Metaboston

Ice Circles on the Charles

Beautiful circles of ice form in some rivers including the Charles.  With warmer weather the river ice might break up and and reform with chances to see ice circle.  Although rational theories have edged out aliens as explanations there still seems to be uncertainty about

The lack of a clear explanation from the scientific community allowed conspiracy theorists to add the ice circles to the annals of “unexplained phenomena” until 1993 when MIT attempted to end the debate.

Ice circles began to form on the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which runs through the MIT campus, prompting scientists at the university to study their formation.

David Ricks, an ocean engineering graduate, helped systematically rule out effluent from submerged pipes, down draughts from helicopters, alien activity, bubbles from decomposition and underwater springs.

He concluded that eddies from the Harvard bridge caused parts of the sheet ice to break away and the movement of the ice created circular holes which were filled by further ice formation. Other theories suggest that slow moving rivers can create eddies which spin the ice until it takes on a circular shape.

(Image:  Ice Circles in Campotosto, Italy by aquilano76)

Banditos Misteriosos Gift Swap Location a Mystery No Longer!

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Banditos Misteriosos has revealed where you can exchange your found gift as part of their Freeform Gift Swap.  The idea behind the swap is to discover an entertaining or whimsical item and turn it into to a gift to exchange by the most important part of presents, wrapping.

[T]he First Annual Boston Freeform Gift Swap will be taking place in Copley Square, right in front of the church on the cement clearing. will be taking place in Copley Square, right in front of the church on the cement clearing.
 

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Participants will be asked to arrive no later than 1:50pm.

 

Once at the area in Copley, you will see Banditos wearing blue shirts and bandanas.  Merely walk up to them and ask for a card.  After that, we will ask all participants to circle up around a marked, well, circle, that will be chalked in.  
 

At 2:00, instructions will be explained and trading will commence.
 

Please do show up no later than 1:50pm!

Course on Urban Games at Willoughby & Baltic

Willoughby & Baltic will be offering a course on designing urban games taught by Bonnie Shaw, a founder of Snap-Shot-City, the photo treasure hunt game.

The Urban Games & Adventure Design class will open your eyes to the playful possibilities of the world around you.  Over 10 fun-filled weeks the class will teach you the tools to turn your city into a playground as you learn, design and play your very own Urban Game.
This course will provide you with a basic tool kit to design and play your very own urban games and adventures. It will teach you the basics of urban game and adventure design by introducing the emerging trends in urban gaming, teach you new ways of viewing, understanding and analyzing the city, provide a grounding in community engagement and interactive theatre, and introduce emerging technologies, mapping and social media applications.

Through fun and playful individual and group exercises you will design a new Urban Game or Adventure to be played on the streets of Cambridge/Boston.

Find out what all the fuss is about and get into some city scale fun!

We've covered a number of urban adventures in Boston put on by people like Banditos Misteriosos so this sounds like a fun, if expensive ($500 tuition) course.

Photos of Boston-Area Infinite Jest Locations

Nice developing photo set by Tim Bean of Boston-area locations mentioned in David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest.  Each photo is matched to a passage and page.  Bean's image above of the Mayflower ("Live Poultry Fresh Killed") Poultry Co. in East Cambridge  is described in the novel as "A store in good old English advertising Chickens Fresh Killed Daily" for example.

Interesting expansion from the Infinite Jest memorial map published by boston.com that we posted about.

via Kottke.

Suggest an Idea for Banditos Misteriosos!

 

Banditos Misteriosos, the group that has brought events like scavenger hunts and watergun fights to Boston, is soliciting ideas for upcoming events

Our planning committee is an open process, and a great deal of our ideas come from our community members! To make this process even easier, we now set up a fancy submission website. So, start brainstorming and start suggestin'

We love ideas!

The 1000 Watch Project

Boston architects Moskow Linn are looking for your old watches.  They think the time of the watch is at an end as people turn to cell phones and other devices for their timekeeping needs.  So to mark the end of the wristwatch era they want to collect 1,000 watches to send to the Smithsonian.  They project is up to about 350 watches so far.  You can see a couple of the donated watches below.

Do you remember the pocket watch? With the advent of cell phones (the pocket watch of the new millennium) wrist watches are dying a slow death. But it is difficult (if not impossible) to throw out your old wrist watch even if it is broken. Is that because when it was worn it was almost an integral part of the body? Or does it represent an important moment in one’s life?

