Latest news with #UniversityofMassachusettsBoston
CBS News
14-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
A cup of coffee with room for opportunity; Frisco coffee shop gives everyone a chance to work
Living with an intellectual disability like autism or Down syndrome can be a significant challenge for many, especially when it comes to finding a job as an adult. But there's a chain of coffee shops trying to change that, and they just opened up their first shop in North Texas. According to a study from the University of Massachusetts Boston and the Special Olympics, only 34% of adults with intellectual disabilities are employed. Meet Matthew Philips. He's 23 and just started working at a coffee shop in Frisco. "I wanted to work here so I could make more friends and greet a lot of people, because I'm a big social guy and I like to talk to a lot of people," said Philips In a lot of ways, Philips is like most 23-year-olds. He loves sports and spends his days working. But in other ways, he's a lot different. "I have autism and I got diagnosed when I was 9 years old, and I was non-verbal when I was younger," he said. "It was hard for me, because when I was in school, people used to make fun of me because I had a disability." While his disability might make him different outside these doors, at Bitty and Beau's, he's just another employee. "I make hot coffee, iced tea, lemonade water and serve customers," barista Christian Heath said. "I've always been different. I've always known I've been different and I thought there was something wrong with me," said Kennedy Hodge, another barista. All the employees at Bitty and Beau's have an intellectual disability, and many of them have struggled to find work until now. CBS News Texas "Took me a year to find my job but I feel so blessed that god found a job for me," said Hodge. The North Carolina-based coffee shop is more than just java – it's a movement to celebrate and value diversity. The chain wants people with intellectual disabilities to know that they're not broken. Just like their hat says. "I thought there was something wrong with me. But I know that there's no mistakes. God makes no mistakes," said Hodge.
Boston Globe
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
‘The fear comes back to me': Those who fled despots have thoughts on authoritarianism, here and abroad.
Valiente is among some local emigrés from countries that have suffered under autocracies who say Rümeysa Öztürk's arrest — apparently for co-writing a pro-Palestinian opinion piece in a student newspaper — alongside President Trump's broader immigration crackdown represents a source of profound unease. Advertisement For some who fled authoritarian regimes, the echoes of the old country in the United States are jarring. They have seen this movie before, and it doesn't end well. 'I unequivocally condemn terrorism in all its forms, but I believe no one should be targeted, detained, or deported without due process — especially not for their political views' explained Valiente, a journalist who said he was abducted near his home, similar to how Öztürk was taken, after covering antigovernment protests in Caracas. Trump has used the notion of a connection to terrorism to justify the cancelling visas of foreign students, some of Advertisement 'It's very dangerous, because many innocent people are going to be suffering,' said Valiente. 'Many are suffering, and even if you have not been arrested yet, we know in our community thousands of people who can't even go to sleep because of the fear and uncertainty.' In a statement, the White House batted away the idea that Trump's actions could be construed as moving toward authoritarianism. 'There is no greater defender of freedom than President Trump, who signed an Executive Order to protect free speech on his first day back in office, ended the weaponization of justice, restored over 400 press passes to the White House complex, and takes media questions daily,' said spokesperson Anna Kelly. But Valiente, a spokesman for the Panagiota Gounari, a University of Massachusetts Boston linguistics professor who studies authoritarianism, knows how strongmen can influence pillars of the state and erode civil liberties. She grew up in Greece, where a military junta seized the government and ruled for seven years from the late 1960s to 1970s. Gounari was a small child when that dictatorship ended, and so doesn't remember much firsthand. But her parents, both educators, 'lived it in their skin.' 'Curricula were affected, specific ideologies were promoted through schooling, there was surveillance,' she said. 'It was a very, very difficult time for anybody.' Members of her family were imprisoned, tortured, or exiled, she said. She sees parallels between Trump and that time: 'It's the fear, it's the censorship, it's the retaliation against political opponents.' Advertisement 'It's the same feeling of fight or flight,' she said. The Boston Globe contacted more than 60 individuals and expat organizations who have members who lived through authoritarianism for this story. Many declined to talk, with some saying they did not feel comfortable given the current political moment in the United Startes, despite their legal immigration status. For Gounari, authoritarianism is 'essentially a form of government that concentrates and exercises power arbitrarily with no regard to the constitution or the rule of law.' Trump, she said, ticks several authoritarian boxes: he refused to accept his defeat in 2020, deals in fear-mongering, creates She thought he drew from the political playbooks of right-wing leaders like In Venezuela, he was a congressman and a vice president of parliament. He led a peaceful political resistance against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in 2017, and was politically persecuted, spending three years essentially under house arrest at the Chilean embassy in Caracas before he was thrown in jail by the Maduro regime, he said. He can't return to his home in Venezuela. Advertisement For Guevara, a hallmark of autocracy is 'the absence of dialogue with the other.' In other words, framing the political opposition as the enemy. Polarization, where people live in a political bubble and demonize those who have different viewpoints, can foster the conditions where authoritarianism is possible and creates a reinforcing effect, said Guevara. Such dynamics can be dangerous, he said. 