Obviously the Somerville Fire department gets a 5 star rating. This is not, however, just because…read morethey put an electrical fire out in my house, saving my fiancee, my best friend, and my dogs. Here is how this all went down: It's the day before Thanksgiving. Kelly G. is packing up the car so that we can take off to my family's house in Maine. Outside, next door at the Y-Not convenience a police woman is getting her paper. She walks outside, smells the burning plastic smell, looks around and sees smoke coming out of our chimney, then calls 911. The chimney was busted and the smoke was drafting out of it instead of into the house so Kelly G and my best friend have no idea what is going on. The fire department comes running up the stairs as Kelly is taking stuff down to the car and is like, "Where's the fire?!?!" To which Kelly replies, "I don't know, where IS the fire?" They wind up chopping a big hole in the roof to get to the fire and hose the thing down. Meanwhile I get back to my desk from lunch and give her a call to let her know I'll be getting out at 3:00 and she tells me the roof is on fire. I repeat her, and my coworker starts singing the roof is on fire song as I dash out the door to get home. When I get to our house, the street is blocked off, there are 3 fire trucks around the house, and I'm directed to the Fire Chief. He lets me know that the house is not livable and we'll have to get all our valuables out that day. This is the reason they get 5 stars: He asks if I have the land lord's number and tells me I need to call him. I'm like, "Really? There is a hole in our roof, our stuff all buried in rubble, I'm homeless, and I'm the one who has to call my land lord and tell him the house burned down?... Can you do it?" The fire chief let me know that it wasn't exactly standard procedure, but that he'd be willing to make an exception. He called and explained everything to my landlord who lives in Florida. That was above and beyond the call of duty. Bravo Somerville FD.

On the eve of my birthday I just wanted to thank the Somerville Fire Dept for saving my life back…read morein 1979 when I just two months old. I am forever grateful. Blessings to those who serve and protect!!!!

You know those Turkey pans you can buy at the grocery store? The foil ones? Yeah, those aren't…read morefit to hold a 1/2 pound chicken breast, let along a 14 pound turkey. Mine held up for about 3 of the 5 hours required to cook the turkey. Once the pan punctured, all of the turkey juice dripped out onto the bottom of the oven, where it proceeded to cook. And cook. And cook. And burn. And smoke. In an attempt to prevent the asphyxiation of our guests, I opened our front door, allowing the smoke to billow out into the apartment building. As you can guess, this set off the apartment fire alarms - the red strobe light ones that notify the fire department and can't be shut off. The fire department was on the scene in less than 3 minutes, and were very polite about the whole ordeal. They laughed about it, gave us some cooking advice (some of their favorite sides, not how to prevent fires), and asked that we call when the meal was ready. The picture verifies my story...

For a group that purports to promote peace and social justice, they sure are a ruthless bunch of…read morecryptofascist tyrants. More power to them! In fact, I applaud their boldness and efficiency in how they routinely disarm their opponents, only to turn around and brutally mow them down. Their ability to seize power so brazenly is a wonder to behold. What's so funny about peace, love and understanding now?! Eh?! Eh?!

From the owner: The Cambridge Peace Commission works in three main areas: *…read moreAddressing Violence and Promoting Peace in the Community * Supporting Diversity, Building Connections and Relationships, and Recognizing Peacemakers * Connecting with the Community and Connecting Cambridge with the Wider World The Peace Commission promotes peace and social justice within Cambridge and in the wider world by working with other municipal agencies, communities of faith, nonprofit organizations, and the community as a whole to build connections and strengthen relationships, and to promote positive dialogue and foster understanding. The Peace Commission fosters a community where differences and diversity are understood and celebrated, so that all residents can contribute to making Cambridge an equitable and peaceful community. It pays special attention to traumatic events and violence affecting Cambridge and its residents, and coordinates and supports compassionate community responses to support recovery and healing. The Peace Commission also supports Cambridge's Sister City relationships, including those with: Les Cayes, Haiti; San José Las Flores, El Salvador; and Yerevan, Armenia. It also celebrates Cambridge residents and local efforts with recognition programs and events, and raises awareness about local and global peace and social justice issues through educational forums, discussions, and presentations.

Thayer has been my management company for 10 years and they have been responsive and responsible. I…read morelive in a 100+ condo unit association in 100+ year old buildings and there's a lot to deal with in terms of maintenance and safety. Someone is always mad about something (I'm reading some of these other reviews) but I think some tenants and owners forget or don't care that there are hundreds of other owners and residents whose needs and wishes may be different. Overall Thayer does a good job of enforcing rules and making sure things that need fixing get fixed. They have surveyed owners (most don't respond apparently) and I haven't had any issues with management personalities but I also don't break rules, get fined or act like I own the entire building. I'd recommend them.

Since 2016, Thayer & Associates has been my management company, and I'm so glad! They have provided…read morea welcome contrast to our previous management company. I've been a long-time owner-occupant in an old, multi-building condo complex that needs ongoing work. This is not just my investment but my home, and I have seen a great improvement to our property since Thayer took over. Our Portfolio Manager is responsive, patient, and level-headed. He has consistently guided our property through important capital improvements that were long overdue. He takes owners' needs into consideration and tries to reduce costs while balancing that with the long-term needs of the buildings. He works to communicate and explain large upcoming projects to all unit owners so that we can plan accordingly. Based on my experience, I can recommend Thayer & Associates.

There is systemic injustice at Harvard Extension School. Their policies as stated on their website…read moreare not upheld. I had a professor who graded anything beneath a 90% as a 0%. So, in other words, if you don't get an A you fail your assignments. I withdrew, brought this to the attention of the Dean, and asked for financial credit so I could take another course instead. She did not respond but simply forwarded my concern to a registrar who refused to do anything about it. The registrar said, wrongly, that the professor was acting in accord with HES policy. The grading system on the website does not in point of fact map onto the grading system of all the professors. So be forewarned that you may end up with a professor who will give you an F if you get less than an A. Don't waste your money at HES and don't expect the administration to act justly. I've matriculated a different program. HES just lost the 30K they would have made if they would have simply rendered a just decision.

I am extremely saddened to say that HES does not help International Students solve their financial…read moreissues at all. There are no Financial Aid options coming from the university itself, and 2 out of 3 student loan companies that their office recommends actually don't really accept Extension School students. The third one needs a lot of extra paperwork that the school isn't willing to help with. In order to enroll you need to pay in full and you don't get a letter of enrollment until after the drop out period, when it's too late. You can't get a loan without paying and you can't get enrolled without a loan. So it's a chicken and egg situation that has no end. They say the university helps cover for you until the loan is approved, but in reality, you have to pay in full first and they will reimburse you after the loan is paid. Which defies the entire point of asking for financial assistance. There is a very short window in which to apply for the loan after registration before being dropped out for non-payment. Paperwork takes more than a month, which is not nearly enough to get everything done. I've spent hours and hours with both the lending officers and the financial aid officers, and in the end, nothing got solved. Nothing. I am unable to join the courses. I am unable to get a loan. I feel like my potential is wasting away... Harvard has failed me.

The building is extremely small I am honestly thinking of reporting them to the fire department…read morebecause there is no way that this is compliant with fire department standards. My wife attended there for 4 months, she is always complaining about how rude and insensitive some of the instructors are. This is very disappointing especially that they charge so much money.