Our goal is to create a 1000 watch commemorative collection of old, discarded wrist watches. Each watch will receive an epitaph written by the owner and can be visited in our on line gallery:   www.MoskowLinn.com/TKWP

When the collection is complete it will be donated to the Smithsonian Gallery in Washington DC as an illustrative display of this moment in time.

To add your watch to the collection, send it to Moskow Linn Architects with a 10 word epitaph including your name. The watch will be cataloged, numbered and put away for posterity.

Monster Mashup Dance Event: Oct. 25

Banditos Misteriosos has another event coming up a Boston Monster Mashup dance event on October 25.  Now they've released their instructional video of the moves for their collective dance.

If years of Halloween-themed TV specials and music videos have taught us anything, it’s that come late October, monsters and ghouls love to get together and dance.  Thus, it is with pride, that Banditos Misteriosos announces our very own Monster Mash-up!

Consider this a Halloween Dance Party but with all your fellow dancers dressed as ghosts!  But, to give this dance another dimension, we will be your choreographers.  On October 17th, we will be releasing an instructional video, complete with dance moves and your very own mentor ghost. 

Specifics

Costumes:
Everyone should come dressed as a ghost, bedsheet style. No white sheets, though — that is *so* last Halloween. Be creative! (and remember the eye holes!)

Dance Moves: 
The instructional video will be released on our website and will teach you the dance moves that we will be doing. The choreography does not necessarily correspond to the music, but will be based on various signals. (Don’t get it? Don’t worry! It’ll make sense when you watch the video.) Learn the moves for a follow-the-leader style dance!

Promoting Nonviolent Resistance Across the World from East Boston

80-year-old expert on non-violent resistance Gene Sharp perseveres in his mission to analyze, document, and share information about resistance to dictatorships and authoritarian governments despite cuts in funding and a lack of institutional support.  The headquarters for his Albert Einstein Institution is near Logan Airport.

Working from a modest house in East Boston, Mr. Sharp is nearly unknown to the U.S. public. But he is despised by many authoritarian regimes and respected by opposition activists around the globe. Mr. Sharp has had broad influence on international events over the past two decades, helping to advance a global democratic awakening.

An aging academic, Mr. Sharp says he has no links with the government or any intelligence agency. He responded to Mr. Chavez's speech with an open letter suggesting that if the president is concerned about being overthrown, he should read "The Anti-Coup," a booklet Mr. Sharp co-authored.

Spread via the Internet, word-of-mouth and seminars, Mr. Sharp's writings on nonviolent resistance have been studied by opposition activists in Zimbabwe, Burma, Russia, Venezuela and Iran, among others. His 1993 guide to unseating despots, "From Dictatorship to Democracy," has been translated into at least 28 languages and was used by movements that toppled governments in Serbia, Ukraine, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan.

His most influential book is From Dictatorship to Democracy which can be purchased for $6 in 23 languages or downloaded for free (pdf). 

Big Screen Boston

 

Paul Sherman has written (and self-published) what seems to be an encyclopedic guide to Boston's cinematic identity with Big Screen Boston and he also puts up excerpts from the book on his website.

Interesting interview with Sherman on what makes a Boston film:

"JMG: You give a lot of credit to films like Jan Egleson’s Billy in the Lowlands and The Dark End of the Street for legitimizing production in Boston.  Has the American film landscape changed as a result of Boston films? 

Sherman: I don’t think I could pinpoint any changes that Boston movies are single-handedly responsible for, but films like Billy in the Lowlands and The Dark End of the Street have certainly helped to create independent film as we know it today.  As Hollywood has become more hit-oriented, it makes it all the more important for there to be a thriving grassroots film industry.  I give films like The Dozens credit for being part of the independent movement and for helping to inspire the resurgence of indie films that continues to this day.

Deer in Harvard Square

Deer can now be found roaming in Cambridge adding to the woes of urban gardeners and drivers.

"Wild deer near Harvard Square? Andrew Fletcher would not have believed it had he not seen one himself.

"It was right off of Brattle Street, at the corner of Brattle and Craigie. And it was just sort of standing in the middle of the road," said Fletcher, who works at the nearby Buckingham Browne & Nichols School.

Fletcher encountered the doe earlier this month, in the third deer sighting this summer within the urban wilds of Cambridge, according to animal control officials. (The others were spotted on Massachusetts Avenue in Harvard Square and near Somerville's Beacon Street.)

