It's hard to believe, but all the political obituaries being written about Deval Patrick are looking increasingly premature. As can be seen in the latest Rasmussen poll:
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has gained ground over the past month and now earns 45% of the vote in his bid for reelection against Republican Charlie Baker and independent Tim Cahill. That’s a 10-point jump from a month ago and the Democratic incumbent’s best showing in surveys stretching back to June of last year.
A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in the state finds Baker with 31% support and Cahill earning just 14% in a three-way contest with Patrick. Ten percent (10%) remain undecided.
That Patrick is opening up a lead is quite a comeback for a Governor that was written off as doomed as little as three months ago. What happened? Here's my candidate by candidate analysis:
Deval Patrick - First Patrick has to face a primary challenge from crusading lefty Grace Ross for the Democrat nomination, but no one doubts that Patrick witll be the eventual nominee. Yet it is very unusual to see an incumbent Governor run a grassroots campaign as aggressively as Patrick is. He's everywhere, appearing in community centers, neighborhood gatherings and even living rooms with seemingly no political gathering too small for him to make an appearance. Patrick is relying on press the flesh retail politics to remind the electorate of why they liked him in the first place and apparently it's working - so far. Patrick's biggest liability remains his own record of failure, and his charming personality can't distract the voters from evaluating it forever.
Charles Baker - Now that the Republicans have nominated the man they perceive as the second coming of William Weld, they are discovering that his virtues also brings with them certain weaknesses. Baker's moderate positions, considered so ideal in attracting non-partisan voters, has the unintended side-effect of leaving his party activists uninspired. He desperately needs an issue to excite the base. His strengths have been his electability and the fact that he is not Deval Patrick, but is that going to be enough to carry Baker over the finish line?
Tim Cahill - The tons of money Republicans have been pouring into undermining Cahill's third party campaign in the past month has proven effective. Cahill, who once had 25% in the polls, has seen his support slashed by almost half. The brief surge Cahill got from making himself the primary critic of Massachusetts' failed universal healthcare law has been diluted by TV ads reminding voters of how silent he was back in the days when he was a Democrat. Cahill has to make a comeback fast or risk quickly fading into irrelevancy. He has at least one ace still up his sleeve - Cahill has got a lot of money he is holding in reserve for use when he thinks it will count most.
Jill Stein - Running as the ultra-liberal alternative, at this point Stein is being dismissed as a spoiler who might siphon off enough liberals to insure the defeat of Deval Patrick. Therefore the sizable lefty constituency that might otherwise rally behind her is ignoring Stein for as long as Patrick still has a chance. However if Patrick should falter again, frustrated lefties may give her candidacy a second look.
My friend Jack Bresnahanwent to see Peter Wolf of J. Geils fame in Northampton the other night. He even got to pose for a picture with him.
A nurse on a fading mural in Chicopee that I photographed through a bus window.
The Huffington Post has declared Hampshire College as the #1 hipster school in America. Um, is that a complement? What is a hipster anyway? The Urban Dictionary defines it thusly:
Listens to bands that you have never heard of. Has hairstyle that can only be described as "complicated." (Most likely achieved by a minimum of one week not washing it.) Probably tattooed. Maybe gay. Definitely cooler than you. Reads Black Book, Nylon, and the Styles section of the New York Times. Drinks Pabst Blue Ribbon. Often. Complains. Always denies being a hipster. Hates the word. Probably living off parents money - and spends a great deal of it to look like they don't have any. Has friends and/or self cut hair. Dyes it frequently (black, white-blonde, etc. and until scalp bleeds). Has a closet full of clothing but usually wears same three things OVER AND OVER (most likely very tight black pants, scarf, and ironic tee-shirt). Chips off nail polish artfully after $50 manicure. Sleeps with everyone and talks about it at great volume in crowded coffee shops. Addicted to coffee, cigarettes (Parliaments, Kamel Reds, Lucky Strikes, etc.), and possibly cocaine. Claims to be in a band. Rehearsals consist of choosing outfits for next show and drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon. Always on the list. Majors or majored in art, writing, or queer studies. Name-drops. May go by "Penny Lane," "Eleanor Rigby," etc. when drunk. On Pabst Blue Ribbon. Which is usually.
