Blizzard Birding at Jamaica Pond

by sicloot Posted on February 10, 2013

A few hours after Boston got hit with two feet of snow, I went to Jamaica Pond to see how the birds were doing. While big chunks of the Pond were frozen, there was a large central area free of ice. All the water fowl had congregated near the northwestern shore. I saw Canada geese (Branta canadensis), American coots (Fulica americana), mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), mute swans (Cygnus olor), ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis), and, surprisingly, a pair of pigeons (Columba livia).

Birds on Jamaica Pond after a blizzard
Congregating birds on Jamaica Pond

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Late-Blooming Lilacs

by sicloot Posted on May 27, 2012

Donald Wyman Lilac flowers
Donald Wyman Lilac

Due to a warm early spring this year, the peak bloom for most of the lilacs at the Arnold Arboretum was the weekend of April 21-22. However, over a month later, a few varieties are still in bloom (date of accession in parentheses):

  • Syringa x prestoniae ‘Donald Wyman’ (1991) – Donald Wyman lilac
  • Syringa x swegiflexa (1949) – Swegiflexa lilac
  • Syringa sweginzowii (1977) – Chengtu lilac
  • Syringa tomentella (1999) – Felty lilac
  • Syringa villosa (1907) – Late lilac
  • Syringa [Villosae group] ‘Mary C Bingham’ (1998) – Mary C Bingham lilac

Swegiflexa lilac flowers
Swegiflexa lilac

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Last to Leaf Out

by sicloot Posted on April 21, 2012

Spring has arrived early this year. The lilacs are in bloom. And most of the trees at the Arnold Arboretum have either bloomed or started to leaf out.

Lilacs at the Arnold Arboretum
Lilacs blooming at the Arnold Arboretum

A few species still wait cautiously. Among those that have yet to wake:

  • Ailanthus altissima — Tree of Heaven
  • Albizia julibrissin — Silktree/Mimosa
  • Catalpa ovata — Chinese Catalpa
  • Fraxinus excelsior — European Ash
  • Gymnocladus dioica — Kentucky Coffeetree
  • Rhus chinensis — Chinese Sumac
  • Robinia pseudoacacia — Black Locust
View from the top of Peters Hill
View from the top of the Arboretum's Peters Hill
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MBTA and Debt Avoidance

by sicloot Posted on February 3, 2012

The MBTA has proposed two plans, both containing drastic fare increases and service cuts, to help balance its budget. On February 1, a hearing was held at the Hennigan Community Center in Jamaica Plain for residents to comment on the plans. Of the sixty-plus people who spoke, not a single person chose one plan over the other. Except for a Northeastern University journalist who longed for an interview with T officials and thus maintained neutrality, all declared both plans unacceptable.

A packed Hennigan Community Center
A packed Hennigan Community Center
The MBTA (T) has found itself in this situation for two reasons. In 2000, the State Legislature forced the T to fund itself and granted it 20% of sales tax receipts. Those receipts have not met projections. The Legislature also saddled the T with $3.6 billion in debt, which has since ballooned to $5.2 billion, payments on which consume 30% of its annual operating budget.

MBTA officials know that simply meeting this year’s budget will not do much for the long term. Even if all proposed cuts are made and all fares increased, budget shortfalls will continue. Repeated service cuts and fare increases will lead to system failure.

A speaker holds up a map of bus routes eliminated under the second scenario
A speaker holds up a map of bus routes eliminated under the second scenario
Rather than appealing directly and publicly to state officials to forgive the debt or provide more funding, T officials have instead chosen to scare riders into doing their job for them.

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Occupy Boston: Stories from the Raid

by sicloot Posted on December 12, 2011

Around 5:00 in the morning of December 10, 2011, the Boston Police raided the Occupy Boston encampment in Dewey Square. The next day, on a cold and sunny afternoon in Boston Common, members of the group told the story of what happened that night and the following day.

Following are some excerpts:

Occupy Boston protester
“We made a ‘sit.’ We sat down for justice. We sat down for Dewey Square. We sat down because we believed in the symbolism of that square, that space, that land.”

“Maybe it would have been cool to have hundreds of people pushing back and fighting but I knew when I went there that we weren’t going to win. No matter how many police officers were there and how many of us were there, I knew in the end that we were going to be dragged out kicking and screaming. In the end, I think things went exactly as they should have gone. I think the encampment came to a peaceful, quiet, and dignified end and that we made the stand we should have made.”

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Why Occupy?

by sicloot Posted on November 27, 2011

A large group of people listen and respond to a speaker at Occupy BostonIt is good to have a place where people remember. Many are angry at the way the government, corporations, and media have enabled the recent crises and wars. Yet it is difficult to find a forum where we Americans can voice our displeasure. We continue with our busy lives and memory becomes fragmented.

The Occupy movement has begun to change that. It offers a space for people to converse, to learn, and to organize.

Many perspectives are voiced, making consensus difficult. However, the strength of the movement does not lie in its demands, but in its discussion.

Occupy Boston is the beginning of an ongoing discussion about the
problems with America’s economic system and how it has damaged
government and the fabric of society as a whole.
— Occupy Boston’s first press release

A free and just society is not the product of a democratic government, established media, or a capitalist economy. It arises from the continual struggle of the people. The Occupy movement is the beginning of another in a long series of those struggles.

A couple perspectives:

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