back from a vacation that upsets me. So you'll have to excuse me if I seem more ornery than usual for the next few days. I'm suffering from vacation withdrawal.

GUEST COLUMN: Analyze this
Last week on Beacon Hill, the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies held hearings on gambling in Massachusetts. I wonder, has the Town of Plainville ever conducted an impartial cost benefit analysis to hosting a slot parlor, racino, or casino? I know the commonwealth has not. What are they waiting for?

D'ARCONTE: What could possibly go wrong?
I received at least one nice comment on last week's column, a departure from reality in which I talked briefly about the fantasy world of health care reform, a comment that praised my matter-of-fact, straight-forward response to the issue.

GUEST COLUMN: Pot prohibition ripe for repeal
It's not just some naive twenty-somethings in favor of the decriminalization of marijuana, as a recent letter to the editor asserts; many states already have.

GOUVEIA: My life as a gadget lover
My name is Bill, and I'm an electronic gadget junkie.

GUEST COLUMN: Dumas does what ARA couldn't
Actions speak louder than words. It's a saying we often hear, to the point that we occasionally lose sight of its meaning. In the case of Mayor Kevin Dumas, his actions, taken while others have simply spoken their intent to act, show that he is, indeed, committed to improving Attleboro.

KESSLER: Confidence in government comes down with flu
One of the more telling sidelights to come out of the discussion about the flu and swine flu, and the delay of shots for the former, and the nearly total absence of vaccine for the latter, is how inept the federal government has shown itself to be when it came time to back up its warnings with action.

KIRBY: A new look for Page 1
If you look at this Tuesday's front page and think, "Something looks different," you'll be right.

GUEST ESSAY: Seize golden opportunity
The Town of Norfolk finds itself in a very unique situation. This past September the Norfolk school system was given the green light by the Massachusetts School Building Authority to go ahead with a project and scope development for a new elementary school building that would house students in grade 3 through 6. The real bonus comes with the agreement by MSBA to reimburse Norfolk 53.16 percent, or $17,277,050.

HAND: School races in spotlight
Attleboro Mayor Kevin Dumas is unopposed and there is little competition for city council, so the most interesting races in Tuesday's city election are for school committee.

D'ARCONTE: Fix health insurance? No-brainer
If I was an expert at anything, I wouldn't be in this business.

ZUCK: Do whatever it takes to keep me well
Now that we're well into the flu season, I'd like to give you some important health tips, address a few common misunderstandings about the flu, and ask you to keep far away from me this winter if you feel the least bit sick, ornery, or in need of a loan.

BRISTOL: Raise dropout age to 18?
The high school dropout rate in Massachusetts was 3.4 percent last year, the state announced recently. That's just about what it has been for the last 10 years and, I dare say, for years and years before that.

GOUVEIA: NAFD flap all about power
If you have tried to follow the fiasco involving the North Attleboro Fire Department and Board of Selectmen, you are probably a bit confused. Let's briefly summarize recent events:

The more things change, the more they stay the same
More than once, I distinctly remember my mother smiling, shaking her head and uttering a favorite old French saying, "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose." Or for us English-speaking people, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." I find it is a truism, succinctly explaining many situations.

REILLY: Who needs Leatherface when you have drug ads and Dick Cheney?
After many requests from faithful readers in reference to my annual Halloween column, I've decided to go ahead and write one anyway.

GUEST COLUMN: What's on? Violence and sex
Children today spend four or more hours a day watching television; sleeping is the only thing they do more. To put it in perspective: your child wakes up, eats breakfast and heads off to school around eight. They come home around three and turn on the television, only to be watching through dinner until they start getting ready for bed.

KESSLER: (Are you sitting down?) Kind words on Yanks
Before the Boston Red Sox World Series victories of 2004 and 2007, another trip to the World Series by the Bronx Bombers would have been cause for much consternation among Red Sox fans, but not this year. In 2009, you have to give the New York Yankees begrudging respect, even if they again, as a colleague pointed out last week, assembled the best team money could buy.

McAVOY: From conkers to trading cards and 'King' game
"Conkers" redux - more feedback continues to come in on horse chestnut memories.

GUEST COLUMN: Keep schools on course
I ask for your continued support as Ward 2 school committee representative. I have worked hard over the last two years and will continue to do so. My focus has been school safety and discipline. I have made contacts within the schools to keep abreast of safety and discipline issues and when informed of an incident I have addressed it immediately.

KIRBY : Numbers tell story
Sometimes, statistics tell a story. Today, a column of statistics:

HAND: Time for a reboot?
Attleboro Mayor Kevin Dumas might want to update his re-election Web site.

SHEA-TAYLOR: H1N1 shakes up greetings
Coaches Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels nixed a handshake for a simple post-game wave after the New England Patriots recently got whacked by the Denver Broncos.

Voices: Taking action to preserve Earth's beauty
Autumn is often a time of introspection, falling as it does between abundance and absence, between end of summer harvest and the fallow period of winter. As the trees shed their summer's growth and vegetation bends back toward the earth, we, too, may feel called to review what underlies our own life's choices and directions.

BRISTOL: How newspapers can capitalize on their value
When the New York Times Co. changed its mind recently about selling The Boston Globe, executives gave several reasons. One of them was particularly encouraging for the newspaper industry - what the Globe itself called "a successful gamble to raise subscription prices amid a recession."

ZUCK: Happy days here again (yeah, right)
Whew, I'm so glad that's over.

D'ARCONTE: Who's the smartest in the land?
They gave a Mensa test Saturday at the library in Attleboro. Mensa, you know, is the high IQ club, for the smartest 2 percent of humans.

GOUVEIA: No problem? Pols have solution
If politicians want to look effective (even if they aren't) there are ways to go about it. Among them is latching onto a hot-button social issue to solidify your electoral base, then attempting to solve problems that simply don't exist.

REILLY: Forecast calls for cliches
With the approach of winter, we are all going to be paying close attention to weather forecasts.

GUEST COLUMN: Obey long arm of the school bus
National School Bus Safety Week wraps up today. This year's theme is "Obey the Arm - Do No Harm."

GUEST COLUMN: 'Ask not what we can take...'
We in Attleboro's Ward 1 are lucky because we have a choice as to who will be our next city councilor. My opponent is a charming, highly motivated, enthusiastic 18-year-old who claims that he will be "fighting for Ward 1" to get our fair share of Chapter 90 funds and "constantly fighting" for Ward 1. He also claims that he will "fight" to restore the South Attleboro rescue station to full time status and is ready to "fight" for the issues that Ward 1 cares about. These are laudable aims indeed.

Voices: Crisis can be time to figure out what's important
This past year, if there is one thing that we have learned as individuals, as a community, as a nation, it is that our security - our financial security (if we ever had it); the security of our health and physical integrity (temporary as it may be); the security of knowing what our future is likely to look like - is, and always was an illusion.

Voices: 'Prodigal Son' offers us lessons
The story of the "Prodigal Son" is one of the most memorable that Jesus told (Luke 15:11-32). Though we usually think of it as a story about one reckless son, it is really a story about a father and his two sons.