NeighborMedia

Gnomes of Cambridge return as Guest Stars for Halloween safety tips

Margaret — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:45:55 -0400

Vladimir: Ah finally we arrive at Oktober! We receive invite to Guest Star like last year for to dispense tips for Halloween safeties of Trick and Treaters...

Greta: Vladimir, I tell you like last year, Trick OR Treat, not Trick AND Treat!

Vladimir: Ha, yes Trick OR Treat, but main operations, though, is focus to Treat. Ahem…

Greta: Yes, and last year you eat too much treat… read more...

NeighborMedia

Going to "ACUPUNCTURE TOGETHER"

SharonMaryS — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 05:39:02 -0400

BeLive was fortunate to have guest Justine Deutsche discuss and demonstrate acupuncture (8/19/08). Unbeknownst to us, the half-hour segment actually ended a few minutes before the clock struck the precise half hour mark -- so all of our contact info was cut off!!

For those of you who were inspired to try acupuncture, or to stop by and learn more, Justine can be reached as follows:

Acupuncture Together
2464 Massachusetts Avenue
Suite 420
Cambridge, MA 02140
Tel: (617) 499-9993

Clinic Hours:
Monday 3:30-7:30
Tuesday 9:30-1:30
Wednesday 1:30-5:30
Thursday 3:30-7:30
Saturday 9:30-12:30

Website:
http://www.acupuncturetogether.com/

NeighborMedia

An Interesting Exercise in Urban Planning

Mark Jaquith — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:43:12 -0400

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. has bought up seventeen acres along Binney Street in East Cambridge. They want to build about a million and a half square feet of office and lab space to lease to the biotech industry. Not happy with the limitations under current zoning, they have submitted an amendment to the zoning ordinance to the city that they would like to have passed.

This cheeky act did not come by itself, but was accompanied with the offer to the city and neighborhood of 1.75 acres for a park. It has since been expanded to just over two acres, making it the entire block surrounded by Bent, Third, Rogers, and Second streets. This was a pretty savvy tactic on their part. It got the neighborhood’s attention - without having their zoning petition rejected outright. They sent a delegation to the East Cambridge Planning Team last summer and asked if it was worth discussing the issue. The conversation is heating up. read more...

NeighborMedia

Walk / Ride Like an Egyptian Friday Sept 26th

Margaret — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 13:29:14 -0400

Walk / Ride Day is Back!

Well, actually it never left...but now that school has started, here's your opportunity to Walk/Ride your kids to school!

Always the last Friday of every month -- Wear green, go green, be green...feel good about yourself! Find alternate transport other than your gas-powered fume-emitting car -- walk, bus, train, bike, or carpool...(yeah, it's a car, but at least you're sharing it...)

Please visit these Cambridge Walk/Ride Day Sponsors who are offering those who wear and go green on Walk/Ride days discounts, prizes, raffles, and more:

Abodeon (1731 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138Phone: (617)497-0137): 10% off any of our eco-friendly products! read more...

NeighborMedia

300 More Bike Racks Open at Alewife T

Margaret — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:33:41 -0400

Finding a parking space for your bike at Alewife T was getting to be almost as hard as finding a parking space for your car in Kenmore Square during a RedSox game.

But not any more, thanks to Daniel Grabauskas, General Manager of the MBTA, who officially opened two new bike cages this morning.

The additional 300 bike spaces more than doubles the number of legal bike spaces, and will alleviate the overcrowding at Alewife, where bikes have been locked to anything and everything that can't be moved. read more...

NeighborMedia

Video from MBTA "Bikes Cages" Press Conference

Colin — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:36:18 -0400

The following video is an excerpt from this morning's press conference with MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas and Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons at the Alewife T Station.

Here's a bit from the MBTA's press release:

"MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas, joined by Mayor of Cambridge Denise Simmons and various bike advocacy groups gathered at Alewife Station on the Red Line to unveil the T’s first ever unstaffed bike cages. Accessible with a swipe of a Bike CharlieCard, two cages constructed to accommodate 150 bicycles each, will provide customers with a safe, secure, and sheltered location to park their bikes. These cages will more than double bike parking capacity at Alewife station to approximately 500 spaces." read more...

