Centro Presente was established in 1981 to
serve as a guiding light and political resource for the Latino-American
immigrant community of Massachusetts. They are active state wide, and
led primarily by Central American immigrants. According to their
mission statement, Centro Presente's major objectives are to establish
and uphold the self-determination and self-sufficiency of Latin
American immigrants. To do this, the group pushes for immigrant rights,
economic and social justice within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
through community organizing and leadership.

The press
conference was held to address the new campaign Centro Presente has
launched, which is targeted at the education of Latino-American
immigrant youths in regards to politics and social involvement therein.
According to Ms. Montes the campaign has been put into action through a
series of workshops that edified understanding of civic importance,
allocation and movement, as well as door-to-door visits to policy
makers. The goals of the workshops were to not only instruct
Latino-American immigrants and new citizens how to participate in
government, as well as enlightening them to the names of local elected
officials that these immigrants and new citizens can hold accountable
for their actions.

Among Ms. Montes' colleagues was Diego
Huezo-Rosales, a 19 year-old advocate and active political voice of
Centro Presente. When asked why youth involvement is important, Mr.
Huezo-Rosales stated that the campaign helps to develop leadership
skills, and give them the imperative tools to build a voice in the
political realm. This will act as the means to enable the
Latino-American immigrant community to establish communication with
government officials.

Although Centro Presente does not have a
department that works with the schools directly yet, the speakers at
this press conference stated that this campaign is still very much in
its beginning stages. The campaign will go through advancements as it
gets out to the public. For now, the organization will push along in
its highly grass roots fashion to raise public interest. The major goal
is to raise awareness amongst the Latino-American immigrant community
of the importance of having a voice as a population.

Ms.
Montes cited Tony Morales' running for an Alderman position, as well as
various other Latino-American personalities running for government
positions. Representation of the Latino-American community in
government offices is essential to the economic and social growth. As
of now there is a very low amount of Latino voice in office across the
country, in the Commonwealth and in Somerville. With the ever-growing
population of immigrants and new citizens, the traditional face of the
state and city governments will go under changes of their own.

For
any more information on this campaign or the other ventures of Centro
Presente, visit their website at www.cpresente.org. There one can find
a schedule of upcoming events, as well as resources for immigrants and
new citizens to get involved.

Backpack.
Check. Pens and pencils. Check. Organizers and notebooks. Check. You've
made lists and checked them twice for everything your child needs to go
back to school. Despite your child's hemming and hawing, you have
probably already made an appointment for their annual physical as well.
But there may be a very important item missing from your back-to-school
check list: your child's dental check-up.

Dental caries, also
known as tooth decay, is the most common chronic childhood disease,
five times more common than asthma. It's also completely preventable
with proper care. Good oral health is an important part of a child's
overall well being, especially as they and their teeth are developing.

Dental
check-ups are crucial to identify risks and help prevent more serious
problems from occurring such as tooth decay and gum disease. Dentists
can even identify early signs of other diseases like diabetes and
vitamin deficiencies. However, without regular dental screenings and
prevention measures like sealants on molars, dental disease often goes
untreated and can result in cavities, pain and infection. Untreated
dental disease can also interfere with learning, speech, and eating,
leading to poor nutrition and problems in school.

You can also help your child protect their teeth throughout the school year with a few simple tips:

–
Sugar and acid in soda and sports drinks can eat away tooth's enamel:
if your children are drinking these, send them to school with a straw
so the liquid will have less contact with their teeth.

– Most
bottled water doesn't have tooth decay fighting fluoride: you can save
money by skipping the bottled water and having your child drink water
from the tap using a tap filter or a filtered pitcher.

–
Chewing gum doesn't have to be bad for your child's teeth. Always use
sugarless gum and look for chewing gum with xylitol, the natural
sweetener that has been proven to help prevent tooth decay, listed as
one of the top three ingredients.

