T Stop Tuesday!

Every Tuesday we will now be talking a little bit about a T stop and all the fun things to do around it. We will be starting with Central Square, seeing as it is home to Boston Life.

Central Square is located on the red line heading outbound of the city and towards Harvard University. One of the most noticeable things about Central Square is Cambridge City Hall. On May 17, 2004, shortly after midnight, the first legal applications in the United States for marriage licenses for same-sex couples were issued at Cambridge City Hall. At 9:15 a.m. that day, the Cambridge City Clerk began solemnizing same-sex marriages. Central Square is also known for its wide variety of ethnic restaurants, churches, bars, and live music and theatre venues. One of Boston Life’s personal favorites is 1369 Coffee House. With all sorts of different drinks, flavors, and treats this is one place we recommend. The Central Square Farmers Market also happens every Monday where you can get fresh fruit/veggies. Rodney’s Bookstore is also somewhat of a hidden gem. They specialize in used and rare books. Another popular place is Tavern in the Square, a restaurant and bar. Many people watch sports games or get brunch or dinner here. Central Square has a lot to offer, so get out there and see what else you can find!

Local Needham Olympian

Aly Raisman’s hometown cheers on her performance in London as the 18-year old competes in the summer olympics. Enthusiasm for Aly Raisman has been building since she earned a spot on the American team in June. Raisman is not only a member of the team but also the team captain. She says the event that shows her personality best is the floor. At last year’s world championships, Jordyn Wieber (team mate and friend of Raisman) won the all-around gold while Raisman took bronze on the floor exercise. She totaled 60.391 points overall Sunday in women’s team qualifying, landing a spot in the all-around competition with the second-highest score. Tonight the U.S. will need her to be steady if it is to beat the Russians, Chinese, Romanians and British, who all finished in the top five in the team competition, for the gold. Raisman’s parents have also recently been in the news for their anxious moments during her routines, which is not all that surprising. There are many people pulling for Raisman, so stay tuned tonight to see what happens!

Cape Cod restaurant releases giant lobster

What would you do if you caught a 21-pound lobster? While many of you might use it to make a nice dinner, the staff of Cap’n Elmer’s restaurant on Cape Cod have other ideas. The gargantuan lobster was caught off of Nauset Beach in Orleans, and has since been on display in the restaurant. Initially, the restaurant held a drawing for customers to take the lobster home. However, after voiced concern from the customers, the restaurant decided not to “allow the future of this noble lobster to be determined by chance.”

The drawing is still happening, but now the winner has a choice between 21 pounds of smaller lobsters or helping with the release of the giant lobster. The release is even for a good cause; the proceeds from the drawing will go to the Dana Faber Cancer Research Institute in Boston. So if you ever happen to catch a giant lobster, remember that it can do more good than you would think. Read more here.

Boston teenagers attend Break-Up summit

Break-ups are very difficult to deal with, especially for young people. Thankfully, Boston’s Public Health Commission has partnered with several local service agencies to provide advice to teens who have recently been through a break-up. As stories continue to surface about teens who have handled break-ups unhealthily–including an incident last year where a high school boy broke his hand out of anger–this program is a breath of fresh air. About 250 teenagers attended the seminar yesterday (7/26) at Simmons College, where advice was given so as to steer the students away from nuisance and violent behavior post-break-up. The good idea is widespread, as well: there are similar seminars organized in 11 other US cities, which are collectively called Start Strong. With all of the issues that teens today have to deal with, it’s comforting to know that there are resources that they can turn to in times of need. Read more here.

Chick-Fil-A Controversy

Recently in Boston there has been a lot of controversy over the fast food restaurant Chick-Fil-A. A few months ago, Chick-Fil-A was a possible contendor for one of the new restaurants at Northeastern University. However, once this was brought public many people, including the LGBT community, made strong arguments against it. The company has recently been critisized in the media for its support against same sex marriage. Northeastern University ended up not allowing the company to come to campus. Now Chick-Fil-A has its eyes on another site for Boston. This location would be in the North End. But because of recent comments made by Chick-Fil-A COO Dan Cathy, about gay marriage, Menino has told the fast food chain to keep out. Chick-Fil-A released a statement saying it, “Treats every person with honor, dignity and respect — regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender.” It will be interesting to see how this plays out and if the restaurant ends up coming to Boston. What do you think?

