Do you know the song “Rich Girl” by Hall and Oates? I hate that song. It really grates on me. I’ve always found it hard to imagine all the green lights that song got by so many people before it became a top 40 hit.
Like first Hall or Oates had to be sitting there strumming his guitar trying to come up with a tune. He strums this then strums it again, then says “Hey Daryll, check this out” (or “Hey John,,,”). And the other guy had to say great and then the record company said yes and the radio stations said yes and enough people said yes to make it a hit. As long as I live I will never understand that. Shows what I know.
Anyway that’s how I feel about Jim Braude
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Two things I can’t get excited about. Deflategate and City-Hall-employees-can’t-talk-shit-about-Olympics-gate.
Let the world talk about Deflategate while the Pats get ultra-prepared for the game.
What a joke. It’s like this. You work at a place where the hours are 8:30 − 5:00 but most people come in around 8:45. Many times in front of the boss. It is the norm.
Then one day you get singled out for coming late and made out to be a conniver.
Puleeeeeze.
And the “boilerplate” language is against public policy and wouldn’t stand up anywhere. Plus the mayor is a city employee and he is not going to shut up when the city is getting screwed.
There is probably language in the contract saying state and federal laws trump the contract, but there doesn’t have to be. It goes without saying. Right David.
Now if any city employee on his own goes out and starts publicly badmouthing the project while that’s no different than a city employee running out and publicly badmouthing the extended school day. Of course that would piss off the mayor. Of course there would blowback for the employee.
But as for the language, it ain’t worth the paper it is written on.
I really think the Olympics need Boston more than we need it. They have an image problem. I think we are in the drivers seat for a lot of the nitty gritty.
If I was advising the mayor at the time he signed it while in competition with other American cities who agreed to it. I would have said,
“Look, the IOC is working with cities around the world. All sorts of bizarre places. We don’t want to stand out as pains in the asses at this early stage. Now this ‘no badmouthing’ clause is against public policy and would not hold up in any U.S. Court. (Most likely that is.) Sign this thing then we if we get it we will be negotiating a new contract and correct it. Either way Mr. Mayor you or the city council cannot be muzzled regarding any bad faith actions by them, whether a breach or a potential breach of the contract. This section is null and void at the get go.”
SomervilleTom says
I’ve negotiated my fair share of contracts. The lawyers I use strike out language known to be unenforceable. My lawyers always told me “if the other side insists on this, you have to ask whether or not you want to do business with them”.
The last time I checked, my signature on a contract means that I’ve read agreed to its provisions.
eb3-fka-ernie-boch-iii says
Who said anything about legal advice.
merrimackguy says
In those days they had to fill a whole album with songs so the green light scenario probably wasn’t that big of a deal.
Note that it’s come out that the song was originally written about a guy, but “rich girl” sounded better.
jotaemei says
I’d just never given it any thought – was just one more of thousands upon thousands of forgettable songs that played no role in my life. I was happy that way.
Now my momentum has been screwed up irrevocably. Thanks, Ernie. ;|