Ooh, ooh! Wait! I'll ask my sister!

Who else lives or has lived in Boston?

Not me. They all talk funny up there. :-) Just like the guys on the Pepperidge Farms commercials.

Sonja says that too! Says they're like Americans trying to be English, and failing miserably!

Yes, it's horribly embarrassing. You just want to whack them over the head with a frying pan and yell, "It's gaRAGE, not GARage!!!"

ha-ha!!!

What is white trash?

Is this a rhetorical question? Or do you truly not know?

I don't know, really. My sister says her brother in-law's wife is white trash - I don't want her to think me stupid, so I don't ask. And what is trailer trash? Another thing I heard from her.

White trash is any white person who is common and low-class, either in appearance or behavior. For example, someone missing a great deal of teeth; pregnant tattooed women smoking; obnoxious men screaming and swearing at their kids in the supermarket, etc. My grandmother used to think her neighbors were white trash because they hung their clothes out on a line on their front porch. Trailer trash is simply white trash that lives in a trailer park.

Thank you, Riette and Autumn, for cracking me up while I'm reading this at work. I don't think there are white trash in Boston. Is it strictly a southern thang, or is it throughout America (or even universal)? I think the term originated in the South, because I never heard it until we moved to Florida when I was a kid. Autumn, don't forget people in houses with broken down cars and auto parts strewn all over the yard. And ugly yard dogs that look better treated than the children. And being drunk before noon. I live in the south side of Austin, TX, so I know wherefrom I speak.

YEEEEEE HAAAWWWW!

How sad. How utterly funny though! ha-ha! I can imagine precisely what you're talking about. What an expression!

All good examples, George!! Surely you have an Afrikaans word for this concept, Riette?

In Afrikaans the decent expression would be, 'Wit Gemors'. The crude expression would be, 'Wit Kak'.

Riette, is Gemors something like Gem�se?

Because in the dialect of the village I live in, it would sound the same...

Uh-uh! No vegetables there! Gemors is 'M�hl'. And you speak this dialect of the village you live in? As in 'Ein Bayer auf R�gen'???

Ahem, not exactly. I grew up in a nearly totally non-dialect family, and people always took me for being from Berlin or Hamburg... Nicht mehr!

Sheesh...this is the 20th post and nothing of the glories of the Charles River, the Esplanade, the Boston Pops...

White trash is funnier than Boston. If you want to see white trash get their 15 minutes of fame watch Jerry Springer. Is he the reason posters here call themselves "Springuers" rather than "Springers"? Or is it to keep from being confused with spaniels? A third possibility: is it just that the faux French sounds so damn pseudo-intellectual? But seriously, anyone who remembers Bostonians overturning and stoning the school bus with black school children would never think that white trash does not exist in Boston. White trash is also an attitude, not just the visual cliches given above.

yes, I know it's Springeur...sorry for the typo. I was trying to be too damned clever.

I rather like Springizens

good one (is that for Spring citizens or denizens?)

...Yes!

Okay, so what is the difference between White Trash and LC? Sometimes my sister says her sister in-law is 'LC' - which apparently stands for Low Class -, but her brother in-law she always calls 'White Trash'.

then there is the sportsminded misery NCAA which means No Class At All! We all know bunches of them masquerading as regular folks!

MAN!!!! You guys have more classes than the Indians with their castes!! All concealed in mysterious abbreviations... I have another one for you. When I ask how she is, and she says her week was foobar or fubar - not sure about spelling here. What does that mean? She always gets me with these things, and refuses to tell.

FUBAR is an informal military acronym: F----d up beyond all repair.

We're joking for the most part, though. The Indians are deadly serious about their castes. Our designations are, for the most part, informal even if serious.

Ha-ha!!! F-d up beyond all repair??? That's hilarious!

"LC has a chance of becoming middle class, but white trash can move uptown, they sure stay white trash" - that's how I'd read that.

Like Elvis?

My daddy Elvis never had a chance

WHY AMERICANS SHOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED TO TRAVEL The following are actual stories provided by travel agents: I had someone ask for an aisle seat so that their hair wouldn't get messed up by being near the window. A client called in inquiring about a package to Hawaii. After going over all the cost info, she asked, "Would it be cheaper to fly to California and then take the train to Hawaii?" A man called, furious about a Florida package we did. I asked what was wrong with the vacation in Orlando. He said he was expecting an ocean-view room. I tried to explain that is not possible, since Orlando is in the middle of the state. He replied, "Don't lie to me. I looked on the map and Florida is a very thin state." I got a call from a man who asked, "Is it possible to see England from Canada?" I said, "No." He said "But they look so close on the map." A nice lady just called. She needed to know how it was possible that her flight from Detroit left at 8:20am and got into Chicago at 8:33am. I tried to explain that Michigan was an hour ahead of Illinois, but she could not understand the concept of time zones. Finally I told her the plane went very fast, and she bought that! I just got off the phone with a man who asked, "How do I know which plane to get on?" I asked him what exactly he meant, which he replied, "I was told my flight number is 823, but none of these darn planes have numbers on them." A business man called and had a question about the documents he needed in order to fly to China. After a lengthy discussion about passports, I reminded him he needed a visa. "Oh no I don't, I've been to China many times and never had to have one of those." I double checked and sure enough, his stay required a visa. When I told him this he said, "Look, I've been to China four times and every time they have accepted my American Express."

Oh my GAWD!!!

