Bitching about Boston

Full Moon on May 5th!

May 1, 2008
http://www.boston.com/news/local/ar...pilgrims_hiss_just_dont_spill_my_brew/?page=2

It was Morton who introduced the Maypole to Massachusetts in 1627, and quite a Maypole it was - 80 feet tall,
with a set of buck horns on top, rising above what is now Quincy's Wollaston Beach in the Merrymount neighborhood.
Attached below was this inscription: "The first of May/At Ma-re Mount shall be kept holyday."

Bradford's account of Ma-re Mount in his "History of Plimoth Plantation":

Those who frequented the Maypole "led a dissolute life, powering out them selves into all profanenes," he wrote.
"And Morton became lord of misrule, and maintained (as it were) a schoole of Athisme [Atheism]. And after they
had gott some good into their hands, and gott much by trading with ye Indeans, they spent it as vainly,
in quaffing & drinking . . . They allso set up a May-pole, drinking and dancing aboute it many days togeather,
inviting the Indean women, for their consorts, dancing and frisking togither . . . and worse practices."

May 1, 2012

May Day- It is raining today. The olde towns might delay the fairs and dances.

Boston forecast

This Afternoon -Showers. Patchy fog. Near steady temperature in the upper 40s. Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph
with gusts up to 25 mph. Chance of rain near 100 percent.

Return of the Swans
Romeo and Juliet are back in the Public Garden lagoon.

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/bost...ay_day_tradition/?p1=Well_Local_YourTownlinks

Remember the two women, that you might want to avoid at the Psychic Fair in Salem?

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/hingham/2012/04/hingham_scanner_tales_police_a.html

24 year old Ms. Tiffany "Sophie the Psychic" Crystal Smith of Hingham and Dorchester, had an accomplice.
43 year old Ms. Teresa Nicholas of Albany, New York and Attleboro- turned herself in. She cashed in the
victim's checks- total take? $7, 385.00

http://hingham.patch.com/articles/second-suspect-in-hingham-psychic-scam-turns-herself-in

http://hingham.patch.com/articles/hingham-police-searching-for-second-suspect-in-psychic-scam

Ms. Smith denied knowing the elderly Pembroke victim, when questioned by police.

Ms. Nicholas has been tracked bouncing all over Massachusetts.

Who are the two mystery people? Who has the elderly victim's 500.00 ring?

28th LGBT Film Festival

Opening Night at the Institute of Contemporary Art: Loose Cannons
May 3, 2012

May 3 to May 13, 2012

Opening Night at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: Mosquita Y Mari

May 4, 2012

Out @fter midnite: Hedwig and The Angry Inch

May 4, 2012

Midnights at the Coolidge!

http://bostonlgbtfilmfest.org/program

This May’s full Moon is a "super Moon,” as much as 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full Moons of 2012.

The scientific term for the phenomenon is "perigee moon." Full Moons vary in size because of the oval shape of
the Moon's orbit. The Moon follows an elliptical path around Earth with one side ("perigee") about 50,000 km
closer than the other ("apogee"). Full Moons that occur on the perigee side of the Moon's orbit seem extra
big and bright.

Such is the case on May 5th at 11:34 pm Eastern Daylight Time1 when the Moon reaches perigee. Only one minute later,
the Moon will line up with Earth and the sun to become brilliantly full. The timing is almost perfect.

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/02may_supermoon/

WBUR
Boston's NPR News Station

On Point Radio.
July 17, 2008
Adam Yauch interview

Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys speaks with Tom Ashbrook on music, sports, life, and his new hip-hop fueled, B-ballin' film, "Gunnin' for That #1 Spot."

Directed by Adam Yauch (founding member of the Hip Hop trio the Beastie Boys and director of "Awesome: I Shot That"),
the film follows eight of the country's premiere high school basketball players on the fast track to the NBA, as they are adored
by fans, wooed by colleges and sneaker companies, and groomed to be in the spotlight of the multi-million dollar game.

Blending this next generation of b-ball players with a mix of raw hip-hop, jazz and break beats, along with Yauch’s unique
kinetic filmmaking, GUNNIN’ is an explosively entertaining look at soon-to-be NBA All Stars.

