Taking a Hint

Following yesterday’s post concerning my recent struggles with public transportation, one can only imagine the glee encountered when I uncovered this Collegian article while searching for a blog idea.

Outlined is a newly instilled PVTA program, available for iPhone or BlackBerry, that will send you e-mails or texts when the bus is running off schedule. As soon as I’m finished with this post, I’m heading over here and installing.

The program uses Google Maps in coordination with a tracker on the bus and while this would exponentially reduce my stress level in an ideal world, there have been reported glitches that cause freezing.

Expect a mid-week post detailing my own endeavors with the new technology.

Amherst turns 250

(www.amherst250.org)

Despite unsavory weather conditions, the locals came out in droves to Sunday afternoon’s parade celebrating the 250th anniversary of Amherst.

The parade, composed of your typical fare, including, but not limited to, horses, cop cars, and even Ninja Turtles, began at Amherst College and finished at the Haigis Mall on UMass campus.

My parade experience began when I arrived at the route following my rain soaked trek from my car, parked about a mile away because of excessive road closures, and to my surprise there was a larger crowd than I had anticipated, umbrellas and rain coats abound.

I was able to catch a first hand glimpse of how the local businesses were affected by the parade as I searched out a dry area to sneak in and catch a glimpse of the Patriots game before the parade began. The Spoke, was packed with people ready for celebration, as evidenced by the large crowd outside on the patio. Too much for my solo self to deal with.

Instead, I ducked into Stacker’s where I caught the first two drives. Almost empty besides one other customer, provided evidence that the parade did not provide a universal boost in local business. Some companies, such as Loose Goose, set up stands outside their shops providing parade-goers with the opportunity to grab a hot beverage, but even those looked largely unfruitful.

Once underway, I moseyed outside to take in some of the sights and sounds.

Considering how big of a part the school plays in the town’s infrastructure, the UMass community was surprisingly absent from much of the parade proceedings, both in the crowd and the actual parade.

The core audience was composed of parents with their children, elderly and high school kids. Perhaps it was the rain or the draw of Sunday football, but their was a clear lack of representation of the college demographic.

The parade itself was entertaining enough for the 45 minutes I stayed. The participants mostly consisted of floats entered by local businesses, youth dance troupes, and horses, lots of horses.

The crowd reaction was mostly positive, perhaps encouraged by the break in rain around the start time. “Of course it rains today for the first time in a month,” says long time Amherst resident Mark Davis, huddled under a canopy with a group of family and friends. But he stressed the importance of the event, stating, “This parade represents the long standing history of Amherst.”

While the parade did not do anything to distinguish itself from other parades, there was no doubt a heightened sense of community apparent on this day of historical celebration.

lock your doors!

Thanks to the university’s crime alert system, which sends out a campus wide e-mail in an effort to aid the UMass Police Department in solving crimes, the two intruders who broke into Hamlin dorms and stole a laptop on Sept. 20 have been apprehended.

(Daily Collegian)

While there is little information on their arrest other than a small blurb on the UMPD website thanking the community for information, I would like to commend the alert system for it’s ability to help in identify criminals.

We received a new alert on Wednesday in respect to identifying a vehicle that was involved in a hit and run accident on Sept. 12. Hopefully the e-mail will help police in a similar fashion to the break-in crime.

The main intention of my post, however, is to serve as a reminder for my readers that locking your door at all times should be a top priority. Whether you are just running to the store, or even sleeping, criminals will not hesitate to take advantage of your carelessness.

Just last Sunday, my friends who live in the Townhouse apartments left their back door unlocked while they visited a neighbor and had a laptop and $130 dollars cash stolen out of their living room, all while their third roommate was upstairs sleeping.

And while crime alert is a beneficial system, there may not always be a surveillance camera on hand to catch the thief in the act.

stop bus

As if waking up for class wasn’t already difficult enough, leave it to public transportation to throw an additional wrench in my daily routine.

With a bus stop conveniently located across the street from my apartment, the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority has been my primary method of getting to and from class for the past two years.

And while the first couple of weeks of each semester have always been hectic with over crowding and delays while people are still getting their schedules sorted, this year is out of hand.

Common sense would indicate that a 9:09 bus would be sufficient in allowing me to reach my 9:30 class in time as it is only a 5 minute ride to campus. But when the bus does not actually arrive until 9:15 and then every stop is met with an attempt to cram more passengers onto a bus that is already far too overcrowded and then waiting an inordinate amount of time for stragglers who deserve to wait for the next bus, my ideal 9:30 arrival time becomes mere fantasy.