I can see this topic got nowhere fast! Shall we revive it by discussing some of the attractions in Boston?? Here are all the Massachusetts links from my bookmarks file, to get us started. Cities and Towns: http://www.magnet.state.ma.us - Commonwealth of Massachusetts http://www.mbta.com - Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority http://www.boston.com - Boston, MA http://www.boston-online.com - Boston Online http://www.bostondine.com - Boston Restaurant Guide http://www.ci.boston.ma.us - City of Boston, MA http://www.ci.cambridge.ma.us - City of Cambridge, MA http://patriot.ci.lexington.ma.us - Lexington, MA http://web.maynard.ma.us - Maynard, MA http://www.lowell.org - Greater Merrimack Valley http://www.worcesterweb.com - Worcester, MA http://www.worcester.ma.us - Worcester County http://www.amherstcommon.com - Amherst, MA http://www.noho.com - Northampton, MA http://www.wmwebguide.com - Western Mass. Web Guide http://www.mass-vacation.com - Massachusetts Tourism Museums and other organizations: http://www.mfa.org - Museum of Fine Arts, Boston http://www.mos.org - Museum of Science, Boston http://www.neaq.org - New England Aquarium, Boston http://www.nesc.org - EcoTarium, Worcester http://www.atmob.org - Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston http://www.bso.org - Boston Symphony Orchestra http://www.indianhillarts.org - Indian Hill Arts http://www.channel1.com/gbfa - Greater Boston Flute Association http://members.aol.com/lexbicband - The Lexington Bicentennial Band Newspapers: http://www.globe.com/globe - The Boston Globe http://www.bostonherald.com - The Boston Herald http://www.bostonphoenix.com - The Boston Phoenix http://www.telegram.com - The Telegram & Gazette http://townonline.com - Town Online TV and Radio: http://www.wbz.com - WBZ Channel 4 http://www.wcvb.com - WCVB Channel 5 http://www.whdh.com - WHDH Channel 7 http://www.wb56.com - WLVI Channel 56 http://www.upn38.com - WSBK Channel 38 http://www.boston.com/wgbh - WGBH/Boston, Channel 2 and 44 http://www.wlyn.com - WLYN 1360AM http://wavm.org - WAVM 91.7 FM http://www.wxrv.com - River 92.5 WXRV-FM http://www.wzlx.com - WZLX 100.7 FM http://www.wgir.com - WGIR Rock 101.1 FM http://www.wfnx.com - WFNX 101.7 FM, Lynn http://www.wrx.com - WRX 103.7 FM http://www.wbcn.com - WBCN 104.1 FM, Boston http://www.wxlo.com - WXLO 104.5FM, Worcester http://www.waaf.com - WAAF 107.3 FM Schools: http://www.umass.edu - UMass Amherst http://www.ecs.umass.edu/vip - Video Instructional Program, UMass Amherst http://www.uml.edu - UMass Lowell http://continuinged.uml.edu - Continuing Studies, UMass Lowell http://www.mit.edu:8001 - MIT http://www.media.mit.edu - MIT Media-Lab http://www.amherst.edu - Amherst College http://www.harvard.edu - Harvard University http://extension.dce.harvard.edu - Harvard Extension School http://www.bu.edu - Boston University http://www.bc.edu - Boston College http://www.neu.edu - Northeastern University http://www.tufts.edu - Tufts University http://www.wpi.edu - Worcester Polytechnic Institute http://www.unh.edu - University of New Hampshire http://www.dartmouth.edu - Dartmouth College Incidentally, if anyone is interested in taking courses long distance, I have taken a course through the VIP program at UMass Amherst, and am currently taking a CyberEd course from UMass Lowell. I recommend both!

