Northamptonist

Northamptonist's Greatest(?) Hits

2010-04-02T16:07:00.002-04:00

This post was originally published on 06.02.08

Northamptonist is now a Newyorkist until further notice. ~~Lots of what I share will be over here, at paolomastrangelo.com. You could check my Twitter updates, it's like documenting New York City from the street in 140 characters or less.~~ Try NYC The Blog, it's what everyone else seems to be reading.

And here is a random selection of some of Northamptonist's greatest(?) hits. Please enjoy!

Maybe Ill throw up the occasional post now and again. Thanks for reading.
xxo
Paolo

No One Will Return A Phone Call From WWLP 22 News In Springfield

2010-03-19T00:32:00.018-04:00

WWLP 22 News in Springfield MA recently broadcast a segment on an alleged plague of drug use in Northampton, attempting to manufacture a sensation, as the newsprogram is known to do. It started with an inquiry: "Are drugs plaguing Northampton teens?" But unfortunately for WWLP, no one would entertain their requests for comment:

"We tried to contact the Mayor, the police, and multiple other substance abuse programs in Northampton to find out the scope of this problem, but no one returned our calls."

It must be heard to fully appreciate how sad it sounds; watch it here.

It never reads well when someone comes across as obnoxious or unduly gleeful, and that is not intended here, but the newscasters of WWLP 22 News in Springfield might want to consider another news organization to work for; a media outlet, for instance, that people respect enough to return your calls. When a nightly newscast on a broadcast television network fail to get even the police to return a phone call about drug use, you know you're not doing it right.

The Northampton Police would return a right wing bloggers phone call quicker. Talk about a reversal of fortunes.

"Bloggers" Don't Cover Local News

2009-05-08T00:47:00.016-04:00

Below, and reprinted verbatim in partial form, is a post from Ryan Tate at Gawker today: Read the full piece here.

The creator of the brilliant television series The Wire today asked Congress to legalize monopolistic collusion by newspapers. Only they can really cover City Hall, he said. Apparently he hasn't been there in a while.

The Wire creator, David Simon, was a cops reporter at the Baltimore Sun for 12 years, ending in 1995. He then made a lucrative second career in fiction and Hollywood before detouring into a sideline as a cranky, reactionary media pundit this past year.

Simon told the Senate Commerce Committee today bloggers don't go to city council meetings, or know what the hell is going on if they do — a clichéd, out of touch refrain common among newspapermen who can't be bothered to do any reporting on the assertion. The Wall Street Journal published an op-ed from a Newark Star-Ledger columnist to this effect:
Don't expect that Web site to hire somebody to sit through town-council meetings... a lot of bloggers will be found gasping for breath under piles of pure ennui. There is nothing more tedious than a public meeting.
New York Times media columnist David Carr often capitalizes on the idea that bloggers don't do government in his repeated columnsabout how newspapers must restrict their websites:
The capacity to produce accountability reporting... and robust coverage of public officials is not sustainable under current revenue models.
And here's Simon, right before winding up to his punch line about "relaxing certain anti-trust prohibitions:"

I found this argument odd, because as a newspaper reporter who spent a few years covering a town much like Baltimore — Oakland, California — I often found that bloggers were the only other writers in the room at certain city council committee meetings and at certain community events. They tended to be the sort of persistently-involved residents newspapermen often refer to as "gadflies" — deeply, obsessively concerned about issues large and infinitesimal in the communities where they lived.

Read the full piece from Ryan Tate here.

Citizens, gadflys, bloggers, concerned residents, whatever you want to call them. They don't cover the local news. At least not like a local newspaper does. And thank you for that. Thanks Mary Serreze, Mike Kirby, VFR Joel Saxe (Bread & Roses Radio), Daryl Lafluer, Kelsey Flynn, Greg Saulmon, Tommy Devine, Pinac, the crew from the early days of Mass Live, and the rest of you. Really, thanks. Talk about adding value to your community.