– If your child participates
in a school sport, make sure he/she wears a mouth guard. According to
the American Dental Association, sports-related injuries knock out two
million teeth per year. Your child will be 60 times less likely to
suffer tooth damage than an athlete without a mouth guard. [Mouth
guards are rarely covered by insurance plans because of the wide
variation in cost between custom, mouth-formed and stock ones — any
mouth guard is better than none.]

Most importantly, schedule an
appointment with your child's dentist. Start a positive tradition that
will hopefully last them their entire lives. Your child should walk
away with a new toothbrush, a sticker and a brighter smile. You will
walk away with peace of mind, knowing you have a full picture of your
child's overall health and that your son or daughter is truly ready to
start the new school year.

Here
is a little Somerville history for you newcomers – some of it is a
review from former columns and supplemented with reader comments. It
concentrates mostly on the Davis Square, Powder House Park and Ball
Square area – because that's where I have lived for the last 54 years.

There
used to be three Junior High Schools in Somerville – the Western on
Holland Street (now owned by Tufts University), the Southern on Summer
Street (now a dog park), and the Northeastern on Marshall Street (now
townhouses).

Somerville also had a Trade High School in East
Somerville – "Muzzy" was the principal. The Apollo Cake Company was
also in that area of the city. Ball Square used to have a roast beef
place called Lambros – across from where Harold's Luncheonette was (now
Kelly's).

My band (The Tool) had a 45 titled "Spark'em Up" –
and it was in their jukebox. Savel's five and dime store was also in
Ball Square, as was Mitchell's Variety at the corner of Josephine and
Broadway. The Willow Jazz Club thrived for a while, but cool jazz riffs
weren't all that was being blown in there – the Feds shut it down.

BoBo's
Chinese Restaurant was also in Ball Square. There was a little store
(I've heard) near Harold's that was one of two places in Ball Square
you could book some action.

There used to be a variety store we
called "Oscars" at the bottom of Liberty Road. The Royal White Cleaners
on Cedar Street used to be a Dairy Queen.

It used to be
dangerous to walk through Powder House Park when the tough guys took it
over in the 70s. Beltram and Son Locksmiths used to be where Nellie's
Wildflowers is on Holland Street.

Some of the stores in Davis
Square were: Parke Snow, Gorin's, The Children's Shop, Grants,
Woolworths, Fanny Farmer, Thom McCann, Highland Shoe, Speedy Pizza, and
Kay and Chips Restaurant. You could go to Kay and Chips after the bars
closed for breakfast and a brawl.

Goff's Auto Store, The Bargain
Center and Ming Toy Chinese Restaurant once graced the Rosebud end of
Davis Square. The police officer that everyone loved in Davis Square,
who always had beaming smile, was Al Collins. Pasik's Furniture Store
in the square did not sell tiny beds – they were shortened versions
just for the window display.

One of those huge beautiful houses
near Powder House Park on Broadway was where a real family doctor
lived. His name was Harry Goldenberg MD, and he made house calls
(complete with black bag), and gave shots in the butt. When he wasn't
holding a needle, he was a very nice man. Another house on Powder House
Boulevard next to Doherty's was moved all the way over to Highland
Avenue near the Hospital – it's actually on videotape someplace.

Some
of our Mayors were: S. Lester Ralph, James Brennan, William Donovan,
Larry Bretta, Mike Capuano, Dot Gay and Gene Brune. Mary Sogliero ran
for mayor but never made it. Joe's last name is pronounced Curta-tony,
not Curta-tone.

That big house on the hill, that has it's own
driveway between Morrison Avenue and Hall Avenue was once owned by
Burton Faulkner, of Faulkner Brothers Oil – they used to have a watch
dog name Gretchen.

Before they did away with the "blue laws" you
either had to drive to New Hampshire to get beer on Sunday or go to a
few choice stores and bars for an illegal six-pack. These
establishments also sold booze after the liquor stores closed at 11 pm.
The proprietor of one of these joints in East Somerville also kept a
shotgun in plain sight.

Country and Western music could, at one time, be enjoyed at Johnny D's and at Khoury's State Spa. Yee- ha John Penny!

