Worcesteria - Identity Theft or Freudian Slip?

That's not Scott Zoback's picture. That's what's-his-name... that new guy.

Used to be, before the regime change at WOMAG, The Daily Worcesteria was always an interesting read. Scott Zoback had a handle on the content, mixing up a batch of interesting local stories and headlines to satisfy every yokel.

Here we are some two years later, TDW has turned into a dumping ground for boring and irrelevant posts. If anything gets posted, usually every 2 to 4 days, then it's weather posts, school closings, or their weekly edition highlights. Luckily we still get the Council sessions. 

Sorry WOMAG, you're really boring us. You guys are supposed to inform us. You're the pulse of Wusta! So start pulsing. 

So what's a bored blogger to do? Take potshots at the local dimwit Stephen P. Quist aka Q of course!

The NSDUH Report: State Estimates of DUI & DUID - MA in top 10

Does that surprise anyone? Me in fact. And it certainly explains the instances of bad driving that I've encountered. Not to mention all the Fingers I get. Wanna bet Wusta leads the Nation in that eh?

The NSDUH ranks MA in the top ten in Driving under the Influence of Alcohol and Driving under the Influence of Drugs. Source: NSDU.

What I Learned from Blogs this Week

RIP WorcesterPolitics.com?
It was inevitable that Jim McElhiney's Love Child wouldn’t make it out of infancy. Why? Well, to begin with, the premise was naive - to provide a forum for saner voices, to counteract the prevalent nastiness on the T&G. So, after four months and 20 odd posts, it was time to pull the plug. Jim's sole poster, Steven P. Quist, aka Q (a local dimwit who wants to be known by a James Bond-esque moniker) was recently banned for constantly violating Jim’s sacred tenet - no name calling. So no Q, no posts, no blog. Unless Jim himself posts. It's his blog after all.

And Jim's annoying pleadings for folks to forgo their innate pettiness and begin an era of kumbayaesque dialog was sorta dumb to begin with - doomed to failure. The fact is, folks prefer the T&G because that’s where the news is. And thankfully no Q. 

Elmparkblogger. Is the end near?

And then there’s the other Jim, James May aka JPM01609 - Nicole’s overeager lapdog.

Jim's enthusiasm for all things Wusta quickly manifested itself and just as quickly waned. Too bad - it was entertaining. So it looks like ole Jim ain't gonna get the chance to create a legacy like some of our senior bloggers - Paulie “The Legacy” Collyer, renown for his um... whatever.

Maybe not? In fact James May had the audacity to call out a new era of citizen involvement in government. Takes balls to say that around here, so that just may assure him a place in local history. So is it RIP for the Elm Park Blogger? 

Nicole, Worcester - You go girl, but easy on the BS
Now folks, it’s no exaggeration when we say things are rather gloomy in Wusta - economically, politically, and blogingly. Well, except perhaps for Nicole Aspostola’s ongoing blogging frolics. 

We never miss a step. A recent comment by Sprout on Nicole’s blog caught our attention. She asked Nicole: are you running? Running, as in public office. Humble Nicole Apostola declined. Stating mitigating circumstances prevent her from pursuing a public life, however she’s more than willing to support Sprout achieve her career goal (as official City Decorator). Now that’s precious!

Although we have little confidence in our elected officials, whose record of consistent failure is for all to see, being that our Councilors (now that’s a contradiction if ever there was one) don’t have the political courage to feign off the demands of some 3,000 whiny union voters and do what’s necessary to keep the Good Ship Lollipop from keeling.

So it’s no understatement that Sprout’s naiveté is typical of the average local's ignorance in supposing a bloggerette with an overactive thyroid, without relevant experience (okay, she’s on the Hope Cemetery thing) could possibly be a legitimate candidate for any elected office. But stranger things have happened here eh? It’s that naiveté that put us in this predicament in the first place. No wonder this city is fucked up. 

Folks, we’re beginning to have serious doubts about the state of Wusta’s bloggosphere. The voices are vapid.

Will's Economic Policy Review: So You Want to Start a Food Truck?

Interesting stuff from AMEX's Idea Hub Forum. Didn't know they had one.

Erin Zimmer (Serious Eats), So You Want to Start a Food Truck? Over the last two years, it seems like everyone and their moms, and their mom’s hairdresser, are launching food trucks. And it isn’t just trucks, either -- carts, bikes, wagons and Airstream trailers are parking in cities across the United States to sell food and Tweet about it. Thinking of getting into the game yourself? Serious Eats talked with a few successful and unsuccessful ventures to try and figure out how to do it right (and avoid the many pitfalls).