Could you imagine if the Daily Hampshire Gazette was the only news source for Northampton? Only recently it was. "Local luminary has cancer." "Hey, look, a truck fell into the pond!" "Another year, another parade..." etc...

I don't remember too much from my young teen years, but I do remember sitting at the kitchen table most days after middle school aghast at reading the Gazette, and saying to my mom, "this paper is so bad. who is this "news" for? Who is signing off on this shit?!" True story, she'll tell you.

I'm very appreciative that it is no longer the only source of "news and info" because those days sucked.

Hi Nancy

2009-04-15T13:43:00.000-04:00

Sleeping

2009-03-06T10:23:00.000-05:00

Everything can be found via the archive.

Just because you read it in the advocate doesn't mean it's true

2009-02-19T22:29:00.006-05:00

"terri anderson said (i quote) 'just because you read it in the advocate doesn't mean it's true'"

haha! just because you hear it from a city official doesn't mean it's true either."

via an email this morning, quoting Teri Anderson when she was on the latest Eggs and Issues, Re: any number of recent Valley Advocate articles, on the BID.

To all of you in Northampton fighting the good fight, thanks. You're doing a fantastic job. Keep those flashlights bright. If you ever get frustrated or down, or find yourself questioning yourself, ( I know I did) just remember that we all have different roles to play to here. Higgins' role for instance is different than Caty Simon's as an example. Joel Saxe's role is different than Mike Kirby's. Dwights role is different than Dan Crowley's. But we're all trying to get to the same place, we are just in different lanes running there. Higgins is in her lane. Teri Anderson is in her lane. Caty Simon is in her lane. You're in your lane. Obama has his path. Cornel West has his. We are all running the same race. Just stay in your lane. And cross that finish line first.

Flashlights and explosions

2009-02-12T21:11:00.014-05:00

The other day I had a dream about Northampton, and pretty much everyone was in it. The dream included Judith Fine being hit by light explosion thrown at her by the Truth Fairy, which made Judith wither away and then you could only see the toes of her feet curled up like that witch in the Wizard of Oz. I know that seems pretty rude, but it was just a dream, and it made sense at the time as dreams can do when you're having them.

Eric Suher was in the dream too—this dream that played like a suspenseful drama movie—with bad guys and good guys, and Eric played a ground breaking role as an agent of truth.

One of the main characters included a heavenly-like Truth Fairy who was equipped with a powerful flashlight and light explosions. She flew around shining her flashlight or dropping light bombs on and at whomever tried to keep the truth hidden by darkness. A women with wings dressed in sheer white, who held me in her arms and flew me over a City Council meeting in the sky above, where I could watch and hear what was going on, even though there is a roof on the building. Because you know, in dreams, that's how things go, they only make sense in your dream.

It was a nail biter of a dream, with people like Dan Yacuzzo playing the role of a good guy, only you came to find out in plot twist later on that he was really playing for the bad guys. Dan and Judith and Teri Anderson and many others were always trying to shut the lights off, but the Truth Fairy would shine her flashlight so that everyone could see the truth again. But then someone would shut the lights off again, and the Truth Fairy would have to shine her flashlight. Again. This part of the plot kind of dragged on, cause it went on and on like this.

Then the Daily Hampshire Gazette hatched a plan with the Chamber and people like Pat Goggins, and convinced the city to build a light box for all of Northampton, even the lights in the sky, and house it in the Gazette. Late at night the bad guys at the Gazette sneaked around to the box, and hit the switch. All the lights went out in Northampton. It was pitch black. They cackled and went to Packards to celebrate with beer and nachos. But you know who came flying around...

Not only did the Truth Fairy shine her flash light, but she had a team of people handing them out to the citizenry of Northampton. Soon everyone had a flashlight. The citizens of Northampton were equipped with flashlights, and used them. The truth could not be hidden anylonger. The Truth Fairy flew around to the Gazette and threw a light explosion at the building, and the Gazette crumbled into a pile of dirt.

Everyone was in this dream, Tommy Devine (nude from the waist down), Caty Simon, hipster college kids who are here in town "struggling" by creating art and living off their affluence. Mary Serezze was present throughout the dream, with her recording tools, and you knew very early on what team she played for, though she did not have many speaking roles. She was more just like an observer. But it was a strong role as a take no bullshit good guy, and no one really fucked with her, not even the bad guys boss, cause they knew were outmatched. I mean, she would walk around with a truth recording tool kit strapped around her waist—cameras, audio recorders, note pads, etc...and everyone knew that was all she wanted, the truth. And no one tried to stop her cause in this dream, everyone knew that if you had the Truth Fairy on your side, you were invincible. And everyone saw what happened to Judith earlier.

Claudio Guerra made a cameo, Joe Squires, my dad was an extra at one point, you could see him briefly sitting on the couch watching tv. Joel Saxe was in the Haymarker having a tea and smiling. The Truth Fairy flew over the Haymarket and they waved at eachother.

I saw John and Peter, and I winked at them. Only one winked back.

Mayor Higgins was in it as well, as were all the Council Members. Interestingly, in this dream the Council Members had very small roles, and were incidental to story. Dreams can be very accurate depictions of real life sometimes. Oddly, Bill Dwight was not in this dream, and that makes sense to me, because the dream was full drama, suspense, and betrayal, and that's not really his steez.

The best part of the dream was the end, where a character whose role was never made clear, (were they a bad guy? a good guy? You just didn't know!) but then at the end of the movie/dream, the Truth Fairy flew me around looked at me with sadness. I think she was sad because she knew I knew what was coming, and it was going to make me sad. She was sad for me. She dropped a light explosion on the person, and they too withered away. I felt a pang of sadness and anger but more sad than anything.

The Truth Fairy flew about 100 yards, and dropped me in Manhattan. I was like, "oh wow, Manhattan is so close, who knew?"

She flew away, and the credits rolled, and a song played. Soon i'd like to write the whole dream out.

"Amherst Sucks At Football"

2009-01-29T13:15:00.001-05:00

http://www.mcsweeneys.net/2005/4/27black.html

"Who am I kidding? She'd never go out with me. She was dating that actor for a while. What's his name? Benicio? What kind of name is Benicio? A stupid name, that's what kind. Hi, I'm Benicio. I'm so cool. I'm sooooo cool. I should start going by Billicio. I'm Billicio Del Joelio. I play pianolo...

Amherst sucks at football.

...And if that loudmouth Bob Schimke requests "Piano Man," I just need to look him in the eye and tell him I'd be happy to play it for him just as soon as he goes ahead and fucks himself."

I Used To Live In Northampton

2009-01-05T14:55:00.003-05:00

Previous Northampton resident, and current resident of nyc, Zach Linder, in the NY Post.

See also, the ongoing video series, I Used To Live In Northampton

Keep It In Perspective

2008-12-31T13:19:00.004-05:00

Rolling up to the meetings at around the same time was Goldman's chief, Blankfein. A Goldman aide, referring to days of meltdowns and meetings, carped to Blankfein: "I don't think I can take another day of this."

Blankfein retorted: "You're getting out of a Mercedes to go to the New York Federal Reserve -- you're not getting out of a Higgins boat on Omaha Beach. So keep things in perspective."

From an article in yesterday's WSJ.

2008-12-21T22:09:00.006-05:00

Bush still has work to do before he leaves office, and make no mistake about it, he and his team are working hard.

Man who set up alternate email for White House dies in plane crash

“Mike Connell set-up the alternate email and communications system for the White House. He was responsible for creating the system that hosted the infamous GWB43.com accounts that Karl Rove and others used. When asked by Congress to provide these emails, the White House said that they were destroyed. But in reality, what Connell is alleged to have done is move these files to other servers after having allegedly scrubbed the files from all “known” Karl Rove accounts.

In addition, I have reason to believe that the alternate accounts were used to communicate with US Attorneys involved in political prosecutions, like that of Don Siegelman. This is what I have been working on to prove for over a year. In fact, it was through following the Siegelman-Rove trail that I found evidence leading to Connell. That is how I became aware of him. Mike was getting ready to talk. He was frightened.”

Further info:

"Michael Connell, the Bush IT expert who has been directly implicated in the rigging of George Bush's 2000 and 2004 elections, was killed last night when his single engine plane crashed three miles short of the Akron airport. Velvet Revolution ("VR"), a non-profit that has been investigating Mr. Connell's activities for the past two years, can now reveal that a person close to Mr. Connell has recently been discussing with a VR investigator how he can tell all about his work for George Bush.

VR's attorney, Cliff Arnebeck, notified the United States Attorney General , Ohio law enforcement and the federal court about these threats and insisted that Mr. Connell be placed in protective custody. VR also told a close associate of Mr. Connell's not to fly his plane because of another tip that the plane could be sabotaged. Mr. Connell, a very experienced pilot, has had to abandon at least two flights in the past two months because of suspicious problems with his plane. On December 18, 2008, Mr. Connell flew to a small airport outside of Washington DC to meet some people. It was on his return flight the next day that he crashed."

As I heard the the subway preacher exclaim last night on the A train, "The only people who don't have any problems are dead people. Humans have problems and god will help you. America isnt going to save you, jesus will."

wise words indeed.

"This is a farewell kiss, dog"

2008-12-15T22:47:00.003-05:00

You know, before I left town, I really wanted to speak on the panhandling ordinance at a City Council meeting. I wanted to go up to the podium to chastise council members for not speaking out publicly and forcefully against this latest salvo in a class war that has been waged in Northampton for two decades. But more specifically, I wanted to speak about class friction in town, and how I saw a pattern of aggression develop over the last 20 years from certain segments of the affluent class against those less fortunate. I guess I just wanted to say, "This is what I see, I'm not an idiot, and though those participating might think it's not observable, I see it, I don't like it, and it breaks my heart. Also, Fuk you."

Then I would have thrown my shoe and yelled, "This is a farewell kiss, dog!"

Alas, this is just a fantasy.

Tim St. John Used To Live Here

2008-12-12T13:16:00.008-05:00

And he was one of my favorite people, even though he refused to treat me with due respect when I became a published writer and photog. Just as Lawyers and Doctors and Reverends are referred to in a formal manner, I requested my friends refer to me as Paolo Mastrangelo, The Artiste. Tim refused, maybe out of spite; We used to do a radio show together which led to me receiving the majority of fan mail, and that really bothered him, as he fancied himself the star. But Tim was and is a star in my mind, I guess it just wasn't the mass appeal star quality that I possess. Either way, he was my buddy. I havent heard from in sometime, and just received the following email from him that I thought to share.

I was searching the web for a place to sell a used radio and your page popped up in one of my searches. I must say that I watched a few of those videos and felt a twinge of envy and longing for city life. It's funny that you have a Northampton retrospect project. Someday people will say Northampton and someone will respond,
"Didn't Tim St. John live there for a while?"
"Yeah, I think he did."
"Cool, it must have been like Paris in the thirties."
"yeah."
"Yeah."
"Hey wanna get something to eat."
"Sure."
It will probably digress to other topics from there but that moment will be mine. Ciao.

Nintendo DS or Play Station Portable?

2008-12-01T16:26:00.003-05:00

Doing my part to turn this world around from the inside out, in the belly of the America's beast better known as NYC, Aaron Howell and myself are teaching an after school program with Citizen Schools at M.S. 45 Stars Prep Academy in E. Harlem. With any luck, these kids will be penning articles like these in the near future. Please save your applause and trade it in for money_to_put_where_your_mouth_is in NASDAQ Over The Counter Market Swaps for Citizen Responsibility. Those swaps are the cheapest derivatives on the market right now, and pay the largest dividend.