Marcia and I were talking about the "Big Dig" in the Geo Conference. Here is the latest "dirt" on the Big Dig, in case anyone is curious about typical Boston politics. The Big Dig has a website at http://www.bigdig.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From "The Boston Globe", http://www.boston.com/globe SPOTLIGHT REPORT Big Dig team kept silence on overruns Underwriters got no warning; signs show year-long pattern By Brian C. Mooney, Globe Staff, 2/24/2000 Despite internal tracking reports indicating Big Dig costs were at least $500 million over budget, the project's director last fall assured bond underwriters that there were no cost overruns. The assertions by Patrick J. Moynihan, project director, at a meeting last Sept. 13 appear to be part of a pattern of concealment and even deception, dating back more than a year, on the part of Big Dig officials. The subterfuge surrounding the cost overruns collapsed Feb. 1, when Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Chairman James S. Kerasiotes, czar of the project, admitted publicly that the estimated cost of the Central Artery/Ted Williams Tunnel project will increase by $1.4 billion to $12.2 billion. The US Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether inaccurate information was included in bond offerings late last year by the state and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Any SEC sanction would be an embarrassing blow to a state that has struggled for a decade to restore its fiscal credibility on Wall Street. In an interview this week, Jeremy Crockford, the project's chief spokesman, acknowledged for the first time that the project was $500 million over budget as of last June. He said: ''$500 million was showing as an exposure.'' Crockford also conceded that while the project routinely tried to offset those amounts with cuts in other areas, many of them were speculative or, as another Big Dig official said, ''were falling off the table.'' But Moynihan strenuously denied yesterday that he gave misleading information to bond underwriters last fall. ''I don't recall any specific questions being raised as to specific overruns,'' said Moynihan, who assumed the director's post in January 1999 and made an updated review of project costs a priority. ''In reference to any suggestions to overruns, I was referring to the fact that if we had cost pressures, we believed we had offsets, and that to the extent we did not, we were always in the position that the Turnpike Authority was in a position to cover them. I'm not going to go to a meeting like that and provide information that is not complete or accurate, or speculate.'' But several sources who attended the Sept. 13 ''due diligence'' meeting before issuance of a $500 million state bond offering nine days later, quoted Moynihan as stating flatly there were no cost overruns on the giant construction project. Besides several lawyers and state officials, a representative of the lead bond underwriter, Goldman Sachs, attended the meeting at the State House. Several of those present took notes. ''He shocked us by saying there were no cost overruns, but said if there were to be any, the Turnpike Authority could pay for them out its own resources,'' said one source, whose account was confirmed by two others who were present at the meeting. The offering's official statement reflected Moynihan's account and the now-discredited $10.8 billion net project cost estimate. The SEC is also expected to delve into a $200 million MBTA transportation bond issue last December. That offering also made no mention of any cost overruns. At the time of his meeting on the September bond issue, Moynihan knew, or should have known, that the Big Dig's own cost monitoring was consistently flagging projected overruns on a monthly basis throughout 1999 and that the project was running out of potential cuts to offset those increases. Moreover, the overrun estimates were artificially low because they failed to include credible or up-to-date projections in some areas and omitted other big-ticket items, among them an extra $260 million in fees for Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, the Big Dig's management consultant, and most of $300 million in additional costs for intensified construction work to keep the project on schedule. Those amounts were finally included in the $1.4 billion overrun figure coughed up by Kerasiotes on Feb. 1. Moynihan's statement at the bond meeting was neither the first nor last time the project served up dubious, incomplete or inaccurate references to the skyrocketing costs. Last fall, when the inspector general's office of the US Department of Transportation estimated construction costs could soar another $942 million over budget, Moynihan fired off a scorching counterattack, upbraiding the federal watchdog's methodology and scoring ''factual errors, misstatements, and misleading calculations.'' At the time, Moynihan's office knew the project was way over budget and well on its way to calculating the $1.4 billion excess. In fact, yesterday, Moynihan admitted that ''by mid-December, we had an internal assessment in the $1.4 billion range.'' Despite drawing that conclusion, Moynihan still forwarded a 1999 finance plan to Governor Paul Cellucci's office Dec. 23 that sidestepped the Big Dig's bottom line. Cellucci aides were stunned to find it omitted - for the first time - any estimate, old or updated, of the project's final price tag. It did, however, include a cover letter from Moynihan suggesting the final cost could rise. ''That waved a huge red flag,'' said Andrew Natsios, Cellucci's secretary of administration and finance. He immediately told Cellucci, who became alarmed and instructed Natsios to alert bond rating agencies. Cellucci and other state officials had met with rating agencies early that month, seeking an upgrade in the state's credit rating. On Jan. 6, state officials contacted the agencies to inform them that Big Dig costs were increasing, though the dimensions of the problem remained a closely held secret of project officials until Feb. 1. Moynihan defends the omission, saying the report, as required, accurately reflected the financing needs, as of the previous June, and that the Federal Highway Administration knew an updated estimate of potential overruns was in the works. This story ran on page A01 of the Boston Globe on 2/24/2000. � Copyright 2000 Globe Newspaper Company. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From The Boston Herald, http://www.bostonherald.com Feds' $ hunt could lead to quarry by Jack Meyers Thursday, February 24, 2000 As a team of federal auditors descends on Boston today to figure out how the Big Dig's price tag shot up by $1.4 billion, they could start with the most basic requirement of the massive project: getting rid of the dirt. Records show on that task alone - trucking out millions of tons of dirt dug out of downtown Boston - the project has come in nearly $80 million over budget. And the mounds of sand and muck also tell another story - how Bay State politics turned Big Dig dirt into gold for the well connected, while taxpayers face toll hikes to cover the project's ballooning cost. At the front end of the dirt operation, the company hired to manage the giant mounds, Modern Continental Construction Co., saw revenues from its contract double - from $76.8 million to $155 million in a 3-year period. At the back end, Artery managers paid a politically connected group of developers to accept the dirt, which they are turning into a windfall - a 27-hole golf course and sports complex in Quincy expected to generate at least $75 million for the group over the next 50 years. Anatomy of a cost overrun The heart of the Central Artery's dirt operation is Subaru Pier, a huge walled-off parking lot in the desolate northeast corner of South Boston. It was run for three-and-a-half years by Cambridge-based Modern Continental, which has emerged as the Big Dig's biggest contractor. Modern Continental was a relatively small construction firm at the outset, but a steady stream of big-ticket Big Dig contracts has transformed the company into a multi-national powerhouse. It probably hasn't hurt that while Modern was winning almost $2 billion in Artery contracts, its owner, Lelio ``Les'' Marino, was becoming one of the most active political fund-raisers in the state, raising money for key political players with influence over the management of the Big Dig. In September 1995, the chairman of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and boss of the Artery, James J. Kerasiotes, awarded Modern Continental the $76.8 million contract to handle the Artery's dirt and to set up a separate site to build sections of tunnel for the submerged Artery. It was a critical contract, because Subaru Pier was where almost every other Artery contractor deposited their dirt. But it also seemed relatively simple. No fancy engineering. No danger of hitting underground utilities. Just moving piles of dirt around what had been a huge parking lot and testing it for contaminants. No part of the Big Dig, it appeared, could be more straightforward. But something happened to send costs on the contract - and payments to Modern Continental - soaring. Kerasiotes has described Modern Continental to reporters as his ``favorite'' contractor for aggressively lowballing bids to win jobs, and in the process driving the bids of other companies down. But Modern also has a reputation for making up for its