Boston's Secret Land in Burlington and Woburn

 

Boston owns 210 acres of land in Burlington and Woburn that was given to the city on the death of the owner Mary Cummings.  She wanted Boston to use it as a "public pleasure ground." 

Boston doesn't really do anything with it, although Boston officials thought about developing it, before deciding they couldn't under Cummings' will.  Now residents of Burlington and Woburn are trying to get control of the land and actually turn it into a real park.

 "The residents, organized as Friends of Mary Cummings Park, filed a complaint last week with Attorney General Martha Coakley's Public Charities Division alleging that city officials have neglected the land, abused a trust fund by using it to pay legal and survey work, and plotted to sell the valuable tract near Route 128 for a residential development.

Residents complain that last year the city ripped out handsome, hand-carved welcome signs neighbors placed on the property at their own expense, while keeping "No Trespassing" signs posted around the property.

The organization is asking Coakley's office to strip the city of its oversight responsibilities and to place the park in the hands of local and state park advocates."

Boston does not want to give up the land for reasons that aren't totally clear.  Although perhaps Boston officials hope they can develop the land at some future point or that it will otherwise have value.  In the meantime it doesn't look like there is money to pay for what would be other towns' parks.

Boston seems to be doing a terrible job handling the land and undoubtedly has other priorities.  Hopefully the the Friends of Mary Cummings Park will be able to turn the land into an actual park and not just a placeholder.

Yoga by the Charles River

You can do yoga by the Hatch Shell on Monday nights for free. 

"On Monday nights through Aug. 18, anyone who wants to stretch and pose under the summer sky can participate, courtesy of the state Department of Conservation and Recreation.

The hourlong unwinding sessions were organized by Abigail Pick, a senior at New York University who got the idea in New York City, where classes were offered in parks.

"I just thought it was a great way to get people out and to see the city and the beautiful parks they can benefit from - not just from sitting there, but by doing something to help their health," said Pick, 21, a summer intern at the Department of Conservation and Recreation. "It's a beautiful sight at sunset, by the Hatch Shell.""

Registration for Banditos Misteriosos Water Gun Battle

You can now register for the latest Banditos Misteriosos interactive event a summer Water Gun Battle with Revolutionary War overtones.  The armies will assemble on Saturday, August 16 at 1.30pm on a field of battle yet to be named.  The deadline to register is Friday, August 15.

Revolutionary Water Gun Fight From Banditos Misteriosos

Banditos Misteriosos' latest event will be a revolutionary water gun fight ideally featuring costumes and fife and drum players.  Banditos Misteriosos have put together a number of fun events recently from the Silent Dance Experiment to a Scavenger Hunt.  Hopefully, revolutionary combat by water gun won't trigger Assassin game security problems.

The event will take place on August 16 at 1.30pm at a place to be named later.  Registration forms will go out on July 28.

"The summer is heating up, thus, it is with pride that Banditos Misteriosos announces the Revolutionary Water Gun Fight.

Consider this event the combination of a good old fashioned water gun fight and the revolutionary battle of our forefathers.

Staying true to Boston’s historical roots, this water gun fight shall focus on two armies, marching and meeting each other for a battle in a specific location."  (More after the break)

Punk Musicians Revitalize Masons

"[A] diverse group of Hub rockers are embracing centuries-old fraternal ideals to become the new face of the Freemasons in Boston.

“It’s not a religion, and it’s definitely not a cult,” said J.R. Roach, drummer for Sam Black Church and bassist for The Men, who also is master of the Masons’ Cambridge Amicable Lodge. “Everything is supposed to be dignified. There’s no hazing. We’re all brothers. It’s a movement for guys trying to find a deeper meaning in their lives.”

The mix of punk and freemasonry seems unusual but with the masons in decline the group may have more of an ironic and DIY feel than in its heyday as the meeting place of the local establishment.  (via Boing Boing)

More Multiples in Mass.

Moms in Massachusetts are more likely to have more than one baby:

"Women who give birth in Massachusetts are more likely to be older -- and more likely to have multiple births -- and to be using techniques to assist conception which also increases multiples." (Image:  Dionne quintuplets).

Charles River Swim

It's too late to jump in the water for Sunday's 1-mile Harvard Bridge - Longfellow Bridge loop but if you're afraid to put your toe into the Charles you can go and watch the racers show that the water is pretty clean.  Head over at 8 am to the River Dock (near Arthur Fiedler head statue by the Hatch Shell on Esplanade).  Don't be too late though.  They're hoping to be done in about 40 minutes.