Was I ever a hipster? Sort of. To be gay is in some sense to be instantly cool. However, Pabst Blue Ribbon was considered an old man's beer when I was in my twenties, the secretly cool uncool beer for us was Budweiser. It was considered uncool to smoke anything with a white filter, so Parliaments were out. I smoked Old Gold, which for some reason were cool for the same reason that Pabst was not - only old people smoked them. Never expect logic in fashion. Tom Devine in his 20's was most likely to be found wearing Converse sneakers, tight jeans, no shirt and a baseball cap, which was popular among queers long before the straights turned the baseball cap into our national hat.
Anyway, whatever a hipster is, apparently the Huffington Post considers our own Hampshire College to be its ultimate expression:
Typical Hampshire College students.
At Hampshire, anything goes. The alma mater of Ken Burns, Jon Krakauer and Elliott Smith is famous for its lassiez-faire approach to education -- students are not bound to a core curriculum; their main requirement for graduation is a year-long in-depth project on a subject of their choice. Popular campus activities include Students for Justice in Palestine and the radio station, which is housed in a building called "The Yurt."
The temptation of course is to laugh. However, in the comments section a former student named Julie Dole defended the Hampshire experience.
We used to call it Hamster College. I'm not an alum but I took a few classes there - I remember my physics prof used a clock that went backwards. Its stripped-down campus was a haven for rich kids, since (at least at that time) the school offered little financial aid.
But I think the real advantage Hampshire had over more conventional schools was that its lack of structure forced students to motivate themselves - no one else was making students meet deadlines. That's a much more realistic model of how life is, after graduation.
So congratulations Hampshire College, land of the Hipsters!
Meanwhile in the land of politics the prestigious Rasmussen poll has its latest poll out on the Massachusetts governor's race.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in Massachusetts finds Patrick has gained some ground in his Job Approval ratings but his support for re-election remains in the mid-30s.
Patrick earns 35% of the vote when matched against former health care executive Charlie Baker. Baker attracts 27% while Democrat-turned-independent Tim Cahill runs third with 23% support. Fifteen percent (15%) are undecided. Baker’s support is down slightly from a month ago.
Patrick’s other prominent Republican opponent, businessman Christy Mihos, continues to struggle. Given that match-up, 38% of Massachusetts voters opt for Patrick, with Cahill a close second at 33% and Mihos a distant third at 15%. Undecideds total 14%.
Deval Patrick has been campaigning hard in recent weeks, apparently trying to remind voters one on one of why they used to like him in the first place. Charlie Baker is finding his past ties to the healthcare industry a burden, but Tim Cahill has revived his once flagging candidacy by becoming the anti-Obamacare candidate. Christy Mihos may yet make a comeback if Baker continues to fade.
However, not even registering one percent support in that poll was the Green Party candidate Jill Stein. I'll bet she would get at least that much in Western Mass, where Stein is shown at a rally last month in downtown Northampton.
She also chose longtime leftist activist Rick Purcell of Holyoke as her running mate. Here's Purcell in Holyoke at the announcement of his candidacy.
At the UMass library recently I ran into Kevin Noonan, whom I've known since the Dan Yorke Show days.
Here's Damon on UMass radio the other day.
Danger Bird discussing Wilhelm Dafoe's dick in Northampton this week.
UMass April Fools nonsense as the UMass Collegian is transformed into The Morning Wood.
Their motto: The first thing you grab in the morning:
Governor Deval Patrick played an April Fools joke today on Howie Carr by paying his arch-enemy a surprise radio visit. Just a campaign ploy? Probably, and if so it's a smart one, as Howie is one of the people Deval is going to have to neutralize to have any hope of re-election.
Bluebells run riot across an Amherst lawn.
You know spring has really sprung when the English professors at UMass take their classes out on the lawn.
Northampton is the only town where something like this could appear in a window on Main Street.
Yet she's a sweet girl, just a little eccentric as she likes to run around nude with blue hair.
But the next day I saw that she was hanging out with this creepy skeletor guy.
Why do the good girls always fall for the bad boys?
The Music Section
Title cut from the "new" Hendrix CD, which amazingly hit number one on the charts 40 years after he died.
The latest poll in the Massachusetts Governor's race has some interesting results. While the primary is not until Septemeber and the real voting is in November, at this early stage it appears that the previously assumed doomed Deval Patrick is making a comeback. He definitely does not appear to be threatened in the Democrat primary by leftist activist Grace Ross:
Patrick - 59% Ross - 15% Undecided - 26%
On the Republican side, former Weld Administration official Charlie Baker has a commanding lead over fiscal conservative Christie Mihos; but with his total still below 50%, Baker can't be said to have the nomination in the bag just yet.
