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Why Not Bring Barry To Boston?

It suddenly feels like 2007 again. We’d be stupid not to mention the pink elephant in the room, the pink elephant being Barry Bonds. According to the unofficial Red Sox spokesperson, Peter Gammons, there have been discussions about bringing Barry to Boston.

We know, we know: Pitching wins games. We proved that in ’04 and ’07. But even with great pitching, you need to score runs. So why not sign a guy who can bring in runs? Maybe you think you’d rather have someone like Mark Teixeira, a great young player whose talents are being wasted in Atlanta right now. But that means you need to deal with Scott Boras. Do you really want to help the guy add another addition (or two) to his house or office?

If we sign Barry, we’re going to get him for a year at a low rate. And, if anything, he is going to do whatever he can to prove he’s worth it. Like Manny and V-Tek, he’ll be playing for a contract. So let’s think about it. Sure, Barry said he would never play here and he even talked about how racist the city is. But forget the charges, forget Game of Shadows, and remember what Bonds can do on the field. It wasn’t too long ago when people balked at the idea of bringing Randy Moss to Boston. Granted, Randy wasn’t awaiting a court date like Bonds, but he came here to prove he wasn’t the troublemaking thug everyone made him out to be. And that seemed to work out for us in the end, right?

Still not sold on bringing Barry to Boston? The top ten reasons to bring Barry to Boston are after the jump!

Barry and the Boston media: the stories and impromptu press conferences would be priceless.
Dan Shaughnessy needs a new shtick. He beat the Curse horse till the corpse was oozing and covered with sores. Curt isn’t around to be his punching bag; Shaughnessy needs a new hobby.
The blog entries on 38pitches.com. Can you imagine what Curt would say? Please. He could even do a whole ‘My Dinner with Andre’ interview with Bonds.
The Inside Track girls would be giddy like little schoolgirls if Barry came to town. Since most of the movies are done filming in Boston for now and the Tom/Gisele stories are getting old, they need something to gab about. Can you imagine the Bonds stories from the Naked City?
Roger played here. Canseco did too. With Barry, we’d have the trifecta!
Mo Vaughn can introduce Barry to the ladies of the Foxy Lady. Lord knows those ladies probably need the money—it can be yet another way for Barry to give back to the community.
With Manny manhandling everyone lately, who wouldn’t want to see a Barry vs. Manny match?
It would make the Red Sox/Yankees series a lot more interesting, especially if Joba or Farnsworth decided to throw behind Barry.
The photo ops. He’d do anything to help his image. Instead of Baywatch, we could have BarryWatch, a “Where’s Waldo” style game where you send in your pictures of Bonds participating in various activities in and around Boston. (Barry re-enacting that famous scene from ‘Make Way For Ducklings’, Barry sitting next to Red, Barry grabbing a meal at Kelly’s Roast Beef.)
He can’t be any worse than Eric Gagne. Give a brother a chance!

Sports Redux: Technically, This Counts As A Comeback Win Too

...which makes it three gifts in a row for the Red Sox, from the Minnesota bullpen. Twin relievers' ERA for the three-game series: 25.50. Come back any time, guys!

Josh Beckett quickly fell behind 3-0, but the Sox scored four in the third off Livan Hernandez (portly pitcher, 453 degrees, alternate dark blue uniforms, must have been a pleasant day for Livan) and chased him in the fifth with two more. Terry Francona whisked the shaky Beckett out of the game, and in a battle between bullpens, the Sox version suddenly looked good compared to the competition. The Sox pounded Bonser, Breslow, Bass and Reyes for 12 runs.

It would take forever to describe how all the runs scored in the eventual 18-5 massacre, but we can report homers by Youkilis and Kevin Cash; three hits apiece by Manny, Casey and Youk; four hits by Ellsbury; and (sit down for this) two hits apiece for Lugo and Varitek. The Twins should bottle their bullpen and sell it as a revitalizing tonic.

One key play was Varitek's single in the eighth - it looked like Denard Span made a sensational catch and converted it into a triple play, but it turned out (and the umps got it right) the ball caught some grass before it hit Span's glove. Francona went out to confirm this, then Twins manager Ron Gardenhire ran out to provide the counterpoint, looking a little like Papa Smurf with his tail on fire. Gardenhire was given the rest of the afternoon off by the umps, which was probably good for his sanity.

The good news is, the Yankees beat the Rays, so the Sox are back within two of the AL East lead. The bad news is, the Yankees beat the Rays, so abandon all hopes of burying them before the All-Star Break. Also, you should totally vote today to make sure Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria gets the last All-Star spot instead of Jason Giambi and his bad moustache.

Sports Redux: JD Drew Homers, Then Waits 17 Hours To Be Named MVP

When Bostonist were kids, there were two nights a year we were permitted to stay up wicked late: New Year's Eve, and the baseball All-Star Game. We don't think we would have been allowed to stay up 'til 1:47 A.M. as kids. But that's what it would have taken to make it through last night's game.

