Whew! So yesterday's 443 hits set a new world's record (about half coming from Boston radio station WTKK 96.9) surpassing last year's 412 when the AP covered Ms. Awad resigning as Amherst Select Board member citing stalking and harassment by little old me as the reason. This of course set the stage for a replacement election last October and a reorganization of the Select Board where Princess Stephanie ousted Gerry Weiss as Chair.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Selectman Weiss speaks
Mr. Weiss's Chariot.So Boston radio personality Michael Graham wanted to hear Mr. Weiss out on this proposal to allow (2) "cleared" Gitmo detainees to resettle here. Happy to oblige him.
The warrant article (#14) Town Meeting will vote on does not contain any names whatsoever and clearly uses the word "cleared" four times.
So again, just for record. If there is any chance in Hell the two individuals have any connection to terrorist activities I will of course vote No on the floor of Town Meeting. But this naming of the two is kind of a new wrinkle and I'm now told that the two in particular may have some connection to bad things. Makes me wonder about the definition of "cleared."
Amherst Town Meeting: I gave it my best shot
Mr. Graham's blog post about the People's Republic
Yes, the petitioner and Mr. Weiss show up in the Hall of Shame
Really Dumb Foreign policy from the People's Republic
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Innocence restored
So I’m sorry my Conservative friends, but have we lost our humanity?
These two 'Guantanamo Guys'--at least according to Federal officials charged with protecting us (although they did do a lousy job that awful morning)--proclaim them “cleared”. They did not do a God damned thing on 9/11. Their only crime is wearing cotton on their head, the pallor of their skin or the accent of their spoken language.
No tax money will be involved if the two men should relocate to Amherst; and--ONCE AGAIN-- the Federal government has cleared them, so they are NOT a threat to local citizens.
Strangely, at the beginning of this Select Board meeting Princess Stephanie voted in favor of two resolutions: one supporting "Climate Action Day" (A global warming thing) and another supporting/promoting "United Nations Day," neither of which are local issues.
My original take over a month ago
Boston Globe picks up the story
UPDATE: 8:00 PM
Of course what is also hyper-hypocritical from Princess Stephanie is that she tells the venerable Boston Globe that "It was just my luck that two of us were absent,"(meaning her pawns Select Board members Alisa Brewer and Aaron Hayden) but two months ago in discussing flying the AMERICAN flags on 9/11 she said the decision (knowing I will come before them next year and the year after that to ask for the flags to fly) should not be "an issue for which the outcome should be politicized by making it dependent on the attendance at a meeting or the make up of the board. Etc."
These two 'Guantanamo Guys'--at least according to Federal officials charged with protecting us (although they did do a lousy job that awful morning)--proclaim them “cleared”. They did not do a God damned thing on 9/11. Their only crime is wearing cotton on their head, the pallor of their skin or the accent of their spoken language.
No tax money will be involved if the two men should relocate to Amherst; and--ONCE AGAIN-- the Federal government has cleared them, so they are NOT a threat to local citizens.
Strangely, at the beginning of this Select Board meeting Princess Stephanie voted in favor of two resolutions: one supporting "Climate Action Day" (A global warming thing) and another supporting/promoting "United Nations Day," neither of which are local issues.
My original take over a month ago
Boston Globe picks up the story
UPDATE: 8:00 PM
Of course what is also hyper-hypocritical from Princess Stephanie is that she tells the venerable Boston Globe that "It was just my luck that two of us were absent,"(meaning her pawns Select Board members Alisa Brewer and Aaron Hayden) but two months ago in discussing flying the AMERICAN flags on 9/11 she said the decision (knowing I will come before them next year and the year after that to ask for the flags to fly) should not be "an issue for which the outcome should be politicized by making it dependent on the attendance at a meeting or the make up of the board. Etc."
Lesson learned?
So when I saw the other day that the illustrious Amherst Select Board would be voting on a street closing for Lincoln Avenue to celebrate a safe Halloween block party, I was wondering if the recent disastrous "experiment" to close off that same street to through traffic (mainly to and from economic Juggernaut UMass) would come up or not. It did.
(You can tell Princess Stephanie used to be a PR flack.)
(You can tell Princess Stephanie used to be a PR flack.)
Monday, October 19, 2009
It's Baaaaack...
So the UN Flag (liberated last week--probably as a dorm room decoration) has been replaced, for the 4th or 5th time in the last few years. Paid for by a UN Committee, who also apparently donated the flagpole all those years ago.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
What do people want from the media
People want the media to inform, entertain, amuse and they want it all instantly. A Herculean task for the industry—especially since a lot of folks want it free.
