September 2008

St. Peter’s ministry fair

People will be tabling about parish ministries after every mass this weekend at St. Peter’s parish in Worcester.

I’ve avoided getting involved in parish ministry in Worcester because I move so much. But I’ve lived in the Greater St. Peter’s Area continuously for the past 11 months, and plan to be here until at least January, so I think it’s time to take the plunge and investigate becoming a lector. (Thanks to TN for a short conversation which convinced me I should get more involved in this way.)

On a related note, from last week’s bulletin:

* Special Notice: The Diocese of Worcester has mandated that every person who is involved in any kind of parish ministry – whether volunteer or paid – must complete a C.O.R.I. form and must participate in a Child Abuse Awareness training program.

I hate filling out government forms as much as anybody, and I have more than enough opportunities to serve the Lord in my daily life that don’t involve paperwork. I can understand a policy like this, but boy it’s annoying.
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508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel is Mark Lund, Cha-Cha Connor, Kevin Ksen, Jeff Barnard, and Brendan Melican.

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We revisit the story of Karon Shea Model Management. Mark ran their 2008 International Modeling and Talent Association program (see Pulse article) and has mixed feelings about the experience. If you have feedback on this issue, you might want to send it to renegade blogger Marc Reese.

We talk about the Republicans’ bizarre attacks on community organizing with community organizer Kevin Ksen. We mention that Drew Wilson was arrested at the RNC.

Cha-Cha says the Transgender Emergency Fund, first mentioned on 508, is up and running.

We talk about the new Worcester Magazine, Rosalie Tirella’s attacks on Allen Fletcher in the InCity Times, ICT readers defending the late Richard Preston, and boring commenters.

Discussion of the impending T&G layoffs turns into a general discussion of print journalism in Worcester and the various publications serving the city’s subcultures. (WoMag in 2001: “Buyouts and belt-tightening herald an uncertain future for our local–and no longer independent–daily”.)

Next week’s show is #52. We’ll be setting an agenda for the city in the coming year. If you have suggestions or ideas, e-mail pieandcoffee@gmail.com or leave a message at 508-471-3897.

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Just got word that a Worcester activist was arrested at the RNC protests. No idea at this point if I should be posting the person’s name, but people are trying to raise bail for this young person, so if you want to kick in a few bucks e-mail us at pieandcoffee@gmail.com and we can give you the details.

Update: The activist in question is my soul brother Drew Wilson. I’m told he, like so many others, is charged with felony conspiracy to riot. Here’s an interview with him from last year. You may recall that he and Allison Vasallo were, despite their best efforts, arrested earlier this year for hanging a banner from an overpass. In Massachusetts, that’s no longer tolerated.

Drew wears silly glasses at HBML.

The first Worcester Magazine under new management is out today.

Here’s a running list of my notes, mostly for my own future reference.

Excerpts from the masthead. Folks from the previous incarnation in bold:

Publisher: Gareth Charter
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Keogh
News Editor: Scott Zoback
Arts & Entertainment Editor: Doreen Manning
Photographer: Steven King
Contributing Writers: Douglass Chapel, Janice Harvey, Ina Irving (this is a pseudonym), Matthew Quinn (also a pseudonym)
Editorial Interns: Nick Vorres

Bylines:
Scott Zoback: 6
Jim Keogh: 3, co-author of weekly picks page
Doreen Manning: 1, co-author of weekly picks page
Steven King: cover photo, “People on the Street” etc.
Doug Chapel: 1
David Wildman: 1
Nick Vorres: 1
Ina Irving: 1

“One on One” is Allen Fletcher (looking sad in what I guess is an old photo) interviewed by Zoback. The only missing feature I notice is Charlene Arsenault’s “Cookie” column on local bands and the like.

“Ina Irving” and “Matthew Quinn” are the pseudonymous restaurant reviewers. If they keep the pseudonym, does that mean it’s the same person? Why is there pseudonyms on the masthead anyway?

They still have the unsigned editorial. Who thinks this is a good idea in 2008?

Anyhow, with Scott writing so much (the contributions from others are either autobiographical or light) it’s not much different from previous issues.

From the paper itself, this afternoon:

Publisher Bruce Gaultney notified the staff of planned cuts and other changes in an e-mail to employees this afternoon.

The current workforce of about 600 will be reduced by 36, Mr. Gaultney said. Employees in news, advertising and certain other departments will be offered severance packages. If the buyout offer doesn’t reach its goal, the company will have an involuntary severance program, or layoffs.

[...]

The Telegram & Gazette has had previous rounds of buyouts, including two earlier this year.

Previously:

• Newspapers down 3.5%; T&G down 4%
• Newspapers down 2.6%; T&G down 5%
• Newspapers down 2%; T&G down 11%

We should expect the next T&G circulation figures in October or November.

The fading of the T&G is bad news all around. Local blogging has been on the rise in the past year, but still nobody’s emerged to pick up the slack from the T&G.

Update: Buck Paxton suggests some layoff targets.

Cross-posted at Worcesterite.

From the first chapter of Christian Non-Resistance by Adin Ballou (1846).

What is Christian Non-Resistance? It is that original peculiar kind of non-resistance, which was enjoined and exemplified by Jesus Christ, according to the Scriptures of the New Testament. Are there other kinds of non-resistance? Yes.

1. Philosophical non-resistance of various hue, which sets at nought divine revelation, disregards the authority of Jesus Christ as a divine teacher, excludes all strictly religious considerations, and deduces its conclusions from the light of nature, the supposed fitness of things and the expediency of consequences.
2. Sentimental non-resistance, also of various hue; which is held to be the spontaneous dictate of man’s higher sentiments in the advanced stages of their development, transcending all special divine revelations, positive instructions, ratiocination and considerations of expediency.
3. Necessitous non-resistance, commonly expressed in the phrase “passive obedience and non-resistance,” imperiously preached by despots to their subjects, as their indispensable duty and highest virtue; also recommended by worldly prudence to the victims of oppression when unable to offer successful resistance to their injurers.

With this last mentioned kind Christian Non-Resistance has nothing in common. With philosophical and sentimental non-resistance it holds much in common; being, in fact the divine original of which they are human adulterations, and embracing all the good of both without the evils of either. This treatise is an illustration and defense of Christian Non-Violence, properly so designated.