When it finally ended, in front of about 20,000 people who paid hundreds and hundreds of dollars a ticket and live in a city where the subway runs all night (real diehard action there, NY), the American League had won - again - and J.D. Drew got MVP honors, hoisting the trophy in Yankee Stadium. Drew said he was ready to pitch if the game went on much longer. He was the only Red Sox player to shine - Varitek didn't bat (probably wise), Manny, Youk and Pedroia went hitless, and Papelbon gave up an unearned run which will probably go down as the highlight of the Yankees' 2008 season.

See, Papelbon said he wanted to close the game if it came to that, which didn't sit well with New York, since Mariano Rivera was on the team. Papelbon eventually said he understood why Rivera should close, but that wasn't enough to keep New Yorkers from threatening and heckling his wife. Classy. They cheered wildly when Papelbon gave up the go-ahead run, and why not? It's not like the Yankees have a stake in World Series home-field advantage.

Heroes for the game: Texas' Michael Young, who finally sac-flied in the winning run. Pittsburgh's Nate McClouth, who made a killer throw to keep the winning run from scoring in the 11th. Not so much heroes: Florida's Dan Uggla and his three errors.

The Yankees poured on the history, bringing out dozens of Hall of Famers for pregame ceremonies. They even tried to replicate Ted Williams' awe-inspiring appearance at the '99 ASG, but it was marred by the fact that it was George Steinbrenner, who is the exact opposite of universally beloved, even if he is equally old and has equally as repulsive a son as Teddy Ballgame.

The Celtics came to town to see their Championship DVD, which will be on sale any second now. Even unsigned Posey and House came for the party. Posey says the C's are still his top choice, but at the ripe old age of 31 (sigh), he's looking for a four-year deal and stability. It's not our money, of course, but we say pay the man. Also, sometime last week when we weren't looking, the Celtics signed former Warrior Patrick O'Bryant to back up Perk next season. Good; we haven't had a good solid Irish player like him in this town since Troy O'Leary.

Photo by the author, from the one and only time he's dared set foot in Yankee Stadium.

Cab Drivers Rally; Higher Fares Possible

Driving a cab can't be easy. Everyone complains about you, you get weirdos in the back seat, it's dangerous, and sometimes people jump without paying. Add the high gas prices into the mix, and you wonder why anyone would be a cab driver. Now, cab drivers say that the gas prices are taking a huge chunk out of their take-home pay, and they want higher fares.

Today, the cab drivers are going to make their distress public with a rally at Roxbury Community College this morning. In the end, it's police commissioner Ed Davis who will make the decision.

The articles say that cab drivers haven't had a rise in fares since 2002. However, they did get a 50 percent surcharge in the wake of high fuel costs after Hurricane Katrina, and that hike was supposed to be temporary. It wasn't.

Not everyone will be on the side of the cab drivers. Some Boston cab drivers aren't that good at their jobs. These drivers like to meander a little to raise the fare, and others genuinely have no idea where they are going when you give them an address.

Your thoughts? Feel bad for the cab drivers, or should they take a test to prove they know where they are going before they get a raise?

[Boston Herald, WCVB, Bostonist]

Beverly Farms Parade Float Isn't Funny

Some people in Beverly Farms who think they are funny decided to make fun of the abundance of pregnant teenagers in Gloucester during their "Horribles" parade.

Horrible, indeed. The parade includes women with pillows stuffed onto their tummies mocking the teenagers in Gloucester who got pregnant. Now, that could be considered satire, and mild satire at that. If they stopped there, no one would have written a word.

But whoever designed and planned the float broke all boundaries. If you watch the video, you'll find it isn't just, "Dang! That's a lot of pregnant teenage girls! Must be something in the water!" They throw in a giant squirting penis and Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It." Maybe that was slightly amusing, but the joke got old real quick.

The banner attached to the float said it all: "Knock 'em up high where expectations are low!" And minus points for the "She smelled like tuna, should a pulled out soona" sign, which is a middle finger to all women.

The excuses for the stupid float range from "we're so not PC!" to "it was only a joke." It wouldn't be so freaking funny if they or their kid got knocked up. Rich kids get knocked up, too. It's not like there's a magical shield that protects them from wayward sperm. And there's a big difference between being edgy and laughing at someone else's problems. That's the equivalent of saying, "You're poor! You're disadvantaged! I find that so amusing!"

[Boston Herald]

The opinions in this post belong solely to this Bostonist.

Free Food Day: Slurpees and Fries and Chicken, Oh My

So that's where they come from! 7-Eleven Slurpee introduced into cow image taken by greggoconnell

It's 7/11, and you know what that means: 7-Eleven Day, with free slurpees all day long! Not only that, it's also Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A. Don your best cow shirt for a free entree, or come in complete cow getup for a free combo meal. We love making healthy choices.

Bostonist Lobster Rollover: Champlin's Seafood, Galilee, RI

Champlin's Seafood
256 Great Island Road
Galilee, RI
$14.99

What says summer better than lobster rolls? Denizens of the lesser states may disagree, but here in New England, we know the truth. Bostonist kicks off its Lobster Rollover with a trip out of town, out of state even, but one well worth the drive.

Champlin's Seafood is located in Galilee, RI, at the tip of Naragansett Bay and right next to the dock where ferries depart for Block Island. It's the quintessential seafood shack; it's all wood, you can watch the patter of little seagull feet through the ceiling, and then you go up to the counter to place your order. And then you're served with a lobster roll that's going to make everyone else we review have to work a little harder.

