The Alewife

Been There by Neil W. McCabe

So long for now

I entered this Web site cum blog routine in 2004 through the good offices of a great journalist Nick Pinto, who was a contributing editor for me at The Somerville News. The question was how to post articles from the paper without getting caught in the weeds of a Web site. I was overwhelmed. He was not.

Nick figured it out and patiently explained to me the little tricks, such as changing the size of the pictures and changing the date and time an article could be posted. This way a number of stories could be loaded up in advance and launched at different times.

When the newspaper "The Alewife" began in 2005, there was no question it would have a companion Weblog to post the articles and hundreds of notices and other stories.

Since Nick, I have found my own tricks and stolen others along the way. I was never a programmer, but there were times, frankly, I was very pleased with the content programmed here.

I can share with you now that part of the grab of doing something like this is watching the traffic come in from search engines. There were stories I picked up on, not from a tip, but from people using the same keywords reaching the site accidentally because of a previous posting that was somehow close enough. By following up on what they were searching for and not finding, I could find the story myself. Insiders looking to see if a story broke, ended up breaking the story themselves through their search words.

Hmmm. Maybe this is only interesting to me. Sorry, I tend to digress.

As I have checked out other blogs, I have recognized that most reach some kind of terminus and the creator has to make his final entry. This is that entry for me.

Since 2003, I have been a regular contributor to The Pilot, the newspaper of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. Over time that committment has expanded to becoming a photographer for Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley's own blog and then last year joining the staff as the full-time reporter.

For the last year, I have tried to keep the Web site fairly current with items and news, but looking back it was not really done so good. My only defense is that I have been pulled away in other directions. In the last year those directions included research on a book about Charles W. Whittlesey, and six weeks of active-duty training with the Army.

Now, I being pulled away from everything.

Since 2000, I have been a member of the Army Reserve, where I am a photojournalist with a combat historian designator.

In March, my unit the 311th Military History Detachment deploys to Iraq. We will collect first-person accounts, other primary sources and artifacts for future military historians researching our victory there. It is a mission I have been preparing for since June when I was put on stand-by as the alternative for the 54th MHD.

The editors of The Pilot have asked me to send them back "Soldier's Diary" pieces, which I will do from time-to-time, but given the operational tempo I expect, there is no way I can even pretend to maintain this site. It is better to finish it off here, and look at it again when I get back.

I thought this would be difficult, but the other day it just seemed obvious.

Good bye.

Rice to enter Baseball HOF

From the Red Sox Web site:

BOSTON -- For Jim Rice, the sting from 14 years of rejection suddenly became as far gone as many of the 382 home runs he belted during his career with the Boston Red Sox. Down to his 15th and final at-bat on the Baseball Writers Association of America ballot, Rice received the enormous honor of being elected into the Hall of Fame on Monday.
He joined Rickey Henderson, baseball's all-time stolen base king, as the two members of   the 2009 Hall of Fame class.

Befitting the struggle it was for Rice to gain entry into Cooperstown, he didn't make it by much. Rice was named on 76.4 percent of the ballots. Seventy-five percent is the required amount to become a Hall of Famer. Rice received 412 votes, just seven more than the minimum amount he needed.

It was a sweet triumph for the 54-year-old Rice, who fell just 16 votes short on the 2008 ballot.

Happy New Year!

Gordon College professor paints Marion tryptychs

[This article was originally published Nov. 21 in The Pilot.]

by Neil W. McCabe

On the campus of Wenham’s Gordon College Dec. 4, a faculty member will unveil two 12-foot wide triptychs of the Virgin Mary he painted that will ultimately hang in an Italian cloister.

But perhaps even more interesting than the journey the paintings will make is the spiritual journey the artist made while painting them.

Because he is not a Catholic, he was not raised to have a relationship with Mary. But, in the process of painting her and thinking about her life, he has developed a rapport with her, said Bruce Herman, an art professor and holder of the Lothlorien Distinguished Chair in Fine Arts at the non-denominational Christian college founded in 1889 to train Protestant missionaries.

The two pieces, “Miriam, Virgin Mother: ‘Via Activa,’” and “The Second Adam: ‘Via Comtemplatica,” depict Mary at two critical moments in her life, and thus in human history, Herman.

Mary’s effect on him is similar to the way his wife of 36 years changed him, he said. “She is the mother who confronts us with honesty, not too strong, not too weak.”

In May, the triptychs will travel to their final destination, the chapel of the San Paolo Monastery in Orvieto, Italy, near Assisi. The monastery is home to the sisters of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, who have partnered with Gordon’s art department to create classroom and dormitories facilities on their compound for an ongoing year-long program for art majors in their junior year to study traditional art, including Catholic art traditions.

The first triptych “Via Activa,” or “The Path of Action and Obedience,” Herman said he depicts on the right panel, Mary at the Annunciation, confronted by the archangel Gabriel with the news that she is to carry the Christ-child.

“In all other instances in the Bible, when people are confronted by an archangel they fall prostrate and are terrified. They fall unconscious sometimes, they are so terrified, but she remains calm, but troubled,” he said.

For Gabriel to address her with: “Hail, Highly Favored One,” is astonishing, considering that she is a simple 14 or 15-year-old girl, he said. “But, her response is even more astonishing, because she says, ‘Yes, let it be done unto me. Behold the handmaiden of the Lord,’ she immediately agrees to embrace this role in cosmic history--let alone human history.”

In this way, Mary is really the world’s biggest risk-taker, he said. “She is never portrayed this way, but I see her as the ultimate artist. As artists, we blunder into things we hardly know. In the worst case scenarios: we jump off cliffs; we try what we are not supposed to try; we ask questions we are not supposed to ask. But she is obedient.”

What makes Mary different is her obedience, he said. Mary is a bold woman willing to take an enormous chance, which at the same time puts her in perfect synch with God’s will.

