Dear Occupy Boston occupiers:Let me tell you about a protester I’ve been a fan of for many years.His name was Helmuth Hübener. He was born a child of the German Weimar Republic and grew up as the Nazis came to power. His contempt for the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler and the totalitarian rule of the Nazis swelled during the early years of World War II. Being in possession of a short-wave radio, he, along with friends (and fellow members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Rudi Wobbe and Karl-Heinz Schnibbe, began spending late nights listening, illegally, to BBC broadcasts as …

I make it a rule to not pay much attention to whatever Willard “Mitt,” a.k.a. “Billy”, Romney says. Unfortunately, he just won’t go away. He’s effectively spent the past 17 years running for one public office or another (of which he only spent four actually in office, as Governor of Massachusetts) and now he’s running for US President, again.On the campaign trail, it often seems as though he’s in a tug-of-war with himself, wanting to brag about his accomplishments during his tenure as Mass. governor from 2003-2007 while at the same time distancing himself from anything that actually happened …

Some South End residents are against two new restaurants opening on Washington Street. To me, their reaction is a microcosm of what’s happening elsewhere in the city -- on Main Street in Charlestown, Centre Streets in Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury, Boylston Street in Back Bay, and Charles Street in Beacon Hill. People want an active role and a bigger say in what’s happening in their neighborhoods, and this means that sometimes people are against things.As South End Patch reported, opposition led developers of the Hite Radio and TV site to withdraw their plans -- completely -- while heated …

You might not be aware of it, but there’s a city of Boston primary election two weeks from today, on Sept. 27, 2011. The primary is being held to narrow the field of candidates for the 13 city councilor positions, of which there are four at-large (representing the entire city) and nine district councilors. Sadly, not every councilor position is being contested. The at-large race has seven candidates, including the four incumbents, but five of the nine district councilors are running unopposed. They are, and the neighborhoods they represent are: (The hyperlinks in this column are to the …

On Monday, Boston mayor Thomas M. Menino announced a “Ten Strategies for Job Growth” plan during a breakfast address before the Greater Boston Labor Council. Included are ideas such as increasing vocational and technical training and summer jobs programs, simplifying the city’s permitting process, and increasing city-state tax credits for infrastructure improvements.The mayor has done a good job of keeping the city running during this grueling recession; the city of Boston has a 7.9 percent unemployment rate whereas the nation’s rate is 9.1 percent. This new plan, however, seems unlikely to …

During the past six years, our state’s elected leaders have been trying to radically expand legalized gambling in the Commonwealth. Just last week, Gov. Deval Patrick, along with State Senate President Therese Murray and Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo, released a proposal that could lead to three casino resorts and one slots parlor opening within the state sometime during the next several years. Their hope is that by heavily taxing the establishments’ income, the state can raise badly needed revenue in order to keep paying its bills. Instead, they're making a deal with the devil, which can…

“I’m not giving you the twelve dollars. Are you going to [expletive] me? I think you’re going to [expletive] me. I thought you liked girls?” “I do like girls. And, guys, too. But not in that way. C’mon.” The above conversation took place not more than three feet from me. Money exchanged hands. Minutes later, the recipient of the dollar bills was kneeling against a park bench, nose inches away from a crushed up white substance. Welcome to Copley Square, Boston on a recent Monday afternoon.  Copley Square – Boston’s skid row? Over the past several years I’ve seen similar, suspicious behavior …

I’m miserable. I went away to the Catskills for the weekend so that we could attend a relative’s pig roast. Eh. The weather was terrible. The barbecue was almost rained out, but this didn’t make the event any less popular. My sister-in-law’s driveway was so packed that I had to back our car out to park on the street, running the rear bumper into a trailer carrying two all-terrain vehicles. Pulling the car forward to extract it ripped the wheel cover off. Oh, did I mention it was a rental car and that we had waived the collision insurance? When I wake up at home this morning, I find out I …

Living in the city can often lead to feelings of anxiety, stress, and grumpiness, especially during the dog days of August. Therefore, I thought I’d be the optimist for once and mention several of the things that are making me happy right now (well, mostly), courtesy of Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the good people at City Hall. Food trucks – There are now fifteen food trucks located around the city. Food trucks serve hot, tasty food similar in quality to what you'd find at any two/three-star restaurant in Boston; in other words, these are definitely not glorified ice cream trucks. I've …

I never imagined I'd be in the position of defending Senator Scott Brown, but I guess I have no choice. First some background: Several American teens committed suicide last year, the apparent result of being bullied because they were gay or because their peers suspected that they were gay. Dan Savage, an ex-video store clerk turned sex-advice columnist and TV personality, reacted by putting up a YouTube video. Savage told a Miami Herald reporter that, “I was just stewing on the kids, and the reaction you always have as a gay adult is ‘I wish I could have talked to that kid,’ to have been able…