Best Video Game System
By Kareem Tucker, 11 Years Old, Student at M.S. 45 Stars Prep Academy.

Two portable video game consoles, the PlayStation Portable, and Nintendo DS, are vying for the top slot among the youth market. I set out to discover who among my peers prefer what console, and why.

Polo Fernandez, 11, a student at M.S. 45 Stars Prep Academy in on 120th st in East Harlem, in response to a query on the topic, said, "I think PSP is better because it has better things like music. You can not hear music on the DS."

I also conducted an informal poll of 12 students, which resulted in an even split of fans between both consoles, with each receiving six votes.
The specs on each console vary, and some important ones are listed below.

PlayStation Portable
1). One Screen
2). Weight: 9.2 oz.
3). Gigabytes: 32 MB Ram
4). Price: $169.00 - 199.00 (Amazon.com)

Nintendo DS
1). Two Screens
2). Weight: 9.7 oz.
3). Gigabytes: 8 KB Ram
4). Price: $255.00 (Amazon.cm)

In conclusion, people should buy the DS because of it's graphics, it has great virtual games that children, teens, and even adults would like to play. Every time people come home they could relax and play the DS. It also has realistic features and better colors. That is why the DS is so popular.

Smith College In The News...

2008-11-10T21:31:00.002-05:00

"taco chulo [in Williamsburg, Brooklyn] is the kind of bs mexican restaurant that could only have been conceived by a bunch of white dykes who went to Smith." (via)

Smithies react to Obama's historic win

2008-11-06T20:32:00.008-05:00

"The Campus Center Election Returns Party remained a popular destination on election night, especially after the announcement that Obama had been announced president-elect. The room erupted in cheers and chants of 'Obama' and 'Yes, we can!'"

Students expressed jubilation throughout the evening as the end of a historic election came to a close, gleefully declaring how much the election means to them.

"I am so excited for the next four years! For my whole life I have only been slightly more privileged than the rest of the world, and now with this election, I really feel like I can become even more privileged."

Another could not contain her emotion, as she shed tears when it occurred to her how much her wealth will grow. She just spoke to her father in Ohio, who noted that although their families net worth has recently fallen to under ten millions dollar, an Obama presidency could certainly allow that to grow 4 fold in the next four years.

Smith College government professor Howard Gold, in an email sent out reacting to the Obama win, and referencing the dismal state of the college's endowment which now stands at only 128 billion million dollars, wrote, "We may have progress on fronts such as university funding."

With that, the whole campus erupted in cheers over the thought that even more tax dollars might be diverted to the super wealthy at the expense of those on the other end of the spectrum.

On Wednesday, every Smithie went back to advocating for more bike lanes and faster internet service for others less fortunate who only have sidewalks and dial up.

Northampton Residents Take To Street Theater To Protest Panhandling Ordinance

2008-10-01T13:16:00.004-04:00

From a comment left on the previous post:

"Hey, I'm part of a group in Northampton that is, through a variety of actions, organizing to stop this ordinance and using the issue to raise a larger discussion about poverty and capitalist exploitation in general. From September 29 to October 10 we will stage reverse panhandling: where people under the guise of panhandlers will distribute literature against this ordinance. We will take part in "Shelter Sunday" in mass and also distribute literature there. The literature will also advertise for a public forum; the date for this forum remains to be set.

We have organizational meetings after Food Not Bombs @ 3:00 on Sundays on Main Street near Urban Outfitters and the Old Courthouse.

