Several hundred people are gathered at the Boys & Girls Club gym (formerly Savio Hall) in East Boston this morning for a volleyball tournament sponsored by Catholic churches in the Greater Boston area. About a dozen teams of women and girls are on hand for the event. In the photo, the Everett team celebrates after taking a set off a squad from Cambridge.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Serving with spirit
Thursday, December 3, 2009
The tragedy at Bhopal
Another anniversary today: this one shameful. It was 25 years ago today that a Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, India, released a cloud of toxic gas that killed immediately about 4,000 people and another 10,000 to 20,000 people over time.
There's an op-ed piece in today's New York Times about the tragedy: how Dow Chemical -- which bought Union Carbide in 2001 -- disclaims any responsibility from the event; and how the CEO of UC at the time has never been extradited from the US despite the international arrest warrant in his name.
Of course, the poor and powerless of the world don't stand a chance when it comes to multi-national corporations and their relentless pillaging of the world's resources. The water, the air, the soil, the food, the social fabric of society -- whatever sits in the way of profit doesn't stand a chance.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
'John Brown’s body lies moldering in the grave'
John Brown -- terrorist to some, hero to others -- was hanged 150 years ago today not far from the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Va., that he and 21 others raided on Oct. 16, 1859. The siege lasted into the next day, but Marines under the command of Robert E. Lee -- then a colonel in the federal army -- stormed the building, killed several of the men and took Brown and others prisoner.
Brown was tried and found guilty within three weeks and hanged on Dec. 2. A 21-year-old John Wilkes Booth was among the crowd that assembled to watch. Before his death, Brown wrote:
I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood.He was unfortunately correct.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
In the red zone
East Boston High School football coach John Sousa will retire from the position after this season, which means his last game will either be this evening or on Saturday, depending on how the Jets fare in tonight's playoff game. The squad is 9-1 and meets Bristol-Plymouth (8-2) in Taunton at 5:15. A win puts them in Saturday's Division 4 Super Bowl against Whittier. Sousa has coached Eastie's gridiron gang for 17 years.
Update: Eastie advanced to Saturday's championship game with a 35-8 win last night.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Eastie company helps with energy decisions
Today's Boston Herald gives some ink to a small local business that is "getting national attention for its youthful take on clean energy," according to the story. Emergent Energy Group began with a few college students in 2007. They're still a small operation -- located at 61 Maverick Street -- but the company will bring in around a quarter-million dollars this year.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Finding Unity in Maine
Boston.com has an interesting story about several Amish families moving into the small Maine town of Unity, which is 90 miles or so northeast of Portland. Central Maine is beautiful, rugged, generally undeveloped and often struggling economically. The Amish have been able to find some relatively inexpensive land and neighbors that admire their lifestyle.
I've been to Unity to attend the Common Ground Country Fair, an annual event that celebrates organic farming and rural living in general. It's an interesting event, with music and food and cool exhibits.
I'm also intrigued by the Amish. I'm not down with their hardcore religious beliefs and the strict patriarchy they usually observe, but there is a great deal to be said for living more simply and closer to the earth. (Disclaimer in advance of sneers: Yes, I own a car, PC, laptop, cell phone, etc.)
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Tweeting locally
If you use Twitter you might want to add East_Boston to the list of those you follow (check it out at twitter.com/East_Boston). There's also the good folks at EastBoston.com on Twitter at EBDotCom (twitter.com/EBDotCom).
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Santarpio's North?
Until now, the legendary Santarpio's name has been safeguarded: no other locations and no retail products. It seems, however, that the family has purchased the site of the former Bennigan's on Route 1 in Peabody and they intend to call the new place Santarpio's. After renovations, the eatery is scheduled to open in March. It's unclear so far how similar the menu will be to the landmark East Boston restaurant.