What should we do about Borders? Borders Group, Inc. is in the process of liquidating its holdings, selling off the entire inventory in its 399 bookstores before going out of business forever. Here in Boston, its Back Bay branch is already closed, and last week theDowntown Crossing store advertised a 10 percent closeout sale on books in its fiction collection, with discounts of 20 - 40 percent and more expected soon. This news could not have come at a worse time for the Downtown Crossing (DTX) neighborhood. With the Filene’s hole in the ground just a block away, with the nearby 45 Province …

It’s a dichotomy.The MBTA is a roaring success -- it’s used for 1.15 million passenger trips, each weekday.And the T is a complete failure; it’s broke, literally.A Red Line subway breakdown last Tuesday left 400 passengers scrambling in the dark for safety. (Hopefully, no one had seen this movie.) Then, just four days later, a Green Line subway car derailed, forcing riders to walk through the tunnel between Hynes and Kenmore Square.Blame was placed on the MBTA’s aging fleet of subway cars that has led to an increase in delays and breakdowns -- some cars are over 40 years old, far longer than …

Six weeks ago, I wrote a Patch column about Boston crime, taking comfort in the fact that the annual number of homicides in the city had decreased by almost 50 percent during the past 20 years.Suddenly, I’m not feeling so smug.Two weeks ago, a four-year old boy was shot while playing in a crowded Dorchester park. Then, during the Independence Day holiday, thirteen people were stabbed or shot, four of whom lost their lives.These acts of violence disturbed me. Shocked me. Following the shooting of the boy, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino issued a press release expressing his “sadness and anger” …

I come to praise the Seaport District, not to bury it.I’ve complained non-stop about this neighborhood for going on 15 years. I’ve seen proposals come and go, along with constant name changes. (In just the past 20 years, it’s been known as the South Boston Waterfront, Seaport District, and, now, Innovation District.) For longer than I’ve been alive, it seems, there’s been talk of the area’s “potential” with little to nothing to show for the effort.No longer.Having decided to check out last weekend’s Extreme Sailing Series™ being held in the Boston Harbor, my nieces and I ventured down to the …

Congratulations, New Yorkers. Last week, the New York State legislature passed a law granting same-sex couples the right to marry, joining four other US states and the District of Columbia. There was much rejoicing in the streets. However, it might surprise you to learn that the gay and lesbian community is divided in the fight for marriage equality.Improper Bostonian society columnist Jonathan Soroff has written an opinion piece about wanting legal protection for same-sex relationships (including his own) but he wishes we wouldn’t push so hard for the term “marriage” to define it. (For a …

After three-plus years of inactivity, downtown Boston developers are poised to begin construction on new apartment complexes that may bring over 3,000 new units to market during the next couple of years. Here's a look at what's to come: Hayward Place - This proposal is for a $200-million, 15-story, 265-unit rental building with 12,000 square feet of retail space and underground parking. Millennium Partners owns this parcel of land, currently used as a surface parking lot. After years of promises dating back to the turn of the century and multiple proposals, it looked as though this 397,000 …

During the past decade, more than 11 percent of Boston's young people -- residents under the age of 18 -0 moved out of the city, according to the US Census Bureau. This, as the city’s 18-years and older poulation increased by 8.74 percent. Analysis of the data has only just begun (and is subject to revision), but I have my own idea of what’s been going on. At first glance, it might look as though it's simply a matter of parents losing faith in the Boston public schools, pulling up stakes and taking their kids to the suburbs. Or, perhaps it’s the ever-increasing cost of housing in the city …

Welcome to the Renaissance, enjoy your stay! Approaching the building, you would be forgiven for thinking you are actually entering a chic, private country club. The grounds are fenced in and accessed through a gated entrance. The renovated brick buildings look beautiful rising above the manicured lawns (fresh flowers have just been planted). There are many luxury vehicles in the parking lots; BMWs, Lexuses, a Range Rover. Off in the distance, blue-uniformed children play on a regulation-sized soccer field.But, this is no country club, it’s a Boston public school -- actually, a charter school…

Is crime getting worse in Boston?This weekend, some of the hundreds of teens hanging out at Carson Beach in South Boston ended up in a “gang fight." Just last week, there were shots fired mid-day in the South End. And, last weekend, Boston police say the owner of a restaurant in Charlestown was stabbed twice during a fight with a local teenager. So, the logical answer to the question would seem to be, “Yes.” Makes perfect sense, no? In a bad economy, we’d naturally see an increase in crime, right? When people don’t have jobs (meaning, money), what other choices do they have but to hold up …

Ever suffered the unpleasant experience of having to listen to someone's loud telephone conversation while eating dinner at a restaurant and wonder why a waiter didn’t ask the person to quiet down? Or, watched as a customer berated a sales clerk in a store over some minor issue and wonder why the clerk didn’t shout back and defend herself?It’s because of that old adage in retail, “The customer is always right." Except, it’s not always true these days. Business owners are beginning to stand up for themselves, using social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter to express themselves and to …