If you're interested, email me or join the google group at http://groups.google.com/group/poverty-is-not-a-crime"

Local Media Has Reservations About Northampton's Panhandling Ordinance

2008-08-13T15:15:00.022-04:00

The Valley Advocate this week has an article written By Tom Devine which discusses the Panhandling Ordinance proposed in Northampton. You can read it here. There is now a growing chorus of reservation about this ordinance. Though those voicing these reservation wouldn't be called affluent, so their words only mean so much. The powerful and influential of Northampton's resident have stayed eerily silent about the topic.

In discussing the ordinance in this weeks Advocate, Tom writes that,

"Obviously the real purpose of this ordinance is to make panhandling impossible on the streets of Northampton, only no one has the honesty to just come out and say so. Part of the reason for that has to do with free speech. The courts have ruled that you have a right to say what you want in public, including the words, "Hey, buddy, got a quarter?" Therefore, they're trying to put up all these location-based restrictions so that arrests can be blamed on the proximity to bus stops, parks, pay phones, etc. and not on a desire to restrict any one's First Amendment rights."

I believe he is right about the disingenuous "real purpose" behind the ordinance. But I also believe there are more hidden agendas at work.

As I understand the situation, this is an ordinance that is the love child of Dan Yacuzzo, of East Side Grill fame, and Suzanne Beck, of the Northampton Chamber of Commerce. Using their contact in City Hall, Economic Developer Director Teri Anderson, they have successfully co-opted, coerced, or suggested to the Mayor that she fall in line with support for the ordinance. I'm unsure if or why the Mayor felt politically vulnerable enough to follow along, but apparently she feels a bit threatened by the consequence of not doing so on this one.

East Side Grill is widely successful and has been for decades, despite any perceived problems downtown. The Mayor enjoys tremendous community support, though arguably, she might feel vulnerable after last election. Suzanne Beck has never been physically accosted by a panhandler in her decades of living in town. So what is this really about? Why have these people taken up this cause with such behind the scenes vigor? Why all the meetings and discussions and time spent on drafting such an ordinance, without the public's input?

All three of them all long time residents of Northampton, having lived here for decades. All three of them have spent a disproportionate amount of that time being present downtown. All three of them know that panhandling is not an issue as they represent it to be. Panhandling appears to simply be another wedge they will use to complete the transformation of Northampton from working class ghost town, to an artists bohemia, to a successful commercial district, to a real estate developers wet dream, and finally, to a whites only upper class club. That is what those involved are really afraid to say, which always makes me chuckle, as if one day overnight everyone will just go, "golly gee, wtf happened to Northampton? I didn't even notice."

This is not about some woman feeling unsafe because of panhandling. This is about fear and classism, and how it affects the view of those who are making accusations about panhandling. This is about creating a sterile environment for a small group of vocal, affluent, residents and visitors who have never developed an ability or desire to feel safe around anyone different from them. This is about the Mayor pandering to a very small group of business owners numbering in the single digits -whose receipts grow every year, though with any dip in weekly sales quickly start throwing tantrums about how it's everyone else's fault- and whose perceived power and influence she is bowing to. This is about believing that if we could just get rid of everyone who makes us feel weird inside, our lives would get so much better. If we could just keep all the minorities in a housing complex outside of downtown. If we could just get rid of the people who hang out on the street and look different from us. If we could just make sure everyone has to build according to how we want it to look. If everyone else would just...

If logic dictates that panhandling is not the issue per se, what is the issue? I would argue that panhandlers represent a threat to the sterile, vanilla, and affluent vision some have been trying to create in Northampton for the last 30 years. Slowly but surely, they are trudging along, and this ordinance will be their biggest coup d’état to date, and the precedent they need to move along with more action. Seri, this is not a joke. You've all heard it before. First they came for newspaper boxes. Then they came for the musicians. Then they came for the 'panhandlers' When they came for me, no one was left to speak up. Sounds funny I know, but it's only funny to those who are not getting fukd. But that's the dilemma in Northampton. The large majority of residents in town, affluent and privileged, and have no reason or desire to speak out against injustice. The rest of Northampton is, comparatively speaking, privileged themselves, myself included. It would seem that there is no stopping what is going on in Northampton. It's just not painful enough. Just not important enough. The issues at hand are just not important enough to spur people to action, which does make sense. (I for instance, left, instead of staying and acting)

