The Games We Play

By Edith Morgan

Edith🎁🎁🎁

It was all the rage this Christmas – and boxes were snapped up quickly. I had not really expected to get a copy, as I stay away from crowds due to OMICRON and generally wait until prices and availability are in my range.

So I was pleasantly surprised when I received a brand new, sealed copy of the Worcesdter Edition of Monopoly. I had been following the controversy about what and who was included in this pay to play Monopoly game. I was curious about the details. All of us have probably played the regular Monopoly at some time in our younger years, but I never thought about why this game and its form.

What do the choices of games tell about a people or its culture? I got to thinking about that when “Trivial Pursuit” swept out nation. Do the games we play really say anything about us?

Games involve considerable time sitting around a table with others. We can learn much about the strategies our opponents use to win the game – winning, after all, is the main idea of most games.

But does it make a difference whether you play checkers, which involves planning ahead a limited set of moves, versus Chess, which can involve planning many and intricate maneuvers, to trap your opponent’s King? And which can involve international contests with world champions?

I imagine by now some university has studied the relationship between a nation’s values and the games played there. What does it say about us that our games are such as “Trivial Pursuit” and “Monopoly”? Is “Trivial Pursuit” a comment on the way many of us spend our lives? And is “Monopoly” a commentary on our brutally acquisitive economic system? Both are partially games of chance but also of strategies to acquire your opponents’ wealth or property.

As children we played simple card games like “Hearts,” Old Maid, Fish, UNO and, even before that, we did interminable “tic-tac-toe” until we always ended up without a winner. Playing games begins so early in a child’s life; many teach them and us adults so much. But it also says something about us, as we develop preferences.

I fear some of that information and the skills in both strategy and socialization are being lost as so many of our children pursue the constant lure of computer games with all their flash and excitement and their constant pursuit of ever higher levels of achievement. Often that “achievement” is the destruction of others.

So, if your life is a “Trivial Pursuit,” how about making a 2022 New Year’s resolution that this year your life will take on more important meaning? And, if you are involved in cut-throat competition, trying to achieve a “Monopoly” in your field, how about working for cooperation and peace in your pursuits?

What’s YOUR game for 2022?

⛄❄️🎅📬CECELIA CHRISTMAS CONTEST FOR CHILDREN!🎄📬🐧

A Santa’s Mailbox awaits all children at the Pickle Barrel, located in Worcester’s Piedmont neighborhood! photos: R.T.

The Pickle Barrel Restaurant and Deli in Worcester’s Piedmont neighborhood has the cutest SANTA’S MAILBOX! Perfect for the Letters to Santa from your kiddos!

Let them drop them into this cool working mail box! We’ll publish the sweetest letter in our January CECELIA – and award the child a $25 prize$. And don’t forget the young at heart, as seen here!

The Pickle, at night …

– Rosalie🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

By Edith Morgan

Edith🕎🕎🕎

The celebration season is upon us, and this year the holidays seem closer one upon the other than usual. And in one way or another, most major religions are observing holidays – joyful events, with lights and candles.

And so, on the eve of Sunday, November 28, Jews around the world will light the first candle of the eight day observation of Hanukkah.

This holiday is not one of the major observances, unlike Passover and the New Year and Yom Kippur, but it is an extended occasion for joy, feasting, family get-togethers and free enjoyment of food, games, wine and entertainment.

Hanukkah celebrates the occurrence of a minor “miracle” over 2,000 years ago when once again the Jews recaptured that Temple in Jerusalem and set about removing pagan idols, restoring walls and floors, bringing back some of what had been stolen or destroyed and preparing the Temple for worship again.

Celebrate Hanukkah!

As the legend goes, when they tried to burn the oil in the Temple, there was only one day’s worth of oil left, but miraculously it burned for EIGHT days – hence the eight-day-long celebration. The holiday commemorates the regaining of the Temple, and therefore is one of great joy and celebration. Coincidentally, it comes around harvest time and at the beginning of winter for those of us who live in zones where there are four seasons and where we like to have fun before winter sets in …

Yummy potato latkes!♥️♥️♥️

The traditional eight-armed candelabra, known as a Menorah, also has one extra arm, for the servant (the Shamash) who is used to light all the other candles, one more each night, until all eight are lit. (A fun math problem is to ask the children how many candles it will take for all eight days). While there is no real gift exchange, there is “gelt” (money) which nowadays often takes the form of chocolate-filled gold or silver coins.

Dreidel … and gelt, chocolate coins

There are some traditional foods associated with Hanukkah: probably the best known is “latkes” (potato pancakes), usually served hot with sour cream or apple sauce. Today some variations also include latkes made with sweet potatoes.