“I have always seen Mary as the exemplar, the model, of both action and contemplative prayer,” he said. “We are told that she ponders all of these things and treasured them in her heart. She thinks about things. She weighs things so, already at 14 or 15, she is exemplifying this amazing capacity for contemplation.”

The center panel, “The Overshadowing,” is the artist’s attempt to portray the moment Gabriel explained to Mary what will happen to her, after she asked how her pregnancy would come about since she did not know man, he said. The scene is bathed in 23k gold to represent the Holy Spirit.

Herman said from his research that he is sure that moment has not been depicted before, so he had no guides or models to follow, although afterwards he consulted other artists and a theologian, who agreed with his approach.

For the second triptych, Herman painted the wedding at Cana on the left panel, where he said Mary inaugurated her son’s ministry, even though it had been prophesized to her by Simeon that this road would end in his suffering and that the sword would piece her own heart

Originally, Herman created a scene where Mary was with Jesus and the steward who was distraught that there was no more wine, he said. In the background, there were hundreds of guests for a party that would last for days.

Merry Christmas from The Alewife!

Support those supporting the homeles at Johnny D's Dec. 18; Livington Taylor headlines packed bill at Davis Square landmark club

Our very good friend, and a DINFOS grad, Mark Alston-Follansbee at the Somerville Coalition for the Homeless sent over this notice:

 

Starlings sighted at Alewife Reservation

From the Web site Brewsters Linnet:

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

A homily by Father Bonaventure of the Franciscans of the Immaculate Marian Friary Our Lady of Guadalupe:

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Patroness of the Pro-Life Movement. Our culture of death, as Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have referred to it, is far worse than the Aztec Indian culture which sacrificed living human beings to their serpent God to appease him. Today we are sacrificing our unborn children to the serpent on the altar of pleasure. Our Lady of Guadalupe…Pray for us and our poor nation!
Ave Maria!

+++

EMT's struggle to save driver

At or around 8:40 a.m., city police and EMT's arrived to the aid of a middle-aged white man whose pickup truck crashed over a fire hydrant and stopped just short of the pane glass windows of the Rockler Woodworking and Hardware store at the intersection of Massachusetts and Rindge avenues. Developing...

Veterans Day: Military chaplains reflect

[This article was written for The Pilot and appears in the Nov. 7 edition of that paper--ed.]

by Neil W. McCabe

On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, many priests in and from the archdiocese can look back on their tours of duty in the military chaplain corps, a unique ministry serving those who serve in uniform.

“The major bond between the men and women serving in uniform is their Church or synagogue, and the military chaplain must be the strength of that bond,” said Msgr. John P. McDonough, the interim Secretary for Faith Formation and Evangelization. Msgr. McDonough served as an Air Force chaplain from 1963-1991, and retired a major general and the chief of that service’s chaplain corps.

“Being a military chaplain is different because he is part of the military, he wears a uniform and he has a rank, which gives him a place in the structure,” he said. “But, the source and strength of that place is the word ‘chaplain.’”

The Monsignor said Boston traditionally sent more priests to the chaplain corps than any other diocese, “In my class, 1952, 13 of us became military chaplains.”

Another example of the Archdiocese of Boston’s prominence in this ministry is that there have been four other priests from the archdiocese who have risen to become the chief chaplains of their service, he said.

The most remarkable time of the Monsignor’s career as chaplain was during the ceremonies for the 40th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, he said. As the Air Force chief of chaplains in Europe, Msgr. McDonough said he traveled with the military’s senior leaders to offer prayers during the programs.

“In each village, the children were all dressed up and carried an American flag and a flower,” he said. The children would place a flower at the monument in the center of the village and then place flags at the American cemetery.

Msgr. McDonough explained that a military chaplain may be called on to celebrate holy days from other religions and minister to people of other faiths.

“It is a responsibility which you accepted most graciously and which you proudly provided. You are a priest to your community, but a chaplain to everybody,” he said.

It is a life that one has to be called to, he said. A priest cannot apply to join the chaplaincy until three years after his ordination.

Some priests find it to be a difficult life because of the unpredictable nature of events and the isolation from mainstream society, he said.

Being a military chaplain is a different kind of ministry, said Father Richard M. Erikson, the vicar general of the archdiocese, who served as an Air Force chaplain in Iraq, because, like other military personnel, the chaplain is willing to lay down his life in his ministry.

Father Erikson said when he deployed to Balad air base in the summer of 2004, the situation was dangerous, given the daily mortar and rocket attacks, but he simply accepted it. “The soldier or airman can never let his guard down but, at the same time, he still has to do his job.”

The vicar general’s own work schedule was the 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. shift, he said. “But most days I worked until one or two o’clock in the morning.”

Despite the danger and the hectic operational tempo, Father Erikson said it was an environment in which his own faith and vocation were renewed, as well as the faith of the military personnel who were his flock.

“When you are in a life and death situation, faith, God and the questions of life are that much more present to you,” he said.

“At that time, 50 percent of the convoys were being hit with either roadside bombs or small arms fire. Hearing confessions from guys about to go out on convoy was very intense, as was anointing the injured sailors, airmen, soldiers and Marines coming off the helicopters,” he said.

Shots heard, cruisers circle neighborhood

At or around 11:30 p.m. tonight at least six shots rang out in near Rindge Avenue, but the Vineyard Church.

An officer with the city's police said at least 20 calls came into the station reporting the sound of gunfire.

Cith police cruisers, including the department's custody vehicle, cursed up and down the streets around the Peabody School, around the Vineyard Church and back and forth on Rindge Avenue.

At or around 11:45 p.m., an officer parked in front of 18 Middlesex Street. There he spoke to a joy woman in good spirits, who joked with him and the other young women in the house as he attempted to draw a narrative from them.

By 11:50, the cruisers were gone.

