Several days ago, the federal government shut down TOUCH 106.1 FM - an unlicensed low power radio station serving Boston's African-American community - and two other unlicensed immigrant run stations in Brockton. The move, while not unprecedented, is considered unusual by observers in the know.
This site was down yesterday with a technical issue; so I couldn't post this editorial on our normal editorial day. But the site is obviously back up now (phew!). Here for your consideration then is my artist statement from the Boston Strong? art exhibition. It's been a great week. We've gotten a ton of publicity and had a great turnout for our openings.
Just a note to say that I'm taking this week off from editorial writing to prepare for the Boston Strong? art show - which opens this Tuesday (April 15th). I'll be back next week with some reflections on the show in the context of the Boston Marathon bombing anniversary. Have a great weekend, all!
The anti-poverty movement lost one of its great warriors last week when Dottie Stevens of Mattapan passed away after a tough fight with cancer. So I thought I'd say a few words in her memory.
If you need a current nearby example of why our healthcare system is still broken, look no further than the precipitous closure of the 100 bed, 129 year old North Adams Regional Hospital this week.
It has become my custom to say a few words on the occasion of Open Media Boston's "birthday" each year. Why? I guess because for all of us that have worked on this project since we launched six years ago on March 20, 2008, it's a big victory to have continued publishing for another 12 months. Especially in a business climate where the average news startup lasts a couple of years. And even more so because we're a small underfunded non-profit.
A sobering report was released this week by the Brookings Institution and the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University that shows a precipitous drop in national employment levels for teens aged 16-19 between 2000 and 2012.
Since Boston's near miss by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, I have seen calls for a "remediation" strategy in and around the city in response to the anticipated negative effects of global warming in the decades to come - including Gov. Patrick's January announcement of $50 million for "climate change preparedness" in Massachusetts.
Regular Open Media Boston viewers may recall that I'm an adjunct university professor in addition to my duties here. Over the last several months, I've been part of a union drive for adjunct faculty - contract professors with low pay, and no benefits or security - at Lesley University. And I'm extremely pleased to announce that my colleagues and I won our union election this week - with a final tally of 357 yes to 67 no votes. Which is an excellent outcome any way you slice it.
The Brookings Institution released a study this week on the rising tide of income inequality in many American cities.
Sadly, Boston was shown to be the fourth most unequal city in the US - behind Atlanta, San Francisco and Miami.
The rankings were generated using a simple calculation called the "95/20 ratio" - which according to the study:
