JANUARY 2012 FREE

WWW.FENWAYNEWS.oRg

serving the Fenway, Kenmore square, upper BacK Bay, prudential, longwood area & mission hill since 1974 volume 38, numBer 1 decemBer 30, 2011-FeBruary 3, 2012

tenants again picket landlord about affordable housing abuses

photo by Conrad Ciszek

BY CONRAD CISZEK

Both legal complaints allege that withdrawing from the federal project-based enants from housing developments owned by William and Robert Kargman, Section 8 subsidy program violates state anti-discrimination laws. They also allege along with community allies, held a rally and picket on December 14 at the that the Kargmans sought to end the projectbased Section 8 program at Burbank and landlords 151 Tremont St. office, urging them to restore long-term affordability High Point Village (now Stonybrook Commons) despite the fact that doing so would at Burbank Apartments and other formerly likely have a greater impact upon low-income residents, subsidized developments. families with children, people of color, the elderly and Just like Wall Street, landlord Bill Kargman wants disabled people. The High Point lawsuit also alleges that the socialized risk with privatized profit, said Burbank Kargmans violated the civil rights of low-income tenants Apartments Tenant Association leader Steven Gallanter. by discriminating against them when deciding which In the case of Burbank, the Kargman family initially apartments in the complex to renovate invested something like $200 of their own money. With Because of Kargmans dismal record, Burbank and High a HUD-subsidized mortgage, he has benefitted from Point tenants were joined by community groups, including millions of public dollars over the past four decades. Now the Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants, Fenway Community he is converting much of his housing to market-rate, and Development Corporation, City Life/Vida Urbana, Chinese his profits come at the expense of hundreds of working Progressive Association, Mass Senior Action, and Boston families, residents of color, and seniors, who are being Tenant Coalition. priced out of Boston. Over 25 protesters from these groups stood out in the Since 2006, Kargman is responsible for 99% of the cold for over an hour on December 14th chanting, giving Protesters at the Kargman demonstration on Dec. 14 losses of affordable housing in Boston for the past five speeches, and singing Kargman Carols. Tenant leaders years, according to the City of Boston, and 54% of statewide losses, according to data also handed out more than 400 Kargman Kash flyers urging supporters to call the from the states Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation. Kargmans and demand that they restore affordability at Burbank and High Point Village. Additionally, Bill Kargman and his brother Bob are currently embroiled in two Weve lost thousands of affordable homes across Massachusetts because of this lawsuits with tenants. Both cases against the Kargmans were filed by attorneys from one landlord, notes tenant leader Elaine Marin Ruff from High Point Families United. Greater Boston Legal Services, the first on behalf of Burbank Apartments Tenant Weve lost over 170 homes in the Fenway, more than 500 in Roslindale, over 160 in Association, the Fenway CDC, and a number of other parties, and the second on behalf Brighton, and hundreds more in other parts of the city. This is fundamentally about fairof the tenant union High Point Families United, the Boston Fair Housing Center, and ness. As taxpayers, we subsidized his profits through the HUD mortgages. But now he other parties. A hearing in the Burbank lawsuit was set for December 15 but has been wants to price us out of our communities. Of course were going to stand up and fight! rescheduled for January 25. Conrad Ciszek lives in the East Fens.

n.u. students Find learning runs Both ways at senior center

For yoga instructor, stretching mind and body
oga instructor Carmen Thurston raced home to call her mom as tears of happiness streamed down her face after a senior yoga participant made a comment to her after class. I tripped the other day, and a year ago I would have fallen, but this time I caught myself, the participant said to Thurston. This is why I do it (teach yoga), Thurston said. Thurston, 23, said she began practicing yoga at home at age 13. In January 2008, she began taking classes at South Boston Yoga. After completing one class, she registered herself to teach yoga and was certified in 2009. I dont see it as a career. I do it almost full time now, and I do it because I love it, she said. Thurston teaches one weekly senior class each at the Peterborough Senior Center in the West Fens; at Hale House in the Back Bay; and at Fitcorp locations in the Prudential Center and Downtown Crossing. We focus a lot on stretching and strengthening through different standing and chair positions. We do exercises to strengthen their core, arms, and quads. I try to find ways for them to improve their balance. Many of them are first-timers who do it because of previous injuries or dizziness, she said. Thurston said she has had numerous senior participants approach her and say how they had been walking with a walker and now use a cane, or that they can lift things easier. Just to hear that from them, there are no words, she said. Older participants sometimes resist the introduction of different poses, Thurston said. Seniors are not afraid to tell me that my body doesnt do that or Im not up to doing that today. They are so honest, and I love their

By Samantha OrmSBy

honesty, she said. Despite their resistance to some poses, the seniors maintain a positive, lighthearted attitude. They always joke about what they call reincarnation yoga, meaning yoga poses they would do in their next lifetime, she said. Thurston said that, to help encourage the seniors through the physical demands of yoga, she incorporates the rudiments of anatomy into her class. They are very pragmatic, so I like to explain what is happening to their muscles while they are in the poses. I tend to pull a lot of biology and psychology into the lessons, she said. Thurston is not new to biology and psychology. She completed her undergraduate degree at Northeastern University in behavioral neuroscience. She did not envision teaching seniors when she first became interested in instructing yoga. I originally didnt want to teach seniors. My friend taught seniors and she was leaving town, so she

offered her class to me. I figured it would be a good way to start teaching yoga and earn a bit of money. Now I wouldnt give my senior classes up for anything. It came by total chance, she said. Seniors are not her only students. She also teaches a variety of non-senior classes at Fitcorp, Northeastern, and in private sessions, to individuals or small groups. In teaching different age groups, she has noticed a difference in attitudes. The younger classes are more serious; theyre here to get flexible and strong. Seniors know that the body is not a permanent thing, so they take it less seriously, but they are there because while theyve got it, they want to take care of it. The mentality is not the same with the younger audience, she said. Thurston said that in her work with seniors, she has found that the majority of them are new to yoga and that many of them did not have background knowledge about yoga before taking her class. I even had one senior ask me, Do I have to convert religion to do yoga? she said. (For the curious, the

answer is no. ) For Thurston, though, spirituality is a major component of yoga. I like to tell them about the spirituality because it distracts them from the poses theyre doing, she said. She also incorporates spirituality into her personal practices. The biggest benefit for me is finding a sense of peace and comfort in my body in this moment. There is a certain gift to doing the physical practice, but the connection to breath and the connection to God, thats what gets me, she said. Thurston said her mom likes to say that she started her on her yoga path and has always supported her in her journey. My mom always told me, when you find something that makes you take joy in life, thats when you find God. I found this through my yoga mat and teaching. I take joy in what I do every day and I cant imagine a better thing to spend my life doing, she said. Samantha Ormsby is an undergraduate in Northeasterns School of Journalism.

For an intern, not just building a resum but making human connections

By arianna DOlphin

special election to Fill the vacant state senate seat. details on page 2.

Vote jan. 10

hen people think of the Fenway, they often think of a neighborhood full of college students attending classes and parties. But the Fenway also has a large elderly population that is served by the citys Commission on Affairs of the Elderly. At the Peterborough Senior Center Sydney Palinkas, a third-year Northeastern University student, found an internship. Its really fun, Palinkas said. I learn a lot from them, like just from them telling me stories about their lives and their kids. Palinkas grew up in upstate New York, where she loved doing volunteer work with seniors. When it came time for her to go to college, Palinkas knew she wanted to find a way to continue her work with the elderly. Palinkas found the Peterborough Senior Center through the Fenway Community Development Corporation website and began working at the center in mid-summer. She had initially only planned to work until classes began again, but when Penina Adelman, director of the center, asked her if she wanted to remain working there as a part-time intern

during the school year, Palinkas gladly accepted. She had begun as an unpaid intern, but when she began attending classes in the fall, Northeasterns work-study program allowed her to get paid for her continued time at the center. I loved it there, and they really wanted me to stay, Palinkas said. It was great that it worked out so I get work-study hours during the school year. She thinks that the Peterborough Senior Center creates a good sense of community for Fenway senior. The center deals with some people who have isolation-related depression, which Palinkas said can create a challenging work environment. Some of them are really enthusiastic and love coming and doing lots of stuff, but sometimes some of them are really grouchy and dont want to be there, Palinkas said. The center has only four employees, yet it is able to help a large number of seniors get integrated into the community, Palinkas said, offering programs related to health, education, art and other activities. One of these she thought was most beneficial for the elderly was the sing-along program that the seniors participate in with students from Berklee

College of Music. Its great because they have a music therapy class that runs every semester. So the music therapy class comes in and its like all new students every semester and they are kind of learning from us and we are learning from them. So they play songs and instruments and stuff. It is really good and everyone loves it, Palinkas said. Palinkas thinks that her internship at the center has not only been beneficial to her studies in human services and sociology, but also to her overall education. She said the seniors with whom she interacts surprise her daily and educate her in many parts of life. She knows really everything about everything, Palinkas said, about one of the seniors. Like we watch movies and she knows every single actress and every single actor, and all their life stories. And she will look at the newspaper, and talk to me about politics and who is doing what, and she knows, she really knows way more than I do, so I am constantly learning from her. Arianna Dolphin is an undergraduate in Northeasterns School of Journalism.

