Makers: The More the Merrier
Regarding the your recent story on the Makers movement (“Making Makers in the Valley,” June 27, 2013): I am the co-founder of The Geek Group of Western Mass., a valley maker space. We have been in existence for almost three years now. Our shop is located in the Indian Orchard Mills, 34 Front St., Indian Orchard. We are open to the public every Tuesday night, 6:30 to 10 p.m. We have a variety of power and hand tools available for use, including a Bridgeport milling machine, a mini lathe, and a 3d RepRap printer.
Please stop by or check us out at www.meetup.com/TheGeekGroupofWesternMass/.
A great story on an exciting movement. I hope to bring author Wendy Jehanara Tremayne to the Valley to present her new book, The Good Life Lab: Radical Experiments in Hands-On Living. We will definitely look into some of these places mentioned in your story as possible event venues. Wendy’s makerspace events have been really successful on the West Coast, and it’s great to see we’re keeping up on this side of the country!
A Place for a Casino?
You ask, “Is there a place for casino gambling in the Pioneer Valley, and if so, where?” (Advocate Referendum, June 27, 2013).
If there is a place for casino gambling in the “Happy” Pioneer Valley, we think we’ve found the best location. Not Springfield, not Westside, not Palmer, not even Holyoke or Chicopee. The perfect location is the four contiguous small communities of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich and Prescott. Oops! They’re at the bottom of the Quabbin Reservoir. Oh, well! Think about how fabulous the reservoir would look with a neon glow emanating from its waters every night. And if lake trout are silly enough to swallow shiners on our Eagle Claw hooks, they must be gullible enough to swim up to poker machines and drop a few quarters.
Reduce the Nukes
In these tough fiscal times, nothing should be off the table for reduction—especially not a program that costs billions of dollars and reflects a Cold War-era vision of national security. I call on my elected representatives in Washington to support President Obama’s common-sense plan to reduce the nuclear arsenal.
The current U.S. stockpile should be cut. A massive nuclear arsenal does little to enhance our security. We are far past the point of a nuclear deterrent; more nuclear weapons means a greater chance that those weapons will fall into the wrong hands, or that other nations will feel pressured to develop their own nuclear bombs.
Here at home, our families and communities are hurting from deep cuts to critical programs. Nuclear weapons don’t help with the kind of security we need—the security that comes from having food on our tables and safe neighborhoods for our children. The Cold War is over. It’s time our budget reflects that.
