Rising to meet an infinite need – Partners in Health, long a force in Haiti, vaults into central role
By Stephen Smith and James F. Smith – Globe Staff / January 24, 2010

CANGE, Haiti – His hometown in ruins, his right arm broken, Frantz Verdieu knew he had to escape the acrid air and rubble-strewn streets of Port-au-Prince.

There was, he decided in the desperate hours after the earthquake that sundered the capital city, only one place to seek safe harbor and medical care: Cange, a town of about 30,000 in Haiti’s Central Plateau, and the birthplace of Partners in Health.

So he traversed mountain roads – rough as a washboard in patches – along with hundreds of others who fled here by auto, truck, and bus. Overnight, they crowded Cange with their needs, and transformed the mission of an organization that for 25 years has built a worldwide reputation by treating tuberculosis, AIDS, and other chronic diseases that flourish among Haiti’s poor.

“I took four cars to get here,’’ the 34-year-old teacher said, sitting inside a chapel converted into a ward for the injured on the organization’s bucolic but overrun campus. “I heard about the name before, and I knew I needed to get here.’’

With 10 hospitals and deep roots in Haiti, Boston-based Partners in Health has became one of the pillars of the worldwide response to the Jan. 12 earthquake.

[Partners in Health has offices at 888 Commonwealth Ave.]

Startling ‘Treasures’ to behold at Boston Public Library
By Tenley Woodman/Boston Herald – January 24, 2010

There’s only one place you can leaf through a copy of William Shakespeare’s “First Folio” from 1623 and also touch President John Adams’ personal copy of “Common Sense” – and do it for free.

The Boston Public Library in Copley Square.

“We are a public library and we really take our public mission very seriously,” said Susan Glover, keeper of the BPL’s special collections.

There are nearly five million items stored in the library’s special collections, ranging in age and scope from medieval manuscripts to photographs of first lady Eleanor Roosevelt performing with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Support for president holds in MIT group

By Ira Kantor/Boston Herald – January 24, 2010
President Obama capped off his first 12 months with a job-approval rating that has dipped by a dozen percentage points since he got to work in Washington last Jan. 20.

One group Obama has not lost favor with is Chocolate City, a 28-member black organization at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Members say the president “hit the ground running” by taking on problems left by the Bush administration.

“Just because of the climate of what he inherited, you would need almost a superhuman to be able to tackle it,” said Howard Liles, 22, a mechanical engineering major and Chocolate City’s co-chairman.

“I mean he believed in change and that doesn’t mean you’re not going to make mistakes,” he said. “But the fact is he was doing his best efforts, and I feel that’s all you can really ask of an individual.”

Obama’s job-approval rating, according to a Gallup poll released Jan. 18, is at 51 percent, a 12 percent decrease from a year ago. Chocolate City, which takes its name from a 1975 song by funk band Parliament about blacks rising to the White House, said much of Obama’s performance was “motivating,” including his efforts to bridge diplomacy between foreign nations.

Gardner design in tune
By Carley Thornell/Boston herald – January 24, 2010

It must have been destiny for a man with the name Renzo Piano to design a new performance hall.

“Music is my beloved art,” the architect of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s expansion said. “It is what I wanted to be myself.”

That appreciation gave the prize-winning architect a touch for performance-hall design, and the Gardner project marks his 14th such undertaking. The 296-seat venue is to be the capstone in his cantilevered, modular, glass- and light-filled new building, next to the old museum in the Fenway.

It is a striking juxtaposition to the 1903 Italian-style palace that for a century has enchanted visitors who stumble upon its Venetian-inspired courtyard. But the buildings are of a piece, said Piano.

Isabella Gardner “tried building a modern Venetian palace. It does capture the magic of Venice,” he said. “You enter this space that is timeless. That’s Venice. It’s not about tourists, it’s not about food, it’s about the light made by the water, and water makes things beautiful.” Sound and light are the two cornerstones of the new “music box,” he said, as the hall will have a glass ceiling to let in sun.

New Boston City Councillor Ayanna Pressley To Speak At Next Boston Ward 5 Democratic Committee Meeting

The next Boston Ward 5 Democratic Committee meeting will be on Tuesday, January 26, 2010, at 7:00 pm, in the 3d Floor Guatemala Room, at the Community Church of Boston, 565 Boylston Street, Copley Place. Our featured speaker will be the new Boston City Councillor Ayanna Pressley. In one of her first public appearances since taking office, Councillor Pressley will talking about her ideas for the City of Boston over the next two years, and will answer questions from members and the public alike.

