School Starts

Hurray!

In the past several days Amherst has been transformed from a sleepy cowtown into the bustling youth center of the Valley with the return of yet another academic year. The merchants of course are always happy to see the UMass students arrive with their charge cards, so welcoming banners are everywhere. 

Labor Day there was a huge picnic out by the campus pond at UMass.

It was all you could eat at my favorite price - absolutely free.

 



You have to give dining services a lot of credit, they do a hell of a job.

He may only be a Minuteman, but the UMass cheerleaders love him.

On the first day of classes these little booths were set up to help newcomers find their way to the proper building, which is quite a daunting task on such a huge campus.

In the Campus Center the UMass Democrats were conducting a voter registration drive. The UMass Repubs were nowhere in sight.

Dr. Thompson urges everyone to have a gonzo semester!

These wild blueberry bushes near where I live are really producing! The local blueberry crop has been especially bountiful in the Valley this year. 

Former Valley TV reporter Jim Polito has a running feature on his blog where he and the staff of his radio station in Worcester come up with funny lines to go with interesting photographs. For example. 

Nowadays kids are experimenting with pot at a younger age.

I can't believe that in Northampton street performers are now forced to pay a twenty-five dollar fee. Instead we should be paying them, and be glad to do so, as this video proves.