low bids by getting contract amendments put in later. Subaru Pier was just such a case. Modern Continental officials submitted the low bid on the contract, but to pull it off, the firm took a big gamble. When the contract was bid, most of the dirt moving through Subaru Pier was earmarked for Spectacle Island in Boston Harbor, but as a precaution, Artery managers required the winning bidder to have a backup site to dump the dirt and to put a price tag for that alternative in its bid. Modern Continental's price tag for the backup: a nominal one cent per ton. While that appeared to save the project a lot of money, company officials were taking a huge risk, betting heavily that an alternative dumping ground would never be needed. Competitors protested, but Artery managers - looking for ways to make their budget numbers look good - let Modern roll the dice. Later, when it was clear Modern Continental was wrong, Artery managers didn't penalize the firm. They made sure it became a winner anyway. By early 1997, halfway through the contract, Subaru Pier was a mess. Spectacle Island had been shut down and a million-ton mountain of dirt was burying Subaru Pier, hindering operations. When Artery officials demanded Modern implement its backup plan, Modern's brass refused to do it for the penny-per-ton price they had used to win the contract. The standoff went on for weeks - with Modern using the Artery's own dirt as a hostage. The pressure built as a cascade of financial claims from other contractors flowed into Artery offices. Dirt by the ton, meanwhile, arrived daily at Subaru. By May 1997, state highway officials feared the pier would literally collapse into the harbor. Finally, the Massachusetts Highway Department blinked, granting Modern Continental a series of multimillion-dollar change orders to truck the dirt to Rhode Island, Connecticut, and several in-state landfills at more than $10 per ton. Modern's bid ``was crazy as usual but (state officials) renegotiated the deal,'' said one angry competitor, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Said a Modern Continental subcontractor, ``There were huge change orders flying around Subaru Pier.'' Artery spokesman Jeremy Crockford said the cost increases reflected a ``very complicated situation'' involving Subaru Pier operations. Artery officials at the time said change orders were justified because Modern had a good chance of winning even more money by appealing the case. Modern also agreed to drop another potentially sizable financial claim against the project as part of a settlement, records show. Andrew Paven, a spokesman for Modern Continental, said the change orders were part of a larger settlement struck between the Artery and the firm. That deal was fully reviewed by the Artery's dispute resolution board for fairness to taxpayers and the contractor, he said. Payment, not penalty In the end, Big Dig officials rewarded the company with a 15-month contract extension worth more than $40 million, according to Artery records obtained by the Herald. By the March 1999 end of the contract, its price had mushroomed from $76.8 million to $155 million. Records obtained by the Herald show that of the $43.3 million in change orders granted through June of 1998, more than $40 million - 93 percent - were for Subaru Pier. The most recent records are not yet available. Adding to the price tag of Modern's contract were sweetheart ``cost-plus'' amendments and special pet projects, none of which were subjected to the rigors of the marketplace. For example, Modern closed and capped Boston's Gardner Street landfill in West Roxbury under a no-bid amendment attached to the Subaru Pier pact. Through June of 1998, Central Artery officials had paid Modern $12 million on the job and the capping had not even been done yet, records indicate. The city's own cost estimate was about $7 million, officials said at the time. The project had little to do with the Central Artery, but it made for good politics. Mayor Thomas M. Menino got a landfill capped with a park put on top. Kerasiotes scored points with Menino, sticking the Big Dig with the tab. Marino, the owner of Modern Continental, also knew how to play politics on the Big Dig. He regularly corralled his many subcontractors to attend politicians' fund-raisers, converting his business leverage into political muscle. Marino has been an avid fund-raiser for both Gov. William F. Weld and his successor, Paul Cellucci. Kerasiotes, who has been the Big Dig's overseer since Weld's first term, serves at the pleasure of the governor and his turnpike board appointees. Marino has also organized lucrative fund-raising events for Menino. It has been a recipe for success. In the 1980s, Modern was a relatively small, strictly local contractor. Powered by more than $2 billion in Artery and MBTA jobs, Modern now has offices in New York, South Carolina, California and Brazil. Marino has also launched a restaurant chain, built a luxury marina and started a health care firm. Quarry Hills bonanza At the other end of the Artery's dirt pipeline is Quarry Hills in Quincy, where as much as 10 million tons of Big Dig fill is being dumped to make a golf course and sports complex. And every truckload of dirt going into Quarry Hills brings former Quincy Mayor Walter J. Hannon II and his partners closer to making a private fortune developing public land with public money. Here's how it happened: In 1993, a group of developers that included Hannon, his son, landfill operator Charles Geilich, and developers William and Peter O'Connell, the latter a candidate for Quincy mayor in 1989, struck a deal with the city of Quincy. The city agreed to give the group exclusive rights to the city's 176-acre landfill in a part of West Quincy called Quarry Hills. The group, dubbed Quarry Hills Associates, then began lobbying state officials to make Quarry Hills the Central Artery's exclusive dump - for a fee. After Quarry Hills Associates brought in lawyer and lobbyist Robert Cordy, Gov. Weld's former chief legal counsel and later a key adviser to Gov. Cellucci, a pact was signed in 1997. Under the terms of the no-bid deal, the Artery paid Hannon's group about $12 for every ton of dirt dumped, thereby bankrolling the building of the entire complex for Quarry Hills Associates - a firm with no track record, no assets and virtually no capital at the time the pact was made. Of course, the group did have a heavy dose of political juice. In addition to Hannon being a former mayor close to top Republicans, during much of the time he was trying to line up the deal, he was on the Massport payroll. The bottom line of the Quarry Hills deal is this: It will cost the developers virtually nothing to build the sports complex, and they will collect tens of millions of dollars free and clear over the next 50 years. State officials even threw in a sweetener later in 1997. Quarry Hills Associates hoped to add an abutting 50-acre landfill in Milton to the project, giving them more space to take in dirt, which meant more Artery money. In mid-1997, when procedural hurdles were jeopardizing the Milton deal, the Metropolitan District Commission came to the rescue. The MDC's commissioners voted to license about 25 acres of public land to Hannon's group for free for 10 years, giving the developers added dump capacity and millions more in Artery revenues. A Herald request for MDC records regarding Quarry Hills produced no minutes of the July 10, 1997 meeting, no record of any debate, no public notices, no evidence of hearings, no memos, no phone messages and no internal evaluation before making that deal. In the MDC files, only one document related to Quarry Hills is dated prior to the vote. It was a Department of Environmental Protection memo concluding agency staff should meet MDC and Artery officials ``as soon as possible . . . to expedite the permitting process necessary to commence the deposition of excavate.'' Artery officials defend the deal, saying it saved as much as $30 million over dumping at other sites. And, they say, it gave the project a guaranteed dump site at a locked-in price - a major benefit as other landfills are closed down. That's not the end of the Quarry Hills story, however. In 1998, Artery officials estimated they had about 400,000 tons of contaminated dirt on their hands that had to go into a special type of landfill, one with an impermeable lining. Quarry Hills seemed an unlikely place to look, given that no such landfill existed there and Hannon's group wasn't prepared to pay the estimated $1 million cost of building one. So what did the Artery managers do? They gave the developers the money. Before a single truckful of contaminated dirt rumbled through Quarry Hills' gates, Big Dig officials paid Hannon's firm millions for the right to dump there. In essence, the Artery ``pre-paid'' the fees to dump the contaminated dirt - which amounted to more than $6 million, sources said. That left Quarry Hills Associates with an estimated $5 million surplus. Now it's 2000 and that special landfill the Artery paid for several times over is mostly empty. Officials who spoke on condition of anonymity say it will probably never be used for much additional contaminated Artery dirt. Meanwhile, Hannon, the former Quincy mayor, and his partners are seeking permission from state officials to market the idle site to private companies. They sold the landfill once to the Big Dig for big money. Now, apparently, they want permission to sell it again.

