reposting …

Speak out (for or against) the proposed slots parlor on WCCA TV 13 …

Tuesday (TOMORROW!) May 7, 3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Respect America!

By Edith Morgan

It’s election season again – isn’t it always nowadays? And so I hear once again the inevitable comment from friends who are less than engaged with the process: “They’re all crooks”. a comment usually used to excuse the speaker from having to vote (though some of these friends actually DO keep up with some media).

Looking for honest men (and now women too) is not a new preoccupation: Remember Diogenes, who somewhere around 350 to 400 B.C. wandered the streets of Athens, Greece, in broad daylight with a lantern, seeking an honest man? Diogenes of Sinope ( now in Turkey) was one of the founders of the philosophy of Cynicism, which is alive and well even today. But I suspect that while there are probably more and greater opportunities for dishonesty available today, the percentage of really dishonest politicians is no greater or less than it was 25 centuries go. And today we have far more access to information about everyone that was available in the past.

I have been active in politics for much of my adult life, and still participate now that I am in my eighties, So I think I can legitimately weigh in on the question of honesty among those we elect. I do not expect sainthood in those who self-select to run for political office, so I try to make judgments as to what to expect based on a lot of information, in many different venues: there are the usual forums, debates, interviews, profiles published in the newspapers ,financial statements about contributions published in the papers, comments from friends and others, and often at least one encounter with the candidate, at local meeting places or even at my door. Putting all this information together I can make a fairly good assessment about the person, and vote intelligently.

And after the vote, most of go to sleep and let politics take its course… and there is the problem: no one can do us any harm (or any good, for that matter), before the election. But once we hand over power to someone we elect to represent us, then is the time to watch and listen carefully. And there are many opportunities to be sure they do what we expect, provided that a majority of our fellow-citizens agree.

We do not have to become obsessed with every move they make, but it is usually enough that they know we are paying attention, and when something comes up about which we feel strongly we can come out of the woodwork and let them know- with phone calls, e-mails, petitions, and in local elections, appearing at their regular open meetings and speaking up, preferably with a handful of our neighbors and supporters. You would be surprised how much our local councilors and school committee members are affected by this kind of show of interest, since most of the time, they meet before nearly empty chambers.

Every year, we have a primary (if enough people run) and our usual “first-Tuesday-of- November” election. This year, we have local elections then. And we also have a special election to replace Senator Kerry, with a primary on April 30^th, and the final choice on July 25^th.

Every profession has its crooks, or its members who succumb  to the lure of money and power – but we have a unique chance to  keep down the numbers by being involved…..and changing the rules if there is too much money and influence in the game.

By Paul M. Fontaine

I was very less than pleased to find out that the Higgins Armory Museum is closing.  I had been to the Higgins Armory many times as a child and as an adult. I had regarded the Higgins Armory as an old friend in the city of Worcester.  I particularly enjoyed walking through the Great Hall and browsing the museums’ well-stocked gift shop. My two favorite Higgins artifacts were a suit of Japanese samurai armor and a suit of French Cuirassier (heavy cavalry) Napoleonic armor.

Although the Higgins’ primary focus was on medieval arms and armor, it did branch out to cover other eras of military history.  One of my favorite non-medieval Higgins events was back in the 1992; the museum had a whole month of events and presentations to coincide with the 50^th anniversary of the United States’ entry into World War II. The Higgins armory would also have small special exhibits on the second floor. Once such exhibit that I remember fondly was a presentation comparing the medieval knight to the modern motorcycle rider.

The Higgins armory was a rare institution in that it offered both entertainment and education to its visitors. Every time I visited the armory, I learned something new about medieval armor and a little more about life in the Middle Ages. The museum also had a variety of programs during the summer and school vacations for children in school.

I had had a membership with the Higgins Armory on and off for several years during the 1990s.  I let it lapse for a couple of years. After reading in the Boston Globe that the museum had suffered a flood, I renewed my Higgins membership for a couple more years.  I tried to renew my membership after that but I was unable to. Although my membership benefited me with only a few programs the Higgins museum put on, I felt like I belonged to an important organization within the city of Worcester.

