STEP has joined forces with
Groundwork Somerville, the Somerville Community Corporation, and the
Somerville Community Health Agenda to form the Community Corridor
Planning (CCP) group. CCP is providing the opportunity for continued
community involvement in the planning stages by organizing seven
meetings in Somerville neighborhoods with proposed stops on the Green
Line Extension. Meredith Levy, Director of Community Power and
Resources at the Somerville Community Corporation, says the CCP is
committed to involving community members in projects that will have an
impact on daily life for years to come. The hope is that these meetings
will engage people in the planning process who may not normally be
involved.

The Green Line Extension, planned to open in 2014,
includes a branch that will connect Union Square with a newly designed
Lechmere station. Saturday saw the fifth of the seven meetings, this
one to discuss the Union Square stop and its impact on the community.
Representatives from Save Our Somerville, Tufts University, STEP, and
residents from Union Square and neighboring areas of Somerville came
together to discuss what this change will mean for Union Square. A
thoughtful, if small, group discussed hopes for positive impact from
the Green Line Expansion and concerns that ranged from public safety to
increases in property taxes. The meeting included those new to the
Union Square area, and some residents who have lived nearby for over 40
years.

The group's ideal outcome of the Green Line Extension
included a vision of Union Square as a diverse center for residents and
a variety of businesses thriving, creating access to better jobs for
people of all income levels. Residents also expressed concerns about
the possibility of increased taxes, displacement of residents and local
businesses, and public safety and security around a new transit hub.
Overall, the vision encompassed an idea of reduced vehicle traffic and
improved access to the proposed location of the Union Square stop,
including coordination with buses, access to bike lanes and walking
paths, and accommodations for seniors and people with disabilities.

Wig
Zamore, an active member of STEP, talked about the environmental
benefits of the Green Line Extension with regard to traffic reduction.
Currently, Zamore says, Somerville has the highest vehicular traffic of
any city in the state. Three highways run through Somerville, carrying
200 to 250 thousand cars a day and there are 6 diesel rail lines that
carry 200 trains through Somerville each day. Somerville shoulders much
of the burden of air pollution due to commuter traffic, but receives
little of the benefit of transit with only one T stop in Somerville in
Davis Square.

Yesterday
was my birthday, but I am writing this on Monday night. So tomorrow is
actually my birthday. I hope I had fun. I also hope I survived, or this
article is posthumous, or post humorless, or something like that. I
can't believe I will celebrate birthday number 56.

My birthday
used to be an excuse to over-celebrate and make an ass of myself. One
year my good friend planned a surprise party for me. A lot of people
were waiting at his house, and his girlfriend was supposed to bring me
over later. Neither of us ever made it to the party. Me and my friends'
girlfriend decided to have our own party. I blamed it on the booze.
Thankfully I don't partake anymore. Now when I make an ass of myself, I
have nothing to blame it on.

When we were kids, mom would make
a Betty Crocker cake and a few friends and cousins would sit at the
kitchen table and party hearty with cone shaped hats on. Remember the
pain in the neck you got when those elastics snapped? I have some
photos up on my Facebook page of some of those pre-1960 parties. When
mom made the cake, I used to love to lick the beater blades. It was
more enjoyable when the beater was off. There would be the smell of
birthday candle smoke in the kitchen, and Winston cigarettes in the
parlor. I remember some of the cool stuff I got for my birthday. One
year I got a Mr. Machine – it was a walking, six or seven inch robot
whose gears were visible. It made weird sounds as it walked into walls.
It was made by Ideal. They now fetch at least a hundred bucks on eBay.
Another year, I got a Mattel Fanner Fifty cowboy pistol that used
"greenie stick-em caps." I still have that toy gun, and it's a good
eBay item also.

If I could have the perfect fantasy birthday
it would be something like this – I would pick up Michelle Pfeiffer in
my 1992 Camaro Convertible (that I had to trade in when the kids came
along). We would drive around Somerville honking the horn so everyone
would see me with her. We would have lunch at the Venice Café and go to
Friendly's on Cedar and Highland and share a sundae. Then I would do a
set at the Embassy Lounge with my band so I could show off in front of
Michelle. Okay, Earth to Jimmy, come back to reality.