NeighborMedia

Cambridge scores well in The Energy Smackdown's Locavore Banquet

Mark Jaquith — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 01:11:44 -0400

And we ate well too.

Team Cambridge competed in the Locavore Banquet on Sunday September 14th. What is a locavore? One who eats food produced locally. The idea was to see which of the three Energy Smackdown teams (Arlington, Cambridge, and Medford) could put together the best meal for twenty people that resulted in the lowest carbon footprint possible.

Our Mid Eastern themed menu consisted of:

Herb roasted marinated chicken breast.

Felafel with beet raita.

Zucchini(sauteed) stacks layered with roasted red peppers and onion with a roasted red pepper puree.

Baba ganoosh with toasted pita.

Heirloom tomato and Armenian cucumber salad with basil.

Roasted acorn squash soup seasoned with curry and garnished with fried sage and fried garlic slivers using a half squash as the bowl. read more...

NeighborMedia

Potluck kick-off 4 Green Streets Sunday September 14

Margaret — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 12:08:43 -0400

Potluck lunch Sunday, September 14 12-3:30 PM at Danehy Park - Sherman Street

Iggy's Bread of the World will donate breads to share and sell.

Please Bring:

Food and drink
Friends and family!
Walk/Ride Day ideas and questions
Bicycles to trade or pass on
Balls, jump ropes, hula hoops, unicycles, etc.

Other activities:

Green Streets items raffle
Samples of Walk/Ride Day support materials
Discussion of September 22 Coordinator Appreciation event with Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons

In case of rain, this event will be rescheduled. If it's questionable, check the GreenStreets website Sunday by 11am or call 617-645-9678. read more...

NeighborMedia

Gunshots on my Lawn

Sister Bee — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:25:03 -0400

I was in a community computer lab in the Port/Area 4 ‘round 3:40 pm on August 24th when I heard “pop pop BANG pop pop…” Suddenly every eye turned from their typing and gaming with an alarmed look that hurled the question “Was that gunshots?” I rushed outside selfishly praying there were no ‘bodies’. After all, my child, my nephew, and 98 other youth attend camps in the immediate area of the shooting - and at least a hundred others play at parks daylong. So in my panic I only thought of “The Babies!!!!”….

At least ten other neighbors cautiously spilled out into the streets, fear furrowing our eyebrows, as we witnessed two camp councilors with 20 kids rush from Clement Morgan Park “come on hurry!!!” they uttered while fast tracking their way back to a “safe spot”…Community members discussed what they saw, and we all unified in our fear and our mutual concern for each other as we spoke about the audacity of folks shooting Gunshots on our lawns. read more...

NeighborMedia

More Free Entertainment in Cambridge

Margaret — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 08:46:58 -0400

Free Movies Sponsored by the Cambridge Arts Council and WGBH:

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST. 20 Alice Hunter/ONEON & Friends of Raymond Park Movie Night
6:30 pm Alice Hunter/ONEON
Alice Hunter presents an interactive puppet show & dance performance.

Hitchcock's Vertigo at 8:00 pm
Location: Raymond Park: corner of Upland and Raymond Street
Rain Date: Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 6:30 pm

THURSDAY, AUGUST 21 at 6:00 pm and 8:00 Inman Under the Stars: Movie Night & Social
6:00 Pre-movie entertainment:
Strolling performers from ImprovBoston's Henchmen and discounts from participating Inman Square businesses.

8:00 Film screening
"Intergalactic Adventure" read more...

NeighborMedia

Wildlife at Northpoint

Mark Jaquith — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 14:43:14 -0400

This morning I took one of my walks around East Cambridge and my wanderings took me through the undeveloped area of Northpoint. With all the rain we've been getting this summer, the area is dotted with areas of standing water. These are attractive to shore birds if they remain long enough to sprout a population of insects. Today I saw a spotted sandpiper and spotted a group of three lesser yellowlegs feeding in these pools. read more...

