Category: Chickity check it!

Chickity Check It! Bookman’s Log From Greg Gibson

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Joey:

Your readers might be interested in this week’s entry in my blog "Bookman’s Log" parked on my home page at http://tenpound.com/

It’s called "A Modest Proposal."

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To read the entire entry click here

Best,

Greg Gibson

Ten Pound Island Book Co.
76 Langsford St. Gloucester, MA 01930
(978) 283-5299  
http://tenpound.com/
http://hubertsfreaks.com/
http://www.goneboy.com/

Read "Bookman’s Log – A weekly blog
of news, gossip, recent adventures &
acquisitions, and deep thinking about
the antiquarian book trade"
at http://tenpound.com/

The Tony Gross Letter Clarifying the Role of the Waterways Board

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

Tony Gross Shares Recent Accomplishments and Long Range Goals of the Waterways Board.

Gloucester Daily Times, February 26, 2013

To the editor:

Last week, an inflammatory Times editorial called for the disbanding of the Waterways Board.

It’s unfortunate that the editor, Mr. Lamont, prefers to lob bombs than to actually understand something so important to our community. And in my two years as chairman of this board, he has never once called me to discuss any of the issues.

So let’s set a few things straight. The current members of the Waterways Board are committed to providing greater capacity to accommodate visiting boaters, both cruisers and day-trippers. Moreover, there has been a cultural shift towards pro-action in the past 11 months, when the board got four new members. In that time the board has:

Put in motion the purchase of a launch, so visiting boaters have a gateway to access downtown within the DPA.

Begun work on a marketing strategy to welcome visiting boaters.

Funded design plans for expansion at Solomon Jacobs Landing to include bathrooms and showers, more transient dinghy tie-up and ADA access.

Funded a feasibility and marketing study for a transient marina.

Helped fund the Lanes Cove Fish Shack restoration.

With Seaport Council, funded a new facility for Sail GHS and the YMCA youth sailing programs.

Funded a mooring re-gridding study to determine if a floating marina would fit in the proposed area — a first step that was missed by proponents, which slowed down the process.

Created stabilization funds for maintenance and repair of the commercial marinas and to enhance public access.

Acquired CPA eligibility approval for improvements to Hodgkins Cove and Head of Lobster Cove Public Landings to create better public access.

Directed the harbormaster’s office to aggressively enforce mooring regulations so all moorings are fully utilized.

Voted to increase patrols on the Annisquam River, directing the harbormaster to crack down on speeders.

The floating marina is a unique idea that may address the prohibition of recreational marinas in a DPA, and the board is indeed exploring that option. In the meantime, here is some information that may help the public understand what it could take.

Rough cost estimate for construction by the time all the utilities are connected, taking into account that municipal finance laws control the bid process, could be $2 million-plus of taxpayer dollars.

A competitive grant known as BIG could potentially provide some money. However, the BIG grant is solely for recreational transient boater access for boats 26 feet or larger. Meanwhile the State DEP requires that the utilities (electric and water) have a Chapter 91 permit, which in a DPA is only available for commercial locations. While it may be possible to meet both those conflicting requirements, it definitely complicates things.

The slips in this marina will be for limited-duration transient boater tie-up; there will be no seasonal slips available.

To fit the floating marina in the currently proposed spot, 60-plus moorings will have to be rearranged and moved closer together, requiring the use of short-scope mooring systems. These run between $2,000 & $5,000 each for gear and installation, for a total cost between $120,000 and $300,000. By ordinance, City Council will decide who will pay these costs.

There will be no launch service to help facilitate use in the nine-month off-season.

Quick estimates do indicate a positive operating balance between revenue and expenses, but these estimates are based on traditional shore-side marinas; there is no comparable data for a free-floating marina, as this would be the first of its kind in the Northeast.

The people who volunteer their time and effort to this board are working hard to do what’s right for the city. We’ve improved meeting efficiency with purposeful agendas, and last year, members agreed to increase meeting frequency by more than 40 percent in recognition that the pace was too slow.

I could not include all that the board is trying to accomplish in this space, but I hope it helps to clarify for interested citizens what we’ve been working on.

