The Third Decade

Safe T?

Has anyone else noticed that the canned recording on the MBTA no longer include the one that ends with "safety is our number one priority?" I noticed it a few months ago but thought I was just missing them because of the numerous census, no smoking, and flu season recordings. After last night's fire, as well as previous fires and power issues near Park Street and Downtown Crossing, what strategies are being employed to ensure the safety and integrity of the system? When the commuter rail has problems, clear decisions are made to plan and schedule repairs. With so many problems happening at the hub of the system, where are the dollars and the political pressure to keep safe and ensuring they have smoother travel?

Iceland's hit back

I'm sure other people have written about this already, but there's sort of a poetic justice to the reports about Iceland's volcano shutting down Europe's airspace. Nearly a year and a half after the UK froze Iceland's assets and only months after reports of emigration from Iceland hitting record levels, it's almost as though the island has had enough and is striking back. If Nature is waking up and striking back, Europe is screwed!