NeighborMedia

Name a new park in Kendall Square

Mark Jaquith — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:26:27 -0400

One of the owners of Cambridge Research Park, the new development off Third Street in East Cambridge that includes the Genzyme building and the Kendall Square skating rink is asking for suggestions of names for the park to be constructed at the end of the Broad Canal. Approximately the area shown in blue on the picture. There will be a canoe and kayak launch and dock, a new boardwalk over parts of the canal and open space landscaped in the area north of the water. They have contracted with Sasaki Associates to design the space.

The current working name is Kendall Square Park. It does sound kind of dull and there is already that fountain and seating area right at the square.

Almost everything I come up with sounds like the name of a condo. I would like something with a reference too local geography or history. It is on the site of the old Cambridge Gas Light Company and next to the Broad Canal. read more...

NeighborMedia

Put Your Community Issues On The Map

Mark Jaquith — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:40:22 -0400

I have found the coolest web site that allows you to create some very interesting maps. You choose the area that you want to have shown from the Google Maps background. and add categorized markers to the locations that are relevant to the theme of your map. then you can add text, links, and photos. You can even add tour own images as markers, but they have to be pretty small. As you add markers, an index list forms in the lower right corner. As you run your cursor over the list, the names pop up next to that items marker on the map. You can also add paths and polygons that can display routes, distances, land parcels, districts,etc. read more...

NeighborMedia

FRESH POND events in AUGUST

Margaret — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:19:36 -0400

These events are FREE and open to the public.
Children and gnomes are welcome in the company of an adult.

FERN IDENTIFICATION AND DRAWING WORKSHOP

Saturday, August 2, 9 to 11 am
Front Door, Walter J. Sullivan Water Purification Facility
250 Fresh Pond Parkway

An interesting way to learn to identify ferns -- draw them! Using fern keys and maps, identify seven fern species growing near the Water Deptartment building, and share drawings and observations. Pencils and drawing paper will be provided. Bring a camp stool or lawn chair. Please register.

GREETINGS FROM THE FRESH POND HOTEL!

Saturday, August 9, 1 to 3 pm
Meet at the Ranger Station (door with clock over it)
Walter J. Sullivan Water Purification Facility read more...

NeighborMedia

OPENAIR Circus Was Last Weekend

Mark Jaquith — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:41:52 -0400

Check out the Circus web site by clicking this link:
OPENAIR Circus

The picture is a 3 second exposure of Alien John's LED "fire twirling" performance. read more...

NeighborMedia

15 Minutes on Gore Street - Part 1

WilliamONeill — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:17:56 -0400

Hello again. We must work with our city officials on the traffic issues in 02141. There does seem to be a disconnect, and I think we may need new ideas to get community development and the planning team on board with our concerns. For now I have some new video footage. I should have named the following posts 20 minutes on Gore Street, because you miss the first five minutes of my being stuck behind this truck. All of this video is from twenty consecutive minutes on the afternoon of July 25th, 2008. The video footage here is typical of what happens on Gore Street. I am sorry for the often shaky video. I was returning from work and only had my cellphone. Their is also a missing audio issue. The audio was cut by bliptv (where the video files are hosted), after they convert the file to flash. Maybe I will host them on youtube in the future.

NeighborMedia

15 Minutes on Gore Street - Part 2

WilliamONeill — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:13:49 -0400

Too bad the audio is cut out after the first 10 seconds by bliptv. You dont get to hear all the horn honking :( In this video the truck driver realizes he can't pull off a right turn, and makes a dare attempt go straight and contend with the power lines and low trees. The problem is people sometime lose their cable TV/Internet services. I am also concerned we could have an electrocution due to a downed power line. The truck clears the try after a large branch snaps back and almost hits the car behind it. The truck makes it's way to the next intersection, only to get stuck again.

NeighborMedia

15 Minutes on Gore Street - Part 3

WilliamONeill — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:06:59 -0400

I missed the first few minutes of this truck being stuck at the next intersection (Fifth and Sciarappa). I was talking to the mailman who was telling me about his own observations at these intersections. At one point duing this video shooting, I did see a Cambridge Cop drive by on a bike. It would be nice if these truck drivers would receive a violation. I always pay my parking tickets if I violate the time restriction outside a store. It would be nice if these well paid corporations would at least get their tickets. read more...