TONY GROSS

Gloucester

Chairman, Waterways Board

See GMG post In Defense of the Waterways Board

I met Tony when my family first moved to Gloucester. Our kids and his kids were active  in the Annisquam Village Players. I was the stage manger and producer at that time. I called Tony Super Dad. Anything needed, anything at all, and Tony was there to lend a helping hand, with both his willing spirit and tools, including rebuilding the outside back stairwell after several kids slipped on the wet, metal grate steps rushing from scene to scene during a rainy night performance.

If Tony says it’s so, it is, beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Tony Gross © Joey Ciaramitaro

Tony Gross, Chairman Gloucester Waterways Board 

My Book “Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities” at the Rhode Island Flower Show!

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

My friend JoeAnn sends this pic from the Rhode Island Flower Show. Thanks JoeAnn!

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Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities! Notes from a Gloucester Garden

Robert Newton Cape Ann Community Cinema WGBH radio Interview Dishes On Oscars

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

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Catherine Ryan writes-

Hi Joey

If you haven’t had the chance, listen to Robert Newton’s WGBH radio interview with Edgar B. Herwick III about all things Oscars, Rob’s stellar programming (which includes special events featuring nights with Liv Ullmann or movie launches with luminaries like John Sayles) and of course Rob’s enthusiasm for Gloucester! It’s the lead interview, first 10 minutes.

“Movies are spiritual experience and way of life for me…I’m happy to share my enthusiasm and joy for film…and our refuge sanctuary (here) in Gloucester !”

Outstanding!

http://www.wgbhnews.org/post/beer-and-movie-weekend-happenings

His annual Oscars night also falls on his birthday this year. Come celebrate:

New England String Quartet opens the Oscars and plays selected Oscar winning music.

Red Carpet 8PM

Movie snacks from around the world (Norway Raindeer jerky – Liv Ullmann inspired no doubt)

Happy Birthday Rob!

1956 GDT & National Fisherman Article About the "BioStat" Ice

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Hi Joey – I don’t know if you saw this post from Fred Buck when you came back to snowy Gloucester.  Cape Pond Ice General Manager Phil Harvey used to tell me about their experiments back in the 1950’s with anit-biotic ice as an innovation to preserve fish better and longer, and I thought this 1956 GDT article about the "BioStat" ice was great !  Skip the flu shot, and use a Cape Pond Ice Shot Luge, carved from anti-biotic, anodized ice with a dose of Pfizer’s best OXYTETYRACYCLINE.

Best, Scott Memhard

Cape Pond Ice

Click article for larger readable version-

CPImay1956

http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/fung-nemat/febuconazole-sulfur/oxytetracycline/fung-prof-oxytetracycline.html

Banned: The Abominable Words Horror, Zombie, and Terror

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

The Golden Age of DC Comics

Interestingly, in light of the recent discussion about hyper political correctness on GMG, Wednesday an interview aired on NPR with Paul Levitz, former DC Comics president and author of the new book The Golden Age of DC Comics. He spoke about the Great Comic Book Scare, and how censorship of comic books stifled the creativity of the authors and artists for nearly 20 years. Through the 1930s-1940s comic books were often thought to be violent, weird, and scary. American psychologist and morality crusader Fredric Wertham led the charge in censoring comics with his book Seduction of the Innocent, published in 1954. One particular noteworthy claim of Wertham’s is that Wonder Woman’s strength and independence made her a lesbian.

Seduction of the innocent

Wertham blamed comics for causing maladjusted and juvenile delinquents (sound familiar to video gamers?). The movement to censor comics grew and soon schools were holding comic book burnings, distributors refused to sell comic books, and senate subcommittee hearings were held. Subsequently 75% of the comic book publishers were forced out of business. In order to appease the morality police and stay in business, the remaining comic book publishers formed the self-regulating Comics Code Authority. The use of words such as “horror,” “ zombie,” and “terror” were banned.

The Adventures of Tin Tin Volume 1

Both my kids loved from a very young age (and still do) the comic albums by Hergé, The Adventures of Tin Tin (published 1929-1976).  I worried about the salty and perpetually drunk Captain Haddock, racial stereotypes, and colonialism. On the other hand, Hergé’s drawings are exquisite, the characters utterly engaging, and around-the-world adventures well researched and exciting. We explained to our kids that The Adventures of Tin Tin were written in the spirit of the time.

Recent GMG Posts About Hyper Political Correctness:

Pickles and How The PC Police Runs Rough Shod Over America

Poll- Is Lenny Bruce Offensive?