This
next point is very important – Somerville has only two "L"s in it – do
not, under any circumstances, add an another "L" after the S, even in
jest (hopefully you catch my drift). If someone from another town does
this, be offended, become belligerent and defend your city – in a civil
manner of course.

Somerville's official colors are blue and
red, as in the song "Somerville Leads the Way." Also, don't forget to
feed the meters – and if anyone asks you, marshmallow Fluff was
invented in Somerville.

Please e-mail your comments to Jimmy at: jimmydel@rcn.com

Ted
Kennedy's loss stirs up many different emotions both personal and
political, and in the end they are one in the same. I remember a
conversation with Senator Kennedy in his Washington office when I was
Mayor of Cambridge. I told him some of the stories my father passed on
to me about his brother Jack and the early campaigns in our
neighborhood as young returning veterans. Even then it was obvious that
Ted had difficulty speaking about his brother.

As a human being
he aspired to serve his fellow Americans and this came first for him.
As a politician he embodied the brand of Massachusetts politics now
ingrained in all of us. It is this personal attention to his
responsibilities and his constituents that I admire the most. I
remember calls to the Mayor's office when my staff would say Senator
Kennedy is on the phone and I would pick up and hear "Mr. Mayor, how is
everything in Cambridge…". He would then go on to update me on some
issue or some funding coming our way.

I also loved the Kennedy
style of campaigning because Ted obviously ran the show. One summer I
received a call late on a Friday to put together a rally in Cambridge
for the Senator. I chose the parking lot at Fresh Pond apartments where
we had just extended affordability. The location was also across from
Russell Field where a home football game was being played. The rally
was a huge success with hundreds of people coming out to greet and chat
with Senator Kennedy. About a year later, I saw Ted at a reception in
Cambridge and he said, "Anthony, I think more people were at that rally
for you than for me!" I didn't think he would even remember the rally,
but Ted Kennedy didn't miss a thing with local politics. He had a deep
respect for local officials who were on the front lines. He remembered
names and would pick up the phone to connect, and not just when it was
time for his campaign. That standard of respect for public service is
what Ted Kennedy embodied.

Sacrifice, pain, humility and in the
end, affection and love for ALL people is what defined Ted Kennedy for
me. He set a standard that has forever changed the face of politics in
Massachusetts. A standard we all should aspire to respect and hold true
too. I will miss Ted Kennedy but it is my hope that his spirit will
live on in all of us.

-Anthony Galluccio

Candidates in last November's presidential election all promised to bring major change. We continue to wait.

In
this series, I've tried to describe how promises to solve our most
pressing problems run up against the economic and political
institutions that are those problems' primary cause.

I would
hope that, having eliminated the threat of world communism, we can have
an open discussion about the institutions of corporate capitalism.

We
are blessed with the democracy and protections provided by our
Constitution. When it was written, almost all Americans were farmers,
merchants, tradesmen, or slaves. Those who wrote it did not know
concentrated power.

They could not have anticipated the
emergence of the modern corporation in the mid 19th Century. They did
not know that the very capitalism that spawned democracy, individual
freedom, and more prosperity for more people contained internal
dynamics that, over the centuries, would threaten each of these values.

One such dynamic is that at the end of every profitable
transaction, investors must reinvest the profit to gain even more
profit, or consume it and cease to be investors. This expand-or-die
competition produces winners and losers.

Over time, fewer and
fewer winners remain in any industry, and they have more and more
concentrated power, wealth, and capacity to influence everyone else.
They are the largest corporations.

Only about 20% of U.S.
businesses are corporations. They make important contributions to our
lives. They bring us new technologies, develop life-saving drugs, keep
us entertained, and provide jobs to a lot of people.

I have
worked with senior managers and shareholders in large corporations, and
I know them to be decent people who have no particular desire to harm
others. They merely accept the institutional rules as they exist and
play very hard by them.

But those rules give corporations
inherent characteristics that enable them, even compel them, to do
harm. Corporation law separates management from ownership. It shields
owners from liability for a corporation's misdeeds, except to the
extent of the money that the owner has invested.