Hannah causes sewage surge

RE: Notice Alert: CSO Activation in Alewife Brook
DATE: September 7, 2008
In accordance with the conditions of the Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) Alewife Brook/Upper Mystic River Variance we are hereby notifying you that a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) occurred at CAM401B on September 6, 2008 and discharged into the Alewife Brook. The Variance approved workplan requires the Cambridge Department of Public Works (DPW) to notify local health agents, DEP, EPA and MRWA within 24 hours of when a CSO event occurs.  It was determined that 401B was the most active outfall and would be the most suitable indicator of CSO activity along the Alewife Brook.  This notification does not reflect the absence of any activation at other sites.  Rather, the notice is intended to be confirmation to users of the resource that untreated sewage discharges to the Brook/River have occurred.

Cormier: Is Palin the GOP b*$#c?

Our friend, poet and comic, Janet Cormier sent over this reflection:

Hey folks,

About the Republican Convention...Now I didn't watch the fullconvention...but for those of you who saw and heard the VP candidate, Sarah Palin,

Is it just me or does Sarah Palin look a lot like Tina Fey (from Saturday Night Live)?

The Republicans lovingly refer to her as their PIT BULL...but I imagine behind closed doors they refer to her as their b*$#c? It seemed that most of her speech (written by a guy) was spent attacking Obama with lots of one liners or singing the praises of McCain...Which Mrs McCain loved...Sarah should learn from former 'acting' Massachusetts Governor, Jane Swift to see her future.Jane was the working mom, with a MR Mom husband and in true republican tradition in the end the Republicans/Rove cut Jane  off at the knees in favor of Mitt....It will be interesting because if she is as feisty as they say, she may be the loose cannon....the Queen Bee of the White House...She makes Hillary look calm. And I feel sorry for her soon to be son in law...This may be his only child....peace

Let me know what you think.

peace,

JC

MIT Catholics honor Our Lady of Sorrows Sept. 15

Sept 15, 2008

Our Lady of Sorrows Chaplet - Prayer

Time: 5:00p?6:00p

Location: MIT Chapel (w-15)

A 13th century prayer that recalls the Sorrows the Virgin Mother of God endured in compassion for the suffering and death of her Son. Meditations on the seven sorrows: Phophesy of Simeon, Flight into Egypt, Loss in Jerusalem, Meeting as Christ carries the cross, Death of Jesus, reception of the body of her Son, Burial. Bring Chaplet beads or a rosary.

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Tech Catholic Community

For more information, contact: Pat Engel/engelp@mit.edu

https://events.mit.edu/edit/event_ed.do

Young Catholics meet as 'Governed by Faith'

Our friend Tanya Spypeck sent this over to us:

"Governed by Faith," a group of young adult Catholics wishing to deepen their formation and that of their peers in the Church's teachings on civic-political matters, meets Wednesday evenings at 7pm in the front parlor of Saint Clement's Eucharistic Shrine at 1105 Boylston Street in Boston's Back Bay.

On Tuesday, August 19, Victor Pap, Executive Director of Catholic Citizenship, will speak on Catholics in Political Life: Our Responsibility to be Civically Involved.

On Tuesday, August 26, Governed by Faith will feature a talk by Daniel Avila, Associate Director for Policy and Research of the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, on The Common Good.

Meetings of Governed by Faith include recitation of the Holy Rosary and workshops on public speaking and debate.

For more information: Tanya at (617) 519-8409 or mailto:tanya.skypeck@gmail.com

Hard rains send sewage into Alewife Brook

RE: Notice Alert: CSO Activation in Alewife Brook
DATE: August 8, 2008
In accordance with the conditions of the Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) Alewife Brook/Upper Mystic River Variance we are hereby notifying you that a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) occurred at CAM401B on August 8, 2008 and discharged into the Alewife Brook. The Variance approved workplan requires the Cambridge Department of Public Works (DPW) to notify local health agents, DEP, EPA and MRWA within 24 hours of when a CSO event occurs.  It was determined that 401B was the most active outfall and would be the most suitable indicator of CSO activity along the Alewife Brook.  This notification does not reflect the absence of any activation at other sites.  Rather, the notice is intended to be confirmation to users of the resource that untreated sewage discharges to the Brook/River have occurred.

Chinese Catholics host Sunday concert

Our friend Peter Chan sent over this notice:

On Saturday, August 2, an Evangelization Concert (EV Concert) will be held from 7-9 p.m. at the St. James the Greater Church, 125 Harrison Ave, Chinatown, Boston. All are welcome. The theme of the EV Concert is Moments of Light; it is a sharing of joy, hope and faith through songs, testimony, talk and prayers.

The concert is sponsored by the Boston Chinese Catholic Community at St. James, and the Friends of Jesus's Passover (FOJP). FOJP is an international group of Catholic Chinese youth from vairous faith communities. They have been doing missionary tours in many major cities around the world in the past 10 years.

For more info, please contact Peter Chan at 781-572-1719.

Capuano asks Pelosi to support heating oil assistance

by Neil W. McCabe

This week, the congressman for the neighborhood with other regional lawmakers signed a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D, San Francisco, seeking her help securing more government help for low-income home heating oil consumers.

"I joined other members of the New England Congressional Delegation in sending a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking that she consider measures to increase access to the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program either through separate legislation or as part of a second economic stimulus package.," said Rep. Michael E. Capuano, D, North Cambridge.

Rep. Michael E. Capuano, D, North Cambridge

"We are asking for both an increase in LIHEAP funds and an expansion of eligibility requirements so that more families will qualify for assistance. We are also requesting additional funding for Weatherization Assistance programs," he said.

"Although we are in the midst of the summer season, it won’t be long before cold weather returns. The cost of heating one’s home has already increased and is expected to continue rising. It is important that we act now to further fund this vital program so that the assistance will be available when it is most needed," he said.