NeighborMedia

15 minutes on Gore Street - PART 4

WilliamONeill — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:49:39 -0400

In this video I was walking back to get video of a food delivery truck I had noticed while shooting video number two. While I went to take this shot, more trucks blazed through. Please take note of the speeding flatbed truck which is driving by a public park full of children. I was too late in capturing this flatbed truck as it ignored the stop signs at the intersection of Fifth and Gore. This is no surpise as they ignore the no truck signs to begin with. So back to the food delivery truck. We only get to see the last seconds of this truck which had been idling at least ten minutes. That was how long ago I noticed it when shooting video 2. This is the typical scenario of truck drivers pulling onto residential Fifth Street (no truck signs posted), they leave their trucks running as they take care of business on Cambridge Street. They don't even bother to stay close to the curb. read more...

NeighborMedia

New park under construction in 02141

Mark Jaquith — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 09:47:55 -0400

Cambridge Community Development Department has begun building the Painted Park. It is an extension of Costa Lopez Taylor Park at the corner of Lopez and Charles. We will be getting benches and tables, community garden plots, and what looks to be some nice landscaping. It will be nice to have a pretty place to sit and chat while the kids climb The Gnoat the playground. The rest of the park is getting a face lift too.You can already make out the layout of the new pathways that will form the design of the new addition.

A neighbor saved some pieces if the painted pavement and we hope to get them installed as a tribute to the community members who helped make this park happen. See my previous entry for more info.Construction begins at The Painted Park

Here is a link to the Community development Department's description page for this project. read more...

NeighborMedia

Free Flicks in Cambridge

Margaret — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:52:54 -0400

Free Movies under the stars on Wednesday nights through August! 7:00 PM.

See cool movies on a theater-sized screen.

July 23 Hoyt Field (Rain site Moore Youth Center)
Showing: Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns
Performer: Sally Rogers Singer

July 30 Rindge Field (Rain site Gately Youth Center)
Showing: Ratatouille
Performing: Alice and Andy

August 6 Sennott Park (Rain site Area IV Youth Center)
Showing: 10,000 BC
Performing: Peter Panic Juggler read more...

NeighborMedia

Blow up the Amigos School?

Mark Jaquith — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 04:02:00 -0400

I’m angry. I’m very angry.

While googling the Amigos School to try to post a link to an Aaron Sorkin play being performed in both English and Spanish, I got a link to a post by Fred Baker on the Cambridge Republican City Committee’s blog suggesting that my daughter’s school be blown up. I’m not only angry, I’m stunned. How am I supposed to react to that? Is proposing a terrorist act of such magnitude even legal? I suspect it is given the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America, but I’m appalled, disgusted and even scared.

Which of our children does he think should be murdered? Which of our teachers, friends, and city employees does he think should die for his racist fantasy? read more...

NeighborMedia

Wind Turbine Demonstration Project at the Museum of Science

Mark Jaquith — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:59:40 -0400

Link to Boston Globe article published July 15, 2008

I met with David Rabkin at the museum of Science on Wednesday 7/9/2008 to learn about the wind energy project that they want to start within the next year. It would involve installing an array of small wind turbines made by several manufacturers on the roof of the museum and monitoring them for a year or more. It seems that there is a major lack of hard data on the performance of small scale wind energy equipment. They would like to help change that. Right now the main source of information is from the manufactures themselves. read more...

NeighborMedia

80 Acres. No mule.

Mark Jaquith — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 14:23:01 -0400

Everyone knows that there is a lot of development going on in East Cambridge, but just how much is a lot? 80 acres is a lot. That’s my estimate of the area being built up recently, currently and imminently east of the tracks and north of Broadway. In fact, it is about 2% of the land area of Cambridge. 2% doesn’t sound like a lot does it? If It were the country we were talking about, it would take up all six New England states and most of West Virginia. That’s big. So big that it might even catch the attention of the public and the government might even have to get involved in the planning process to insure that some public benefit comes out of it. ( OK not the Bush administration except to maximize their policy of corporate socialism, but they’re short timers.) read more...