I have a whole collection of “Dreidels,” the four-cornered top that is the source of a lot of the games played at Hanukkah. They usually contain a Hebrew letter on each side, spelling out the first letter of the Hebrew saying that ”A miracle happened here.” In some homes children and adults make their own dreidels, and you can get quite skilful at spinning them like tops and winning games.

There is also music associated with this holiday, most commonly sung is the one to the tune of the well-known hymn, ”Rock of Ages.” As a child I knew several verses in German we sang at home as we lit the candles.

So, enjoy this holiday and its many fun days, and eat and be merry!

Ol’ Worcester Boy Returns to New Worcester Scene!

By Jim Coughlin

Jim. photos submitted.

Jim’s family puppy!

I was born in Worcester in the mid-1950s, and whenever I travel to the city of my birth, I must say I am unquestionably impressed by how she has progressed in so many ways over the fairly recent past.

Worcester has over the years been the recipient of much unworthy criticism from those who not
only were born and raised here, but also from those who have no history of being here.
If I can go back in time to the much heralded debate on the proposed Worcester Civic Center
from the late 1970’s and early 80’s, this was a time when a casual visitor to our city would say that Worcester was stuck in the past and that she was not going anywhere. And it was during this time that even the New York Times had picked up on the belief held by many and actually opined that Worcester was a dying city in Massachusetts. A newspaper article dubbed Worcester THE UTILITY CLOSET OF NEW ENGLAND.

The best way to describe this view would be to say that “Worcester was stuck energy: politically, socially and spiritually.” They would say that those in power were not open to change or any new ideas or energy. But then, the civic center came to our downtown Worcester area and brought all kinds of political and social energies to bear upon those who live here. Young people who previously would say they couldn’t wait to get out of Worcester were now giving that idea a second thought. In short, they began to see hope for not only themselves, but also for their kids.

In the mid 1980s, just after the time that the civic center was coming into its own energy, I witnessed that people here began to think differently, in that doing things or thinking in different ways would not be such a bad idea.
This was at the same time that there were pioneers and pioneeresses among the citizenry who came forward who were women who tried to join the ranks of both the Worcester Fire and Police Departments. They raised the question about themselves as prospective members of these Departments. Although they were not successful in their quests, they were successful in thinking differently, and more importantly in trying to have those in power think, perhaps if only for a time, that things could be done differently, here in Worcester.

Principal among the leaders on the Worcester City Council who through their legislative efforts successfully sought charter change was the late District 4 City Councillor Janice “Jan” Nadeau. Councillor Nadeau came to the council as a former Main South/South Worcester political activist and community organizer for
many years with Worcester Fair Share. So, when she wanted something done on the floor of the
city council, she knew exactly how to do it.
This change directly resulted in the city council placing before the voters a binding referendum to look at changes in Worcester’s municipal charter, the “Magma Carta” of our city government. Jan held office hours at the Pickle Barrel in the Piedmont neighborhood. She was famous for wearing her petite polyester pants suits!

Well, the voters gave their approval to the idea of looking at changes in how Worcester had operated since the 1940’s when we had a Board of Aldermen, a little different from a city council.

One transformational change that the Charter Commission that was appointed by then City Manager Francis J. McGrath enacted was to provide for the election of five district city councilors in addition to the Councilors at Large. This change by itself was directly responsible for the city council becoming
more diversified in that candidates of color would have an easier time being elected in a district race for city council, rather than running “at large” throughout the entire city.
Separate and distinct from councilors being elected in districts, the voices of women were finally being heard at Worcester City Hall.

For whatever reason or reasons, the policy makers in Worcester did hear these women when they said they wanted to join two departments that previously had been complete male bastions.

Now, Worcester to her everlasting credit, has 11 women on the fire department and, I think,
20 women police officers. To his credit, former City Manager Thomas R. Hoover should be
acknowledged for the crucial role he played in making the appointments of women fire fighters in Worcester in 2000.

These are just two examples of positive political and governmental changes in the city.
And there are more changes to be sure: the Union Station of my youth and until the 1990’s is no longer the dump that it was for far too long. Downtown Worcester has expanded with new
hotels and a pharmacy school and other areas that had previously existed as open barren spaceis now thriving with vitality in areas and neighborhoods, too numerous to mention.
One more than obvious change in this area has been the relocation of St. Vincent’s “St Vs” Hospital to downtown Worcester from Vernon Hill on Providence Street that sadly has had its nurses out on strike, for over six months days demanding better ratios of nurses in providing care to patients.