And I do get it. I understand that what happens in Northampton is not going to create any meaningful change anywhere. That the conflicts that exist between one group of privileged people and another, comparatively privileged group, is never going to create the type of conflict that brings real change. But it still makes me sad, because as far as I'm concerned, it always makes me sad when those less fortunate are given the short end of the stick, 'specially when those giving it to them tell them that is just how the cookie crumbles, while trying to hide the largest stick from their view.

Northampton will become a whites only upper class club, as it is now, but with more draconian rules and regulations. Mayor Higgins will move on herself, washing her hands of the consequence incurred during her tenure to less fortunate residents of Northampton. The business community and real estate developers will continue to beat the same drum I've heard them beat since I was a small child. "The homeless are ruining it" "the panhandlers" "the skate kids" "the junkies" "the groups in front of the church" "the needle exchange" "the parking" "the mayor is anti-business" etc...etc...

Tom Devine notes at the end of his article,

"The danger is that this panhandling ordinance will inadvertently kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. If it succeeds in creating the sterile environment that some apparently desire, then the panhandlers will be gone, but so too may everyone else."

It seems if Tom is giving the architects of the ordinance less credit than they deserve for their acumen in class concerns, implying that the consequence might be considered accidental, or unintentional. "we were only trying to make it safe, honest!" "I felt scared!" "I didn't mean to legislate a whole class of people off the streets!"

I don't believe it would be an unintentional side effect. But it's their ball game, and they can play however they want. I'm glad I'm not there.

For xmas, I want one of the architects of this plan to grow a set and be honest about their intents. Because jus fyi, everyone else already knows.

VIDEO: Last Day of School at JFK, 1988. HOLY.

2008-07-31T13:45:00.006-04:00

June 1988 - Last day of 8th grade.

Bobby you little fukr that video is so good. Thanks. Christine Capers? um, swoooon.

p.s. coffee and cake and a make out session to anyone who can pick me out. leave your guess in the comment.

"What Are You Gonna Do In NY?"

2008-07-29T13:52:00.009-04:00

Everyone pretty much asked me the same thing. "Northamptonist," they would ask, "Why are you moving to ny? What are you gonna do there?"

"Oh y'know, The ush. The same thing I did here. Not much." Exasperate class friction, document the community I live in, lose my shit at galacticly insane shows, hope I run into Lindsey Lohan, (Lindsey, if you're reading this, holla at your boy!) and hopefully have a baby or two.

UPDATE: LiRo are on the loose. Maddening, I am always on the wrong block and an hour late!!

Put On For Your City

2008-07-28T13:06:00.003-04:00

I know that the summer months are a slower time for blogging; people be outside, on vacation, whateve. But I just wanted to offer a video as pep talk for my fellow bloggers in Northampton, who have been a little slow on the content creation as of late. There are stories to tell, secrets being kept, narratives arching, and history to record. Just hit the record button, snap the picture, or write it down.

Put On For Your City.

Real talk, Nominate R.Kelly as Northampton Ma's Poet Laureat in 2009.

2008-07-23T19:57:00.013-04:00

From the NRKANMPL group organized for this effort,

"The Arts Council of Northampton nominates a Poet Laureate for the City of Northampton every year. The NRKANMPL group would like to extend the invite to R.Kelly for 2009. Fo real. Have you heard Real Talk? Clearly he is not only America's poet, but should also be Northamptons. Celebrate Diversity.

