VOL. 120 - NO. 1 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, JANUARY 1, 2016 $.35 A COPY ❄ City of Boston Christmas Tree Collection – Recycling Days in January The annual City of Boston tree collection your building puts trash in a dumpster, will be for two weeks starting on Monday trees should be placed next to the the 4th and ending on Friday the 15th. dumpster for collection. Do not put trees 1 • NO PLASTIC BAGS in plastic bags. ❄2 • NO DECORATIONS / LIGHTS Residents of buildings with private ❄ 0 5 • NO TREE STANDS trash pickup should check with their ❄ Neighborhoods with multiple landlord or management company. collections will only receive Remember, the City’s “Recycle designated collection on their More” single stream program ❄ FIRST recycling day. allows residents to mix all Happy Thanks for your help in keeping recycling together, including ❄ the trees out of the waste stream wrapping paper. and adding to the City of Boston’s If you miss these recycling diversion rate. times, call 617-635-4959 for Remove all ornaments, possible additional date or decorations, and stands from dates in January. New Year trees and place trees at the For more information on tree curb by 7:00 am on your recycling for other areas of recycling day. Massachusetts, and indeed from Pamela Donnaruma For the North End, nationwide, log on to www. recycling days are Monday, pickyourownchristmastree. and the Staff of the Post-Gazette January 4th and 11th. If org/disposing.php. Board of Health Approves Amendments to Tobacco Regulations Raises Age to Buy Tobacco and Nicotine Products to 21; 2016 Limits Access to Flavored Tobacco Products Mayor Martin J. Walsh re- Hawaii. The amendments will go regular users. Recognizing the cently announced that the into effect in 60 days on Febru- importance of this age group, Boston Board of Health voted ary 15, 2016. Previously, Bos- the tobacco industry has been to approve amendments to the ton’s Board of Health has imple- increasingly targeting youth News Briefs City of Boston’s tobacco regu- mented robust tobacco control through pricing, marketing and by Sal Giarratani lations which raise the mini- and prevention measures to fl avoring. Research shows that mum legal age for purchasing address youth smoking, lead- instead of smoking cigarettes, tobacco products, including ing to a substantial reduction Boston’s young people are us- Cruz Blasts Media e-cigarettes, from 18 to 21; in- in youth cigarette use. Among ing other tobacco products, in- After Cartoon Aimed at His Kids crease the age for admission to Boston high school students, cluding candy, fruit, chocolate Republican Ted Cruz blasted the media and called for adult-only retail tobacco stores the rate of cigarette use declined or other sweet-fl avored cigars, the children of all presidential candidates to remain off- and smoking bars to 21; and from 15.3 percent in 2005 to as well as e-cigarettes. A 2013 limits in campaign coverage after an editorial cartoonist streamline existing regulations. 7.9 percent in 2013, and is well survey found that the use of depicted his daughters as an organ grinder’s monkeys. Additionally, the amendments below the national average of inexpensive cigars and cigarillos The Pulitzer Prize winner cartoonist Ann Telnas said will limit the sale of fl avored 15.7 percent. However, use of among youth in Boston had in- Cruz had used the girls in a campaign video so she said tobacco and nicotine products electronic cigarettes and fla- creased to 20 percent. Boston’s she was justifi ed in placing them in her cartoon. By the other than menthol to adult- vored tobacco products is on the latest amendments are aimed way, the Washington Post website quickly removed the only retailers. “I am proud to rise, spurring the most recent at preventing teenagers from offending cartoon. The cartoon showed Cruz dressed in stand with our Board of Health action by the Board of Health. starting smoking by removing a Santa outfi t playing an organ with his two daughters in support of updating Boston’s “I applaud Mayor Walsh for his the sources of tobacco prod- as dancing monkeys in Santa suits, too. tobacco regulations. It is our leadership on this persistent ucts from their social networks. This cartoon reminded me of the 19th century news- responsibility to do what we can public health issue and for his “Despite major gains in reduc- paper cartoonist Thomas Nast, who was reportedly the to guide our young people and support of these critically im- ing the number of adults and Know Nothing Party’s favorite cartoonist for depicting create a healthier future for all portant policy changes that will youth who smoke cigarettes, Irish immigrants as monkeys. In later years, other Bostonians,” said Mayor Walsh. undoubtedly protect Boston’s smoking is still the leading cartoonists often drew Black folk as