Capuano champions congestion solution bill

North Cambridge's congressman, Michael E. Capuano, sent over this update on one of his priorities:

Last week I joined my colleague Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE) in filing the National Highway Congestion Chokepoint Relief Act. We all know what it’s like to be caught in traffic, wasting time and fuel while we slowly make our way through chronically busy roadways. For some of us, this is a regular frustration as we are forced to navigate congested routes to and from our jobs, schools and homes.

This legislation seeks to alleviate some of that frustration by requiring the Secretary of Transportation to create a “chokepoint congestion relief program”. It requires the designation of national chokepoint regions and establishes a grant program aimed at reducing traffic congestion in some of our nation’s busiest corridors.

By easing the flow of traffic on some of the busiest roads in the country, we can reduce the amount of commuter hours and gallons of gas wasted each year sitting in traffic jams. I will work with Rep. Castle to build bipartisan support for this program.

PDC supports Sciortino tonight

Our friend Lesley Phillips, leader of Progressive Democrats of Cambridge, sent over this note:

Dear PDCers,

Our colleague Eric Weltman's house party for Somerville/Medford State Representative Carl Sciortino is this evening.  Details below.  As you know, Carl is a great friend of Cambridge progressives and has quickly become a valued member of the legislature since his initial election in 2004.  Carl is facing a serious challenge in the state primary this September, and is hoping for support from his Cambridge neighbors!

For additional information on Carl's campaign, go to www.electcarl.org.

Democratically yours,
Lesley

Happy Fourth of July!

Lesley hosts July 1 Hiroshima, Nagasaki survivors forum

[A presentation by a survivor of the atomic bomb and staff from the Hiroshima Foundation will be held at the Exhibit’s Opening Reception July 1, 2008 , 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm. The presentation and reception are free and open to the public. The community is invited to RSVP for the reception to the Cambridge Peace Commission by emailing bcorr@cambridgema.gov or calling (617) 349-4694.]

Our friend at Lesley University, Megan Burke, sent this over:

“A World Free from nuclear weapons is possible. Abolition is necessary. Please come and see why.” These are the words from the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation (HPCF) about an exhibition they have created which is traveling internationally. 

The documentary photo exhibition will be brought to Cambridge by The Peaceable Schools Summer Institute at Lesley University and the City of Cambridge Peace Commission , with the support of the SGI-USA Youth, along with speakers from Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The exhibition is open to the public through July 18, 2008 at Lesley University, Second Floor Atrium, University Hall [Formerly Porter Exchange], 1815 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge.

Knowing too well the devastating consequences of nuclear weapons, the people of Hiroshima have launched an appeal to the people of the United States to become active participants in the cause to abolish nuclear weapons.

To this end, the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, in cooperation with the City of Hiroshima , has made available to cities throughout the United States a Documentary Photo Exhibition of Hiroshima. The sponsors of this exhibit hope that this project will bring greater awareness among the American people about the rising nuclear peril, leading them to demand that their leaders finally and permanently abandon the “nuclear option.”

Speaking for the Exhibit Planning Committee, Lesley Faculty and Peace Commissioner, Linda Brion-Meisels, explained, “We are really pleased to bring a firsthand testimony from the horrors of the Hiroshima bombing here to Cambridge along with this exhibit. For many people, this may seem like ancient history, but the arms race and commitment to nuclear weapons has made a comeback. Seeing the effects of nuclear weapons and hearing from survivors is very powerful. I hope that people will feel welcome to come and join us.” 

This exhibit is made possible by the generosity of MIT Sloan and private citizens across Japan who are supporting this project:  Goro & Kimiko Nakatani, Yuichi Kudo, Satsuki Ogura, Kai Kondo, Ikuko Tagawa, Megumi Kikuchi, Heiwa no Kane no Tsudo i EXCO, Hiroshima Peace Art Society President Goroh Kawai, CCU of Nagano Prefecture, VOSHN.com 

Free CSO concert Saturday to feature Sousa, movie themes,

Our friend Gloria Greis, who is on the board of directors of the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra, sent this over to us:

The Cambridge Symphony Orchestra presents its Free Summer Pops Concert. The concert will take place on June 29th at 3:00 pm, on the Lawn of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, JFK Street and Memorial Drive, in Cambridge.  The concert will feature Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait,” with Kennedy School Dean Mary Jo Bane as Narrator, along with a selection of Sousa marches, the themes from “Harry Potter” and “The Empire Strikes Back,” and more.  The concert is free and open to the public.

The Cambridge Symphony is Cambridge’s community orchestra, providing a welcoming environment for players and audiences through outstanding concerts, events and social action.  For more information about the concert of the Orchestra, contact the Cambridge Symphony at 617-576-1819, by email at info@cambridgesymphony.org or visit our website at www.cambridgesymphony.org.

Sugarman: 'Blue-Balled' film the beginning

by Neil W. McCabe

The former campaign manager for Avi Green's 2004 Democratic Primary challenge to State Rep. Timothy J. Toomey Jr., D, Cambridge, debuted June 5 the first of a series of edgy videos produced to support the Democratic Party.

"Our goal is simple -- engage young voters in an innovative and cost effective way, providing them with the sort of entertaining content that reminds them that being Democrat is "cool," the sort, perhaps most importantly, that they are willing to spread virally online," he wrote on The Huffington Post Web site with his partners Brandon Yankowitz and Patrick Pavon. "By supplementing the message coming directly from the party and campaigns, we're making sure we use every available method, and every new technology, to win back the White House this November -- and keep it. Through Election Day, we're planning on producing more than a dozen films in all genres, each with a bit of an edge and clever hook."

Their group called TruthThroughAction.org also produces a Weblog and sells tee-shirts.

This is the video by Josh Sugarman and presented by Brandon Yankowitz made called: "Blue Balled."