Tibet Freedom concerts
Traveling in Nepa, Adam Yauchl met refugees that escaped from Tibet, in the 1990s.

Olympics in China - China creates a false impression about Tibet. China attempts to create hatred toward the people of Tibet.

May 04, 2012

PINKHAM NOTCH, N.H. -

Spring is coming to Mount Washington, but conditions are still too dangerous to retrieve the body of a hiker.

Last month a Massachusetts man fell down a crevasse at Tuckerman Ravine.

Crews checked again late last week and they are still not able to see him.

They are hopeful that as more snow and ice melts, they will find him and be able to retrieve his body.

U.S. Forest Service workers used a camera to search a Mount Washington crevasse where a missing hiker fell, but they were not able to locate him.

Norman Priebatsch, 67, of Boston, fell hundreds of feet into the crevasse while hiking with his son at Tuckerman. ( Apr 11, 2012 )

AP News

http://www.wcax.com/story/18149553/mount-washington-still-too-dangerous-for-body-recovery

Rare calico-colored lobster found in restaurant’s tank now headed for research center

http://www2.turnto10.com/mgmedia/image/294/0/31337/rare_calico_lobster_caught_in_newport/

A rare calico lobster, known for its marbled color pattern, was found in the 1,200-gallon lobster tank in Jasper White’s Cambridge restaurant. Calvin
the calico-colored lobster, was caught in Winter Harbor, Maine and passed through at least four pairs of hands before arriving in White's tank.

“Calicos are considered a rare color,” said aquarium spokesman Tony LaCasse. “They used to say 1 in 30 million.” LaCasse said an unusual number
of calico lobsters were found in the summer of 2009, so scientists are now re-evaluating that number.

http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/201...arch-center/PD5QVU19XhpQZvvS6ue4fP/index.html

May 8, 2012

Here we go, again-
The Prudential Complex and the surrounding neighborhood were reportedly without power around noon time.

12:30 report

The traffic lights are out.

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/05/08/bostons-back-bay-hit-by-large-power-outage/

Same sub-station s the last fire and power outage.

NSTAR confirms a failure at the Scotia Street substation has cut power to a large portion of the Back Bay.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/31028126/detail.html

Lights at Copley on, again. NSTAR still has no answers about why it happened?

05/08/2012

Federal immigration officials will activate the controversial Secure Communities program statewide in Massachusetts on May 15, despite
strong opposition from Governor Deval Patrick and advocacy group-law enforcement officials who were notified of the launch today.

The program will also be activated in New York -- follows several high-profile motor-vehicle accidents involving illegal immigrants-
(that intensified calls to expand the fingerprint-matching program statewide.)

Governor Deval Patrick and others had criticized Secure Communities for deporting significant numbers of immigrants who
had not been convicted of any crime. But others, including the Boston police, which piloted the program before it started
to expand nationwide in 2008, say the program is a valuable crime-fighting tool.

http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/201...gov-patrick/1rNb4cZnuuRqsZ6RtvgNYO/index.html

Secure Communities, a federal program in Massachusetts - An initiative slated for nationwide implementation in 2013
in which fingerprints of every person arrested will be sent to the US Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Suspects living in the United States illegally will face possible deportation under the program.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security notified state officials Tuesday that despite the objections of Gov. Deval Patrick and
immigration activists, they plan to launch a federal program aimed at identifying illegal immigrants arrested for crimes.

"I'm persuaded that here in the commonwealth, we will give up more than we get," the Governor Deval Patrick said at the time.
"We run a serious risk of ethnic profiling and frankly fracturing incredibly important relationships in communities that are
necessary for law enforcement."

(In another interview Deval Patrick mentioned discrimination.)

Immigration activists say the Secure Communities program seeks to criminalize people just because they don't have the proper documentation to live and work in the U.S.

1986, Ronald Reagan signed a sweeping immigration reform bill into law. The bill made any illegal immigrant here before 1982 eligible for amnesty.