The Forgotten History of "Charlie on the MTA"

The CharlieCard takes its name from the song "Charlie on the MTA" but do you know the forgotten history of the song and Walter O'Brien, the Progressive Party mayoral candidate in McCarthy-era Boston for whom the song was written?

"[F]ifty years ago, [Boston] was a much different place. It was a city controlled economically by conservative Brahmin and Yankee Republican businessmen and politically by conservative Irish-Catholic Democratic politicians. It was a city where books were banned, unions were not welcome, and protesters demonstrating for jobs, justice, or peace feared not only hostile mobs but also the police who were supposed to protect them.

Indeed, Boston and Massachusetts enlisted early in the war against communists and “fellow travelers.” In 1948, the Boston public schools began to require every teacher to sign a “loyalty oath” as a condition of employment. In 1949, speaking at a campaign rally just days before the mayoral election, President Harry Truman informed his Boston audience, “I hate communism” and vowed that he would never surrender to the “godless creed it teaches.” In 1951 Massachusetts became one of the first states in the country to outlaw the Communist Party—three years before Congress and President Eisenhower took such a step. Not long after that, the Boston Bar Association sent out ballots to its members containing various proposals to expel and disbar any members involved with “Communist or subversive organizations.”

ROFLCon Travelling Show

The success of ROFLCon, the internet meme conference, held at MIT in April is prompting plans for a series of events from San Francisco to NY.

Herring in the Charles

Mark Jaquith notes herring have returned to the Charles River to make their annual run.

"If you go down to the south coast of Cambridge these says you can see this year's herring run in progress. It looks the best run in several years. There aren't nearly as many fish as I used to see in the 1990's, and orders of magnitude below numbers seen before the river was dammed and polluted.

If you go to the dam just upstream from Watertown Square, you can see them trying to jump the dam and swimming up the fish ladder. It is a pretty cool sight. There are hundreds of fish below the dam trying to get over. You can see them trying to swim up Laundry Brook from the footbridge on the south bank. Also present are dozens of herring gulls and cormorants taking advantage of the traffic jam."

He also points to an interactive map of the current herring run (image above).

Museum of Bad Art Opens Davis Square Branch

The appetite for bad art is relentless so the Dedham-based Museum of Bad Art will open a new branch right by the Somerville Theatre's toilets.  The new outpost will open May 14th.

You can bring bad art into your home now too (if it isn't already there) with the publication of the Museum of Bad Art's Masterworks catalogue.

The Archeology of Harvard Yard

The Harvard Yard Archeology Project investigates the ground beneath Harvard Yard for remains of the original 17th and 18th century buildings of the college as well as the institution that was focused on Native Americans:

"Harvard, founded in the reign of Charles I and named after John Harvard, a Cambridge graduate who left his books to the young college, is centred on Harvard Yard, a series of grassy quadrangles enclosed by red-brick buildings such as Massachusetts Hall, built in 1718 and the oldest surviving structure. “Seventeenth- century Harvard Yard included not only the Old College, which was the oldest university building in the country, but also the Harvard Indian College,” said Professor William Fash, the director of the Harvard Peabody Museum.

“Built around 1655 as a place to train Native students within Harvard, the Indian College is of special interest as the first university-level institution in the Americas focused on Native people,” said Professor Fash, although several centuries of activity mean that “the yard is a very dense and overwrought landscape.”"

Gambling at the Boylston Chess Club

Gambling and the Boylston Chess Club which has nurtured well-known professional players like poker player Dan Harrington and backgammon and poker player Bill Robertie.

Brookline Police Advise on How to Deal with Wild Turkeys

The Brookline Police recommend following these guidelines if you are confronted with a wild turkey, especially now during turkey mating season:

"Don’t feed turkeys — Keep wild things wild! Feeding, whether direct or indirect, can cause turkeys to appear tame. However, they are capable of bold aggressive behavior, especially in breeding season.

Keep bird feeder areas clean — Use feeders designed to keep seed off the ground, as the seed attracts turkeys and other wild animals. Clean up spilled seed daily. Remove feeders in the spring, as there is plenty of natural food available for all birds.