On the side of public secondary education, the city has just completed the construction of the
newest South High Community School and construction on the “new” Doherty High School on Highland Street is well under way.

Many years ago, before this new building and economic Renaissance came to Worcester, a local
parish priest privately told me that many people in the city looked extraordinary depressed.

However, based upon my many visits to Worcester over the past two years as a reporter for the
Worcester In City Times, I can say with 100 % certainly that those depressed energies are no
longer visible on the faces of Worcester residents as I travel throughout the neighborhoods of our city.

But despite my saying how Worcester has improved in so many ways, there will still be the city’s critics who choose to be either a “Debbie Downer” or a “Tommy Downer.” Quite frankly, some people will even complain if the sun comes out on a bright day in Worcester. So, kudos to Worcester and her citizenry for making all the positive, transformational changes that have happened over the period of the last 30 years!

A former Woo political activist hoped for more political, racial and gender diversity on the Worcester City Council – and got it!

By Jim Coughlin

Worcester City Hall – our City Council reflecting our city these days. Finally. photo: Rose T.

I was born and raised in Worcester. Our family originally lived in the area of Worcester known as “Crown Hill.” We originaly lived on Chatham Street and later moved to Chandler Street, right next to both Beaver Brook Park and Foley Stadium. My father was a long-time community organizer in Worcester’s sports and athletic community and shortly after his death in 1986, Worcester State University, (WSU) named the athletic field in back of the university “The John F Coughlin Field.”

Jim Coughlin. He’s a Boston boy now but often takes the train into Worcester to visit friends and report on Worcester events and people for CECELIA. Photo submitted.

By introduction, for those readers who don’t know me, let me say that I was a long time political activist in Worcester, going back to the mid 1970s. When I was only 19 and 21 years old, I served as the campaign manager for the late Mrs. Elizabeth L. “Betty” Price in her two successful campaigns for the Worcester School Committee in both 1973 and 1975. For those of you who don’t recall “Betty,” she was the first African American woman ever elected to the Worcester School Committee when the percentage of people of color in the city was only about 5%, much lower than it is today.

Bill Coleman, right, and James Bonds spearheaded the drive to build the monument to Worcester’s Black soldiers of World War II, located at Lincoln Square. CECELIA file photo.

I clearly and vividly remember the “old Worcester,” along with the old Worcester City Councils of decades ago. During this time, I regularly attended city council meetings in the 1970s and ’80s when the legendary Francis J. McGrath served as City Manager. I remember 1973 as somewhat of a “revolutionary year” at the time in Worcester politics because this was the year that the voters elected not one, but the first three women EVER elected to the Worcester City Council: Mary Scano, Barbara Sinnott and Barbara Kohin.

But their terms did not last long. In 1975, all three women councillors were defeated by the voters. Of the trio, only former Councillor Kohin is still living.

For those of us who observed these changes, we thought we would never see a woman, any woman, break the sex barrier and join the ranks of the Worcester City Council. But they were all excellent public servants for the people of our city. By comparison, the city and, yes, the City Council over time also has become more diversified.

Thank goodness.

By comparison, to the older Worcester City Councils of the earlier days, the current council is no longer “9 white men” as it was back then, but rather it is far more representative of Worcester’s demographics in 2021. Now, on the current city council there are four women city councillors: Donna M. Colorio, Candy Mero Carlson, Kathleen Toomey and Sarai Riveria. Additionally, there are three councillors of color: Khrystian King, Sean Rose and Sarai Riveria.

It is no longer a big deal or even a surprise that the demographics of the city council has changed in both the racial and gender departments. This is a good step forward for the city council in being more representative of the entire city. And whatever happens in contested race for council in District Five between Etel Haxhiaj and George Stratman, the council will either increase by one more councillor of color or a woman councillor.

Running for Councillor at large is Peter Stefan, a Main South funeral home director and long-time community activist. Stefan has buried Worcester’s homeless for free for years and helped the city’s poor and seniors for decades – helping them pay for food, their prescription medicines and utility bills . He served on the board of directors of the PIP homeless shelter for many years and was an advocate for the work they did. He also supports homeless veterans and promises to donate all his City Council paychecks to local food pantries and food banks throughout Worcester County.

Today: the old PIP, on the corner of Main and Charlton streets, in Main South. For years PIP board member and current city council candidate Peter Stefan would drive to Nissan’s Bakery by Crompton Park, buy a ton of sweets and bread and bring them down to the PIP for the homeless to enjoy at supper time. Photo: R.T.

