When Bernard Margolis lost his job as president of the Boston Public Library in a power play with Mayor Menino, Bostonians called foul. It looked as if Our Popular Mayor was trying to politicize the BPL, a treasured -- and independent -- Boston institution. Now, amid revelations that three BPL trustees had undisclosed financial dealings with City Hall, the front-runner for the position appears to be former state Senate president Thomas F. Birmingham. The only......

There may be no institution in the city as diverse as the Boston Public Library, whose resources entice students, intellectuals, high culture types, the elderly, foreign language speakers, the homeless, and bookworms of all persuasions. Recently, though, the BPL has also been attracting some unwanted attention from Mayor Tom Menino. Menino's administration has taken greater control over how the BPL uses money that has been donated to it by benefactors. According to the Globe, the......

--More fire department turmoil: A panel of union firefighters determined that the alcohol and drugs found in the bodies of firefighters Paul Cahill and Warren Payne in August's Tai Ho Restaurant blaze did not cause their deaths. But the fire commissioner begs to differ. [Boston Globe, background: Bostonist] --While it's good that the mayor is throwing his efforts behind saving Hendry Street from the foreclosure crisis, the housing problems in Dorchester aren't limited to......

--A truck making an illegal left turn near the BU East Green Line Stop hit a Green Line train yesterday morning. One Green Line passenger went to the hospital, and the truck driver has a date with the courts. [Boston Globe] --Speaking of bad drivers, some people never learn. [Boston Globe] --Laura Crimaldi into how the mortgage mess has hit the city, particularly Dorchester, where 33 percent of the city's foreclosures happened. [Boston Herald]......

Last year, at his annual State of the City address, Mayor Thomas Menino sought to prove the thesis of the recently released Nas album entitled "Hip Hop is Dead" by declaring that the rap community had given him the name "T-Mizzy." He might need some credibility and political capital with minority Bostonians after unveiling at last night's speech that he wants to save on school transportation costs by dismantling part of the city's busing......

Boston came in at number 10 in a recent list of America's most literate cities. What's surprising is that it didn't come in higher given the quality of the authors who come in to read, the top-notch bookstores, and the fact that good books help get us through the cold weather. Central Connecticut State University just released these figures and draws its findings based on "newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources,......

--Boston Daily has been following the story of Bernard Margolis, the Boston Public Library president who got fired by Mayor Menino. And Margolis has plenty to say about it. [Boston Daily] --The South End Is Over isn't over. And the incoming yuppies South End Is Over doesn't like better watch out: "If the Eagle ever closes, which I hope it will not, if only to annoy the pretentious Atelier dwelling yups across the street, I......

Boston Public Library president Bernard A. Margolis officially lost his job yesterday. It was a move Margolis had seen coming since last May, when Judith Kurland, Thomas Menino's chief of staff told him that his contract would not be renewed beyond its current term. Freed from the constraints of office, Margolis told the Globe what he really thinks about Menino. He's a dummy. An "anti-intellectual" whose reign over Boston Margolis likened to Hugo Chavez's Venezuelan......

"Authorial Intent" wraps up book events for the week in the Boston area. Wednesday, October 24 Chris Matthews, 6:00 pm, Coolidge Corner (via Brookline Booksmith), $5 Recently, Jon Stewart sank his fangs into Matthews for pimping the concept that "Life's a Campaign," which is, admittedly, a little scary. Bostonist prefers the old saw that life is a bowl of cherries. Watch what Matthews has dubbed the "interview from hell," and you'll already be armed with......

Authorial Intent is Bostonist's wrap-up of readings around the city. Thursday, October 18 Joan Blades, 6:30 pm, Rabb Auditorium, Boston Public Library, Ford Hall Forum Series. Blades is the cofounder of moveon.org, and she's got a lot on her mind besides "General Betray-Us," which Congress gnawed on like they had nothing better to do. She'll be talking about momsrising.org, her organization that pushes for more rights for moms and families. Saturday, October 20 Frank, Mark,......

Although we have long admired the event from afar, Bostonist experienced its very first Define-a-Thon last night at the Boston Public Library. Houghton Mifflin, the sponsor, dared us to participate, and we took them up on it. There weren't many people at the event at Rabb Hall, perhaps thanks to Define-a-Thon burnout (October 8 through 14 was Define-a-Thon week) and the lack of booze at the BPL. We knew it wasn’t the right time or......

Define-a-Thon Boston Public Library, Rabb Hall, Central Library Tuesday, October 16, 6:00 pm Free Did you hang on to the flash cards you used when studying for the SAT? Think you know your stuff when it comes to ten-cent words? Well, congratulations, brainiac, because you are in the intellectual center of Boston, where a whole bunch of people think they can take you on at tomorrow's Define-a-Thon. Once again, the Define-a-Thon will be hosted by......

--Word is out that some boneheaded morons knocked over a 160-year-old bust of Jesus that is displayed at the Boston Public Library. It happened on September 12 in the afternoon, and the man and woman who did it got caught on videotape. The pair didn't go after the bust of Lucifer. Apparently they were trying to make a point, but it was obscured in the sheer amount of dumbassery displayed by their behavior. It still......

The Boston Public Library is all jazzed because it wants the Copley T station's name changed to "BPL Station" or somesuch. Apparently, Mayor Menino and some local pols are behind the BPL on this, and are sponsoring legislation to have the name changed. Pro-change parties cite Boston's quaint precedent of naming T stations for nearby landmarks, a la "Suffolk Downs," "Aquarium," and "Airport." For the past five years, the T has rolling its eyes......

E. Forbes Smiley III received a $2.3 million restitution fine in addition to his prison sentence for thefts of nearly 100 rare historic maps. It has been nearly two years in the making. E. Forbes Smiley III (it's such a great name, can't we use the whole thing all the time?) was caught by a Yale librarian as an X-acto knife was found near him. It was discovered he had some rare maps from the......