Don’t let turkeys intimidate you — Don’t hesitate to scare or threaten a bold, aggressive turkey with loud noises, swatting with a broom or spraying water from a hose.

Cover windows or other reflective objects — If a turkey is pecking at a shiny object, such as a window or car, cover it or disguise it.

Protect your gardens or crops — You can harass turkeys searching for food in your gardens. Dogs are effective in scaring turkeys away. Netting is another option."

New Documentary on Harvard Square Puppeteer Igor Fokin

There is a new documentary about Harvard Square puppeteer Igor Fokin who died tragically young at 36 and who is memorialized by a small sculpture in the Square (left).

"Igor Fokin came to America in 1994.  For two years, his puppets  entranced children and adults alike with memorable performances in Harvard Square, drawing audiences from all over the country. He died of a heart attack at the age of 36, two weeks after the birth of his son. The family could no longer stay in America and had to move back to Russia. Five years after his death, a commemorative statue of Fokin's most popular puppet, Doo Doo, was dedicated in the puppeteer's honor.

The Story of Fenist introduces viewers to Fokin and his magical marionettes  , who played a central role in his life. Rich performance footage and insightful interviews with his wife, children, extended family and friends are used to retrace Fokin's life from his time as a Russian university theater student and at his St. Petersburg studio to his life in New England.

The film includes a parallel story to Fokin's artistic struggles based on the Russian fairy tale, Fenist the Bright Falcon -- about an enchanted bird that, overcoming great odds, reaches its star. Two children provide the delightful narration. Merging two stories in one, the documentary brings viewers into the world of beautiful images and metaphors, music and theatre.

"Igor's life was brief but incandescent; he touched many hearts," said filmmaker Yelena Demikovsky. "When he died, his family -- with whom I became close -- was orphaned just like his beloved marionettes. As Igor's friend, and as an artist, I committed myself to helping his widow and children. Fenist, the fairytale recounted in my film, is a prince who brings beauty and light to the world. In my film, Igor is that prince. So the film is really his," said Demikovsky."

Video of the Silent Dance Experiment

Video of the Silent Dance Experiment organized by Banditos Misteriosos where participants all danced around Faneuil Hall to the same song on their headphones.

Mt. Auburn Cemetery Discussion

Blanche Linden will discuss her book  Silent City on a Hill: Picturesque Landscapes of Memory and Boston's Mount Auburn Cemetery at the Harvard Book Store on Feb. 8th.

"Inspired by developments in England and France, and founded in 1831, Mount Auburn became the prototype for the "rural cemetery"  movement and was an important precursor of many of America's public parks, beginning with New York City's Central Park"

Just a little off the main tourist trail the Mt. Auburn Cemetery is an incredible spot and almost a hidden treasure.  Should be a good opportunity for an introduction to this landmark.

Boston's "First Silent Dance Experiment" - Feb. 23

Boston's "First Silent Dance Experiment" will take place on February 23rd at the Sam Adams Statue in Faneuil Hall.  Like a dancing flash mob, an internet-organized group will converge on the statue and burst into silent dance that's both communal and private. 

"[A] silent dance party involves a large group of people assembling at a given area on a pre-decided time. They mill around inconspicuously, and at the signal (in our case, an airhorn), insert their headphones into their ears, hit play on their portable music player and start dancing as passersbys confusingly look on as a swarm of people dance in silence

"The exciting part is that we’re taking it a bit further this time. Instead of simply having everyone playing one song, we’re going to be creating our own MP3 complete with not only grooves, but with instructions and activities interwoven. Participants will then download this song, place it their music player and dance fully synchronized."

Should be interesting to see with a big enough group (so go for it!) and also a bit of a commentary on people isolated from passersby with their iPods but connected to others by what they listen to.

The event is being organized by Banditos Misteriosos, "the city's mysterious playmate" and the group who brought you the Boston Common Pillow Fight.

Details:

"Time: 1:00PM.  At the sound of the airhorn.
Date: Saturday, February 23rd
Location: Faneuil Hall, in front of the Sam Adams Statue. (Exact Location/Google Map)
Outfit: Whatever you enjoy wearing when you go out for a dance on the town. Be fancy if you like. Try to sport a pair of sunglasses if you can…
Song: The MP3 will be uploaded to our website on Sunday, February 17th."

Wild City: coyotes, hawks, fishers, opossums

Nature continues to mingle with city dwellers with increasing coyote sightings in Cambridge and more unusually the weasel known as the fisher.