WOW!!! Did I neglect to tell you about this languishing topic? People, check out the Big Dig: http://www.bigdig.com/ And the archaeology they are doing as they go back through the layers of American history http://www.bigdig.com/thtml/dod_arch.htm

Geez, Ginny...the more money involved the more room for corruption. Terry and I were lamenting this problem with cost overruns and moronic thinking in Austin and in Hilo. It sounds like Boston has made us look like small stuff by comparison. Sheesh!

I know...sad, isn't it? Most folks have been pretty skeptical about the whole project from the start. Given the amount of money and time that would be involved, you just had to know that something like this would happen. At least the Ted Williams tunnel has been finished. I can't believe Cellucci hasn't gotten rid of Kerasiotes yet, but then Cellucci has shown that he's an inept politician. There have been a number of mini scandals recently, including Peter Blute's booze cruise on MassPort's dime, and Lieutenant Gov. Jane Swift abusing state resources. (She used her state house staff as baby-sitters, and got a ride on a state police helicopter to avoid Thanksgiving traffic.) Blute resigned and payed back the money. Swift just dug herself in deeper until she finally had to make a tearful public apology. Cellucci should have told her to face the music right away, so the whole thing could blow over quickly. The stupidity is amazing!

Unfortunately, they all have dirty little secrets so they treat one another as they hope they will be treated if/when found out...sigh It's nice to see Greek-ancestry people getting ahead in Boston! (Some of the nicest people I know areBostonians of Greek heritage...*simle*)

Let me hasten to add that all of those worthy Bostonians of my acquaintance are noble and hard-working taxpayers who are footing the bill for this travesty!

Thanks! ;-) Unfortunately, people like Kerasiotes give the rest of us a bad name.

*Stuff* happens. Just don't get any one you! Your name is still good in my book and I will fight your devils with you *hugs*

Likewise, Marcia! *hugs* Technology is great when you can figuratively stand together...from a distance of 6000 miles! :-) I gather you have been to Boston at some point? Any sights in particular stand out in your mind? Here are some of my favorites: I went on one of the Duck Tours last summer, and had a great time. The amphibious boats are supposed to be the same ones used for the D-Day landing in Normandy. The tour starts on land at the Prudential Center, and enters/exits the Charles River near the Museum of Science. It was about 90 min. in all, and the driver told us some interesting stuff I hadn't heard about Boston. Wish I could have taped him! We went up to the Pru's observation deck afterwards to take in the views of Greater Boston. The Museum of Science, Museum of Fine Arts, JFK Library, and New England Aquarium are all worth visiting. My favorite exhibit is the Theatre of Electricity and Van De Graaph generator at the Museum of Science. Seeing a movie at the Mugar Omni Theatre is also a must! There's lots of shops and eateries at Quincy Market. Faneuil Hall has a National Park Service Visitor Center, http://www.nps.gov/bost/, where you can get maps and a ranger-led walking tour of the Freedom Trail. (It's quite a walk if you follow it from Beacon Hill to Charlestown, but you pass through the North End with all the wonderful Italian restaurants.) I also love visiting Harvard Sq. in Cambridge...great music and book stores. You can get the best view of the Boston skyline from the Cambridge side of Memorial Drive, near MIT. Outside of Boston, there is Minute Man National Park, http://www.nps.gov/mima/, in Concord and Lexington. Walden Pond is lovely, and has been saved from development, so far. I'm sure I'll think of more...

*sigh* that's supposed to be "don't get any on you" *sigh* (but, you knew that...) Unfortunately, my Boston experience was many years ago on our way to Maine for the summer of Post Doctoral research for Frank - before David was born! All I can see in my mind of that near-miss is the routing around Boston with me staring out the window trying to see the Colonial things amidst the skyscrapers! How disappointing. I have read about and looked through many pictures of the place and feel I know the place a bit and wish I knew it a lot better...!

Even though I usually "hear" people's postings in my own accent, I "hear" yours in Your and Polly's Bahstin accent which is like no other...*grin*

Polly has a great story about her first tour at the Arizona Memorial, which of course is a very somber park. She actually had the audience laughing from her accent...what a way to start a new job! If you ever do come to Boston, remember you can't "Pahk the cah in Hahvahd Yahd". :-)

Today's installment of "The Daily Dig"... Cellucci supports Kerasiotes, Big Dig Governor calls troubled project well managed By Frank Phillips, Globe Staff, 2/25/2000 Governor Paul Cellucci yesterday stood firmly behind James J. Kerasiotes, his embattled Big Dig chief, and said the $12.2 billion project has been well managed and has made ''remarkable'' progress toward completion. Standing next to Kerasiotes at a press conference to demonstrate support for the project, Cellucci and his aides also brushed aside reports that private contractors had unfairly profited from the Big Dig, contending that the project, the biggest public works undertaking in the country, has been free of serious corruption. ''From everything I have seen ... the construction has been a very well-managed process,'' said Cellucci. Cellucci's comments came as federal auditors were set to arrive in Boston today to review the finances of the Central Artery/Tunnel project, which has been engulfed in controversy since Kerasiotes announced $1.4 billion in cost overruns earlier this month. At the press conference, Kerasiotes indicated that he is intent on seeing the project through to the end. ''My mission is to finish this job,'' said Kerasiotes, the chairman of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. But the Big Dig chief, who for years had insisted that the price tag on the project would not exceed $10.8 billion, also said that the last few months have taught him he should not offer a ''lead pipe guarantee'' that costs would not climb higher. Kerasiotes said other unknowns could drive up costs again. But he said that the project will be 90 percent complete by next year and that there will be fewer unknown factors. Over the last several years, Cellucci and Kerasiotes have insisted that the project would be completed on budget at $10.8 billion and on time. The disclosure of the $1.4 billion overrun in the project has strained relations between Cellucci and Kerasiotes. Administration sources said Cellucci was angry over the way Kerasiotes and his aides handled the release of the information and believes it has been politically damaging. In particular, the governor was upset that he was not more fully informed when he and other state officials met in December with bond-rating firms in New York, the sources said. In addition, Kerasiotes was forced to apologize recently to the governor after the Wall Street Journal quoted him as making disparaging remarks about gubernatorial aides and saying that Cellucci was afraid of him. Kerasiotes said the comments were not intended for publication. Yesterday, Kerasiotes acknowledged he had mismanaged the release of the deficit figures, saying that ''events got out in front of us.'' ''Something very bad happened,'' Kerasiotes said. ''We got ourselves in the middle of a controversy about information. We weren't trying to sneak anybody ... We were trying to be accurate in our presentation. We didn't want to speculate. We didn't want to be irresponsible.'' Big Dig officials are now facing questions over whether they covered up the cost overruns last fall, when they knew that the project was at least $500 million over budget but failed to inform bond underwriters. The US Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether inaccurate information was included in state bond offerings late last year. A Boston Globe Spotlight Report yesterday disclosed that project director Patrick J. Moynihan assured bond underwriters last September that there were no overruns, despite internal reports in June that the project was $500 million over budget. Project managers insist that they did not mislead anyone and that they had counted on savings to offset the contract increases. They say it was not until a thorough review was completed early this year that the $1.4 billion deficit was calculated. Cellucci's comments yesterday came as he, along with businessmen, allies, and even some of his critics from labor unions, joined to press their case that the project is critical to the region's economy and that its management has been competent. ''This is not an issue to politicize,'' said Robert Haynes, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, a frequent Cellucci critic who led an energized labor effort to defeat him in 1998. ''It needs a team effort,'' Haynes said. Underscoring the project's economic benefits, Cellucci announced yesterday that the unemployment rate in January fell to 2.9 percent, its lowest level in 30 years. The governor said he is confident that federal transportation officials who review the project will conclude it has been well managed. The team from the Federal Highway Administration is expected to remain here for two weeks. This story ran on page A01 of the Boston Globe on 2/25/2000. � Copyright 2000 Globe Newspaper Company.

