Eleanor Jane Murphy, who died down in Weymouth this week at age 86, was one of a number of mothers, ladies all, who made the upper end of Lonsdale Street in Dorchester a special place in the dozen or so years after World War II.
In the late... Read more
The U.S. House of Representatives has proclaimed July as “Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.†The resolution, sponsored by Rep. Albert Wynn (D- MD) and co-sponsored by a large bipartisan group, including NAMI... Read more
As you read this, I am on my way to Gaza – a tiny, crowded patch of Palestinian land where 1.5 million impoverished people live under siege by Israel. About the size of Outer Cape Cod, the Gaza Strip has been called the world’s largest open-air... Read more
The mania we have witnessed surrounding the tragic death if Michael Jackson is an example of our distorted sense of values. On balance, the life of this talented yet disturbed celebrity is deserving of sympathy rather than adulation.
His talent... Read more
In my last column, I offered some figures to illustrate that almost twelve percent of Dorchester’s land area is protected open space; most if it banked by the State’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).
Although we are only a... Read more
The skill of a good magician is to set the trick in motion before the audience arrives, and distract the viewers with unrelated activities while it appears to be happening before their eyes.
The Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) runs a great... Read more
There is a lot to dislike about talk radio, but I admit to being a fan of Marjorie Egan and Jim Braude. Their blend of whimsy, self-deprecation, and just plain nonsense is a delight and a welcome relief from the two-fisted, in-your-face style of many... Read more
One of the greatest challenges for Captain Claiborne in the Dorchester/Mattapan area is to educate public opinion. With public support, nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed. A grave concern in District B-3 is violence against and among... Read more
Some may wonder why I normally don’t write about current events; the goings on in city, state and national politics. It’s not that I’m disinterested but everybody is writing about those topics.
Rather than focus on the drama, I prefer to... Read more
Much has been made in the daily news media about the need for Beacon Hill to clean house before asking Massachusetts residents to contribute more in taxes to help solve our state’s budget crisis. To be sure, this is exactly the right order of things... Read more
At the time of Sputnik - first space orbit - the cosmonaut hailed as a hero by many blatantly observed that in his travels, he did not find "heaven." It would seem that technology proved that heaven was a myth. Some discussion took place. However, this... Read more
The month of May has not been a good one so far for District B-3. Bullets have been flying through the air like soccer balls and the officers needed a pooper-scooper to pick up all the ballistics evidence found in the street. Since May 1, three... Read more
Have you noticed how tolerant we are of our own failings yet how critical we are of others?
You see examples within families and in the attitude of some toward government and religion. Spouses are all too quick to criticize their mates without... Read more
Every now and then you will hear someone ask the question, where do all these firearms come from? Finding guns on the district is like going Easter egg hunting. They can turn up anywhere – on a pile of rock, in a snow bank, in a garage, in a back... Read more
Since moving to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. just three months ago, President Obama and the First Lady have added their personal touch to the White House landscape. There is an organic vegetable garden on the South Lawn, a gleaming new swing Set, and let’s... Read more