If they can do it in New Jersey, why not here? Did I really say that?

Porn Laws Around the Globe - It's infographic!

Funniest thing. Over the past few weeks, we've had an unusually large number of visitors from the Middle East
(mostly Tunisia) looking for porn, as in Pornography, eg. sexually explicit material, and landed inadvertently at Worcester Wonderland. Imagine that?

So dem Tunisians got themselves a quasi-democratic government and the first thing they do is scour the Internet for porn. Must be some serious pent-up demand. The same thing happened when East Germany crashed and burned a couple decades ago, they cleaned out the West Berlin pornshops in a matter of days. Democracy, ain't it sumptin!

The last porn I saw was the PETA billboard on Pleasant St. - the nurse with the prominent boobs. That's porn right? At least that's what Councilor Kate implied - she was pretty peeved about it... sumptin about the kids  seeing it.


Anyway, over the past several months we’ve used the word porn in several posts to describe content as chart porn i.e., visually arousing infographics! Hey, maybe dem Tunisians were really interested in the graphs?

From dailyinfographic.com: Porn Laws Around the Globe: ... we see a world map showing the legal, illegal, where there is no data, and where there are some restrictions. As could be assumed, states in which there are more democratic governments are the states in which there are the least amount of restrictions in regards to porn.

One of the odder laws I discovered on this infographic was a law Australia has. In Australia women with A-cups or smaller are banned from acting in porn, because the government fears it will encourage pedophilia. One of the more moral laws I saw comes from Brazil, where they require that all their actors wear condoms to endorse safe sex.

Um, wait a sec, gives me an idea about boosting Wonderland's pageviews.

What do Schoolteachers, Sumo Wrestlers and Goddard School have in Common?

Well if the EAW ain't beating up veterans for union dues or demanding pay raises in a recession, or feigning concern about the interests of their wards, then they're most assuredly not paying any attention to the ethical dilemma of their membership. 

Ya gotta do what ya gotta do... doesn't cut it in any school system. Accountability must be paramount in the Worcester Public School system and more so in the EAW Worcester (Worcester's teachers union). But don't hold your breath waiting for them to do anything about it - too busy whining about other things. Ethics is secondary.

I'm curious how the cheating was discovered. In the wake of the developing Goddard School cheating scandal, I recall a book I read: Freakonomics. Interesting parallel here: What Do Schoolteachers and Sumo Wrestlers Have in Common?  

Wikipedia: The authors define the study of economics as the study of incentives. How do we profit by the things that we do? And what incentives are so attractive that they compel us to act unethically in order to attain them? 

Levitt describes the series of research processes that he used to identify a number of Chicago public school teachers who cheated or helped their students cheat on standardized tests. He analyzed standardized test answer patterns and identified suspicious blocks of correct answers, also comparing test scores to students’ past academic performance. 

Eventually, a controlled retest was administered to identify cheating teachers with greater precision. The findings resulted in the termination of the boldest offenders, as well as reforms in the school system’s standardized testing procedures.

Worcester, MA: Arnold's Music Shop

Made a stupendous vinyl score a few weeks ago via Craigslist.

The seller, a local guy, decided it was time to sell off his vast vinyl record collection - all in perfect condition.

His name is Ray, he was a music aficionado with a vast knowledge of Rock history. We spent several hours perusing the collection, listening to his anecdotes about genres, groups and albums. Enthralling stuff.

What I found most interesting was his history of record shops in Worcester - his favorite being Arnold's on Main St. (claiming they could get any album) located near the T&G, as well as the Jordan Marsh record department in the Worcester Center Galleria, and several small shops scattered up and down Main St. I  Googled Arnold's and found the owner's obit. Arnold Berol died in 2009 at 94; seems his shop closed around 1979. Oh, and The Galleria at that time was still a bustling shopping destination. Really? Wusta?

So I thought it would be fun to toss this up. I wonder what the The Cars 1st album in 1977 cost - price E?

The World's Greatest Record Collection

I'll take that collection off the man's hands, but I'm a little short of cash this week.

The story originally came out in 2008. Hard to believe - 3 million vinyls for sale and no
takers? Hello Smithsonian! Hello Worcester Public Library!

The World's Greatest Music Collection:

Worcester, MA: The Tale of a Neighborhood

We don't have an issue with clearing a sidewalk of snow. Many here do. Especially if it concerns a  neighbor's.