NeighborMedia

It's Back! Cyanobacteria in the river.

Mark Jaquith — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:49:52 -0400

EDIT JULY 15, 8008. I GOT AN E-MAIL FROM MY CONTACT AT CRWA AND SHE OFFERED A FEW CLARIFICATIONS. HTEY HAVE BEEN ADDED IN ALL CAPS BELOW.

July 2, 2008
This picture was taken this morning at Lechmere Canal. The lovely green streaks on the surface are the same blue-green algae that have caused problems for the last couple of years.It seems early for this stuff to be so visible, but we have had a lot of rain lately which causes a lot of chemicals to be put into the river with the runoff. Combined with the the droppings of the exploded population of Canada Geese, the tons of fertilizer added at the Ebersol baseball area at the Esplanade, and the heating of the water by the Mirant electric generation plant at Kendall Square, we have quite a soup cooking.

July 3, 2008 11:00 AM read more...

NeighborMedia

JULY @ FRESH POND

Margaret — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 06:29:11 -0400

These events are FREE and open to the public.
Children are welcome in the company of an adult.

SUMMER BIRD WALK

Sunday, July 6
7:30 to 9:30 am
Neville Place Driveway, 650 Concord Avenue

In the summertime, early morning is the best time to look for birds. They are most active when the air is cool and they are hungry. Adults may be feeding babies, and fledglings will be following their parents and chirping for food. Beginning birders are welcome. Binoculars can be provided if you need them.

AN EVENING WALK IN THE UPPER CAMBRIDGE WATERSHED

Monday, July 7
6:00 to 8:30 pm
Walter J. Sullivan Water Purification Facility
250 Fresh Pond Parkway read more...

NeighborMedia

Garbage piles along the Charles river.

WilliamONeill — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:23:21 -0400

As people celebrate the 4th on the Charles, they may be happy to find trash receptacles to help them depart with their waste. But if you are a resident in 02141, you know that these receptacles are only temporary. What you see for the rest of the year will shock you. There are only three receptacles between the Museum of Science and the Mass Ave bridge. If you call the DCR and ask why, they will tell you they will look into it. They have been telling us this for the past three years. People often put the trash where the barrels should be. Does anyone have any ideas for a solution?

NeighborMedia

Dedication of Jill Brown Rhone Park at Lafayette Square

susan — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:02:31 -0400

Today the City of Cambridge dedicated the long-awaited park at Lafayette Square, at the intersection of Main Street and Massachusetts Avenue. Here is a quick look at the crowd,,,

NeighborMedia

Fathers and Sons Get a Healthy Breakfast

Sister Bee — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:31:58 -0400

Check out the video of the Father and Son’s Breakfast - the kick off for the Men’s Health League which occurred on May 31st 2008 at ‘the Elks’ on Bishop Allen Drive in ‘the Port’/Area 4 Cambridge.

Getting a Man to check on his health has always been a challenge and Men of color in particular are at the top of the charts when it comes to statistics on high cholesterol heart disease, and cancer. Yet a solution to those barriers has been found with the new Men’s Health League - a program that “aims to reduce disparities and improve health outcomes for men of color in the city of Cambridge.”

NOW - if you are a man of color and need to get your health in check ahora/now DO call 617-665-3830 and speak to Henry Lewis or Albert Pless - I am sure they can start you on the road to your health success!!!

NeighborMedia

Farmers Markets Are Back

Mark Jaquith — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:39:13 -0400

And it's STRAWBERRY SEASON! There is a Farmers Market just about every day in Cambridge. From now until November, you can buy great fresh food from the actual producers. I always feel better about spending my money locally on goods produced locally by people that live around here. That money will circulate in the area and my extended neighborhood will benefit. read more...

NeighborMedia

Another Oil Spill in the Charles River

Mark Jaquith — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:10:10 -0400

A friend who lives on the Cambridge Riviera sent me an e-mail on Monday June 16 saying that there was another oil slick on the Charles River this morning. It extended from the Charles River Yacht Club opposite 100 Memorial Drive to some point down river from the Mirant Kendall electric plant. The Broad Canal was completely covered. This has been happening since April.