Aliens who performed labor in perishable agricultural commodities for a specified period of time and were admitted for temporary
and then permanent residence under a provision of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

May 23, 2006

Under the legalization program, illegal immigrants would have to prove that they have lived in the United States for five years
or more to qualify. Illegal immigrants who have been here two to five years could also apply, though they would have to depart
the country first and participate in a temporary guest worker program before trying for legal residency. Both sets of applicants
would have six months to apply.

Under the agriculture program, applicants would have to prove they had performed agricultural work for 150 days in 2005.
They would be given 18 months to apply. Some critics fear the gap between the two programs would touch off a rush to
the farmworker program.

Supporters and critics agree that the immigration system created by the current bill, like the one created in 1986, may be
vulnerable to fraud, and they raise concerns about the government's commitment to maintaining adequate financing
for border security and employee verification. They also warn that the burden on the Homeland Security Department,
which would carry out the program, would be enormous.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/23/washington/23amnesty.html

10/26/2006 - "This bill will help protect the American people. This bill will make our borders more secure. It is an important step toward
immigration reform."
- - President George W. Bush, 10/26/06

VS

Don't look for help if you are a rape victim, because we will deport your illegal backside.

Representative Ryan C. Fattman, Worcester area Republican (Sutton, MA) was asked if he felt rape victims living in Massachusetts illegally,
would be afraid to report the crime if the state endorsed a controversial federal immigration policy. “My thought is that if someone is here
illegally, they should be afraid to come forward.’’ - according to an account published Wednesday in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

http://articles.boston.com/2011-06-...igrants-immigration-status-immigration-debate

Mr. Fattman, who advocates deportation of all illegal immigrants- Makes an anti- immigrant statement two weeks before he talks with officials
of rape crisis centers. He is forced to walk the statement back, and revise. ( asswipe 26 year old male Republican Freshman State law maker!)
Damage control- by House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones Jr., R-North Reading, and Assistant Minority Leader Elizabeth Poirier, R-North Attleboro.


Representative Ryan C. Fattman clarifies his remarks on victims of crime
June 22, 2011

He sent an email- He said in e-mail that all survivors of rape are entitled to the services of victim advocates, regardless of their immigration status.

After meeting with officials of rape crisis centers in Boston, state Rep. Ryan C. Fattman has clarified controversial remarks made
two weeks ago about illegal immigrant crime victims seeking help from police.

In a Telegram & Gazette interview earlier this month criticizing Gov. Deval L. Patrick’s decision not to join the federal Secure Communities
program to have local police enforce immigration status laws, Representative Ryan C. Fattman had said that an illegal immigrant rape victim-
“should be afraid to come forward” to police because of their immigration status.

The comment drew harsh criticism from immigration and women’s protection advocates and resulted in an online petition that reportedly
garnered several thousand signatures calling for Mr. Fattman to retract the comment and apologize.

The petition was posted on the Change.org website after being launched by the Rape Crisis Center of Central Massachusetts
and the New Hope Rape Crisis Center of Boston, and also called for the House of Representatives to censure comments were
also criticized by the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition.

Eva Millona, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, said in a statement that
Fattman’s comments were “the latest ugly illustration of how the immigration debate has sunk to a new low’’ and were
“an insult to basic human dignity.’’

Mary Lauby, executive director of Boston-based Jane Doe Inc., said Fattman “owes all victims of sexual violence, a thorough and sincere apology.’’

“Victims of any crime should always feel safe to come forward to both law enforcement officials and other support networks
for help, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, immigration status, or any other factor,” Mr. Fattman said.

Did sister, auntie, and grandmother give Junior a re-education and consciousness raising?

“I was pleased to have had the opportunity to meet with officials from New Hope Inc.,” Mr. Fattman said. “I appreciate the opportunity
to clarify that I do, and always will feel compassion towards victims of any crime.”

Being a dickhead means you never have to say you are sorry ?

Governor Deval Patrick said that he would not endorse the federal Secure Communities program, because there were dangers of discrimination and racial profiling.

Weather woman said- "Expect bizarre weather, today." "It will come out of nowhere."