The public is encouraged to attend.

Rising Tide Boston Presents:
INTRODUCTION TO PERMACULTURE

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
time: 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
FREE!
This workshop will be an Introduction to Permaculture, taught by two
great permaculture farmers and teachers, Kim and Chris, at the Lucy Parsons
Center.

From the journal, The Permaculture Activist:
“Permaculture is a holistic system of DESIGN, based on direct
observation of nature, learning from traditional knowledge, and the
findings of modern science. Embodying a philosophy of positive action
and grassroots education, Permaculture aims to restructure society by
returning control of resources for living: food, water, shelter, and
the means of livelihood, to ordinary people in their communities, as
the only antidote to centralized power. For 25 years, Permaculture
has combined top-down thinking with bottom-up action to make a world
of difference in over 60 countries.” To learn more about permaculture
and how it can be applied in your community, please join us for this
workshop/discussion!

Rising Tide Boston presents an ongoing series of workshops:
PRACTICAL SKILLS FOR COMMUNITY SELF RELIANCE!
hosted at the Lucy Parsons Center – 549 Columbus Avenue (directions below)
in the South End, Boston. www.lucyparsons.org

————————————————————————-
To get to the Lucy Parsons Center (549 Columbus Ave, Boston):
-By train/public transportation: Take the Orange Line to the Mass Ave.
stop, or the Green “E” line to the Symphony stop. Walk south on Mass Ave
for a minute or two. Go left onto Columbus Avenue for 1-1/2 blocks. Lucy
Parsons Center will be on the left.

-By bus:Take the #1 Dudley/Mass Ave bus to the corner of Columbus Avenue
and Mass Ave. Walk east on Columbus Avenue 1-1/2 blocks. Lucy Parsons
Center will be on the left.

**************************************************
ABOUT LPC
**************************************************

+++ Where are we?

Lucy Parsons Center
549 Columbus Avenue
Boston’s South End
Telephone: (617) 267-6272
Email: lucyparsons@tao.ca
web: http://lucyparsons.org/

+++ What are we?

The Lucy Parsons Center, Boston’s collectively run
radical bookstore features an extensive selection
of radical books and magazines, internet access,
space for talks and meetings, and free movies
Wednesday nights. Located at 549 Columbus Avenue
in the South End the store is just down from Mass
Ave and easily reached from the Mass Ave and
Symphony T stations and the #1 bus. Regular store
hours 12-9pm weekdays and 1-7 on weekends.

+++ Volunteer

Volunteering at LPC isn’t just about donating your
labor. All of the Lucy Parsons Center volunteers
contribute to all aspects of running the store and
can take part in all decisions in how it’s run.
If you know anything about grant writing, web
design, or any other skills you think would be
useful, or if you just want to be part of this
great radical project, please email us at
volunteer@lucyparsons.org

+++ Use our space for radical stuff

One of the most important apects of the Lucy
Parsons Center is providing a community meeting
place for radical activities. If you want to host
an event, please send an email to us at
events@lucyparsons.org. Make sure to give enough
notice so that we can approve the event at our
bimonthly meetings.

If you have a group that needs a space to have
regular meetings, just come to the bookstore and
fill out a space request form. Again, make sure to
allow time for approval by the collective.

+++ Donate MONEY!

Although we are proud to demonstrate that an
all volunteer collective can survive in capitalist
United States, we can certainly use your help.
The majority of our income comes from book
sales and most of that goes straight to pay our
landlord and bills. Without support from our
community, we could not continue to function.

A regular monthly or annual donation makes a
real difference to us and enables us to improve
the center and its offerings.

Please consider becoming a monthly supporter with
a regular monthly donation of whatever you are able.
Even $5 a month makes a big difference. And don’t
forget we have 501(c)3 status, so all donations to the
LPC are tax deductible.

You can donate online through Network For Good.

Whatever you can give helps us to keep fighting even
donating the change of your purchase can make a
difference.