There are lots of Colonial-era historic sites in Boston, but you can't see 'em from I-95 (aka Rt 128) which routes around Boston. Maybe from I-93, while it still cuts through Boston above ground. Oh well, back to work...

Polly gave the intro on my first visit to the Arizona Memorial, and her "Pearl Hahbuh" for Pearl Harbor made is all giggle. She smiled and went on with her narration and we were totally disarmed. David did the intro on the second trip and he tripped up the stairs then said it was because his mom was in the audience. He got a chuckle and I got a little applause. That place is full of fond memories as well as the somber ones which the entire place evokes.

Couldn't see'um all those years ago, either. I am sure things have gotten worse rather than better from that perspective! Sounds like the Big Dig is in your back pockets more than any place else!!!

Public digests restaurants' low scores Results of Hub inspections on Web By Bruce Mohl, Globe Staff, 3/17/2000 With the help of a new city-sponsored Web site, consumers yesterday got to peek behind the kitchen doors of some of Boston's top restaurants to see what city health inspectors see. What they found was surprising. Some of the city's most prominent dining establishments and hotels didn't fare well on surprise health inspections, the results of which are posted at http://www.mayorsfoodcourt.com. The Four Seasons Hotel, which features the five-diamond Aujourd'hui restaurant, garnered only 60 out of a possible 100 points in a Feb. 17 inspection, although the hotel said the Web site was in error and that its score was actually 70. Other low scorers were the Ritz-Carlton hotel (61), the Marriott Long Wharf Hotel (66), the Bostonian Hotel (69), No. 9 Park (70), and the Marliave Restaurant (65). The austere Harvard Club on Commonwealth Avenue rated a 59, as did the more raucous Hooter's on Portland Street. None of the restaurants or hotels with low scores was closed, even temporarily. They were all given the chance to correct the problems, and they all scored near 100 on follow-up inspections. In the past, members of the public would never see the scores of surprise inspections unless they took the trouble to file a Freedom of Information Act request with the city and wade through paper files on each restaurant. That all changed Wednesday, when the Inspectional Services Department began posting scores from inspections carried out in January and February on the new Web site. Yesterday, several consumers said they had reservations about certain aspects of the Web site, but loved having access to the information. Some said it would probably influence where they eat. ''Obviously, I would rather go to a place that is consistently high and has no volatility in inspection grades. That volatility means somebody isn't paying attention,'' said Robert Haddleton of Norfolk, who said he would check out a restaurant on the Web site before going to Boston to eat out. ''Yikes'' was all Geoffrey Kent of Beacon Hill had to say when he learned the Burger King on Tremont street got a 65 on its Feb. 25 inspection. But the Massachusetts Restaurant Association and some state food safety officials have raised concerns that the scores, and the brief, generic explanations of violations that accompany them, may be misconstrued. ''I just hope the consumer is able to interpret the information,'' said Priscilla Neves, a food safety specialist with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The Four Seasons Hotel's managers said the score from its recent inspection doesn't tell the whole story. According to the city Web site, the hotel scored 60, with four critical violations. Inspectors say critical violations have ''the potential for danger to the public health.'' Matthias Kiehm, executive assistant manager at the hotel, said two of the critical violations - a dented can in the kitchen and the use of an unmarked spray bottle for olive oil - were corrected immediately, raising the score by 10 points. Another critical violation, Kiehm said, was incurred when access to a hand-washing sink was temporarily blocked by a portable rack used to transport food. He said the fourth critical violation - poor hygiene practices by employees - occurred when a chef prepared one meal and failed to wash his hands before preparing the next one. ''I think these violations were minor,'' Kiehm said. ''We take hygiene and sanitation at this hotel to another level.'' Eric Gilberg, manager of the Harvard Club on Commonwealth Avenue, said he was disappointed by the score of 59 his club received. His management team corrected all the problems immediately, he said, and patrons should have no concerns about eating there. Not every restaurant fared poorly. Jimmy's Harborside on the waterfront and Farragut House in South Boston posted perfect 100s. Locke-Ober rebounded from a 65 in November to score a 95, and the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel rated a 90. Rusty Russell, who lives in Cambridge and works at the Conservation Law Foundation downtown, said the violation explanations on the Web site are full of jargon and scores aren't placed in any context. ''The site has the look and feel of something negotiated among a gaggle of bureaucrats, an overpaid private Web designer, and the lobbyists of the food services industry,'' he said. As for context, he said: ''It might be nice to have a color-coded bar that is divided into good, acceptable, not acceptable, risk zone, shutdown, or ptomaine pit.'' The city has steered away from such editorial comments. It does disclose whether a restaurant is shut down, a relatively rare occurrence. It also says most restaurants score between 85 and 95 on initial inspections, but it doesn't provide a grading curve or explain exactly what a lower score means. ''A low score tells you they're sloppy, but the question is `Are they going to be sloppy the day I'm there?' Did they catch them on a bad day?'' asked Kent. Kent said the function that lets the public search for restaurants - by name or neighborhood - has some bugs and would be particularly difficult for tourists to use. He noted there are no neighborhood listings for Beacon Hill, Chinatown, or the North End, and some restaurants are listed incorrectly. City officials have indicated they might stop assigning inspection scores once the state adopts a new sanitation code this summer. But state officials say nothing would prevent Boston from continuing the scoring. The new sanitation code will revise inspection forms, require every restaurant to have an employee trained in food-handling procedures, bar bare-handed contact with ready-to-eat food, and require restaurants to disclose to patrons if there is any raw or undercooked food on the menu. This story ran on page A01 of the Boston Globe on 3/17/2000. � Copyright 2000 Globe Newspaper Company.