'so that we might...rejoice together'
From A Relation or Journal of the Beginning and Proceedings of the English Plantation Settled at Plimoth in New England (commonly known as Mourt's Relation) by Edward Winslow, published in London in 1622:...our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors; they four in one day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deer, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governor, and upon the Captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The origin of Origin
Charles Darwin's book, On the Origin of Species, was published 150 years ago today and it has been a hugely important work ever since. Some news sites -- still under the impression that being fair means giving equal time to those whose viewpoints have no basis in fact -- are saying that the debate still rages on; however, there is no debate. Darwin was wrong about some things, but his theory of natural selection is still accepted and has become, according to Wikipedia, "the unifying theory of the life sciences."
Darwin, who was born 200 years ago this year, was a brilliant and courageous scientist. The small-minded among us who try to push evolution out of the classroom are stuck in the Middle Ages. Ye muste taketh the truthe & accepteth it.
That sinking feeling
Another model shows that East Boston -- at least the residential parts of the neighborhood -- will be underwater by the middle of this century due to global climate change. (Logan Airport looks like it'll be in decent shape.) Other parts of Boston, including much of the downtown area, will also be inundated, with the overall loss in assets worth nearly a half trillion dollars.
While I try to take several steps to be a more judicious consumer of energy and I support big steps the government should take, I fully expect that human beings will be unable to gather the will to stop the planet's warming. Even as the effects of our actions become more visible and more calamitous, people will still put profit and convenience ahead of our common interests and our species' long-term survival, like the dying smoker who keeps puffing away even while carrying around an oxygen tank. We're doomed.
On the other hand, East Boston was created by connecting islands with landfill, and soon enough she will return to the sea. The hands of man can only hold off the hand of nature for so long.
Map from Boston.com.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Obama needs to rise to challenge
I know that Barack Obama is working on numerous fronts to bring forth policies that I believe in, but the ride is slow, bumpy and not at all guaranteed to succeed -- and it seems that the president hasn't been fighting enough to make these important changes come to fruition. I cannot help but pine for a leader like Franklin Roosevelt.
Now, Obama does not have FDR's disposition and the economic mess he inherited, while serious, is not the Great Depression (and therefore, drastic action is harder to implement). More than that, however, times have changed since the 1930s and 1940s, and maybe there's no bigger example than the breadth and scrutiny of the media, evidenced by disproved lies, like Obama not being a citizen, getting significant play while an actual fact, that FDR was confined to a wheelchair, was hushed by the press of his day.
Those who have grumbled about Obama being socialist and the most radical occupant ever of the White House are ignoring that the current president is nowhere near as far to the left as Roosevelt, who quickly and forcefully empowered the government to help the "third of the nation" that was "ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished," actions which had him labeled "a traitor to his class."
Today I watched a PBS documentary on the federal government program that sent photographers out to chronicle rural poor during the Depression, an undertaking that resulted in 160,000 images (the most famous of which, Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother" is to the right) that are housed in the Library of Congress and considered a national treasure. The project was conceived by a member of FDR's inner circle, and the president not only gave the go-ahead, but fought battles with Congress, which sought to defund the program because members felt the realistic and sad images reflected badly on the US.
Today, most historians consider FDR in the company of Lincoln and Washington as America's greatest presidents, and back in 2000 Time magazine chose Roosevelt as runner-up (to Albert Einstein) as the most important person of the 20th century. Despite the consequences of his paralytic illness, FDR stood up against fascism abroad and economic injustice at home. He fought the good fight like few presidents before or since. Now, in the midst again of war and economic uncertainty, I'd like to see President Obama stand tall and forcefully against the short-sighted, narrow-minded and self-serving opponents to his agenda of change.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Hubster praises Times -- with one complaint
First off, for those who say that I never have anything good to say about the East Boston Times, there's a photo on Page 11 of this week's paper that is shot from a low angle and shows some veterans from behind with the flag above them. There's some creativity to the shot, and I like it.
Also, on Page 10, there is a photo of two people talking at the opening of an artists' building -- a rare instance of people not posed in a Times photo. On Page 3 the photos at the Salesian Boys and Girls Club Spaghetti Supper don't include any of the usual suspects, which is nice to see.
I only have one criticism this week, but it's a serious factual error. The story of the Spaghetti Supper begins:
It’s no secret there was some animosity towards the Salesians after the religious order evicted Savio Prep High School from its property on Byron Street two years ago.The Salesians did not, in fact, evict Savio Prep High School, and it is misleading to say so. The school's board of directors voted to shut down Savio in January or February of 2007. I know because I was on the faculty at the time. There was, I believe, one more year left on the school's lease.