Rare mosquito-transmitted disease found in Massachusetts

According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Eastern Equine Encephalitis has been found in mosquitos in Canton. EEE, while a rare virus, is a very dangerous one. Most people who are infected show no signs of illness, but those with severe cases (in which inflammation of the brain occurs) experience headache, high fever, chills, and vomiting. Following this may include disorientation, coma, or seizures. The disease has a 33% mortality rate.

While EEE is hard to treat because of the variety of symptoms, the town of Canton has taken measures to nip this epidemic in the bud. Threat levels were raised in Canton and surrounding towns, and spraying–including aerial spraying–has intensified. Of course, you can protect yourself from mosquitos by wearing insect repellent and protective clothing, as well as staying inside during times when mosquitos are most active. If you’re still paranoid, it’s important to note that there hasn’t been a documented human case of EEE this year so far. Read more about it here.

Hubway’s First Birthday Party!

Tonight, Tuesday July 24, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Hubway will be celebrating their first birthday. Hubway was created in order to have an easy way for people to use bicycles around the city. Anyone and everyone is invited to this event which will include live music, food, and fun inside the “Let’s Talk About Bikes” exhibit at BSA’s Space (290 Congress St). There will be a short presentation by Mayor Menino at 6:00 so make sure you get there early. This event is free and a great way to see what people are doing, saying, and working on in this area of our city. The exhibit will talk about all the new ways bike sharing has affected our communities and will also investigate themes of production, use and impact. This will surely be an interesting event not to be missed!

MLS gets a boost from European soccer clubs

Even though soccer is often called “the world’s favorite sport,” it has traditionally failed to gain momentum in America, where sports like American football and baseball thrive. However, this may change soon as far as Boston is concerned. England’s Liverpool FC, a very respected football club, will play an exhibition match this Wednesday at Fenway Park against AS Roma. The excitement for the game is building, with many American Liverpool fans counting down until they see their favorite team play. But the fans aren’t the only ones excited by the surge in soccer’s popularity.

America’s soccer league, Major League Soccer (MLS), has traditionally not garnered a huge following. But those who are fans of MLS are a very striking demographic. “The soccer audience is the youngest, most affluent, most educated audience in cable television compared to other sports on cable television,” says David Nathanson, EVP of Fox Soccer. “The median age of a Fox Soccer viewer is in the early 30s, the average household income of a Fox Soccer viewer is $90,000, which skews extremely high compared to the US population, obviously, and they’re educated.” Additionally, in 2009 10% of US soccer fans were expatriates. However, the percentage is now around 5%. With exhibition matches in the US becoming bigger and bigger events, it’s no wonder that soccer is even closer to being the world’s sport. Read more here.

New app detects potholes

Boston officials are currently testing an app that could make driving in New England more bearable. The app, called Street Bump, aims to detect potholes and alert city officials to them. It works by using a smartphone’s motion-detecting features. When a pothole is hit, a report is automatically sent to city officials. The bumps caused by running over, say, manhole covers are ruled out using a series of algorithms.
With potholes being a large part of life in the northeast, the app is garnering interest in cities other than Boston. The idea is becoming so popular that Boston plans to release the code by the end of summer so that other developers can tweak it to fit their city. I think people are really interested in the concept,” said Nigel Jacob, co-chairman of the Boston Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics.
“Right now, the feedback we’ve gotten is … `Very interesting app, how do we use it in our city?”‘ Street Bump is currently available in the iTunes store. Read more about it here.

Dark Knight Rises

In 2005 the first Batman, “Batman Begins”, of the Christopher Nolan trilogy was released. Seven years later, and the final movie is here. “Dark Knight Rises” will premiere tomorrow, Friday the 20th. Gotham City has settled into a sustained peace, just as Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) seems to have disappeared into exile. The people of the city remain under the impression that Batman is a thug who murdered their beloved district attorney Harvey Dent, a lie told by Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman). The newest character introduced in this film is Catwoman (Anne Hathaway). Hathaway will certainly be an interesting add to the mix. Most of the reviews so far tend to be positive and have some promise. Will Batman be able to protect the city once again from a new villan even though he is viewed as an enemy?