GloucesterCast Taped 1/26/14 With Host Joey Ciaramitaro and Guests Toby Pett and Kim Smith

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GloucesterCast Taped 1/26/14 With Host Joey Ciaramitaro and Guests Toby Pett and Kim Smith

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Topics include:

Polar Vortex, Alberta flipper,local restaurant talk including DeWolf Tavern, new theme at Alchemy, The Mexican Touch, Sticky Fingers, Changes on the blog, addressing Craig Kimberley’s statement that the blog has gotten too soft, Bill O’Connor helps to streamline the blog, words to people who begrudge contributors to promote their work on the blog, Art Haven Buoy Auction Kudos, Kim’s Not So-Teasing Butterfly announcement.

BG Brown Summed Up What Was Going To Happen In The Fishing Industry In Gloucester 4 Years Ago

This was filmed in 2010 and it’s only gotten worse. What he predicted back in 2010 is about 10 times worse 4 years later.
As I type this a fisherman just left my office. He is 52 years old and has fished his whole life. He is a stern man meaning he has no stake in what the owner of the boat may receive when he sells out his commercial fishing permits. He has only seen it get worse and worse and was telling me he has absolutely no idea what he could do for a living since all he knows is fishing.  It’s sad and it is despicable what they did when they instituted Catch Shares and privatized the ocean and fish. Before Catch Shares there were hundreds of small boats with stern men who could go out and catch 800 lbs of cod under the “Days at Sea” program. They could fish every day and because there was an 800 pound limit there were no 20-40,000 lb trips of fish on the auction to decimate the price. What was on the Fish Auction for fish was made up of lots of small boats 800 lb trips of quality day boat fish.  So you had hundreds of boats with hundreds of captains and hundreds more of stern men making a good living while barely impacting the fish stocks. Boats were being repaired, boats were buying fuel, families were being fed.  Now we have probably 80% less.
Just years later the hyper-consolidation of Catch Shares which we all knew was the inevitable result when you privatize a natural resource has decimated our fleet and the number of fishermen left standing while they most have either sold out or are trying to.

Back in 2009 I started to collect the stories and add them to a thread on Cape Ann Online as sort of a journal and record for those who might have said they didn’t see this coming. There are three pages of articles from fishermen and about how it was and has decimated our working port and independent fishermen.

Click here for the list of articles (3 pages worth)

Pema Chödrön Quote of The Week From Greg Bover

“Letting there be room for not knowing is the most important thing of all. When there’s a big disappointment, we don’t know if that’s the end of the story. It may just be the beginning of a great adventure. Life is like that. We don’t know anything. We call something bad; we call it good. But really we just don’t know.”

Pema Chödrön (1936 –      )

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Born Deirdre Blomfield-Brown in New York City, Chödrön attended the elite Miss Porter’s School in Connecticut and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley. After two marriages and a career as an elementary school teacher she began studying Buddhism with Lama Chime Rinpoche, becoming a nun in 1974 and a bhiksuni in 1981. She is thought to be the first American woman so ordained. A prolific writer, her books include When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times from which the above quote is taken, as well as the recent How to Meditate: A Practical Guide to Making Friends with Your Mind. She is the director of the Gampo Abbey on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia and spends seven months of the year in solitary retreat.

Cape Ann Museum. An Inside Look At Renovations From Bing McGilvray

Today I got an eye-opening look at the amazing renovations taking place inside the Cape Ann Museum. Curator Martha Oaks took librarian Linda Oaks, historian Mary Rhinelander McCarl and me on a guided tour through all the galleries and just about every inch of the place has been stripped bare, except for a two small rooms being used for storage. The library is doubling as cramped temporary office space but everyone is very excited about the radical changes taking place. The work is being done by Manchester firm Windover Construction and they have been very busy since the museum closed its doors last fall. I took a lot of pictures and I hope you can share a few with your readers.

Martha, Linda and Mary survey the scene:

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Martha reveals how the education room is being used for storage:

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The new front entrance:

To View 14 More Photos with Captions hit the Continue Reading link here-

Continue reading “Cape Ann Museum. An Inside Look At Renovations From Bing McGilvray”

Pop Gallery Doing Valentines Day Big Per Usual

Hi Joey!

I have a few promo items to send you. We are hosting a Valentine’s Day event at Pop on Feb. 8th. 3-7. All details are included on attached pdf, also included jpeg.