'It becomes a vicious cycle in which societies get more and more divided, serving mainly the purpose of autocrats, who need to demonize the other side as a precondition to take 'extra institutional' measures to protect 'the people' from 'the enemy,'' he said. 'All sides claim they are defending democracy,' he said. The encroachment of authoritarianism occurs, 'when you have leaders who have some kind of charisma that elicits blind following from members of the administration either because of fear or because of the sharing of certain type of ideology,' said Charlot Lucien, a 60-year-old Massachusetts poet and history instructor who grew up in Haiti under dictatorships known for their oppression and brutality. François Duvalier and his son Jean-Claude Duvalier, known as 'Papa Doc' and 'Baby Doc' respectively, used violence as a tool to squash dissent. In Haiti, the Duvaliers controlled the political institutions, including the elections, and held sway over systems including higher education, according to Lucien. 'Demagoguery was a tool used to [present] a more palatable understanding of what was still an authoritarian regime,' said Lucien of Baby Doc. Newton resident Simona Coborzan was 11 years old when Romania's communist despot Nicolae Ceaușescu was executed by firing squad on Christmas Day 1989. 'As a schoolgirl, I noticed right away that things changed — his portrait and other symbols of his regime were removed from every classroom," she said. 'We no longer had to start each school day listing all the roles Ceaușescu held — he controlled the legislature, executive, and judiciary." Advertisement Under Ceaușescu, Coborzan's grandfather was put under house arrest simply for owning 'too much land,' she said. Trump's administration, she said, reminds her of that era in her native Romania. 'The cult of personality is strikingly similar — so many flags, symbols, and slogans centered on one man," she said. Trump's insistence that the nation would enter 'Ceaușescu used the exact same phrase to describe life in Romania—saying we were Trump's 'His contempt for democratic institutions and norms mirrors what I saw in my childhood: a single man trying to rewrite the rules of democracy to serve his personal power,' she said. Alberto Calvo, a 73-year-old retired engineer from Newton, grew up in Cuba. His father, fearful Calvo would be indoctrinated into 'He killed a lot of people, that's for sure,' he said. Trump, he said, certainly has an authoritarian bent, but without total control and loyalty of the military, Calvo did not think the United States could become an authoritarian state. Advertisement 'I don't think he can establish it here,' he said. Still, he said Trump is haphazard in his decision-making, adding that he's never seen a president quite like the current one: 'It's interesting times we live in.' Danny McDonald can be reached at
Boston Globe
27-04-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Something young MAGA ought to know: feminism is complex
Dorothy Shubow Nelson Cambridge The writer is a retired senior adjunct faculty member in the English department at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Yahoo
University of Massachusetts Student Charged With Firebombing Tesla Dealership
It's not every day a University of Massachusetts Boston student gets arrested for allegedly firebombing a Tesla dealership operated by the world's richest man, Elon Musk. But 19-year-old Owen McIntire has found themselves in this unique place ... after they were apprehended by FBI agents on the UMass Boston campus and made an initial court appearance Friday, the Department of Justice announced. According to a federal criminal complaint, McIntire was charged with unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device and malicious damage by fire of any property used in interstate commerce. The complaint states McIntire was in their hometown of Kansas City during Spring Break when, on March 17, they cruised over to the Tesla dealership, parking a block away in front of a house. McIntire then allegedly walked to the dealership and set it on fire before dashing back to their car and driving away. The complaint says a cop spotted smoke rising from a Cybertruck and went to check out the issue, finding a Molotov cocktail comprised of an apple cider vinegar bottle and a rag. The feds say McIntire was identified with the help of witnesses and video, which captured them wearing "dark flowy clothing and a large-brimmed hat." McIntire allegedly discarded the distinct hat nearby and the FBI recovered it to use as evidence and for DNA testing. What's more, McIntire was photographed with luggage inside the Kansas City International Airport, placing them in the area around the time of the incident. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said McIntire's alleged criminal acts were very costly ... damaging two Cybertrucks and two charging stations, all of which cost more than $200,000. By the way, McIntire is the second suspect arrested this week in connection with arson attacks at Tesla dealerships around the country.
Boston Globe
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
An elected incumbent mayor of Boston hasn't been ousted since 1949. Here are the odds Kraft faces in bid to unseat Wu.
