Dunkin' Donuts-Hammond Street Renovation

Boston Celtics Eastern Conference Champs

The Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic, 96-84, to win the series 4-2 and advance to the NBA Finals.

Not only in Arizona

I guess some folks in Florida found this funny.

Democratic Convention

After record breaking temperatures on Wednesday, things are heating up in Massachusetts once again, but this time, it's because of the Massachusetts Democratic Convention taking place in Worcester.

The MADemCon is taking over the DCU Center (a.k.a. The Worcester Centrum) next Friday (6/4) and Saturday (6/5).

And while the MARepCon, which took place in April, was low-browed, I do expect there to be alot of folks protesting various issues:

• The Tea Party 
• The Coalition of Worcester Retirees 
• Anyone against Governor Deval Patrick

I wonder if this will bring the typical drama that any convention brings to any city?  

Reality tV: Boston Med & Wicked Summah

Boston in getting two reality television shows, one has already been filmed and is in the can and the other Wicked Summah, which begins filming next month, is going to bring a luster to Boston as bright as the State's golden dome.

Ah, there's never a dull moment in Massachusetts.

Boston Med, which airs on June 24th on ABC, will be about Boston doctors from Mass General, Children's Hospital, and Brigham's and Women's, getting their scrub on in a good way.(Get your mind out of the gutter, at least for a second.)

The 8-episodes of Boston Med feature a facial transplant that will blow your mind.

Wicked Summah, will begin filming in mid-July and let's just say that Cape Cod will never be the same for this Jersey Shore-like spinoff. Be a part of the show by going here.

Now, other than the BoyBand premiere, when is Worcester going to get its own reality television show? Oh, how could I forget, that show airs every Tuesday night on local television.

I propose the following name for the City Council show: Wicked Pissah Worcester!

When things go BOOM

With many of the area colleges expanding and building new academic and residential buildings, occurrences such as this are very scary.

Technology: Ipad as a turntable

Expansion: Dunkin' Donuts

I saw this backhoe this morning and it appears that the Dunkin' Donuts
on Hammond Street is getting a drive-thru.

Does Worcester run on Dunkin'?

Weather: HEAT

As we say in the Virgin Islands, "Deh heat is ON!" and in honor of the warm weather, I'd like to share some classic Calypso music with you.

MCAS: Not being Scraped

I thought the debate surrounding the MCAS test would drag on for at least a couple months, I guess I was wrong.

While there are a number of teachers that are critical of President Obama's push for national standards test, I have to say that I have seen the MCAS test and I know a few adults that couldn't pass it, even on their best day.

I guess Worcester resident and State Education Secretary S. Paul Reville, can breathe a sigh of relief because he's been very vocal that Massachusetts will not approve tests that aren't as rigorous as the current test.

 

Wheels to Water Summer 2010

Since the Department of Public Works and Parks is hustlin' the City with a $455k playground on Providence Street, they attempt to placate the few with information about this summer's Wheels to Water program.

Here are the screen shots of the brochure and you can read the PDF here.

Grand Hustle: Providence Street Playground pt. 3

I love how the Telegram and Gazette, with Rondo-sized assists from Paul Clancy, District 3 Councilman, Robert Antonelli, Assistant Commissioner of Parks and Public Works, and Robert Moylan, Commissioner of Public Works and Parks, are reporting that the playground on Providence Street is "only" costing between $200k to $300k.

These are the same men that said that there would have to be improvements made to the surrounding area, sidewalks installed and the cost would be around the $455k mark.  Nice way to coveniently forget about $255k to $155k!

The kicker to the T&G article is, "Mr. Antonelli acknowledged that some neighbors remain opposed to the playground, though Mr. Clancy said he had only received one negative e-mail about the project since construction started last year".

Mr. Antonelli has a better memory than Paul Clancy, because he can remember the push-back from area residents at the meeting that took place at the Vernon Hill School on February 27, 2008, where residents in attendance told them they were full of shit building a playground when there were better ways to spend more than $100k.

Maybe the money didn't come from property taxes, but the playground was proposed as,"gesture to show the city's gratitude" to the residents affected by the expanded Ballard Street compost site. Neighborhoods such as those in the areas of Gibbs Street, Granite Street, Dane Avenue and Svenson Avenue, to name a few, are affected whenever the compost site emits odor.

The then principal of the Vernon Hill School, Ms. Joanna Bowolick, was all for the playground because it would benefit her students directly, but she wouldn't be a the school long enough to see the first backhoe at the site.