William S. “Bill” Coleman III is also running for councillor at large. Coleman has run for city councillor at large many times before and has been a very active petitioner before the city council for over 30 years on a wide range of public policy initiatives.

For me, as a former Worcester political activist who only hoped for more political, racial and gender diversity on the city council when we were out in the neighborhoods of Worcester organizing for Betty Price in the mid-1970s, I am grateful that the electorate of Worcester has summoned itself to answer the call of many of us back then who actually wondered aloud and to ourselves if there ever would be these changes in the faces of our public servants at City Hall.

Kudos to Worcester for diversifying the make-up of the Worcester City Council!

From filmmaker Michael Moore …

A Free Worldwide Screening of “Fahrenheit 9/11”

Great flick!

I have an announcement for you. I would like to invite you to join me for a free worldwide screening on Friday, September 10th, of my 2004 film, Fahrenheit 9/11. We’ll watch it online together …

We’ve decided to hold this free screening because it’s become clear that many of our political, corporate and media leaders wish to rewrite the history of 9/11 and tell a fake-sentimental story that justified two wars of aggression, the removal of some of our basic constitutional rights, and the creation of the domestic surveillance state. This screening of Fahrenheit 9/11 is our attempt to tell the real facts and understand how our country has, since that fateful day, been in a downward spiral that must be and can be reversed.

The online film event will begin at 9pm ET on Friday, September 10th. I’ll say a few words, we’ll show the movie, and then afterward we’ll bring on some special guests for a discussion and take your questions live. As I said, it’s all free and it takes place right here on my Substack site, michaelmoore.com. To guarantee your “seat” from home, you simply need to be a free subscriber to this site. You can do that by clicking this button:

Fahrenheit 9/11 (still the highest grossing documentary of all time) questions the Bush administration’s motives for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It shows our troops speaking to the American people about the lies we’ve been told and shows the madness we’ve created on the ground in those countries. Many of the issues raised in the film – about voter suppression, poor treatment of military veterans, issues of race and class and U.S. militarism, are as timely today as ever.

Michael Moore

The film was the first documentary in 50 years to win the top prize — the Palme d’Or — at the Cannes Film Festival. In the U.S., it won the People’s Choice Award — not for best documentary, but for Best Movie of the Year. It also broke an opening weekend box office record set by “Return of the Jedi”. That’s how weird it all was at the time.

Released just a little over a year into the Iraq War, the public overwhelmingly responded to the film which revealed the massive falsehoods and errors of the political, military and media establishment as they exploited the 9/11 tragedy for financial gain (see: military-industrial complex) and set the United States on a course for never-ending wars.

Fahrenheit 9/11 unfortunately remains even more relevant today as the same politicians and elites lead us down the same wrong roads. 20 years later and it is crushing that we still have not learned the lessons of 9/11. We lost the war in Afghanistan. We lost the war in Iraq. We lost the peace with Iran. We still rattle our sabres with countries like China while the world shakes its head and quietly laughs at us. We still believe we can solve problems by invading countries and killing civilians with drone attacks. We are no longer ‘#1’ except in our own minds. We created a fake War on Terror, we militarized our local police, we ended up trillions of dollars in debt — all to protect the so-called ‘homeland’ (a word straight out of the Fascist Dictionary) — when, in fact, the NSA and FBI now admit that our largest terrorist threat is from American citizens who are white supremacists seeking to overthrow Democracy. And we all know who their enablers are: The 147 Republican Senators and members of Congress who, just hours after the January 6th sacking of the Capitol, joined the insurrection and voted to overturn the presidential election results, claiming that Trump was their true president. They lost that vote, but all 147 of these traitors still remain in Congress.

So we are in dark times. Amongst the top industrialized nations we are still last in life expectancy, last in infant mortality, last in overall heath care, last in education, last in voter turnout, last in women’s rights — but first in gun deaths, first in mothers who die in childbirth, first in child poverty, first in number of people in prisons, first in student loan debt, first in home foreclosures and bankruptcies and first in citizens shot to death by the police. The world may laugh at us, but it’s no joke here in the U.S.

“This special screening of Fahrenheit 9/11 also marks the debut of “Mike’s Movie Night,” a new feature here on my recently announced site on Substack (the free platform on which you are reading this!). Every month or so, I’ll hold an online screening of a movie I love or have discovered and watch them with all my Substack members (occasionally the film’s director or actors will join us afterward). While this first “Mike’s Movie Night” next week will be available for free to all, subsequent movie nights will be my “thank you” gift to the paid members who are able to contribute and support our upcoming film and TV work. So become a member if you can!