Boston Archives

BOSTON’S MARATHON APOCALYPSE

In hashing out what happened on that dark day three years ago, it’s important to consider the Bay State’s history as an apocalyptic ground zero There is no shining beacon on the hill in Boston. There is a shiny gold dome capping the Massachusetts State House just a short walk

CHIP BERLET April 15, 2016

THE THIRSTY GAMES

An exploration into the sordid history of Boston’s modern prohibition PART I: Boston’s liquor licensing quota was born out of elitism and has fostered a poisonous disparity over the past century. Can lifting the cap break the cycle? “Except for the city of Boston.” This historically pointed phrase punctuates

HALEY HAMILTON March 24, 2016

GE BOSTON DEAL: THE MISSING MANUAL, PART 4

February 29, 2016 BY JASON PRAMAS @JASONPRAMAS In May 2012, three former GE executives were imprisoned after being convicted on multiple charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and defraud the United States. Dominick Carollo, Steven Goldberg and Peter Grimm had all worked for GE Capital—the financial division that operated

JASON PRAMAS February 29, 2016

TOO LEGIT TO QUIT

The Hub’s unlicensed radio stations spin their wheels in the face of adversity With Santa’s helpers all around and kids holding slices of pizza, a toy drive at a union hall is a strange place for Team Jerk to be spinning. A partnership of three area DJs, the crew represents

BASIM USMANI February 29, 2016

INTERNALLY BLEEDING

Allen Curry was the victim of an unspeakable attack at the hands of fellow Boston firefighters. Decades later, his struggle endures, as does the BFD’s diversity problem. I’m sitting here talking to you, and even as I look you in the eyes, my mind is flashing back to Southeast Asia.”

ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ February 24, 2016

GE BOSTON DEAL: THE MISSING MANUAL, PART 3

Image by Kent Buckley February 15, 2016 BY JASON PRAMAS @JASONPRAMAS Returning to our ongoing look at General Electric’s recent and inconvenient history of violating the public trust, in part 2 of this “missing manual” the corporation got out of the subprime housing loan market just in time to avoid

JASON PRAMAS February 15, 2016

ART ATTACK

Photos by Derek Kouyoumjian Crisis in the Creative Professions Roundup: A call for action and a collective sigh of relief Last fall, BINJ gathered over 40 writers, photographers, musicians, performance artists, community activists and freelancers of every stripe at the Community Church of Boston with a very specific goal in mind:

HALEY HAMILTON February 12, 2016

GE BOSTON DEAL: THE MISSING MANUAL, PART 2

Image by Kent Buckley February 1, 2016 BY JASON PRAMAS @JASONPRAMAS Two weeks after the first installment of this Missing Manual, we now know that GE will receive up to another $100 million of Boston’s largesse in the form of reopening the Old Northern Avenue Bridge and $25 million in

JASON PRAMAS February 1, 2016

GE BOSTON DEAL: AN ACTIVIST HANDBOOK

Images (from 2012 protest against GE in Boston) by Chris Faraone January 28, 2016 BY JASON PRAMAS @JASONPRAMAS Say friend … is a multinational corporation with a terrible reputation, a limitless PR budget, and a penchant for backroom deals with fawning politicians bleeding your state for hundreds of millions of

JASON PRAMAS January 28, 2016

GE BOSTON DEAL: THE MISSING MANUAL

Image by Kent Buckley January 18, 2016 BY JASON PRAMAS @JASONPRAMAS The saga of GE’s flight from Connecticut began with the June 2015 passage of a very much needed package of state tax increases aimed at raising an extra $1.1 billion over the next two years. By extending a temporary

JASON PRAMAS January 18, 2016