Web Feature:
Scope on Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network - Chris Kepple talks on The Colin McEnroe Show about Scope
Video Feature:
So, there we were, live at five in Downtown NL strolling along with our life-size obama cardboard mannequin when this guy comes up to us and says "hey, what are you doing? ...
link coming soon...
Featured Article:
The Hygienic - A Brief History
In 1781, Benedict Arnold and his British troops captured Fort Trumbull in New London and burned the city of New London to the ground. The foundations of old colonial on Bank Street were filled in.
In 1844, Captain Harris, a prosperous whaler, built a greek revival building at 83 Bank Street to serve as ship's store and quarters for his crews. By 1878, the building was known as the Columbia Hotel. The storefront of brick arches was replaced with columns; slate shingles replaced cedar shingles on the roof; and four dormers were added.
In 1919, a restaurant run by the Swanson Brothers opened. In 1931, the Sigros family purchased the business and named it the Hygienic, Hygia being the Greek goddess of health. The Hygienic Restaurant became an all night restaurant with rooms to let upstairs. During the 1940's and 1950's, the Hygienic remained respectable. Franklin Roosevelt lunched here in between trains. Rumor has it Al Capone did likewise.
It later devolved into a hangout of ill repute. Bank Street, by the 1960's and 70's, was known for its less salutary delights. In 1979, local artists convinced the owner to have an art show there. The show would be non-juried, non-censored, without an exhibit or an admission fee. But The Hygienic closed in 1985 and stood vacant for ten years. In 1996, it was scheduled for demolition. Local artists made an effort to save it and 1998, purchased the building.
Hygienic Arts, Inc. has greatly aided in the renewal of New London's downtown economy and reputation. The Hygienic, no longer a restaurant, hosts artists, poets, playwrights and musicians. In 2000, the building was restored, with additional performance and gallery space in its basement. In 2001, the adjacent lot began its transformation into an al fresco performance space and sculpture garden. With support from the city, local businesses, and private patrons, the Hygienic has been renewed as a memorable art space. Each January, the Salon des Independents holds its non-juried, non-censored exhibition. During the same week, poetry, theater, music and dance take place in the neighborhood. In 2010, we celebrated Hygienic XXXI.
fourth page article
This phrase, purported to be a derivative of an ancient Chinese wish upon one's enemy, serves as an understated wish for upheaval and trouble in the those enemies' lives. While we will not speak of who or what this enemy is -- or, at least, not yet -- the implications of the phrase "interesting times" do conjure images of upheaval and trouble. And the terms "upheaval" and "trouble" do describe our region's, and our country's...
Recently, a food safety bill went through congress, largely in response to the 500 million egg recall from what trends forecaster Gerald Celente called a "chicken coop concentration camp." It has not yet passed at the time of writing but likely will, representing another chilling milestone in the societal trend towards oligarchy, wherein the interests of the state cannot be separated from those of corporations.
To consider what this legislation has done, I present you with a sardonic riddle: if this bill was meant to regulate a long under-regulated industry, why would that same industry lobby for this bill to be passed?
Supporters of the bill include major food producers like Kraft Foods, General Mills, the Grocery Manufacturer's Association,the National Association of Manufacturers, the American Frozen Food Institute, and other processed food lobbyists. Somebody, my friends, is perpetrating a fraud.
Let's start with the positives. This bill will lead to more FDA visits to factory farms and greater care in ensuring cleanliness of corporate food. I agree with these aims and applaud the attempt to implement them. Unfortunately, there is more to this fairy tale.
The term "Proletarianization" refers to the intentional conversion of highly skilled, artisanal and independent work force into hourly-based, easily replaced cog in a factory-style facility. This is achieved by an unholy union of corporate and governmental power, the very definition of Fascism, and it has been occurring in the United States for the past many generations. For the sake of specificity, this article will focus on a modern case of this proletarianization of small business owners. Insurance companies use their wealth and influence to push through legislation that provides an unfair advantage to those auto-body shops that are owned, operated or otherwise in thrall with these insurance companies, disenfranchising the independent auto-body shop owners who are less inclined to play ball with the big boys.
Over the past couple decades, insurance companies have developed the concept of "direct repair shops" as a means of influencing people in their choice of where they can get their cars fixed. To become a "direct repair shop" there are many requirements for the smaller, local and autonomous auto body business owners need to meet. As this process tends to be tedious, byzantine and expensive, this can limit one's ability to become a direct repair shop. "Direct repair shops" also pay the insurance company a cut of the total repair and, in return, the insurance company sends their clients to the "direct repair shop" exclusively. This hurts smaller, local autonomous body shop owners who do not want to be under the influence of the insurance companies or do not have the overhead to maintain a large facility and pay more employees to meet these requirements.
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