Both Cambridge Fire Department and the State Police were on the scene investigating. Mass DEP also sent a crew. I called the CFD and was told that the Mirant plant manager reported the spill at 9:28 A.M., and that they had eliminated the barges working on the Longfellow Bridge as a source. The gentleman also mentioned run-off as a possible source. This seems unlikely since the rain did not come until Monday night. read more...

NeighborMedia

Cambridge Celebrates the Arts at River Festival

kmklinger — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:01:39 -0400

By Karen Klinger

Sitting at his “Poet Populist” table at this year’s Cambridge River Festival, Peter Payack recalled that when the now venerable event began in the 1970s, it was a modest affair supported primarily by what he called a small “artists’ army.”

Back then, it would have been hard to imagine that the festival would grow into a celebration of the arts attracting upwards of 100,000 visitors annually, as well as scores of performers and craftspeople. read more...

NeighborMedia

Preservation Funds Sought for Shady Hill Square

kmklinger — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:43:10 -0400

By Karen Klinger

In the latest chapter in the effort to save the green centerpiece of Cambridge’s Shady Hill Square from development, residents whose houses surround the horseshoe-shaped property want to buy it with the help of Massachusetts Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds.

The homeowners have applied to the city for a $150,000 grant to help them purchase the land from a development company that holds a building permit to put up a 5,000-square-foot building in the middle of the grassy common that has served as a communal front yard for the square’s dozen semi-detached Colonial Revival stucco homes since they were built in 1915. read more...

NeighborMedia

Residents Left Guessing About Bridge Reconstruction Delays

kmklinger — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:02:54 -0400

By Karen Klinger

To quote a character in that old Paul Newman movie, you might say what we have here is “a failure to communicate.”
read more...

NeighborMedia

Are you a hot senior who wants to cooldown?

Margaret — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:02:21 -0400

"Cool Shelters" for seniors are open this week at the Citywide Senior Center at 806 Mass Ave in Central Square and at the Public Health Building at 119 Windsor Street.

The Public Health Building's cool shelter will be open from 9:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. for both seniors and parents with small infants.

The Citywide Senior Center, which serves between 100 and 130 seniors each day at its Mass Ave location, will be open for Seniors only

High temperatures can also cause problems for the homeless, according to Jim Stewart, director of the First Church Shelter in West Cambridge.

First Church has 14 beds for men and stays open every night from 6 p.m. until 7 a.m. Stewart keeps the shelter open all morning to “get people off the street” when temperatures exceed 95 degrees. The shelter offers extra water on those days, as well as juice-boxes that guests can take to their jobs.

“The risk of dehydration is very high,” Stewart said. read more...

NeighborMedia

Cambridge Bids to Ban Artery-Clogging Trans Fats in Eateries

kmklinger — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:29:41 -0400

By Karen Klinger

City officials are poised to enact a ban on the use of artificial trans fats in all restaurants and other establishments licensed to serve prepared foods, with the new law phased in over three months starting July 1, 2009. read more...

NeighborMedia

Construction begins at the Painted Park

Mark Jaquith — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 12:31:09 -0400

To see the location of this parcel of land and pictures click on this link. East Cambridge Hot Spots Map

To see the pics, click on the image in the bubble that pops up. Double click on the map to zoom in.

After eight years of waiting, construction is starting at the corner of Charles St. and Lopez Ave. in East Cambridge. Back around 2000, activists in the neighborhood With the help of the East Cambridge Planning Team, were able to persuade a developer to donate a small plot of land to the city for open space as mitigation for their project. It is located across Lopez Ave. from Costa Lopez Taylor park. (Who was Costa Lopez Taylor anyway?)

In typical form, the city jumped on the opportunity and immediately built the most wonderful public space in the country... Oh, wait, that was in Narnia. This is Cambridge. let me start this paragraph over. read more...

