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Market Basket

7/31/2014

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As I was driving past three of the Markets today, the protesters were larger in size than I had seen last week. It’s been two weeks now, the shelves remain bare. The employees have refused to go back to work and the customers are not been coming in to do their shopping. The protesting employees are demanding the return of their beloved CEO, Arthur T. Demoulas who was ousted by the board of Directors.

 In a bitter family feud, the board of directors pushed out the beloved CEO, whose loyal workers have now walked out in protest. It’s an amazing story of support by the employees of the super market chain for a boss that is loved and respected and has treated them very well.  

 Arthur T. Demoulas was replaced in June by a board now controlled by his cousin, Arthur S. Demoulas, a rival heir to the company which was started as a single store built by their Greek immigrant grandparents in 1916.

 Under Arthur T.’s stewardship, employees have been relatively well-compensated. Manager pay often climbs above six figures after years of service. Cashiers with experience can make over $40,000, and full-time clerks start at $12 an hour. In Massachusetts, the minimum wage is currently $8 an hour. Market Basket also pays 19,000 of its workers yearly bonuses, plus invests the equivalent of 15 percent of every paycheck into a retirement plan. At the same time, the company is impressively profitable. Shareholders have pocketed in excess of $1 billion since 2000.

 Losses are now over 10 million a day, and the demonstrating employees have won a huge amount of public support from the affected shoppers.  Although the stores remain open, the only activity the stores are seeing is from some shoppers who were loyal to Market Basket, they come to bring their receipts from the other supermarkets where they have just done their shopping and attach them to the store windows.

 Arthur T. Demoulas this week has offered to buy out the chain, but there's been no word yet if the Board of Directors will entertain the offer. The only statement that the company has made is, if workers do not go back to work by Monday they will be terminated.

 If Arthur T. fails in his attempt to buy the company back, and Cousin Arthur S. who booted him, sells out to a conglomerate as expected, then the writing will be on the wall for yet another family owned companies. Sell out to the conglomerate; they forget that middle class and livable wage. Low paying jobs are the norm and unchecked wealth for those at the top are expected. That has become the new working model in America. There still are some Arthur T. left that have power and can make a positive difference, and they are far and few between.

 Market Basket rang in $4.6 billion in revenue last year, and is the 127th biggest privately owned company in America. They have 71 stores with some 25,000 employees throughout the Northeast.

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Fun Freebies this Week

7/30/2014

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Each Wednesday, you can find a few of the Fun Freebies that will be held throughout New England during the week. To see many more events that are taking place this weekend, Click on any of the drop down tabs from each page of this web site.





Salem Maritime Festival                                                                                     Saturday ---Salem Ma

Music, Demonstrations, Exhibits, and Children's Activities will be available throughout the park and on Derby Wharf. All Salem Maritime Festival visitors are also invited to enter a drawing for one free boat ride on the vessel of their choice. Tickets may be secured via an onsite lottery on the day of the Festival. Random drawings at the Harbor Cruise Tent on Central Wharf will be held 30 minutes prior to each cruise departure.


Caribbean & Jerk Festival                                                    Saturday -----Hartford Ct

Caribbean cuisine, cool island beverages, spectacular costumes, dance and island rhythms will produce a festive Caribbean atmosphere this Saturday at the Riverfront Park. Live entertainment headlined by Jamaica’s Reggae Icon, Mikey Spice & Platinum Band; Barbados Jazz Saxophonist Elan Trotman; Guyanese Chutney Artist, Terry Gajraj & Naya Fasana Band, Gospel DJ Brother Gary and many more artist that are sure to produce a day of nonstop music and entertainment.

Festival of Fools                                                              Friday-Sunday----Burlington Vt

For three days, Church Street and the area become animated as street artists, circus performers, magicians, musicians and comedians take turns in entertaining the public. The Festival of Fools features the best international street performers from around the globe. Four main stage locations surrounding the Church Street Marketplace and City Hall Park will feature continuous street theater, performing to over 10,000 visitors to Church Street each day. The Festival wraps up on Sunday, August 4th with a grand finale featuring all the performers of the festival.

First Fridays                                                                                       Friday-----Putnam Ct

The First Friday event will feature great live entertainment, a variety of art vendors lining the streets, fun and interactive art projects, and stimulating events. Putnam is a hub for arts & culture in Northeast Connecticut.

 Free Fun Friday's                                                      Friday's throughout Massachusetts 

Each week on Friday,
The Highland Street Foundation will sponsor free admission to Museums and other cultural and fun destinations throughout Massachusetts. This program is open again this year to all Ma. residents thanks to this very generous family foundation.