Subscribe: lucy_parsons_center-subscribe@lists.riseup.net

Fenway News asked the At-Large candidates to answer three questions regarding Community-Based Planning, the Community Center and Affordable Housing. Each candidate was also allowed to mention other issues important to their campaign.

Here are Tito Jackson’s responses:

See a larger version: http://fenwaynews.org/media/jackson/
Read the full written response: http://fenwaynews.org/pdf/jackson.pdf

Every City election year, the Fenway News asks the final 8 At-Large City Council candidates a set of questions regarding concerns of voters in the Fenway. We print them in a special spread a month before the election, along with photos provided by the candidates. This year for the first time we can also offer candidates more space on Fenway News Online to answer other questions or make other arguments for their election. Here are this year’s questions:

COMMUNITY-BASED PLANNING
Several of the candidates talk about a community based planning process. What does this mean? Will each neighborhood create an elected council?

As City-Councillor at Large, one of my key objectives would be to work to build partnerships that include every resident of Boston. One element of achieving this is to ensure that residents are fully engaged as citizens, and a community-based planning process could be an effective tool towards this end. I support the development of community-based councils that would act as full partners in City-level planning processes. I believe that these councils would be most accountable to their respective communities if membership is determined through a full democratic election, though I acknowledge that in the short-term, appointments may be a necessary interim step.

A critical issue in establishing an effective civic partnership with each Boston resident is making sure that all Boston communities have equitable access to our municipal government. A community-based planning process rests on the premise that well-defined communities can be identified, and the boundaries for these communities are most likely to follow existing precinct and district boundaries. Boston has not engaged in a thorough re-drawing of precincts since the 1920s, and our neighborhoods have changed substantially since then. It is our responsibility to make sure that all residents have equal access to the democratic political process. Any effort to develop legislation in support of a community-based planning process must be accompanied by an effort to ensure that the constituent communities reflect the demographic realities that currently define the social geography of Boston.

COMMUNITY CENTER
Establishing a Fenway community center has been a priority for many Fenway citizens who have participated n planning exercises and meetings. What would you do to help the Fenway get such a facility?

Every resident of Boston deserves to live in a sustainable neighborhood that provides ample opportunities for social and civic engagement. While many Boston neighborhoods provide attractions that are of city-wide, state-wide, nation-wide, and even international interest, investments supporting these attractions should not come at the expense of facilities of interest to neighborhood residents. A community center such as the one proposed by the Fenway Community Development Corporation as part of its broader Urban Village Plan would not only be an effective use of City resources, but moreover is an example of the advantage of community-level input into the planning process.

While the proposed community center would provide clear benefits for the residents of the Fenway neighborhood, it has the potential to provide benefits to residents of the larger Boston community as well. As an At-Large City Councillor, I would work to develop city-wide support for a center by emphasizing this broader set of contributions. Many if not all of Boston’s neighborhoods would benefit from the development of a sustainable urban village including a vital community center. A community center in Fenway as a pilot project would leverage the hard work of the Fenway CDC and its partners in leading the way towards making all of Boston’s neighborhoods into safer and cleaner places to live. Moreover, the development of a community center as part of a larger development project would create a significant number of environmentally sustainable employment opportunities—all the more so to the extent that the project can be replicated broadly across Boston neighborhoods.

HOUSING
Under Mayor Menno’s inclusionary zoning policy developers of housing must provide some middle income affordable units in their new building (or pay into a fund). Developers of recently built housing in the Fenway have complied, offering one-bedroom units at over $1,400 a month. Do you believe this is affordable? Lower income brackets should also be supplied with affordable housing? If so, how would you change the laws and regulations to insure that ”affordable housing” is actually affordable to lower income Boston residents?

One bedroom units for $1,400 a month are far from affordable for most residents of Boston, and I certainly believe that individuals in lower-income brackets should have access to affordable housing. While Mayor Menino’s Inclusionary Zoning Policy reflected a step in the right direction when it was initially passed, there is substantial room to update this policy to include the needs of a wider range of Boston residents. As an At-Large City Councillor, I would work to expand the range of this program to this effect. In particular, I would support the more full inclusion of community-based input in the planning process in support of this goal.