I have not made it on time for that class once this semester.

A couple times, for my afternoon class, I have resorted to driving and feeding the meter the two dollars for the hour and fifteen minutes of class. This is something that I would rather not do.

One possible explanation for the PVTAs decline in service is new, inexperienced drivers who have to conquer the fine art of operating a bus before we can see the system return to last year’s quality. But this past week has truly been the worst of all three weeks thus far this semester.

I know that I am not alone in my gripes either, as fellow passengers are often very audible in their complaints, generally directed toward the driver.

Perhaps you are encountering similar problems with the areas public transportation system? Feel free to leave a comment if so.

Revving up the Center Series

The show must go on.

And facing setbacks from campus-wide budget cuts, the Center Series is overcoming adversity and pushing forward as it gears up for another season of performances at the Fine Arts Center.

For over 25 years, the Center Series has been hosting performances at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst that span the course of the school year. Like many other facets of the campus community, the series is facing diminishing allocation from the university, a 25 percent budget cut, that is forcing them to re-examine their method behind choosing the performers.

Although the series raked in a 2-4 thousand dollar profit last year, Center Series director Kathryn Maguet remains loyal the their ultimate goal.

“We are not cash driven,” says Maguet. “Our objective is to cover our expenses.”

Running through April, the Center Series features a wide variety of performers, ranging from dance to jazz to theater.

According to Maguet, the larger pieces, such as orchestras, tend to be the biggest draws and therefore, despite high booking prices, the lowest financial risk.

The series has been forced to adapt to fit campus taste over their history. Fifteen years ago the focus was greater on jazz and now dance provides the biggest draw. They are able to keep the market for dance performance in the Pioneer Valley cornered as there aren’t companies doing said performances within 60 miles and take advantage by boasting seven dance acts throughout the season.

Despite budget cuts, Maguet remains adamant that there has been no sacrifice in quality, although she reluctantly points out that some acts were chosen with the intention of boosting ticket sales. “I don’t think there’s a whole lot of cheese in there,” says Maguet in reference to the series schedule, “but there is some.”

Regardless, she is ecstatic to be kicking off another season. Receiving Maguet’s personal stamp of approval? The Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane Dance Company’s Another Evening/Serenade: The Proposition, depicting through dance the life of Abraham Lincoln from his rise to presidency to his eventual fatal demise. “His voice is evident throughout the piece,” says Maguet of famed choreographer Jones. “His use of metaphors is so good.” Jones and his troop arrive on campus Nov. 5.

Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company (http://www.umass.edu/fac/calendar/centerseries/events/BillT3.html)

Kicking off the season on Oct. 18 in the 1,900 seat Concert Hall is a performance from Orquestra de São Paulo with Dame Evelyn Glennie. The Orquestra hails from Brazil and is conducted by Kazem Abdullah. Born in the United States, Abdullah is a rising star at only 29-years-old. Tickets range from $40 to $15 for Five College students.

On Politics Review

The USA Today hosted On Politics blog comes equipped with the slogan “The news, the people, the process.” And for all intensive purposes, the news blog seems to adhere to their motto.

On Politics acts as an outlet for many of the USA Today political journalists to be the first to jump on and subsequently provide up-to-the-minute updates on breaking news stories.

An example of their constant barrage of updates and ability to stay on top of the news can be seen in a September 15 post surrounding Rep. Joe Wilson and the disciplinary vote he faced before Congress. The original post, at 2:25 PM, comes with a couple of paragraphs of general background information surrounding what is to be expected in the voting session. The author, Eugene Kiely, then provides 19 updated amendments to the original post over the next four hours.

The blog benefits from the constant barrage of updates, providing  outsiders with some breadth of inside knowledge. Clearly, Eugene Kiely was on top of his reportage game last Tuesday during the voting session and his reader’s benefit from it.

Where the blog falters is from its lack of opinion. I am assuming that because of the blogs affiliation with USA Today, like any good reporter should, the bloggers attempt to check their personal opinions at the door.

You can find thousands of blogposts throughout the interweb surrounding the Wilson controversy and peoples personal opinions surrounding the matter. Third Base Politics, which prides itself on “mocking all that is American politics,” comes right out and let’s their readers know that Joe Wilson was right.

While it is always entertaining to read someones opinion, especially when stated as vehemently as the post above, it is refreshing to have a reputable group of journalists whose aim is to get out strictly news based journalism.

The blog also benefits from posts that do not necessarily provide news, but give the reader the ability to view clip they might not gain through the USA Today‘s print or web format, such as this final interview with Sen. Ted Kennedy.