Jacobs Pillow Dance Inside/Out Performances          Wednesday-Saturday Stockbridge Ma

These are the free performances that happen every week from Wednesday through Saturday during the Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival. The shows are performed outside, with a beautiful backdrop of the Berkshire Hills in the summer. When the weather is threatening the performance will move to an indoor studio with very limited seating. Call the Box Office after 5pm the day of the performance to find out if it will be outdoors or indoors.

 The Berklee Sumer in the City Concerts  Series                                                    Greater Boston Ma

This concert series, presents more than 200 free performances throughout the Greater Boston area from May through September. Bringing neighborhoods alive with free programs of pop, rock, jazz, Latin, and more, some of Berklee’s most promising young artists are poised to share the skills they hone on campus with the local community.


 Bascom Lodge Weekly Performances atop Mount Greylock                Adams Ma.

Sitting atop Massachusetts’ highest peak in the Berkshires sits Bascom Lodge There are a myriad of opportunities for fun for families throughout the summer and early fall. Open May 31st through October 30th, the lodge offers workshops, lectures, music and explorations of all kinds.

Good Diggin Free City and Town summer Concert Schedule   throughout  New England

Many museums  also offer free admission during specified days of the week. See them in the  
Museum Listing of New England


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Simple Truths

7/29/2014

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I am not the author, bet when I read them I could relate, and smile.


SIMPLE  TRUTH  1

 Lovers help each other undress before sex.
However after sex, they always dress on their own.
 Simple Truth: In life, no one helps you once you’re screwed.


SIMPLE  TRUTH  2

When a lady is pregnant, all her friends touch her stomach and say, "Congrats".
 But, none of them touch the man's penis and say, "Good job". 
 Simple  Truth: Some members of a team are never  appreciated.


 FIVE Other Simple Truths

1. Money cannot buy happiness, but it's more comfortable to cry in a Corvette than on a bicycle.
 2.  Forgive your enemy, but remember the asshole's name.
 3. If you help someone when they're in trouble, they will remember you when they're in trouble again.
 4. Many people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them.
 5. Alcohol does not solve any problems but then neither does milk.

 Bonus Truth: 
 Condoms don't guarantee safe sex.  A friend of mine was wearing one when he was shot by the woman's husband.


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Monday's

7/28/2014

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                      Sometimes There are a lot of Ooooopps

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Moose and More

7/27/2014

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Steak, Meatloaf and Hamburg’s will soon be very expensive

Problems in New England are coming soon

Paris's Kristallnacht ..Problems in France are getting much worse

Why is that Supermarket Rotisserie Chicken so cheap

In Denver, the streets are filled with…….?


There should be a dress requirement at Hamas funerals.....Warning graphic video

The Red Sox Week ended like

Proof Positive, Coffee is the Real Deal


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Have a Beach Weekend

7/25/2014

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       News Reports have a lot of visitors at the Cape this week

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July 24th, 2014

7/24/2014

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Yesterday was National Hot Dog Day, Not to be confused with National Hot Dog Month.  I was able to get my fix.  There was no mid week cookout or picnics to enjoy a few of my favorite treats. There were also hot dogs specials everywhere at the fast food joints but I did not have the opportunity to stop for a good one. But after work, I came home and grilled some fine German Brats with sauerkraut and mustard on top. Yes they are considered a dog.

I hope those of you that love them like me were able to enjoy a good treat and are also trying new stops or old favorites during this month. “National Hot Dog Month” I will be in Maine this weekend and will make the annual stop at Flo’s. Just because.

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Looking forward to the Weekend

7/24/2014

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Fun Freebies this Week

7/23/2014

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Each Wednesday, you can find a few of the Fun Freebies that will be held throughout New England during the week. To see many more events that are taking place this weekend, Click on any of the drop down tabs from each page of this web site.

Music Among the Memorials                                            Friday, July 25, 6:00 pm  Hartford Ct
Join in for a fun evening of music featuring Stacy Phillips & Paul Howard at the Cedar Hill cemetery. Stacy is a Grammy award-winning fiddler and dobro player and Paul is a smooth, versatile vocalist and world-class rhythm guitarist. Together they play roots music of America as well as Hawaiian, klezmer, jazz and their unique brand of originals. Bring blankets, chairs and picnic dinners for an evening to remember.

Summer Arts Weekend                                                          Wednesday-----Sunday  Boston Ma    The Boston Globe, and Citizens Bank are bringing Summer Arts Weekend back to Boston. This free weekend event will again feature a dynamic variety of musical artists from across the classical, jazz, blues, folk, and Americana worlds as well as a number of new arts, food and cultural programs. This year, Grammy-Award winners Los Lobos,  Arturo Sandoval and Ricky Staggs and Kentucky Thunder will headline the festival.

Free Fun Friday's                                                                              Friday's in Massachusetts 

Each week on Friday,
The Highland Street Foundation will sponsor free admission to Museums and other cultural and fun destinations throughout Massachusetts. This program is open again this year to all Ma. residents thanks to this very generous family foundation.