Looks like a nice day, right now. Wait a few hours- showers, storms, high winds, hail. Don't get caught flat footed!

Partly sunny this morning...then mostly cloudy with a slight chance of showers with isolated thunderstorms this afternoon.
Highs in the upper 60s. West winds around 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

(What happened to the mid 70s prediction?)

TonightMostly cloudy in the evening...then clearing. Lows in the upper 40s. West winds 10 to 15 mph

http://www.boston.com/weather/?p1=Header_Weather

Tempest in a beanpot-
*hats off to Perg

Charlestown Bunker Hill Day Parade
Sunday, June 10, 2012 beginning at Noon in Hayes Square

If....

(*snerk* Sarah Palin's words about Paul Revere, will never die.)

Aye- yup Perfectly nice sunny pleasant day, suddenly there is thunder. It's moving in.

Someone witnessed a wall of water, falling from the sky, today. It was not me. Promises, promises.
OTOH Black bears are eating the bounty from bird feeders, with their cubs. My coyotes gather & yip.

WBCN got changed. Now WFNX.

101.7 WFNX is being sold to ClearChannel pending FCC approval

May 16 2012

the catch....

Despite its celebrated history, its cutting edge programming , its tradition of breaking new music, its ardent fans among listeners
and advertisers, for some time it has been difficult to sustain the station -- especially since the start of the Great Recession.

The mechanics of the situation are this:

WFNX will the file the paperwork necessary to trigger the license transfer with the Federal Communication Commission later today.

Stephen M. Mindich

http://blog.thephoenix.com/BLOGS/ph...old-to-clearchannel-pending-fcc-approval.aspx

Killing Off the Independents, Killing Off the Local
You have gone Native, and you cannot be trusted, you fucking Alternative, open minded, sub-culture, subversive SOBs

(Thanks a lot, Wall Street, for 2007-2008. Jamie Dimon and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co bank shows everyone that nothing has changed.)

May 16, 2012

According to one source at the company, who asked not to be named, there is speculation that Clear Channel
will switch the Boston alternative station to a country and western, or Spanish-language talk format.

WFNX is owned by the Boston-based Phoenix Media/Communications Group
which also owns the Boston Phoenix, the Providence Phoenix and Stuff Magazine.

"We look forward to adding 101.7 to our Boston broadcasting family."
-John Hogan, chairman and CEO of Clear Channel Media and Entertainment

The media conglomerate currently owns four radio stations in the Boston-area.

In 2009, CBS replaced longtime Boston alternative station WBCN with a sports format, the Sports Hub, at 98.5 fm.

"....the radio station could live on in some form on the Internet."

http://wfnx.com/

Massachusetts is not flaw free-

ACUSHNET, Mass. -- A church’s message sparked a new fight in the same-sex marriage debate.

A message board at a church, had this message on display-“Two men are friends not spouses."

There was backlash against this kind of prejudice- The person who condoned the posting of this message to the public, was surprised and defensive.

"We think we have the right to express our difference of opinion in freedom without the backlash of hatred.”

{Excuse me, while I roll my eyes.}

The message left by a local woman countered the church’s statement saying,

“You may not be welcome in this church, but all people are welcome in this community. Spread love not hate.”

The woman said she wanted to let people know the church doesn’t speak for the community.

Some other people's reactions to the message board, were not quite so polite.

Boston alerts the outdoor enthusiasts via AP

ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. (AP) — The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife says 11 cliff areas across the state are closed to hikers
because Peregrine falcons are nesting nearby and humans could bother the birds. The sites could be open in August, or sooner.

Not that many fires, so the fire truck's sirens set the coyotes off, to howling and yipping.

Memorial Day Weekend-

"Overall the weekend is looking good. There may be an isolated thunderstorm Saturday afternoon, but the chances look pretty slim."
Saturday will be the warmest and most humid day.
Sunday- less heat, and less humidity.
Monday afternoon there is a better chance for more clouds and a few showers, but some sunshine as well.

"Monday is the day the forecast could drastically change, even several times, before we get there."

05/24/2012

Former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling’s video game company, 38 Studios, has laid off all of its employees in the wake of financial difficulties.