But above all, readers want to trust the source. You expect the New York Times or Wall Street Journal to thoroughly vet a story so you know what you are reading is reliable. Folks hate to be deceived.
And in journalism, even with iconic newspapers, it happens. Reporter Janet Cooke’s, infamous profile of “Jimmy, an eight year old third-generation heroin addict” that originally won a Pulitzer Prize for the Washington Post but was then rescinded because it was all fiction.
The Washington Post did something hardly any major newspaper does: they apologized; and in a mea culpa report by their ombudsman of what had gone wrong concluded it was due to a “failure to check confidential sources and the risks of putting sensationalism above editorial judgment. “
I disagree with Mr. Crosbie’s declaration that the local news story is dead, which flies in the face of Tip O’Neil’s famous assertion “All politics is local.”
Yesterday a run away balloon that everyone at first thought had a 6 year old stow away child on board riveted the nation.
If not for that hair raising component of a child potentially at great risk it could easily have been just a local news or blogger upload about an “interesting” family who happens to keep a large flying saucer balloon tethered in their backyard and who also recently appeared on the national TV show “wife swap”.
Here in bucolic Amherst, I posted on Monday morning about a “ghost bike” (a bicycle painted all white and placed at the scene of a car/bike accident where they cyclist died) vandalized by ax wielding assailants.
The local newspaper picked it up the next day (even used a photo from my blog) and then within 24 hours both local TV news stations covered the story as well.
And on a slow news day that is the kind of tragic/weird story that could hit the AP wire (they covered the original accident/death a month ago, a hit-and-run still to this day unsolved).
I agree with Crosbie that in today’s 24/7 world of instant information the average reader initially craves (to, sort of, quote Sgt Joe Friday) “just the facts”; but then 59 seconds later, they are ready for a well-written, well –researched, human interest story--all the better if it actually occurs in their neighborhood.
But above all, readers want to trust the source. You expect the New York Times or Wall Street Journal to thoroughly vet a story so you know what you are reading is reliable. Folks hate to be deceived.
And in journalism, even with iconic newspapers, it happens. Reporter Janet Cooke’s, infamous profile of “Jimmy, an eight year old third-generation heroin addict” that originally won a Pulitzer Prize for the Washington Post but was then rescinded because it was all fiction.
The Washington Post did something hardly any major newspaper does: they apologized; and in a mea culpa report by their ombudsman of what had gone wrong concluded it was due to a “failure to check confidential sources and the risks of putting sensationalism above editorial judgment. “
I disagree with Mr. Crosbie’s declaration that the local news story is dead, which flies in the face of Tip O’Neil’s famous assertion “All politics is local.”
Yesterday a run away balloon that everyone at first thought had a 6 year old stow away child on board riveted the nation.
If not for that hair raising component of a child potentially at great risk it could easily have been just a local news or blogger upload about an “interesting” family who happens to keep a large flying saucer balloon tethered in their backyard and who also recently appeared on the national TV show “wife swap”.
Here in bucolic Amherst, I posted on Monday morning about a “ghost bike” (a bicycle painted all white and placed at the scene of a car/bike accident where they cyclist died) vandalized by ax wielding assailants.
The local newspaper picked it up the next day (even used a photo from my blog) and then within 24 hours both local TV news stations covered the story as well.
And on a slow news day that is the kind of tragic/weird story that could hit the AP wire (they covered the original accident/death a month ago, a hit-and-run still to this day unsolved).
I agree with Crosbie that in today’s 24/7 world of instant information the average reader initially craves (to, sort of, quote Sgt Joe Friday) “just the facts”; but then 59 seconds later, they are ready for a well-written, well –researched, human interest story--all the better if it actually occurs in their neighborhood.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
The Power and Class of New England
George Parks demonstrating Power and Class.
Chancellor Holub, who knows a good thing when he sees it.
Former Drummer Boy (actually tuba), State Senator Stan RosenbergSo in addition to the $52 million Recreation Center 'Death Star' about to open any day now, this afternoon Umass also broke ground on a $5.7 million Minuteman Marching Band Building, appropriately called the "George N. Parks Band Building."
After more than 30 years of service to Umass--and still going strong--nobody deserves more praise and thanks than band leader George Parks. Over 500 folks turned out this afternoon to enjoy the festivities, a historic turnout for a groundbreaking remarked Chancellor Holub.
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