Baker - 47% Mihos - 17% Undecided - 36%
Christy Mihos in East Longmeadow recently. (W.Dusty photo)
However, if the current front runners, plus third party candidate Tim Cahill and Green Party candidate Jill Stein are polled in a four way match-up, these are the results:
No surprise that fringe candidate Stein appears out of it, but the apparent strength of Deval Patrick is surprising and leaves Republicans feeling desperate to try to find a way to get Cahill out of the race. To see the full poll results click here.
Dumb All Over
Being from Springfield, when it comes to useless politicians I've seen it all, but this is one of the dumbest fucking political exchanges I've ever heard. Don't increase the fine - LEGALIZE IT! Northampton, how dare you elect clueless assholes like this:
Lost World
The blogger known as Rambling Van Dog has an amazing photo essay of Holyoke City Hall on his website, featuring never before seen pictures of parts of the 1875 structure that have been abandoned in modern times. Take a trip through the time tunnel by clicking here.
Three Pics
The Amherst Survival Center.
The Northampton version.
Out the back window of the Haymarket Cafe yesterday.
The Music Section
Jerry Garcia's pal David Bromberg in Northampton Wednesday night.
Keep cyphering Mr. President, in the meantime let's look at some political developments closer to home:
Dr. Fleitman
After years of not having any opposition, Congressman Richard Neal is finally facing a credible challenger, as reported in this morning's UMass Collegian:
United States Rep. Richard Neal, a University of Massachusetts journalism lecturer and former Springfield mayor, will face a challenger for his second district house seat for the first time since 1998.
Republican Jay Fleitman, chairman of Northampton’s Board of Health, a Republican ward chairman, and a former school committee member will run against Neal, who has held his seat since 1989.
Fleitman said he is running for a variety of reasons, but primarily because he disagrees with Congress’ recent spending moves.
“They’ve let loose with this almost criminal barrage of spending,” Fleitman said of the federal bailouts, furthering that “this government is accruing debt equal to the entire debt that the U.S. government has accrued in history prior to this.
“The chickens are going to come to roost on this, it’s going to burden the whole economy, the people who are going to be paying for this are you and your children,” continued Fleitman as an emphasis to students....
On whether the Fleitman campaign poses a challenge, Neal’s staff was silent, as his press secretary, William Tranghese, would not comment on the matter.
I wonder if Neal will explain to the students in his journalism class why his press secretary considered it best not to comment to the student paper. Interestingly, the UMass newspaper is located in Amherst, which is in the district and hometown of Congressman John Olver, yet the account in the Collegian of Neal's challenger is much longer and more detailed than the one that appeared in The Republican which is printed in Neal's district and hometown of Springfield. Once again, you have to leave the area in order to find out what's going on in Springfield politics.
No matter what your political persuasion this has to be considered good news. In a healthy democracy every public official should be forced to explain to the public every election cycle what they have done while in office and why they should be re-elected. It has been far too long since Neal has had to face such a reckoning.
However, both the Republican and the Collegian get it wrong when reporting when Neal last faced a challenger. The Republican said 1996 and the Collegian 1998, but actually Neal faced a Democrat primary challenge in the year 2000 from the crackpot activist Joe Fountain. But by any measure, it has been far too long since Neal has been required to defend his record in a seriously challenged election, and therefore nothing but good can come from Dr. Fleitman's candidacy.
In anticipation of a review of the incumbents record, let's take a trip in our time machine back to the days of The Baystate Objectivist and the now out of print Ogulewicz Chronicles, where former three term Springfield City Councilor Mitch Ogulewicz recounts his memories of Neal's first congressional campaign.
Bye Bye Boland
Originally printed in The Ogulewicz Chronicles
In February of 1988, Mitch Ogulewicz received an invitation to attend a secret meeting at the Salem Croft Inn in East Brookfield. The invitation came from Mitch’s friend State Representative Ken Lemanski (D-Chicopee). When Mitch arrived at the Inn he found himself at a gathering with Lemanski and various political operatives from throughout the Second Congressional District.
For nearly four decades, the Second District had been represented in Congress by Edward P. Boland (above with Silvio Conte, Charles Ryan and Ted Kennedy). A New Deal Democrat in the mold of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Boland was a popular and powerful congressman who held the number two position on the House Appropriations Committee, one of the most important committees in Congress because all spending bills at some point had to pass through it. That meant not only that Boland was in a uniquely effective position to attach special funding for his district to various bills, but also enabled him to “horse-trade” with other members of congress for legislation he wanted for his district.