The Providence company, which had close to 400 employees, attracted top talent from the videogame industry.

Where was help, for this job creator? I was sure, that one of the 1% super-rich would be a White Knight, and give a rescue.

(It would have been nice, to throw a going- away- party for them, this weekend. Couldn't they have waited, until after Memorial day?)

May 24, 2012

Beer-guzzling cows crash Boxford, MA party

“The cows chased them away from the table they were sitting at and started drinking their beers. They (the six month old steers)
knocked the beer cans over with their noses and started drinking beer right off the *table.”

The cows — six Belted *Galloways, to be exact — had a choice between Bud Light and Miller Lite. Riter said they seemed to prefer the Bud Light.

“When they ran out of beers on the table, one of them started to forage in the recycling to see if he could find any last drops in there,” Riter said.

“I went by where they keep the cows the next morning and they were all laying down,” Spencer said. “I don’t know if they had a headache or what.”

Before televisions and computers came along, children explored and passed the tales along. Out in the woods,
long grown over, there are strange sights. The stones are marked with carvings, that no one really knows who
carved them. Old stone foundations, grave plots with gravestones, surrounded by trees. A family, long gone,
gone for hundreds of years. Some say there were visitors, a thousand years ago. Some say there were visitors
here, before the Christ was born. Earth and human feet- both move. Who knows what is left over, from Pangaea?

*tip of the hat, to the Author's Hangout

Ho, hum, the Celtics did something right. I hope all of them behave themselves, in the future. *grump*

After watching Game 1, do you believe the Celtics can win the series?

At best, I am indifferent to sports. Unsportsman- like behavior, is a turn off.

Winning games, makes fans in Boston happy. 6 of one, 1/2 dozen of the other. *shrug*

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/?

In other news-

Hubie Jones, upstanding Boston citizen, worked to build the City to City Program, an initiative in which Boston’s corporate, government, and
nonprofit leaders visit cities in the U.S. and abroad to learn how their urban leaders solve problems. He also has led the university’s partnership
with the Harbor School in Dorchester.

He is dean emeritus of the Boston University School of Social Work, where he served as professor and dean from 1977 to 1993. He was BU's first
African-American dean. For eight months in 1992, he was acting president of Roxbury Community College.

Jones has served on numerous non-profit boards in the Greater Boston area. He is the founder of the Massachusetts Advocacy Center, where he
served as board president for ten years. He is a trustee of the Foley, Hoag and Eliot Foundation, and has served on the boards of City Year and
the Conservation Law Foundation.

He is well known for his appearances on local television, particularly as a panelist on WCVB-TV’s public affairs discussion show "Five on Five."

He earned his B.A. degree from the City College of New York and his master's degree in social work from Boston University. In the 1971-1972
academic year, he was a Community Fellow at the MIT.

This is how Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank honors Hubie Jones-

Referring to the hooded academic robe that civil rights leader Hubie Jones received at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth commencement
on Sunday, Barney Frank said "you now have a hoodie you can wear, and no one will shoot at you." (facepalm, plus 3, for the 4 times used)

From:gsgs To:Barney Frank- Your handler needs to keep you away from the booze cabinet, if you need pain meds.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma...rep_frank_apologizes_for_hoodie_quip_in_mass/

@#$%&#!!! This is New England! We have hurricaine watches, not tornado watches! (Tornado watch is something that only happens once, every 50 years.)

Well, that has changed. Western parts of MA will be watching- Tornado Watch issued for Western Mass. Portions of New York, Vermont in Watch area

The watch is effective until 9 p.m. Tuesday night. (News gal said it might pop up, out of nowhere.) Watch area-

Approximately along and 55 statute miles east and west of a line from 40 miles south of Glens Falls, N.Y. to 40 miles north northwest of Burlington, Vermont.

2012 version of New England's new tornado alley. Watch out for more of those new straight line winds. Forget about replacing the trees. It will only happen, again.

http://www.wcvb.com/news/local/Torn...ass/-/9848876/14268672/-/bdlusoz/-/index.html