Geez Louise! This should be posted in the Food conference! And, I was eating lunch.

...wish we could get some input from someone in the business....

I'm from Boston, live in Attleboro, MA and LOVE Boston. It has its charm and we don't try to sound like we're from England, they try to sound like they're from Boston! (MA) that is;)

Got that right, Laura! I don't know how anyone could compare a Boston accent to a British accent; they sound *nothing* alike to me. I heard a radio show (on NPR) that said the current English accent was adopted *after* the colonies were formed. I don't know if it's true, but it would explain why we speak so differently in the US than in the UK. I thought the food article was interesting, but some of the "critical violations" sounded minor to me.

Sounds are nothing alike judging by three travels to all corners of Britain and housing two Bostonian ladies =) I thought they were major until I read what the infractions entailed.

Haven't logged in for a while, but here's the latest on the Big Dig. Kerasiotes finally had to face the music after the federal audit! Don't know why Cellucci didn't fire him a few months back. There's more info at http://www.boston.com/news/daily/11/bigdig_report.htm Cellucci fired Kerasiotes after US says it was betrayed on overruns Bid Dig finish vowed; Natsios takes the reins By Tina Cassidy and Bob Hohler, Globe Staff, 4/12/2000 WASHINGTON - Governor Paul Cellucci yesterday fired James J. Kerasiotes moments after the nation's top highway official accused the Big Dig chief of engaging in an ''unconscionable'' betrayal of the federal government by ''intentionally'' concealing the project's soaring cost overruns that could reach $2 billion. However, transportation authorities, while acknowledging the price tag is now approaching $14 billion, vowed to complete construction of the costliest roadway in the country even as they face continued pressure from a congressional watchdog to suspend the funding. US Transportation Department officials, citing a ''breach of trust'' by the state, made clear that a new management team on the Big Dig is needed to repair the damaged relationship with Massachusetts. In one of the most dramatic twists in the 16-year project history, Cellucci rushed from a tense private briefing with Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater and the state's congressional delegation to a private anteroom where he phoned Kerasiotes and demanded his resignation. Cellucci, in a news conference afterward, said Andrew Natsios, his administration and finance secretary, will replace Kerasiotes as the state struggles to resolve the fiscal crisis. ''It's important we open the doors and open the windows'' of accountability, Cellucci said of his decision to fire Kerasiotes. ''For the Federal Highway Administration to conclude that it was an intentional withholding of information, that's pretty serious ... In a democracy, you can't do that,'' Cellucci said. The firing followed Slater's release of a stinging audit that accused the Big Dig manager of ''repeatedly and deliberately'' failing to disclose the exorbitant overruns, causing ''one of the most flagrant breaches of the integrity of the federal-state partnership in the history of the nearly 85-year-old federal-aid highway program.'' Less than 10 weeks after Kerasiotes said the Big Dig's cost would not exceed $10.8 billion, the 48-page federal report concluded that the price could approach $13.6 billion. Slater, in the private briefing with Cellucci and the 12-member congressional delegation, acknowledged the total cost could reach $14 billion, after inflation and lawsuits are taken into account. Slater, acting on an investigation by auditors clearly furious that the Federal Highway Administration's regional office was kept in the dark by Kerasiotes about the cost overruns, issued 34 recommendations that will impose unusual scrutiny on the project's management and spending. Also, Slater made future federal highway spending in Massachusetts contingent on the state spreading funds to other road and bridge repairs far from the Big Dig. He also said ''no one is blameless as it relates to this effort,'' including the Federal Highway Administration, which he said became too cozy with the project. Peter Markle, the federal regional highway administrator, has already been replaced. But Slater did implicate Kerasiotes for ''intentionally withholding knowledge'' of overruns, which he first disclosed on Feb. 1 to have reached $1.4 billion. Auditors said that figure could reach $1.9 billion. The report also labeled the Massachusetts Highway Department and the Turnpike Authority as ''high-risk'' recipients of federal funds, which could make it more difficult for the state to get federal transportation aid in the future. And the report calls for the project's management consultant, Bechtel and Parsons-Brinckerhoff, to explain whether the company raised questions about the skyrocketing costs. US Representative Frank Wolf, a Virginia Republican who chairs the House appropriations panel that controls transportation spending, called the findings ''deeply disturbing'' and urged Slater ''to suspend federal participation in the Central Artery project at this time.'' But Slater said he intends to see the project is completed. And Senator John F. Kerry said he received assurance from another potentially powerful foe of the Big Dig, Senator John McCain, the Arizona Republican who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, that he would not turn the project into ''a political football.'' Project director Patrick Moynihan, whom Kerasiotes called on to do a top-to-bottom review of the Big Dig's soaring costs, appeared to be safe in his position for now, though Natsios has the power to remove him and would not respond to questions yesterday about project personnel. It was Moynihan who projected the $1.4 billion in overruns. Kerasiotes, who has been unusually subdued the past few days, was ''deeply upset'' by the governor's call, aides said. In a resignation letter to Cellucci, Kerasiotes wrote: ''I am saddened and disappointed at this turn of events... I believe when the final reckoning is made, my record will stand as a solid one in service to the people of the Commonwealth.'' Although Cellucci praised Kerasiotes for taking the ''engineering marvel'' to nearly two-thirds completion, he, too, blamed Kerasiotes for failing to disclose the overruns. ''In his zeal to complete the project,'' Cellucci said of Kerasiotes, he ''sacrificed'' his fundamental obligation to report the whopping budget overruns to state and federal authorities. ''That simply cannot stand.'' The nearly two-hour meeting in Representative J. Joseph Moakley's Capitol Hill office unfolded like a case study in diplomacy involving a Republican governor, a Cabinet secretary, and a dozen Democratic members of Congress. Cellucci sat with his hands folded. Slater generally played the role of conciliator, though he quickly and forcefully rebutted Cellucci when the governor attempted to argue that the overruns might not be as high as the report estimates, according to several people who attended the meeting. In addition, Slater agreed with Kerry that the final cost of the project could reach $14 billion if contingencies such as inflation, lawsuits, and environmental costs are factored in. At another point, Cellucci responded to concern from delegation members that the Big Dig was jeopardizing funding for road and bridge projects across the state by saying, ''The Big Dig is like El Nino. Everybody is blaming it for why the roads and bridges aren't getting done.'' When the meeting was over, the governor pushed away from the conference table and retreated to a private area to use the telephone as a state trooper stood guard. One call went to Natsios, asking him to take over the project. One went to Lieutenant Governor Jane M. Swift. And then the call went to Kerasiotes, whose brash management style created many enemies. ''It was a difficult phone call to make,'' Cellucci said afterward. ''He was expecting a call. I think he was hoping for a different outcome.'' Kerasiotes was removed as chairman of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, the position under state law that includes oversight of the Central Artery project. Cellucci said he selected Natsios to take over the job because of his reputation as a hard-liner whose penny-pinching ways are legendary on Beacon Hill. It was unclear last night who would replace Natsios as the state's top budget director. Members of the congressional delegation supported Kerasiotes's firing. ''It's the right decision,'' Senator Edward M. Kennedy said. Kerry said the review's findings were as critical to successfully completing the project as was the change in Big Dig leadership. ''The report is the first step in helping to restore confidence in this process,'' Kerry said. ''The governor has taken the second important step.'' Still, Kerry said, the overruns ''are going to hit all of us in the pocketbook.'' One plan to close the funding gap that already passed the House in Massachusetts would use driver's license fees and reinstate car registration fees to help borrow up to $1.7 billion. Surplus cash could fund statewide road and bridge programs. The federal audit essentially rejected the governor's own cash and borrowing plan to pay for the overruns because it does not set aside funds for other transportation projects. Cellucci argued that point, saying the state was already spending $600 million on statewide infrastructure. This story ran on page A01 of the Boston Globe on 4/12/2000.

