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By Ashley Taylor Addi Ouadderrou poured Moroccan mint tea from high above the glass tea cups, partly to cool it off, partly for show. He offered some to me, along with drinking instructions: in Moroccan culture, it is okay to slurp. "We drink both tea and air." Ouadderrou said that Moroccans traditionally drink three cups of tea per day. Through a cup of tea, Ouadderrou shared an important part of his culture. Moroccan mint tea is one of the many traditions Ouadderrou has been sharing with acquaintances since he moved from Southeastern Morocco to Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1997 and opened a Moroccan imports shop, Moroccan Caravan, in Union Square. He also shares his culture by performing traditional Moroccan music in his band, Amoud. "Amoud means seeds, seeds that can grow and prosper, and we symbolize ourselves as seeds of our culture that will grow and prosper and flourish," Ouadderrou said. The culture that they disseminate belongs to a particular group of Moroccans, the Amazighen. |
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Andrew Firestone It was a night of beauty and revelation at Bloc 11, as fifteen of the previous "winners" of the weekly coffeehouse award came forward, guitars in hand, to compete for $75 gift certificate. Showcasing the vast diversity of Somerville, the performers, of all walks of life and styles, each played two sets in front of a silent panel of judges with hopes of being crowned king of the roost, which was eventually presented to Dan Blakeslee, auteur blues guitarist. Colin Kelly of Somerville put it as basically as it could be put, "I'm just going to try to play the best song I've written in the last couple months." In a twang reminiscent of later period Bob Dylan, Kelly was as cool as could be, even reaching the three-man semi-finals with co-competitor Peter Bertrand. Sam Beyer who was emphatically "ready" before his performance noted that in his craft, this model for success was a bit of a mystery. "I've written songs for a long, long time and I still don't know where they come from," he said. "I'm convinced that the song fairy comes and lays them under my pillow." The night was rife with inspired and original performances. These included soul-master Alex Pashion's rendition of "Don't you be so Cruel, Baby Don't you be so Kind" in classical howlin' style, the Haitian-blues artist Gifrants and his unique and permeating Island brand of blues and the Bella Birds with their harmonizing soft, delicate melodies. Innovation, skill and technique took center stage, as the many artists played their hearts out. When asked where the pain he drew upon came from, Pashion responded laconically, "the music business will surely provide you with a lot of pain." One of the most unique performances came from local Max Jackson, who, unable to find the harmonica-duo who planned on playing, improvised a rapturous medley on a spare didgeridoo which happened to be lying around. Combining circular breathing with beat-boxing, Jackson produced an unforgettable effect, hinting influence of blues, middle-eastern music, and dance hall. "I'm trying to create my own sound," said Jackson. |
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Jimmy Del Ponte (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) April 1st is, of course, April Fool's Day. It's a day to play pranks on people to make them feel foolish. It got me thinking of all the times I feel foolish in the course of my regular, everyday life. I don't need to set one designated day aside. |
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By William Tauro Construction crews working in full swing to get the Union Square roads paved and completed. Somerville Police directing traffic during busy drive times to ensure clear passage for motorist as well as for any emergency vehicles. |
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William C. Shelton (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) I really do get tired of writing columns critical of the mayor's actions and the aldermen's inactions. I much prefer to celebrate Somerville government's triumphs, like the comprehensive planning effort or the middle-school multimedia program. |
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By Ben Johnson The life of Deanna Cremin was remembered on Monday night, March 29th with a candlelight vigil held in her honor at 125 Jacques St, near to the place where her body was found fifteen years ago. Over fifty friends, relatives and community members attended the vigil in spite of Monday's pouring rain. With colorful umbrellas guarding the candles from the downpour, the attendants showed solidarity with the bereaved Cremin family and their continued commitment in pursuing justice for Deanna. |
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By William Tauro The hit series 'The Biggest Loser" starring Jillian Michaels is very quietly filming a segment for that show at 13 Holmes Street in Cambridge. Camera crews unload equipment while trying hard not to attract any unwanted attention. With a white enclosed tent set up in the back yard, vans, a motor coach tucked away and concealed in a neighboring driveway and a lighting truck trailer are all that is noticeable from outside the Cambridge residence. According to sources the show is scheduled to film an outdoor shot this coming Saturday with Jillian Michaels on Huron Avenue at the tennis courts. |
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Our own local celebrity Jimmy Del Ponte has been hard at work trying to market the City of Somerville in hopes of attracting Google here. Recently, Jimmy dressed up as "Lady Google" and even posed for a photo shoot at Prospect Hill – he also organized a large group of students from the High School to dress up in bright colorful outfits and lay down on the field at Dilboy, spelling out the word "Google" with their bodies. The events are all part of a campaign by the city to gain interest from Google Broadband to come to Somerville. We hope that Google sees his hard efforts and comes to Somerville. |
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Last year it was the All America City competition that got us all fired up and ready to bring home the bacon, so to speak. This year, it's all about competing with 1,100 other cities and towns from across the nation – smallest to the largest imaginable – for the chance of Google Broadband being brought into Somerville. There were over 194,000 individual responses/recommendations as well.
In contrast to last year's adventure, this is a lofty goal, for sure, based on the sheer number and size of the other cities that are interested, but arguably, few of those 1,100 have the fervor or the tenacity of our 'villens – from the every day resident to the Mayor himself, with quite the eclectic mix in-between. It's this eclectic mix that makes Somerville a viable standout amongst the mob, along with a number of other more technical and somewhat nerdy details of course (the grid-like layout of the city, etc.)
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David Lombino Car accidents are the leading cause of teenage deaths. This statistic is what prompted Middlesex County District Attorney Gerry Leone, Interim Somerville Chief of Police Mike Cabral, School Superintendent Tony Pierantozzi, and probation officer Linda Donovan to lecture a crowd of nearly 400 high school students about the hazards of substance abuse, and the importance of not becoming a statistic. "We don't expect you to be perfect," Leone addressed the students, "but we expect you to be really good." |
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