Author: Mike

508 #49: Asian Longhorned Beetles

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel is Colin Novick, Anne Lewenberg, Jeff Barnard, and Brendan Melican.

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Sadly, Bruce “The Snow Ghost” Russell was unable to be on the show to talk about seeing Motörhead live at the Palladium last week.

Colin and Anne, as part of the Greater Worcester Land Trust, talk about what’s being done to combat Asian Longhorned Beetles in Worcester.

Worcester has some good info on Asian Longhorned Beetles:

We talk about the sale of Worcester Magazine and the mysterious claim that “like mainstream newspapers, alternatives are confronting surging competition from Web-based media outlets, for both news and arts information”. (Note that this is a paraphrase of something Paul Giorgio said, not necessarily the reporter’s opinion.)

Mike dares the panel, and all Worcester journalists, to say something new and interesting about the Worcester vendor debate.

This week’s InCity Times has some nice photos of old postcards.

There’s some controversy about the Cable Advisory Board’s behavior regarding their report to the City Manager.

Good stuff in Worcester: Friday afternoon block party on Hawley Street, Saturday afternoon block party on King Street, Canal Fest coming up, HBML is still taping a shot-by-shot remake of a Cosby Show episode, there’s a video of the amazing Creative Laundry event, and Jeff will be back to driving a cab before too long.

Bad stuff in Worcester: Mike is suffering from stress.

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Unpaid HBML promo message from Lars:

Fletcher to sell Worcester Magazine

From Worcester Magazine’s blog:

After 15 years of steady ownership, Worcester Magazine has been sold to the Holden Landmark Corporation, owner of The Landmark, Bay State Parent, Fitchburg Pride, among others.

Update: Jeff Barnard disses the Landmark website, but I gotta say, I have been a longtime subscriber to the Save Fitchburg blog, which the Pride is involved with. To me that’s a good sign. On the other hand, WoMag has gotten somewhat better over the past year (with much room for improvement), and I’d hate to see this sale derail that trend.

Michael T. does not agree with this naysaying.

Another update: Worcester Business Journal article.

Update #3: The T&G coverage has some pluses and minuses. It starts out all wrong:

Worcester Magazine, the city’s alternative news and arts weekly . . . .

What I wrote three years ago about WoMag is still true today–it’s not “alternative.”

A couple interesting passages:

[WoMag is] profitable this year with a 30 percent increase in revenues over last year.

Former editor Walter Crockett says:

“Now, the prospects of having solid journalism and solid arts reporting will be the slimmest they’ve been in the history of the magazine, but maybe they’ll surprise me.”

Jeff Barnard has a couple more comments.

Kevin Ksen: sexiest of men

from Kevin Ksen Polka
(copyright 2008 Nat Needle)

Oh, lots of folks love soccer, they play it every day
But Kevin loves his soccer so, it carries him away
He butts his head, he kicks his legs, and if by chance he falls
The women rush the field so they can play with Kevin’s balls

CHORUS: Oh…
Kevin Ksen, he’s the sexiest of men
Kevin Ksen, he’s the sexiest of men
Kevin Ksen, he’s the sexiest of men
And if you don’t believe him, he will tell you once again
And if you don’t believe him, he will tell you once again

(Happy birthday, Kevin!)

508 #47: Creative Laundry

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel is Nat Needle, Jeff Barnard, Brendan Melican, and Bruce Russell.

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Nat talks about the Creative Laundry art project that will appear and disappear in Elm Park on August 15. (In passing we mention Free Art Worcester.) It rained a lot this week; at least one building was hit by lightning. The city’s trees are under attack from beetles. Rosalie Tirella wrote about the late Richard Preston in this week’s InCity Times. The Armsby Abbey opened. Living Earth will be expanding its restaurant. The ACLU wants info from the Worcester police about the stats of kids arrested in schools. The Cosby Show Idea is happening at HBML this weekend (and probably beyond).

Creative Laundry

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Items

Fresno CW says hello to George Washington 2.3 million times
City of Fresno to Pay $2.3 Million to Settle Homeless Case:

On June 6, 2008 the city of Fresno agreed to a $2.3 million settlement in Kincaid vs. Fresno to compensate for its policy of destroying the property of the homeless in unconstitutional raids.

[…]

Liza Apper of the St. Benedict Catholic Worker, who was an expert witness for the plaintiffs, was named by the court as the “Settlement Administrator” in today’s settlement.

BTW, it was great to see Liza again at the CW gathering.

Avast!
We’ve occasionally written about what a great time the Sea Shepherd anti-whaling folks seem to have. Now here’s proof:

We played cat and mouse wargames with that ship for a while, in order to get at those whalers before they could harpoon any more baby whales (they kill baby whales!). Then, later that day, our cat and mouse games paid off, as I spotted a harpoon boat on my radar (I call it my radar now because I put so much time and effort into fixing it, and it keeps beeping and making noise and everyone wants to shut it off all the time, and I was the only one who had the faith to keep using it, and the clunky little bugger was the one that picked up the harpoon boat!).

If you read the whole series, you’ll note that one person gets shot, but not injured.
Continue reading “Items”

How to: commemorate the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

August 6 is the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. August 9 is the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.

One year in South Bend we held a Nagasaki commemoration and our signs were confusing to passersby. A short, clear sign might be NAGASAKI / 1945 / MOURN THE DEAD.

Here’s a leaflet with a Catholic focus you can customize.:

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Worcester, 2004

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South Bend, 2006

IMG_0941 IMG_0934
Worcester, 2009

If you have constructive suggestions, or this info is helpful, please post a comment.

508# 46: You will live another year

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel is Tina Zlody, Jacob Berendes, Jeff Barnard, Brendan Melican, and Bruce “Snow Ghost” Russell.

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Tina finished a triathlon; Jacob went to the George Street Challenge.

Start on the Street is coming up; so is a Cosby Show project at HBML.

Councilor Germain has been feuding with the police chief.

Mike had two bar experiences, one in which a guy got stabbed, the other in which a city councilor did not sing Johnny Cash.

Missoula Oblongata brought their play “Last Hurrah of the Clementines” to Worcester.

We talk about CVS blight and the giant who lives in the downtown AT&T building.

Jacob says the name of Webster Lake.

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