"John Maguranis, an animal control officer in neighboring Belmont, tracks coyotes by observing their paw prints and droppings, or scat. He believes that the coyotes seen in Cambridge are members of two main families that den throughout Belmont, Arlington, and Lexington as well. He says the animals' scat indicates they feed predominantly on rabbits and mice."
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"While raccoons are the most frequently sighted wild animal, Cambridge is also home to skunks, bats, and hawks. More elusive species spotted from time to time include possums and, most recently, fishers, members of the weasel family known as one of the porcupine's few natural predators." (Image Washington DFW)

Some of the best spots for seeing hawks are along the Charles and at Fresh Pond.

A profile of James and Devon Gray Booksellers in Harvard Square

A profile of James and Devon Gray Booksellers, a store in Harvard Square where you can pick up a copy of Musæum Regalis Societatis.  Or a catalogue & description of the natural and artificial rarities belonging to the Royal Society and preserved at Gresham Colledge by Nehemiah Grew (1641-1712) a collection of oddities belonging to England's Royal Society (like this nice armadillo image below) for a cool $3,500.

"Sixteen years ago, Roger Stoddard, then curator of rare books at the Harvard College Library, challenged Devon, who was studying English with him, to go into the business. “He romanticized the good old days of bookselling,” James recalls, “and asked, ‘Why can’t we do that now?’”    

When Devon—inspired by Stoddard and the curator of manuscripts, Rodney Dennis—began scouring auctions and book fairs on weekends to create a collection, bankrolled by about $8,000 in borrowed start-up capital, James was still working in industrial equipment sales. But soon she was reselling her acquisitions to Houghton and to other universities’ rare-book collections. Once the shop opened, James, who trained in anthropology and is something of an autodidact, worked mainly in the store while Devon focused on the catalogs and book repair."

Mass Moments: What Happened on This Day in Massachusetts

Mass Moments is a daily podcast (and website) describing diverse historical events that took place on that day in past years.  The podcast is a minute long with more detailed information on the website.    Recent historical events of significance have included the birthday of the first African-American Harvard graduate, Bill Belichik's appointment to the Patriots' coaching job, and Boston's Great Molasses Flood.

Coyotes in Cambridge

Coyotes have now been seen in Cambridge and given the title of this announcement from the City of Cambridge "Coyotes in the City - a time for Precaution not Panic" not everyone is excited about it.  Where have they been observed?  "There have been sightings of coyotes in the City of Cambridge, specifically in the Cambridge Cemetery, Antrim Street, Wendell Street and the Third street areas. This is not unusual since the normal range of a single coyote can be from 2 to 30 square miles." (Image: Emily Chambliss, Duke University)

The Mattapan Line and its beautiful old trolley cars.

The Mattapan Line and its beautiful old trolley cars.  The picture left  is by Richard Panse with more gorgeous pictures at Subchat.  You can also see more of his great photography at Railroad Picture Archives.net.

The cars themselves are rare gems of public transport, holdovers from a golden age of urban trolleys: 

"The President's Conference Committee car is truly a survivor. It had certainly done what the designers had intended- to serve reliably in everyday rapid transit service. So well-designed are these cars, that they often serve for more than one owner for years at a time. It used to be that most major cities in America had large fleets of these cars in service. With the retirement of Newark's fleet in 2001, that only leaves San Francisco and Boston as the only regular operators of the streamlined trolleys.

Once the backbone of Boston's streetcar and subway lines, the PCC is now limited to a unique shuttle operation serving some of the south suburbs. The Mattapan High Speed Line is one of the few places where you can still ride a PCC in regular service. A free shuttle service tacked onto the end of the Ashmont terminal of the MBTA Red Line, the ride is like a step back in time.

__

The fleet consists of 11 cars, all originally built for Boston under a wartime construction contract with Pullman-Standard, and were delivered in 1945-46. A recent rebuilding program is restoring these cars to their original appearance, including the original 1950's orange-and-cream MTA scheme."

Why is the Harvard student going to court? For cutting down city trees.

Why is the Harvard student going to court?  For cutting down city trees.  Why did the Harvard student cut down the trees?  Who knows. 

With the trustees of the Lampoon and the administration pleading powerlessness it seems like the city could make the Lampoon's existence miserable or at least expensive by using its inspection, licensing and other administrative powers.

