Breakdown?

A visit this morning to the Predictify.com website (via Freakonomics) reveals that some 77.4% of participants in that prediction market believe the current recession will be worse than the 2001 episode. That, coupled with just having read Kevin Phillip's "Number's Racket: Why the economy is worse than we know" in this month's Harper's has me searching for the aspirin.

Think those town budgets are balanced?

MAC's Art Exhibition

The good folks at the Monson Arts Council (MAC) are hosting their annual art exhibition and sale, starting tomorrow (April 12) and running through April 27th. It's always interesting to visit the House of Art (200 Main Street) and this year's theme is "The Dance of Texture, Light and Color."
Hours are Fridays 4:00 - 8:00 PM, Saturdays 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Sundays Noon to 4:00 PM. The MAC always manages to attract a substantial number of visitors from well outside the area.

(The fact that I have three images in the show did influence this posting somewhat.)

Know when to fold 'em?

Pelham officials, faced with financial problems, raised the prospect of merging with or outsourcing services to another town. (Sorry, I can't link to the Gazettenet story, maybe it will appear in today's Bulletin.) Pelham's looking at yet another override vote -- this time to replace aging equipment.

This isn't the first time Pelham's been in this fix. In 1854, faced with a declining population and high poverty rates, the town asked the legislature to give up its charter -- opening up the prospect of a merger with Amherst or Belchertown. Taking over Pelham didn't appear to be an appealing prospect for the surrounding towns so the legislature refused. Apparently Pelham kept up the petition until 1870. Who said history doesn't repeat itself but it does rhyme?

Sustainability is a real issue that we'll hear more and more of. Small may be beautiful but it can be expensive and inefficient.