2 | FENWAY NEWS | JANUARY 2012

With Emerald Necklaces Help, Architectural and Historical Landmark Thrives Again
By eryn CarlSOn

The resurgence of haphazardly scattered, crunchy leaves in the Back Bay Fens marks more than just the return of autumn to Bostonit also means that its the oneyear anniversary of the Emerald Necklace Conservancys new headquarters in the historic Stony Brook Gatehouse. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Emerald Necklace Visitor and Volunteer Center, which also holds the conservancys offices, took place in September 2010. The building, which opened to the public in January, serves as hub to the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed Emerald Necklace park system, which extends from Boston Common to Franklin Park. This new building allowed us to really ramp up visitor services, said Jeanine Knox, the conservancys director of external affairs. The new building is not so new. Designed by renowned architect H.H. Richardson in 1883, the gatehouse originally housed mechanisms used to regulate the water flow in the marshy Fens. The structure, now listed on the National Register of Historic

Places, was abandoned in the 1970s and fell into disrepair until the Boston Water and Sewer Commission refurbished it in 2002. The building was then reborn as a gateway to the park system when the conservancy, working with Bostons Ann Beha Architects, restored the building while leasing it from the city for $1 a year. The project was paid for with $1.3 million raised over ten years through the Justine Mee Liff Fund, which honors the legacy of Bostons former parks commissioner. Although a harsh winter discouraged visitors when the center opened, the building has since thrived, Knox said. Its been terrific. People started coming in neighbors, people who work in the area. And we had a formal opening in April with

about 25 events throughout the parks and it was a really fun weekend with more than 200 people, Knox said. Since then, more than 2,800 visitors have signed the centers guest book, with names

deC. 13 primary paves way for Jan. 10 eleCtion

In a primary election marked by very low turnout on December 13, voters chose the Democratic candidate for the state senate seat vacated in October by Steve Tolman. Vote totals from Fenway precincts appear below, shown in the format ward/precinct. Although Brighton lawyer Tim Schofield bested the field of candidates in Boston, voters from the full district, which stretches into Watertown and Belmont, gave the Democratic nomination to Belmont State Rep. Will Brownsberger. Hell be on the general election ballot Tuesday, January 10. Polls will be open from 7am to 8pm. 4/7 4/10 5/2 5/10 21/1 total

from at least 25 states and 26 countries, she said. By attracting visitors and volunteers, the conservancy, formed in 1996, aims to come together as a group to advocate for, maintain and preserve the Emerald Necklace park system, one of the nations premier examples of landscape design and urban planning. Conservation efforts, often carried out in collaboration with park owners and the city, take place year-round to maintain and restore the parks in the system. At any given moment, the

conservancy, fueled by about 800 volunteers, is working on a multitude of projects, ranging from cleanup of the Muddy River to gardening and slope restoration in the Fens. Along with those projects, the conservancy staff plans events each calendar year. Events include the annual Party in the Park, held each spring, the Emerald Necklace Fun Run, which takes place in September, and docent talks and exhibits, which are held throughout the year. . Were still a work in progress, Knox said. She noted plans for more signs outside the visitors building and an exhibit to tell the story of the gatehouse. The conservancy also hopes to expand the docent program, which trains volunteers to become park experts, and to offer more park tours and other events. The Emerald Necklace Visitor and Volunteer Center welcomes visitors from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and from noon to 4 p.m. Sundays, mid-April through October, with limited winter hours. The center is closed on Saturdays. Eryn Carlson is an undergraduate student in the Northeasterns School of Journalism.

robbery with Knife threat

will Brownsberger John hecht Bob mccarthy Tim Schofield total voting

27 10 15 43 95

0 1 1 4 6

39 4 21 64 128

21 2 9 48 80

8 6 9 28 51

95 23 55 187 360

Soon after midnight on Dec. 18 two officers responded to a radio call for a robbery in progress near the Shell gas station at Boylston and Ipswich streets. Upon arrival they spoke to the victim who said he had taken the MBTA from East Boston to take a walk in the Fens. As he was walking near Park Drive behind Bradleys Liquors someone called out to him; he walked over to this person, who was a stranger to him. He said the man displayed a large knife and demanded his belongings. The victim turned over his wallet but kept his cell phone. He alleged that as the suspect turned to flee he made a desperate attempt to grab for his wallet, but instead swiped the suspects cell phone. He stated that the suspect then fled down Park Drive toward Peterborough St. and disappeared into the darkness. The area was searched to no avail, and the suspects cell phone was taken as evidence and turned in at District 4.

garden societys Focus on Building community means more events, teaching...and Beehives

another robbery with a Knife

By anthOny Vitale

ike Mennonno, president of of the Fenway Garden Society, sees his organization as more than just a place to garden; he sees it as a community and intends to emphasize that point with the groups plans for 2012. I like to think of gardeners as stewards, Mennonno, 42, said. I think its our responsibility to give to the community.

On Dec. 18 at about 3:30pm, two officers responded to a call about an armed robbery at 316 Huntington Ave. Upon arrival the met the victims, who reported that the suspect had approached them in front of Pizzeria Uno and pushed one of them against the wall, ordering him to give me your wallet or I will stab you. The suspect showed his knife and attempted to take the wallet from the victims coat, but the victim pulled away and started to run. The second victim stated that the suspect then looked at him and said dont move unless you want to get f***ed up. The suspect then fled down Gainsborough St. toward Symphony Road. A search of the area by numerous District 4 units was unsuccessful. One victim stated that he had seen the suspect before in Cambridge and agreed to go to D4 headquarters to view photos.

The Fenway Garden Society has more than 400 members, all volunteers who have built relationships through gardening. Mennonno said building relationships and a sense of community is the best way to reach out and give to the community. He said that can be done through participation in the organization, and fundraising. The organizations biggest fundraiser, Fensfest, is held annually during the second week in September. The event is a daylong harvest festival with music, a cookout, and potluck lunch open to the entire Fenway community. There is also a table where people can sell goods to raise money for the organization. Its a great way to reach out to the community and bring other organizations in to work with, Mennonno said. One of the organizations the Fenway Garden Society has brought in this past year and plans to bring back next year is Persons with Disabilities, which provides help to handicapped people. Mennonno said a lot was done in the past year to help disabled people, including reconstructing the gardens paths to maek them more accessible for people with disabilities. Theyre an under-served population, and part of us is serving the under-served, Mennonno said. Another big event the organization had this year was a July 4 celebration. As with Fensfest, there was music and a cookout. Mennonno said next years event will undergo some major changes, however. It was too hard to plan the July 4 event on top of organizing Fensfest just a few months later. Mennonno said there will still be an event on July 4, just not as large as it was this year. Besides those big events, the Fenway Garden Society will continue to hold its frequent lessons with what Mennonno calls the teaching gardens. The lessons are open to new and experienced members who want to learn more about gardening. During the lessons, members can exchange tactics and information about the best ways to garden creatively. Mennonno also is optimistic about the possibility of adding beehives to the gardens. There are already bees in the garden, Mennonno said, but he hopes that adding hives in safe places throughout the gardens will not only benefit plants and flowers, but will help educate people as well. There are going to be bees in the garden anyway, Mennonno said. We can teach people the responsibilities and harms of having bees. He said if the society can get the beehives, it plans to have three or four programs throughout the year that will focus on maintaining beehives and the best ways to use them. Mennonno and the rest of the executive board of the Fenway Garden Society plan to build the organization and expand to reach more of the Fenway community. As always, their goal for the upcoming season is not only to have a successful garden, but to serve the community and teach stewardship through their events. Anthony Vitale is an undergraduate student in the Northeastern University School of Journalism.