Interview with Frederick Wiseman and the banning of 'Titticut Follies' in Massachusetts

An interesting interview with documentary film director Frederick Wiseman and the banning of 'Titticut Follies' in Massachusetts.

"It has been 40 years since the premiere of Titicut Follies, a bleak and scathing documentary about an asylum for the criminally insane. The audience at that first screening saw a cascade of disturbing images of mistreatment and neglect, most notoriously a brutal force-feeding of a naked inmate. As the prisoner is fed through the nose, a guard tells him to “chew your food”; the tube itself is lubricated with grease, and a doctor dangles a burning cigarette over the funnel.

--

The movie was both a landmark piece of journalism and a landmark work of art. It made the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Bridgewater one of the most infamous madhouses in the country, and it is now one of the most celebrated documentaries of the ’60s. It is also notable for two reasons that have nothing to do with its merits. It was the first picture to be directed by Frederick Wiseman, a former law professor who at age 37 was beginning a long series of rich and challenging films. And it is the only movie in U.S. history to be banned for reasons other than obscenity or national security.

The staff at the asylum cooperated with Wiseman as he shot the picture, and by his account they initially liked the movie. But as audiences’ horrified reactions to what they were seeing became clear, the authorities turned against the film, arguing that it violated the privacy of the prisoners and moving to have it legally suppressed. (For a modern parallel, imagine applying the same argument to the photos taken at Abu Ghraib.)

--

On January 4, 1968, Superior Court Judge Harry Kalus ruled for the state, denouncing Titicut Follies as “80 minutes of brutal sordidness and human degradation.” Playing critic as well as judge, he also attacked its experimental structure (“a hodge-podge of sequences”) and its willingness to let viewers find their own meaning in the material (“There is no narrative accompanying the film, nor are there any subtitles”). He not only ruled that all screenings should cease but called for the movie itself to be destroyed. An appeals court only partially reversed the decision: The picture could still be shown in Massachusetts, it declared, but just to professionals and students in relevant fields. Since Wiseman was a citizen of Massachusetts, he wasn’t able to show it freely outside the commonwealth either—and he controlled nearly all the copies of the film. The ban wasn’t lifted until 1991."

1908 Gun Battle in Jamaica Plain

A 1908 gun battle in Jamaica Plain is revived in this interesting collection of contemporary newspaper accounts including the description of a "dramatic shootout at bucolic Forest Hills Cemetery."

Abandoned Stations, Tunnels, and Entrances of the MBTA

Abandoned stations, tunnels, and entrances of the MBTA.  A very cool compendium.

A Gallery of MIT Hacks

A gallery of MIT hacks (pranks). (photo Gabor Csanyi)Edit HTML

Marketing Toothpicks: Another Massachusetts Innovation

Charles Forster, of Charlestown, took toothpicks from whittled objects to mass manufacture through clever marketing: 

"To get toothpicks into restaurants, Forster hired Harvard men. After they had finished dining on Forster's dime at a local establishment, such as the Union Oyster House, they demanded wooden toothpicks. When they were told none were available, the students raised a ruckus and vowed never to eat there again. Naturally, when Forster came around some days hence, the restaurant manager purchased boxes of toothpicks to distribute to his customers." (Image:  Voodoo Toothpick Holder available from The Green Head)

The First American Murderer, Mayflower Edition

The first American murderer was a passenger on the Mayflower.  John Billington was hanged within 10 years of the Mayflower's arrival for shooting  John Newcomen with a blunderbuss. First gun crime too.  (Image of Louisiana blunderbuss)

Where to Eat Grasshopper Tacos and Piballes Eels in Boston

Where to eat grasshopper tacos and piballes eels in Boston.  Chapulines are great!

But bad news from Environmental Health Perspectives:

"Chapulines (grasshoppers) seasoned with chili powder and lime are a popular snack with many Mexicans. Now state and federal health departments have issued warnings against eating chapulines from the Mexican state of Oaxaca because many, for reasons yet unknown, contain dangerously high concentrations of the neurotoxicant lead--as high as 2,300 µg/g in some samples, or nearly six times the tolerable daily intake for a young child. The FDA recommends that parents of children who have eaten chapulines contact their health care provider to see if testing for lead poisoning is warranted."

