By: Amanda Fakhreddine
On February 25th a court hearing was held regarding a motion for a protective order to keep Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner from speaking with the media about bribe accusations held against him. In various television interviews Turner had spoken openly about the accusations, a fact that prosecutor John McNeil argued made it difficult for jurors to remain unbiased and unexposed. McNeil argued that the motion was not for a gag order and that Turner could still speak independently of the case; the order would simply keep further information from Turner out of the public realm before trial. Barry Wilson, Turner's defense attorney argued that this went against Turner's First Amendment rights.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Homeless Man Recounts Unwarranted Brush with Harvard Police
By: Julia Waterhous
On February 27th, around 9pm Kenneth Thomas had an encounter with the Harvard Police outside the Harvard Square shelter while waiting for a meal there. The policemen pulled up in front of the shelter and asked for Thomas by name. He identified himself, and the police told him they had a default warrant for his arrest. The police proceeded to wrestle Thomas to the ground and put him in the squad car to take down to the station where they discovered that there was no warrant for his arrest.
On February 27th, around 9pm Kenneth Thomas had an encounter with the Harvard Police outside the Harvard Square shelter while waiting for a meal there. The policemen pulled up in front of the shelter and asked for Thomas by name. He identified himself, and the police told him they had a default warrant for his arrest. The police proceeded to wrestle Thomas to the ground and put him in the squad car to take down to the station where they discovered that there was no warrant for his arrest.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Two Lovers Review
By: Jenny Halper
I’d like to take a moment to thank James Gray for Two Lovers, a romance that features not one but two complex female characters and ends bravely with indecision. From the first shot when Joaquin Phoenix plunges into the waters of Brighton Beach to Gwyneth Paltrow’s portrayal of lover #2, a madly-in-love attorney’s assistant who admits she’s not one for reading and shouts across her fire escape like the irrepressible teenager she hasn’t quite grown out of, everything about this film is brave.
Gray’s previous films include Little Odessa and We Own the Night, the former a dark depiction of a history of crime. Although Lovers isn’t nearly as gritty, it has the same sense of authenticity; over the course of two hours you feel like you’re spending time with these people rather than watching a movie about them.
The movie opens with Phoenix’s Leonard moving back in with his parents after breaking up with his fiancé. Now he’s sleeping in the bed he’s had since high school while working at a Laundromat his father runs and he seems poised to inherit. When business associates come over for dinner, they bring their daughter Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), who is so beautiful and sweet one senses he’d fall for her immediately if both sets of parents weren’t so keen on the match. But they are, and date number two is a lunch with their fathers that he ditches to follow new next door neighbor Michelle (Paltrow) to her job in the city. Michelle gives him her cell number so that “we can text.”
As Leonard tentatively courts Sandra, he quickly becomes close friends with Michelle, but she’s involved in a poisonous affair with a lawyer at her firm. The lawyer, married with children, has stationed her in Brighton Beach – he’s paying for the apartment – because his mother lives nearby and he can visit her without alarming his wife. Completely oblivious to Leonard’s attraction to her (and to much else) Michelle asks him to tag along on dates and ascertain the older man’s intentions.
It’s a testament to Paltrow’s performance that Michelle – who should be very, very irritating – is sympathetic; watching her unknowingly invade Leonard’s heart and his fledgling relationship with Sandra is a bit like watching a toddler spill ink all over silk: she means well, she just doesn’t know any better. It’s also easy to see why Leonard, who Phoenix plays as a charmer who masks everything, is so taken with her – she’s honest and free-spirited, or at least seems that way, whereas Sandra’s overbearing family is part of the bargain.
I should mention that the supporting cast, which includes Isabella Rossellini as Leonard’s mother, is top notch, and that the Brighton Beach setting evokes an old fashioned community that is simultaneously oppressive and comforting. Ultimately, though, what makes Two Lovers so effective is that Gray refuses to choose sides, and asks the audience to instead, which is almost impossible: if Sandra’s an anchor, Michelle is a hot air balloon.