The roll itself is plain and simple, a grilled hot dog bun, but Champlin's doesn't skimp on the meat. Big chunks, fresh and just the right chewiness. There's a little celery for variety, but that and the mayonnaise are just sideshows for the heaping amounts of lobster. It is a lot of lobster for one person; we recommend bringing a friend and splitting the roll, along with an order of clam bellies. Which is pretty much our standard advice for any situation in life, really.

Mayonnaise:

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Bostonist Lobster Rollover: Legal Sea Foods, Boston

Legal Sea Foods
Long Wharf
Boston
$22.95

When Bostonist proposed a series of mid-summer lobster roll reviews, we came up with a handful of local favorites: seafood shacks, sandwich shops, and bistros. But most people who pass through the city never see these places; tourists get their lobster rolls at Boston Harbor. So we resigned ourselves to review the lobster roll that is definitive for many visitors. We went to Legal Sea Foods.

Naturally, we couldn't convince anybody to go with us.

The first thing you notice about Legal is the tourists. Inside and outside; on the patio and along the sidewalk. At the host's stand, jockeying for position. One guy got so close to Bostonist's backside that we thought we had discovered some new form of German sex tourism: chain restaurant frottage.

The second thing you notice is the columns. There is a a pair of them, early 21st century prefabricated art deco with tiles in blues and greens, which frame an oyster bar right inside the entrance. Eating solo, this is where we headed, avoiding the wait for a table.

The waitstaff had thick Boston accents and made an effort at friendliness before quickly disappearing, which was just as well for Bostonist, who had a few snarky words to jot down about Legal's fake wood panelling.

The lobster roll came shortly after we ordered it, and onlookers probably saw our face darken. If this is the lobster roll tourists associate with Boston, they probably think that we are either very stingy or going through some sort of lobster famine. The lobster meat was easily engulfed by the roll, which Legal rather pretentiously calls a "brioche," weighing in at less than a third of a pound.

On the positive side, the adornments were simple. You had lettuce and a kiss of something Legal calls "celery mayonnaise," although the celery was so understated as to be unnoticeable.

The meat itself was undistinguished, yielding the right chewy consistency but withholding the mysteries of the sea that are such a pleasure when eating lobster. One bite gave us a fleeting taste of the briny deep, but it was too soon replaced by a flavor that could be the lobster equivalent of prefabricated art deco restaurant columns.

But the biggest disappointment remains this: After finishing our roll, fries, and slaw, we still had room for desert. At a granny-robbing $22.95, Legal should be ashamed.

Mayonnaise:

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Bostonist Lobster Rollover: Stop & Shop

Stop & Shop
Malden and everywhere
$12.00/3 rolls

A few weeks ago, Bostonist's mom called to announce that the Red Tide was upon us. It was officially Lobster Roll Season.

"AND," she added, "did you know that Stop and Shop has fantastic lobster rolls? They make them right in the store out of real lobster meat. I just got a 3-pack and they're so good that I ate two of them at once. I'll save the other one for a snack tomorrow."

A seafood endorsement from our mom is as good as gold, so we rejoiced at the prospect of scooping a handy 3-pack of delicious, freshly-made lobster rolls for only $12.

That's lobster for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Bostonist is the sea queen!!

Drooling with anticipation, we picked up a pack at our mom's Stop & Shop (Malden Square).

The rolls looked yummy in the store, sporting discernable red chunks of claw and knuckle meat, mixed with mayonnaise and a little celery. Better yet, they were packed full and weighed a ton.

Turns out that our mom is on crack. These lobster rolls were bogus.

First -- it was on a potato roll! WTF?! We understand that a sturdy buns allow for longer shelf-life, but lobster salad on a raw potato roll is sacrilege. The bread's gummy texture and strong "yellow" flavor completely killed any lobster taste.

Which was a blessing in disguise. The lobster itself was nasty. The plump, crimson chunks that looked so tasty at the store were flavorless and spongy. If you jiggled the roll, the claw meat quivered whole.

Even worse, most of the sandwich was filled with a goopy mashup of no-name mayonnaise and mystery meat.The lobster was so finely flaked that it had the consistency of canned tuna salad.

Overall, the whole business tasted lobster liver in a raw roux.

Why would anyone do that to a perfectly good lobster?

Mayonnaise:

Amount of Lobster Meat:

Quality of Lobster Meat:

Butteriness of Roll: Zero: Stop & Shop sunk my Ironsides.

Overall Rating:

Image of Stop & Shop lobster rolls redacted for the weak of stomach.

Friday Happenings

Aging Gracefully

-- The Young at Heart Chorus, made up of frisky senior citizens and the subject of a popular documentary, will perform for the first time in Boston. Only they don't sing Lawrence Welk. Sonic Youth and the Ramones are more their speed. Somerville Theatre, 8:00 pm. (CR)

Tree Hugging

-- How are you planning to spend solstice? If you do, in fact, have a ready answer to that, you might enjoy In The Groves: A Summer Solstice Journey. A noted storyteller/experimental theater artist and a Celtic harpist will collaborate to "spin tales of the human connection with trees and the deep meaning we have assigned to them through the ages." Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, 6:30-8:30 pm. $20 (registration required). (CF)

90s Parties

-- If you close your eyes tonight, you might think you live in a time when Bill Clinton is president, gas costs 75 cents, all rock is atonal, and you just bought your first Super 8 camera. Polvo has reunited, evidently, and the Raleigh, NC indie rock band shares the stage tonight with its Hampshire College counterparts, New Radiant Storm King. Middle East Downstairs, 472 Mass. Ave., 8:30pm. $14.