nupd and Bpd collar two suspects

On Dec. 8 at about 3:30pm a Northeastern Campus Police officer was dispatched to Light Hall on St. Stephen St. because of a report of an unarmed robbery. He found a student there who stated that two men had just tried to rob him at the front door of Light Hall, and had then fled toward Gainsborough St. Boston Police had also been called, and an officer arrived. He reported that the victim appeared visibly shaken and had a large red blotch on his neck. Photographs were taken for evidence, but the victim stated that he didnt need medical assistance. The victim said that he had been sitting near the buildings door when the two men approached and asked for the time. As he pulled out his phone to check, one of the men grabbed him around the neck, pulled him toward the ground, and ordered him to give it up and drop it, which he assumed meant his cellphone. The other suspect started pushing him on the chest and also reaching for the phone, but then both suspects released him and ran off without taking the phone. About five minutes later two other NU officers reported finding two men fitting the suspects descriptions near Clearway St. The first set of officers took the victim to Clearway St., where they found the suspects standing surrounded by both NU and BPD officers. The victim identified the pair as his assailants, and one of the BPD officers read the suspects their Miranda rights. The victim went to the Campus Police office to complete his statement, and the suspects were transported to D4 Headquarters for booking.

pickpocket at panera

At about 9:30pm on Dec. 12, an officer responded to a radio call for a larceny at Panera Bread on Huntington Ave. Upon arrival he spoke with the victim, who reported that sometime between 8 and 8:30pm an unknown person had stolen her wallet from her jacket pocket, which had been hanging on the back of the chair she was sitting on. She reported the following items missing: a cellphone worth $50; her NU identification card and drivers licence; debit and credit cards; and house keys. The officer spoke with two customers sitting nearby who reported that a homeless looking man had been sitting behind the victim. They reported that the man kept making rude statements and acting irrationally, and moving his chair closer to theirs. The officers spoke with the duty manager who had no access to the stores video-surveillance system. He told the officers that he would leave a message for the general manager, who would provide the tape the following date.

Fenway Factoid

On January 23, 1925, Harry Houdini publicly debunked a Beacon Hill matrons claims to have contacted spirits of dead people in an expos delivered to a packed house at Symphony Hall. The presentation climaxed the illusionists aggressive campaign against spiritualism, which had gained popularity in the US in the years following World War I.

FENWAY NEWS | JANUARY 2012 | 3

Plazas landmark designation earns national attention

A prominent national landscape architect found one of the ten notable developments in his field during 2011 took place right in the Fenway. Boston and modernism have an uneasy coexistence, Charles A. Birnbaum wrote in an column for The Huffington Post website, so [the] Christian Science Centers designation as a Boston City Landmark marks a major milestone in the recognition of Post War landscape architectures importance and cultural significance. The fate of the plaza was one point of several points of contention for the BRA-appointed advisory committee that reviewed the Christian Science Churchs plan to build nearly 1 million square feet of commercial space on its campus. The site at the confluence of the Fenway, South End, and Back Bay, occupies blocks once filled with historic townhouses, which were knocked down as part of an infamous urban renewal plan in the 1960s. The advisory group ultimately endorsed the development plan, but representatives of community groups from the Back Bay and the Fenwayincluding both the Fenway Community Development Corporation and the Fenway Civic Associationdissented from the final report. They argued that the plan shortchanged all considerations but maximum income for the church, locating three proposed high-rise towers in ways that will harm nearby residential areas and worsen Fenway/Back Bay traffic.

BU Bio laB Clears another hUrdle

The Boston Globe reported last month that An independent scientific panel advising the federal government on Boston Universitys controversial high-security research laboratory has concluded that the latest federal assessment of potential safety risks posed by the lab is significantly improved and nearly ready for public comment. The Globe also reported that the National Institutes of Health posted a draft of its safety report on its website soon after the panels findings were announced, but that several areas...still need addressing. To read the full article, search for Panel Backs Federal Review of BU Bio Lab at Boston.com.

Santa arrived a little early for students at the John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Jamaica Plain last month, with the delivery of 25 laptop computers donated by Wentworth Institute of Technology. The laptops replaced outdated equipment and will help outfit a computer lab available to both JFK students and their families. The goodies didnt stop there, either: A Wentworth student, hired through the Institutes federally funded work-study program, will provide From left, Waleska Landing-Rivera, JFK School technical support for lab users. principal; Joe Boston, director of Wentworths The laptops come equipped with Center for Learning and Community Partnership; Microsoft Office, which includes Haley Tejeda, fourth-grade student; State Rep. a Web browser that will equip the Jeffrey Sanchez; and Zorica Panti, president, lab to provide Internet access for Wentworth Institute of Technology. students (and, of course, introduce them to the distinct, um, pleasures of working on the Windows operating system).

santa toUChes doWn in jamaiCa Plain...

Brigham Wants to BUild neW laB on emmanUel CamPUs

...then heads to mission hill

Continuing a long-planned build-out of its endowment campus, Emmanuel College joined Brigham & Womens Hospital to unveil the Brighams plan to build a 360,000-square-foot research laboratory on land leased from the college. The hospital filed a notice of its intentions with the Boston Redevelopment Authority last month and promised more details in a filing due this month. The $450 million lab with 455 parking spaces would add a second building to a section of campus that Emmanuel has set aside for income-producing ventures. Merck & Cos Northeast research lab occupies the first of the endowment parcels. The proposed lab pushes the price tag for a series of Brighams initiatives in the Longwood area to nearly $1 billion.

Last month NBCs Today Show selected Sociedad Latina, the Mission Hill child-development group, as a beneficiary of its annual holiday toy and gift drive The shows website featured the organization during the week of Dec. 5, and Sociedad Latina will receive toys from the campaign to distribute to low-income children at its 21st annual Three Kings Day celebration on January 7. The festival features food, music, dancing, and, of course, toys for hundreds of needy kids, beginning at 10am in the Mission Church Parish Center. You can support the toy drive by visiting Amazon.com/Today or the Sociedad Latina Web page at www.sociedadlatina.org/ (click on donate now). For more information, email Katherine McInerney or call 617-442-4299.

neC grad stUdent Wins major mUsiC Prize

In yet another of the off-season special events that leave sports-marketing experts drooling and many Fenway residents fuming, the Red Sox organization will host Frozen Fenway, January A 26-year-old doctoral student who studies composition with Michael Gandolfi at the 1-16. Bookending the event will be free skating days for City of Boston residents on Sunday New England Conservatory of Music has won the prestigious 2011 European American the 1st and Monday the 16th, from 9:00am to 9:00pm each day. But if you dont already have Musical Alliance Prize for his String Quartet No. 1 Of Narcissus and Echo. Chosen from a ticket for that event, you may be out of luck: the City distributed close to 3,600 tickets on 120 submissions from all over the world, Derek Davids piece was selected as a musical December 17. The days between the 1st and the 16th will feature 14 high school and college composition of profound artistic message, possessing a unique musical voice, and demonstrating hockey games. Highlights will include a match-up between Boston Latin School and Latin clear, direct power of communication. David will receive a prize of $4,500 at a ceremony this Academy girlss teams (January 2, with some free tickets available at Gate E that day), and winter in New York City. A California native, he received a Master of Music degree with honors games featuring area prep schools and New England college hockey powers like UNH, UVM, from NEC in 2010. Harvard, and Boston College. For more information, check http://atmlb.com/uMT8wL.

Frozen FenWay: 14 hoCkey games, 2 days oF CommUnity skating

PETERBOROUGH HOUSING
Boston, MA

OPENING waITING lIST ON FEBRUaRy 1, 2012, aT 9:00 a.m.

Wingate Management Company is opening the waiting list for Peterborough Housing, project-based Section 8 housing, consisting of 220 apartments. Rent is based on 30% of adjusted gross income and includes heat and water. Applications may be picked up in person at Wingate Management Company, 78 Peterborough Street #11, Boston 02215, or by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to the above address. Equal Opportunity Housing Financed by MassHousing Finance Agency

Wingate Management Company does not discriminate on the basis of disability status in the admission or access to, or treatment or employment in its federally assisted programs and activities. The person listed below has been designated to coordinate compliance with the nondiscrimination requirements contained in the Dept. of Housing & Urban Developments regulations implementing Sect. 504 (24 CFR Part 8 dated June 2, 1988). Contact: Site Manager.