PDC meets June 21

Lesley Phillips, the chair of Progressive Democrats of Cambridge sent over this notice about the next meeting:

Dear PDCers,

This is to remind you that the next regular monthly meeting of Progressive Democrats of Cambridge-DFA is this Thursday, June 21, at The Democracy Center, 45 Mt Auburn St. (near Harvard Square). The general membership meeting will start at approximately 7:30 pm, preceeded by a meeting of the Steering Committee (open to all PDC-DFA members) at 7:00 pm. This will likely be our last regular (i.e. third Thursday) meeting until September, so please make every effort to attend!

The agenda for our meeting on Thursday will include consideration of a proposed endorsement in the upcoming special election in the 5th Congressional District, a look at what progressives can expect in our upcoming municpal elections, and beginning to plan our now traditional (and expected!) candidates' forums in the city council and school committee races and any other special events over the summer, with a focus toward bringing more members into PDC.

We hope to see you on Thursday!

Progressively yours,
Lesley

Pemberton Market empty for now

The long-time business at the corner of Massachusetts and Rindge avenues, The Pemberton Market moved June 1 to 2245 Massachusetts Ave., the old site of Verna's Coffee and Doughnut, and more recently a White Hen Pantry and then the Bread and Butter Konvenience store.

Lesley hosts July 1 forum with Hiroshima survivors

[A presentation by a survivor of the atomic bomb and staff from the Hiroshima Foundation will be held at the Exhibit’s Opening Reception July 1, 2008 , 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm. The presentation and reception are free and open to the public. The community is invited to RSVP for the reception to the Cambridge Peace Commission by emailing bcorr@cambridgema.gov or calling (617) 349-4694.]

Our friend at Lesley University, Megan Burke, sent this over:

“A World Free from nuclear weapons is possible. Abolition is necessary. Please come and see why.” These are the words from the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation (HPCF) about an exhibition they have created which is traveling internationally. 

The documentary photo exhibition will be brought to Cambridge by The Peaceable Schools Summer Institute at Lesley University and the City of Cambridge Peace Commission , with the support of the SGI-USA Youth, along with speakers from Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The exhibition is open to the public through July 18, 2008 at Lesley University, Second Floor Atrium, University Hall [Formerly Porter Exchange], 1815 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge.

Knowing too well the devastating consequences of nuclear weapons, the people of Hiroshima have launched an appeal to the people of the United States to become active participants in the cause to abolish nuclear weapons.

To this end, the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, in cooperation with the City of Hiroshima , has made available to cities throughout the United States a Documentary Photo Exhibition of Hiroshima. The sponsors of this exhibit hope that this project will bring greater awareness among the American people about the rising nuclear peril, leading them to demand that their leaders finally and permanently abandon the “nuclear option.”

Speaking for the Exhibit Planning Committee, Lesley Faculty and Peace Commissioner, Linda Brion-Meisels, explained, “We are really pleased to bring a firsthand testimony from the horrors of the Hiroshima bombing here to Cambridge along with this exhibit. For many people, this may seem like ancient history, but the arms race and commitment to nuclear weapons has made a comeback. Seeing the effects of nuclear weapons and hearing from survivors is very powerful. I hope that people will feel welcome to come and join us.” 

This exhibit is made possible by the generosity of MIT Sloan and private citizens across Japan who are supporting this project:  Goro & Kimiko Nakatani, Yuichi Kudo, Satsuki Ogura, Kai Kondo, Ikuko Tagawa, Megumi Kikuchi, Heiwa no Kane no Tsudo i EXCO, Hiroshima Peace Art Society President Goroh Kawai, CCU of Nagano Prefecture, VOSHN.com 

Patrick comes to city Tuesday for Shaheen fundraiser

Special rate for volunteers for the New Hampshire former governor's campaign for U.S. Senate

Member of Progressive Democrats of Cambridge Kate Donaghue sent this note along:

At the home of Amb. Swanee Hunt & Charles Ansbacher, 168 Brattle Street, Cambridge Governor Deval Patrick with Ambassador Swanee Hunt and Charles Ansbacher and the Secure our Senate Majority Host Committee: Invite you to a reception with former New Hampshire governor Jeanne Shaheen Democratic Candidate for the U.S. Senate, New Hampshire Friend $2,300 Supporter $1,000 Sponsor $500 Guest $250

Jeanne Shaheen

Special activist price with pledge to come to NH to volunteer: $125. To RSVP or for additional information, contact Kate Donaghue at (508) 404-8531 or KateDonaghue@aol.com.

Donate at www.actblue.com/page/jshaheen

Please forward to anyone who might be interested. Thanks, Kate

Obama campaign disables 'How the Jewish Lobby Works' page

The Web site for Sen. Barack H. Obama's presidential campaign removed the posting by Juan Cruz Carlos, a member of Socialists for Obama, titled "How the Jewish Lobby Works." Cruz is still an active commentator on BodyBuilding.com.

The blog Little Green Footballs has the details and captured pages before they were disappeared here.

Been There by Neil W. McCabe

[This is a re-post of a column I wrote this time last year--Neil.]

Tiananmen Square

This day has personal meaning for me. Like millions of other Americans, I watched CNN whose cameras were trained on the square from a hotel window.  When the Chinese police first came to shut off the cameras, CNN refused.  President George H. W. Bush made calls the the Chinese government demanding CNN be allowed to send back its video feed. I knew then the countdown to slaughter had begun.

My mother gave me, or rather cursed me, with a love of history and its patterns that constantly repeat.  I called her after the police left the hotel room to tell her that it reminded me of her listening to the broadcast from Polish Radio in Warsaw on short-wave as the Germans overwhelmed the city.

As the German soldiers moved to takeover the radio station, the announcer said: The German soldiers are now in the building. We are leaving to try to save our own lives.

Neil W. McCabe, editor of The Alewife

Before they left the studio, they put on a record of pianist Ignacy Jan Padrewski, who would lead the Polish government in exile until his death in 1941.

Before he left the voice signed off, "When you hear the music stop, you will know that Poland has died."

