Occupy the Web!

First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Go Google! I was so startled by this, I forgot what I was going to search for.

"Why wouldn't we want to do that?"

The Amherst School Committee voted unanimously this evening to fill the seat left vacant by Steve Rivkin, although Superintendent Maria Geryk seemed skeptical that it is indeed necessary.

Once the Amherst Select Board is formally notified of this positive vote they will have time to discuss it at their January 26 meeting, issue a public call for candidates, and choose a winner at a joint meeting with the School Committee on February 6.

The new member will serve until the next election, April 4. The next few months are particularly important as the School Committees (all Amherst SC members are also members of the four town Regional School Committee along with Pelham, Leverett and Shutesbury) takes up discussion of the FY13 budget.

The Regional High School budget currently faces a $500,000 shortfall and the three other towns are already griping about their expensive assessments. Just today a highly contentious $1.4 million Library Override in Shutesbury was decided by a single disputed vote ruled valid, thus increasing taxes all the more.

According to the regional agreement, three out of the four towns must vote in favor of their assessment or else it's back to the drawing board.

Art & Graffiti

So yes, the recent arrest of two Bad Boy perps for tagging the fence behind Rao's made me wonder about other sites in town where the line between art and graffiti is maybe not so clearly defined.

Amherst Cinema building. Combination art/graffiti

Eagle Crest Property Management graffiti (probably a disgruntled customer of either Eagle Crest or APD)

Art Works, Main Street (definitely art)

Snell Street Bridge. Due for replacement this year (not because of graffiti)

Whitewash

Amherst Town Hall 1/17/12

Panicked citizens flooded Amherst Town Hall with calls, emails and texts this morning as folks awakened to discover a mysterious white substance coating the entire town.

Video at 11:00 (if it's still present).

Tag, you're it

Graffiti filled fence behind Rao's

Amherst Police arrested two old-enough-to-know-better men late Saturday afternoon for "tagging" this fence behind Rao's Coffee, a popular spot for hipsters and townies to hang out for the great coffee and free wifi.

Thus, is you are going to deface property, you probably should wait until after a popular business closes.

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Cuong Ly, Sunderland, MA, Age 24. Arrested for defacing property, drug possession (class D) and warrant initiated by another agency.

Tyrus Stinson, Belchertown, MA. Age 27. Arrested for defacing property.

Cuong Ly previous exploits

The Squeaky Wheel

TMCC turns the table on reporter Scott Merzbach 1/11/12

So third time was the charm for the Town Meeting Coordinating Committee request for reporter Scott Merzbach to "join us" at the table for a friendly discussion of public relations in general and free press for their open house town meeting recruitment drive 1/31 in particular.

Pat Holland pulled the "I'm hard of hearing" routine and Mr. Merzbach was too much the gentleman to turn that down.

The Committee had listed the reporter as an agenda item, so I thought maybe they were going to upbraid him for something or other the way I was at the last Town Meeting for daring to use flash photography. But no, they just wanted to hit him up for free PR advice.

Although during the discussion they seemed to fully understand the basics. If you want to get media attention, send out a press release. Or, apparently, put them on your agenda as a discussion item.

Carol Gray: "You're welcome to come on our bus tour, Scott"

Daily Hampshire Gazette Friday the 13th (appropriately enough)

Da Boot

If you owe Amherst ticket money, don't park near Town Hall

Now if only Amherst was this aggressive with recovering those $300 nuisance house violation tickets, our neighborhoods would be soooooo much better off. And if UMass really cared, they would assist the town by linking payment of these fines to the issuance of a diploma--like they do with their parking tickets (not that party hardy types have a high graduation rate).

Yes, within hours the fines were paid