The Third Decade

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.

Louie

This is a great video. I've seen this man biking around town before, but never gave much thought about his background story. I hope the filmmaker does more videos about people around town.

Louie from Brian Moore on Vimeo.

Found on UniversalHub.

Roxbury, the video

Today the Roxbury Cultural Network released a video called Why I Love Roxbury. It's a short 7-minute look at the beauty, history, and love for the community that often gets missed when the neighborhood is reported in the media.

As I heard one person say, "There are so many things to love about Roxbury." I couldn't agree more.

Legacy vs Legacy: Tom Menino vs Elma Lewis

It was only a matter of time before a large enough voice in Boston's Black community spoke out against Mayor Menino. There have been grumblings about his support for BU's Biolab for a while and his reputation for being vindictive against people who contradict his wishes is well known. I left Boston before he became mayor and returned 6 years ago. Upon returning, I heard that he enjoyed high ratings, but I could never understand why. Besides literally not being able to understand what he said, I didn't see what the big deal was about him. Yes he made appearances everywhere, but what was he really doing? Did I miss his golden years?

Anyway, the Bay State Banner's editorial opposing Menino is interesting. Has Menino finally bumped up against someone with a legacy bigger than his own? Elma Lewis isn't well-known by many Bostonians under 40. Further, her accomplishments and legacy aren't well known by many Bostonians under 30. Given the large number of young voters, I wonder how important the Parcel 3 project will be to young voters and new Bostonians. Using the Parcel 3 development is an interesting way to portray into the idea that Menino is out of touch with the community. But in order for that to take root on a wider scale, I feel that more examples and connections need to be identified.

Overall, this should be an interesting mayoral cycle. Many communities of color and liberal white communities were envigorated and galvanized by President Obama's election. I'm curious to see whether any fractions will appear if/when Menino formally announces his candidacy. If an anti-Menino movement takes hold in Boston, it'll also be interesting to see how the voting breaks down by neighborhood. Dorchester and Roxbury are two of the most populous neighborhoods, but I don't think they have the highest voter turnouts in any election. Will Menino bother courting voters of color and liberal white voters in those districts if more of these editorials appear? Or, will he pursue a George Bush-style divide and conquer campaign and just go for the safe districts? Unfortunately, none of the current candidates looks strong enough at the moment to portend an interesting campaign cycle. Hopefully that will change soon.

Vox Lumiere's The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Last night I had the opportunity to watch Vox Lumiere at Emerson's Majestic Theater. Prior to going, I watched a short video of the production on the theater's website. Although I didn't understand what I was watching, I was excited about the show and encouraged by the LA Times review, which called it "absolutely riveting." Nearly 24 hours after the show, I'm still not sure how I feel about it.

First, I think the idea behind the show is brilliant. The creators played the silent movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame on a large screen floating above the stage and had rock musicians and singers perform on stage in front of it. I suppose it's kind of like taking the piano soundtrack that silent films used to have and putting it on some serious steroids. The music definitely fills the theater and gives the performance power.

But the production's brilliance also makes it challenging to follow. Specifically in the first act, there's almost no interplay between the silent film and the cast. The film doesn't explain what's happening on stage and vice versa. Much of the time, it looked like there were two shows happening simultaneously, a movie and a rock concert. It was somewhat disorienting and confusing because I didn't know which to follow and it was annoying trying to read the few remaining caption left in the film.

I was also surprised by the frequency and length of the periods when the audience only had the movie to watch while the singers were offstage. If I had paid for my ticket, I would've been upset that I was basically watching a movie when I paid for a stage production with live action. The film-only periods weren't interesting, and just left me wondering what was the point. On the other hand, I thought the singers were great, but I wish the producer had used them more. They were just singing, not acting, and didn't really become any characters. Although they sang beautifully, they didn't clearly identify who they represented, which made it hard to follow who was who. The film and the live action also didn't always match up, and the production had a level of emptiness to it because the singers seldom interacted with each other or with the audience. My friend and I felt the most engaged when the solos and duets (with lyrics) were performed, primarily because the production became more focused on those people and becuase there were lyrics which moved the story forward.

The strongest piece, however, was the Court of Miracles scene in the middle of act two. Unlike most of the show where the performers had tightly constrained dances and very static movements, that piece - which mirrored the attack against the aristocracy - was wild! The cast let loose, made use of the stage, and looked like they were finally having fun. Unfortunately it didn't last long, but it was a welcome contrast to the limited choreography and awkward movements happening throughout the rest of the show. I couldn't decide whether some of their awkward gesticulations were meant to be edgy or if they were adopting the kind of moves that silent film actors would have done. Either way, there was an overall lack of clarity that no amount of great singing could overcome.