An additional way to ensure that affordable housing is actually affordable to lower-income Boston residents is to make sure that housing is developed with the needs of low-income residents in the first place. The City of Boston recently made Federal Stimulus funds available to convert unsold foreclosed homes into energy-efficient affordable housing for low-income and homeless families. As a board member for Heading Home, a group dedicated to transitioning homeless families to permanent housing, I see the needs of low-income families first-hand. As City Councillor At-Large, I would ensure that families most in need of affordable housing get access to these converted properties by connecting effective programs such as the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance to existing City efforts to develop housing.

Fenway News asked the At-Large candidates to answer three questions regarding Community-Based Planning, the Community Center and Affordable Housing. Each candidate was also allowed to mention other issues important to their campaign.

Here are Felix Arroyo’s responses:

See a larger version: http://fenwaynews.org/media/arroyo/
Read the full written response: http://fenwaynews.org/pdf/arroyo.pdf

Every City election year, the Fenway News asks the final 8 At-Large City Council candidates a set of questions regarding concerns of voters in the Fenway. We print them in a special spread a month before the election, along with photos provided by the candidates. This year for the first time we can also offer candidates more space on Fenway News Online to answer other questions or make other arguments for their election. Here are this year’s questions:

COMMUNITY-BASED PLANNING
Several of the candidates talk about a community based planning process. What does this mean? Will each neighborhood create an elected council?
I am a strong supporter of a community-based planning process. As an elected member for five years of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council, I was able to successfully advocate with and on behalf of my neighbors for new development that is appropriate for our community. Through that experience, I’ve seen that only when communities are a part of the planning process can we ensure that development is beneficial to our neighborhoods, creates jobs, supports local businesses, preserves open space and eliminates blight. As a City Councilor, I will fully support and continue to advocate for the elimination of the Boston Redevelopment Authority. Instead, Boston deserves an independent City Planning Department and elected City Planning Board with representatives from the Fenway and neighborhoods across Boston. The planning and development structure in Boston hasn’t been revisited in more than 40 years, and the city has changed. As your new City Councilor At Large, my staff and I will work diligently over the next year to foster an open, inclusive process that educates the public, engages citizens in informed decision-making and returns neighborhood planning to the people of Boston.

COMMUNITY CENTER
Establishing a Fenway community center has been a priority for many Fenway citizens who have participated in planning exercises and meetings; What would you do to help the Fenway get such a facility?
Certainly, the Fenway community deserves a new community center and I will support Fenway’s citizens in furthering the creation of a community center at every opportunity. Especially for the area’s senior population, a safe place is needed that provides activities and meeting spaces for the residential community. Generally, I will work to support the “urban village” approach and the Fenway CDC’s vision for the Fenway neighborhood’s growth into the 21st century. As a City Councilor, I will work with Councilor Ross and the neighborhood’s state legislative representatives to support carefully planned development of the Fenway that helps foster “smart-growth” to foster a transit-oriented residential neighborhood in the heart of the City of Boston that is welcoming to the broadest spectrum of residents. As detailed above, as a City Councilor At Large, I will seize every opportunity to support community planning efforts and to promote development that is consistent with the neighborhood’s vision. It is crucial that our neighborhoods and their residents play the leading role in deciding the future development of Boston.

HOUSING
Under Mayor Menno’s inclusionary zoning policy developers of housing must provide some middle income affordable units in their new building (or pay into a fund). Developers of recently built housing in the Fenway have complied, offering one-bedroom units at over $1,400 a month. Do you believe this is affordable? Lower income brackets should also be supplied with affordable housing? If so, how would you change the laws and regulations to insure that ”affordable housing” is actually affordable to lower income Boston residents?
$1,400 a month is not “affordable” to lower income Boston residents and will not provide the opportunity we should be ensuring for working families to live in our City. First, we have to ensure that whenever housing is being built that we also build affordable housing so that everyone in our city has the opportunity to live here. In Boston, more than 20,000 households are on a waiting list for affordable rental housing and there is an obvious an clear need to create rental options for those priced out of Boston’s expensive housing market. We should also not ignore opportunities to create affordable home ownership, since that will help Ultimately, rather than address “affordability” on a case-by-case basis and in individual battles with the Boston Redevelopment Authority, I believe an independent City Planning Department is needed. Only with this important reform can Boston finally integrate planning for jobs, housing, environmental protection, transportation and business development. A planning department and elected City Planning Board could take on these issues in a way that is accountable to the City Council and responsive to our constituents through oversight processes.