Mom, then almost four-years-old, sat right next the the radio.  If you saw it in my cousin MaryBeth's living room, you would recognize it by its art deco lines and big beige knobs. It is housed in a gorgeous dark wood cabinet making you forget about the forest of glowing vacuum tubes lined up in the back like a cityscape.

The music played on. For a time it seemed the music would never stop. Was there another record in the queue? The music kept playing. Then silence. Poland was dead.

Padrewski made President Franklin D. Roosevelt promise that his body would never be buried in Poland until she was free. Thus, his remains waited at Arlington National Cemetery.

I cannot do justice to my mother's telling and re-telling of this story. But, my yearning for a connection to it motivated me to volunteer for the Coast Guard's contingent at the June 29, 1992 ceremony when the American government formally transferred Padrewski to President Lech Walesa.

That day, I felt I had been part of healing a wound Mom had carried since she was too young to have hurts for people far away.

Despite the calls from the White House demanding that the Chinese government allow CNN to continue its video feed, after the police left CNN's hotel room, the students had 20 minutes of Liberty to go.

My mother told me exactly what was going to happen next. She had seen it all before.

Watching them mill about the square, I wondered how many of them knew what was coming. They had to know that the soldiers garrisoned at Beijing had been replaced after they refused to fire on the students. They had to know that the soldiers from the countryside, now surrounding them, had none of the cosmopolitan sympathies of the men they had replaced.  Still, like the children they truly were, they played as long as they could. They danced around bonfires. They ran with flags and banners and milled about from one group of friends to another. It was like it would never end. Then, the feed was gone. Then, they were gone.

But, that day at Arlington didn't heal my wounds from Tiananmen Square.  It only reminded me of our helplessness as creatures trying to be Creators. I was not there. I was not hurt or killed like all too many. Yet, I had had so much hope before the slaughter. It was the hope that everything they taught me in school about America and democracy was true.

When they shut off the camera, I was left with only faith. It is the faith that survived Calvary, survived Warsaw and will survive Tiananmen Square.

Eliot Spitzer

City's 2007 Crime Report: 77% jump in neighborhood's house breaks

Download 9c20neighborhoods209_13.pdf

An excerpt:

The number of housebreaks in North Cambridge increased by 77% from 2006 to 2007. A large portion (22%) were attempted housebreaks in which no entry was gained. Four people were arrested throughout the year in connection to the breaks. Massachusetts Ave, Cogswell Ave, Rindge Ave, and Clifton St all saw multiple incidents of housebreaks. In June, there was a pattern that began to emerge involving window entries into houses, either by removing or cutting the screens. The majority of these breaks were attempts and occurred during the daytime when most people were away from their residences.

The report does not mention shootings, but in the section on street robberies concedes: "In the most common scenario, local (Cambridge or Somerville) youths will form packs and strong-arm victims walking in these areas late at night. The packs may brandish knives or the occasional handgun."

More sewage overflows Thursday into the Alewife Brook

We received this notice from the city's DPW:

In accordance with the conditions of the Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) Alewife Brook/Upper Mystic River Variance we are hereby notifying you that a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) occurred at CAM401B on May 27, 2008 and discharged into the Alewife Brook.

The Variance approved workplan requires the Cambridge Department of Public Works (DPW) to notify local health agents, DEP, EPA and MRWA within 24 hours of when a CSO event occurs. It was determined that 401B was the most active outfall and would be the most suitable indicator of CSO activity along the Alewife Brook.

This notification does not reflect the absence of any activation at other sites. Rather, the notice is intended to be confirmation to users of the resource that untreated sewage discharges to the Brook/River have occurred.

Sorensen to bow book at St. Paul's

Group's closing lecture May 29 in Harvard Square's Catholic parish church

Our great friends at CSPC sent over this press release:

The Lay Committee on Contemporary Spiritual-&-Public Concerns (the “CSPC Committee”) of St. Paul Parish, Cambridge, in Harvard Square, is proud to announce that Theodore C. Sorensen, Esq., will make the New England launch of his long-awaited memoirs, Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History, at the eleventh lecture of the CSPC Committee series. Sorensen, one of the most trusted advisors of Senator and then
President John F. Kennedy, penned the international best seller, Kennedy (New York: Harper & Row, 1965); now, in his autobiography, he also provides a much more in-depth portrait of the great President. The book launch will be held Thursday, May 29, 2008, on the occasion of President Kennedy’s 91st birthday, 7:30-9:00 p.m., in the Upper Church of St. Paul Parish, 29 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA. St. Paul’s was John F. Kennedy’s church during his years at Harvard University. The lecture is free and open to the public. A reception will follow.

Theodore C. Sorensen began as a lower-ranked Legislative Assistant for the then newly elected Junior Senator from Massachusetts; he went on to work in a number of capacities, over eleven years, rising to become Kennedy’s principal speechwriter, senior domestic advisor, and, ultimately, the Special Counsel to the President. Mr. Sorensen was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he attended the University of Nebraska and completed a B.A. and J.D., graduating first in his law class. Though he was raised Republican and his father was a former Nebraska state attorney general, Mr. Sorensen became a Democrat and he remains an esteemed leader in the Democratic Party.

The Phoenix has landed

NASA reports that our Phoenix exploration lander has sent back a signal to its Pasedena, Calif., Jet Propulsion Laboratory indicating that it has touched down on the surface of Mars.

Kennedy has brain tumor

by Neil W. McCabe

The state's senior senator, Edward M. "Teddy" Kennedy, who suffered what his press office called a seizure Saturday, is reported by The New York Times and other outlets to have a cancerous brain tumor.

The senator's last public appearance was Friday with Rep. Barney Frank, D, Newton at the 3 p.m. ribbon cutting for the reopening of the New Bedford Whaling Museum's Corson building.

Kennedy's term expires in 2012. If he is unable to complete his term, a special election will be held.

Kennedy himself was elected to his seat to fill a vacancy in a 1962 special election when his brother, John F. "Jack" Kennedy, traded the Senate for the White House.

