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.
They say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
I’m running because the way we do business in City Hall is broken, and we need to change it. Right now all the power of city government is concentrated in the office of the mayor. And we have a mayor who has been there for 16 years. This makes City Hall a place where innovative ideas go to die.
Cities worldwide are introducing innovations in city government — like 311 systems for non-emergency calls — that are attracting businesses and making life easier for their residents. But Boston is getting left behind.
As mayor, I would undertake a comprehensive overhaul of the way the city does business by creating a series of checks and balances, establishing terms limits, initiating campaign finance reform, and opening up community planning.
The last time the city’s constitution, or “charter,” was changed in a major way was 1909. It has literally been 100 years since the balance of power in City Hall has been evaluated. We need to have more power sharing to create a better system of checks and balances.
To ensure that new ideas flourish in city government, we need to institute term limits on the mayor’s office. If eight years is good enough for the president of the United States, it’s good enough for the mayor of Boston. And it will ensure that an open seat for mayor appears more often than Haley’s comet.
In order to have fair and competitive elections, we need campaign finance reform. Fifteen cities across the country have changed their finance laws to make elections more fundamentally fair. I will work to limit the campaign funds elected officials can carry over from one campaign to the next, and cap donations from city workers and individuals who do business with the city. These reforms will end the pay-to-play culture of City Hall and help to stop incumbents from amassing huge war chests.
And we must eliminate the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA). We need a comprehensive city-planning agency that is accountable to the public, not just the developers and the mayor.
In this mayoral election, it’s not enough to change the mayor. We need a mayor who will change the system. That is why I am asking for your vote on Sept. 22.
– Sam Yoon is an at-large City Councilor and a mayoral candidate for the city off Boston
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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.