Babylon's Future Written in Its Ruins
By: Khalid al-Ansary
After enduring harsh treatment at the hands of U.S. troops and Saddam Hussein among others, officials are hoping that the ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon can be revived and made ready for tourism with the help from experts at the World Monuments Fund and the U.S. embassy. The Future of Babylon project are looking to restore the site, home of the Hanging Gardens, but the project has much to do after the damage done by looters and the 2003 U.S.-led invasion to overthrow Hussein. Officials say preservation is crucial as Babylon gave birth to much of current civilization's agriculture, writing, codified law and the wheel. Tourism may also help Iraq's economy. The U.S. embassy in Baghdad is contributing $700,000 the the sites restoration.
Project Care and Concern at Pilgrim Church
By: Robert Sondak
From 10 am to 4 pm five days a week, Project Care and Concern at the Pilgrim Church on Columbia Road is open to residents and provides reasonably priced new and used clothing and household items. The PCC and Nutrition Education Outreach Project also collaborate to circulate recipe flyers to the bilingual Uphams Corner community. Dorchester residents referred by the Project Bread Hunger Hotline recieve the flyers every month. The recipes highlight good nutrition and are often centered around holiday themes.
From 10 am to 4 pm five days a week, Project Care and Concern at the Pilgrim Church on Columbia Road is open to residents and provides reasonably priced new and used clothing and household items. The PCC and Nutrition Education Outreach Project also collaborate to circulate recipe flyers to the bilingual Uphams Corner community. Dorchester residents referred by the Project Bread Hunger Hotline recieve the flyers every month. The recipes highlight good nutrition and are often centered around holiday themes.
Homeless Senior Banned from Cambridge Center Seeks Answers
By: Julia Waterhous
Terrence Rothman was banned from the Cambridge Senior Center two years ago after attempting to circulate a petition to bring back a social worker who had recently been fired. He was initially asked to leave the center and later police were called and he was told that if he didn't leave he would be thrown in jail. Rothman has since been seeking answers as to why he was banned and action against the Senior Center as they renewed his ban multiple times and he has not been able to return to the Center for the past two years. Rothman has filed a complaint against the CSC and the City of Cambridge for discrimination based on his diagnosis of paranoia.
Terrence Rothman was banned from the Cambridge Senior Center two years ago after attempting to circulate a petition to bring back a social worker who had recently been fired. He was initially asked to leave the center and later police were called and he was told that if he didn't leave he would be thrown in jail. Rothman has since been seeking answers as to why he was banned and action against the Senior Center as they renewed his ban multiple times and he has not been able to return to the Center for the past two years. Rothman has filed a complaint against the CSC and the City of Cambridge for discrimination based on his diagnosis of paranoia.
Joblessness Rises in Congo as Global Crisis Hits Mining
By: Miriam Mannak
The global economic crisis has caused the collapse of the local mining industry in the Katanga province in the Democratic Republic of Congo in central Africa. The region relies heavily on mining and since September 2008 when global demand for natural resources plummeted and prices fell to all-time lows, 300,000 people have lost jobs and another 60,000 may soon lose their jobs too. The Congolese franc, the local currency, has also lost half its value, seeing an increasing number of children and beggars on the streets. MONUC, the local UN mission has been wary of security issues surrounding the crisis, and the region has recently seen an increase in violent crime. The mining crisis is beginning to affect other businesses in Katanga as well.
The global economic crisis has caused the collapse of the local mining industry in the Katanga province in the Democratic Republic of Congo in central Africa. The region relies heavily on mining and since September 2008 when global demand for natural resources plummeted and prices fell to all-time lows, 300,000 people have lost jobs and another 60,000 may soon lose their jobs too. The Congolese franc, the local currency, has also lost half its value, seeing an increasing number of children and beggars on the streets. MONUC, the local UN mission has been wary of security issues surrounding the crisis, and the region has recently seen an increase in violent crime. The mining crisis is beginning to affect other businesses in Katanga as well.
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