Places to House

-- When the first wave of Chicago house music ran out of ideas in the early 90s, Green Velvet kept the city moving. His dance tracks, which include incitements to drug use and ironic sampling, recall the stripped down electro roots of house, rather than its vamping, baroque excesses. (As Cajmere, he recorded the minimalist dance masterpiece "Percolator.") Even today, a new Green Velvet track remains hotly anticipated on the right sort of dancefloor. The Estate, 1 Boylston Pl., 10:00pm. $15.

Numbers of the Beast

-- You either bought your tickets to Iron Maiden six months ago or look with contempt on the people who did. Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts, Mansfield, 8:00pm. $35.00-$49.50.

Reggae

-- The Reggae Legends of Boston unites 11 different artists, mixes them up with a killer sound system, and offers you the opportunity to wine up on somebody. Western Front, 343 Western Ave., Cambridge, 10:00pm. $12.

C. Fersebner and Caroline Roberts contributed to this post.
Image of Green Velvet from his Myspace page.

Photo of the Day: June 24, 2008

primefocus took this shot of a women playing an interesting instrument during the Harvard Make Music Festival this past weekend. Does anyone know what this wacky instrument is? Also, check out this great shot of his as well.

Price Stickers Only Good for Decorating Foreheads

Digital price tags photographed by dmje on Flickr

Among the many Massachusetts insanities that exist, stickering every goddamn item in the grocery store probably ranks lower than not selling beer in 7-Eleven or giving all your streets the same name. Still, there seems no need to affix a tiny sticker to individual items that already have bar codes programmed to ring up the right price. And don't even get us started on the wastefulness of re-stickering items that change price. The ever-vigilant Consumerist reports that the Massachusetts state legislature has emerged from the Stone Age to propose that, in the UPC Age, maybe we don't actually need little stickers everywhere. Consumer groups are all up in arms about the proposal, apparently convinced that high-tech standardized barcodes are somehow less adept at representing proper pricing than disgruntled price-stickering teens making minimum wage. Riiight. Personally, we think Massachusetts should get on the France bandwagon and just go straight for digital price tags. We are supposed to be a leaders in science and technology, after all.

Cheap Eats: Dok Bua

There are few places that will serve you a literal platter of food for under $10, but at Dok Bua, a feast is available every night of the week. Their nightly dinner special offers some of their most popular dishes, served with jasmine rice, tom yum soup, two spring rolls, and two pork dumplings, all for the low price of $9.95. It may not look like a ton of food, especially with the spring rolls and pork dumplings placed in rather large sections of the plate by themselves, but it sure is filling. The noodle and rice dishes are filling in their own right, but with the extra side of rice, you're sure to bring home some leftovers.

Dok bua may not be a classy place - in fact, it's pretty kitschy - but the food is authentic, delicious, and fresh. The pad thai (pictured above) is not like the greasy, overly-sweet stuff you find at some restaurants, but balances the sweet and savory very well. The menu, if you choose to order something other than the special, is vast, and they even have an all-picture menu if the names of dishes are unfamiliar. But why order something else if you can be stuffed to the gills for $10?

Dok Bua is located at 411 Harvard Street in Brookline, just outside of Coolidge Corner, and is open every day from 11am to 10:30pm. The dinner special is served after 4pm.

For more local food writing from Pam Aghababian, check out Cave Cibum.

Sports Redux: That Answers That

Yesterday, we asked the musical question, "How Many Red Sox All-Stars Does It Take To Win a One-Run Game?" Turns out the answer is three, plus a couple of Japanese guys. The Sox shook off the stink of their road trip and beat the Twins 1-0 last night in a pretty exciting pitchers' duel.

Daisuke Matsuzaka and Minnesota's Scott Baker traded zeroes for seven innings. Each got in trouble (though a hat tip to Dice for only walking three, which we think beats his previous season low by eight) a few times, but got out of it. The Twins loaded the bases in the first, but Dice got Delmon Young to ground out. The Sox loaded the bases with one out in the fourth, but New England noted that Crisp and Varitek were due up, and rose as one to go in the kitchen and make a sandwich.

In the eighth, Minnesota put two on with one out. Matsuzaka left to a loud ovation, and Okajima came in, walked a guy to load the bases, then got Craig Monroe to pop out to first and Delmon Young (again!) to ground out. In the bottom of the inning, the Sox finally bid farewell to Baker, greeting reliever Brian Bass with a Pedroia double and a convinving Manny RBI single. Papelbon didn't waste much time dispatching the Twins in the 9th, and suddenly, the Sox have a one-game winning streak and are within four of the Rays.