Morton Bartlett's Dolls

An interesting profile of Cohasset native, South End resident, Harvard dropout graphic designer Morton Bartlett who was discovered after his death to have created and photographed half-life-size dolls in elaborately posed situations (ex. left).  Bartlett's secret project, their erotic tone, the focus on dolls of children and occasional nudity raise a lot of questions about Bartlett:

"[O]ne naturally wonders, was he managing forbidden desires by sublimating them into his art? Was he a real-life version of Nabokov's Humbert Humbert, creating his own artificial Lolitas? Or was he externalizing a part of his own psyche -- opening himself up to and setting free his own inner, feminine child? Such a theory might explain the tenderness, delicacy, modesty, playfulness, and bittersweet moodiness of his art.There also arises the inevitable comparison to such artists as Lewis Carroll -- who made suspiciously loving photographs of Alice Liddell, his inspiration for the protagonist of Alice in Wonderland -- and Henry Darger, the Chicago outsider artist whose epic narrative paintings focused on often naked young girls subjected to all kinds of bloodily explicit violence."

Boston's Beautiful Island of Garbage

Spectacle Island in Boston Harbor survived 200 years as the site of a quarantine hospital, a horse rendering plant and then a 100-year stretch as a dump before becoming a park with spectacular views of the skyline (thanks to the height of the pile of garbage). (Image:  MTA)

A Few Ideas on Boston Toilets

Crappers Quarterly (probably NSFW) devotes itself to review toilets around the world and they have the beginnings of a list of Boston bathrooms.  (More suggestions?) The most inspired listing but probably inaccessible to most: 

                               

Putnam Investments:  12th floor of 1 Post Office                                 Square. Great restroom. It's like your own bathroom,                                 except it's cleaned about 12 times a day and has                                 one use fabric towels. Several choices of headache                                 meds as well as breath freshener.

And Boston has to be given credit for giving automated pay toilets a try.

 

The Movie Critic, the Black Dahlia Murder Victim and Harvard Square

Strange intersections: the story of how New York movie and theatre critic and then-Harvard student John Simon was stood up in Harvard Square by Elizabeth Short, later tragically notorious as the victim of the unsolved Black Dahlia murder in Los Angeles.

Boston '80s Music Scene Videos

Boing Boing points to these Kino Digital Video archives of videos of '80s bands like Mission of Burma and the Buzzcocks, a number of the performances having been shot at Boston venues like the Bradford Hotel, the Rat, and the Paradise.

Good grainy fun.

Podcast Visit to Boston Athenaeum

The entertaining and intelligent Boston Behind the Scenes podcast pays a visit to the Boston Athenaeum on the occasion of their 200th anniversary exhibit.  It's a thoughtful look at this unique institution in Boston, a membership library housed in a beautiful building on Beacon Hill and founded by Boston Brahmins that is open to the public.  Host Adam Weiss explores the history of the Athenaeum and its relationship with the Boston Public Library, the MFA and the city itself before looking at some of the highlights of the exhibit.

View a digital selection of the exhibit that includes diverse material like paintings by Gilbert Stuart, 18th century charts of Boston Harbor, and etchings by Goya.

National Guild of Hypnotists Week Is Coming!

The work of our legislators continues.  From the press release: 

"In an Official Citation, signed by the President of the Massachusetts Senate, Robert E. Travaglini, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has proclaimed August 5-11, 2007, as National Guild of Hypnotists Week. The National Guild of Hypnotists is receiving the honor in recognition of its important contributions in advancing the art, science and philosophy of hypnotism. The House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has likewise extended their congratulations to the National Guild of Hypnotists for 56 years of providing, "an open forum for a free exchange of ideas concerning hypnotism and currently leading the movement for legislative and public recognition of hypnotism/hypnotherapy as a separate an distinct profession in the healing arts."

In a similar effort, Mayor, Nancy E. Stevens, has signed into effect a City Proclamation, establishing August 11, 2007 as National Guild of Hypnotists Day in Marlborough, MA. NGH president, Dr. Dwight F. Damon, says, 'The National Guild of Hypnotists is delighted to be returning to Marlborough, MA for our convention. This is the twentieth year of the NGH Convention and our third year to be back in Marlborough.'"

Zombie March 2006 Video

2006 Zombie Walk through Somerville and Cambridge.  The next one is May 12th:

Zombie Walk: Davis to Harvard: May 12th

Halfway to Human's Second Annual Zombie March will take place on May 12th, 2007.  Zombies will congregate in Davis Square around 6:30pm before beginning their slow undead lurching walk down to Harvard Square.