He is leaving you well-positioned to rebound from an unprecedented pandemic while imploring people to continue to fight racism, at least that is what the Globe said he said in his victory lap farewell address to Boston before he joins the Biden administration.
The rhetoric is often soaring, the pledges copious, and the hailing of accomplishments extensive, and the controversies and shortcomings of Boston and City Hall are either ignored, glossed over, or framed as things that either have already been overcome or surely will be at some point in the future after a hellish year that saw an unprecedented pandemic disrupt daily life, take the lives of more than 1,000 city residents, and dent the local economy in ways large and small.
The question now is can Boston become a ‘winter city’?
"Can Boston become a ‘winter city’?; How a ‘winter placemaking’ plan could help communities and businesses get through the dark season ahead" by Janelle Nanos Globe Staff, December 18, 2020
With temperatures dropping, COVID-19 cases surging, and a vaccine still months away from the public at large, there’s little doubt that a dark winter is ahead for the Commonwealth, but in a series of new efforts, cities like Worcester, Salem, and North Adams are trying to counter that darkness with light.
That is when I shut off the light.
The cities are part of a pilot program from the Barr Foundation that is funding light installations, fire pits, and other outdoor “activations” to draw visitors to their downtowns even as the mercury drops. The concept is called winter placemaking, and the benefits are numerous: keeping citizens active rather than camped out on the couch, promoting mental health in anxious times, and providing an economic boost to local businesses.
Now, some Boston business owners are wondering, why not us?
After all, hearty Canadians dine and play outside year-round, and Scandinavians counter their soul-crushing subzero winters with an entire mindset: hygge, or the notion of getting cozy with the ones you love.
They aren't allowed outside now:
"Canada’s most populous province has imposed a stay-at-home order as coronavirus cases surge, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Tuesday. The order that takes effect Thursday grants exemptions for essential workers and activities such as health care or shopping for groceries. Police will be able to issue tickets for violations. Adalsteinn Brown, co-chair of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, said that the province of 14.5 million people could see more than 20,000 new confirmed coronavirus infections a day by the middle of next month unless it curbs the infection rate. Ontario reported 2,903 new confirmed infections on Tuesday, including eight new cases of a variant from the United Kingdom that is feared to be more contagious than the original strain....."
Total crock of scite since they never isolated the first one.
They think people are stupid and still believe their lies.
It is ALL a SCRIPT, folks, one they drew up long, long ago!
Related:
"Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shuffled his Cabinet on Tuesday and made the first Canadian to soar into space his foreign minister. Former astronaut Marc Garneau moves from the role as transport minister while François-Philippe Champagne, who became foreign minister in November 2019, moves to minister of innovation, science and industry. Omar Alghabra becomes transport minister. “Be it on earth or in space, Marc has always represented Canada well,” Trudeau said. Navdeep Bains, who was minister of innovation, science and industry, has decided not to run in the next election. Trudeau has said important Cabinet positions should be held by ministers who intend to be around for the long haul and who can sell the government’s agenda during the next election campaign. Trudeau’s Liberal Party won reelection in 2019 but does not have a majority of seats in Parliament and must rely on at least one opposition party to remain in power, so it needs to remain positioned for a potential quick election. Trudeau said he would prefer not to have an election until after most Canadians are vaccinated, making a spring election unlikely..... "
It's a CANADIAN PURGE as the deck chairs are rearranged, and one begins to wonder if there will ever be meaningful elections again.
Also see:
Back to the descending pit that is Bo$ton:
Amid a continuing global health crisis, there’s a growing chorus calling for Boston to become more of a “winter city.”
“We need a change in mindset,” said Mary Skelton Roberts, co-director of Climate for the Barr Foundation, who oversaw the distribution of the winter placemaking grants (the Barr Foundation also supports the Globe’s education reporting). “There’s no excuse, honestly, for Boston not to embrace this if they really are about supporting small businesses and providing outlets for people during COVID. Winterizing the city is something they have to take seriously,” and doing that safely is paramount, of course.
OMFG!!!!!
“The whole concept of placemaking is brilliant and a great way to make cities more livable and to fight social isolation,” said Dr. Philip Landrigan, an epidemiologist and director of the Global Public Health Program at Boston College. While bullish on the concept, he underscored the need to maintain social distance and limit crowds, particularly as we weather another COVID surge: “If we can engineer some winter placemaking in downtown Boston that meets the [CDC] criteria, then I’d be all for it,” but Sarah Fortune, a professor of immunology and infectious diseases at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said that for now at least, public health must take precedence over fire pits.
“I love that idea but I’m also cognizant of the fact that the city has a lot to do” to handle the current surge, she said, and would prefer to see the city spend money on testing above all else, but, she said, “if people can really be aware of their own risk behaviors, we could be in a position in January where we can happily sit around a fire pit and roast marshmallows.”
