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?

From Filenes to Ferdinand

Y'know, it's great that the mayor is taking action on the Filene's site downtown. Simply put, it's a mess. But where's the word from hizzoner when it comes to the holes in the ground further down Washington Street? The site of the former Gaiety Theater was razed in 2005 and has been a barren gravel pit ever since. Once across the Mass Pike, underdeveloped and underperforming parcels of land exist all the way down to the Ferdinand Building in Dudley Square. The Ferdinand site, by the way, is owned by the City. So, where's the fuss about that, Mr. Mayor? Roxbury has been looking forward to seeing that project move forward for years. A ribbon cutting was held in May 2008. The BRA held a design charrette to develop ideas for the area in the fall of 2009. Supposedly a winner would be announced after the last mayoral election in November 2009, but I haven't seen anything materialize yet. I'm not saying that the City has to start building tomorrow, but at least announce the winner and show us that there's a cohesive plan (perhaps you remember the photo above?).

C'mon, Mr. Mayor, address development in the city in a holistic manner. What's good for downtown is also good for the neighborhoods. Address our problems as aggressively as you're addressing those where the tourists and suburbanites go. We want progress, too!

Hooray for Healthcare

If I wasn't already a believer in health insurance for everyone, I would become one now.

My bill for visiting the travel clinic just came in. I don't understand why a one hour visit and consultation would cost $745, but after my plan kicked in, my payment is just under $7. Wow! Before my visit, neither the clinic nor the insurance agent I spoke to could inform me of what would and wouldn't be covered. I steeled myself for a nasty surprise that might be at least 10 times what I'm being charged, so this is quite pleasant. I almost wish I had another tropical vacation coming up so I could make use of my insurance again.

So why is it that people in other states are resisting coverage for everyone? If my low budget Massachusetts plan is a model, seems like it would be a great thing for the masses. The affordability is great, but so is the peace of mind.

Facebook's "Mandingo President." Ugh!

There's random and then there's "random."

While posting a status update on Facebook, I was asked to prove that I'm not a spambot by completing one of those captcha text boxes. Usually they're a random combination of letters and numbers, although lately I've noticed that a combination of actual words are appearing more often. Usually the words are bland and common, but today I came across this:

What the hell is this crap?! There's no way this is random. Some techie working for Facebook or the captcha system programmed this in. People, get a grip. Barack Obama is the president for at least the next 3 years. Programming your racism into the internet will not change that.

And you, Facebook, do you have any internal codes of conduct regarding employee actions like this?

What can we do with four more years?

Some people who did not support another four years of Menino have already begun gazing into their navels in despair about him being in office for another four year term. While it's not what was hoped for, let's face it, the man knows how to get things done. That said, perhaps it's time to look at another four years of Menino as a blessing in disguise. As I said, he knows how to get things done. So, instead of wallowing in self-pity, maybe it's an opportunity to gather in significant numbers to make sure your ideas are heard by the one man with all the cards in his hands. My shortlist for Roxbury is below:

BIOLAB: Can it. For years B.U. has shown that it hasn't been very good at managing labs with less deadly viruses. Why are we supposed to trust them with a Level 4 lab that will hold some of the deadliest pathogens on earth? Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz and other elected officials have gone on record as saying that they don't support the lab. Many residents don't support it either. We know you're for it, but do you really trust the designated operators to manage it well?

NCAAA at P-3: Support it. At a BRA meeting earlier this year, Roxbury residents expressed overwhelming support to have an arts center - as envisioned by Barry Gaither of the NCAAA - built at P-3. That part of Columbus Ave/Tremont St lacks a neighborhood cultural institution that can be draw and anchor. Rumors have floated for years that Menino wants to build a soccer stadium there for the Revolution, but that's the last thing a congested yet culturally-desolate area needs. Support the arts, Mr. Mayor. If you want a soccer stadium, build it on the waterfront or in place of the Biolab.

DUDLEY SQUARE: Build it. Before the election there was a design contest regarding the future of the Ferdinand Building. Your office announced that the winner of the contest would be designated after the election was over. Well, here we are. Show your commitment to the future of Dudley Square by designating a team before Thanksgiving to begin building out the Ferdinand site. Dudley Square has been languishing for years and needs a boost. The site of the new police station has been cleared, now it's time to get Ferdinand on the move. And while you're at it, can you get Jackson Square moving along, too?

Any chance I'll be surprised?