Sadly, that is all now coming to an end. The Museum was faced with a considerable financial debt and the Higgins board of directors has voted to close the museum permanently. It has been publicly stated that the Worcester Art Museum will open up a wing to house some of the Higgins’ artifacts. How many artifacts will be housed there and how big will the Higgins wing actually be? And how many pieces will be able to be presented in that wing?

I can’t see the Art Museum building another wing to house the Higgins pieces, because they clearly don’t have the space on their property to do so.  So they will have to create a new Higgins exhibit from existing WAM space.  How big will that exhibit actually be? And how will the WAM decide which pieces will be presented in the exhibit?

Then there is question of how much the Worcester city government could have actually done to help the museum stay in business.  The city always seems to offer tax increment financing on development deals that may initially appear profitable but have not turned out Click to continue »

Tuesday, May 7, 3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.

It’s an OPEN MIC event where you will be filmed talking about the gaming proposal. Commentary will be aired on WCCA TV 13.

So get on TV, let your voice be heard!

Come to the TV studio at 415 Main St., Worcester, between 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Sign in – name, address, phone

Remain respectful and quiet while others speak

Talk on the topic, when it is your turn

This open mic event will be moderated …

- Mauro DePasquale, executive director
WCCA TV 13, ‘The People’s Channel’

GAME ON!

11.15.2012 – 04.27.2013

On exhibit through Saturday, May 4
Free with museum admission, Worcester Historical Museum, Elm Street

How about a game of Twister or give the hula-hoop a try? This is the last week to get your “game on” and learn about the fun history of toys and games at WHM.
Experience a new way to learn about history in the fun and interactive exhibition Game On.  Exploring the history of toys and games in America, Game On is designed like a board game encouraging children and adults to explore the gallery and artifacts – like LEGOs, the first paper dolls manufactured in America, Toy Soldiers, Puzzles, Barbies, and more – while answering trivia, playing games and having fun.

Game On surveys the development of “play” and the toy industry, looking at New England based giants like Parker Brothers, Milton Bradley and Hasbro, smaller companies like Worcester Toy Company and Ralphco Inc, the marketing of toys and the development of franchises. Audiences, young and old, will be able to connect with future generations by the associations that toys and games have with childhood.

This exhibition was supported in in part by a grant from the Worcester Arts Council, a local agency, which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

By Kathy Guillermo

The horseracing industry is the new Lance Armstrong of the sports world. Before you mix your mint juleps or place that online bet for the Kentucky Derby, think about this: Everyone from the barn hand to the top trainer knows that horses in the racing industry are being doped in a quest to win. And like Armstrong, they deny, deny, deny.

But doping is the worst-kept secret in horseracing: It’s pervasive and entrenched. Equine performance-enhancing drugs are being concocted in barns and makeshift laboratories with no regulatory oversight. These backyard alchemists use anything available to see whether it will lead to faster race times: growth hormones, toxic chemicals, even Viagra.

Some trainers inject horses with cobra venom or dermorphin, a powerful opioid derived from the venom secreted by certain South American frogs. Others use a technique called “milkshaking,” which involves forcing a large quantity of sodium bicarbonate and sugar into a horse’s stomach through a tube. Both procedures are believed to make horses run races faster.

But it’s not just illegal drugs that keep unfit horses running—legal painkillers and anti-inflammatory corticosteroids are also being used, and they’re killing horses throughout North America. Nearly every horse used in racing is dosed with Lasix, an anti-bleeding medication that also acts as a diuretic, reducing bodyweight and thereby increasing speeds. Lasix also flushes out traces of other medications, which helps avoid detection of these drugs. Click to continue »

By Edith Morgan

In 1951, armed with a B.A. from a great liberal arts college, and recently married, I set out to find work so that my husband could finish his degree . After a summer stint as a complaint adjuster at Montgomery Ward (since a degree in liberal arts, while wonderfully broadening, did not really prepare me for a career), I eventually went into public school teaching. In those days, there was a shortage, and we “retreads” could begin teaching and acquire the needed education courses to become certified. Coming from a background and a culture where teachers are revered and held in high esteem, it was not difficult for me to feel I had fallen into the right choice.

