THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2021 BEACON | FROM Page 18 1. October 1 is International Coffee Day; wild coffee plants originated in Kenya, Sudan and what other country? 2. Which NFL franchise has been in continuous operation with the same location and name for the longest time? 3. What is a cruciferous vegetable? 4. The word “robot” originated in the hit play “R.U.R., or Rossum’s Universal Robots” in what decade: 1890s, 1920s or 1940s? 5. What three letters denote a computer’s brain? 6. On Oct. 3, 1919, Adolfo Luque, a Cincinnati Reds pitcher, became the fi rst Latino World Series player; he was from what country? 7. What is a calabaza? 8. Massachusetts beach sand is mostly made of what clear mineral? 9. In what state is the Banzai Pipeline? 10. On Oct. 4, 1883, what passenger train began service between Paris Answers and Istanbul? 11. Who authored “Where the Wild Things Are,” which won a Caldecott Medal in 1964? 12. What are basenji dogs (a breed of African origin) unable to do? 13. What Revere Beach birds are sometimes heard before seen? 14. The song “Hernando’s Hideaway” from “The Pajama Game” is in what style of dance time? 15. On Oct. 6, 1970, what “gang” was arrested – ending China’s Cultural Revolution? 16. Who is the Super Bowl trophy named after? 17. What sweet substance is in fruits? 18. In 1537 what monarch declared Saint Valentine’s Day a holiday? 19. Which planet is closest to the earth? 20. On Oct. 7, 1956, Clarence Birdseye died, who in Gloucester had invented what food processing method? wealth’s families in highest need.” Supporters of repealing the $5,000 asset limit said it is unfair to deny families with children and pregnant women who may have as little as $6,000 to $10,000 in assets from benefi tting from the TAFDC program. Some said the asset limit encourages people to spend down their assets at a time when they should be preserving or increasing savings. “Some of those most aff ected by this pandemic and its aftereffects are families with young children,” said Rep. David Linsky (DNatick). “We need to work toward providing access to essential help and services for this vulnerable population. Eliminating this barrier is a start towards helping this high-risk population begin to get back on their feet rather than continuing to put themselves in debt.” (A “Yes” vote is for repealing the $5,000 asset limit. A “No” vote is against repealing it.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Yes SEX EDUCATION (S 2534) Senate 38-1, approved and sent to the House legislation that would require that all public schools off ering a comprehensive sexual health education curriculum “provide medically accurate, age-appropriate sexual health education.” Under current law, public schools are not required to teach sex education and the bill does not change that but rather mandates that any schools that choose to teach sex education are required to follow a curriculum, based on age, that includes human anatomy, reproduction and sexual development; the benefi ts of abstinence and delaying sexual activity; the importance of eff ectively using contraceptives to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV and AIDS; ways to effectively discuss safe sexual activity; relationship and communication skills to form healthy, respectful relationships free of violence, coercion and intimidation; and information about gender identity and sexual orientation for all students, including recognition that people have diff erent sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions. The measure also requires any school off ering sex education to notify parents about the school’s sex education curriculum and gives parents the right to withdraw a student from the instruction. Another provision creates a process for parents to inspect the program instruction materials before the start of the course. Supporters said that under the bill, local cities and towns still have the authority and power to decide whether sex education is taught in their schools. They said the measure will ensure that schools that choose to teach sex educaPage 19 tion will have a framework to follow. They noted the bill will prepare students to make healthy decisions and will reduce teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. “I am very proud that the Massachusetts Senate has once again reaffirmed our commitment to this commonsense healthy policy that will ensure our youth have the tools needed to protect their health and form respectful relationships,” said sponsor Sen. Sal DiDomenico (D-Everett) “This legislation makes it clear that sex education in the commonwealth must be inclusive for all students and emphasize the importance and necessity of consent. I would like to thank and congratulate the many advocates who have partnered with us on this legislation and worked tirelessly to ensure Massachusetts youth have the information they need to build the bright futures they deserve— without shame or judgement.” “This is a highly controversial bill, as demonstrated by the fact that it has failed to pass for multiple sessions,” said Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton), the only senator who voted against the measure. “If this legislation is to pass into law, it would be a direct usurpation of the local school district’s decision-making abilities. Each community has different needs based on their specifi c demographics, which is why they should have the ability to decide their curriculum. By mandating a statewide sex education curriculum, you directly take away the ability of a community to decide how sensitive topics like sex education are taught.” “It is quite troubling that our elected offi cials think taking local control away from school districts and parents regarding sex ed curriculum is a good idea,” said Andrew Beckwith, executive director of the Massachusetts Family Institute. “And even worse is the type of graphic content they want to push on students in the curriculum they are sanctioning. In what reality does normalizing high risk sexual activity like anal and oral sex for teens or teaching young vulnerable girls how to obtain abortions without their parents’ knowledge or consent result in healthy youth?” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.) Sen. Joseph Boncore has resigned CHANGE GENDER ON BIRTH CERTIFICATES AND MORE (S 2533) Senate 39-0, approved and sent to the House a bill that would allow people to change their gender on their birth certifi cate, driver’s license, learner’s permit, identifi cation card or liquor purchase identifi cation card, including to a non-binary option other than male or female. The possible designations include “female,” “male” or “X” which would indicate that the person is another gender or an undesignated gender. The gender can only be changed by an adult, an emancipated minor or the parent or guardian of a minor. No documentation is required but the person changing the gender must submit an affi davit executed under the penalty of perjury attesting that the request is to conform to the person’s gender identity and is not made for any fraudulent purpose. The bill also directs the state to develop a plan for allowing a non-binary option on all state forms and instances where a gender choice is required. “People know what gender they are,” said sponsor Sen. Jo Comerford (D- Northampton). “This bill simply allows for gender identifi cation and IDs as diverse as our people. The Legislature must ensure that all of our constituents have access to IDs with nonbinary gender markers as beautifully diverse as they are.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill.) Sen. Joseph Boncore has resigned HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION? Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature’s job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been fi led. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late-night sessions and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session. During the week of September 20-24, the House met for a total of seven hours and 27 minutes while the Senate met for a total of fi ve hours and 28 minutes. Mon. Sept. 20 House 11:01 a.m. to 11:05 a.m. Senate 11:04 a.m. to 11:39 a.m. Tues. Sept. 21 No House session No Senate session Wed. Sept. 22 House 11:02 a.m. to 11:13 a.m. No Senate session Thurs. Sept. 23 House 11:02 a.m. to 6:14 p.m. Senate 11:19 a.m. to 4:12 p.m. Fri. Sept. 24 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com 1. Ethiopia 2. The Green Bay Packers 3. A member of the cabbage family 4. 1920s 5. CPU (central processing unit) 6. Cuba 7. A pumpkin-like squash mostly grown in tropical America and the West Indies 8. Quartz 9. Hawaii (a surf spot on Oahu) 10. The Orient Express 11. Maurice Sendak 12. Bark 13. The piping plover 14. Tango 15. The Gang of Four 16. Vince Lombardi 17. Fructose 18. Henry VIII 19. Venus 20. Flash freezing (originally used for fi sh)
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