My cell
phone rang on Sunday and it was my aunt Molly (my mother's sister) who
is a spry 94 years old. She said she would have mailed my card, but she
walked and walked and couldn't find a mailbox. For some reason there
are now fewer mailboxes in the Somerville Avenue area these days. She
told me she missed me and I told her I missed her, so I headed over to
her house. She had a nice religious card for me and a very thoughtful
gift. We had a nice little visit. I also saw my cousins Tom and Bonnie
and Mike who live upstairs from auntie. It was great seeing them,
because we don't get together as much as we would like to. I also got a
card from my aunt Olga. That one made me teary. The front read "You
stole my heart as a little guy, you've won my admiration as a man." The
message on the inside said, "You'll always be the nephew I love like a
son." I feel the same way about her. My cousin Carol sent me a card
that made me laugh like a nut. It said "One of us remembered your
birthday…and the other one just kinda lives in the house and doesn't
know what's going on." Too funny! I am so lucky to have my aunts and
cousins (and one uncle left) in my life. Very, very lucky.

I
will start my birthday at 9am with the kids from Project STAR. We are
rehearsing my original mini-musical, "Back In The 'Ville." Don't forget
(free plug) to come on Wednesday August 12th at 7pm in the Somerville
High School auditorium. It's free and it's going to be great! A special
thanks to the many friends who wished me happy birthday on Facebook.

Tennessee
Ernie Ford sang "16 tons and what do you get, another year older and
deeper in debt." I don't care about my ever-increasing debt, I just
care about staying here and having as many birthdays as possible. My
awesomely, wonderful Sunsetters will perform in front of my house
(yesterday) and then we will have a party.

I am pretty healthy,
my kids are great, and I love what I am doing so that's all the gift I
need. I wish my parents, brother and sister were here to celebrate with
me, but Michelle Pfeiffer will have to do.

What is it? It is Wheel
Questions, a black, cylindrical structure about eight feet tall tented
by colored awning and hung with 238 small, squarish pieces of paper,
each one bearing a handwritten question. People ask: "Why am I here?
What should I do with the rest of my life? Why isn't Santa Claus real?
Turn the paper over to read the answer penned by John Monsarrat, the
project's founder. The Wheel has been on display in front of the
Tedeschi Food Shop at Davis Square since July 3 and will stay there
until the end of the month.

At the Wheel, signs instruct
visitors to note their questions on blank sheets of paper and leave
them in a wooden dropbox. Monsarrat, later picks up the questions,
answers them by hand, photographs all of the questions and answers and
posts all of them on his website, www.wheelquestions.org. He then posts
selected questions on the Wheel itself.

Since it opened in
Davis Square on July 3, John Monsarrat's installation has been very
popular. Visitors to the Wheel have posted an average of 127 questions
per day, with a high of 268 and a low of 15 questions. The questions
address themes of love and life, and the same ones arise again and
again, proving how universal people's questions are. Visitors find the
Wheel a refreshing alternative to on-line forums, such as blogs.

John
Monsarrat started the Wheel, formerly called the Abyss, in his yard at
123 Elm Street in June of 2008. It was so popular that he built a new
structure and took it on tour to Harvard and Davis Squares this summer.
Wheel Questions was at Harvard from June 14 to July 2 and has been at
Davis since July 3, where it will stay through the end of the month. In
August, the Wheel will be based at Harvard Square. Monsarrat says the
Wheel will stay open until the money runs out (according to him it
nearly has) or until he "goes insane" (also according to him he nearly
has). He is currently seeking corporate sponsors for the project.

A
common question for John Monsarrat is "Who are you?" and it's one that
many readers may have. John Monsarrat is about 40 years old with an
undergraduate computer engineering degree and an MBA from MIT. He
currently is currently CEO of the company Hard Data Factory, a data
mining service, and is the founder and former head of the computer game
company, Triton. But mostly, he is the guy who spends 6 hours a day
collecting, answering, and posting questions and answers..

To
the question "Why are you doing this?" Monsarrat replies: "I genuinely
like to help people. I'm desperate to escape an ordinary life." He
doesn't claim to have all the answers, and admits that things are
easier said than done. When people ask what authority he has to answer
these questions, Monsarrat replies: "I've made a lot of mistakes and I
like to think I've learned something."

So what are people
asking? A few questions are political ("Will Iran be free?"), some
trivial ("Snickers, Charleston Chew, or Heath bars?"). Most questions,
though, relate to universal and timeless themes, asking about love ("Is
Kevin in love with me?"), death ("What happens when we die?") sexuality
("When should I come out to my parents?"), religion ("Is there a God?")
and the meaning of life ("Why am I here?").

Monsarrat's
answers are both blunt and optimistic. To the question "Why am I here?"
he replies, "I'm sorry, but there's no reason," and "There's no hidden
purpose." He continues to say, "Thank goodness we get to decide our
purpose for ourselves." He advises people searching for a path in life
to get together with a friend and make a list of the experiences that
they find most meaningful and satisfying, then set some related goals,
and go after them.

