Zombies? Boston is ready
Can Worcester claim the same?
Surrogates trailer
Here’s what I believe is the first official trailer for the Bruce Willis flick, Surrogates, filmed partly here in Worcester.
The last honest man in Worcester
For at least the last month Worcester has had a new character trolling our urban street scene and if you travel lower Chandler Street where it meets Main, you’ve certainly seen him. Dressed like the ghost of Mardi Gras past, with a ridiculous giant hat, a beard that must be home to 13 squirrels and a neck full of beads this literal clown darts in and out of traffic soliciting donations for the cause he has scrawled in marker on a giant piece of poster board. I’m not sure if he’s homeless or maybe he just got left behind at the last Dead show. Up until tonight I couldn’t figure out what exactly his sign said, resembling the kind of artful scribbling one would expect to find in the journal of a kid hopped up on mescaline.
But tonight, while waiting in traffic I finally learned the mystery of this mans fundraising efforts.
“Need money for beer or pot. Honest.”
When I read that, my heart fluttered a bit. Here we are in the midst of economic turmoil watching every species of vermin at every level of government and the private sector go out of their way to hoard every lost/last penny from every living room sofa. Not an honest man or woman in the bunch and yet we the citizenry still willingly comply and turn over our cash. And then there’s this guy, not only does he just want a beer and a bowl pack but he’s willing to admit as much in simple language anyone can understand.
Honesty. Even if misdirected, it’s quite refreshing. I suggest we find this man a consulting gig in City Hall.
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Unrelated, I want to apologize to those of you who actually read my drivel from time to time. Since I started this site way back in July of 2004 I’ve always found it a great release of sorts and enjoyed the conversations and friendships it’s spawned. It was never intended to be a local political blog but just the musings of another dude living in Worcester before there were many dudes living in Worcester doing much musing online, however the former prevailed and the tone was set. Over the last few months it seems like there’s less and less time in the day (parenthood) and fewer and fewer local political stories of interest bubbling to the surface. Frankly the political scene in worcester, both the politics and the politicians have become a bore in the most abysmal sense. I find myself thinking back to Mulford vs Levy battle royals on tuesday nights and when trying to compare that period to what we have today, it’s simply amateur hour on all fronts. So while I’m not throwing in the towel on this site, I will be backing off a bit and trying to regroup. I’ve got a few other projects in mind that I think will be more satisfying and hopefully for you, more entertaining. And if not, look for me at the bar and offer to buy me a beer, I’d much rather talk your ear off in person.
We’re all certifiable just not certified
Zoback has a great scoop over at the Daily Worcesteria blog regarding another uncertified member of the Worcester Schools employee pool; this one just happens to be the Superintendent:
Loughlin wasn’t out of line for taking an interim post without a current license. According to JC Considine, the External Relations Coordinator for the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, “a school district may appoint as an acting superintendent an individual who is not licensed as a superintendent, provided that the appointment is temporary, e.g., less than one school year.”
But questions have arisen over Loughlin’s claims that she was once certified as a superintendent. On her resume, Dr. Loughlin lists “superintendent” under a heading that reads “Massachusetts Certifications - 1999.” Also listed are Administrator Special Education, Supervisor/Director, School Psychologist, Elementary Principal, Guidance Director, Guidance Counselor, and Elementary Teacher.
But according to state officials, not only is Loughlin not currently licensed, she has never been licensed as a superintendent.
“She has never held a license as a Superintendent,” writes Considine in an email. “She does have a supervisor/director license that was due for renewal back in 2004.” Supervisor/director licenses are generally for administrators overseeing departments or programs.
It may prove less time consuming to identify who actually is qualified for their job in the WPS as opposed to who isn’t.
Want to work for the best company on the planet?
The company I work for, Pangea Media, has an opening for a Sales Operations Manager in our Watertown, MA office.
Pangea Media is a fast paced online marketing and new media company in the greater Boston area that operates several quiz and casual entertainment web properties. Our websites and technology enable users to take and create quizzes, surveys, and polls, and to share their creations and results with other users, both within our network, and through other social media channels. Pangea Media is continually developing new and innovative ways to enable our users to interact with their online communities using our related content. We leverage this personalized, distributed content network to deliver targeted advertising to our users.
We are seeking a Sales Operations Manager to manage a wide variety of advertising campaigns, analyze large amounts of statistical campaign data, and help to enhance ad systems that will allow us to grow faster. This detail orientated role is an integral part of our organization and the ideal candidate will possess strong technical know-how, excellent analytical skills and will have the ability to manage their time effectively while and remaining extremely organized. Only cheerful applicants will be considered!
Job Responsibilities:
Assist with day to day management of online advertising inventory
Work with in-house tech team to implement and analyze the results of ad optimization initiatives
Perform ongoing and in depth statistical analyses for various ad campaigns and products
Provide key statistical data to support the sales and marketing teams
Utilize analytic tools to develop campaign analysis reports and insights
Help design, launch and manage advertising reporting projects and systemsSkills, Knowledge and Experience:
Strong details oriented mindset with excellent follow-through
Self-starter with the ability to work independently and learn quickly
Microsoft Excel expertise
Ability to adapt to an always changing environment and multitasking assignments
Very strong quantitative and analytic skills
Comfortable working in an fast-paced, start-up environment
Experience managing online advertising products
2 years full time work experience; online advertising/analytics work experience preferred
If that sounds like you, or someone you know definitely get in touch with me or follow the link below to our craigslist posting.