It requires
directors and managers to act in the "best interest of the
corporation," which is interpreted as maximizing shareholders' wealth.
Investment flows to those companies that can sustain the absolutely
highest rate of profit, whether or not they must harm their community,
employees, small businesses, future generations, and the planet to
produce it. In fact, shareholders can sue management if it does not
pursue such opportunities. Mainstream economists call these injuries
"externalities"-other people's problems.

Corporations enjoy the
protections of the Constitution that its framers only intended to apply
to human beings. This has been used successfully to strike down laws
that limit what corporations spend to influence politics.

Of the
world's 100 largest economies, 53 are corporations. Exxon Mobil is
larger than the economies of 180 nations. They are growing stronger as
states grow weaker. They have replaced the self-organizing market with
the corporate equivalent of central planning.

While their own
individual interests sometimes conflict, they cooperate on issues that
affect their general welfare. They do not and cannot exercise absolute
power, but they can and do shape the economic and political frameworks
within which everyone else has to operate.

Government is focused
on short-term election cycles, corrupted by money, and poorly informed.
It is little match for giant corporations. In 1968, there were fewer
than 1,000 Washington lobbyists. Today, there are about 35,000. Of the
100 largest lobbying efforts between 1998 and 2004, corporations and
their trade associations conducted 92. Corporations own and influence
the media as well, shaping public policy debate.

Attempts to
solve at their roots such critical problems as healthcare, energy
policy, military spending, financial industry regulation, and poverty,
are blocked or warped by the focused power of corporations with vested
interests in conditions remaining the same. Tiptoeing around this
reality produces piecemeal solutions that add large costs, reward those
responsible for the problems, and do not solve them. This would appear
to be the fate of the current healthcare debate.

For those
serious about change, here are a few entirely legal actions that could
begin to make a difference. Governments charter corporations.
Governments could revoke the charters of corporations that do great
harm to the public good. Changes in corporation law could also make
officers, directors, and owners personally liable if their corporations
are grossly negligent.

Corporations did not acquire the same
legal status as people because Congress passed a law or a court made a
decision. In an 1886 Supreme Court case, the Chief Justice remarked
that he thought Southern Pacific Railroad was entitled to 14th
amendment protections. Somehow this became legal precedent. Congress
has the authority to pass legislation that would eliminate this status.

Doing
so would allow placing legal limits on the money that corporations can
spend on elections and lobbying. And Corporations should not be allowed
to use shareholders' money to lobby without the oversight of the
shareholders themselves.

Sharply limiting campaign spending and
publicly funding elections would encourage more serious discussion and
fewer meaningless sound bites and distortions. Closing the revolving
door between the highest positions in government and those in the
largest corporations would make a big difference as well.

To
some, these measures may seem radical. They are merely reforms rooted
in our nation's founding values, and they are modest in comparison to
the changes that Americans must soon contemplate.

The
inevitable escalation of energy prices, the emergence of China and
India as powerful economic competitors, the continuing disappearance of
jobs, and the declining possibility of cheaply financing America with
other people's money will, together, fundamentally change how Americans
live. We must have a conversation about how the pain and opportunity
brought by these changes will be distributed, act effectively in
response to them, or become victims of them.

As
a Senator, he was known to champion progressive causes and bills and
was responsible for over 300 bills he wrote or co-wrote becoming law.
Kennedy was a staunch Democrat; however, garnered the respect of both
parties and was considered to be the best in the Senate at building
consensus. He was the youngest brother of President John F. Kennedy and
Robert F. Kennedy, both assassinated in the 1960's and he had been the
patriarch of the Kennedy family since the time of Robert's death in
March of 1968.

Kennedy was not without his personal faults,
having survived the incident at Chappaquiddick, a failed run for
President in 1980, divorce in the 1980's, the William Kennedy Smith
debacle and a string of public embarrassments in the late 1980's and
early 1990's. When he remarried in the early 1990's, he renewed his
commitment to the Senate and was seen to work harder than ever to
champion his party's ideals, most recently, the fight for universal
health care.

