Category: Worcester

Center for Nonviolent Solutions, Worcester

After more than a year of planning and organizing, the Center for Nonviolent Solutions is fixing to open in Worcester.

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The group “seeks to promote alternatives to violence in resolving conflict at the local, national, and international levels.” They’re having a kickoff event at the Worcester Public Library October 17, and will be housed in an office at the Friends Meetiing.

In my time in Worcester, most of the new projects for explicitly “nonviolent” solutions have been started and maintained by very small, often ad hoc groups. These projects have tended to be reactive and short-term. A larger, institutional group that can manage long-term, proactive projects could be just what we need.

All-night Main South prayer vigil, Worcester

Prayer vigil for Main South

There’s a 12-hour prayer vigil for Main South at King & Main in Worcester tonight, organized by The Woo.

I stopped by tonight and joined about 15 others in a little silent prayer, a little spoken prayer, a lot of conversation, and the occasional psalm. As a Catholic, when I think “12-hour prayer vigil” I think of rosaries, litanies, and the Divine Office. This group is coming from a different place, and it’s interesting watching them figure out how they want to use this time. I’ll be back for more in the morning.

508 #80: Heartbroken

508 is a show about Worcester. This week, Brendan and Mike mourn that Gary Rosen is not running for re-election.

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Also: the first issue of Blank Canvas in 2 years is out; Derek Ring took photos of some LaRouche people; there’s a Buddha Hut brunch tomorrow; vegans should check out Chris Gould’s food cart at the Dive Bar; The Woo is holding a 12-hour prayer vigil for Main South; the pond weeds are supposedly no big deal; there was a pot bust in Worcester; we talk about a famous acid bust; Mike is thinking of growing mushrooms.

Also: Intermission.

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All-night prayer vigil, Worcester’s Main South, Aug 14

The Woo, a small “alternative Christian church” on Main Street, are planning an all-night prayer vigil at the corner of Main and King from 8pm Friday, Aug 14 to 8am Saturday, Aug 15. Several members of the congregation live in the neighborhood, and their hope is to “give God a foothold in the area” and pray for the brokenness they see there.

For more info, call Dan at 508-341-1103.

508 #79: Worcester elections 101

508 is a show about Worcester. This week, Mike and Brendan read the papers and cover some of the basics of Worcester’s upcoming election, scarcely 3 months away.

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Note: Not long after this podcast was recorded, Gary Rosen announced he was not running.

Brendan’s Tracy Novick yard sign was stolen, along with all the other Novick signs on his street.

Notable articles from Thursday’s paper:

The InCity Times celebrates their 8th anniversary. The Catholic Radical discusses banking and efforts to unionize local janitors. We mention that this effort may impact cleaning service owner Stephen Buchalter’s campaign. We also review some backstory of Joe O’Brien and Grace Ross, and how Mike Germain won the last election under unique circumstances.

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Latest Worcester military recruiting center graffito

"Closed"The sign in front of the military recruiting center on Park Avenue has been scrawled out with spray paint, and the word “CLOSED” added below. (There’s also a bit of red paint splattered on it, though most of this is gone.)

I haven’t been around Worcester much this year, but people who have tell me the sign has been replaced once, and vandalized “six or seven times”, in recent months.

508 #78: Elm Park art

508 is a show about Worcester. This weeks panelists are Brenna Cussen and Brendan Melican. It’s been a rough week in the area. So we explore the public art exhibit in Elm Park, study invasive water plants, note the upcoming Christianity and Anarchism conference, and look forward to another Creative Laundry event.

Audio listeners are offered a classic IKEA item, and will enjoy Jonathan Coulton’s “Ikea“.

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508 #77: Secret plans

508 is a show about Worcester. This week, Brendan Melican, Tracy Novick, and Kevin Ksen answer the hard questions. What is the secret plan to save the pools? Should the city ban plastic grocery bags? Does it matter who the mayor is?

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On the subject of bags: giving out canvas bags in Worcester, making a canvas bag, making a bag from other bags.
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508 #75: Wincing and Worcester Mag

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

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We mention the July 11 NOLA fest, and the Buddha Hut fundraising buffet for VegWorcester.

We consider the newer, smaller Worcester Magazine and its newer, smaller name: Worcester Mag.

Mike wrote an article for them about shopping locally. He didn’t get to reference the “visionary localism” that interests him so much, for example “The Switch to Local Manufacturing”.

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