508: A Show About Worcester

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel is Joe Scully and Brendan Melican. They are joined by Ian Anderson, Drew Wilson, Jeremy Shulkin, and some Clark University students.

[display_podcast]

Audio: mp3 link, other formats, feed

Video: Downloads and other formats

Contact info.

[1:00] The School Committee decided, narrowly, not to do additional investigation into the Goddard test scandal.

[5:52] Joe tells us about the Transition Towns movement and we talk about the concept of resilient communities. Joe recommends this video series.

Mike mentions this story: WikiLeaks cables: Saudi Arabia cannot pump enough oil to keep a lid on prices.

[15:08] Clark students tell Mike why the Community Thrift Shop isn’t like the Grinch; Jeremy Shulkin tells us about researching stories; what’s Worcester’s worst large building?

[24:47] More about Transition Towns from Brendan.

[33:36] Brendan shows us his Google Cr-48 laptop running ChromeOS.

[37:41] Mike is happy that Worcester Magazine is covering “underground” stuff like pop-up restaurants.

[38:52] Mike reads from a purported “guide to off-campus parties” for Clark students. More importantly, he reads this off of an unlocked Nexus S phone, another piece of Google-branded hardware.

[41:44] Worcester Veg Fest is April 17.

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel is TED Fellow Jessica Colaço, Brendan Melican, and Holmes Wilson of the Participatory Culture Foundation. The show was taped at the iHub in Nairobi, and in a snow cave in Worcester.

[display_podcast]

Audio: mp3 link, other formats, feed

Video: Downloads and other formats

Contact info.

There is snow. You can try to get free snow shoveling, and should beware of your roof caving in.

Mike asks the businesspeople of Worcester to create a coworking space for him. Jessica and Holmes talk about their experiences with coworking.

We forgot to mention that the School Committee, as predicted, did not choose to further investigate Goddard testing irregularities.

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel is Tracy Novick and Brendan Melican.

[display_podcast]

Audio: mp3 link, other formats, feed

Video: Downloads and other formats

Contact info.

There’s an MCAS cheating/testing irregularities scandal in the Worcester schools.

PharmaSphere’s parent company had some negative financial news.

The Telegram & Gazette is outsourcing home delivery. Mike wonders if this will affect their business throwing trash in people’s yards.

There is snow; people are working (or taping podcasts) from home.

You can get your engagement announcement into Bride & Groom for free (if for some reason you are unable to get a Facebook account).

Mike has very little background on the closing of the PIP Shelter and the moving of those services to Jacques Ave.

Mike was hit by a dog.

Sidewalks.

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel is Brendan Melican. We talk about The Pulse’s “Ones to Watch” list; last year we did an in-depth analysis. We revisit the “travel spending scandals” of city employees. Today is Orthodox Christmas. The weather in Nairobi is better than the weather in Worcester. There’s a Worcester Magazine article about the PharmaSphere phiasco; Bill Randell has some critical thoughts, as do we. (For more background than you probably want, watch our episode on the South Worcester Industrial Park.) The City of Worcester has a list of Social Media & Information Sharing resources; we recommend the police Twitter feed. Also, there was a Dianne Williamson column Brendan liked.

[display_podcast]

Audio: mp3 link, other formats, feed

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel is Nicole Apostola, Kevin Ksen, and Dee Wells. We talk about the dual tax rate, the T&G blog article, the Crompton Park skating rink, the lack of bidders on the old courthouse, city employee travel expense controversies and government transparency, and good stuff in Worcester.

[display_podcast]

Audio: mp3 link, other formats, feed

508 is a show about Worcester. This week: Christmas.

[display_podcast]

Audio: mp3 link, other formats, feed

Video: Downloads and other formats

Contact info.

Thanks to: Nicole, Sarah, Gerald, Rebecca, Jon, Jim, Bruce, and DeJongh.

“Pathe News Christmas with Their Cameramen and Crews ‘Round the World (1950)” by Warner Pathe News is in the public domain.

“God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen” by The KrestArians is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

This presentation copyright 2010 Mike Benedetti and licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

508 is a show about Worcester. This week, Mike and Brendan offer some predictions for 2011.

[display_podcast]

Audio: mp3 link, other formats, feed

Video: Downloads and other formats

Contact info.

[2:14] Mike, despite being contradicted by yesterday’s news, thinks Barbara Haller won’t run for re-election in 2011, but an anointed successor will take her place.

[3:15] Mike prediction: The City Hall skate rink won’t be operational.

[4:34] Mike prediction: Stone Soup will be rebuilt.

[5:06] Mike prediction: Worcester will get Google Fiber.

[5:28] Mike prediction: Marty Lamb will appear on 508.

[6:14] Brendan prediction: Not much will change.

[7:29] We revisit the 2009 predictions.

