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February 16, 2013 - 5:22pm
There's always something happening at Fresh Pond.
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February 10, 2013 - 5:46pm
We worried about a blizzard on Thursday.
We felt the storm coming on Friday.
We shoveled on Saturday.
And on Sunday, we played!
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Igloo, Cambridge Common
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Building a fort, Cambridge Common
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Caves, Cambridge Common
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Bottle structure, Harvard Yard
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Snowball fights, Harvard Law School
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Downhill sledding, Harvard Law School
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Snowman, Natural History Museum
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February 9, 2013 - 3:44pm
As seen from Massachusetts Avenue: Walden Street to Harvard Square.
Morning of the 2013 Blizzard, 9 February.
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Thank you to all of the plow drivers for working so hard to move the snow:
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November 4, 2012 - 2:06pm
On Tuesday, November 6th, at 8:00 p.m. the polls will close. The good news is that the political ads for this cycle will finally come to an end.
As the presidential campaign advertisement spending reaches the one billion dollar mark, is it any wonder that the YouTube hit of the day is a video of a small child complaining about being tired of both Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney?
According to the Wesleyan Media Project, "over 915,000 presidential ads have been aired on broadcast and national cable television since June 1. This is a 44.5 percent increase from the 637,000 ads aired through October 21 in 2008 and a 43.7 percent increase from the 634,000 ads aired through October 21 in 2004."
That's 915,000 ads since 6/1/2012, NOT counting the last two weeks before Election Day, where you know you will see an ad every time you turn on your TV.
Which makes you wonder; How Did We Get Here?
I was fortunate to hear a talk on the media in politics and elections from Professor Larry Stuelpnagel, visiting Cambridge from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. In his presentation, he led us through the history of political advertisement and gave us the link to one of the juiciest webpages a...
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November 3, 2012 - 1:21pm
For many years, all of Cambridge belonged in the 8th Congressional District.
After the 2010 national census, Massachusetts lost one of its ten congressional seats, which led to a redistricting plan that split Cambridge in two. [For more information on the new districts, please refer to the article posted on 11/7/2011 at http://cctvcambridge.org/8thcongressionaldistrict ]
The impact of the state's redistricting will finally be seen next Tuesday, November 6th, on Election Day. Different parts of Cambridge will be voting in different, and new, Congressional Districts.
Wards 1 and 2, most of ward 3, some of ward 4, all of ward 5, some of ward 10, and all of ward 11 will be part of a new Congressional District 7.
A little bit of ward 3, most of ward 4, all of wards 6, 7, 8 and 9, and most of ward 10 will be in a new Congressional District 5.
Ed Markey is the congressman currently holding the seat that will become the new Congressional District 5 after this election.
As part of my series of posts on elected officials who represent our area, Mr. Markey was invited to tape a short introductory video for this site. The goal of the series is to have our legislators tell us, in their...
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November 2, 2012 - 10:19pm
Every Halloween, as soon as the sun sets, CCTV sends production teams out into our neighborhoods.
Like participants in an Amazing Race, each team grabs a bag full of camera gear, huddles to decide on what part of Cambridge to cover, and then uses every means available to get there as soon as possible. Once at the designated block, the teams seek out willing trick-or-treaters and start filming.
The kids get interviewed about their halloween experience and the parents learn that the tape of the show will be shown on CCTV that very night at 8:00 p.m.
As soon as their taping is over, the teams rush back to CCTV headquarters and place the film into the expert hands of the CCTV staff.
Doing their production magic, and with only minutes to spare, the staff take all of the different clips and merge them together into a one-hour show of shows.
Side note: One easy way for parents to get their kids to stop trick-or-treating by 8:00 p.m. is to tell them they can watch themselves on TV as soon as they get home.
Special bonus: Just in case you missed the 2012 Scary Halloween production on TV, here it is for you to watch over and over again. Just click on the video below.
Recorded live in...
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October 21, 2012 - 7:54pm
You might not have heard of William Wainwright, but you have seen his art. Several of his public art pieces can be found in and around Cambridge.
You have probably seen his sculptures, made of movement and light, with smooth mechanical flows and sparkles and color either at Logan Airport ("WindWheels"), or at the CambridgeSide Galleria ("Never Green Tree"), or at the Porter Square subway station ("The Lights at the End of the Tunnel").
Mr. Wainwright studied at MIT, taught at Harvard, and invented with Buckminster Fuller. He and his wife Clara founded Boston's First Night and designed many of its installations throughout the years. He was a trustee at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston and a mentor and friend to sculptors, inventors, and innovators.
- A stamp depicting Mr. Wainwright created for the napkins used at An Evening for Sharing Stories at the MMAC
As proof of the expanding outreach and influence in the region's artistic community, our very own Chandler Gallery at the Maud Morgan Art Center (MMAC) held an exhibit of sculptures and drawings from "The World of William Wainwright" from September 7 to October 12, 2012. Some of the pieces shown may be seen at...
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October 7, 2012 - 6:32pm
On Sunday, October 7th, Harvard Square saw the 7th annual HONK Parade. The weather threatened rain but the crowd was happy.
Just in case you missed it, here is the parade in all its glory:
(photo by Susana Segat)
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September 22, 2012 - 7:29pm
Saturday, September 22, marks the autumnal equinox, that day where the sun rides the equator and the day is just as long as the night. Last day of summer, first day of fall. Balance and harmony.
What better way to spend such a splendid day than to go the the 17th Annual Danehy Park Family Day! On the sloping 55-acre grounds of Danehy park in North Cambridge, the City of Cambridge hosted a free family festival, complete with amusement rides, arts and crafts and music, free picnic food and souvenir t-shirts. People enjoyed the picnic grounds, the soccer fields, and everyone got a chance to learn more about some of our valuable city services.
Rich Rossi, Cambridge's Deputy City Manager, and Sandra Albano, Executive Assistant to the Cambridge City Council, give us some information on the event:
One of our firefighters give us a tour of Engine Number Eight:
Sergeant Murphy tells us about police community relations services:
Jen talks about the Cambridge Public Library:
Non-profit organizations and volunteer groups set up their tents and handed out information, particularly about education and fitness. One of these groups included Coach Bolling from the City Youth Sports Training...
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July 4, 2012 - 11:40am
Cambridge started some July 4th history before the Declaration of Independence went public.
George Washington arrived in Cambridge on July 2nd, 1775 and assumed command of the American Army the next day. That got the ball rolling.
Every Fourth of July thereafter has added some interesting new stories to our history books.
James R. Heintze, librarian at American University in Washington, D.C., has a comprehensive list of notable Fourth events at http://www1.american.edu/heintze/fourth.htm#Designation. Some other interesting Massachusetts-based events, from this site:
In 1776, of course we have the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
In 1779, continental shops fire a "grand salute" from their cannons to celebrate in Boston.
In 1781, the Mass General Court became the first state legislature to recognize July 4th as a state celebration.
In 1795, Paul Revere and Governor Samuel Adams lay the cornerstone for the new MA State House.
In 1835, George Robert Twelves Hewes, a shoemaker, is honored at a celebration as the last survivor of the Boston Tea Party.
The Fourth of July is also a marker for some great speeches. Here are two of them, one from Frederick Douglass and one...
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