Fenway News asked the At-Large candidates to answer three questions regarding Community-Based Planning, the Community Center and Affordable Housing. Each candidate was also allowed to mention other issues important to their campaign.

Here are John Connolly’s responses:

See a larger version: http://fenwaynews.org/media/connolly/
Read the full written response: http://fenwaynews.org/pdf/connolly.pdf

Every City election year, the Fenway News asks the final 8 At-Large City Council candidates a set of questions regarding concerns of voters in the Fenway. We print them in a special spread a month before the election, along with photos provided by the candidates. This year for the first time we can also offer candidates more space on Fenway News Online to answer other questions or make other arguments for their election. Here are this year’s questions:

COMMUNITY-BASED PLANNING
Several of the candidates talk about a community based planning process. What does this mean? Will each neighborhood create an elected council?

Boston needs a planning process that advances thoughtful, complete development plans that will contribute to the City’s economic growth, job creation, and aesthetic appeal, thereby preserving the highest quality of life in our neighborhoods and making Boston more livable.  Community-based planning is a transparent bottom-up process that encourages broad civic participation. It is designed around the reality that Boston residents are close to neighborhood issues, and are the best equipped to clearly identify community needs and to advocate passionately for local concerns. Community-based planning is neighborhood based and consensus driven and recognizes that Boston’s development plans should benefit from the insights, knowledge, and support of local residents. Usually these models focus on ensuring that certain goals are met in the planning process, such as providing a livable design, community cooperation, good public education options, and sustainable economic development strategies. This community-based planning approach can be seen in Fenway CDC’s resident-created Urban Village Plan, a smart growth vision for making the neighborhood more diverse and sustainable.

Not all community based planning models utilize an elected council for each neighborhood, although that is an option to be considered. For example, New York City, which uses a community-based planning model, has fifty nine community boards whose members are appointed by the Borough President with input from the City Council. These boards have up to fifty members who reside in, have a business, professional, or other significant interest in that community and represent all segments of the community.

COMMUNITY CENTER
Establishing a Fenway community center has been a priority for many Fenway citizens who have participated in planning exercises and meetings; what would you do to help the Fenway get such a facility?

Although the Fenway has active neighborhood and civic associations, including Fenway CDC and Mission Hill/Fenway Neighborhood Trust, the area lacks the most basic community facilities. Every neighborhood should have a community center to support the needs of residents and families. These centers are an important resource as they provide essential services to supplement a neighborhood’s schools, health centers, senior organizations, and non profits. Community centers bring neighbors together by inviting those from varied socio-economic and cultural backgrounds to participate in an array of essential programming. They also provide much needed space where members of community organizations and non profits can gather and hold meetings.

I support Fenway’s efforts to fund and build a community center. As City Councillor I will advocate for any comprehensive proposals and will look for ways to support innovative funding ideas that would appropriate capital for the project.

HOUSING
Under Mayor Menno’s inclusionary zoning policy developers of housing must provide some middle income affordable units in their new building (or pay into a fund). Developers of recently built housing in the Fenway have complied, offering one-bedroom units at over $1,400 a month. Do you believe this is affordable? Lower income brackets should also be supplied with affordable housing? If so, how would you change the laws and regulations to insure that ”affordable housing” is actually affordable to lower income Boston residents?

My vision for One Boston is a livable city with safe, affordable, and sustainable neighborhoods defined by a world class public school system and known as the greenest city in the world. This requires a commitment to true affordable housing that provides options for people from all walks of life, including lower income brackets. In the Fenway, we must preserve affordable housing by protecting existing affordable units that are scheduled to revert to market-rate under expiring contracts and work with developers and neighborhood associations to ensure the creation of additional affordable opportunities. I will work with the city and state agencies, community development corporations, and financial institutions to preserve these units. If we do not protect our existing affordable housing stock, our efforts to add new units will be rendered moot.

I also believe that we should prioritize mixed-use/mixed-income development that combines retail and residential uses linked to public transportation. This smart growth model of development is one way to ensure vibrant, diverse and accessible communities. Our communities should reflect the socio-economic diversity of our city, which is the best way to create stable and sustainable neighborhoods. All development, no matter what type, should have a minimal impact on the environment and be as energy efficient as possible.