What is the carbon emissions on such things?
I have quite a list of some people I would like to see roast, and I will be waiting with glee for them down there.
Meanwhile, other communities are already rolling out their winter plans.
So how does one “reprogram” cities for winter?
For starters, I can STOP READING and BUYING the BOSTON FUCKING GLOBE!!!
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Here, you can chew on this:
"Mayor Walsh announces plans for more outdoor dining in 2021" by Janelle Nanos Globe Staff, December 10, 2020
The patios have been packed up in Boston, and the heaters and blankets have been largely stored away, but Mayor Martin J. Walsh is already thinking about spring.
The mayor on Thursday morning announced plans to bring back the outdoor patios that were launched to help restaurants adapt to the realities of the pandemic. The 2021 Outdoor Dining Pilot Program will continue many of the practices the city initiated amid the crisis — the creation of restaurant seating in “parklets” on the street and other parcels of public property — and will offer a streamlined online application to make it easier for eateries to apply for the program next year. Applications for the permits are now open.
Walsh aims to have the program up and running by April 1, if not sooner, should warm weather come earlier in the spring. “We saw the benefits outdoor dining could have to bring vibrant streets and fun experiences for restaurant goers,” Walsh said in a press conference on Thursday, adding the program was “a lifeline for our small businesses during this challenging time.”
As the program expands next year, Walsh said it will change in ways that reflect feedback from the community, including having clearer guidance and guidelines and applications available in both English and Spanish. The city is also offering free one-on-one help for restaurant owners who require support and will begin hosting virtual help sessions for restaurants who want to apply next week.
Kathleen Joyce, the Licensing Board’s chair, said the mayor was eager to change the temporary program into one that will be a permanent fixture in the city.
“It’s been widely successful and people want more,” said Joyce, adding that the mayor has been pushing to expand the program further. “He tells me, ‘I want to see it everywhere in Boston and for longer periods of time.’”
Restaurants owners said that while they were thankful that patio dining helped them survive the last several months, the reality is that many restaurants may not survive the winter to apply for 2021 permits, particularly in light of the incremental rollbacks they’ve had to implement in the past several weeks.
City officials said they understand the concerns and frustrations of restaurant owners, and have been doing all that they can to ensure people can patronize them safely, but considerations about plowing and snow removal on Boston’s centuries-old streets made it difficult to extend the patios beyond December, and annual liquor license renewals are required under state law.....
The criminals who brought you misery based on a lie understand and are doing all they can to help, BUT!
Have you NOT HAD ENOUGH, Bostonians?
At least Walsh was gracious enough to leave a tip:
He has $6 million in bank after raising more than $323,000 in November -- and now Mr. Wal$h is going to Wa$hington!
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At least he left you in good $tead with the BANKERS:
"Credit rating agencies predict Boston’s economy will bounce back quickly once the pandemic ends; The city has again earned the highest possible debt grade, as it prepares to sell $270m worth of bonds Wednesday" by Jon Chesto Globe Staff, December 8, 2020
Unbelievably, they are WINDING IT DOWN NOW as BIDEN IS A WEEK AWAY FROM OFFICE!
Cuomo is opening up and now the New York Times says it's nothing to worry about!!
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
Will Boston lose its competitive edge post-pandemic as more companies allow employees to work remotely in lower-cost locations?
It’s a question on the minds of local business leaders these days, but two major credit agencies predict a stable, if not rosy, future for many years to come.
Both Moody’s and S&P Global last month again gave Boston a “AAA” credit rating, their highest possible grade, as the city prepared for its next bond sale on Wednesday. What makes these ratings noteworthy this time: Both agencies are bullish on Boston’s finances despite COVID-19 and the economic devastation it has wrought.
Aren't those the same guys that rated all that MBS crap triple AAA?
Uh-huh.
At least you know for whom your "public $ervants" are working for, and it is NOT YOU as they "protect you" from CV!
These high ratings will be crucial for the Walsh administration as it seeks the lowest interest rates possible on the latest round of bonds, totaling an estimated $270 million. That amount would be on par with the city’s record, set in 2015. Low interest rates are fueling more refinancing than normal and several projects in the city’s capital plan are moving from the design phase into construction.
Of that amount, an estimated $173 million will be new borrowing ― bringing the city’s total debt to nearly $1.4 billion ― and $97 million will go to refinance older debt. The new money will include $35 million for Boston’s first “Social Bonds,” primarily for affordable housing work, and $25 million for the city’s first “Green Bonds,” for a range of energy efficiency and climate resiliency projects.
Borrowing at taxpayer expen$e is always the an$wer for these bastards.
Unlike previous Boston bond sales, individual investors will be able to get in on this sale directly, with the ability to place orders for bonds starting at $5,000 through one of several qualified brokerages on Wednesday morning.