78 Peterborough Street, Suite 11 boSton, MA 02215-4815 tel: 617-236-1978 FAx: 617-236-1120 WingateApartmenthomes.com

4 | FENWAY NEWS | JANUARY 2012

Serving the Fenway, Kenmore Square, Audubon Circle, upper Back Bay, lower Roxbury, Prudential, Mission Hill, and Longwood since 1974

Neighborhood Restaurants Return...and Debut

esidents of the West Fens are ecstatic about the reopening of two beloved restaurantsThorntons Family Grill and El Peln Taqueria. These businesses and four others lost in a fire at the start of 2009 have been sorely missed in the nearly three years since then. Monty Gold, owner of the building in which the restaurants operate, told The Fenway News that Rod Dee Thai will return soon, although he doesnt have an exact date, and that he is in negotiations to fill the rest of the recently rehabilitated spaces. Gold suffered a health emergency recently, which slowed down the process, but hes now out of the hospital and hopes to be back on his feet by February. Meanwhile, on the west side of the park, residents were dismayed by the abrupt closing of the Au Bon Pain in Church Park, a Mass Ave mainstay for many years. But soon after that, signs went up in the windows announcing that a new restaurant would occupy the space, and it is now open. Sebastians offers a similar menu (but, its manager says, with fresher produce and healthier options) and roughly similar prices to what Au Bon Pain habitus were used to, and a similarly cozy atmosphere. This is the sixth location for Sebastians.
applause for obamas plan to limit Coal-plant pollution
Dear eDitOr:

Manager Syed Amer Ali told The Fenway News that he wants to invite everyone to a grand opening on January 17, and he hopes that most will agree with him that Sebastians fits well into the existing mix of dining establishments. He says hes thrilled to be here and looks forward to a great relationship with the neighborhood. he latest crop of articles by Northeastern journalism students has been harvested and you can see several of them in this months issue. One of the striking things about this semesters efforts is the comprehensive interaction it shows between the two biggest chunks of the Fenway populationstudents and seniors. On the front page, two students wrote about two other students (one recently graduated) who work with older residents at the Peterborough Senior Center. On page 5 youll find interviews with two elders conducted by student journalists. A common refrain in all this activity is how much members of each group learn from those of the other. Were glad that The Fenway News could help bring some of this interaction about.

Steve Chase Helen Cox Tracey Cusick Joyce Foster, president Steven Harnish Barbara Brooks Simons Steve Wolf, treasurer editor: Stephen Brophy weB teaM: Nicole Aubourg, Stephen

Fenway news association Board oF directors

Brophy, Mandy Kapica, Steven Kapica,

Production designer: Steve Wolf writers: Daniel Alfaro, Jon Ball, alison

Valarie Seabrook

from the editor

Stephen BrOphy

Healthy air is once again a priority in Washington! Although its mind boggling that it took more than 20 years to set national limits on the amount of mercury coal-fired power plants are allowed to pump into the air we breathe, our day to celebrate has finally arrived. The American Lung Association in Massachusetts is immensely grateful to the Obama Administration for taking a bold stand on behalf of all Massachusetts residents, and especially our children, who have been forced to breathe the dirty air that drifts in from out-of-state power plants. Not only will this important standard reduce toxic mercury emissions from power plants by a significant 91%, but it will also tackle the acid gases and other toxic emissions these corporate polluters generate at a rate of 386,000 tons a year. We are especially thankful that these new air-quality standards will mean tens of thousands of asthma and heart attacks will be prevented each year; children will be born free of the developmental birth defects caused by mercury pollution; and up to 11,000 lives will be spared from premature death. This is the beginning of a historic new chapter in our fight for healthy air and is also a notable example of how allowing the Clean Air Act to do its job effectively safeguards public health. Were heartened by this public health victory and pledge to continue with our Healthy Air Campaign until air pollution no longer threatens lives, causes asthma attacks and worsens lung diseases.

advocates want Council to slow City redistricting, add more voter input The following letter was sent to Boston City Councilor William Linehan by a coalition of Boston organizations concerned about the redistricting process currently ongoing:
Dear Chairman linehan anD memBerS Of the COmmittee On CenSuS anD reDiStriCting,

Letters

It is our belief that the Boston City Council Redistricting hearings up to now have suffered from insufficient advertising, limited outreach, and ill-timing, and as a result the hearings have been poorly attended. We would like to request: the public record of the redistricting hearings that have occurred so far information on any deliberations that the council has conducted so far in regards to redistricting Further, we would like to request clarification of times and dates of meetings and hearings for the rest of the process. To ensure the necessary public participation to allow for the creation of excellent maps, we request that the process include:

at least one more final hearing in mid to late January draft maps prepared by the end of January at least three weeks of public comment before enactment in February or March Please let us know your response as soon as possible. Thank you,

Barnet, Liz Burg, Eryn Carlson, Bob Case, Conrad Ciszek, Helen Cox, Tracey Cusick, Rachel DiBella, Arianna Dolphin, Margot Edwards, Lisa Fay, Lori A. Frankian, Joyce Foster, Marie Fukuda, Steve Gallanter, Galen Gilbert, Elizabeth Gillis, Katherine Greenough, Samantha, Grimsby, Sam Harnish, Steve Harnish, Hannah Holbrook Sarah Horsley, Nicolas Hugon, Monica Lisa Johnson, Rosie Kamal, Mandy Kapica, Steven Kapica, Ruth Khowais, Shirley Kressel, Mike Mennonno, Letta Neely, Catherine Pedemonti, Richard Pendleton, Karla Rideout, Mike Ross, Barbara Brooks Simons, Matti Kniva Spencer, Jamie Thomson, Anne M. Tobin, Fredericka Veikley, Chris Viveiros PhotograPhers: Steve Chase, Lois Johnston, Mike Mennonno, Patrick OConnor, Valarie Seabrook, Matti Kniva Spencer, Ginny Such, Steve Wolf caLendar: Penina Adelman, Helen Cox, Ruth Khowais, Steve Wolf, ProoFreader: Tracey Cusick Business Manager: Cathy Jacobowitz distriBution: Della Gelzer, Aqilla Manna, Lauren Dewey Platt, Reggie Wynn
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The founders of The Fenway News adopted this motto to express their mission of exposing and opposing the dangers the neighborhood faced in the early 1970srampant arson, unscrupulous landlords, and a destructive urban renewal plan. If the original motto no longer fits todays Fenway, we continue to honor its spirit of identifying problems and making our neighborhood a better and safer place to live.
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Update: The council did not. The Coalition that sent this letter urges Boston residents to contact their city councilors and let them know what they would like to see with redistricting.

The Fenway News reaches the stands every 4-5 weeks, usually on the first or last Friday of the month. Our next issue will appear on Friday, February 3. The deadline for letters, news items, and ads is Friday, January 27. Contact our business manager at ads@fenwaynews.org
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FENWAY NEWS | JANUARY 2012 | 5

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Fenways Parker Gets Political With Tsongas

mike ross mulls run for Barney Franks seat

last month District 8 City Councilor mike ross announced formation of a committee to explore the possibility of his running for the congressional seat that will come vacant when Barney frank retires at the end of his current term. the district has always played a special role in my life, ross said in a statement. it is where i grew up, where i was educated, and where my familys home remains. the rest of his statement: this is an important decision which i do not take lightly given the enormous challenges facing working families today and the role our federal representatives can play in moving our communities forward. as the son of a holocaust survivor who was rescued by american soldiers, my family owes a debt to our country and its service men and women. it is why i chose a career in public service and that is what compels me now to take a careful look at this opportunity. i have always believed that i have a special duty to work to ensure that the world we live in is more just and equal for all of us. i believe we need leaders who will fight for the kind of opportunities that I had growing up. in the weeks ahead i look forward to listening to what local residents, civic leaders, and others have to say about the kind of representation they are looking for in washington.

