The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has just gotten quite a bit of company: As many as 6,600 graves at the country’s hallowed Arlington National Cemetery for fallen U.S. service members may be mislabeled, one lawmaker said on Thursday.Julian Assange, founder of the website that published more than 91,000 secret U.S. military reports from Afghanistan, says he’s revealing injustices. President Barack Obama says he’s concerned that disclosure of sensitive information may harm military operations.Subletting in NYC typically involves some kind of covert transaction. Try to find a budget traveler who hasn’t enjoyed the risk of Craigslist’s lease-free rentals. But thanks to a bill Gov. David Paterson signed into law last Friday, renting an apartment for less than 30 days isn’t kosher. Fortunately, there’s a saving grace for those in search of short-term living: Jersey City.Unless the locals covered you in meatballs and sang “Nessun Dorma” upon arrival, this vacation could hardly be more Italian. For this is a “Vespa vacation” — a two-wheeled tour of the nooks and crannies, the winding back roads and the off-the-beaten-track hidden gems of breathtaking Umbria, a beautiful region located in Central Italy.Telling Liris Crosse that she can’t do something might be a guarantee she will try.Around the corner from the marquee that bears the name of one of Hollywood’s founding fathers, Marcus Loew, and adjacent to one of Boston’s oldest cinemas, the newly restored Paramount, BiNA Osteria’s Cinema Italiano brings benchmark Italian movies (with English subtitles) to Downtown Crossing. Pair, say, Fellini’s masterful three-hour stunner “La Dolce Vita” with BiNA’s Cinema Italiano three-course prix fixe ($35). Or choose the inky black seafood risotto ($23), which is as dark and decadent as the film’s finale. Next up: “Johnny Stecchio.”Although facts on the famed Clinton-Mezvinsky wedding, which is rumored to happen this weekend, are tighter than Hillary Clinton’s smile, some details have leaked out. Sources report that groom Marc Mezvinsky has “hurt” his father’s family by not inviting them to the wedding (Ed Mezvinsky pleaded guilty in 2002 to swindling investors out of $10 million.School is in session at Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots kicked off their 2010 training camp Thursday.As the clock ticks down to baseball’s trading deadline, the Red Sox don’t appear close to making any splashy moves. Deals can, and often do, come together at the last minute, however, so fans will wait on tenterhooks.
BOSTON. A panel of nationally recognized scientists found that a federal review of the safety of the controversial Boston University biolab did not thoroughly analyze the risks to the South End community where it is being built.
The study, by the highly respected National Research Council, discredits the federal government’s draft risk assessment of the lab, which found it posed no threat to the densely populated community. The study called the assessment incomplete and insufficient in determining the affect the facility will have on the inner-city population.
This revelation adds serious momentum to the neighborhood’s four-year fight to stop the project.
“This is a great vindication to the residents,” said Laura Maslow-Armand, a staff attorney with the Lawyers committee for Civil Rights under Law, one of the attorneys representing several groups fighting the lab. “If you don’t have the risk adequately analyzed, it’s discriminatory — it’s a violation of the civil rights of the community.”
The NRC study, which was released yesterday, claims the initial assessment done by the National Institutes of Health was “not sound and credible” and did not adequately identify, nor thoroughly develop, worst-case scenarios for the release and spread of a pathogen.
The NRC study was commissioned by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs after a state judge earlier this year ordered a further review of the project. There are currently both state and federal lawsuits pending to halt the lab construction.
The Executive Office of Environmental Affairs has a large say in whether the biolab, which will test the most dangerous pathogens in the world, such as Ebola and anthrax, will be given the green light. The $200 million lab is halfway complete and is largely funded by the NIH as part of the Bush administration’s national effort to fight bioterrorism.
The study released yesterday only commented on NIH’s draft risk assessment. The scientists involved in the study did not determine whether or not the lab is safe for the community. NIH and Boston University are expected to release a final report to the court.
Ian Bowles, the state secretary of environmental affairs, said yesterday he hopes this latest NRC study will be useful to NIH in preparing their final report.
NIH released a statement yesterday saying it will consider the comments by the NRC.
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In the July MMMpod, Young Veins talk about breaking away from Panic! at the Disco, Keith Lockhart talks about Buckwheat Zydeco throwing the Boston Pops for a loop, Zooey Deschanel talks about how Roy Orbison inspired a She & Him song, Derek Miller of Sleigh Bells talks about how awesome Funkadelic is, and we talk about how awesome Jimmy Cliff is, who in turn talks about Sam Cooke and divine intervention. An explosive show for July! Oh yeah, and we also test your knowledge of America songs in the MMMPod medley.