[9:10] Brendan won’t say if Mayor O’Brien will be re-elected.

[11:20] There’s a Youth Poetry Slam on Saturday, 4pm at Clark.

[11:37] There’s an Aldi being built.

[12:23] Brendan wonders why Worcester has so many more supermarkets these days.

[14:00] T&G: Police arrest 24 Assumption students at off-campus party:

Twenty-two of the students in court yesterday agreed to take part in a diversion program, instead of being arraigned on alcohol and other charges.

[16:43] Some City Councilors want to increase property taxes on apartment buildings.

Excellent Gary Rosen column:

“But, Councilor Rosen,” you ask, “didnâ€t you join the large majority of your colleagues the previous four years and vote for the lowest residential tax rate for homeowners (a.k.a. the highest possible tax rate for Worcester businesses)?” Yes, I plead guilty as charged. However, Iâ€m now suffering some regret as I see how shortsighted those four votes were.

T&G:

[Councilor Palpatine] said he believes classifying such properties as commercial entities would probably lead to a significant reduction in the commercial-industrial tax rate.

[24:40] Mike had a good time at “The Next Big Thing” at the Palladium. Brendan thinks “pay for play” events in Worcester have tended to be among the better ones.

[26:28] Bruce will be a Wise Man in the Christmas pageant at Pleasant Street Baptist Church, 5pm Sunday.

[26:24] Brendan explains the coming widespread vehicular surveillance of Worcester drivers.

This week’s show is a “highlight reel” of the late Jeff Barnard’s appearances on the show. Produced by Mike Benedetti and Nicole. Co-hosted by Brendan Melican. Featuring Jacob Berendes, Kevin Ksen, Anne Lewenberg, Nat Needle, Bruce Russell, and Scott Zoback. Like the episodes from which it was compiled, this show has a tremendous amount of complaining about the newspaper.

This program will be cablecast on WCCA TV13 in Worcester at 7pm tonight, and on the homepage at wccatv.com.

Audio: mp3 link, other formats, feed

Video: Downloads and other formats

Contact info.

Clips from episodes 10, 19, 37, 38, 40, 42, 46, 47, 50, 51, 100, 114, and 131.

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel is Matt Feinstein, Sergio Castillo, Stephanie Richardson, and Brendan Melican.[display_podcast]

Audio: mp3 link, other formats, feed

Video: Downloads and other formats

Contact info.

[0:42] The East Coast premiere of Matt’s documentary “Ciclovida” is tonight.

[10:55] Re-elected US Rep Jim McGovern had surgery for cancer.

[11;28] Re-elected state senator Hariette Chandler is suing her Republican competitor for lying in campaign ads.

[14:22] We are excited about getting Marty Lamb on the show.

[15:35] Anthony Hmura takes out an ad praising our troops, criticizing our wars saying “Compared to us, Hitler was a saint!”

[15:50] Mike thinks he missed a blogger beer, but it’s actually next week.

[15:55] Matt and Mike went to a “pop-up” restaurant in Worcester.

[16:45] We will start covering a T&G sale once the sale happens, not before.

[16:50] Worcester Assistant City Manager Julie Jacobsen is a finalist for Auburn Town Manager. Would Auburn make her move there? Would this make her a good candidate for PharmaSphere Scapegoat when that project officially collapses?

[17:27] More Ciclovida.

Next week: Worcester adopts widespread vehicular surveillance!

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel is Brendan Melican.[display_podcast]

Audio: mp3 link, other formats, feed

Video: Downloads and other formats

Contact info.

[0:08] Brendan’s candidate, Steve Grossman, won the race for MA Treasurer.

[4:36] On Monday there was a Tea Party rally, and a counter-rally, in Worcester.

[15:30] Mike reads feedback.

[17:20] Jim McGovern won re-election as US Rep. Is he our most metal Congressman?

[19:00] McGovern didn’t do as well as one might expect.

[24:11] We think he’s, on-balance, a good Congressman.

[29:57] “Spammin’ John” Mahoney was elected state rep.

[30:30] Paul Franco, Mahoney’s opponent, actually linked to Mike’s “un-dorsement” of Mahoney. (Mike ended up endorsing a third candidate in the race, Ron Madnick.) We spend some time criticizing a local radio guy for stealing the term “un-dorse,” but of course it predates our coinage.

[33:30] Newspaper endorsements: Bump got none, still won auditor’s race.

[36:05] Should you vote? We’ll take this more seriously next time it comes up. Brendan mentions the George Carlin routine below.

[37:36] If we’re still doing the show next election, we’ll try some of the idea’s in Jay Rosen’s The Citizens Agenda in Campaign Coverage.

[42:00] What happens when 508 has no 30-minute time limit? We end up talking about The Wire.

[46:40] Idependent Jim Henderson lost the Secretary of State race to incumbent Bill Galvin.