“All of these bonds are funding local projects,” said Drew Smith, the Walsh administration’s head of treasury. “To the extent investors want to be a part of the local projects they see every day, we want to make sure they have the opportunity.”
The bonds are bought up by banks, wealthy individuals, and politicians (Barney Frank comes to mind if memory serves, and it does) who are then paid a nice cut of interest until they redeem the bond at full value.
If the government really cared about us, they would print the money themselves like the Constitution requires and charge no interest, then collect fees and taxes. It leads to a prosperous economy (see Germany, 1930s, which is why that guy is demonized, he set a bad example) and cuts out the usurious bankers.
Btw, European tech companies defied the pandemic this year to draw record levels of investment.
Boston typically holds auctions in which investment banks compete for the right to resell the bonds. Instead, this round will be driven by a negotiated sale with Bank of America and Siebert Williams Shank & Co. leading the deal. They are expected to buy what doesn’t get sold during Wednesday’s auction to institutional investors and the general public.
Analysts at Moody’s and S&P cited a number of factors behind the decision to continue to give Boston high marks for its ability to pay off bonds over the next 20 years. Most notably, most of Boston’s revenue comes from property taxes, a usually steady source.
Other cities are far more dependent on volatile revenue streams: Think casino taxes, sales taxes, or state aid. The New York Times, citing a National Tax Journal study, recently reported that of more than 40 major US cities, Boston is expected to suffer the smallest revenue decline this fiscal year.
Moody’s analyst Nicholas Lehman noted that the Walsh administration has been responsible about paying down debt, and he points to the rainy day fund that Boston has grown during the boom years of the last decade. This cushion now totals about $1.2 billion, or about one-third of the city’s annual expenses.
“They’ve seen unprecedented growth,” Lehman said. “The development in and around the city is at historical levels. The [property] tax base has doubled since 2011. That has given them the ability to ride that economic wave.”
Analysts said it’s difficult to predict how much of a role remote work will play in the economy once the pandemic is over, but they also said Boston should be more insulated from its effects than other major cities.
One reason for optimism: the thick cluster of colleges and universities in and near the city that are typically beehives of economic activity, including through the generation of spinoff businesses.
“They’re going to continue to help anchor an economy that is knowledge-driven,” said Christian Richards, an analyst at S&P Global.
Another positive the two rating agencies cited: The Boston area is a global hub for life sciences. Lab work is tough, if not impossible, to do at home.
Meaning it is a global hub for the technocratic medical tyranny state.
Richards also noted that recent construction permit activity in Boston isn’t far off what it was prior to the pandemic. The roughly 8 million square feet of commercial permit activity expected this calendar year will mirror the city’s performance in recent years, according to the S&P report. Much of it has been for lab and research spaces for life sciences companies.
You have been hoodwinked, folks.
The redesigning of life per the Great Re$et globalists and their pre$$ mouthpiece occurred while their criminal political puppets had you in lockdown based on a lie!
“There is some level of continued interest in investing in the city, particularly in the commercial sector, that lends credibility to the idea that it is going to continue to be this economic center,” Richards said.
The S&P analysts, in their report, note that while Boston is seeing declines in hotel and restaurant taxes, the city’s management is making the necessary adjustments to balance the budget.
As with any investment, there is still some risk. The Moody’s and S&P reports cited Boston’s waterfront locale as a climate-related risk given the potential exposure to sea-level rise and hurricanes. The city’s large pension and retiree benefits obligations were noted as financial risks.
What, you bring that up now and cite the crap climate agenda?
City officials typically sell bonds every spring to raise money for capital projects and to refinance older debt at better interest rates, but the pandemic threw the credit markets into turmoil in the spring this year, so the Walsh administration decided to wait until the fall to raise the money.
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Let's see if we can get you a room:
"Boston’s Revere Hotel fires more than 100 workers, union says" by Katie Johnston and Jon Chesto Globe Staff, December 8, 2020
The Revere Hotel Boston Common has fired more than 100 furloughed employees, telling them that they must reapply for their old jobs as new hires, according to Unite Here Local 26, which does not represent the workers but is assisting them. The workers, some of whom had worked at the property for decades, received no severance pay, the union said.
The move follows similar actions by the Boston Marriott Copley Place, which terminated half its staff in the fall and offered reduced severance packages, and the Four Seasons on Boylston Street. The Four Seasons soon reversed course — following a public outcry from prominent people — and offered workers full severance and the chance to be first in line for their old jobs.
The management group HEI Hotels & Resorts took over the Revere in May, and furloughed workers were told they would retain their seniority, but in November, they learned the hotel would not automatically rehire them, and they would have to reapply as new hires.
The Revere Hotel could not immediately be reached for comment.
Mirna Hernandez, a room attendant at the hotel for 35 years, told Local 26 she felt “discarded in the middle of the pandemic.” Hernandez and her coworkers have signed a petition calling on the Revere to recognize their years of service and give them their jobs back when business picks up.