While we’re on the Subject

World’s Greatest Mitten-Glove Design for Photographers

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

Kate Spade Mitten Glove ©Kim Smith 2013

I am just crazy about this mitten design because of the handy flap, which when flipped back, reveals a fingerless glove. If you want to wear it flipped back all the time the button and loop closure keeps the flap securely in place. The mitten-glove even has a convenient separate thumb flap.

Kate Spade Mitten Glove -2 ©Kim Smith 2013

The only tweaking this design needs is a slightly bigger button and loop because when your hands are freezing, the small loop and ball button are a challenge to negotiate. For all the knitters who read GMG–these would be wonderful in a cashmere or alpaca blend and perhaps a pretty cable knit pattern.

The mitten-glove is a great design for photographers especially. When wearing gloves, I find it easy to accidentally press the wrong button or get myself into an unwanted mode.

Kate Spade Mitten Glove 3 ©Kim Smith 2013

Even with mitten-glove configuration, my pooch and I only lasted about ten minutes in the howling wind when we went for our daily afternoon walk yesterday—straight to the bottom of our hill (Pirates Lane at Smith’s Cove) and straightaway home. Sorry Rosie the Rocket, you’ll have to get your crazy energy out on our next walk!

North Shore Art Association ©Kim Smith 2013

North Shore Art Association

Smith's Cove ©Kim Smith 2013

Pirates Lane at Smith’s Cove

The Latest From Charlie Carroll

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Charlie writes-

Have finally caught up with all the Image Processing.

Have been concentrating on producing Images for my up-coming show and failed to keep up with what I gather on a daily basis…

Anyway… here’s the Link to two new gallery’s…

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Excerpt from JoeAnn Hart’s Latest Novel FLOAT

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

float JoeAnn HartTen Bells’ doors opened at 5:30 a.m. so that dock workers could get a quick snort before work, or to offer amber consolation if there was none. In the past, and perhaps even into the present, the bar was known as a place where captains, short of men for some dangerous journey or another, would troll for crew, make them paralytic with drink, then carry them on board on stretchers and lay them out like corpses in the hold. And that was exactly how Duncan felt the next morning.

“Sassafras,” he croaked, without opening his eyes. Thanks to several more oyster shooters after dinner, Duncan had already reached his waterline by the time they left Slocum’s apartment, then he took more onboard at Ten Bells. Bottom shelf bourbon, $3.05 a shot. He’d ended up, somehow, fully clothed on the sofa in his office and woke to the sound of a rally outside his window. Annuncia’s basso profundo voice blared through a loudspeaker. “A clean sea is a profitable sea!” she shouted. It was 10 a.m.

He curled tighter into the ball he was already in and pulled his windbreaker over his head. He’d forgotten that he’d told her that she could launch her Boat Garbage Project from Seacrest’s loading dock today, but it was coming back to him loud and clear now.  He had assumed she meant at the end of the workday, but of course, she would want to do it early enough to catch that evening’s news cycle.

The crowd started to chant, and the steady noise bore through his eardrums like seaworms. “Bring the garbage back to shore! Bring the garbage back to shore!”

Annuncia quieted them down and continued speaking. “We complain about the crap from outfall pipes and pollution on our fish, and then we throw our own garbage overboard. What’s up with that?”

The crowd emitted a low boo, and he could hear Wade’s voice leading the pack.  Even though Annuncia was at the microphone, this project was really his baby. On Earth Day that spring, instead of cleaning beaches with the other volunteers, he decided to motor from boat to boat asking for garbage. When they saw how successful he’d been, a group of kids started making the rounds every weekend in a pedal-driven barge built from plastic water bottles, and it wasn’t long before some of the fishermen and pleasure boaters started to bring it in on their own.  The problem was, as always, that there was no place to put it.  Often the bags were just left on the docks at the mercy of the gulls and crows, and that meant debris scattered everywhere, on land and water. Annuncia hadn’t realized the extent to which everyone had been throwing their trash overboard before that.  It was against the law, but they had to catch you first, and the ocean was a mighty big place.

Visit JoeAnn’s website to purchase your copy of Float.

JoeAnn Hart

P&V’s LOL #13: The Law of the Conservation of R

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

With all the talk about accents on GMG today, it’s clearly time to put forth our new Law of Life, or LOL for short.  (You’ll notice we skipped our LOL last week due to all the fuss about Nemo).