"We've lost the irreplaceable center of our family
and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith,
optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever,' his
family said in a statement. "We thank everyone who gave him care and
support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so
many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice, fairness,
and opportunity for all. He loved this country and devoted his life to
serving it. He always believed that our best days were still ahead, but
it's hard to imagine any of them without him.'

***************

You
heard it here first, get out your autograph books and get ready. The
word is that locally born movie star Ben Affleck is scheduled to be on
location on the 20th of October at the Twin Cities Plaza to film his
latest movie. According to reliable sources, the movie production
company will be filming in the shopping center parking lot for the
entire day. Sources also tell us that film stars Tom Cruise and Cameron
Diaz will be filming other scenes for another movie here in the 'Ville
throughout the fall season, we'll keep you posted as to dates and exact
places.

***************

Mayor Joe's annual Football Camp
week is here again. The Mayor will be hosting and personally coaching
the Somerville Football Team at Camp Leno in Lenox, MA. The week long
training event is well applauded by all the students and they look
forward to being worked hard by the Mayor and the other coaches. The
camp is run from Thursday August 27th to Sunday August 30th, hopefully
this will lead the team to a successful year.

***************

We
hear that Somerville will soon have a Halloween Head Quarters shop,
which is set to open up shop at the old Circuit City location next to
Home Depot real soon. At least the property won't look so abandoned
where it is one of the gateways to the city and seen by thousands of
motorists on a daily basis coming and going to/from Route 93.

***************

Recently
the Kiwanis Club of Somerville was well represented by its members at
the 91st Annual New England District of Kiwanis Convention at the
Crowne Plaza in Warwick, R.I. – Kiwanis clubs from six New England
states and Bermuda attended. Seventy-nine (79) Kiwanis clubs were
represented as representatives from Key Club International, Circle K
International and Kiwanis International. The convention offered
educational seminars, exhibits, leadership training and related
activities. The Kiwanis Club of Somerville meets every Thursday at
12:15p.m. at the Mt. Vernon Restaurant. If you're a businessperson here
in Somerville and looking to network and be involved in a great
organization go online to www.somervillekiwanis.org

***************

Save
the date and stop by the Somerville Police Station in the Police
Academy Room on Thursday, September 3rd between 8a.m. and 1p.m. to give
blood and get a free Red Sox t-shirt. A few of us from The Somerville
News staff team will be on hand to lend a helping hand for the day as
well, so come on by and say hello, the American Red Cross is asking for
your help.

***************

Our condolences to the Craven
Family on the recent loss of Marion Craven who sadly passed away this
past week, Marion was a wonderful lady with a heart of gold and will be
missed by many.

***************

Last week grand opening
of Mt. Vernon 3 at the Ship at Route 1 one was a huge success, over 300
attendees from all over and a huge contingent from Somerville. All to
wish the Henry family much success and luck in their new venture.

***************

Speaking
of last weeks events, the Lions event at Wonderland was attended by a
large Somerville crowd as well as a big contingency from the China Town
Lions Club. Everyone had a blast, the food was great and from what some
observers noted, not many lost at the races. King Lion – our own Billy
Tauro – did a fantastic job, along with Gene Brune, and fun was had by
all. They raised a substantial amount of money again for all the local
charities the Lions are so generous with here in Somerville.

***************

RCN
will be sponsoring an American Red Cross Blood Drive on Wednesday,
September 2nd, from 1pm to 6pm at the Somerville Community Baptist
Church, Fellowship Hall, 31 College Ave, Davis Square. The American Red
Cross is looking for all types of blood donations, A, B or O, positive
or negative.

***************

Quiet here in the 'Ville
the last big weekend of the summer….you can almost hear the doors
shut on Monday throughout Somervilla of the North and South. Back to
the city and the traffic. To those of us left behind, not so bad of a
summer here, either.