Well, they got rid of the Greek connection and washed their hands so as not to sling any more mud than necessary. Has the unfortunate successor been chosen? Not a job for which I would rush to apply!

Andrew Natsios, Cellucci's administration and finance secretary, got the job. He's supposed to be a tight-fisted, fiscal conservative. Reportedly he didn't want the job. (Who could blame him?) Sounds like another Greek... According to some reports, Kerasiotes started out well and actually kept costs down, but eventually got too arrogant and wouldn't listen to the reports of cost overruns. Most likely that old "absolute power corrupts absolutely" thing...

Just as long as this new Greek comes bearing the Gifts of management and responsibility and not those who would destroy further... New Brroms sweep clean, and all that, you know. Good luck, Boston!

Thanks! Natsios has already started cleaning house, so here's hoping... Since the Boston Marathon is next Monday, here are some links. You can even take a virtual tour of the route. http://www.bostonmarathon.org http://www.boston.com/marathon/course Here are some links with Patriot's Day info, and other local history: Minuteman National Park, http://www.nps.gov/mima Lexington Historical Society, http://www.lexingtonhistory.org Concord Museum, http://www.concordmuseum.org Musuem of Our National Heritage, http://www.mnh.org Alcott House, http://www.louisamayalcott.org Thoreau Society, http://www.walden.org Walden Pond, http://www.state.ma.us/dem/parks/wldn.htm

We have had the Honolulu Marathon (December, I think) so it will be nice to see how yours does. Btw, I am guessing you are going to have to miss participating this year, yes?! Your's is the oldest (of the modern ones, that is), is it not?

O.k. boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen and anybody left over... some of you know me from my infrequent 'drop-ins' over the years, some of you wouldn't know me if I was standing right in front of you. Despite that I have something I'd like to tell you about... something I'm doing that I think is pretty incredible... something I need the Spring's help, your help, to do. I�m writing because in a few months, I�ll be participating in very powerful event to help fight the battle against AIDS. In September 2000, I�ll take three days out of my life to ride a bicycle 275 miles from Boston to New York with over 3,000 other people in an event called Boston-New York AIDSRide 6. We�re riding to raise money for the HIV/AIDS-related services of Fenway Community Health in Boston. We hope to raise more than $5 million for individuals living with AIDS, and important AIDS prevention programs. I�ve agreed to raise at least $1,700 in pledges between now and the beginning of the Ride on September 15th. I need your help. Would you please make a pledge to help me meet my goal? Please keep in mind how far I�m riding, the commitment I�ve made and how long I�ll have to train for this event. Between now and the date of the Ride, I will log 50 to 150 miles per week on my bicycle � I�m probably in the saddle right now! Make out a check, today if you can. Make it payable to "Boston-New York AIDSRide 6" and mail it to: Gena Ratcliff, 16 Balmoral St #111, Andover MA 01810. When I receive it, I will fill out a pledge form in your name and submit it with your check. Remember, all contributions are tax deductible. Thanks for listening... and thank you in advance for your generousity

Sorry, forgot to post the results of the Boston Marathon: Men's (wheelchair): Franz Nietlispach, 1:33:32 Women's (wheelchair): Jean Driscoll, 2:00:52 Men's (foot): Elijah Lagat, 2:09:47 Womens's (foot): Catherine Ndereba, 2:26:11 You that right, Marcia...I have never run the marathon, and don't plan to. Seems like a form of self-torture. When I used to get the day off, I watched the marathon from the sidelines and cheered 'em on, though. It was amazing to see a "sea of humanity" running along the route. I think the Boston Marathon is the oldest city marathon. According to the web page, the first running was in 1897, and was inspired by the first marathon of the modern Olympics in 1896.

I've been informed that the Greater Boston Flute Association url that I posted earlier has moved, and is now at http://www.gbfa.org/

I wondered where they had gone! (There is a Greater Boston Flute Association?!)

Since I know Marcia has been watching the Tall Ships on TV (probably has seen more of the coverage than I have, since I've been stuck at work), I thought I'd post a couple of links: http://www.sailboston.com http://www.boston.com http://www.whdh.com/sailboston/

They began the last leg of the tall ships race today, did they not? That must have been something to see!