ZIP DOCS

Cambridge Eyesores: Grappling with Graffiti

kmklinger — Wed, 28 May 2008 22:53:53 -0400

By Karen Klinger

Graffiti. Just the name conjures up images of a common and hard to eradicate problem that can happen anywhere vandals wield cans of spray paint.

While Cambridge is far from having the worst graffiti problem around, neither is it immune. Often it’s the work of “taggers” who want to leave their marks in a latter day version of “Kilroy Was Here.” read more...

NeighborMedia

Squirrel Brand Community Garden

SharonMaryS — Wed, 28 May 2008 14:45:44 -0400

This video explores the Squirrel Brand Community Garden of Area 4, Cambridge, as it begins to bloom on a dreamy day in April.

NeighborMedia

Cambridge Marks Memorial Day with Parade and Nod to Long Lost Aviator

kmklinger — Tue, 27 May 2008 16:42:59 -0400

By Karen Klinger

Under a brilliant blue sky with thousands of American flags flapping in the breeze in Cambridge Cemetery, the city marked Memorial Day with a parade, music, speeches and a tribute to a local aviator who disappeared in the jungles of New Guinea in 1943 and finally has been brought home. read more...

NeighborMedia

Cambridge Eyesores: Waiting, Waiting for a New Bridge

kmklinger — Thu, 22 May 2008 16:36:43 -0400

By Karen Klinger

When work began on the reconstruction of the Walden Street Bridge near Porter Square on Oct. 10, 2006, it was just days after Catholic Church theologians announced they were reconsidering an aspect of Limbo, which Dante depicted as the outer circle of Hell. read more...

NeighborMedia

Bait & switch at the MBTA and Northpoint

Mark Jaquith — Thu, 22 May 2008 07:35:42 -0400

I attended the Green Line extension meeting sponsored by ECPT and STEP last night. The meeting was quite informative. Let me be quite clear in stating that I am a strong supporter of the extension project. What really irks me however is the "evolution" of plans for moving Lechmere Station across Route 28.

When this idea was first presented to residents of East Cambridge around the year 2000, there was an agreement between MBTA and Northpoint that in exchange for being given the land where Lechmere Station now stands, Northpoint would build a new state of the art station where the MBTA parking lot is on the far side of the highway. One of the requirements was that a covered, lit, heated, indoor pedestrian concourse would be built to get passengers across the seven lanes of frustrated commuters safely. This amenity is what quieted most local opposition to the move. read more...

ZIP DOCS

Cambridge Energy Fair: Low Carbon Diets to Greasecars

kmklinger — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:21:15 -0400

By Karen Klinger

Outside the Cambridge Home & Energy Fair, James Staunton discussed the differences among the biofuels arrayed in jars on a Volkswagen Rabbit the way a chef might explain variations in types of cooking oils, from olive to canola to corn.

Not surprising, really, because the fuel the VW runs on is cooking oil and the diesel vehicle is one of a growing number of “greasecars” rolling around Massachusetts.

With the cost of gasoline and diesel fuel on a steep upward trajectory, greasecars are models of thrift: the used vegetable oil that powers them is free, given away by restaurants happy that they don’t have to pay someone to dispose of it. read more...

NeighborMedia

When Young Astronomers Are the Stars

kmklinger — Tue, 20 May 2008 18:46:08 -0400

By Karen Klinger

It was “Astronomy in the City” night at MIT’s Stata Center and the stars were shining brightly.

In this case, the stars were middle and high school students showing off projects they had created during the past year as participants in programs sponsored by the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research.

At the May 16 community showcase, the students from Boston and Lynn demonstrated what they’d taken away from three innovative programs funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA and designed to bring science learning into their communities. read more...

NeighborMedia

Cambridge Gnomes Urge clean-up on Pet Poop

Margaret — Sun, 18 May 2008 12:43:02 -0400

Vladimir: Greta, ahem, I embarrassment at this topic to discuss. Is not seemingly appropriate for our status as world famous bloggstar gnomes…

Greta: Oh Vladimir, you such prudish sometimes. Very important topic, now we are in spring and humans are strolling doggies outside by trees and shrubberies. Here in Amerika, 40% of humans not clean up after their doggies!