So, I began teaching, at the princely sum of $3,000 a year. AS a female, I was not considered “head of household”, even though I was supporting my husband who was still in graduate school) but at least we had progressed to the point where married women could teach.

Having attended 8 years of public school in France, I expected that there would be an agreed-to curriculum, which I would then apply to the children before me, and do what I felt was needed to be sure that each learned what was required. When I closed the door to my room, I was in charge, and responsible. The first two or three years I was up until two and three in the morning, going over the day’s activities, creating materials, correcting papers, doing lessons plans, and mulling over notes about various children who were not achieving as expected. After a while I was able to cut down on the midnight oil, and attended Saturday classes, Click to continue »

By Jennifer O’Connor

Last year authorities at Bangkok’s international airport arrested a passenger whose suitcases were reportedly jam-packed with leopard and panther cubs, a bear and monkeys. The dazed animals had been drugged and were headed for Dubai, apparently part of an international trafficking network.

While this seizure made headlines, smuggling of exotic and endangered animals takes place every day, and those animals who somehow survive often end up in pet stores, classified ads and flea markets right here at home.

Animals who were flying through rainforest canopies or roaming vast savannahs find themselves stuffed into pillowcases, duffle bags and spare tires. Since concealment is paramount, they are denied food, water and any semblance of comfort during transport. Many, like the 18 dead and dying monkeys found jammed into a man’s girdle last year, suffocate or succumb to starvation and dehydration. Others suffer injuries from rough handling or from fights with other crazed victims. Click to continue »

By Franny McKeever, volunteer for the House Rabbit Network

I have a story, not unlike many, when choosing a family pet. We wanted a puppy but my husband had allergies. We couldn’t have a cat for the same reason. So we tried the next best idea which was a rabbit. A rabbit, after all, didn’t need to even be in the house, did it? People kept rabbits in outdoor hutches all the time. My parents did when I was young. I called a breeder and got the name of a hutch builder. He built one he said was a good size for a rabbit. It was 30”x 24”x 14”. He delivered it and we put it on our non-winterized back porch.

We then found a small black Lionhead rabbit at our local pet shop. It was May 1st , Easter time, so there were plenty of baby bunnies to pick from. They couldn’t tell me for sure if it was male or female but were pretty sure it was a boy. We named him Henry. We were advised by the hutch maker to put the bunny on a table when we took him out of the hutch or else he would just go wild and run all over and not want to go back in the hutch. We didn’t listen. We put Henry down and he ran circles around the porch and did these funny, spasmodic jumps in the air we later learned were called binkies, which we could plainly see he was doing out of the sheer joy of movement.

My children and I sat with him as he nibbled our books, climbed all over us and licked our noses. I had no idea that some rabbits would lick you as a puppy does. There were things about rabbits that were so wonderfully surprising. For instance when a rabbit is being petted and feels supremely happy he softly grinds his teeth in a purring sort of way. We were falling in love with this little rabbit. After a while it seemed really cruel to leave him in the cage. We moved all the wicker furniture that he had been chewing out into the yard and bunny proofed the porch. This entailed hiding any electrical wires, keeping any plants out of reach and keeping small things off the ground. When he chewed the wood doorways we gave him apple tree sticks instead.

We took Henry to the vet for a first check-up as we were advised Click to continue »

Dear Editor,

The vehicles we drive every day are the source of toxic pollutants in the air we breathe. In 2012, Americans drove nearly three trillion miles and burned 133 billion gallons of gasoline – a staggering number when you consider what it means in terms of air pollution.

Car exhaust and gasoline fumes contain dangerously high levels of particulate matter and gases, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and volatile organic compounds like formaldehyde and benzene. The Environmental Protection Agency just issued proposed standards that will clean up our gasoline and set tighter pollution standards for vehicles. Click to continue »