In Worcester it’s interesting to note that the folks who have snowblowers don't automatically clear a neighbor's sidewalk; taking it right to the property line.

Although we don't have one, we don't mind shoveling. We'll shovel grumpy Mr. Hatfield's, even nasty Mrs. McCoy's. In fact we’ll do it whether they want it or not. That’s the way we were raised. Let me qualify a concept. I don't freely use the word Neighbor as describing the people who live around us since it connotes friendliness, helpfulness etc. To a large degree, that's missing here.

Where we live, there are unseen but palpable battle lines. Lines that were drawn long before we arrived. Several years ago, as we setup house, we rarely saw our neighbors. Except as they sized us up from behind their curtains. If we approached them, they scurried into their houses or vehicles. A wave was greeted with a blank stare. Eventually their frosty demeanor melted. If we came into a conversation, it was not about the weather or The Sawx, but rather about them. In hindsight it was if  we were being interrogated; recruited into their faction. Or so they thought.

Where we lived previously, if you had a snowblower you just ran it until either the neighborhood was snow free or the gas ran out. The adults socialized while working. The kids helped out and played at the same time. Someone always brought out a Thermos of coffee and the proverbial nip. Back then the neighborhood air was clear and fresh - free of animosity. Blizzards were greeted with open arms – a chance to get out and socialize and help one another. It bonded folks.

Worcester, MA is a completely different story. Here we've noticed that folks who've lived next door to each other for years aren't neighbors, but enemies. Grudges are carried; worn like medals. In fact, in our little nook its generational. The animosity is so deep in some families - father to son, mother to daughter - that even they don't know the why or wherefore. It’s just always been that way.

We realized we were in the middle of a 21st century version of the Hatfields and the McCoys, but with more factions. We have no allegiance to any faction, rather to a concept – neighborliness. A mistake perhaps? In Worcester most definitely - here you have to take sides. So if we were caught publicly associating with the Hatfields, the McCoys shunned us by the next encounter and vice versus.

This morning I got up well before the crack of down. Cleared the McCoys’ sidewalk and the Hatfields’. Then headed off to work. 

The moral of story? Well, you figure it out.

Factsheet: The U. S. Media Universe According to Nielsen

1. Average Number of TVs per U.S. Household: 2.5
2. Percentage of Americans with 4 or more TVs: 31%
3. Number of Mobile Phone Users (13+): 228M
4. Percentage of U.S. Mobile Subscribers with Smartphones: 31%
5. Number of mobile phone web users: 83.2M

Infographic: Where Are Small Businesses Making A Comeback?

InCity Times' Webstats - How'd ya like dem Apples?

Admittedly, we have a place in our hearts for Rosalie Tirella because she makes us laugh with her ever popular silly rants, also cause for some serious head shaking among the locals. But not us! When ya really think about it, ranting is sublimely cathartic.

To say we’re not particularly partial to the local fringe population’s politics or issues, is an understatement. There's something unhealthy about a group of lost souls bemoaning everything from animal rights to transgender politics, or postulating never ending conspiracy theories. But we're cool with that dog adoption thing! The fact is, those folks are just plain weird. Heck, all of Wusta is weird. But in a nice way. Of course.

So here's what you came for, a peek at InCity's webstats. Ready? It’s not a pretty picture. Pretty embarrassing in fact: Only 195 visits in December. Down only a measly 91.09%. But still close to its 12-month average - ahem. I suppose we oughta thank Nicole "The Wicked Witch of Wusta" Apostola for that; she booted InCity off The Blogroll last month. Girls will be girls eh?

Of course you did notice that 76% of ICT's last months' traffic came from Kenya? How's that for a diverse readership? Heck, the T&G or WOMAG could never claim that. Nor would they want to.

Thinking... maybe if Rosalie opened up the comments on InCity she could get some local traffic. I'm sure the locals have a few things they'd like to share with her.

After all, the City that blogs together, stays together. Or sumptin like that.

Drudge Report: He did not watch TV...

:

Worcester Magazine's Wily Webstats

Or much ado about nothing.

We’ve been looking at webstats for local media companies. This week we thought it would be interesting to peek at WOMAG’s stats.  

For some unknown reason we had the impression that Worcester Magazine had a sizable web presence i.e., lots of traffic. The reality is, there ain’t a whole lot going on over there. Interesting is that their web-analytics service Quantcast, is blocked from public access. Wonder why? There are other ways of getting the stuff: Alexa, Compete, Google Trends & Analytics, StatBrain etc.