***************

That barrier in
front of the empty lot over on Cross Street is still there – a big hole
with a fence around it – nothing happening there now for an extremely
long time. One local long time business moved out, couldn't take it any
longer with the congested traffic and no place to park. The guy that
owns the lot is the head of the Zoning Board of Appeals – Mr. Herb
Foster – and the bank with the money apparently invested in over there
is the Winter Hill Bank, at least they're getting free advertising, but
maybe not good advertising? You'd think with an eyesore like that, a
bank wouldn't want their name associated with it, but hey it's the same
bank that has the Barracuda of Winter Hill as it's head and it's
apparent she has no feelings for East Somerville businesses, or the
sign would be gone. We think it's a shame that a local bank and a
person who is head of the Zoning Board of Appeals would keep this
eyesore in this condition going on a few years now. Maybe an
investigation needs to be done to get some answers?

***************

Our
good friend and former Publisher Bob Publicover is doing well in his
treatment, he can be seen daily at the coffee shop on Highland and
Cedar, there reading The Somerville News – his favorite paper. Stop by
and sit and have coffee, he'd be very pleased, or you can follow his
therapy on Facebook, it's easy to find him now that he spelled his last
name correctly.

Zoning changes proposed by
Somerville's Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development
(OSPCD) would effectively block the state's controversial proposal to
place a Green Line rail yard in the Brickbottom area while opening a
section on the city's border with Cambridge to an alternative plan.

The
new proposal sent by Mayor Joseph Curtatone to Secretary of
Transportation James Aloisi in May, referred to as the Mirror-H scheme,
would place the maintenance facility in the Northpoint area – the
target of a major development initiative by Cambridge. The new zoning
regulations would add uses to the "Industrial B" area along the city's
border with East Cambridge – including a waste energy plants, trash
transfer facilities, city owned buildings and rail yards. Uses such as
retail and manufacturing would be blocked. In the "Industrial A"
section, rail yards would be removed as a use, which would make the
state's "Yard 8" plan not allowable.

When Ward 2 Alderman
Maryann Heuston asked at an August 20 Planning Board meeting if the
city was proposing to remove the state's proposed rail yard from the
list of allowed uses in Brickbottom, Director of Economic Development
Rob May said the changes reflected what residents have requested.

"The
state has its own prerogative," May said. "But we feel this sends a
very clear measure that this is something the citizens of Somerville
support."

In a July letter to the Board of Aldermen, Curtatone
pointed out that the state could trump any Somerville zoning laws and
that the changes were meant to "ensure that private property owners are
aware of the City's intent."

Alderman-at-Large Bill White and
two residents expressed concerns about the city opening the Northpoint
area for waste uses. "A lot of people have concerns about waste energy
plants," White said.

"Those usually are not sited without a tremendous amount of public involvement and participation and opposition."

May
said the area is the only place where "Industrial B" is mapped in the
city of Somerville, adding later that such a facility would most likely
be a "traditional solid waste combustion facility."

"We're not
proposing to add a waste energy facility, we're just proposing that it
should be within the city's ability to site," May added.

During
the public comment period at the August 20 meeting, two residents
expressed skepticism about the potential for a waste energy plant being
placed near Northpoint.

"I really think we walk a very dangerous
line by opening up a neighborhood to potential uses like this," East
Somerville resident Ellin Reisner said. "We have enough pollution and
transportation issues in Somerville."

Heuston said Cambridge
City Manager Robert Healy expressed doubts about the zoning changes in
a July 31 letter to Curtatone, noting that the plan could hurt the
Northpoint development.

"I don't think we're the topic of
discussion in the city of Cambridge city council meetings very often,"
Heuston said. "Certainly back when this Northpoint was being developed,
those six acres belonging to the city of Somerville were simply
annexed."

White said that while he agreed with the sentiment,
the proposed changes would also affect Somerville residents. "If you
really want to have some fun with the city of Cambridge, tell them
we're putting a waste energy plant right on the corner of Northpoint,"
he said, "but it may have some affect on our own neighborhoods as well."