Metaboston

"Jack the Kicker" Strikes in Harvard Square

Man accused of kicking people in Harvard Square.  Just not very nice.

New England Lost Ski Areas

With over 600 lost ski resorts covered, the New England Lost Ski Areas Project has tapped into a powerful nostalgia for a homier skiing environment that used to flourish in New England. 

“'The lost ski areas are closed, but they are alive in the hearts and minds of everyone who called those places home,'” said Jeremy Davis, who started the New England Lost Ski Area Project (www.nelsap.org) nine years ago. “'I can attest to that. Just read my e-mail for a week.'”

Local ski areas started to go out of business when owners were faced with rising insurance costs and a demand for more luxurious resorts.

"[T]he 1970s were hard times for operators of ski areas. There was an energy crisis, which not only cut down leisure driving by potential customers but saddled areas with higher energy prices. At the same time, liability insurance costs spiked. The histories of dozens of small ski areas end with the conclusion that it could not reopen one winter because the owners could not afford their insurance premiums.

Skiing was also a victim of its own success. With six times the number of American skiers in 1970 as in 1955, many skiers began searching for thrills beyond the local hill. And when they did visit a big resort, they rode relatively comfortable chair lifts instead of T-bars. They skied on groomed trails, many covered using something altogether new: snow-making equipment."

Global warming and a demand for even more professional and luxurious accommodations are continuing pressures.  The NELSAP site is a good reminder that are plenty of sites that still exist. There were even several ski areas in Rhode Island and at least one remains.

Photographs of the "old" Harvard Square

Photographs of the "old" Harvard Square from the early 1980s. People miss the Tasty but the Mug n Muffin sounds good (image Andy Lee) (via GirlHacker's Random Log)

Maine wants its Declaration of Independence back

Maine wants its Declaration of Independence back.  An early copy of the Declaration of Independence was sent to the clerk of Wiscasset, Maine in 1776 and next turned up in the attic of a Wiscasset resident, whose father had also been a town clerk, when she died in 1994.

After that, the "document was sold at an estate auction. It changed hands several times, ending up with a private collector in Virginia who paid $475,000 for it in 2001.

Now Maine is seeking to reclaim it, citing a state statute that says a public document remains public until explicitly relinquished by the government."

--

"Plumstead's father was Wiscasset's town clerk from 1885 to 1929, and state officials believe that like many local officials of the era, he kept public records in his home.

Maine officials say the state is not obligated to pay anything to get the document back. It is unclear whether the state's statute regarding public documents will hold up in a Virginia court."

Lost Ring in Davis Square

Jeramie Mage finds a ring in front of the Davis Square Dunkin' Donuts; when the shop doesn't want to know about it he turns to the Live Journal:  "The ring is real, it has three stones mounted in a white gold band. The stones are all shaped in three unique shapes, describe to me what the shapes are and what the stones are and i will return the ring to you. I know what it likes to loose jewelry and this ring looks like it has some meaning behind it." If you're missing a ring contact him.

'Lost' Course at Tufts

Attracting a certain amount of teasing even from hardcore Lost fans at tuition dollars mispent, the Tufts Experimental College has put on a class on the TV show Lost:  The Future is Lost:  the TV Show as Cultural Phenomenon.

You can hear a Tom Ashbrook with Lost executive producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof that brings in instructor Chad Matlin late in the show.

And a podcast with Whitney Matheson of USA Today devoted primarily to the instructors and the course.  The podcast page also lists the syllabus.

Lost Knitting on 71 Bus

Lost notice for riders of the 71 Bus from Sheepspyjamas:

"If any of you happen to be riding the 71 bus between Watertown and Harvard Square and notice a Woolcott and Company shopping bag containing:

A copy of Simply Socks
A ball of quite beautiful worsted weight hand dyed yarn
An in process red and black socks, toe up, boat sized (size 13) sock for my husband (and I just finished the heel and started the ribbing) -...
And the prize winner of all the bag contained: All the pieces, blocked and ready for assembly (I was going to work on them at lunch today) to Pojke-Dot's Sunilda sweater -- ...

there's a good chance it's mine"