Despite his enormous power and prestige, Boland never lost the common touch. There are endless anecdotes of his special kindnesses: an elderly woman looked out the window one snowy morning to find the congressman shoveling her sidewalk. He never came to the door and had she not seen him out her window, she would never have known who shoveled her walk. A poor single mother with several children heard her doorbell ring and found nothing there but a bag of groceries sitting on her front porch. She called in vain to a figure she saw hurrying down the street. It was Congressman Boland. He walked everywhere, and it was as common to see him strolling past your house as it was to see anyone else in the neighborhood. People said he was the last of a dying breed of politicians, those who never allowed themselves to become insulated in Washington and who always stayed in personal contact with their constituents.
Ogulewicz himself had an encounter with Boland that forever made a positive impression on him, even though at the time Mitch was working to remove Boland from office. In 1968 Boland faced the stiffest political challenge of his career when Mayor Charles V. Ryan ran against him in the Democratic primary. Mitch had a close political relationship with Ryan going back almost to his childhood, so on election day Mitch (who was on leave from the service) was standing in front of Armory Street School, campaigning for Ryan in full military uniform. Boland arrived at the polling place and began shaking hands. When he reached Mitch he noticed the Ryan button prominently displayed on his lapel.
Instead of moving on to greet someone else, Boland stopped, shook Mitch’s hand and told him that he was glad to see a young person participating in politics even if he was not a supporter. It was the kind of unnecessary kindness and interest in people that Boland was famous for, and in the cutthroat world of Springfield politics such deference to an opponent was especially unique. It was things like that which made even Boland’s political enemies concede that Eddie Boland was a class act.
Not that Boland was without his critics, some complained that he was too liberal for the district and, in his later years, that he had served too long. By 1988, there was some grumbling in certain quarters that Boland should step aside and let a new generation of Democrats take over. Many had expected Boland to retire in 1986, when his close friend and former roommate Tip O’Neil retired. He probably would have, except that congressional hearings were beginning the following year on the Iran-Contra scandal, in which members of the Reagan Administration were accused of funneling money illegally to rebel groups struggling to overthrow the Marxist government of Nicaragua. Congress had restricted the amount of money that could be spent on this effort in large part due to the fear that the United States was risking becoming involved in another Vietnam type conflict. It was Edward Boland who had written the restricting legislation the Reagan Administration had violated, commonly referred to as “The Boland Amendments,” and Boland wanted another term in order to participate in the hearings.
So 1988 looked to be the year Boland was likely to step down, and political maneuvering of all sorts was going on behind the scenes. Representative Lemanski, State Senator Martin Reilly and Springfield Mayor Richard Neal were regarded as the leading contenders to be Boland’s successor, although by the time Mitch attended the secret meeting in East Brookfield, Reilly had already been eliminated by a banking scandal created by the Springfield Newspapers. Although eventually cleared of all ethics charges, the process took a long time and in the meantime Reilly’s political career was ruined.
Lemanski told those gathered in East Brookfield that he had commissioned a poll to determine his chances of being elected to Congress. The results he received showed that it was a toss-up between himself and Richard Neal, and Lemanski believed that the statistics suggested that he could win. The problem was that it was impossible to openly campaign until Boland made clear his intentions. To run without an official announcement of Boland’s retirement would be perceived as rudely trying to force the Congressman’s hand, something that would alienate the Boland backers Lemanski would need to win.
Lemanski told those gathered at the Inn that he had spoken privately with Boland himself, who told him that he was uncertain of his plans. However, Boland promised him that once he had made up his mind, he would call Lemanski and give him advance warning of his intentions before alerting the media. Thus there was the need for Lemanski to keep things quiet for the time being, but Lemanski wanted those like Ogulewicz, who would be key players in his congressional campaign, to know the situation in advance so that they could act quickly if Boland tipped him off that he was retiring. With all participants sworn to secrecy, the meeting at the Salem Croft Inn dispersed.
And then nothing happened. Weeks passed, and then months passed, without a word from the Congressman on whether or not he would seek re-election. Talk of who would succeed him began to fade, as the deadline approached for candidates to file for the race. With no word from Boland, it became a universal assumption that Boland would seek one more term. After all, it was becoming too late for any successor to raise the money to mount a campaign. Never having heard anything from Boland as promised, Lemanski simply put his own political ambitions on hold until 1990.