Elsewhere in baseball, forget about the ALCS rematch with Cleveland. The Indians threw in the towel yesterday (they ARE 14 games back) and traded reigning Cy Young winner C.C. Sabathia to the Brewers for a handful of prospects. Now it remains to be seen whether or not a big fat guy can make it in Milwaukee.

Sometimes you forget about guys who don't make a lot of noise and just play well, quietly and consistently. They fall through the cracks. So we're glad that one of the quietest, most reliable guys we've seen in recent years got his due, as Ben Coates was named to the Patriots Hall of Fame. Coates was so automatic that Drew Bledroe used to call him when he needed anything - furniture, cars, trees - moved six yards.

Photo of the Day: June 25, 2008

joeshaw grabbed this seriously ominous shot of yesterday's super thunderstorm that rolled through the city. Also check out D.Brim's scary shot of Tuesday's storm as well.

Boston Blotter

Hire a hitman, get life. James Brescia of Waltham got a big sentence for having his wife's boyfriend wiped out. [WBZTV]

Several bank employees were charged in a mortgage fraud scheme. [WCVB]

Don't mess with a Herald truck--especially when you're drunk. [BPDNews]

Are you a tree-hugger? Think again. A tree broke a Brookline woman's neck when it fell on her car in Great Barrington. [Brookline Blog]

We've never heard of a pot "bunker," but apparently police found one today in Carver. [WBZTV]

Photo of the Day: June 20, 2008

Chris Devers attended the first of Amanda Palmer's two shows with the BSO. We love the color and dramatic action capture.

Drinking In Boston: A Brew, A Breeze: Beautiful

Post contributed by beer fan Llalan Fowler.

It’s a hot summer night. You’re in Harvard Square, squeezing your way down a sidewalk crowded with fanny-pack-sporting tourists, panhandlers, and plaid-shorted knots of undergrad boys. Where can you escape to? You don’t want to sit in a loud, excruciatingly air conditioned bar, nor do you want to pretend you’re hungry and order an appetizer just to secure an outdoor table. Life is tough. Time to sit on a park bench and pull out those nips you always carry around for just such a situation.

No! We do not condone illegal drinking situations of any kind, and public intoxication only in moderation. Instead, you might try the recently opened Charlie’s Beer Garden. You can sit outside under an arbor or umbrella and drink with your friends without picking at a plate of chips and dip you don’t want—or, you can order a meal. It’s up to you—but always ask for the beer fries.

While the inside of Charlie’s the First is charming in that way that only restaurants with squeaky, red vinyl booths and neon signs spelling out “Lean Meat” can be, the Beer Garden still has that successful new business smell to it. The red brick patio is spacious, but the best seat in the house just might be a stool under the stars at the bar. There are also sixteen taps of good beer—don’t let the High Life and PBR placards fool you—so you can’t go wrong.

Take advantage of the summer months, though, as you’ll probably need a sweater in the fall—word is those giant heat lamps aren’t earth-friendly, so Charlie’s probably won’t be using them. You can still feel smugly green, however, knowing they also have a compost pile and even water the flowers with rainwater. Use these warm nights to belly up to a bar with the breeze ruffling your hair: it feels a lot like you’re living somewhere south of the 42nd parallel.

Gloucester Pregnancy Pact Actually Baby-Raising Pact: Well, That Makes It All Okay!

Baby photo tagged Bostonist by hmmlargerart on Flickr

It turns out that the pregnancy club that such illustrious sources as ourselves (and some magazine called Time) reported on last week wasn't a pregnancy club at all! It was just a baby-raising club, which makes things so much better. After all, teenagers are far more suited for raising the children who'll create America's future than for having sex!

Good Morning America has the scoop:

"There was definitely no pact. There was a group of girls who decided that they were gonna ... they were already pregnant before they decided this... they were gonna help each other with their kids so they could finish school and raise their kids together, to do the right thing was their decision. Not, let's get pregnant, like, as a group," said teen pregnancy expert (i.e., pregnant teen) Lindsay Oliver, 17, whose 20-year-old baby daddy looks about as stoned as Bender. We're not math experts, but had been under the impression that 17 + 20 = statutory rape (turns out that's for kids under 16, but coerced sex with someone under 18 is punishable too). Maybe we should be worried about teens having sex with twentysomethings (including a 24-year-old homeless man, as Time reported), rather than whether a pregnancy pact existed?

The Massachusetts Family Institute blames Deval Patrick for not funding abstinence education. We blame a host of factors, including Gloucester for not offering teens enough job or community opportunities, parents for not educating their children, Gloucester High School for normalizing teen pregnancy by providing day care and denying access to contraception, and 20-something boys for hanging out with high schoolers. Maybe when all the 20-something girls are busy raising three children with no support (news flash for teens: day care's not free when you get out of high school), the 15-year-olds become a more attractive option. (Ugh.)

Probably the most messed-up thing about this whole situation is that it only got media coverage in the first place because of the "pact" aspect of the story, and that the media coverage is only continuing due to the question of whether there was actually a "pact" or not. People aren't really concerned with preventing teen pregnancy or seriously thinking about what options teens have; they're just concerned with whether a principal said "pact." All this while Washington, D.C.; Texas; and New Mexico have teen pregnancy rates of over 60 per 1000--and who knows whether any of those pregnant teens even stay in school.