Submitting an average of 127 questions
daily, people certainly value the Wheel. Daniel Fireside, of Teele
Square, commented that, "People sure seem to have a lot of questions,
so it seems like a good idea to solicit, to find out what's on people's
minds." In fact, people seem to value the chance to ask anonymous
questions and air their thoughts even more than they value Monsarrat's
answers. Jennifer Bellingham, a recent Emerson graduate caught perusing
the Wheel at Davis on a recent evening, has submitted many questions to
the Wheel, yet has never gone to the website to see the answers.
Another visitor to the Wheel, Marsha Walters, compared it to Frank
Warren's website of anonymous postcards, Post-Secret. She called
Post-Secret, "A way to get your secret out. And this is a way to get
your questions out."

Unlike Post-Secret, where postings are
displayed but not answered, at the Wheel, every question gets an
answer. People have mixed opinions of Monsarrat's answers. Daniel
Fireside liked the project but was "a little disappointed that the
answers weren't funnier." Bellingham appreciates the answers, but
cautions that "nobody should think of it as, you know, the word, but I
think it's a good opinion." Many people submit questions such as as
"What makes you think you have the right answers? Are omniscient?" and
seem to consider Monsarrat a know-it-all.

Also in contrast to
Post-Secret, the Wheel is not an on-line forum but a physical
structure. As Bellingham neatly put it: "It takes the anonymity of the
internet and puts it in the outdoors." Like a blog, the Wheel is open
for anyone to read, and postings are anonymous. It changes daily, so
people return again and again to see the latest posts. Unlike a blog,
the Wheel is a physical structure with a defined location, and the only
way to ask a question is to go to the Wheel, write it down, and drop it
in the box. Fireside commented that, "It's kind of nice, in this
electronic age, to have people write things down on actual pieces of
paper."

If
you don't know where you're going, any path will take you there. That
was too often the case in the past, when city officials did not set
clear goals for the city's future guided by an agreed-upon vision for
the future.

They approved developments that generate
relatively low city revenues on land that could support higher-value
uses. They approved conversions of commercial properties with high tax
rates and low municipal costs, to residential uses with low tax rates
and high costs. The result was a structural fiscal deficit.

Now,
the mayor wants to set destinations and define the paths that will take
us to them, and he wants to involve as many Somerville residents as
possible in doing so. Leading the effort are staff from his Strategic
Office of Planning and Community Development (SOPCD).

Keith
Craig, who is guiding the effort, explains that a provision in
Massachusetts General Law authorizes municipalities that wish to, to
prepare a comprehensive plan. It's comprehensive because it includes
plans for economic development, housing, open space, city services,
recreation, and transportation; and because it must account for how
each of those elements interacts; and because it must anticipate future
trends.

Imagine the nested Chinese boxes or carved Russian dolls
that are sold in gift shops. You open one to find another. You open the
next to find yet another, and so on through a dozen boxes.

Now
imagine that Somerville is the middle box. Within it are boxes that
represent the elements being planned for and conditions shaping them
within the city. Surrounding it, boxes range outward, from regional
dynamics to global economic forces. Finally, imagine that each box is
in a state of continual change, affecting and sometimes transforming
the boxes around and within it.

Understanding those dynamics is
quite a challenge in itself. And the comprehensive plan must provide
clear guidance for future decision makers while allowing sufficient
flexibility for trends and events that cannot now be foreseen.

Two events that can
be foreseen are the arrival of the Orange and Green Lines. There is a
finite amount of time in which to make plans that will maximize the
opportunities they bring, while minimizing such risks as
gentrification. What with conducting the comprehensive planning process
at the same time, SOPCD staff are busier that a one-legged planner in
an ass-kicking contest.

That planning process begins, as it
should, with exhaustively collecting and rigorously analyzing those
data that describe Somerville's economic, housing, population, and
transportation trends. Accurately understanding how they brought us to
this moment, while combining this information with regional and
national trends, creates a baseline for understanding where we are
going. While our city faces the same challenges confronting many
cities, we are only 4.2 square miles in scale. So as Keith Craig
explains, "Somerville is a microcosm of all the challenges going on the
in the world, but in a manageable space."

SOPCD staff are
conducting a series of open meetings to inform residents of their
research findings and solicit insights regarding their meaning. In the
next step residents will work together to set a vision for the city's
future. Much of the visioning will occur in large public forums in
which the price of admission is participation.

SOPCD Executive
Director Monica Lamboy anticipates that different participants will
inevitably be passionate about different issues. She hopes to conduct a
productive conversation-bounded by the finite realities defined in
SOPCD's real-world data analysis-through which participants can
understand how their issue fits into the whole that is greater than the
sum of its parts.

