Pie and Coffee

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

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We talk with Steve about his support for Massachusetts ballot Question Three, which would ban dog racing.

Mike tags along with some students from the Bronx hunting for Asian Longhorn Beetles in Worcester. (Pix, T&G coverage)

Brendan responds to one of these letters in Worcester Magazine. Jeff recaps the situation with Unum. Mike praises Trash Magazine and the New Parisian.

We discuss the InCity Times’s inadvertant republishing of a WoMag story, and an article about the chaos surrounding their website.

This albino raccoon is our new mascot:

Jeff has photos of the Columbus Day Parade, including one of Bruce.

Drew Wilson joins us to talk about his arrest at the Republican National Convention.

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508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s pundits include Brendan Melican and Bruce Russell.

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Our in-depth discussion of Question Three is pushed off a week; instead, we talk about the Q 1-3 advertising we’ve seen. (Related: Seth Godin on undecided voters, the T&G editorial board on marijuana decriminalization.)

Mike has spent the past week shopping only at locally-owned businesses.

We discuss “Payment In Lieu of Taxes,” also known as “Taxes.” (Guidestar info on the Art Museum.)

Brendan mourns the WANT ADvertiser.

Bruce joins us for a “Bruce Is Incorruptible” segment on the Armsby Abbey.

We unwisely discuss the T&G website; this topic always turns out to be a quagmire of negativity. Related: ShrewsBuried, Worcesterite, Real Worcester.

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508 is a show about Worcester. Due to technical limitations, this week’s show consists of various subsets of Kevin Ksen, “Diamond Dave” Maciewski, Brendan “Buck Paxton” Melican, and Bruce “Snow Ghost” Russell.

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This week in Worcester, the authorities shot a moose.

Image by Duncan A.

Kevin talks about protesting the “Spirit of America” pageant (though not the spirit of America) in 2004 and 2008. Mike critiques the new Worcester Magazine feature “Two minutes with …” and skims the InCity Times. Dave and Mike are saddened by Daniel Yarnie’s arrest. Brendan considers the City Council’s proposed anti-party ordinance. Mike goes negative on the library.

Mike is shopping only at local businesses for the next week. Brendan mentions Polar Classic Sodas.

Bruce is both unintelligible and entertaining.

Finally: tasers.

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508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel is Bruce Russell, Brendan Melican, and “Diamond Dave” Maciewski.

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We discuss Question One, which would eliminate the Massachusetts state income tax, and conclude it’s a bad idea. Question Two would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, and the panel supports it. (Here’s the study Brendan mentioned on “marijuana as a gateway drug.”)

We don’t know much about Question Three.

Next topic: How much can Bruce bench?

Bruce and Mike attempt to share an anecdote about Tom Lewis.

Despite his focus on serious issues, Tom was also known for a fine sense of humor. Just after his codefendant Father Phil Berrigan was sentenced to six years in jail for his part in the Baltimore Four, the judge asked Tom if he had anything to say before sentencing. Tom said, “No, your honor.” The judge pressed him, “These are serious charges, Mr. Lewis. Don’t you have anything to say?” Tom said, “No, I’ve said all I want to in my testimony.” But, when the judge persisted, “You could be sent to jail for years Mr. Lewis, are you absolutely sure there’s nothing you want to add?” Tom began to suspect that the judge wanted to scapegoat Phil as the priest mastermind of the protest and hoped Tom would make a last minute appeal for mercy, so Tom said, “Since you press me your honor, there is one quote which is important to me.” The judge leaned forward and said, “Yes, yes.” Tom straightened up and said soberly, “You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead. That’s from Laurel and Hardy, your honor.” The furious judge gave Tom six years too.

Mike talks about his federal trial and WCCA’s funding situation.

Brendan says the new wind turbine is worth checking out.

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

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Scott describes seeing some more Asian Long-Horned Beetles. Brendan points out the irony in this article about police details at construction sites:

One potential scenario could have city councilors taking up as soon as Tuesday a new municipal ordinance that would carve out an exemption from Mr. [Governor Deval] Patrick’s plan for Worcester police; such a move could proceed without a public hearing because it would not be the result of a recommendation from City Manager Michael V. O’Brien.

Detective Thomas G. Daly, secretary of police union local 911 and regional vice president of the New England Police Benevolent Association, expressed frustration with a recent Statehouse hearing on Mr. Patrick’s plan that he said was rigged against police. He and other Worcester officers attended, but were not able to testify.

Scott opines on the recent changes at WM and the upcoming changes at the T&G.

Mike talks about his federal “rosary trial” next week. An appropriate quotation from Nassim Nicholas Taleb: “Wear your best for your execution and stand dignified. Your last recourse against randomness is how you act — if you can’t control outcomes, you can control the elegance of your behaviour. You will always have the last word.”

We follow-up on the republished-then-unpublished InCity Times article that has caused some controversy, and spurred ICT editor Rosalie Tirella to e-mail vague legal threats to Worcester Indymedia. Relevant links at Worcesteria, Radioball, and Indymedia. We draw some slight parallels with the hacking of Sarah Palin’s e-mail account.

In sunnier ICT news, this week’s issue features a cover story on sometime 508 panelist Jesse Pack!

Brendan and Scott will be on WTAG radio Monday from 6-7pm, and will likely violate FCC regulations.

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To leave a voice message to be played on the show, call 508-471-3897.

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