We are also selling “VALEN-TINS” which are our take on “gift baskets” for the season of love.

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Passports Bordeaux Wine Dinner January 30th- 4 Courses- 4 Wines – Get Your Ressies For Trip Advisor’s Number 2 Out Of 127 Restaurants In Gloucester

Call 978-281-3680

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Community Photos 1/26/14

Building Center hoisting up the new sign Photo from Cat Ryan

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Joey,

   Here’s a picture I took of the shack at Dunfugin boat ramp after storm Wednesday

Bob Barr

Winter 2014 094


Motif Number One by Night By Peter Digre

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Community Stuff 1/25/14

Gloucester Stroke Club, meeting Thursday, February 6th at 2 pm, 

Addison Gilbert Hospital, 298 Washington St., Healy Room (Front Entrance

Room on Left). Please note change in time and location. Dr. Jonathan Inz will be 

speaking on Dealing with Grief. Dr. Inz is a Licensed Psychologist with 25 years of 

clinical experience working in the area of behavioral medicine and medical psychology. 

He had been an instructor in Psychology with Harvard Medical School at the Beth Israel 

Deaconess Medical Center. He is founder and director of the Medical Psychology Center 

in Beverly,Mass. Dr. Inz previously directed the Outpatient Psychiatry of Beverly Hospital. 

There is no fee and pre-registration is not required Everyone is welcome. Refreshments.

For more information about the Gloucester Stroke Club, a Very Welcoming Support Group,

call Virginia McKinnon, LSW  978-283-3968

Submitted by Virginia McKinnon, 2 Stanwood Terrace, Gloucester, MA


COLD WEATHER REQUEST TO RESIDENTS

THE ROCKPORT POLICE DEPARTMENT AND ROCKPORT COUNCIL ON AGING ARE ASKING RESIDENTS TO REGULARLY CHECK IN WITH THEIR ELDERLY FAMILY MEMBERS, FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS.

THE WINTER MONTHS BRING ADDITIONAL HAZARDS TO SENIOR CITIZENS , WHICH INCLUDE SNOW AND ICE, HYPOTHERMIA, AND POWER OUTAGES.

CONTACT THE ROCKPORT POLICE DEPARTMENT ( 978-546-1212), EMERGENCIES 911, AND THE COUNCIL ON AGING (978-546-2573) FOR ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE AND REFERRALS TO THER AGENCIES.

There’s A Reason the Causeway Restaurant Is Ranked 5th our of 127 Restaurants In Gloucester On trip Advisor

I have no idea how they put out the quality food and huge portions that they do at The Causeway but I’m not about to question it- the formula just works.  People drive from Upstate New York just to eat here. 

Insider tip:

This is the time of year to eat here.  I don’t even bother in the summer because I’m not the kinda guy that waits a half hour for a seat at a restaurant.  But this time of year you can get in, especially if you go just before noon or just after noon. 

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Day Three: Sista Felicia Hand Painting Sugar Cookie Flowers For Audrey’s Flower Shop Bridal Show

Three days of making cookies for a friend. She could have just banged out a cake but no. Nothing is done half-assed.

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TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT!!! 2014 ART HAVEN BUOY AUCTION AT CRUISEPORT 5-8PM!!!

6th Annual Cape Ann Art Haven Buoy Auction & Family Fun Night January 24th

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Looking for a fun event the whole family can enjoy tonight? Come to the 6th Annual Cape Ann Art Haven Buoy Auction and Family FUN Night.  There will be art activities, live music, open buffet, silent auction of our amazing artist buoys and much more!

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$20 Family | $10 Adult | $5 student. [@ DOOR: $25 Family | $20 Adult | $10 student]

You Gotta Love The Post Office Offering Up In House Recycling

Probably One of The Biggest No Brainer Public Initiatives Of All Public Initiatives, No?

These were in Rockport MA-

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I Don’t Wanna Say I Nailed It, But I Nailed It In Reference to the iPhone 5c and Larger iPhones

Should I be on the development teams for some monster tech company or should I be on the development team for some monster tech company????

Back in September when Apple had just launched the iPhone 5c and 5s I wrote that releasing the cheaper 5c was a mistake because Apple users want and had been accustomed to getting the best hardware on the market.  I also argued that what would drive much higher margins and sales would be a larger iPhone like the Galaxy Note.