Overall, I'd say it was an interesting experience. I can see this kind of theater becoming popular, but the best productions will have to continue to guide the audience experience rather than overwhelm them with lots of sound and fury, but little substance.

The U.S. still isn't ready for (the elimination of) Black History Month.

Maybe it's the economy. Maybe it's the weather. Maybe it's just my perception. 

In general, this Black History Month feels like it has been one of the more contentious ones in recent memory. Usually the annual commemoration passes by without much notice outside of the Black community. I suspect the Obama presidency has been a factor in changing things this year. But the level of bitterness (and ignorance) that have been stirred up are at a point I wouldn't have expected in 2009,  particularly not from a place like New York City! The New York Post's cartoon featuring police officers shooting a chimp while commenting about the stimulus package is one example of thinly-veiled racism (or rampant ignorance). But I'm also still receiving emails about the baker who created the "drunked negro face" cookies. I don't remember when I first heard about those, but the fact that I'm still hearing about them weeks later has me wondering whether the baker is still selling them and trying to convince others that they're in good taste.

Of course I'm not trying to single out New York City. I'm probably hearing about these examples simply because they occurred in New York and it's hard to escape scrutiny there. Odds are that a lot more mischief has happened around the country, but that fewer people are aware of those occurrences because they happened in smaller places. Either way, a raw nerve is being plucked. Sadly, it has the potential to manifest itself into something very ugly on a larger scale unless we address it as a society. Attorney General Eric Holder was right in calling out the country regarding our racial dynamics and I'm eager to see what he's going to do to encourage more people to talk openly instead of resorting to the kinds of insensitive expressions mentioned above.

Then there are those who suggest that we should do away with Black History Month completely. 

Inaugural Memories

First of all, congratulations, President Barack Hussein Obama. After two long years of campaigning and dismissing your initial nay-sayers, I'm happy to see you in office and hard at work from day one.

There aren't any words that can sum up Inauguration Day without sounding cliched, but it really was an incredible and momentous occasion. The crowds were huge, but not impossible or unbearable. After living in Japan and London and dealing with Paris and Madrid's crowds on New Years Eve, this crowd was comparatively small. Besides that, the crowd control measures were organized and everyone was in a mood to party, not act the fool. The Metro was very effective at shuttling people around, although at times some of the outer stations were temporarily shut down to keep the crowds on the platforms from growing dangerously large.

Despite the blue skies and bright sun, it was cold. A chilly wind whipped up a little dust from time to time, but for the most part, it was a beautiful day. Snow was in the forecast, but not a single flake fell during my time in Washington. The Mall itself was a beautiful sea of humanity. People were smiling, holding hands, huddling (mostly for warmth), and just having a good time. Vendors sold everything from Obama photos to buttons, to t-shirts, but I don't think too many people bought t-shirts. My friends and I arrived around 10am and found a spot near one of the jumbotron TVs between the Washington Monument and the last set of buildings in the Smithsonian complex. 

Between our arrival and the noon swearing in, the audience grew and grew and grew. Official estimates are that 2 million people showed up, but with such a large open space, it never felt crowded or uncomfortable. We had a clear view of the jumbotron and I even walked around the crowd a couple of times to take crowd shots as we waited. I thought I'd lose track of my friends by walking around, but it was always easy to meet up and stand next to them again.

Walk Across America Update

My buddy BJ is still walking across America. CNN caught up with him recently and asked about his reason for walking and the messages he's collecting from people to deliver to the next president.

Elevated Orange Line vs Silver Line

I came across this video of the old El a few days ago and keep coming back to it. In addition to enjoying the video because of the point of view that no longer exists, it's also interesting to hear about the El accident (starts around 0:50) and to see how much Washington St. in the South End has changed. Older folks often say that it was really run down in the 1970s and 1980s; they weren't kidding! 

Still, despite the wooden platforms in the stations and the clickety-clack of the trains overhead, most people I know speak nostalgically about the El. I tried to find a similar video taken from the Silver Line on Washington Street, but couldn't find anything remotely close. Instead I found one of my neighbors being interviewed by WCVB opposing Phase 3 of the Silver Line. If the Silver Line were removed from Washington St tomorrow, I wonder if anyone would speak nostalgically about it.

United Colors of Obama

Has there ever been a candidate in modern American politics who has inspired such a diverse following as Obama? I'm not saying that because I support him, I'm saying that because I don't ever remember seeing the variety of cultures who have taken a politician and "rebranded" him to become part of who they are. 

Below are videos with South Asian, Latin, and Louisiana Zydeco flavors, as well as the will.i.am video that helped start it all.