Then one morning, just days before the filing deadline, Lemanski's telephone rang. It was Congressman Boland. He told Lemanski that he would announce his retirement to the media at a press conference to be held that afternoon on Hungry Hill.
The entire Second District was shocked, and the political scene was filled with questions. Why had Boland taken so long to make his intentions known? Who could run a credible campaign with such short time remaining? For that matter, who could even get on the ballot with such short time left to gather signatures? The whole thing seemed baffling and completely out of character for Boland to leave everyone in such a lurch.
Then as Mitch Ogulewicz was returning from the Boland press conference that afternoon to attend a meeting at City Hall, he was startled to see cars in the parking lot with bumper stickers that read “Neal for Congress.” Boland’s official announcement had barely been made an hour earlier and yet already there were cars with Neal bumper stickers? How did Neal know enough to print them? In the coming days there would be further revelations, such as the fact that Neal had already quietly gathered a huge campaign chest and was ready to outspend everybody. Again, people asked how could he have known?
The full circumstances behind the retirement of Edward Boland have never been made clear. Some say Boland simply woke up one morning and suddenly decided to step down. Others say that powerful political forces finally forced him off of the political stage against his will. All anyone knows for certain is that when the dust cleared, Richard Neal was the only candidate left standing. Neither Lemanski nor anyone else was in any position to run against him at that late date, and so a fringe candidate from the communist party became Neal’s only opposition.
The year 1989 began a period of unprecedented change in Springfield politics as the result of the departure of Mayor Richard Neal to Washington. When Neal was sworn in by House Speaker Jim Wright, the Speaker noted with astonishment that he couldn’t recall ever seeing a wide open congressional seat go so uncontested as Boland’s had. But then Speaker Wright was unfamiliar with the brutal power of the dominant political machine to crush all opposition in Springfield.
Richard Neal with Bax and O'Brien
Honor Roll
In a shameful episode last night the Massachusetts Democrats under the leadership of jackass House Speaker Robert DeLeo (above with Deval Patrick) voted to raise the sales tax. Of course that is the tax which hits the poor the hardest and will also hurt our chances of an economic recovery by slamming the business community. Fortunately, time exists to defeat this abomination when it reaches the State Senate. However, we should at least pause to acknowledge the brave state representatives from our Valley who voted against the sales tax increase.
Rep. Donald F. Humason (above) Rep. Todd R. Smola Rep. Angelo Puppolo Rep. Sean F. Curran Rep. Rosemary Sandlin
Now, who are the Western Mass Senators who will join this honor roll in the next phase of the battle?
Shake It Baby
Here I am this weekend at the UMass Renaissance House posing with my pal Billy.
I was surprised to see a story on "beat sweeteners" - an insider term to describe the puff pieces mainstream media reporters sometimes write in order to make their jobs easier at the expense of the public's right to know. Critical even of itself, Politico explains:
In a profile last month, The Washington Post described deputy White House chief of staff Jim Messina as a “low-profile aide” who begins “fixing President Obama’s problems” before 7 a.m., works 14 hours straight and then hits the gym.
Not to be outdone, POLITICO noted the next day that White House chief legislative liaison Phil Schiliro — another “low-profile” official but one possessing “Buddha-like Zen” — is already working in the West Wing by 6 a.m.
Time says reporters admire White House press secretary Robert Gibbs (“The President’s Warrior”) because he “has the president’s ear and can get to the commander in chief when an answer is needed.” The New Yorker says White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is “a political John McEnroe, known for both his mercurial temperament and his tactical brilliance,” yet is also uncommonly indifferent to both criticism and praise.
Welcome to the “beat sweetener.”
In the early days of any administration, reporters reach out to the men and women who might become their sources over the next four years — then slather them with glowing profiles suitable for framing in their mothers’ bedrooms....
But this proliferation of profiles isn’t about the reader’s need to know, or at least not entirely. It’s also about reporters’ need to introduce themselves to and ingratiate themselves with the White House officials they’ll need as sources over the next four years.
It’s far easier for a reporter to get time with a key staffer when both parties know that a flattering profile is coming. And it’s a lot easier to get calls returned from the staffer’s colleagues — especially subordinates — if they know it’s an opportunity to suck up to the subject.
Jonathan Alter, a senior editor at Newsweek, describes the beat sweetener as “a tribal custom” among the press corps.