Now, I'm not saying that there weren't issues between the Salesians and the school, but the reality is that Savio should not have even opened up for that last year. As it was, the place went bankrupt before it finished paying all of the salary obligations to employees (despite assurances I was personally given when I returned that fall that the school would be open for at least two years, I and others were screwed thousands of dollars) and the building was not in good shape.
Anyway, while it's true that there was animosity, it is incorrect to say that Savio was evicted.
Marking time in style
Local artists Ejay Khan and Chris Murray have put together a calendar featuring photographs taken all over East Boston, and many of the images are striking.
The calendar, along with many other cool items is available at their shop Images by Khan and Murray at 6 Bremen Street, just around the corner from Maverick Square.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Say no to popcorn
Next time you visit the cinema, you may want to pass on the giant barrel of popcorn. Even before you add the fake butter, a medium-size movie theater popcorn and a soda have as much fat and calories as three quarter-pounders. Great Caesar's ghost!
This story comes from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which releases reports a few times a year to tell us what we should pretty much have known anyway: the mall cinnamon rolls, the supermarket processed foods and the movie theater snacks -- among other things that Americans are consuming vast quantities of -- are all horrifically bad for us.
As food expert Michael Pollan says, "Don't eat anything your grandmother wouldn't recognize as food."
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Rogue watching
Atlantic Monthly blogger Andrew Sullivan is following closely the moves and machinations of Sarah Palin, who is now on tour pushing her book. Like many on either side of the political divide, Sullivan was outraged that John McCain created this monster.
McCain, writes Sullivan, "perpetrated this nonsense and even now refuses to take an ounce of responsibility" for "the fact that a person of no credentials and no transparency and no knowledge came that close to being president of this country ...I want the truth about this farce fully exposed so it never, ever happens again."
Between the publication of her book, Going Rogue (cover, above, from Wikipedia) and appearances (Oprah and elsewhere) to support the book, Palin has worked herself again into the center of a media storm. Meanwhile, former future son-in-law Levi Johnston -- the father of Bristol Palin's child -- is posing for Playgirl magazine.
John McCain unleashed this plague upon us, and Andrew Sullivan is right to insist that he be held accountable.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Creative juices
The latest incarnation of The Eastie Jolt is up and it includes poetry from a local wordsmith, photographs of some of East Boston's natural beauty and an essay on turning to each other during difficult economic times.
In recent weeks The Jolt has published a story on the neighborhood's turn-of-the-century Jewish community and a piece on a local hip-hop record label, as well as fiction, art and more poetry, photographs and essays. All of it can be found on the site.
Submissions of writing and photography are accepted from any East Boston resident, as well as those who used to live in the neighborhood or work here. Send material or questions to editor@eastiejolt.com.
Comments policy changed
An infusion of "junk mail"-type comments, as well as a number of silly and inappropriate comments, has necessitated that readers must register in order to post from here on. The shift was delayed repeatedly, but it has become too time consuming to do otherwise.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Dinner time
***The Salesian Boys & Girls Club is holding a spaghetti dinner fundraiser tonight in the cafeteria of its current location, the old Savio Hall. The proceeds will help sustain the club's programming for young people from East Boston.
***State rep. Carlo Basile is again sponsoring a Thanksgiving Day dinner at the Sacred Heart Church. Transportation can be arranged by calling 617.913.3332. This community has a long tradition of such events, which speaks to the notion that we are each responsible for helping out our neighbors when we can.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Local business needs your help
Local entrepreneur Rob Pyles and his Audissey Guides are one of the finalists in Forbes Magazine's Boost Your Business Contest. Audissey offers downloadable podcasts of walking tours of cities, historic sites and more. Check out their web site here.
A group of 1,500 businesses has been whittled down to just five in the competition, with $100,000 going to the winner. The contest is partially decided by Internet voting, which can be done here. You can watch a video of Rob in New York City to pitch the idea to a panel of judges here.
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