Vladimir: No, cannot be true! 40%?

Greta: Yes, but truly Female Humans more often to clean up after pets than Male Humans…and dog and cat together make 10 million tons of poop a year!

Vladimir: Hmmm, very productive…possibly I wonder to make energy resource from such products? Noticing now gas prices jump fast! read more...

NeighborMedia

Orbiting Telescope Linked to Cambridge Finds Young Supernova

kmklinger — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:53:52 -0400

By Karen Klinger read more...

NeighborMedia

PlanetWalker comes to Cambridge May 14th

Margaret — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:03:06 -0400

Planetwalker, Dr. John Francis, will be speaking on Wednesday evening at the Cambridge Forum:

3 Church Street in Harvard Square
May 14 at 7:30 PM.

Come and hear this amazing man’s presentation followed by book signing.

What is a PlanetWalker?

Dr. John Francis founded Planetwalk in 1982 when he began his walking and sailing pilgrimage around the world. In the ensuing 26 years, he has covered the U.S. and South America (including Venezuela, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina), and the Caribbean and Cuba.

He recently started a walk to study organic agriculture and sustainable development in Cuba, and is developing Planetlines, an environmental education curriculum for high school, college, and civic organizations based on his walking pilgrimage. read more...

NeighborMedia

Councilor Kelley get$ his 'Grill on'

Sister Bee — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:33:26 -0400

On Wednesday May 7th I buzzed into Cambridge City Hall’s Sullivan Chamber to witness some of the 2009 Budget Hearings. Every Spring, the heads of City Departments - from Cable T.V to the Women’s Commission – make their plea to at least get level funded for the upcoming year. And what is the bargain – getting scrutinized by City Councilors.

By 10:30 am, Councilors Decker, Seidel, Davis and Brian Murphy were in attendance, politicking to & fro. But it was Councilor Craig Kelley who eloquently fired up “the Grill” peppering questions & comments towards Lisa Peterson, Commissioner of Public Works a.k.a. DPW. It was then that I was reminded why I voted for Kelley in ’05 & last November – He is a head-chef when it comes to dicing up the meat of matters dear to himself and his neighbors. Plus as a seasonal bike rider, Kelley’s eye is on street level yearlong and he is an expert at boiling down the ‘pessimistic potatoes’ of pedestrians, drivers & fellow bikers. read more...

NeighborMedia

Come celebrate Fresh Pond Day May 10!!

Margaret — Tue, 06 May 2008 00:09:52 -0400

When:
Saturday, May 10, from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.,
Where:
250 Fresh Pond Parkway, Cambridge (rain or shine).

It's FREE!

Events for all ages

Activities will include walks for kids, a senior walk, nature and water facility tours, tree planting demonstration, bike rides, mini bike tune-ups, an interactive literacy display, dog licensing, ecology tours, energy conservation and recycling education, and a variety of other interactive events and information booths, etc.

About Fresh Pond

Fresh Pond Reservation, Cambridge’s largest public open space, was designed in 1897 by brothers John Charles Olmstead and Frederic Law Olmstead Jr.

Other famous Olmsted Brothers landscape architectural projects included the U.S. Capitol and White House Grounds, Acadia National Park, New York City's Central Park, and the entire park system in Boston. read more...

NeighborMedia

Cambridge Science Festival: Nobelist Reflects on New Era in Physics

kmklinger — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:43:36 -0400

By Karen Klinger

As a teenager, Jerome Friedman was a talented painter who turned down a scholarship to an art school against the advice of his teacher to study physics at the University of Chicago.

It proved to be the right choice.

Friedman, an emeritus professor at MIT, shared the 1990 Nobel Prize in physics for research establishing the first solid evidence for the existence of quarks, building blocks for protons and neutrons--two main components of atoms.

In a talk at the MIT Museum during the Cambridge Science Festival, he reflected on his long career and his belief that with developments such as the recent completion of the world's most powerful particle accelerator, "I think we're coming into a new era of cosmology and particle physics and it's a very, very exciting time." read more...

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