In 2008, I filmed an interview in Boston in which Professor Akbar Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University, spoke with Noam Chomsky, Professor of Linguistics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, about American identity. According to Chomsky: "[America] is a very frightened country ... which is kind of ironic because [we're] at a level of security that nobody's ever dream of... The theme is we're about to be destroyed by an enemy." He added that the enemy "[today] is Muslims" and "[t]he paranoia is very real." Chomsky's thesis is even more Continue reading >>>

  Last Monday was Patriots’ Day in Massachusetts, a holiday I am somewhat embarrassed and somewhat proud to say I thought was a national holiday until I came to Kenyon. Apparently, most states do not reenact the Battles of Lexington and Concord on the third Monday in April. For me, though, Patriots’ Day is not really about American patriotism. It’s about celebrating my city, Boston, and spending time with my family and friends. And, in typical Boston fashion, it’s about sports. Patriots’ Day is, after all, also Marathon Monday. I like to think that sports events are sacred, Continue reading >>>

We would love to open this editorial by quoting the immortal words of ‘Big Papi’ David Ortiz… but to paraphrase - this is OUR Boston, and as the Mayor proclaims, it is open for business.With the initial nightmare and capture now over, the healing process has begun in earnest and accelerated given Bostonian’s steely resolve. First and foremost, that means properly memorializing those killed in the marathon attacks. It means honoring the courage and heroism of the first responders who saved countless lives; admiring those in law enforcement whose unrelenting and intelligent Continue reading >>>

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Please explain to me how everyone can talk about the admirable nature of the Bostonian without mentioning that the Tsarnaev brothers were also, for all intents and purposes, Bostonians. Please explain how the younger of the two suspects, Dzhokhar, could go back to his dorm and watch the aftermath of the cruel bomb attack on TV with his friends, any of whom could have been at the Boston Marathon and been killed? Is this the behavior of a sociopath, or someone so brainwashed that he regards his fellow Bostonians as subhumans to be wiped off the earth? And please explain why this won’t happen Continue reading >>>

As a life-long Bostonian, I want to thank you for your paper's beautiful tribute to our recent nightmare.Jacqueline Kates, Boca Raton Continue reading >>>

Posted on April 24, 2013, WednesdayBOSTON, Massachusetts: Bostonians gathered at a makeshift memorial on Monday to remember the victims of last week’s devastating marathon bombings – some seeking comfort, others looking to honour the dead.At 2.50pm (1850 GMT), church bells rang out across the city as hundreds of people stood silently at the end of a security cordon set up near the blast sites at the marathon finish line on Boylston Street to pay their respects.“We began last Tuesday with three American flags and then people have kept on bringing flowers, stuffed animals – all kinds of Continue reading >>>

Live news reporters are often subjected to all manner of random, unpredictable video-bombs, but Fox News’ Mike Tobin handled his like a champ. During Fox Report with Shepard Smith Monday night, Shep tossed the ball to Tobin’ live report in Boston, regarding new details that had emerged in the bombing investigation. Tobin got through most of his report with a straight face, but was unexpectedly pinned by two Bostonian females who looked like they were going in for a pair of kisses on either cheek. Tobin, not breaking eye contact with the camera, calmly pushed the pair away and said Continue reading >>>

Boston has marked the one-week anniversary of the twin marathon bombings with a moment of silence observed across the nation, from the White House to the New York Stock Exchange.The city honoured the victims of the blasts with a moment of silence at 2.49pm on Monday (0449 AEST Tuesday) that was also observed in Washington, by President Barack Obama and lawmakers, and in New York, at the city's stock exchange.Across Massachusetts, the silence was broken by the tolling of church bells."God bless the people of Massachusetts," said Governor Deval Patrick at a ceremony outside the statehouse. "Boston Continue reading >>>

This week's Dancing With the Stars came just one week after the devastating Boston Marathon bombings that had an effect on so many people across the country. The week was full of sadness and speculation that all came to a head on Friday when the entire city of Boston and close suburbs were effectively shut down to find the bombing suspects. In other words, it wasn't an easy week to just dance and have fun, especially for Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman who is from the Boston area and wore her "I Heart Boston" shirt to every rehearsal. At just 18, it must be awfully hard to be so far from home. As Continue reading >>>