This week’s LOL is based on Antoine Lavoisier’s Law of the Conservation of Mass, the same principle as our very first LOL, which was You’re more likely to gain weight if someone you know is losing weight (see the explanation here).  Only in this case, Mass refers to Massachusetts and what we’re conserving is the letter R.

You natives may not notice, but people like Vickie and me, who didn’t grow up here, have discovered that whenever you take R off a word (Beer for example) you somehow feel compelled to add it to another one.  So you say Peetser and Beah instead of Pizza and Beer.

But it doesn’t stop there.  You guys add Rs to words even when you aren’t removing them from other words.  For example, Tuner and Mayo (instead of Tuna and Mayo — although I doubt Joey mixes mayo with tuna, but that’s a topic for another post.)

Doesn’t he look like he’s yelling SHAAAAAAHK!

It seems like you’ll jump at any chance to add an R, as if you’re feeling guilty for all those poh innocent Ahhs you’ve slaughtered during your lifetime.

So here’s the question: is there some sort of underground R accounting that only Boston area natives know about?  Is there a website I can check to see what the R deficit is as of this very moment?  Are you all secretly working together to help save your precious Rs from extinction — along with the great white shahk?  Oops, did I just add to the deficit?  Does something magical happen every time you add an R to a word where it doesn’t belong, sort of like the magic in this video?

JoeAnn Hart’s Book Launch Party at the Rocky Neck Cultural Center

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

JoeAnn Hart Float party ©Kim Smith 2013

JoeAnn Hart’s book release party at the Rocky Neck Cultural Center was a whopping success. So many congratulations JoeAnn!!!  There are few things more monumental than publishing a book with a publishing house, especially in light of the ease in which books are self-published today. I purchased my copy of Float Friday night and haven’t put it down.  See GMG tomorrow for an excerpt from Float.

JoeAnn Hart Float party -1 ©Kim Smith 2013

JoeAnn Hart Karen Ristuben Float party ©Kim Smith 2013

Cover Artist Karen Ristuben and Author JoeAnn Hart

JoeAnn Hart Jen Fahey Christie Powell Float party ©Kim Smith 2013JPG

Jen Fahey, Christie Powell, JoeAnn Hart

Tom Hauck Lois Philip Budrose JoeAnn Hart Float party ©Kim Smith 2013

Tom Hauck, Lois and Philip Budrose

Greg bover JoeAnn Hart Float party ©Kim Smith 2013

Greg Bover

JoeAnn Hart Karen Ristuben-2 Float party ©Kim Smith 2013

Karen Ristuben

Visit JoeAnn’s website to purchase your copy of Float.

Comparison Shopping Gloucester’s Big Three Supermarkets Stop and Shop, Market Basket and Shaws

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.  Real world comparison of staple items that I always buy and have on hand.  The 5 items were selected ahead of time, not knowing what the prices would be at all three places and without prejudice as to what I thought might be cheaper at one store or another.

The 5 items are Granny Smith Apples, Chobani Yogurt, Store Brand Almonds, Store Brand Plain Soy Milk, Store Brand Peanut Butter.

Round 1: Chobani Yogurt-

Stop and Shop $4.99

Market Basket $4.99

Shaws $6.49

Round 2: Granny Smith Apples

Stop and Shop $1.69 Lb

Market Basket .99 Lb

Shaws $1.17 Lb

Round 3: 40 Oz Store Brand Peanut Butter

Stop and Shop $5.19

Market Basket $4.99

Shaws $5.69

Round 4: Almonds Store Brand

Stop and Shop $8.98 Lb (On Sale) Normally $9.98 Lb

Market Basket $5.05 Lb

Shaws $10.87 Lb

Round 5: Plain Soy Milk Store Brand

Stop and Shop $2.79

Market Basket $2.50

Shaws $3.49

Again remember I did not pre-scout these items to select things that would have outrageous price differences but picked them before I entered the first stop.

My guess that Market Basket was most often much cheaper was confirmed and confirmed by a mile.

If you bought one unit of each of these items at each of these stores your total would be

Stop and Shop $23.64

Market Basket $18.52

Shaws $27.71

The difference of $9.19 more money for the five items at Shaws over Market Basket is ASTOUNDING.  That is nearly 50% more money.  It would cost you 27% more to purchase the same items at Stop and Shop over Market Basket.