That's the real tragedy here: nobody cares about the real issues, just the peripheral semantics. The media uproar will die down in a week, and there will still be thousands of teens having unprotected sex, putting their health and their futures (not to mention their babies' futures) at risk. Maybe some high school or some community, somewhere, will actually put workable policies in place to educate teens and prevent teen pregnancies--but, somehow, we doubt it.

Photo of the Day: June 26, 2008

We really like the contrast of the colored sky with the green tones of the subway stop in this photo by mewamorska

Veggiest Welcomes a New Vegan Restaurant to Town

Just because we don't eat animals products doesn't mean that vegans don't love to EAT. As such Veggiest is happy to welcome Vej Naturals to the Boston area. Vej Naturals (hereafter VN) is an all vegan restaurant serving brunch, lunch and dinner to the under served vegan community. While its location in Malden may seem out of the way at first, VN is located right across the street from the Oak Grove T stop on the Orange line, a quick 15 minute ride from downtown. Chef Bob Bouley has over 25 years of experience with his focus being natural, healthy, and organic cuisine. This veggiest is especially excited about his brunch offerings, as vegan brunch is hard to come by in this city. We look forward to checking out Vej Naturals and providing a review soon. Vej Naturals is open Tuesday - Saturday from 12 - 8 and Sundays from 11 - 3. Be sure to check out the food groups section of the website for all sorts of nutritional facts and vegan information.

Yummy apple photo from nettsu used under a Creative Commons license

Independence Day Alternatives: Boston Harbor Islands

Image by Chris Klein

Summer Beckons on the Boston Harbor Islands

Even though summer is only days old, the word "staycation" has already earned the honor of being the season's most annoying buzzword. But if $4-a-gallon gas and the shaky economy does have you rethinking that trip to the Cape or "the islands" (a.k.a., Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket), you'll still be able to find plenty of island adventures close to home at the Boston Harbor Islands national park area--during Independence Day weekend or any other time this summer.

The 34 harbor islands offer an endless number of recreational opportunities, historical sites, and natural wonders just 15 minutes from downtown. So instead of spending your "staycation" sweltering in your backyard with your feet soaking in your inflatable pool, head out to Boston's island treasures for a refreshing, affordable summer getaway. Here are the top 10 experiences not to be missed this summer on the Boston Harbor Islands:

1. Take a dip. Grab your bathing suit, towel, and suntan lotion and head to the sand and surf at Spectacle Island's new lifeguarded beach. The harbor's clean, and the water's warmer than you'll find at ocean-fronting beaches.

2. Scale to the top of Boston Light. Take a guided tour of the oldest light station in the country and climb the seventy-six spiral steps and two short ladders to come face-to-face with the lighthouse's giant lens. The views of the city skyline and the harbor islands from the top of Boston Light are spectacular.

3. Wander Fort Warren's dark passages. Explore the spooky tunnels of this historic fort on Georges Island that once held Confederate prisoners during the Civil War. Grab lunch at the island's snack bar and eat under the shaded picnic pavilion.

4. Pitch a tent. Camp out on the islands and catch unforgettable sunrises and sunsets in the shadows of the city skyline. Camping is permitted by reservation on Lovells, Bumpkin, and Grape Islands. For the most bucolic setting, spend the night on Grape Island.

5. Grab a paddle. Beginning kayakers can spend the afternoon exploring the Hingham Harbor islands, while experienced kayakers can brave the outer harbor to visit the windswept Brewster islands. And this summer, kayaks will be available at Spectacle Island to paddle around the island's sheltered cove.

6. See Boston in a new light. The Boston skyline looks spectacular from the ferry and the islands, but there's no better view of the city and harbor than from Spectacle Island's north drumlin. It's 157 feet high, and all of metropolitan Boston unfolds before you in a magnificent, unobstructed panorama.

7. Scale Thompson Island's ropes and climbing walls. Participate in one of Outward Bound's programs on Thompson Island and challenge your limitations by conquering the ropes course and climbing towers.

8. Pack a lunch. There are a plethora of fantastic spots to picnic on the Boston Harbor Islands, but the picnic areas on Bumpkin and Great Brewster Islands offer unparalleled vistas.

9. Brush up on your fish tales. Fish populations are rebounding along with the harbor's water quality. Striped bass, bluefish, flounder, and cod are among the fish that are biting. Fishing poles and nets are available for rent at Spectacle Island's visitor center.

10. Follow your feathered friends. Grab a pair of binoculars and try to spot some of the more than 100 species of birds that frequent the Boston Harbor Islands.

Ferries to the Boston Harbor Islands leave from Long Wharf in Boston and locations on the South Shore. For ferry schedules, more information on the islands, and a listing of special programs held throughout the summer, visit www.harborislands.org.

Guest post from Christopher Klein, author of a new guidebook on the harbor islands: Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands. Klein will be giving talks about the islands and signing books at 1 pm and 3 pm on July 20 at the Spectacle Island visitor center. For more information about the book, visit the web site of Union Park Press.

TripAdvisor Sued: Price of Internet Content to Skyrocket?