The forums' results will go to a 56-member
steering committee composed of representatives appointed by the mayor,
aldermen, superintendent of education, school committee, key
departments, and community organizations. They will prepare drafts of
what they've heard and how it has influenced their thinking.

The
drafts will go back to the public participants and form the basis of a
dialogue between them and the steering committee, from which the
committee will draft goals, policies, and action plans.

Once
finished, the plan will guide creation of an updated General (land use)
Plan, which has not been revised since 1989. It will attract investment
to the city by giving developers and commercial tenants comfort about
what they can expect within the districts in which they might locate.
And it will sensitize and position public and private city leaders to
take advantage of future opportunities.

This is a rare moment
when it is possible to shape Somerville's future for generations to
come. Everyone, who cares about our city should participate. You can
learn more, review research produced to date, and find out about
participation opportunities at the Comprehensive Plan's website. Go to www.somervillema.gov/,
click on "City Departments," and then link to SOPCD. On the right side
of the page will be the comprehensive plan link. You can send questions
and suggestions to Mr. Craig at kcraig@somervillema.gov.

Supreme Kitchen
has been a staple of Somerville since April 2001. Before that,
Sapochetti tells us he was the owner of a small grocery store near City
Hall called Portabella's, but decided to close it some years ago and
"do something different." With the current national and state-wide
recession going on, Mr. Sapochetti admits this financial crisis is
hurting his business, "It's definitely hurt…other than McDonald's, I
don't know many restaurants that have done well through the recession."
However to help his restaurant and hurting Somervillians too,
Sapochetti has added so-called recession specials; for $4.50 one can
order, for example, two eggs, home fries, bacon, toast and coffee. When
asked if these new additions sell well, Sapochetti is pleased to say
they do. "You can have two people come in for $10 and get two big
breakfasts," he says. The recession specials are currently only
available weekdays, Monday through Friday.

Supreme Kitchen
prides itself on its Eggs Benedict, Sapochetti says, telling us, "Not a
lot of places do Eggs Benedict." They have a Mexican and a Southwestern
Eggs Benedict, which come with chili and salsa, and reportedly sell
very well. Customers who want to eat healthier, Sapochetti, says
"…could do an egg white omelet," but admits his restaurant is not
geared toward the health-conscious crowd, saying "Bacon's bacon." While
there is a menu written up, Sapochetti is flexible with custom orders,
saying, "Whatever we have, you can have." Supreme Kitchen is mainly a
breakfast joint but the diner also does "a pretty good lunch,"
Sapochetti adds, with chicken, soups, salads and hamburgers. Somerville
Hospital is directly opposite of Supreme Kitchen and on the weekends,
customers can park in the hospital's lot for free. During the week,
there are few 30-minute parking spaces right outside the restaurant,
but most of the clientèle, Sapochetti tells us, are Somerville natives
and repeat customers who can simply walk to his restaurant.
Sapochetti's diner atmosphere is welcoming and low-key; he knows most
of his customers orders before they come inside the door. "You know
their names, you become friends with them."

Hanging from the
diner walls, in two spots, are abstract paintings from a local artist
and fellow restaurateur, Lola Riveras, who runs Café Lola, also on
Highland Ave. Sapochetti continually hangs up new paintings,
photographs or artwork to give his place a new and different feel. "I
had a whole wall up here of U2 stuff, because that's my favorite band,"
he comments.

Supreme Kitchen recently reopened its doors last
November after a being closed for four months in 2008 due to a traffic
accident; a van accidentally backed into the restaurant but as
Sapochetti tells us, no one was hurt; however it took a while to be
able to start everything up again. The diner is located on 233 Highland
Avenue, is open every day from 7 am – 3 pm, and accepts cash only.

Kimberly
McGinley of Dedham and a 2-year-old Roslindale child were standing at
the curb around 3:30 p.m. when Somerville police Deputy Chief Paul
Upton said the 71 year-old driver's Nissan Pathfinder "suddenly
accelerated" while maneuvering into or out of a parking spot.

A
police statement released Tuesday said McGinley had died of her
injuries Monday night. The child's condition was updated to stable.

Upton
said the driver has not been charged but his license was revoked Monday
morning pending the outcome of an investigation by the Crash
Reconstruction Unit. It is expected to conclude by the end of the week.

The Police Department is reminding residents to take
some simple precautions that will reduce your chances of becoming a
victim of a home burglary.

How are homes targeted?

Simple selection process

Choose an unoccupied home with easy access, the greatest amount of cover and the best escape routes.

Homeowners often make this selection process easy for thieves by failing to take simple precautions.

What can you do to prevent becoming a victim?