I don’t know about you but when the banks pay you what amounts to negative returns on your money after fees, 27% or 49% savings on your money is HUGE!

This took a while to compile and label each image, I hope it helps you make informed decisions on where to shop.

New York Times puts Gloucester’s big debate on the front page

Posted on by Vickie & Peter
from the New York Times story: “The harbor in Gloucester, Mass., part of the Northeastern fishery declared a disaster by the Commerce Department last fall.”
photo: Gretchen Ertl for The New York Times

The home page of today’s New York Times website features a story on Gloucester’s big debate about what to do with our waterfront (see story here).

Mayor Kirk is quoted a number of times promoting her vision of our port supporting both fishing and marine science, saying some of the $150 million Congress might appropriate should be used for “Programs that might attract those other uses that allow you to maintain a smaller fleet, and maintain an infrastructure for that fleet, and sit side by side.”

Everybody who’s seriously working on attracting marine science to Gloucester knows we need more than a port.  We also need a thriving cultural economy in order to attract the workers that power marine science.  Most of these workers are young, single PhDs who work very long hours and want to go out after work — and on weekends — for food, drink and music.  They want to feel surrounded by culture.  These people think they want to live in Cambridge.  What they may not know is that Gloucester has a burgeoning cultural economy.  Just look at all the live music available this weekend — and it’s supposed to be the dead of winter!

We’ve got momentum.  But in order to grow a sustainable economy for Gloucester’s long-term, we have to grow our cultural economy a lot more.  That’s where you come in.  Think of Gloucester FIRST when planning what to do at night and on weekends.  Not sure where to eat?  Check out this HUGE list of restaurants.  Check the live music schedule.  You’ll likely find music for every taste.  Want to enrich your life and the lives of your kids?  Check out this impressive list of galleries, studios, museums, theatres, etc.  Think you need to drive to the mall?  STOP!  Check this out and think again.

The secret to growing our cultural economy without losing our soul is to honor our past and embrace our future.  That’s precisely what Fred Bodin does.  His store honors our past by helping to keep the core of our history and culture alive.  And now, he’s taken to filming the future.  Here he is filming Jon Butcher with Dave Brown, Dave Mattacks and Wolf Ginandes at Jalapenos on Tuesday singing Sam Cooke’s classic Change is Gonna Come — how perfect it that!  Boston rock star Jon Butcher moved to Gloucester.  Let’s get out and support his decision, prove him right, boost our cultural economy and — most importantly — have a blast doing it!

Just to be safe, you might want to look up at about 2:25pm today, so you don’t get hit like the folks in Russia did earlier this morning

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Scientists are still trying to figure out what happened here . . .

Watch the Asteroid 2012 DA14 LIVE as it passes by Earth today. NASA will broadcast LIVE Video of the asteroid beginning at 2pm (click here) when it passes closer to earth than the GPS satellite you use to find your way around Boston. They say nobody on Earth is in danger . . .

UPDATE ON THE 2013 GLOUCESTER HARBORWALK PUBLIC ART CHALLENGE

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

150+ Artists Responded! http://ghwalk.blogspot.com

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Gloucester’s First Wind Turbine Photo Licensed for a Textbook

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

Gloucester First Wind Turbine ©Kim Smith 2012

I thought everyone would like to know that a photo of mine, Gloucester’s First Wind Turbine, has been licensed for a million-run children’s textbook on wind farming. I think its pretty exciting that our turbine and Gloucester Harbor will be featured not only in one million textbooks, but in the electronic version of the book as well. Upon publication, the publisher is sending a copy of the book and I plan to donate it to the Sawyer Free Library. This photo was shot at daybreak last October while filming the barge transporting the wind turbine through Gloucester Harbor.

Thanks to a google search, I found this very handy Stock Photo License Pricing for Editorial Use chart and it really helped to negotiate a fair price: Photographers Index

Video: Joey Sends Greetings from Playa Del Carmen

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

Joey Recommends Playa Del Carmen as Best Vacation Destination. See video tour of sweet Playa Del Carmen’s Fifth Avenue and Hotel Tortuga–beautiful, safe, and affordable. Ed. note–beautiful sunlight-through-the-trees capture.