The Boston Public Library with a Holga from gooru.......

And you thought the library stacks were quiet! Well, just because people are quiet doesn't mean they aren't up to something. Last Friday, a 59-year-old Marshfield man was caught gazing upon child porn on his computer – while the library was jam-packed with kids. It was his own laptop, but he was allegedly using the library's wireless for evil. Just a few days ago, WCVB reported on bad things happening within the Boston Public Library.......

Hot on the heels of his feature film debut in Jesus Camp (Bostonist's most enthusiastic movie pick in October), megapreacher Ted Haggard faces allegations of methamphetamine use and indiscretions with a male prostitute. Haggard was (until last night) president of the National Association of Evangelicals and senior pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, where you can rent a "prayer closet" for $25 per night and apparently give new meaning to the phrase for......

Need your seasonally-mandated scary-movie fix, but wary of those Grudge 2's and Saw XXVIII's? Bostonist has researched the alternatives, and alternatives to those alternatives. Thursday 10/26 House of Wax The BPL schedule doesn't specify which House of Wax, but we'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume it's not last year's tepid Paris Hilton vehicle. Boston Public Library (South Boston Branch, 646 East Broadway), 6 pm, free For a gentler, lighthearted ghost story,......

Bostonist is by no means immune to the pseudo-historical un-period pieces opening this weekend, Marie Antoinette and The Prestige, or to the less new but equally pretty Illusionist (now at our favorite theater for cheap matinees) and Camille (it's like Moulin Rouge, but with character development). But today we'd like to draw your attention to a documentary about an obscure local band called the Pixies and to the abundance of short film collections being offered......

There was a time and a place when Bostonist kept missing upcoming shows in the area because we were too busy to pay attention. Along came Tourfilter. A locally based website (now with worldwide reach) that allows us to take a look at upcoming shows based on the information provided by the venue. Each and every day they let us know who's coming to town, where they'll be, and which of our friends are......

In a world where there's nothing to do but watch movies. In a city full of theaters, museums, and libraries. One moviegoer who can be in three places at once. This week, Al Franken becomes a politician, David Hasselhoff dresses up as a scifi hero, every girl becomes a star, and ancient religious art turns into modern heaps of rubble. Friday 9/29 Piccadilly The Hays Code, adopted by the American film industry in 1930, didn't......

After a sparse, lackadaisical August, the fall semester has arrived with a frenzied syllabus of film screenings: a slew of new documentaries, our favorite Terry Gilliam movies, a notoriously disorganized film festival, and a guest lecture from Bruce Campbell, chainsaw-wielder emeritus. Thursday 9/7 Four Eyed Monsters Two pale, artsy Brooklynites met through online personals, maxed out seven credit cards to make a movie about it, moved back in with their parents in Massachusetts, and made......

Who needs advance reviews when this Bostonist's got an excuse to wear her vintage stewardess uniform to the theater? Thursday 8/17 Snakes On A Plane Jon Stewart: What's the plot? Samuel L. Jackson: Uhhh... Bad guy wants to bring down the plane... Stewart: What's on the plane? Jackson: Victims. Stewart: No no no no. Jackson: Reptiles? Stewart: Yes! Jackson: Poisonous reptiles! Stewart: Yes! Jackson: Snakes on a mother***ing plane! Stewart: They wanted to make it......

In a world where there's nothing to do but watch movies. In a city full of theaters, museums, and libraries. One moviegoer who can be in three places at once. Thursday 8/3 Stolen One of the things that endears the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum to us (along with the dim lighting, strict ban on electronic devices, and terse signage) is how the frames of missing paintings hang empty on the walls. (As per Mrs. Gardner's......

In a world where there's nothing to do but watch movies. In a city full of theaters, museums, and libraries. One moviegoer who can be in three places at once. Friday 7/28 Cubamor Gigolos, students, goddesses and tourists dally in Joshua Bee Alafia's musical, fantastical Havana. The Roxbury Film Festival is showing this and many other feature films, as well as experimental shorts, music videos, and some non-fiction: a 25-minute deocumentary called Bootyful World asks......

In a world where there's nothing to do but watch movies. In a city full of theaters, museums, and libraries. One moviegoer who can be in three places at once. This week's films are full of things Bostonist can't say no to (classic movies with classic martinis), things we couldn't stop if we tried (fate, modern architecture), and the purple chunk of the Venn diagram where those two categories overlap (zombies). Cocktails! Cary Grant! Friday......

In a world where there's nothing to do but watch movies. In a city full of theaters, museums, and libraries. One moviegoer who can be in three places at once. Friday 7/14 They Came Back (Les Revenants) The dead return by the thousands, but they're the French dead: their hunger is existential. (American and Italian zombies, with traditional brain-eating values, will return next weekend.) Museum of Fine Arts, Remis Auditorium 6 pm, $10 They Came......

You might have seen all the signs around Boylston Street today announcing the street being closed Saturday morning. The city then put up a flashing sign for motorists this afternoon warning them of the “Lions Club International Parade of Nations.” What the hell is the Lions Club parade you ask? Well, Bostonist had to submit an “Ask Bostonist” question to itself and did a bit of research on this one. The 89th Lions Clubs International......

In a world where there's nothing to do but watch movies. In a city full of theaters, museums, and libraries. One moviegoer who can be in three places at once. Opening Friday 6/9 Clean Maggie Cheung, still inexplicably less popular than Ziyi Zhang in this country, kicks her drug habit in Paris. Kendall Square Cinema Showing through next week, $7-$9.25 IMDB | web site | trailers Sketches of Frank Gehry Sidney Pollack's film documents the......