Here is the post from September 12, 2013 the day they released the iPhone 5c and 5s-

iPhone 5s and 5c and What I Would Have Done If I Were Apple

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Joey C

I’m am an apple product fan.  Huge fan of the iPhone and the iPad.  I own a first gen iPad and still use it. Even though I am an android phone user I can still appreciate Apple hardware.

Every product refresh they make they include great enhancements but I think there is one move they have yet to make but I think would be an absolute monster boost to their sales.

A larger iPhone to me would be a monster hit.  As a Samsung Galaxy s3 user I really appreciate the extra screen real estate and I appreciate even more the ability to strap on a cheap aftermarket battery to the back of my s3 which triples the battery life.

I believe there are many people out there that want the smallest and lightest phones they can get but with the sheer computing power available on today’s smartphones they are being used more as portable computing machines and I think there is a distinct trend with people who want larger phones to be able to hit the keys easier and navigate easier, see videos more clearly, ect, ect ect.

The success of the Samsung Galaxy Note which is basically a Samsung Galaxy with an even larger screen shows there is big demand.

I don’t agree with Apple’s tactic of offering a low cost iPhone either with the 5c and it’s plastic parts.   Apple has always been synonymous with unapologetic top grade hardware and premium pricing.  people were and are willing to pay for it knowing they are getting the best hardware without ever questioning it.

I equate coming out with a lower grade iPhone to a brand like Tommy Hilfiger who for a brief moment was competing with the likes of Polo/ Ralph Lauren and then went and sold out and buried there products into discounters like Marshalls and TJ Max.  Forever to be equated with a poor man’s Polo and never will they ever be able to command the premium pricing they once did.

I say instead of offering a cheaper iPhone option that they should have offered a larger iPhone option with a mongo battery and charge even MORE for it.  That would have pleased Wall Street I bet.

Here’s the poll I created a few days later (it seems the GMG readership had the same opinions when asked)-

In light of the recent iPhone releases of the 5c and 5s a poll for iPhone users or potential iPhone users

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Joey C

and Now from the Wall Street Journal it seems that EXACTLY TO A T WHAT I HAD PROGNOSTICATED HAS COME TO FRUITION-

WSJ: Apple planning to launch two iPhone models with bigger screens, ditch the iPhone 5c

Posted by Stephen Hall at 10:31 am

iPhone 5S FrontAccording to a report published today by The Wall Street Journal, Apple is planning to launch two new iPhone devices with larger screens by the end of this year. The report also says that the Cupertino corporation plans to discontinue the recently launched iPhone 5c in favor of having two flavors of metal-body devices similar to the iPhone 5 and 5s.

It has been long rumored that larger screens were on Apple’s roadmap, but this is the first we’ve heard that the company may be releasing more than one new screen size for its future flagship smartphone. One of the rumored devices will supposedly sport a screen size of “more than 4.5-inches” diagonally, with the other shipping with a display of “more than 5-inches” diagonally.

Facing competition from rivals offering smartphones with bigger screens, Apple Inc. plans larger displays on a pair of iPhones due for release this year, people familiar with the situation said.

The people said Apple plans an iPhone model with a screen larger than 4½ inches measured diagonally, and a second version with a display bigger than 5 inches. Until now, Apple’s largest phone has been the 4-inch display on the iPhone 5.

Both new models are expected to feature metal casings similar to what is used on the current iPhone 5S, with Apple expected to scrap the plastic exterior used in the iPhone 5C, these people said.

Interestingly, the report also notes that Apple has no plans to release a phone with a curved display.

[WSJ]

APPLE OR MICROSOFT JUST HIRE ME ALREADY.  I’LL SAVE YOU A BUTTLOAD OF MARKETING ANALYSIS MONEY.

Oh and while we’re at it Microsoft I have a couple of quick suggestions for you-

I absolutely love the idea of the Surface tablet and being able to run all your desktop windows programs applications on a hybrid tablet, I especially love the idea of being able to plug into a usb port and use a mouse, condensor mic, external hardrive containing a shit ton of media files, ect, ect, ect on such a portable device.  Every part of that Surface tablet I loved to death except one important factor- compared to the iPad the thing feels like you’re holding a brick and it is in no way near even the last generation iPad’s comfort for holding.  With the weight of the Surface, you may as well buy yourself a more powerful ultrabook laptop.  It needs to be lighter.  Bottom line end of story.  Otherwise I’d buy a way cheaper android tablet or iPad if I wanted portability or a ultrabook or a Macbook air if I wanted to run desktop programs applications.