Because he was not yet 30 years-old when JFK became president in 1961, Benjamin Smith A. Smith III, was appointed to hold the seat by then Gov. Foster Furcola at JFK's request, until his youngest brother passed the constitutionally required birthday.

Police to meet with neighbors May 28

City Councillor Craig A. Kelly sent over this notice:

Folks:

You may want to come meet with CPD's North Cambridge Neighborhood Sergeant Dennis O’Connor about local police-related issues on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 6:00 pm in the Peabody School Auditorium, 70 Rindge Ave.

Fixing a hole

A worker for Stoughton's Riley Brothers Utility Contractors puts the finishing touches on an asphalt patch at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Beech Street.

Grafitti on Monday's city council agenda

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New sightings at the Alewife Reservation

Seamus Palmer, a member of Friends of the Alewife Reservation, has posted photos of his May 7 hike through the reservation on a page on the organization's Web site.

Zing team to take over Falzone's

The team from Porter Square's Cafe Zing, the coffee bar inside Porter Square Books, will soon reopen Falzone's restaurant.

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Porter Square T flower shop closes

Kelley leaves CLF

Much Appreciation and Thanks to Karen Kelley

The CLF Steering Committee recently accepted the resignation of Karen Kelley as Executive Director. Karen made a major contribution to CLF and was single-handedly responsible for producing our first two Business Directories. She also played a big role to increase our membership from 90 to over 260.

Karen will still be around as an active member of CLF as part-owner of the Cambridge Artists Cooperative. We look forward to her continued great support and leadership. A big thank you to Karen, and we wish her all the best.

While we're in the process of looking for a new Executive Director, Laury Hammel will be the acting Executive Director.

City's Christian Science community hosts lecture

City begins work on Rindge Ave.

The City’s contractor, Aggregate Industries, will reconstruct all pedestrian ramps, repair selected sections of sidewalk, and pave the roadway on Rindge Ave (from Alewife Brook Parkway to Middlesex St).  This project will create safe, accessible ramps and crossings along this section of Rindge Ave , which is heavily used by pedestrians because of amenities such as the school, library, pool, parks, and MBTA bus stops/ station.  Street paving is particularly needed on this section of Rindge Ave due to recent utility improvements.

Key Pedestrian Improvements

1) Curb extensions at the entrance to Russell Field and at Jefferson Park

a)   Create better sightlines and reducing crossing distances

b)   Provide an opportunity for additional green space at Russell Field

c)   Do not affect on-street parking, as these are existing no parking zones

2)   Curb extension at Clifton St

a) Creates additional sidewalk width needed to preserve the large, mature tree at 293 Rindge Ave while creating an accessible pedestrian route

b) Removes approximately 2 on-street parking spaces

3) Widened sidewalk adjacent to Cemetery (between Clay and Sherman streets)

a) five additional feet of sidewalk provides access for pedestrians and maintains the 4 large trees

b) Removes parking on the north side of Rindge Ave between Montgomery and Clay streets

Through the Rindge Ave improvements, gray rubber sidewalk panels will be installed adjacent to the four mature trees next to the Cemetery in order to reduce the amount of lifting by tree roots.  These panels—which have been used on similar locations in other cities— will be monitored to ensure they provide an acceptable walking surface in all types of weather, are durable enough to withstand weather conditions, and conform to growing roots in a desirable manner. 

Attention Property Owners on Rindge Ave ( Middlesex St to Alewife Brook Parkway )
You May Be Eligible to Have a Tree Planted on Your Property at No Cost to You

The City of Cambridge Department of Public Works is pleased to announce a new program to improve our urban forest through public/ private tree planting partnerships, which is being rolled out in coordination with upcoming improvements on Rindge Ave.   Through this program, the City will plant trees along the back-of-sidewalk (up to 20 feet off the public way) on the private properties of interested, eligible owners at no cost.

Why does the City want to plant trees on private property?

The City of Cambridge has historically focused on the maintenance, planting and preservation of its trees residing in the public right-of-way (sidewalk trees), and its parks and public spaces across the City; the ‘Back-of-Sidewalk’ program provides another means of planting trees in difficult areas with narrow sidewalks and/or overhead utilities.

How will the “Back-of-Sidewalk” Program help trees?

This program will allow us to plant trees in desirable growing conditions, making it likely they will survive and thrive.  A typical sidewalk tree faces harsher conditions along the curb (such as oil or salt from roadway runoff).  Soil conditions at the back-of-sidewalk are generally more suitable for plant growth (i.e. less soil compaction, more available nutrients, and better moisture content).  The improved environment of having a larger rooting area and less direct competition with overhead utilities will help to ensure a healthier tree canopy in Cambridge .

How will the “Back-of-Sidewalk” Program help pedestrians?

In order to maintain sidewalks that are accessible to all users, sidewalks must be a certain minimum width; the narrow nature of sidewalks in Cambridge makes it difficult to find appropriate places to plant new sidewalk trees. A growing tree not only crowds the sidewalk, but its root system can displace and damage sidewalks.  By planting more trees on private property, all pedestrians will be able to enjoy safer, more level sidewalks as well as the beauty and environmental benefits of more trees.

What are potential benefits to property owners who participate in this program?
Participants in this program will have to opportunity to receive a tree at no charge.  Trees species can be selected from an approved list in consultation with a professional landscape architect.  The trees planted within these areas allow us to promote different species more suited to smaller spaces— such as magnolia, koelreuteria, and dogwood— which will increase the diversity of species in Cambridge and help beautify properties.

What are the responsibilities of property owners who participate in this program?
Property owners who would like to participate in the “Back-of-Sidewalk” Tree Planting Program must sign the attached agreement.  DPW staff will provide training to help you care for the tree while it is getting established during the first five years; at the end of five years, you will officially assume ownership of the tree.

How can I learn more?
To learn more about this program, please contact David Lefcourt, City Arborist, at (617) 349-6433 or dlefcourt@cambridgema.gov. 

