Love in practice is a harsh and dreadful thing compared to love in dreams.
508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panelists are Tracy Novick, Brendan Melican, Mike Benedetti, Jeff Barnard, Drew Wilson, Nicole, Bruce Russell, Matt Feinstein, Paul Levitsky, Kevin Ksen, Jesse Pack, and Jacob Berendes.
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This week, we ride the #2 and #16 buses and record the 100th show.
Other posts:
508 is a show about Worcester. This weeks panelists are Greg Opperman, Tracy Novick, Brendan Melican, and Mike Benedetti.
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Tracy, a School Committee Member, talks about fundraising efforts for the vandalized Belmont Street Community School. You can help. We spend most of the show talking about the upcoming city school budget, and why there always seems to be a funding crisis.
Greg is the cook behind the uncontested world-champion vegan macaroni and cheese recipe.
Mike has entered a charity beard competition. February 20, Dive Bar.
Scott Zoback et al have a Haiti fundraiser today. February 5, 5pm-1am, Lucky Dog.
508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panelist is Brendan Melican.
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There was a big rally for (now-Senator) Brown at Mechanics Hall; the City’s considering banning plastic bags, though Mike has long advocated non-governmental action on this issue.
Vegetarian Renaissance: vegan mac’n’cheese cookoff coming up; veg fest coming up; creative Dunkin Donuts event. (Non-veg: Dr. Gonzo may have a roadkill barbeque.)
There are fancifully-dressed tax services advertisers on the sidewalks. Chain bar McFadden’s has closed.
Belmont Street Community School was massively vandalized. There was a Haiti fundraiser.
Mike talks about cargo cults. “Do different dumb things, Worcester. Do different dumb things.”
We’re planning something special for episode #100. Please share your ideas.
508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel is Brendan Melican and Drew Wilson.
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We talk about a Brazilian policeman charged with the killing of a Worcester man, Salvation Army people denigrating the Worcester schools, and Planned Parenthood ads being kept off city buses.
In veg news, there will be a Buddha Hut buffet Saturday, a vegan mac’n’cheese cookoff later in the month, and a Worcester Veg Fest in the spring.
We do an in-depth analysis of the Pulse magazine’s “Ones to Watch” lists from 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010.
Mike has obtained a physical copy of Inside Worcester magazine, which he found disappointing.
Not long before he retired, Fr. Ed Bell began his Christmas homily by asking if anyone remembered any of his past Christmas homilies. After an embarrassed silence, he laughed and said he didn’t remember any of them, either. That’s OK–Christmas isn’t about homilies. (Or blog posts.)
Words by Bruce Russell. Music by Mike Benedetti. Performed by Benedetti and Russell with Sarah Assefa.
From today’s homily by a different priest at the same parish:
I don’t care if Wal-Mart doesn’t have a nativity scene. I don’t care if K-Mart doesn’t have a nativity scene. I care if these pews are filled.
My Christmas wish is that your heart and home are filled today.
And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father’s only Son,
full of grace and truth.
—John 1:14
This week: the 508 Christmas Spectacular! The panel is Julius Jones and Mr. Brendan Melican. Theme song: “If I Had One Christmas Wish.” Words by Bruce “Snow Ghost” Russell, music by Mike Benedetti.
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Buddha Hut buffet Saturday; Stone Soup party Friday; Winter Mystery Band signups happening now.
The NYT is not selling the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Top suggestions for the T&G: stop running the internet poll on the front page, because you’re deceiving people who don’t realize it’s a phony poll, and you look bad to people who know what’s going on; create an RSS feed for Worcester news; make use of the <title> element so it will be easier to Google T&G articles; add features to the comment system to filter out noise.
Julius, who helps run the Regional Environmental Council’s gardening program, talks about the local green economy, or lack thereof.
Holiday gift guide:
Nicole has posted an experimental Virtual Assignment Desk; Jeff Barnard highlights Bill Randell’s reporting on low-income housing financing.
You should wear a hat to stay warm! I’m told Lutheran Social Services has classes for recent immigrants to help them dress appropriately for the (bad) weather.
508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel is Scott Guzman, Heather Mackenzie, Drew Wilson, and Brendan Melican.
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This week is the 10th anniversary of the Cold Storage Fire (photos). Brendan explains the city maintaining its current tax structure.
There’s an “energy barnraising” weatherization event at the Woo Church, 911 Main St, Worcester, Saturday, December 5th, 11-5pm.
Drew points out that Al Gore is finally speaking out against factory farming. Mike and Drew will be doing some vegan outreach at the local colleges.
Spectrum Health has a peer recovery center at 25 Pleasant St; also a Twitter feed. Mike asks Nicole to post a virtual assignment list.
She has been looking into, among other things, relations between Holy Cross students and their neighbors. This discussion has recently escalated. We need Holy Cross students to invite us to some parties so we can report on them.
Mark Lund has revived theater at Becker; they have some free plays this weekend. There’s an art fest at Union Station Sunday; Seah will be debuting a three-decker tee shirt that sounds like this season’s smash holiday gift.
508 is a show about Worcester. This week, we talk with legendary Telegram & Gazette columnist Jim Dempsey and his WPI class about the state of Worcester journalism and whether bloggers can help.
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Two possible inspirations for Worcester amateurs: the NYT’s Virtual Assignment Desk, Clay Shirky’s “Let a thousand flowers bloom”
508 is a show about Worcester. This week, Mike and Brendan discuss a skateboarding accident.
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Last night there was a forum on “Shaping a Local Green Economy” at Clark University in Worcester.
People experimenting with Worcester green initiatives, along with institutional players, spoke briefly about their work. The keynote speaker was Omar Freilla of the Bronx-based Green Worker Cooperatives.
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My video of the event was only so-so, so I’m posting the audio of the Worcester speakers here for anyone curious about the range of local green things happening.
The Worcester speakers were: