Category: Worcester

508 #118: Confronting the Bad Economy

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel is Ian Anderson and Brendan Melican.

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This week we begin a series about how people in Worcester are confronting the Bad Economy. If you know someone with a story to share, contact us at pieandcoffee@gmail.com.

[0:10] We take a look at what drug stuff is on the ground this week.

[2:00] Mike reads a passage from Linchpin by Seth Godin:

The death of the factory means that the entire system we have built our lives around is now upside down. This is either a huge opportunity or a giant threat.

[2:36] Ian talks about his unexpected career as a carpenter/engineer/balloonist.

[21:36] Mike loaned his bike to someone who attended the G-20 summit protests in Toronto and the police hauled it off.
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Patrick Duffy is awesome

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My confirmation sponsoree Patrick Duffy is all over the news this week.

This weekend he’s competing in the 2010 USRowing Youth National Championships, June 11-13, 2010, Cincinnati, Ohio. Here’s him and Evan on cable access talking about it:

Also, there’s an article in today’s Worcester paper about him graduating high school and getting into Harvard. I am so proud of this kid.

(Pat’s parents are Scott and Claire Schaeffer-Duffy, who founded Worcester’s SS. Francis & Therese Catholic Worker and occasionally post to P&C.)

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508 #114: Denouement

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel is Jeff Barnard and Brendan Melican.

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If you would like to boycott 508, please contact us at pieandcoffee@gmail.com.

Various epic Worcester stories climaxed this week. [0:30] Unum signed a lease to became the “trigger tenant” for CitySquare, and Massport agreed to take over the airport.

[6:10] Also, the MA House passed CORI reform.

[9:40] The Worcester movie “Boy Band” will premiere locally next week.

[10:40] Mike looks at InCity Times issues from before and after Dianne Williamson called for a boycott of the paper, and finds, if anything, more ads now. Two contributors, Jim May and Doug Chapel, have said they are leaving the ICT.

[14:33] Brendan notices the many local construction projects are stimulus-funded.

[16:25] There is a new president of the local teacher’s union.

[18:15] A bear was captured in Worcester and died.

[20:48] The T&G website, as we have often discussed, has problems.

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508 #113: Wunneompset

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel is Brendan Melican and a mystery guest.

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If you would like to boycott 508, please contact us at pieandcoffee@gmail.com.

[1:18] Brendan and Mike went to stART in the Street. They speculate about Alec Lopez shirts.

[4:34] Mike talks about youth-led lead-safe landscaping in Worcester and wonders about levels of brain damage between generations.

[6:48] Our mystery guest talks about the life and legacy of Ronnie James (Padavona) Dio and the horns.

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[11:29] A girl at Melican Middle School is a finalist in a contest to design a Google front-page doodle. You can vote in the contest.

[13:43] The InCity Times has threatened legal action against a critical blogger over “copyright.” Brendan complains about the InCity Times. The only person or advertiser we’ve confirmed has left the paper recently is frequent contributor Jim May.

[22:44] Jordan Levy complains that Councilor Palpatine is being a bully over this CSX expansion thing. Brendan supports the expansion.

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508 #112: Boycott

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel is Jim Henderson, Nikki Erskine, Tina Zlody, and Brendan Melican.

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508 contact info

If you would like to boycott 508, please contact us at pieandcoffee@gmail.com.

[0:57] Jim is running independently for Secretary of the Commonwealth. He taught Mike to podcast back in the day.

[10:55] stART on the Street is coming to North Main on May 16 from 11am-5pm. Art and music, free of charge.

[15:50] This week, the Worcester City Council declined to discuss a boycott of Arizona.

[24:25] Mike ran the course of the upcoming Worcester Half Marathon.

[25:50] You can submit a city census form online.

[25:35] We recap this week’s InCity Times boycott/fiasco. You can find mp3s of the Jordan Levy interview on this page.

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Worcester City Council: no to Arizona boycott

Worcester’s City Councilors have a rough job, and I respect them for doing it. But tonight a lot of them acted like cowards and hypocrites.

Three years after voting unanimously to divest from Sudan over the violence in Darfur, tonight they voted, 7-4, that discussion of a similar city boycott of Arizona over the recent immigration law would not be “germane” to the business of the council.

Of the 7 voting to not even discuss the Arizona issue, 6 (if memory serves) were OK with the Sudan divestment–Haller, Clancy, Palmieri, Lukes, Toomey, and Petty. Toomey was absent. Eddy also voted against discussion, but I don’t think he was on the Council for the Sudan vote.

It’s interesting to note that one of 3 Worcester residents who spoke in favor of the Sudan vote in 2007, Joe O’Brien, is now the mayor and a supporter of the Arizona boycott.

Update: I made a mistake in not noting that at least one of the original supporters of the boycott no longer wanted it brought up:

But when that item came up for discussion last night, Mr. Rushton moved to have it “filed,” which is the equivalent of placing it in the parliamentary wastebasket. . . .

Councilor Clancy challenged that the issue wasn’t germane, after which the mayor ruled it was, after which the full Council voted it wasn’t.

Jeff Barnard has more thoughts on this angle.

Another update: Note that Toomey, who voted against discussing the Arizona issue, was absent from the Sudan vote.

Related from Worcester Magazine: Liveblogged notes from the meeting
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