Vineyard to host Gospel, Jazz night Thursday

The neighborhood's Vineyard church will present Thursday a night of music and dance from the community's youth ministry, PZF, Ryze and performances from the recently released album "First Songs: Great Boston Vineyard, 1998-2007," original music by church members.

The door charge is a donation of non-perishable food items.

Kelley, Seidel & Maher file orders regarding neighborhood flooding

City Councillors Craig A. Kelley, Sam Seidel and David Maher have filed orders to mitigate the regulatory burdens proposed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency concerning the Alewife Brook foodplains.

The orders, 6, 9 and 10 from tonight's agenda are below:

Order 6.
COUNCILLOR SEIDEL/COUNCILLOR MAHER

WHEREAS: The Federal Emergency Management Agency is currently revising their Flood Insurance Rate Maps in the City of Cambridge; and
   
WHEREAS: Approximately 160 additional buildings are proposed to be included in the revised flood plan limits in the Alewife area; now therefore be it

ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to ensure that the City is actively working with the neighborhood to provide all necessary information, including any financial resources available to property owners to offset increased insurance costs and/or decreased property values resulting from the revised maps; and be it further
      
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the appropriate departments to review and approve the maps and report to the City Council before the maps are considered by that body. 

Order 9.
COUNCILLOR KELLEY

ORDERED:
That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to coordinate with relevant officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Resources (DCR) to organize and present a seminar in North Cambridge aimed specifically at Real Estate agents and Real Estate Insurance agents to make them conversant with the implications of the soon-to-be expanded high risk flood zone in various parts of Cambridge.

Order 10.
COUNCILLOR KELLEY

WHEREAS: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is in the process of redrawing the flood maps that impact Cambridge; and
    
WHEREAS: Much of the data used by FEMA was gathered by airplanes and, while accurate overall, may be very inaccurate for any particular property and improperly put that property in the high risk flood zone, with attendant expense insurance results for the property owner; and
   
WHEREAS: Homeowners may apply for a special exemption from their placement if they can prove FEMA's data was wrong and they should not be in the high risk flood zone; and
   
WHEREAS: It costs hundreds of dollars to get the property survey information to challenge the FEMA map; and
   
WHEREAS: If property owners had a better idea of how accurate the FEMA map elevation data was overall, they would better be able to judge whether it is worth the investment to survey their particular properties to determine whether they can challenge FEMA's placement of them in the high risk flood zone; now be it therefore
   
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with relevant Department staff to have the City carry out a statistically valid validation program of FEMA's flood map data; and be it further
      
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council on this matter.

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CSO plays at Vineyard Church tonight

The Cambridge Symphony Orchestra, led by Conductor Cynthia Woods will play a concert tonight at 7 p.m at the neighborhood's Vineyard Church. The orchestra will play along side with the Worcester Youth Orchestra with proceeds going to support Cambridge Cares about Aids.

'The Cambridge Campanion' plays the Brattle Theatre Friday

Film stars neighborhood's Smith

by Neil W. McCabe

The movie filmed by Ethan H. Goldhammer in the city and starring North Cambridge resident Lloyd Smith, "The Cambridge Campanion," will be shown Friday at Harvard Square's Brattle Theatre as part of the Boston Cinema Census.

Goldhammer said he made a shorter short called "The Governor of Cambridge" starring Alewife columnist Jacques Fleury, "The Haitian Firefly" that wil not be part of this showing because of time constraints.

The movie follows Smith as he campaigns as a 2007 write-in candidate for city council and interacts with other candidates and activists.

Ashley Alexandra Dupre

'On Broadway' regional theater run starts Friday

Film shot in North Cambridge features neighborhood's Lance Greene

WHAT: The made-in-Boston independent movie “On Broadway” has just finished a highly successful year on the film festival circuit, taking home high honors from American and European festivals. Now it is being released on five screens in Greater Boston. “On Broadway” is a true look at Boston’s Irish community with a cast and crew all with local ties to the city.

Many of the film’s stars are native Bostonians - Joey McIntyre, Eliza Dushku, Mike O’Malley, Amy Poehler, and Robert Wahlberg. Also, Writer/Director Dave McLaughlin is a West Roxbury native, cinematographer Terrence Fitzgerald Hayes is a son of Southie, and every member of the movie’s producing team hails from Massachusetts. The icing on “On Broadway’s” Boston cred is the movie’s score, composed by Buffalo Tom front man and Lexington resident Bill Janovitz, and recorded at Somerville’s Q Division studio.

This is a truly independent approach to filmmaking. Not only was the film financed and produced outside of the traditional studio system, it is now being distributed exclusively through independently owned theaters.

• Best First Feature Film, Galway Film Fleadh 2007
• Best Narrative Feature, Woods Hole FF 2007
• Grand Jury Prize, New Hampshire FF 2007
• Directors Choice Award, Magners Irish FF 2007

WHERE: At the following theaters:

• Cameo Theater 1 & 2
14 Columbian Square – South Weymouth, MA 02190 (781) 335.2777

• Dedham Community Theatre
580 High St – Dedham, MA 02026 (781) 326.0409

• Sharon Cinema 8
700 South Main St – Sharon, MA 02067 (781)784.9300

• Somerville Theatre
55 Davis Square – Somerville, MA 02144 (617) 625.5700

• West Newton Cinema
1296 Washington St - West Newton, MA 02465 (617)964.6060

WHEN: In theaters March 14, 2008

WHO: “On Broadway” stars Joey McIntyre, Eliza Dushku, Mike O’Malley, Robert Wahlberg, Will Arnett, and Amy Poehler.

MORE INFO: Visit www.onbroadwaythemovie.com for showtimes and more information.

MEDIA CONTACT: Sam Mazzarelli (617) 375.9700 smazzarelli@marlomc.com

When did Tom Brady leave us?

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