FAILURE TO PRODUCE EVACUATION PLAN MAY LEAD TO FIRE DEPT. FINE

East Fens resident Sheneal Parker (above, right) joined about 20 other women from around the state in a multi-month program designed to prepare and encourage Democratic Party women to run for public office. U.S. Representative Nikki Tsongas (above, left) addressed the graduates of the program, run by Emerge Massachusetts, at a Back Bay ceremony on December 3. Emerge is part of a national campaign to increase the numbers of women elected to local and national office. On its website, Emerge describes its training as developing their political and media skills, expanding their knowledge of local issues, and connecting them with mentors. Parker didnt have to look far to apply her newly acquired skills: she was in the midst of a campaign for the District 7 seat on Boston City Council while taking part in the Emerge training. She lost the bid in the November election, her first try for elected office. An Emerge classmate, Suzanne Lee, lost her challenge to District 2 Councilor Bill Linehan by fewer than 100 votes.

In 2007 a bomb threat at 69 McGreevey Way in the Mission Main housing complex produced a chaotic evacuationso chaotic that residents asked management to come up with a written evacuation plan for the future. Despite promising a plan in December 2009 and again in April 2011, the management company never produced one. Then, on October 17, a massive fire elsewhere in the development on Mission Hill displaced 45 people, and the McGreevey tenants decided theyd waited enough. A residents committee began to circulate a petition designed to light a fire under the management company, and the residents have looked for other ways to bring outside pressure on the company to do the right thingand its job. Gloria Murray, a tenant activist, tells The Fenway News that she has collected more than 500 signatures on the petition. She also says she has spoken with Boston Fire Department Captain David J. Cushing and that he issued an abatement order to the management company on Nov. 14 requiring them to produce a written plan in 30 days. Whether or not he received such a plan, no information has been posted in the public spaces of Mission Main buildings. The management companys failure to comply with the abatement order could result in a criminal complaint and s a fine. We will update this story in our February issue.

dear mbta: its not rocket scienceto fix system problems, talk to the riders
By riCharD penDletOn

Richard Pendleton, a contributor to the fenway news almost since its first issue, has been spending quite a bit of his spare time recently trying to get the MBTA to serve the neighborhood more effectively. The following letter is the latest skirmish in his ongoing struggle.
tO the mBta CuStOmer COmmuniCatiOnS Department:

I noticed in mid-November that the bus stop signs on Massachusetts Ave. at the corner of Belvedere St. were missing. Near the end of the month, I wrote to Customer Communications and received a quick reply that the stop was eliminated on October 19th. The memo continued: Customers are required to board the bus on Mass Ave. @ Clearway St. or Mass. Ave. @ Newbury St. (Hynes Convention Center Station). The MBTA has been batting around the idea of eliminating bus stops inbound and outbound all along Mass. Ave. from Dudley to Harvard for awhile. A flawed plan

such as this had to be hatched by someone who does not ride transit buses with any regularity. This chaotic school of planning acknowledges increased population density in the affected areas, the South End, Fenway and Back Bay while reducing stops on the systems fourth-busiest bus route. It borders on outrageous that the MBTA invites public input on its infrastructure plans, vehicle purchases and operations policy via open meetings spread around eastern Massachusetts, but chooses to make unilateral decisions to eliminate a busy bus stop without discussion with the surrounding neighborhood. It is curious that the closing of the stop in question, located in front of 150 Mass. Ave., a Berklee College of Music dormitory, generated no protest from the school. Many Berklee students play at various entertainment venues in Cambridge. The stop is very convenient for young musicians lugging their instruments to gigs across the river. MBTA management should consider

better utilization of the supervisory personnel who ride around in agency SUVs. They can play a more creative role up and down the line by assisting drivers with the real factors that delay buses: large crowds boarding, riders with disabilities, baby strollers, instrument-bearing musicians, malfunctioning fare boxes and near-empty busses tailgating full vehicles. The idea that buses will bunch up simply because there are more stops is ludicrous. Buses bunch up, particularly on Route #1, because whoever is in charge of dispatching at the Dudley Square terminal seems to not give a damn about the outbound pattern of vehicles heading toward Harvard. There is no dispatcher at the Harvard end. A batch of three buses running together along Route #1 can be seen with some regularity and even, oddly enough, after 11pm on Friday and Saturday. Over the last few years, I have written to various Cabot St. Garage supervisors (the home base of Route #1 buses) describing dispatch

problems with the #1 bus at its Dudley Square starting point. I specifically pointed out that these glitches were occurring after 11pm on Friday and Saturday nights. I always received a reply, but it took some time for the helter-skelter scheduling to diminish. There are people in MBTA bus operations who have written to me, called and e-mailed indicating that there are efforts being made to remedy problems on the line. My advice to these T employees is to not attempt to solve problems without input from residents in the affected areas. Route #1 is unique in the MBTA network. The socio-economic background of both terminal points, Dudley Square and Harvard Square, are like night and day. In between lies a gold mine of medical, academic, bioscience institutions, diverse commercial and entertainment sites and abundant housing. Ridership has been increasing in recent years and the line requires more intense analysis. Richard Pendleton lives in the East Fenway.

6 | FENWAY NEWS | JANUARY 2012

Journey from Russia to the US Gives Olga Goldus a New Perspective on Born Again
lga Goldus is a Fenway resident who abandoned the life of a medic in Soviet Russia for a career as an artist with a thirst for selfexpression. Goldus, dissatisfied with her situation in the Soviet Union, emigrated in 1983. She left behind careers in dentistry and orthopedic surgery in favor of starting over

fenway musiCians bask in glow of grammy nods

By niCOlaS hugOn

Olga Goldus where she was free to pursue whatever calling presented itself. Goldus departure was a cumbersome affair. A patient who had his emigration foiled by the KGB told Goldus about the possibility of moving away, saying that Russians could hide with Jews through bribes or faked marriages to escape, because Jews were afforded much more relaxed immigration laws. Goldus was excited by the notion of leaving the Soviet Union. The abject conditions of her medical practice proved to be adequate encouragement. Goldus recalled there being no time for anesthesia. Some men started to lose consciousness because its so painful. It took about four years to convince the government to let me go, Goldus said. I lost a job because of that. They said you cant teach medical students with this kind of mind. She and her fellow emigres found their way to Austria, where, after a brief delay, Goldus decided to leave Europe altogether. On the recommendation of an acquaintance who suggested an urban destination because of its cultural appeal, she came to Boston looking for a fresh start. When she arrived in Boston, Goldus knew a handful of English words and, on another recommendation, began looking for jobs. She was interested in working as a teacher at Young Israel of Brookline, a synagogue, but the institution wouldnt let her be a full teacher because of her limited knowledge of English. The center recognized her plight and her value, however, and offered her a volunteer position taking care of the children while she worked on her English. In that capacity, Goldus was introduced to the most unlikely of mentors. The day care center gave me one child who didnt know English either, Goldus said. She would take the 3-year-old Israeli child on walks and practice reciting words describing what they saw in the neighborhood. Eventually, Goldus enrolled in Bunker Hill Community College and took a course in English as a second language. Bunker Hill accepted many of her credits from medical school in Russia, and Goldus was able to obtain certification to become a teacher at the day care center. She accepted that position and worked there for nearly 10 years. After her retirement, Goldus decided she needed a new way to occupy herself. I developed some craving for painting and didnt know where it came from, she said.

At the Kripalu Yoga Center in the Berkshires, Goldus enrolled in a workshop that, as she put it, combined yoga and watercolor. The instructor of the course wanted to understand what brought me here, Goldus said. The teacher offered meditation as a way to find the answer. During the exercise, Goldus remembered a time as a child that she had blocked from her memory, in which she had longed to both write and illustrate stories. Then 63 years old, she had finally remembered her childhood desire to create visual art. It took me 57 years to remember that, Goldus said. In watercolor painting, Goldus found yet another calling. Her work adorns the walls of her Fenway apartment from ceiling to floor, and has been exhibited at the Brookline Center for the Arts, Brookline Town Hall, and at the Muddy River Gallery [at the Peterborough Senior Center] which she helped to establish. I am not ambitious, Goldus said, however. She recalled the time she turned down an invitation to display her work in Boston City Hall, where she felt the aesthetic wasnt quite right. Of her own creations, Goldus said: Whatever I do depends on my mood that day. Some of her work is sharp and detailed, while other pieces lack solid shapes or recognizable forms. Self-expression doesnt end with watercolor for Goldus, who said she is very greedy for any type of experience. Whatever I missed in my past life, I am trying to make up for it. A big part of that process has been Fenways Peterborough Senior Center, which Goldus frequents. She describes it as a critical, positive place in aged peoples lives. It helps to keep you fulfilled, alive and active. Goldus was particularly inspired by a senior center course that introduced Reiki, a Japanese treatment that she describes as balancing the energy in the recipients body. She is pursuing a Reiki-practicing commitment at Brigham and Womens Hospital. There she hopes to relieve the pain of terminally ill patients or people who are recovering from a complicated surgery. Ever since a group of Berklee College of Music students visited the senior center, Goldus has been trying her hand at playing the recorder, with the aim of becoming proficient with an old, tarnished flute that she received as a gift. She has a goal of playing something quiet and meditative for her peers who work in the community gardens in the Fenway. There is something in the air there that demands more peacefulness and serenity, she said. In 1992, Goldus returned to Russia for the only time. She described the experience as making her feel like an actor. Its almost real, but its still artificial. It was feeling like its some strange performance. We couldnt understand each other; I was already shaped by (the United States), and I was different, she said. The visit made her wonder what would have become of her had she never escaped her homeland. Her experience just reaffirmed her decision to come to the United States. I was so excited when I decided to immigrate, Goldus said. For me, its like youre born again. Instead of one life, you have two lives! Nicolas Hugon is an undergraduate student in the Northeastern University School of Journalism.
photo: niCola hugon