Such is the power of incumbency in Boston: It took a conviction and prison sentence to unseat Curley, and in the 76 years that followed, not a single incumbent has lost, even when he appeared vulnerable. It is a historical record that philanthropist Josh Kraft must grapple with as he seeks to displace the current incumbent, Mayor Michelle Wu, To be sure, there are no guarantees in politics, and Kraft has a number of advantages that could help balance the scales. As a son of the billionaire owner of Advertisement Still, more than seven decades of election results show Kraft faces long odds in his bid to unseat Wu amid the benefits incumbency brings. Kraft appears clear-eyed about the task at hand. 'I enter this race as an underdog, and I know this is going to be an uphill fight, but I'm excited for the challenge,' Kraft said at his Feb. 4 campaign launch. The incumbency advantage has translated into a relatively small number of Boston mayors over the past 76 years, given that most of them have stayed in office for multiple terms. The division and unrest sparked by federal posts, Advertisement Several other factors help explain the durability of Boston mayors, experts say. Like any incumbent, mayors benefit from the bully pulpit that comes with the job as well as the limelight and earned media. It's the mayor who gets to cut the ribbon at newly renovated parks and take credit for filling potholes, clearing snow, and providing other constituent services. And in an overwhelmingly Democratic city like Boston, it can be harder for challengers to find a lane to run in when they're going up against someone from their own party. In this year's mayoral race, the national political environment could also boost Wu, said Erin O'Brien, a political science professor at University of Massachusetts Boston. Wu's appearance last week before a GOP-controlled congressional committee provided her a high-profile opportunity to rally Boston voters to her side in the face of Republican efforts to attack her over the city's immigration policies. While Trump won a slightly larger share of the Boston vote in 2024 than previously, he's still largely unpopular in the city where 76.7 percent of voters backed Kamala Harris. 'She has the chance to be a face of pushing back against the Trump administration,' O'Brien said. 'Josh Kraft doesn't have that same capability simply because he's not in office.' And the incumbency advantage isn't the only factor contributing to Wu's strength going into her first reelection race. In the 2021 mayoral election, Wu emerged as an early front-runner in a crowded field of candidates that included then-acting Mayor Kim Janey; Andrea Campbell, who now serves as the state attorney general; and Annissa Essaibi George, a city councilor at the time who ran on a more moderate platform. Advertisement Running on an unabashedly progressive agenda, as a barrier-breaking figure and ushered in a new era of Boston politics, shifting power away from the white, Irish male political establishment that had controlled the city for decades. Boston's demographics have also become more diverse in recent years, as Wu's political influence has wit: Those council wins suggest that Wu's ascension to the mayor's office reflects a longer-term trend in Boston's electorate favoring younger, more progressive candidates of color like Wu. To win, Kraft will need to forge a coalition of not just conservatives or Republicans already unhappy with Wu's leadership, but residents who voted for her in 2021, said David Hopkins, a political science professor at Boston College. Kraft is already working to tap into dissatisfaction with Wu among key constituencies, including those unhappy with her push to to-date unsuccessful effort to Advertisement He's also sought to capitalize on frustration over Wu's signature bike and bus lanes, which are unpopular among many residents around the city. For those reasons and others, Hopkins said Wu would be smart not to take her incumbency advantage for granted. There's plenty of time for a race's dynamic to change in the months before an election. 'At some point, we're going to have another incumbent mayor lose ... and you don't want to be the person that breaks the streak,' said Hopkins. Wu seems to be taking that advice to heart, and has come out swinging against Kraft. She's She's also gone on defense: Wu recently Other examples across the country demonstrate that a dramatic change in leadership is not impossible, even in a famously progressive city. Both Wu and Kraft likely had their eye on San Francisco, where Essaibi George, who lost to Wu in the 2021 mayor's race, acknowledged the advantage incumbents enjoy in Boston, but said the odds of defeating one are probably highest in the first term because their list of accomplishments is the shortest. Advertisement 'That is always a hard thing to do, to unseat an incumbent mayor,' she said. 'But if one were to try to do it, from a political perspective, that first term is the time to do it.' @font-face { font-family: 'Miller'; src: url(' format('woff2'), url(' format('woff'); } @font-face { font-family: "Miller Headline Bold"; src: url(" format("eot"), url(" format("woff"), url(" format("truetype"), url(" format("svg"); } @font-face { font-family: "Miller"; src: url(" format("woff2"), url(" format("woff"); } @font-face { font-family: Miller-Banner; src: url(" format("woff2"), url(" format("woff"); font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; } @font-face { font-family: BentonSansCond-Regular; src: url(" format('woff2'), url(" format('woff'); } @font-face { font-family: BentonSansCond-Bold; src: url(" format('woff2'), url(" format('woff'); } /*================================== TIMELINE ==================================*/ /*-- GENERAL STYLES ------------------------------*/ .timeline { line-height: 1.4em; list-style: none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } /*----- TIMELINE ITEM -----*/ .timeline-item { padding-left: 30px; 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Hynes: Years as mayor 1950-1959 Served as temporary Mayor June 26 to November 28, in 1947 during Curley's absence 1951 General election 1955 General election 1959 General election John F. Collins: Years as mayor 1960-1967 1963 General election 1967 General election Kevin White: Years as mayor 1968-1983 1971 General election