According to Compete.com, Worcester Magazine visitor traffic hovered between 1.5k and 7.0k monthly during 2010. Um... not a whole lotta locals making their way there considering the size of the County (750k) and the City proper (173k).

What else is there? The average visitor profile is interesting. Alexa states, the 18-24 crowd is greatly over-represented, predominantly single educated females with no kids. Translation: lots of college chicks checking out those Worcester Magazine personals for that proverbial one-nighter or maybe just looking for Mr. Right. In Wusta - ya right. 

So is Worcester Magazine really the hot item they portray themselves? No, of course not. The locals find the T&G hotter - they're into the obits and court records. What Worcester Magazine doesn't get is that the locals don't want local heroes, they want dirt on their neighbors and the biddies (avg. T&G user is +65 female) are fixated on the obits.

Not your every day newspaper. That's for sure!

Chart Porn: America by the Numbers

Slow news day. So let's check out some chart porn. Stats always perk me up.

Lots of cool stuff coming outta the U. S. Census Bureau - The 2011 Statistical Abstract - in the last few weeks with the NY Times - U. S. Portrait, in Numbers - all over it.

So, Americans are eating fewer veggies- at a buck-a-burger it's no wonder. Americans are eating less red meat - probably eating more white meat. Americans are drinking more - no surprise there. Recession angst? More Americans are landing in jail than previously - gotta dive into those stats to see what naughty things they're doing. Oh. And there are less bookstores nowadays - Americans have become illiterate. No surprise there eh?

The American English Dialect Map

When I saying interesting, I mean interesting.

Apart from the snazzy graphs Christian Missionary Rick Aschmann has a site chock full of neat information on linguistics: North American English Dialects, Based on Pronunciation Patterns.

The audiovisual library includes examples of regional dialects. Guess who he selected to personify the local dialect? No less than the late great Abbie Hoffman. Me thinks his r's ain't as long as some local's I heard.

NPR: National Public Ripoff

I’ve been looking over the Form 990’s of local nonprofits. Did you know that there are 1,068 non-profits in Worcester with $6.7 billion in income and $6.5 billion in assets?

In Worcester they cover the spectrum from the  quixotic Dream Center, the perennial patriotic American Legion, to the infamous EAW - Educational Association of Worcester - a profit motivated non-profit who works tirelessly in the fight for educational excellence, to the larger more popular institutions like the good ole United Way. And the less than popular Holy Cross College etc.

Ever read a NP Mission Statement? I have. Many in fact. The stuff is utter nonsense. Too bad they aren't true to their principles. Where did they go wrong?

It’s not particularly hard to set-up a non-profit here in MA. Anyone can do it. Wanna shield some  assets from taxation, start a foundation and then hire your friends and family to run it. Take lavish trips at foundation expense. Give money to friends in return for favors. The possibilities are endless. I'm thinking about setting up a foundation to benefit mankind. Namely moi!

The federal government had the foresight to exclude large chucks of non-profit wealth, now over $4.4 trillion in assets and $3.0 trillion in income, from its taxing machine, the IRS, in the expectation that those non-profits would use their accumulated wealth to benefit society. Well they haven't. If their income were taxed, it would, roughly estimated, put about $215 billion into the U.S. Treasury annually. Pays for a lot of roads and bridges; put a whole heap of folks on a payroll. Maybe bailout Wusta?

I often listen to NPR and relish the “unbiased” news reporting (If you believe that then I have a bridge on Route 9 to sell you), it being more a matter of presentation than politics that draws me to NPR. Less ad repetition. Soothing voices.

NPR Inc.  (there is also the NPR Foundation) a Washington DC based non-profit in 2008/09 showed $225 million in assets and revenues of $150 million all made possible by listeners like you through the ever increasingly annoying solicitation campaigns. And a heap of federal tax dollars to boot, accounting for nearly 1/3 of revenues according to their Form 990. Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe - No Funding for NPR - has an incisive take on NPR's funding issue.

As is typical of a non-profit, salaries make up the bulk of expenses, in their case some $85 million of $165 million total expenses - a whopping 52%. Those silky smooth voices do come at a price: Scott Simon $365k, Michelle Norris $313k, Robert Siegel $359k. Management salaries ranged from $174k to $1.2 million. The top 22 employees made a total of $7.8 million. Yet NPR goes on imploring its listeners to donate their ever scarce dollars to their cause; bemoaning the increasing costs of bringing you the news. With salaries like that, its no wonder.

