toxic toothpaste hits Somerville, whee

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

So we're watching a late-night news report and my husband suddenly notices that he recognizes the mini-mart featured in a story about toxic toothpaste. Guess what? It's the QF Mart on Highland Ave. A local guy says he bought the toothpaste there last week and got sick from using it. It was counterfeit Colgate, recognizable by the following:

• Box says "Germ Defence" on front label and misspells "adult" as "adolt" when describing correct usage on the back


• Box says it's manufactured in South Africa -- Colgate/Palmolive says they don't make toothpaste there


• Tube says the volume is 100ml, a size apparently not sold in the US


• Contents said to smell bad

QF Mart claims they don't sell toothpaste. Regardless of whether that's true, the tainted product appears to have been distributed in this area, so be careful when you buy toothpaste. Read the labels. If you see anything amiss, you might want to bring it to the attention of the store and/or authorities.

ETA: The story was reported today in the Boston Herald and carried in the Somerville Journal.

Life Drawing/ Silkscreening classes return in July

[wbaltic.livejournal.com]

Life Drawing, beginning drawing, and silkscreening clasees join the already ongoing Improv practice this July at Willoughby and Baltic. Life drawing is also open to those who do not want instruction, but will no longer be held on a drop-in basis (you must sign up in advance).

Also, this week: Shawn Levesque and Sierra play from 6-8 on Thursday in Artist Alley.  At 8:45 on Thursday we continue our free movies with a sock puppet film noir. And our annual print sale is still going on until the end of next week.

For a more complete schedule, see our summer newsletter here.

Oh, and don't forget that tonight is the last night for Macbeth auditions. Show up from 7-9 with some Shakespeare to try out for the Lallygagging Players production to be performed in August.

Willoughby and Baltic
195g Elm Street
Davis Square

(follow the polka-dotted path down the alley between Benjapon's and Subway Sandwich Shop)

Open to the public daily until 7pm.

Pigeons on Porch

[wonkywheels.livejournal.com]

Pigeons have been roosting on our front, exposed porch (but not the covered back porch). There's no roof, so putting up netting is not an option. Does anyone know of some sort of home-made pigeon repellent I can make? If not, what's the best commercial product? I was thinking of buying one of those owl scarecrows. Does anyone have experience with those?

Area Locksmith

[derekp.livejournal.com]

I'm looking to have my locks re-cored so that a single key opens the front, back, and basement doors (instead of the 5 keys required now).  I'm looking for recommendations for reputable area locksmiths.  Many of the local listings seem to be hijacked by a single national company with local looking listings.  Their numbers all go to the same dispatching service and it's impossible to find a "real" local locksmith.

Thanks in advance!

More on trash and holidays

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

To recap:
* Yesterday was a municipal holiday in Somerville which supposedly means that trash pickup is delayed by one day for the entire week.
* However, some people reported that their trash was picked up yesterday, per the usual (non-holiday) schedule.
* Yesterday afternoon I posted in this community saying that I had received email from the city confirming that yesterday's trash pickup was in error and that pickups would indeed be delayed this week.
* But this morning orbitalmechanic posted in a comment on the aforementioned post, saying that her trash was picked up today, on the usual (non-holiday) schedule.

I've just had another email exchange with Sean Murphy, Director of "Constituent Services" for the city. He now tells me that the trash vendor does go around the regular-day streets, after picking up on the holiday schedule, and collects any trash that was erroneously put out by people who didn't know/remember about the holiday. They do this to reduce clutter and so forth. So, in other words, on a Tuesday of a holiday week, they would collect the Monday streets first (per holiday schedule) and then drive around the Tuesday streets just to get whatever is out; and then they would do the Tuesday streets again on Wednesday, per holiday schedule. Clear as mud?

In any case, Mr. Murphy asked me my opinion of this, whether I think it makes sense to do it this way. So I put it to you as well. What do you think?

Personally I can see both sides. The city is in a bit of a bind here: if they delay the pickups, there will always be at least a few people who forget or don't realize it's a holiday, so we wind up with trash sitting out for a whole extra day. But if they pick up on a Tuesday street on Tuesday, all the residents who thought they were supposed to put trash out on Wednesday get confused (and potentially angry). Then those people are likely to not put their trash out at all, and be angry all over again when the truck comes again on Wednesday!

Thoughts?

BTW, you can email Sean Murphy yourself if you like: smurphy@ci.somerville.ma.us

Sorry to take up so much of your friends-list with trash talk ;)

Alex Pizza is closed

[ron_newman]

The windows of 382 Highland Ave. are partly papered over. The phone (617-628-1211) is disconnected.

I don't know if they're closed for good, or just renovating. If anyone knows more, please reply here.

Which of the "Seven Hills" still exist?

[ariwriter.livejournal.com]

According to the city Historic Preservation Commission, there are seven hills in Somerville. (EDIT: There are also seven hills in Worcester, where I attended college, but I digress.)

1. Central Hill
2. Mount Benedict or Plowed Hill
3. Cobble Hill
4. Prospect Hill or Mount Pisgah
5. Spring Hill
6. Winter Hill
7. Walnut Hill, Strawberry Hill or Clarendon Hill

I know Winter Hill is on Broadway, Clarendon Hill is by Johnny Foodmaster, and Prospect Hill is where the tower overlooks Union Square.

I read that Mt. Benedict, home to the former McLean Asylum for the Criminally Insane (before it moved to Belmont), existed in East Somerville by Franklin Street and is now leveled.

I'm guessing Cobble Hill was also leveled, down where the Cobble Hill condos are on Washington Street. But there's also a Cobble Hill Laundromat on the corner of Medford and Central Streets.

I'm guessing Central Hill is where Central Street meets Broadway.

Spring Hill?