There is an unlimited demand for online content; it's an internet rule-of-thumb.

And many companies have made bundles of money by figuring out ways to use written content to lure consumers to their websites. Part of the profit equation has been the relatively low cost companies have to pay writers for content; a $5 per thousand clicks Google advertisement gives you a very slim profit margin if you are paying a staff of full-time writers.

But the cost of content might be on the verge of skyrocketing.

The Globe reports that a former content editor has filed suit against Newton-based TripAdvisor.com, alleging that the company employed her illegally as a contract laborer. And the suit might go class-action.

Deirdre Kiely of Foxborough, who worked for TripAdvisor from 2003 to 2006, filed the suit on July 2. She claims that Massachusetts law requires companies to offer employee level pay and benefits to workers whose jobs are central to the company's business.

TripAdvisor uses hotel reviews and travel advice to steer consumers toward purchasing airline tickets, hotel reservations, and other services from TripAdvisor's partner, Expedia.com.

The suit recalls a case in the 1990s when long-term temporary workers at Microsoft successfully sued for back benefits. The so-called "permatemps" case kept internet companies from relying on contract labor. But the surge in content-based marketing websites has sent internet companies back to the contractor model.

Could this be a long-overdue revolt that will change the way the content business works? Writers and editors on the internet do not enjoy the kind union protections that their counterparts in the newspaper and copywriting industries have long relied upon. Will this legal challenge change the business model for content-based websites? Or will the craze for user-generated content make full-time, paid writers irrelevant on the internet?

[Boston Globe]

Image of the TripAdvisor owl strong-arming a young person at ROFLCon by C. Fernsebner.

Drinking In Boston: Blueberries for All

This is a guest post from beer fan Llalan Fowler.

Many contend that the Hefeweizen is the one true “summer drink.” Others, should they be more liquor-ly inclined, may argue for the mojito or even the mint julep. These are all fine drinks for lounging on the porch on a lazy, sticky Sunday afternoon. They are all refreshing and—more importantly—sweet. But they are best for the humid summers of Germany, Cuba, and Kentucky, respectively. We contend that the best summer drink for enjoying on the porch of a Boston triple-decker is, by far, a blueberry beer.

Blueberry beer?! We know: for some, putting fruit in beer is blasphemous; to others, just plain girly. But the best thing about blueberry beer is that it is not overwhelmingly sweet. In fact, the best varieties have a little bite to them—just as a proper Maine blueberry should. Blueberry brews are seasonal, local, delicious (even to the bitterest among us), satisfyingly refreshing, and—best of all—blueberries will dance around in it for you!

Before firing up the grill or just sinking into a chaise longue for the rest of the afternoon, pour yourself a cold pint of blueberry beer. And a word of advice to those adding your own blueberries: pour the beer first, then add the blueberries. The berries prefer to dive in, rather than being poured upon. Doing it the other way around will result in a massive head on your beer—so much foam, in fact, that it will be all over your hand, arm, clothes, and floor. But bear in mind that reverse blueberry beer makes for an excellent practical joke.

The Wachusett Blueberry and Sea Dog’s Blue Paw Wild Blueberry Wheat Ale are two popular choices that can be found at local liquor stores. Both have the advantage of also being wheat ales, and therefore already light and summery, but only Sea Dog is advertised as using real Maine blueberries. At Boston Beer Works, where they brew the lovely Bunker Hill Blueberry Ale, they add the bouncy berries for you. It’s not a wheat, but the blueberries are from Maine—the beer is delicious and as refreshing as their air conditioning.

Kick back with a blueberry brew (berries second) this weekend—your taste buds will thank you.

Bostonist Lobster Rollover: Belle Isle Seafood, East Boston

Belle Isle Seafood
1267 Saratoga St.
East Boston
$16.99

Perched next to the bridge to Winthrop, at the very edge of East Boston, Belle Isle Seafood has a strong claim on the title of best lobster roll in the city.

The first thing anybody mentions about the place is that it's a shack. In fact, the word "shack" hardly does it justice. It's more like an outpost. The building is directly on the water, across the harbor from the landing fields at Logan; Belle Isle gets its fish straight off the boat. And the freshness of the fish is evident.

The fish counter takes up the prime real estate just inside the entrance. It's likely to be filled with clams, shrimp, cooked lobster, cod, and other staples of the New England diet. What it doesn't have is a nasty, fishy smell: the hallmark of a great seafood shop.

The walls are hung with kitsch: a blue wooden anchor here, a miniature ship's helm there. The words "Belle Isle" carved into a wooden fish. There are only eight seats available along a counter in the back, and, when Bostonist visited, half of them were taken up by film crew members who were shooting a movie behind the shop. That didn't matter; we ate our roll like the locals do: perched on the Winthrop bridge, with the smell of the Harbor wafting around us.

The lobster roll was nearly perfect. Belle Isle's menu promises a half pound of meat, but Bostonist remains certain that we got more than that. The lobster is a good mixture of tail and knuckle meat, chilled just enough to be refreshing. The meat dissolved with the slightest nibble, releasing a blunt and assertive lobster flavor that stormed the front of Bostonist's palate before dissipating into a smooth, buttery finish. There was more mayonnaise on the roll than we would have liked, but, thankfully, no other accompaniments, save a thin layer of lettuce that offered a contrasting texture at the bottom of the roll.