NPR affiliate, WGBH ($531 million in assets and $200 million in revenue in 2006, the last reported year available to the public) brought WCRB in September 2009, a classical music station for $14 million, the purchase price to be raised through yet another capital campaign. Why is the public so frivolous with their money? What was the point of the acquisition? To squeeze more liberal banter into the local airwaves by moving the music to WCRB.

Here's a tidbit from Greenspun's Weblog dated June 2009: Back in 2006, according to the IRS Form 990 (available from guidestar.org), the company was paying 14 vice presidents between $200,000 and $300,000 per year in current and deferred compensation. Henry P. Becton, Jr., the president, helped himself to $350,000 per year.

I gotta get a job there! So what’s the issue? Why does NPR or WGBH need taxpayer dollars to broadcast their liberal message when they can just as easily milk the public? How is it that conservatives, Limbaugh et al. can get their message publicly financed, but liberals can’t? Because the liberal knows it’s easier to bilk the public than sell an essentially nonviable business concept to the investing public.

How do NPR and WGBH with hundreds of millions in revenues justify milking the federal government to support their political agendas when the monies could be better spent on food stamps or unemployment benefits?

What’s the story on Worcester-based communication non-profits milking the public?

To be continued…

Will's Economic Policy Think Tank: Foodtrucks!

If Wusta is gonna reinvent itself, its gotta start with baby steps right? Here's a start.

Imagine Food Trucks on every street corner? Imagine the investment it  would generate! The employment! The taxes! Boston got the right approach. What's Wusta got?

Remember the Hot Dog Vendors fiasco from 2008? (This T&G article is a must read). Again,  Blame the City Council for hindering economic expansion in near destitute Worcester. Um... I'm already getting a funny feeling about this idea. Maybe the wannbe foodtruck owners should incorporate as non-profits, hire the councilor's relatives. Bing, ordinance passed!

I lifted this from the Boston Globe Opinion section: 

Food Trucks: Innovation at the curbside: In many major cities, food trucks have provided sparks of culinary innovation and small-business commerce, particularly in immigrant communities. In Boston, a sprawling regulatory apparatus has prevented the trucks from taking hold, since operators need to get licenses from a variety of police, fire, inspectional, and transportation officials, among others.

A newly proposed City Council ordinance would streamline the process, creating up to 25 “one-stop’’ licenses that bundle the necessary requirements in a reasonable way. The city should pass this ordinance — and it should also increase the number of licenses.

Runaway proliferation of food trucks is a valid concern. During a visit to Los Angeles, where the food-truck business is relatively free-wheeling, City Councilor Salvatore LaMattina saw one street where 27 food trucks got in the way of other businesses and even traffic signals. But Boston is far from that point, and until food trucks fully take hold the city should focus on setting well thought-out rules — and then consider offering licenses to any entrepreneur who meets the requirements. It’s a pro-business, pro-consumer, and pro-palate policy.

Stats - don't ya just love em? 2000 vs. 2010 at a glance.

T&G stats - Look out below and are our local Bloggerettes catty?

Been exploring the Telegram.com’s stats since the Paywall rode into town last August. So how’s the venerable T&G doing? Not so hot I dare say. Some interesting data from Alexa.com, The Web Information Company:

1) Daily Page views dropped 15% in the last 3 months, from October 2010.

2) Daily Traffic Rank dropped about 12% in the last 3 months. But that’s relative.

Does that mean that the T&G is losing viewers? Yup! By my calculations traffic will reach a horrendous level by January 2012. Look out below...

But don’t take my word for it, see for yourself. Make your own conclusions: Alexa.com

Ever wonder why the Telegram.com has an overall uncivil tone among its commenters? Is anonymity to blame? Are the locals crazier than elsewhere? Or has some mind altering chemical made its way into the drinking water? Actually, it’s none of the above.

The explanation is quite simple in fact. Out of curiosity I perused the audience section. The Telegram's audience - a mirror of our little enclave - as offered up by Alexa.com shows some interesting demographics in play.

According to Alexa, females on Telegram.com are over-represented and the 65+ age group is greatly over-represented. The conclusion? We got a bunch of catty old women haunting the T&G. Is that any surprise?

Can we extrapolate that demographic to cover the Barnard Blogroll coup too? Well, I thought about that - yup!

Last week confirms it. This place has catty bloggerettes.