Harden the Target

Burglars will usually bypass a house if it requires too much effort or more skills or tools than they possess.

Most breaks are through front or back doors.

Unlocked outer doors to common hallways give thieves a chance to break
in through inner doors while remaining out of sight of neighbors and
police. Keep outside doors locked

Doors and Locks

Use a solid core or metal door at entrance points.

Use a heavy-duty deadbolt with a one inch throw bolt.

Use a quality knob-in-lock set with dead latch mechanism.

Use a heavy duty strike plate with 3 inch screws into the frame

Use a wide angle peephole

When you move into a new house or apartment, change the door locks

Breaks through doors

Most common method of forced entry is simply to kick in the door.

The weakest point is usually the lock strike plate.

You should upgrade to a heavy-duty strike plate.

Sliding Glass Doors

This type of door is usually secured by latches only.

They are vulnerable to attack.

Security can be increased by inserting a wooden dowel or stick into the door track to prevent movement.

There are also metal track blockers / locks available.

Windows (the most frequent point of entry during warm weather months)

Windows are left unlocked at a much higher rate than doors.

An open window that is visible from the street may be the sole reason
that a house is targeted. An open window with only a locked window
screen is particularly inviting to thieves. Access is quick, easy and
silent.

Windows have latches, not locks; they should have secondary locking devices.

Wooden sticks/dowels work well with horizontal sliding windows.

Windows

For vertical windows, through the frame pins work well.

For ventilation, leave no more than a 4 – 6 inch window opening.

Make sure that opening is not large enough to allow someone to reach through to unlock the door or remove window lock.

Be A Good NeighborHow are homes targeted?

Get to know your neighbors.

Agree to watch each other's home.

While on vacation, pick up mail, newspapers, packages and flyers; put out their trash on trash day (and return empty barrels).

Offer to park your car in their driveway.

Water flowers, grass and plants.

Communicate with each other.

Lighting

Interior lighting is necessary to show signs of activity inside.

Use timers (lights, radios and televisions). Make the home appear occupied.

Exterior lighting is very important.

Lights in front of the home should be on a timer.

Use timers or motion sensors for other exterior lighting, especially at the rear of the house.

Alarm Systems

Increase the potential of burglar being caught.

Burglars will usually bypass a home that they believe has a burglar alarm.

An audible horn or siren must be part of the system.

Alarm systems be professionally installed and maintained.

Alarm systems should reset within three minutes so as not to disturb the neighborhood.

Leave a key to your house and alarm system with a trusted neighbor who is usually there when you are not home.

Alarm systems can also monitor fire sensors and panic buttons.

Operation Identification

Engrave your driver's license number (and state) on televisions, stereos, computers and small electronic appliances.

Photograph your valuables, especially jewelry and electronics.

Make a list of make, model, serial numbers and value of important items.

Give a copy of this list to a relative or close friend.

Register your valuable electronics with WRAP or JustStolen.net

What if you see something of someone acting suspicious????

If you see anyone acting suspicious around your house or a neighbor's house, call 911 immediately.

If your house is broken into, call police immediately. Don't touch anything that the criminal may have touched.

Wait outside for police to arrive.

Write down plate numbers of suspicious vehicles.

Not
all break-ins will be stopped, regardless of the precautions that you
take. Talk to your insurance agent to make sure that your valuables
will be covered in the event of a theft.

Having
lost both of his grandmothers to cancer-related illness, Brennan wanted
to contribute to the fight against its devastating effects. "Cancer is
such a huge part of people's everyday lives," he said. "I thought that
it was time to just get on the bike and try to do something myself."
With every dollar going directly to the Jimmy Fund, Brennan is trying
to raise at least $4,200 for the cause. Currently, he has raised $1,200
but will be hosting a fundraising party this Sunday, July 26th, at PJ
Ryans. There will be a pig roast, with a small contribution for plates,
as well as a raffle drawing for Red Sox tickets and for cases of wine.

This
year marks the 30th anniversary of the Pan Mass Challenge, which has
raised phenomenal amounts of money for the Dana Farber Institute. Last
year alone, the PMC raised $35 million, or half of the Jimmy Fund's
annual revenue. While Brennan recognizes the current economic woes that
curb donations to charities such as the PMC, he stressed the importance
of the cause. "It's true that times are tough, but cancer directly
affects people regardless of the economy." Though he has minimal
experience in long-distance riding, the Dubliner is unfazed by the
challenge. "The adrenaline will get me through it. But I'm not looking
forward to getting up Sunday morning." It will hurt much less knowing
that he reached his goal of $4,200. To make a tax-exempt online
donation starting at $1, visit.