On to Windows 8 which is about to get an overhaul.  I understand the idea of everything being able to sync between a windows phone, tablet and desktop but it seems for you to be able to do this you needed to cripple the metro Windows default programs applications and dumb them down so they would be compatible on the less powerful Windows Phone and Tablets.  But by doing this you’ve only succeeded in frustrating Desktop users who want horsepower and powerful creation tools and not simply media consumption devices.  I get that 80% or more of computer/tablet users are using their devices as consumption devices, but for those of us who prefer a powerful desktop you should have let us have that powerful desktop experience and not steer us to the crippled windows 8 “Metro” programs applications just because they will sync better.

This is evidenced by HP announcing just this week that they are offering Windows 7 desktops (stepping back a generation)-

HP brings back Windows 7 ‘by popular demand’

By Tom Warren on January 20, 2014 08:26 am

The GMG Readers Spoke And We’re Listening- Changes Based On Your Feedback…

Many readers (and some of our own contributors) had made comments that the long scrolling posts sometimes are annoying, especially if that particular type of post is not one that interests that particular reader.  I get that it could be an annoyance to some who want a perfect blog reading experience.   The amount of time and energy our contributors put into their daily posts is really remarkable, especially considering that all of their time is donated.  Most of the music and food posts are very very long arduous tasks to complete and of course they are so detailed that they take up a lot of space and scrolling time.

In reference to Sista Felicia’s posts, having step by step visual photos of each process in the creation of a dish on a pretty much daily basis is a gift.  If you look back she hasn’t pimped her book in almost a month while providing a ton of detailed recipes, cooking tips, home decoration projects, bird feeder projects, ect, ect, ect.  Now that being said, I understand that if you could care frickin less about recipes or home decoration projects, then scrolling through her long posts about those subjects could be a minor annoyance. 

So my friend Bill O’Connor had sent in some code that we were trying to figure out how we could use to truncate the longer posts like the recipes and the music posts so that it would lead with a teaser and then include a link below the teaser photo which, when clicked, would open the entire post for those who DO want to see the recipe in it’s entirety or view the entire Gloucester music daily lineup.

The code that Bill had sent wasn’t working but it got me to thinking that there must be a way to truncate these long posts.  So I went back to my early days of creating the blog and when I wanted to change the way the blog was presented I’d research the blog help forums for days on end til I’d found a solution.  Lo and behold it was there, in the help section-

Support

Writing & Editing

Splitting Content » More Tag

You can truncate your blog entries so that only the first part of certain posts is displayed on the home and archive pages. When you do this, a link will be placed directly after your excerpt, pointing the reader to the full post.

You can find the More Tag button in the first row of the visual editor toolbar or by pressing Alt+Shift+T:

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So now Felicia’s recipe that might have consisted of ten photos and text in between each photo, or Joann Souza or Peter and Vickie Van Ness’ music schedules, can be presented in a much cleaner fashion of one or two photos and give the ability for those people who crave those longer detailed posts a way to view them in entirety while the readers who would just assume skip over them,a much easier time scrolling past.

So when you see the “Continue reading” link at the bottom of a post, you know there’s much more to that post which you can access when you click the link.

I hope you know we aren’t complacent and are always striving to make GMG the best it can be.  And part of that is listening to constructive criticism and acting when I feel it’s in the best interest of the GMG community.

Thanks for reading.  I am honored that you have taken the time to look at our blog out of the bajillion of options that are out there on the internet for you to click on.  We won’t stop trying to bring you the very best content we can and earn your viewership loyalty.

Have a great day

Joey Smile

Thanks to Bill O’Connor as well for leading me down the right path as well

The Big Freeze of January 1979

Hi, Joey.  Thought you might want to post the attached photos sometime this month.
There always seem to be photos of Gloucester Harbor freezing in the early 1900’s, but have you ever seen photos of a frozen Ipswich Bay?
Here’s the proof!
It has been 25 years since Ipswich Bay froze so solid that my brother, Dan Brown, and his friend, Russell Hazelgard, walked out from Bay View to the bell bouy off Wingaersheek Beach at the entrance to the Annisquam River. January of 1979.  We haven’t seen a freeze since then!
Laura Brown

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