If corporations are people, they can be just as infuriating, illogical and unhelpful as people can be—you know, people like Boston drivers and some acquaintances that one keeps at arms’ length. Corporations are hard to keep at arm’s length. A friend of mine has a landline. It rang repeatedly for no reason. The choices the Read More…
Some Boston Public Schools are effective and beloved by their students and those students’ parents. They are coveted but oversubscribed, so it is hard to get your child into one. The Eliot in the North End and Charlestown’s Warren/Prescott are good examples. The Hurley School in the South End is also an effective, coveted school. Read More…
Spring is definitely here so downtown residents’ inclinations turn to gardening. Digging in dirt, planting flowers, doing a bit of pruning and scooping up the winter’s detritus, all on a sunny day, is satisfying after hugging the fire all winter. Back Bay’s magnolias and Beacon Hill’s pears are gone, but they provided weeks of enjoyment Read More…
The Cape will suffer an economic downturn this summer. Fewer people can take a vacation. The reason: it seems that half the citizens of Boston are running for office. They must stay in the city and campaign. This is occurring just when we thought we could come up for air after the 2012 campaign in Read More…
By now, you’ve probably heard of Arkansas State Representative Nate Bell who tweeted “I wonder how many Boston liberals spent the night cowering in their homes wishing they had an AR-15 with a hi-capacity magazine?” By now, you’ve also heard the answer: “none.” I called Nate Bell and left a message on his voicemail. I Read More…
Whew. Last week is finally over. If you consider the guys who planted the bombs on Boylston Street, the Mississippian who sent ricin-laced letters to a senator and our president, and the husband and wife accused of murdering Texan law-enforcement officials—vermin we became aware of within one 48-hour period—you’d think we’re living in a perverse, Read More…
For the last three weeks this column has featured the three Democratic candidates for the 8th Suffolk District state representative seat Marty Walz left in January. There have been new developments. One candidate, Nils Tracy, dropped out. And the elusive reported Republican candidate found me. So I can introduce you to him too. Victor Navarro, Read More…
Three Democrats are running for state representative in the Eighth Suffolk District, which includes the Back Bay, the West End, most of Beacon Hill and Cambridgeport. A Republican is supposed to be running, but we haven’t unearthed him yet. Nomination papers are due April 16 so we’ll know for sure at that point. This column Read More…
Last week in an effort to help you become familiar with candidates in a special election, this column described Jay Livingstone, who is running for state representative in the Eighth Suffolk District, the position Marty Walz left vacant when she resigned in late January to take a job with Planned Parenthood. Josh Dawson, 30, is Read More…
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the profound fatigue that last fall’s presidential and senatorial election brought on. How could we face another round of debates, accusations and ads that two special elections were bound to produce? As I was trying to shed the dismal feelings, Jay Livingstone called me up. Dismal feelings gone. Read More…
Most neighborhoods have iconic trees. The Back Bay has its magnolias. Beacon Hill blossoms with Callery pear trees in late April. The North End’s favorite trees are the lindens and locusts along the Prado, slated this spring for pruning. Charlestown has variety, with especially good gingkos. Downtown residents get pretty agitated about trees. When city Read More…
I’m provoked at Marty Walz. She used to be the state rep for the Eighth Suffolk District, which encompasses Back Bay and most of Beacon Hill as well as a slice of Cambridge. But she resigned to take a job as the head of the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts. She was a good state Read More…