Thirty-three of the nominees for the 2012 Grammy Awards once walked the streets of the Fenway (and in a few cases, still do). The Berklee College of Music counts 25 alumni and faculty among the nominees, including Terri Lyne Carrington and Joe Lovano, who garnered 30 nominations. The New England Conservatory has two current faculty members, Fred Hersch and Miguel Zenn, and five alumni who have a shot at one of the awards. Sadly, another NEC-affiliated nominee, Bob Brookmeyer, died soon after the nominations were announced. The 54th awards ceremony takes place Sunday, February 12, and will be broadcast on CBS at 8:00 p.m.

West Fens Gloria Platt Recalls the Richness of Bostons 1960s Jazz Scene
ongtime Fenway resident Gloria Platt remembers her neighborhood at the height of its enthusiasm for jazz, when fans flocked to clubs to hear the most renowned musicians of the time. You got all these talented musicians going to Jordan Hall and Symphony Hall, Platt said. Boston jazz fans would sing, swing dance, and gape eagerly across dimly-lighted clubs in hopes of catching a glimpse of Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and the like. As jazz music thrived throughout the 1960s and 70s, clubs popped up in Boston and beyond, showcasing the best talent in the country. Platt remembers Storyville in Kenmore Square, The Stable near Copley Square, and Lennies on the Turnpike off Route 1 in Peabody, and later Danvers, as the most influential clubs of the time. Boston hosted virtually every major jazz artist at some time during the 1960s and 70s. Platt, a resident of the West Fens, remembers feeling privileged to have encountered some of those artists at work so close to home. In a disbelieving tone, Platt said she went early one time and saw Ella Fitzgerald. She had a Gloria Platt chicken wing in one hand and a microphone in the other. Platt boasts an impressive list of musicians she heard during the height of interest in jazz in Boston. The list includes legends such as Woody Herman, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, as well as Fitzgerald. Platt has many reasons to be thankful for Boston jazz. Music brought together three generations of her family and continues to be a positive influence on her grandchildrens lives today. Platt took her eldest son, Walter, to his first jazz concert, the Maynard Ferguson Band, when he was 12. Coincidentally, that venue, Lennies on the Turnpike, was the place Platt first discovered her own passion for jazz. At that moment Platt realized the profound effect it would have on her family. His little face was beaming. He went overboard for Maynard, Platt said. Walter later graduated from Berklee College of Music, became a successful jazz musician, and still lives in the Fenway Platt was not always familiar with Bostons fast-paced jazz scene. Im fond of saying it was like living in a cocoon, Platt said about her childhood spent in Maine. The salutatorian of her high school graduating class of 21, she attended the University of Maine, where she majored

By hannah hOlBrOOk

in voice performance. There she discovered her passion for music and committed herself to her studies. Platt spent her youth immersed in music, but couldnt help but feel sheltered from the rich culture flourishing in Boston. She recalls living in Maine, turning the dial on the radio and hearing music like I never heard around here, and fantasizing about relocating to a big city, where she could experience that music first-hand. It would sound so romantic. So anyways, thats what I did, Platt said. Upon her graduation from college, Platt moved to Boston and began working at the Boston Music Company. One night on her commute home from work, Platt got lost, and a taxi approached her on the side of a busy Boston street. The passenger stuck his head out the window and said, You look lost, mam, where are you going? Platt said. She and Walt, the helpful passenger, went to The Milk Shake off Route 1 just outside Boston later that night. There, Platt finally got the experience she craved: big-city jazz. I learned about the jazz scene through him, Platt said about Walt. We went to Storyville. That was one of the big jazz clubs. The two bonded through many things, including music, and eventually married. And although her husband died more than a decade ago, Platt still attributes her knowledge of music to her husband. Platt recalls musics lasting effects, not only on her family but on the Fenway neighborhood. Even today, jazz fans can find influences from that legendary time in venues such as The Tiki Hideaway in Fenway and The Beehive in the South End. I still see its effect, Platt said. She said The Tiki Hideaway, tucked behind Fenway Park, continues to support traditional jazz. The club hosts jazz nights and talented musicians and has offered karaoke nights for its more confident patrons. Perhaps the most notable conception from the 1960s absorption with jazz is the establishment of the Berklee College of Music. The school opened at the height of Bostons interest in jazz and continues to attract talented musicians from around the world. Platt still hopes for a revival of 60s jazz. Despite embracing other styles of music, she remains faithful to Fenways soulful roots. Does she expect another jazz craze in the near future? Oh, boy, I tell you, I dont know what I would like to see more, she said. Hannah Holbrook is an undergraduate student in the Northeastern University School of Journalism.
photo: matti kniva spenCer

FENWAY NEWS | JANUARY 2012 | 7

time. The first 20 minutes or so of And Life his month the MFA hosts its annual Festival of Films from Iran (Jan. 20- Goes On consists of a few shots of the director and son in the car, talking desultorily about 29), and the 2012 edition showcases their trip and the devastation they see around new movies by embattled directors them, and will probably drive those who need Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof, as a lot of jittery editing to keep their attention well as a reprise of the critically acclaimed to take a little nap. But people who like to Koker trilogy by Abbas Kiarostami. I have think about what theyre seeing, who consider been waiting for the trilogy to be released on the levels of reality and illusion in what they USA-compatible DVD for yearsand will witness, will derive immense satisfaction from likely wait for more years yetbut its better to see such films in their proper environment, these films. Kiarostami has transcended his Iranian the big screen. upbringing and makes important movies in The first film in the series, Where Is the all parts of the world. While he still operated House of My Friend?, tells a simple story about a schoolboy in the town of Koker who discovers that a friend has forgotten to take an important notebook home, and he takes it upon himself to deliver it. But this simple errand introduces the boy to some of the class realities of his environment, opening his eyes (and ours) to a world he has never imagined. The subsequent two films in the trilogy start A scene from Abbas Kiarostamis through the Olive trees, from this foundation for playing at the Museum of Fine Arts this month. an exploration of the relations between movies in Iran he inspired many other artists, among and reality. In And Life Goes On, two actors play Kiarostami and his son, driving to Koker them Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof, both of whom started their careers working after the devastating 1990 earthquake to see on Kiarostami films. In recent years they have if any of the first films actors have survived. been persecuted by their government and In Through the Olive Trees one incident sentenced to prison for committing crimes from the second filmthe marriage of two against the countrys national security and survivors, is complicated by the presence of propaganda against the Islamic Republic. the second films crew. As usually happens in Kiarostamis films, everyone muddles through Their crime was making movies that did not satisfy the ayatollahs. and new equilibria are achieved. Working with Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, These are not action films by any means. Panahi produced a 75-minute movie last year They are inspired by the philosophy of called This Is Not a Film, which chronicles a Italian neorealism and sometimes just keep day in his life under house arrest as he waits the camera running for many minutes as to learn the verdict of his appeal against his characters work out their difficulties in real sentence.