The deafening roar of passing jet engines never sounded so sweet.

Mayonnaise:

Amount of Lobster Meat:

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Overall Rating:

Music Inside, Art Outside: Living Statues at Symphony Hall

EdgeFest: Amanda Palmer
Collaboration with the Boston Pops
Symphony Hall
8 p.m. tonight
Ticket information

If you are passing by Symphony Hall tonight - or attending Palmer's EdgeFest collaboration with the Boston Pops - you will be able to see how Palmer's 2008 style fuses with the original plans hatched by Symphony Hall architects McKim, Mead, and White back in 1900.

The Boston-based musician, who will close her two-night Pops partnership this evening, has long been known as an artist who made her way as a living statue in Havard Square before the Dolls became an underground Brechtian punk cabaret sensation. While Palmer now spends her time working (and moving around) a stage, the art of the living statue remains a staple of Dolls shows. As such, living Greek statues will be on display outside Symphony Hall tonight.

How does this tie in with Symphony Hall's design? McKim, Mead, and White designed the building to include Greek statuary both inside and outside the building. The Pops said Thursday that financial constraints at the time of the building's construction rendered the inclusion of exterior statues impossible. Tonight's performance, then, will give both audience members and passersby a chance to view the Hall as it was originally designed.

Photo by flickr user j.gresham

What’s Up, Doc? His Gatorade Shirt, That’s What

The following is an example of one of the rare moments in which ruining a perfectly good shirt makes everyone happy. When the Celtics won the NBA playoffs, Paul Pierce engaged in the common sports ritual of dumping a neon-shaded beverage known as Gatorade upon coach Doc Rivers.

Instead of shellacking the shirt (which he’d do if he were sentimental) or tossing the shirt in the trash (which he’d do if he were practical), Rivers is going to auction off the shirt to benefit the Celtics Shamrock Foundation.

Alas, it isn’t an eBay auction, which would probably produce plenty of images, commentary and snark about stains and what kind of showers Lakers coach Phil Jackson might have engaged in after his team flopped. If you’d like to bid, head to the links below.

[WBZ, Dennis and Callahan’s site]

Photo from AP/Winslow Townson.

Shear Madness is Sheer Hilarity!

Were you always the first person to raise your hand in elementary school? Are you always the first volunteer for the party-planning committee at work? Do you head up your church's yearly bake sale? Then you're a participator (a joiner, perhaps?), and you'll love the heck out of Shear Madness.

Our headline above is perhaps a little overly enthusiastic, but there is good reason why Shear Madness has been running for over 25 years and nearly 12,000 shows. Those are pretty staggering numbers for a lighthearted murder mystery (who knew there could be such a thing?) that features plenty of audience interaction. It's a great show to see with the 'rents or even some kids you've been tasked to entertain for an evening (or even your own kids, if you have some). As noted, the show has been running forever, but the writers must refresh it on a regular basis; there were relatively current jokes about Britney Spears, Rachael Ray, and Paris Hilton. The actors also tossed in local references, dissing Malden and mentioning the Celts' win.

The more of a participator you are, the more you'll enjoy the show. It starts out in a hair salon, where a man is getting shaved, a woman's getting her hair set (who does that anymore?), and another man is waiting for his turn in the chair. The salon's upstairs neighbor starts playing the piano loudly. After trying various methods to silence her, the shop owner runs upstairs in a rage to tell her to quiet down. The patrons and other hairdresser all get a move on, leaving the shop for various reasons over the next few minutes. Then it's revealed that the upstairs neighbor has been murdered--and any of the shop employees or patrons could have done it!

Then it's time for the audience participation! Yay! Turns out the guy getting shaved was actually a policeman, and the entire building was being staked out by the cops due to suspected blackmail (just one of many farfetched plot points--but this play is much more about puns than plot). The officer asks the audience to help him reconstruct the events leading up to the murder. The actors take the lead in the reconstruction, but audience members call out corrections and help add detail. This Bostonist apparently has a terrible memory, as she was no real help in the reconstruction, but other eager beavers pulled through. Following the reconstruction, audience members get to ask questions of the actors, then vote on "whodunit"--or rather, who they think done it.

The cast was very good, and engaged the audience well. This show is perhaps not as well known as the Blue Man Group next door, but it's still a fine stop when you've got visitors in town.

Fatal Fung Wah Accident in NYC

Usually, when the infamous low-rent Fung Wah buses have an accident, it's funny. That's because no one has died.

It's not funny this time. Someone died today in a Fung Wah accident in New York City. A dump truck crashed into a Fung Wah bus, which then hit a bank, killing a 57-year-old pedestrian.

While you might instinctively point the finger at Fung Wah, and while we wouldn't blame you for that instinct, reports from Gothamist indicate that the fault may not have been Fung Wah's. The truck was allegedly moving too fast when it hit the bus, which was waiting to pick up passengers.

This may be a New York-centric story, but anything that involves Fung Wah involves Boston, and it might impact your trips if you were planning a Fung Wah ride.

[Gothamist, WCVB]