monkeys, too. “We know the consequences of young people from unnecessary cause of preventable death in Can you image if a right wing cartoonist ever drew tobacco use are real and can disease and premature death,” the United States, contributing an anti-Obama cartoon depicting his two daughters be devastating. These changes said Board of Health Chair to more deaths than HIV, illegal as monkeys? Liberals would be out looking for blood. send a strong message that Dr. Paula Johnson. Nationwide, drug use, alcohol use, motor Offensive cartoons are always offensive. Methinks Ann Boston takes the issue of pre- while only roughly two percent vehicle accidents and fi rearm- Telnas needs to read up on Thomas Nast before she venting tobacco addiction seri- of retail tobacco sales are to related incidents combined, so draws anymore monkey cartoons. ously, and I hope that message individuals aged 18 through reducing the number of young Which is it? is heard throughout Boston and 21, as many as 95 percent of people who ever start smok- According to a recent published poll, Americans were across the entire country.” By adult smokers began smoking ing is the single most impor- asked if they could live in any city in the country, which raising the minimum legal age before they turned 21, and the tant thing we can do to pro- for tobacco sales to 21, Boston ages 18 to 21 are cited as criti- mote long-term health,” said (Continued on Page 8) joins more than 85 other mu- cal years when young people Dr. Huy Nguyen, Interim Ex- nicipalities in Massachusetts, transition from experimenting ecutive Director of the Boston as well as New York City and with tobacco into becoming Public Health Commission. THE POST-GAZETTE SATELLITE OFFICE HAS MOVED TO 343 CHELSEA ST., DAY SQUARE, EAST BOSTON This offi ce is open on Tuesdays from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM and Thursdays from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM, for the convenience of our East Boston and North Shore clients and contributors Call 617-227-8929 for more information PAGE 2 POST-GAZETTE, JANUARY 1, 2016 Top of the Hub & Boston Celtics Team Up to Bring Holiday Cheer THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH became a convenient meeting place for the laity. Monks gener- ally occupied the choir section, but as their numbers increased, they were relocated to the ends of bemas. Each of the ambos is the appropriate reading stand for the gospel or epistle. All other areas need no explanation. This design served the church needs adequately, except that the dry timber roofs were often struck by lightning. The lack of proper fi re fi ghting equipment permitted serious damage to occur to the roof structure or, It is understandable that with timber ceilings; 6. a high ceiling at times, even the destruction of the great numbers of persons over the nave (clearstory) and a the entire roof. The next logical fl ocking to the Christian faith, low ceiling over the aisles and 7. step then, was to construct the PARTY IN THE SKY — Top of the Hub’s Skywalk Observatory and not being content with a colonnaded atrium in front of roofs of stone by building a series hosted players from the Boston Celtics as they brought a second-hand buildings, a crash the church. of vaults and arches. Inadequate touch of holiday cheer to young patients from the Pediatric program of church building was In the center of the atrium knowledge about arch thrusts Specialty Clinic at Boston Medical Center. (Left to right) Top begun. Thirty-one Christian they dug a well or erected caused some sidewalls to spread of the Hub’s General Manager Peter Papagelis welcomed Celtics Churches were built in Rome a fountain where the faithful and roofs to fall. This problem Guard Isaiah Thomas and Old Saint Nick to the holiday party was solved during the Roman- alone. The layout or plan of were required to wash before along with Celtics players R. J. Hunter, Jonas Jerebko, Jordan esque period which came later. these churches was infl uenced entering the church. This was Mickey, Kelly Olynyk Jared Sullinger, Evan Turner, “Lucky by that of the pagan basilica, the origin of the holy water stoup The Leprechaun” and the Boston Celtics Dancers. The kids, NEXT ISSUE: and these thirty-one were known which stands in the narthex of who enjoyed games, gifts, a luncheon buffet and a team sing-a- The Holy Water Stoup as basilican-style churches, or every Roman Catholic Church along led by Hunter, were transported to the Skywalk courtesy simply basilican churches. Most today. of Santa’s helpers at Old Town Trolley Tours of Boston. Face of these original structures have The colonnaded atrium painting was handled by big-hearted volunteer artists from been either remodeled or were served as a place WHERE Magazine, with entertainment by the Hearts & Noses destroyed for various reasons.