MFA Film Program Brings Iran to the Fenway

by repression with remarkable intimacy. Tickets to these and other MFA screenings can be purchased online (www. Rasoulof took a different tack in Goodmfa.org/film), by calling 1-800-440-6975, bye, fictionalizing his predicament into the or at the box office. They range from $7-$11, story of a lawyer who tries to leave Iran after depending on your membership status. If you losing her license to practice law. According to live in the Fenway you dont even have to hop Eric Kohn in IndieWire, Rasoulof renders the on a bus to check out whats going on in the daily suspense of living in a society plagued rest of the world.

museum schools show oF egyptian artists reFlects a country and culture in FluX

By BrOOke DanielS

gypts recent social and political upheaval marks one of the most important cultural shifts to occur in modern Egyptian history. More important, however, is the culture that existed prior to these events and innumerable questions about the countrys political and cultural future. Opening to Boston audiences during the one-year anniversary of the first mass protests in Tahrir Square, Histories of Now: Six Artists from Cairo organized by the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA), brings together work by some of the most inspiring and influential video and new-media artists working in Egypt today, including a multichannel video installation created by the late Ahmed Basiony and featured in the Egyptian Pavilion of the 54th Venice Biennale. On view January 18March 17, Histories of Now features work by Basiony, Mohamed Abla, Hala Elkoussy, Shady El Noshokaty, Sabah Naim, and Moataz Nasr. It reflects an intimate investigation of the complex social framework and collective formal engagements that Egyptian artists are exploring. With many of these artists exhibiting in the northeastern US for the first time, Histories of Now introduces viewers to the diversity of voices, concerns and approachesboth material and conceptualin todays Cairo. Joanna Soltan, co-curator of the exhibition, says, These worksshaped by a culture different from our ownadd rich new textures and visual vernaculars to our collective understanding of the world. Deeply rooted in Egyptian ethos, history, and political struggle, they explore the shared challenges of cultural growth (El Noshokaty), the desire to preserve cherished traditions (Elkoussy), and places (Abla, Naim), political freedom (Basiony), and spiritual transformation (Nasr). Ahmed Abdalla, an SMFA alumnus and co-curator, says The artists exhibited here raise many questions, and some offer possible answers. Together they provide us with highly visual, insightful and nuanced views of what may become one of the most significant cultural shifts in Egypts history. As the country redefines itself, the effects are already having an impact far beyond its borders, possibly even redefining the intellectual, political and aesthetic movement of culture on a global level. Among the works on view is 30 Days of Running in the Place, a three-channel video installation by 33-year-old Basiony, who was gunned down in Cairos Tahrir Square only four days after the uprising began. Brooke Daniels is press coordinator for the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.

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ew England Conservatory is mourning the death of composerbandleader-trombonist-educator Bob Brookmeyer, a much-loved faculty member who taught at the school from 1997 to 2007. A giant of jazz who was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2006, Brookmeyer would have turned 82 next week. He had been hospitalized, but his death came unexpectedly, according to family friends. Indeed, his most recent album, Standards, the last of a discography of over 30 recordings, was released only a few weeks ago. Brookmeyer had also just been nominated for a Grammy in

By ellen pfeifer

NEC Faculty Member and Jazz Great Bob Brookmeyer, 19292011

the Best Instrumental Arrangement category for Nasty Dance, a track from the album Forever LastingLive in Tokyo by The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. While at NEC, Brookmeyer founded and directed the Jazz Composers Workshop Orchestra, an ongoing ensemble devoted to rehearsing and performing works by NEC jazz composition students. Now led by Frank Carlberg, the orchestra gives young composers the opportunity to learn how to rehearse and conduct a band, as well as to have their works heard. Brookmeyers mentoring left a lifelong impression on his students and helped to shape such influential young musicians as Ayn Inserto, Darcy James Argue and Nicholas

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Urie. In 2008, Brookmeyer received an honorary doctorate from NEC in recognition of his distinguished musical career and his invaluable contributions to the conservatory. Bob had a huge impact on an entire generation of NEC students, said Ken Schaphorst, chair of Jazz Studies. He was one of the greatest player/composers in the history of jazz. He improvised with the same seemingly effortless grace and logic that characterized his writing. His voice was unmistakable. And he will be sorely missed. Brookmeyers career in jazz began when he arrived in New York in 1952 and played with Claude Thornhill, Woody Herman, Teddy Charles, and Charles Mingus. In 1953 he joined Stan Getz, followed by a long stint with Gerry Mulligan, and then by the Jimmy Giuffre Three and his own quintet with Clark Terry. He played and composed for the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra beginning with its founding in 1965, and after ten years in California returned as musical director for Mel Lewis and the Jazz Orchestra. Beginning in 1981 he was very active as composer, conductor, teacher, and performer in Europe, working in both classical and jazz idioms. His work as a composer was recognized with a succession of NEA jazzcomposition grants. In 1994 he was appointed musical director of the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival Big Band, a worldwide jazzbased ensemble dedicated to new music. This ensemble became the New Art Orchestra, which recorded an award-winning CD and, after completing a second one, began concert touring in 2001. He was commissioned by The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic to write a piece for an EMI CD, featuring the German trumpet player Till Broenner. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced. Ellen Pfeifer is public relations manager at the New England Conservatory.

8 | FENWAY NEWS | JANUARY 2012

This symbol indicates a free event. For even more listings, visit www.fenwaynews.org

all month: From Pen to Print: the Handwriting Behind the Book features letters, notes, postcards, and other manuscripts that reveal personal, private, and otherwise veiled aspects of the production of books. These materials capture the relationships between19th- and 20th-century American authors, editors, and readers, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, Alice Cary, Walt Whitman, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Robert Frost, and more. Rare Books Lobby at the Copley Square branch; through March 30, 617-5365400. FREE

mon, Jan 16: The MFA throws open its doors from 10am to 4:45pm for free on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Open house activities include a gallery talk about the recently acquired Axelrod collection of African American art, a tour of the new American Arts wing, concerts by Berklee students and the Perkins School for the Blind Chorus, a showcase of short films made by local youth, and many activities for children. For details visit to www.mfa.org/programs/series/ martin-luther-king-jr-day-open-house. FREE

tue, Jan 17: in I Know Who You Are and I

thu, Jan 5: Several firsts at Symphony Hall

fri, Jan 20: A great double bill at the Paramount Theater (559 Washington St.) unites The Broadway Melody (1929), the first sound film to win an Oscar, and Singin In fri, Jan 6-sat, feb 4: Lyric Stage presents the Rain (1952)an indispensable classic Superior Donuts by Tracy Letts. in a shabby that offers a cheerful and unabashedly Chicago neighborhood, a downtrodden commercial look at how the introduction donut shop owner hires a street-savvy of sound affected Hollywood. introduction aspiring young writer with hustle and bright by classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz, ideas. A comedy with compelling characters (NPRs Fresh Air and The Boston Phoenix). by the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Special double bill pricing of $15 on Friday August: Osage County. 140 Clarendon only; both films play separately later in Street. information and tickets from the box the weekend. Screenings at 6 and 8:15pm. office, at 617-585-5678 or www.lyricstage. Visit http://bit.ly/aecinema for more com. Tickets $25-$56 (seniors $5 off) information. sat-mon, Jan 7-9: if youd like to see more than 70 plays in one weekend, head to the Boston Playwrights Theatre, 949 Comm Ave., for the First Boston One-Minute Play Festival. Playwrights have been matched with actors and directors for rapid-fire presentations over three nights. For $20 general admission tickets, call 866-811-4111 or visit bostonplaywrights.org

tonight at 8pm. Conductor Andris Nelsons and trumpet player Hkan Hardenberger both debut with the BSO in the American premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnages concerto From the Wreckage, a blues-/jazztinged work written for Hardenberger. Also on the program is Haydns Symphony #90 in C (one of his jokey pieces) and Richard Strausss Also sprach Zarathustra. Program repeats Friday at 1:30pm and Saturday at 8pm. Tickets $30-$120. www.bso.org

