Cognoscenti
No Olympics for Boston … my ambivalence
There are a lot of reasons I am relieved that the Olympics aren’t coming to Boston. One big bonus will be the end (eventually) to the loud and circular arguments about whether it would be a boon or a disaster. I’m even happier that no more money will be spent selling and fighting the idea. I do…
Read MoreOn the first anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombings
In the long, sad run-up to the 2014 running of the Boston Marathon, I’ve been thinking about the families of the four people who died. The youngest was a baby, only eight years old, standing near the finish line with his family. The oldest was a twenty-nine-year-old woman with an impish smile and a reputation…
Read MoreBoston: My Home Town. Sort of.
I have to admit that I felt a little bit like a wedding crasher at the inaugural ceremony for Mayor Marty Walsh on January 6. You see, I live in Newton, a city that only shares a border with Boston proper — and apparently, a small portion of Boston College. But I wanted to be…
Read MorePOP UP MEMORIALS IN BOSTON
I’ve been walking into walls the past few days, trying to make myself believe that Boston was a target of terrorism — is a target of terrorism. I had to watch that video 20 times for it to sink in: The plume of white smoke, the screams, the second explosion, the heroic rush to rescue.…
Read MoreWind Turbines
Learning to Love (?) Wind Turbines The wind turbine is officially a sanctioned icon of American ingenuity, on display in (what seems like) three out of five car commercials. As the newest model Chevy or Toyota zips by, the Brooklyn and Golden Gate Bridges signify urban prowess from sea to shining sea, the vast…
Read MoreInaugural poetry
Poetry in Motion: The Inaugural Offering On Monday, the millions who tuned into watch the second inauguration of President Obama heard Richard Blanco read his open, “One Today.” One sun rose on us today, kindled over our shores, peeking over the Smokies, greeting the faces of the Great Lakes, spreading a simple truth across…
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