Contact info for the Arts Council, whom you should advocate to directly, can be found here. Fwiw, I used to sit on the board there, and they are all a very nice bunch who I feel would def be open to considering Kells as N'ton's Poet Laureate. Need some convincing on the nomination? Here are a couple of passages from R.Kelly's greatest poem, Real Talk. You can listen to the audio recitation of Real Talk in full, here:

"....how the fuck she knew I was with them other girls then when the whole club packed? wait a minute let me finish what I've got to say. i've been with you five years and you listening to your motherfucking girlfriends. I dont know why you fuck with them, all jealous no man havin ass hoes anyway. real talk.

dont you think i got enough bullshit on my mind. real talk, hold hold up didnt I just give you money to go get yours hair, toes and nails done the other day, hmm, yeah your ass was smiling then...

fuck me? girl fuck you!

you gonna burn what? bitch I wish you would burn my motherfucking clothes with your triflin ass, milton, you bogus girl, milton start your car up and get ready to take me home, this bitch done lost her motherfucking mind."

UPDATE: The NRKANMPL group has received it's first letter of support, reprinted below.

"It recently came to my attention that R. Kelly is being considered as the poet laureate for Northampton. I think this is an inspired choice and I congratulate you on your creativity and forward thinking.

If anyone charged with making this decision is less familiar with Mr. Kelly’s work I encourage them to listen to, or better yet watch “Trapped in the Closet” on YouTube. It’s incredibly original and holds its own with any modern opera.

It’s a shame that R. Kelly’s legal troubles have overshadowed his creative accomplishments, especially since he was cleared of all charges. His work is consistently brilliant and his love songs/poems are some of the most compelling in any medium today.

All the best,

Rob Anderson
(formerly of South Street, Crescent Street, and Barrett Place)"

Telling Secrets...Memorial Hall Edition.

2008-07-22T17:55:00.005-04:00

In response to a query in this post, someone left a comment regarding the art that used to hang in Memorial Hall. Commenter oschene wrote,

"There used to be a museum of sorts in Mem Hall. It closed at some point and, word has it, a cop with night patrol in the 60s and 70s quietly disposed of it, piece by piece."

Ive actually never heard that specific story, instead in my own comment to oschene, I noted that

"...ive heard similar stories, though ive heard that people who knew what was there, whether employees of the city or not, made off with pieces when they could, knowing that all you had to do was walk in and walk out without anyone being the wiser."

I should add that i was under the impression that the bulk of this activity happened in the 80's while Memorial Hall, then as now, was open to the public with no supervision.

Water under the bridge now though...unless of course those paintings are hanging in a residents living room somewhere.

Hello Five Colleges; The Disadvantages of an Elite Education

2008-07-21T18:44:00.008-04:00

"The first disadvantage of an elite education, as I learned in my kitchen that day, is that it makes you incapable of talking to people who aren’t like you. Elite schools pride themselves on their diversity, but that diversity is almost entirely a matter of ethnicity and race. With respect to class, these schools are largely—indeed increasingly—homogeneous...Visit any elite campus in our great nation and you can thrill to the heartwarming spectacle of the children of white businesspeople and professionals studying and playing alongside the children of black, Asian, and Latino businesspeople and professionals. At the same time, because these schools tend to cultivate liberal attitudes, they leave their students in the paradoxical position of wanting to advocate on behalf of the working class while being unable to hold a simple conversation with anyone in it." [italics mine]

The Disadvatages of an Elite Education (via)

There is much in that piece that i cringed at, statements that seemed really over-simplistic or statements made with no supporting documentation or experience. But all in all a good read.

Related...if you disliked the above article, you might also dislike these:
Labor Pains
Labor Pains Redux
Northampton Is A Lost Cause
Like Sands Thru The Hour Glass...
I Had A Dream That People In Northampton Cared This Much...
More People Express Shame and Dismay Over Northampton's Intended New Panhandling Ordinance

Overheard In New York

2008-07-21T18:33:00.002-04:00

From the table behind us, 2.30 pm e.10th.

"...I'm visiting from Northampton MA"

No. We did not say hi.