Saw What You Did: Social Networks and the Death of Privacy, lawyer Lori Andrews asks How many things did you reveal about yourself online today? An urgent call for a Constitution for the internet by a leading specialist on privacy issues. Andrews teaches law and directs the institute for Science, Law and Technology at illinois institute of Technology. 6pm, Boston Room, Central Library in Copley Square. FREE

a pair of emerald necklace conservatory programs this month prove that the Back Bay Fens have plenty to offereven in the dead of winter. on sunday, Jan. 22, the Visitor center (125 The Fenwaysee story on page 2) hosts a multimedia adaptation of its popular walking tours from 1 to 2:30pm. in the warm and comfortable center, docents stan everett, a west Fens resident, and Lucy robb present a visual history of the Fens woven from historic photographs and engaging anecdotes. Learn about the fascinating transformation of the Fensdescribed by a city engineer in the 1870s as the foulest marsh and muddy flats to be found anywhere in Massachusettsinto the scenic park we enjoy today. two days later, on Jan. 24, the conservancy joins the Fenway civic association to sponsor a presentation of Mass. audubon societys 2011 State of the Birds report by christopher Leahy, director of Mass. audubons center for Biological conservation. The report tracks the increase and decline of birds statewide, with some unsettling results (like the declining numbers of blue jays and orioles). The program takes place at Berklees building at 22 The Fenway (room 112) at 6:30pm. For more information or to rsVP (seating is limited for both events), contact Jeanie Knox at jeanine@emeraldnecklace.org or at 617-522-2700. two operas, but each is a gem of orchestral color and inventive storytelling. LHeure espagnole (The Spanish Hour) is a frisky story of lust and time management and LEnfant et les sortilges (The Child and the Spells) is part fairy tale-part nightmare comes to life. in French with English surtitles. For information or tickets ($1025), call the Boston Conservatory event line at 617-912-9240 or visit www.bostonconservatory.edu/events. At 31 Hemenway Street; Thu-Sat at 8pm; Sun at 2pm.
photo: wikimedia Commons

Even in Winter, Lots to Learn in the Park

pick of the month

super hunger brunCh is Jan. 28-29

hows this for a win-win? eat at some of Bostons best restaurants while you help the greater Boston Food Bank meet rising demand for food assistance. For details and a list of participating establishments, visit www.gbfb. org/events/super-hunger-brunch.php

performs music by Claude Debussy, Tristan Murail, Nicholas Vines, and John Zorn in Jordan Hall. Visit www.necmusic.edu/ concerts-events or call 617-585-1120 for details. 8pm, 30 Gainsborough St. FREE

wed, Jan 25: The Callithumpian Consort

mon, Jan 30: Two exhibits open in MassArts Bakalar and Paine galleries: Edifice Amiss: wed, Jan 11: in its ongoing series of Brown Constructing New Perspectives and Verdant. Bag Lunch discussions, the Mass. Historical Both exhibitions explore the relationship Society offers a talk by Millington Bergeson- between humans and their surroundings, Lockwood, University of Michigan, Ann and feature a variety of well-known artists Arbor, on African American Politics and the and designers. Both exhibits continue Boundaries of Citizenship in Post-Civil War through March. Both galleries are open Boston. For details and to RSVP go to www. Mon-Sat, 12-6pm, and Wed 12-8pm. Public masshist.org/events, or call 617-536reception January 30 from 6-8pm. 1608. 12-1pm. FREE 621 Huntington Ave. FREE

The following events take place at the Peterborough Senior Center, located two blocks from Boylston between 100 and 108 Jersey St. (walk down the alley and look left). For more information, call 617-536-7154.

reCurring
mondays

11am: FilmsJan 9: All Quiet on the Western Front; Jan 23: The Departed; Jan 30: Grand Hotel
tuesdays

speCial
tue,Jan 3: Task Force meeting wed, Jan 18: Mass. College of Pharmacy

presents an issue of interest to seniors.

thu, Jan 20: Berklee College of Music students return for monthly sing-along. mon, Jan, 23: Simmons College PT students return for yoga class.

11 a.m: Exercise with Mahmoud 12 noon: DocumentariesJan 3: Frank Sinatra; Jan 10: Anne Frank Remembered; Jan 17: Miles Davis; Jan 24: Secret Yosemite: Jan 31: The Greatest Places
wednesdays

9:45am: yoga with Carmen 10noon: Blood pressure check with Joyce
thursdays

thu-sun, feb 2-5: Maurice Ravel wrote only

birthday celebration

wed, Jan 25: Poetic Lunch and January

10am: Whats In the News? 11am: Berklee sing-along House, 566 Columbus Ave. (at Mass Ave.). Fully accessible. Refreshments at 2:30pm, program at 3:30pm, socializing till 5:30pm. $2 donation. Visit www.bostonprimetimers. org; email bostonprimetimers@uses.org; or call 617-447-2344.
mon, Jan 23: Longwood Medical Forum. 6:30-8 pm. For location or to verify if meeting will be held, email Laura at lfogerty@masco.harvard.edu .

wed, Jan 4: Fenway liaison for Mayors

Office of Neighborhood Services, Will Onuoha, holds office hours: 3:30-5:30pm yMCA, 316 Huntington Ave. Bring concerns about city services. annual meeting at the MFA. 6:30 p.m. Meeting in Riley Seminar Room features a recap of activities, socializing amnd refreshments, followed by a tour of the new Art of the Americas Wing conducted for FCA members by Katie Getchell, MFA curator and vice president of faciliites.
wed, Jan 4: Fenway CDCs Civic

email Kris at kanderson@fenwaycdc.org or call her at 617-267-4637x29.

tue, Jan 10: Ward 4 Democratic

tue, Jan 17: East Fens Community/Police meeting, 6 pm, Morville House, 100 Norway St., tue, Jan 17: Audubon Circle Neighborhood Assoc board meeting, 6:30-8:30pm, Harvard Vanguard, 131 Brookline Ave., Annex Bldg., Room 3D. For more info, call 617-262-0657. tue, Jan 17: Ward 5 Democratic

wed, Jan 4: Fenway Civic Association

Committee, 6:30pm, South End Branch Library, 685 Tremont St., For more info, contact Janet at slovinj@aol.com.

wed, Jan 11: Turnpike Air Rights Parcels

meeting. 6-8pm, St. Cecilias Parish Hall, 18 Belvidere St. For info, email Jonathan Greeley at jonathan.greeley.bra@cityofboston. gov. or call him at 617-918-4486.

Committee; 7pm, First Church, 66 Marlboro St., at Berkeley St. Office of Neighborhood Services, Will Onuoha, holds office hours: 3:30-5:30pm yMCA, 316 Huntington Ave. Bring concerns about city services. Mtg., 5 pm, Landmark Center (401 Park Drive), 2nd fl, District 4 Police substation (next to security desk).

tue, Jan 24: Symphony Neighborhood Task

Engagement Committee. Get engaged in your community by mobilizing to preserve affordable housing and finding other ways to make your voice heard. 6:30pm., 70 Burbank St., lower level. For more info, email Sarah at shorsley@fenwaycdc.org or call her at 617-267-4637x19.
tue, Jan 10: speCial final eleCtion for vaCant state senate seat. 7am-8pm For

Task Force to discuss the conservatorys new institutional Master Plan Notification Form and Project Notification Form. BRA will hold Article 80 public meeting during meeting. 6-8pm, site TBD. For more info or to determine location, email Gerald Autler at gerald.autler.bra@cityofboston.gov.
tue, Jan 17: Fenway CDC Family Coalition

tue, Jan 17: New England Conservatory

wed, Jan 18: Fenway liaison for Mayors

Force meeting, 6 pm. For more info or location, email Johanna in Councilor Ross office at Johanna.sena@cityofboston.gov or call her at 617-635-4225.

wed, Jan 18: West Fens Community/Police

more info, call 617-267-4637.

shop on behavioral health sponsored by Fenway CDC and facilitated by Childrens Hospital, 6 pm at 70 Burbank St., lower level. For more info or to request child care.

tue, Jan 10: Fenway Family Coalition work-

meets. Join other families to share resources, advocate for family needs, and organize projects. Potluck refreshments: bring a dish to share and call one week ahead to request child care for kids under age 13; 6:30pm, 70 Burbank St. lower level. For more info or to request child care, email Kris at kanderson@fenwaycdc.org or call her at 617-2674637x29. Community families welcome.

thu, Jan 19: Congressman Michael

Capuanos liaison holds office hours: 1-2 p.m. at Fenway Health, 1340 Boylston St. Bring your questions/concerns about national issues and legislation are.

tue, Jan 24: Fenway CDCs Urban Village Committee meets. Get involved in monitoring development in the Fenway and advocating for the kind of neighborhood you want. 6pm, 70 Burbank St., lower level. For more info, email Lilly at ljacobson at ljacobson@fenwaycdc.org or call her at 617267-4637x16.

sat, Jan 21: Boston Prime Timers, a

support network of adult gay and bisexual men, meets at USES Harriet Tubman

For upcoming BRA meetings, hearings, etc. check BRA calendar at: www. bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/ calendar/calendar.asp)