Unfortunately I was so busy during the second half of October that I feel like Rip Van Winkle regarding some of the latest news. But I'll do what I can to get back in the game, especially with the election coming up on Tuesday. Personally, I would be excited to see a change in the mayor's office, but I don't expect that to happen. I don't know what's motivating the majority of the city to keep our current mayor, but maybe I'll see for myself after the election. Yoon has been everywhere I've been lately and it seems like Flaherty has been everywhere else. I thought I'd see Menino once or twice during the past month, but I guess he's been laying low.

In the meantime, can we just lock the doors on the B.U. Biolab and throw the keys into the harbor already? How many times will we read articles about accidents happening at their current labs before we realize that having a new one with the world's deadliest diseases in the middle of the city is a bad idea?

Is he or isn't he? Will the real Ego Ezedi please stand up.

This morning I woke up to find a link in my inbox to an article in Boston University's Daily Free Press titled

Former BU biolab proponent runs for city council, campaigns against biolab

Long-time readers of this blog know that I'm anti-biolab, so of course I was curious to see who the person is. I was a little surprised to read that it's Ego Ezedi. As the article mentions, Ego was featured in a student-produced video strongly supporting the biolab. Actually, strongly is an understatement. My initial reaction to watching the video years ago was that Mr. Ezedi had the interests of Boston University, not the community, in mind. As an employee of B.U. that comes as no surprise. What I found off-putting was the arrogance and vehemence of his statements.

Flash forward to the present day and now there's an article stating that he's opposed to the biolab...or at least its Level 4 designation. Other than saying that now he understands that 100% safety cannot be guaranteed, he says that his change of mind is based on "personal convictions."

What the hell?!

Mr. Ezedi, you can do better than that. Given how strongly you spoke out in favor of the biolab 4 years ago, why can't you be just as vocal and emphatic? When I met you at a meet-and-greet earlier this summer and asked about your ideas concerning transit and environmental justice issues, I did so without remembering that you were in this video. You didn't have a response to those questions, which is unfortunate given your previous stance and apparent change of mind concerning the biolab.

It's changes of position (and tepid acknowledgment of those changes) like this that make me skeptical of politics and politicians in general. OK, so now you're opposed to the biolab...kind of. What's next? What do you propose as a solution for the community which you would like to elect you to office? If elected, how do we know that you won't change position again?

At the very least, watching this video made me realize that change is happening in the Dudley area. One of the Superfund sites (the Modern Electroplating Factory) is in the process of being cleaned and redeveloped. I don't know where the other one is/was, but I'm hoping that remediation plans are in the works for that one, too.

Marine One?

A noisier-than-usual helicopter just flew over Roxbury. When I looked up, I think I saw Marine One.

It's on and poppin' this Saturday

On Saturday, all eyes will be on Roxbury. In addition to the annual Boston Carnival on Warren Street, Senator Kennedy's funeral takes place (at a time to be announced) on Mission Hill. I guess we can expect traffic to be out of control that day. Take the T if you can.

And keep your fingers crossed that the hurricane doesn't head this way too!

The Evisceration of Roxbury

Without any concrete evidence, I will stop short of claiming intimidation or conspiracy. But, how is it possible that nearly every major politician representing Roxbury (some of the few relevant local politicians of color, by the way) has been caught up in some kind of alleged scandal recently?! Wilkerson, Turner, and now Fox? The politicians representing Roxbury can't be any more corrupt than the pols in any other city or district around Massachusetts. So what's the deal? Are they being careless? Are they being targeted? Or is the community itself the battleground?

With Boston running out of large lots of land for new building projects, Roxbury is one of the few areas close to downtown with enough space left for major construction projects (Allston and the South Boston waterfront are two of the others). Mayor Menino's recent attempt to seize control of P3, the redevelopment plans for Dudley Square, resistance to institutional creep (such as Northeastern's campus expansion and Boston University's Bio Lab), and the community's demands for improved transportation are just a few examples of how competition for space in and control over the neighborhood are heating up.

With the community's senior and most vocal politicians knocked off their pedistals, it would be easy to pick apart the neighborhood bit by bit. That, of course, doesn't excuse our politicians of wrongdoing, if they've done something wrong. But, let's put everything on the table. If they've done wrong, let's see more than a few clips and allegations in the media. In the meantime, the community would be wise to keep its eyes on real estate trends and development patterns in the area. If Harvard was able to secretly purchase half of Allston, there's no reason to suspect that it wouldn't happen in Roxbury, too.