Jacobs Pillow Dance Inside/Out Performances          Wednesday-Saturday Stockbridge Ma

These are the free performances that happen every week from Wednesday through Saturday during the Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival. The shows are performed outside, with a beautiful backdrop of the Berkshire Hills in the summer. When the weather is threatening the performance will move to an indoor studio with very limited seating. Call the Box Office after 5pm the day of the performance to find out if it will be outdoors or indoors.


  
 The Berklee Sumer in the City Concerts  Series                                             Greater Boston Ma

This concert series, presents more than 200 free performances throughout the Greater Boston area from May through September. Bringing neighborhoods alive with free programs of pop, rock, jazz, Latin, and more, some of Berklee’s most promising young artists are poised to share the skills they hone on campus with the local community.


  Waterfire                                                                       Providence RI  Saturday at Sunset

This Saturday, there will be another full lighting for the Waterfire Festival. Over eighty bonfires will be lit along the river in downtown Providence. As you walk along the paths in Waterfront Park, past the arched bridges and beautiful sculptures; your senses will be captivated by the flames, aromas of burning wood and music from around the world. There will be torch-lit vessels that travel down the river, street performers and live music.  WaterFire has been enjoyed by of over ten million visitors since its flames were first lit in 1994.


Bascom Lodge Weekly Performances atop Mount Greylock                                           Adams Ma.

Sitting atop Massachusetts’ highest peak in the Berkshires sits Bascom Lodge There are a myriad of opportunities for fun for families throughout the summer and early fall. Open May 31st through October 30th, the lodge offers workshops, lectures, music and explorations of all kinds.



 
Good Diggin Free City and Town summer Concert Schedule   throughout  New England

Many museums  also offer free admission during specified days of the week. See them in the Museum Listing of New England




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Tale's from Camp

7/22/2014

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I took a road trip “Upta Camp” this weekend to do some chores and relaxation. That’s why I was late on Sunday’s Moose Dropping’s blog. Good friend Jim and I took the four plus hour drive up to the North Country and the deep woods. We knew that there was a lot of work that had been neglected this year, so it was time to catch up.

After the long ride we finally reached the logging road that brings us into camp. It is six and a half miles long. They did some logging in the woods last year, and the first six miles of the road was still in good shape. When we got to the last half mile of the main road that brings us into camp, we had a problem.  The culvert, that allows the runoff of water from the hill to travel under the dirt road, had washed out. There was no way we could continue the drive until we had fixed it. The camp is truly one of the last of a few camps in the deep woods.

Was this a sign of what to expect? A few years earlier, there was a micro burst that went through that same stretch of road and it took us hours to cut the timber and clear the road.  The thought now was of downed trees that may have to be cleared out after the culvert repair. It was now weighing heavy on our minds as we finished up and started the drive in to camp.  As it turned out, there were no tree’s that had fallen and the last half mile of the ride was slow and easy.

 When we pulled up to the camp, the place looked it like it had been abandoned a long time ago. There was a lot of tall grass that needed to be cut. This was the first trip we had made up North all year and knew that there would be some work involved.  As the door was unlocked, we held our breath. The inside of the camp was in very good shape.  The new metal roof that we put on last year had done the job.   No birds of the woods had flown through the windows.  No creatures had found a new home. What a relief, check off one detail that required no further attention.

Later, a friend and fellow camper who also has a camp a few miles away came by to offer some help. Ramie is always there, to spin a yarn and sip a cold one.  He told us about a pool of native brook trout that he had found in the woods that morning that had never seen a fisherman before.  Ramie and his wife April had just fished it with great success.  He also told us that there was a black bear just down the path that he watched eating wild raspberries.  Yes the adventures and tales from camp.

When we were cutting the grass and weeds from the back side of camp, that’s when we found a problem. There has been a porcupine that has been eating away at the back wall.  It did not go all the way through into the camp, but it did cause some significant damage.  Major future repairs are in order.  We will have to put some tin metal over the wood from the ground up to prevent any more porcupine problems.

When we finished all of the work that could be done on this trip is was time to relax and tell some tales. There were also a couple of cold ones that were iced down and ready for this time of the day.  We stayed up till about midnight and then Raymie headed back to his camp.  Jim had gone to bed a little earlier so I just sat there on the porch for a little while to enjoy the sounds from the owls that were calling each other in the darkness.  About thirty minutes later I headed for the bunk and a good night’s sleep.

By one o’clock, I was just starting to fall asleep when the noise brought me to full attention. There was a porcupine outside eating on the camp wall again.  I woke Jim up and told him what was going on.  He listened and when he heard the teeth gnawing on our wall,  he said we should go ask that porcupine to stop eating the camp wall and go away for good.  We grabbed a flashlight and went out back and there he was.  After some discussion, he did in fact leave for good.

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