 The BIG kicker came in December 2008, when the proposal for the playground was approved by the City Council, after Paul Clancy very slyly had the proposal brought up at a City Council meeting right before Christmas.  Hey, he knows when people are sleeping and he knows when they're awake, and Paul Clancy banks on the fact that most of his constituents are asleep at the wheel.  True Masshole modus operandi.

The playground was approved, Clancy is pleased, Moylan is pleased, Antonelli is pleased and the people that live in the area are pleased, but do they know that they've been Grand Hustled?

Miss Worcester Diner is #1

In the midst of last night's Orlando Magic versus Boston Celtics game, I happened to be checking my Twitter feed and read an update from Destination Worcester that read that TLC was showing their "Best Food Ever" on American diners and that Miss Worcester Diner could be within the Top-10.

Well, as much as I like the Celtics, I had to change the channel to see what was up with the TLC show and where the Miss Worcester Diner would land.

The diner took home the top honors and was named the #1 "Darn Good Diner in America". Congratulations!

So, being the tech-geek that I am, I had to figure out a way to record it quickly and I immediately reached for my cellphone. (I almost wasn't able to record it due to heavy cellphone usage today.)

Here's part 1, which gets cut short because I was running out of "juice" on the cell and I lost the feed:




Here's part 2, which is covers the majority of the Miss Worcester Diner segment:

Rotary......Switch!

Time flies and we've all moved on......literally.

From Worcester Is MAJOR!™

From Worcester Is MAJOR!™

Mondays

It's Monday and most Americans and, people in general, struggle to get going.  Have that extra cup of coffee and it may reduce your risk of prostate cancer.

 Overall, the research shows that coffee is far more healthful than it is harmful,” says Dr. Tomas DePaulis, research scientist at Vanderbilt University’s Institute for Coffee Studies. “For most people, very little bad comes from drinking it, but a lot of good.” Coffee not only perks up energy and helps sharpen the mind, it has been shown to lessen the severity of a heart attack or stroke and protect against certain cancers, type 2 diabetes, liver disease and gallstones. There’s also evidence that coffee may help stop a headache, boost mood and even prevent cavities. And a study presented this week at the Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research conference in Houston, Texas shows that men who drink coffee on a regular basis have an added benefit—a significantly decreased risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer.

Or, maybe, we should take a cue from the future leaders of America?

From Worcester Is MAJOR!™

Read the signs

The trash along Granite Street, just past Holy Name High School, comes and goes and I wonder if the Department of Public Works & Parks has caught anyone dumping their trash along the roadside?

I have a suggestion: Post the video or pictures on the Telegram's website and then that way folks will feel compelled to pay for "local news" and put the abusers on BLAST!

From Worcester Is MAJOR!™

Allow me to tip my hat

I'm a Hip Hop baby. I have sat at the table with legends that have served as my theme music as I've navigated my way through life and met thousands of GREAT people and now it's time to write their name.

A broad-shoulder New Orleanian met Mom-dukes-to-be in New York City and was convinced to make that move to the Caribbean, specifically The US Virgin Islands. A few years later, this island-boy was born. The year was 1973.

Hat Tip.

Throughout life you meet people that leave a lasting impression on you and that's what I believe everyone we come in contact with does. There are so many people that have led me to do some many different things and caused me alot of consternation by telling me to never settle for the mediocre.

Mom-dukes, thank you for signing me up for the Cub Scouts and encouraging me to "stick with it" and make the transition to Boy Scouting, where I had fun and I learned so much about life and myself. (Hey, I can still recite all the points of the compass without skipping a beat.)

Thank you for hearing that commercial on WSTA 1340 AM "Lucky 13" looking for volunteers after fires burned over a third of Yellowstone National Park. The year was 1988.

Youth Conservation Corps for instilling a belief that we are all responsible for protecting the Earth and getting me in the best shape of my life.

Carrying 150 lbs. of food and supplies as a member of the "long haul" Sherpa crew, hiking 20 to 30 miles deep into the woods to the firefighters made me unstoppable on the athletic field and in the classroom.

Hat Tip.

There a too many teachers to list all of their names, but here are a few:

Ms. Bennett
Mrs. Hulse
Mr. Samuel
Mrs. Ignatius
Dr. Rodio
Mr. Carrillo
Mrs. Brady

Hat Tip.

The heart of the family that worried about 9 grandchildren and made sure we knew we were supposed to do something GREAT......Grandma E.  Thank you!

Hat Tip.

The other teachers, coaches, instructors that taught me everything from learning to drive at the age of 10-years old, how to throw a baseball, how to fish, how to sew, how to iron, and how to cook. Thank you!

Hat Tip.

So, on this Monday, please allow me to tip my hat to the people that have "always had my back" and pushed me to "try it" and "stick with it".  Thank you!

Hat Tip.