“It’s emblematic of the way Washington journalism often works,” Alter said, noting that the problem is when a reporter “puts the ease of their working relationship ahead of the interests of the reader.”
The problem said Mark Feldstein, an associate professor at George Washington University, is that beat reporters “are kind of captives to this bureaucracy, [and] they know that some laudatory pieces at the outset will pave goodwill in the future.”
A publication could avoid the quasi-conflict of interest by assigning these early profiles to reporters who won’t be covering the beat regularly. Mark Leibovich, who’s not strictly a White House reporter but profiled Gibbs and Emanuel, admitted that “it’s a really tricky thing to write about someone you’re dealing with every day.”
While reporters are unlikely to admit that questions about future access cloud their minds while reporting, everyone knows that a negative piece can have repercussions down the road.
I've seen those "repercussions" locally first hand. When the Valley Advocate did a series of negative articles about the administration of former Springfield Mayor Michael Albano in 1996, the Mayor responded by cutting off all contact with the paper and directing staff not to answer questions from Advocate reporters. When the Advocate still refused to give Albano the puff pieces he demanded, the Mayor went so far as to ban the Advocate from being delivered to City Hall, despite the fact that all other free publications were allowed to be distributed in City Hall. When the Advocate insisted on leaving copies at City Hall anyway, mayoral aides were spotted throwing piles of issues of the Advocate into the City Hall dumpster.
In typical jackass fashion, none of the other Valley media outlets came publicly to the Advocate's defense. The official ban on the Valley Advocate in City Hall remained in place until January 1, 2004, when on his first day in office newly sworn in Mayor Charles V. Ryan ordered that the ban on the Advocate be lifted.
Yet the more things change, the more they stay the same. Ryan's successor Dom Sarno has, while not going so far as banning the Advocate from City Hall, once again refuses to provide Advocate reporters journalistic access to his administration. You can read more about it by clicking here.
Happy Birthday
Speaking of Springfield, yesterday was the birthday of the city's favorite son, Dr. Seuss! (Theodor Seuss Geisel - March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991). The dedication in 2002 of the Dr. Seuss National Memorial was attended by a rogue's gallery of sleazy politicians.
I once did a compare and contrast piece regarding Seuss and Springfield's least favorite son, Dr. Timothy Leary (October 22, 1920 – May 31, 1996).
This Dave Roback picture I swiped from Masslive shows our Governor Deval Patrick posing with some cute baby bears during a visit to Western Mass last week.
It will take more than cute animals however to revive Deval's sinking popularity in the wake of his proposal to raise the gas tax by 19 cents. While Boston drivers would benefit from the tax money being used to avoid steep toll increases on the Big Dig tunnels, the tax increases offer nothing to us here in Western Mass. That explains why so many local people are flocking to sign this petition at Springfield's WHYN protesting the hike.
Vanished Children
Historian Mark T. Alamed has on his blog this picture of newsboys in Northampton way back in August of 1912. Notice the shadow of the hat-wearing photographer at the boy's bare feet.
Fresh Perspective
Many people photograph the Civil War statues next to Hamp's Pulaski Park, but Tony Mateaus is the first I've seen take a photograph from the statue's point of view.
Snow, snow and more snow.
I didn't post yesterday because of the big snowstorm. As you can see downtown Northampton was swimming in snow from one end of the street....
To the other....
Pulaski Park looked like it was still Christmas time. But notice that no weather discourages New England bike riders.
There was nothing to do but pile it all in the middle of the street, as you can see from this picture I took last night.
Publicly owned UMass was closed, but privately owned Amherst College was open, as you can see from their employee parking lot.
There is a lesson there about the difference between public and private.
High Chair
I like this psychedelic chair that local writer Alex Ross made.
Today's Video
In 1970 the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane united along with some friends from other groups to make some music. The resulting recording sessions (called PERRO for Planet Earth Rock n' Roll Orchestra) are legendary, but contractual and legal hassles prevented anything from the sessions from being commercially released. However some of the material is mysteriously surfacing on YouTube and the lawyers aren't ordering it removed - yet. Before they do check out this lost masterpiece "Mountain Song" the only known songwriting collaboration between Jerry Garcia and Paul Kantner.
Vocals: David Crosby, Graham Nash, Grace Slick Banjo: Jerry Garcia Rhythm Guitar: Paul Kantner Acoustic bass: Phil Lesh Drums; Mickey Hart
