Category: Podcasts

508 #72: The Woodchuck of Main South

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel includes Brendan Melican and Scott Zoback.

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Colin Novick’s ordination is tomorrow (we got this wrong last week); the Save Our Poolz movement looks back at the past year and considers new strategy; Worcester may be getting CORI reform.

This week’s Worcester Magazine covers our nation’s hard times by noting the stories of Foothills Theater, Lujon, and Papamoka.

The Telegram and Gazette is up for sale–Mike had predicted this would happen by May 1. Scott Zoback predicts the sale price will surpass $1,000,000.

T&G does a sorry job covering the latest Rep. Spellane gossip compared to the Herald.

Rushton to buy NWA album for son?

Scott Zoback enjoyed the Dive Bar’s 100th Thursday Music Night and the haberdasher trailer.

Mike suggests Worcester Magazine imagine how they could cover a large, local story 100%, then post the “assignment list” and try to engage the community in reporting it. (Inspired by Jay Rosen’s idea for Brooklyn.

Mike also notes the Uighurs are finally getting out of Guantanamo.

Worcester’s “vegetarian renaissance” has lasted a month now, continuing with Drew Wilson‘s WoMag article “Top places to get mock-meats.” We note Drew’s idea for mock dodo, mock tyrannosaurus rex, etc.

HBML has been replaced by the “Fuck Yeah Center.”

City Council Candidate Joe Casello should appear on 508.

We finish with a report from the year’s first Main South Farmer’s Market, and the story of the Woodchuck of Main South.

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508 #71: Dime bags

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panelist is Brendan Melican.

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Worcester Magazine has a great article and slideshow about our screwed-up taxi system. Cab driver Jeff Barnard has a brief comment; Brendan has proposed solutions in the past.

The “vegetarian renaissance” in Worcester continues. VegWorcester has installed 5 newsracks and distributed 1000 veg dining guides in the past couple weeks.

Our friend Colin Novick is being ordained a Catholic deacon tomorrow June 13–but the local priest shortage continues. A former street vendor is running for City Council. Craigslist is too nice for newspapers to compete with.

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508 #70: Papers and Poolz

508 is a show about Worcester.

This week, Mike is joined by Brendan Melican and Cha-Cha Connor.

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There’s a good show tonight at the Firehouse. The Catholic diocese is closing 2 more parishes. A Worcester woman is missing. Street vendors are being put out of business by new city regulations. (Video)

We read the African Radiant and mention Rep. Jim McGovern’s February letter to President Obama (PDF) asking for the 17 Uighurs at Guantanamo to be released into the U.S.

We read Worcester Magazine’s stories about panhandling and the Worcester Vegetarian Dining Guide. We mention Twitter.

The Pulse profiles the designer of the Veg Dining Guide.

This week’s InCity Times includes 2 mysterious items. The Worcester TwitCab is closed.

We contemplate the new Park Avenue CVS location through the teachings of Jim Collins.

We glance at the Catholic Radical. Cha-Cha talks about the situation with the City’s pools. The Telegram & Gazette website is still partly broken. We don’t have time to discuss Jeff Barnard’s “Worcester City Council: Bad for Business.”
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508 #69: Vegetarian renaissance

508 is a show about Worcester.

This week, Brendan and Mike talk about: odd police reactions to a Supreme Court ruling; the future of the T&G and a new electronic edition; Worcester’s best vegan date spots; and the underground music scene.

If you’d like to leave a comment for next week’s show, the number is 508-471-3897.

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508 #68: WPI and PILOT

508 is a show about Worcester.

This week, I talk to Brendan Melican. Topics include inaccurate predictions, the Telegram & Gazette’s website troubles, and WPI making non-tax payments to the city.

If you’d like to leave a comment for next week’s show, the number is 508-471-3897.

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To get an e-mail each week alerting you of the new episode of 508, join the e-mail list:

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We won’t share this list with others.

Christopher Lydon interviews James Carroll: “Practicing Catholic”

Lydon: And the main question I think is, simply, why are we so tenaciously devoted to discovering ourselves as Christians, and what that means. You, me, lots of people.

Carroll: Well, that’s the big question. I’m mystified, frankly, by my own Catholic Christianity. I love it. I argue with it, I’m in a fierce conflict with it. I’m deeply consoled by it. For me it’s as simple as going to mass. That’s the practice. The practice outweighs all the doctrines, and even all the aesthetic glories of the Church.

James Carroll interview from Lydon’s excellent “Open Source.”

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Band Together: street politics and old-time music

“Band Together” combines street outreach on political issues with live, old-time music. I talked with some of the people behind the concept about their experiences and what advice they’d give to others looking to try it.

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Band Together is a human rights advocacy project. We use live artistic performances in public places to capture people’s attention and turn it toward human rights. We strive to educate people on the most urgent issues of our time, and facilitate action that will lead to a change in legislative policy on these issues.

The “Catholic Worker Peace Team” model

Scott Schaeffer-Duffy and Brenna Cussen discuss the “Catholic Worker Peace Team” model for international peace trips.

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Elements of the Catholic Worker Peace Team model:

  • Short duration
  • Personalist (non-governmental)
  • Spiritually-based
  • Direct service to those in need
  • Information gathering
  • Nonviolent direct action to make the situation better

Scott and Brenna are planning a May 2009 trip to Gaza, Sderot, and the West Bank. Their trip to Darfur and its aftermath was the first project documented on Pie and Coffee.