“This is a growing crisis for Boston’s hospitality industry and protections must be put in place to stop this avalanche of devastation for Boston families,” Carlos Aramayo, president of Local 26, said in a statement.
Many of the workers being pushed out are older, more experienced employees whom hotels could be looking to replace with less expensive new hires, the union said.
Local 26 is pushing for legislation to be reintroduced that would allow Massachusetts cities to adopt a law giving hospitality workers who were laid off during the pandemic first dibs when their positions return. Similar ordinances have been passed in several cities around the country, including Providence.
Union hotel workers are guaranteed their old jobs back for up to a year, and Local 26 is working with individual hotels to extend the time period.
Meanwhile, Aramayo took aim at the Omni hotel chain by requesting that the Small Business Administration scrutinize Omni’s use of federal COVID-19 assistance loans.
Aramayo, acting in his role as executive vice president of the Unite Here International Union, sent a letter to the SBA on Tuesday noting that Omni affiliates have received 32 loans through the Paycheck Protection Program totaling about $76 million. Businesses can have PPP loans forgiven if they spend at least 60 percent of that money on payroll expenses, but Aramayo said Omni is falling short of that threshold at five of its hotels and possibly many others.
The SBA declined to comment about the letter. An Omni spokeswoman couldn’t be reached for comment on Tuesday.
Aramayo said the union has direct knowledge of loan use at five Omni hotels, including $3.9 million that went to the Omni Parker House in Boston and $2.6 million that went to the Omni Providence. The other three are in New Haven, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco. With these five, Aramayo said, it’s clear that the bulk of the PPP money is not being used for payroll expenses. He suggests that Omni may be failing to meet the forgiveness standard at other hotels; the vast majority of Omni’s hotels are not unionized.
Aramayo notes that the Omni Parker House has failed to bring back more than 80 percent of Unite Here’s members. The Providence hotel hasn’t even reopened yet, and none of his members have been rehired as a result at that location.
“We’re not against the PPP [but] we want to make sure there’s some hook in there that the money gets to the workers,” Aramayo said in an interview. “I know a lot of people who work at both of those hotels who could have used some of that cash in the last couple of months.”
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Home is where the heart is:
"
In October, David Smokler found the house of his dreams in a quiet Worcester neighborhood. It needed a lot of work, but Smokler felt up to the challenge. To help finance it, Smokler quickly found a buyer for his condo in Easton, but then one of the closing attorneys discovered a problem in the title to the condo. Getting the obstacle removed seemed pretty straightforward, but doing so would require the cooperation of two large corporations that previously owned or serviced Smokler’s mortgage, and getting them to work together to resolve the problem proved almost impossible......"
David Smokler, left, and his husband, Zach Callaghan moved into their new home in Worcester last month, but Smokler still hasn't received $20,000 from the sale of his condo in Easton due to a problem with his loan servicer, Cenlar (Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff).
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Which one do you think takes out the trash?
"COVID-19 has changed everything, even Boston’s trash. Here’s how" by Danny McDonald Globe Staff, December 13, 2020
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, such work is plentiful, with Bostonians providing more refuse for these trucks to collect each week. Add garbage to the list of what the public health emergency has changed. With more people telecommuting, kids learning from home, and many opting to shop online instead of in person, the volume of household trash and recycling in the city has risen. Compared to last year, the city has seen a 6.6 percent bump in residential waste as of the end of October. That translates to 18 million more pounds of household trash and 8 million more pounds of household recycling, which includes curbside recycling, yard waste, and electronics and textile collection, according to Brian Coughlin, the city’s superintendent of waste reduction.
”That’s a substantial increase,” said Coughlin recently.
Boston is hardly alone. According to the Solid Waste Association of North America, residential waste nationwide is about 7 percent to 10 percent above normal, down from a 20 percent spike in the spring, at the start of the pandemic. David Biderman, the association’s executive director, anticipated that if stay-at-home orders are issued to combat the current surge in virus infections, there would be a steeper uptick for such waste in places where the orders are issued.
It's certainly balanced off by the lack of bu$ine$$ waste, right?
“There is definitely an increase in the amount of glass, plastic, and cardboard in residential recycling, as a result of the pandemic,” said Biderman in an e-mail. “People are eating and drinking at home instead of at restaurants and bars, which results in increased solid waste and recyclables being generated in residential.”
That rubbish eventually ends up at the curb, which is where unsung workers pick it up and toss it into the back of a truck.
Then where?
“It’s a thankless job that a lot of people don’t even comprehend what the work is like, the physical demand on them,” said Coughlin.....
It's a well-paid public $ervice job even if it stinks (besides, they are forced to wear masks now)!
You know what the solution is, right?
LESS PEOPLE = LESS TRASH!