Walt Mossberg on the future of journalism
From TechCrunch:
Recently, I enjoyed a refreshing and invigorating dinner with Walt Mossberg. While we casually discussed our most current endeavors and experiences, the discussion shifted to deep conversation about the future of journalism in the era of socialized media with one simple question, “are newspapers worth saving?”
Walt thought for no more than two seconds and assertively replied, “It’s the wrong question to ask. The real question we should ask is if whether or not we can save good journalism.” He continued, “Think about it. Of the hundreds, thousands, of newspapers around the country, there are really only a few that matter. Good journalism and journalists, on the other hand, are worth saving.”
This is the first time I’ve seen a career newspaper man, sum up the current state of publishing affairs in such a perfectly rational way. While most people are busy arguing the fate of a disposable by design medium (newspapers), here’s Mossberg looking at the future of an indispensable art form (journalism). Very different discussions which often get muddled by people who have little ability to differentiate between the two. From there writer Brian Solis does an excellent job of taking Mossbergs simple premise and spinning it into a virtual road map for journalists looking to apply an old art to new mediums.
MA legislators need to get laid more
I’m terribly upset I missed this story when it was published in the Herald at the end of March, mostly because I’ve been laughing my ass off since reading it and I hate losing an opportunity to share a good LOLislature story with whoever happens to being paying attention. Ready? There is a bill currently in the MA House that seeks to extend our child pornography laws to include anyone over the age of 60. No, really.
Fueled by a rise in sex abuse against the elderly and disabled and a string of cases involving photography and cyber postings, the proposed legislation would add seniors and the handicapped to kiddie porn laws.
“Obviously with the technology evolving, the crimes committed using that technology have increased. That’s clearly the case,” said Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel, who covers parts of western Massachusetts and helped craft the proposal. “All we’re trying to do with these two pieces of legislation is to protect our two most vulnerable populations.”
Hey look! They even managed to sneak in a way to blame technology!
sigh.
While elder porn may not be your thing, personally I’m more of an alt-porn guy, telling a healthy 60 yo (defined as elderly by the state) that having a nude picture taken of themselves is worthy of 10-20 in state prison obviously flies in the face of reason and decades worth of little blue pill marketing. If you read the Herald story it’s chock full of examples of why this bill is necessary, truly awful crimes. But in traditional “OH MY GOD HOW CAN’T YOU SHARE MY OUTRAGE?!?” Herald fashion, all of the examples given are already covered under state law, unless someone killed off our rape and assault statutes when I wasn’t looking.
The other component of the bill seeks to add persons with disabilities to the same kiddy porn statutes. This part is a little more confusing since the MGL Ch 265 Sec 13k (the referenced definition) defines a person with a disability as:
a person with a permanent or long-term physical or mental impairment that prevents or restricts the individual’s ability to provide for his or her own care or protection.
But that’s not our only definition of disabled, Ch 71 defines disabilities for the purpose of education as:
developmental delay or any intellectual, sensory, neurological, emotional, communication, physical, specific learning or health impairment or combination thereof
So there is definitely some room for clarity here. Depending on how granular someone wanted to get with the definition of ‘disabled’, it’s easy to imagine a situation where a deaf person or someone missing a toe could wind up getting jail time for posing as a nude figure model in an art class. Silly hypotheticals aside, there is a perfectly good reason why we have a reasonably large ‘elder porn’ market, people tend to enjoy seeing their own demographic in porn and old people are still allowed be sexually active, I think. But the right to a consensual sex life unhindered by law should not depend on meeting a state definition of normal. For the record the sponsor of this bill, Sixteenth Suffolk Rep Kathi-Anne Reinstein, is the MA Legislator who proposed the fluffernutter as the official state sandwich back in 2006. Clearly the kind of exciting and well rounded person who should be deciding what exactly constitutes a healthy sex life in the Commonwealth.
Don’t jump, we’ll shoot you down!
Looks like things have goten bad enough at the Boston Globe for the NYT Co. to threaten shuttering the paper altogether.
The New York Times Company has threatened to close The Boston Globe unless labor unions agree to concessions like pay cuts and the cessation of pension contributions, according to a person briefed on the talks.
The company is looking for $20 million in savings from The Globe, which has already gone through several rounds of deep cost-cutting and staff reductions. The company does not report figures by newspaper, but executives have acknowledged that the Globe lost tens of millions of dollars last year.
No word on how this would/could affect the rest of the New England Media group.
And today’s take from the Globe
If only Worcester always moved this fast
Apparently Mayor Lukes was feeling the burn from the torch and pitchfork crowd, as Donna Byrnes seems to have lost her sweet new job only 24hrs after most of us first learned about it.
Donna C. Byrnes, 58, moved from the superintendent’s office to the classroom after former School Superintendent James A. Caradonio stepped down last September.
Ms. Byrnes will be allowed to stay on in the classroom in a lower-paying substitute teacher position until the job can be posted in May, said Mayor Konstantina B. Lukes, who is chairman of the School Committee.
So instilling the fear of god angry mobs does work with local politicians. This is the kind of precedent I can support.
Chapter 40B by the numbers
Whenever I find people in a given Massachusetts community talking about Ch 40B subsidized housing, which seems like a weekly thing here in Worcester, I end up searching for the states SHI (Subsidized Housing Inventory) report and can never seem to find it. So after way to much time spent searching once again, I’m throwing the list and link here.
For what it’s worth, 13.6% of housing units in Worcester are SHI. Well above the 10% threshold called for under Ch 40B.
