There are a couple of reasons why a corporation would dream up a mascot character. 1) Because they want to appeal to children. 2) Because they need an excuse to generate some brand awareness. 3) Because they have incompetent management who spend their time fucking around with trifling nonsense rather than fixing problems, and they need to be able to show that they've at least tried something, no matter how pointless.

As far as evictions go, it was quite a strange scene at Camp Charlie this week.

At around 8:30pm on Monday night, authorities showed up at the Massachusetts Statehouse, where Occupy Boston has been camped since April 4 in protest of the legislature's failure to seriously address mass transit issues.

One of the points that was made over and over again by those protesting MBTA fare hikes (and Mass transit funding issues in general) yesterday was that this fight isn't new. It's been roaring for decades, and just seems to have grown extremely loud and and in-your-face over the past few months.

As of today, though, activists have extended their message into the future, stressing that the war's not over.

As it turns out, the forces conspiring against MBTA fare hikes and service cuts weren't joking. They didn't quite turn out a Wisconsin-sized Statehouse occupation as planned, but much hell was raised, and they even got a snap out of a Beacon Hill power player. Here's how it went down, or at least how I saw things unfold .

As one elderly Red Line rider explained at today's public MBTA hearing at the Mass Transportation Building: the fight for rider's rights isn't a new one. The commonwealth has been down these tracks before, and the past few months have been no exception. As generally happens when lifelines get cut, the latest war over transit has evolved into a mass endeavor.

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If you've ever wanted to send your parents a clip that explains what Masshole road-rage is really like, scroll down: have we got a YouTube video for you.

For this we have the City Desk at the Metro to thank. Last week, a concerned citizen sent the Metro a recording of what was described as an MBTA Silver Line driver going apeshit at a driver who'd stopped a car in front of the driver's bus.

In case you haven't noticed, thousands and thousands of people are extremely pissed about proposed MBTA fare hikes and service cuts. Last week saw crowds in Copley Square. Yesterday, teenagers on high school vacation flooded Downtown Crossing and later on the State House, making their case for youth job funding and student commuter rights.

The latest theater in the war against MBTA fare hikes and service cuts opened Monday with a bang on every corner of the train map. Occupy Somerville forces rallied in Davis Square. Their Jamaica Plain and Dorchester counterparts gathered at Forest Hills and Fields Corner, respectively, to sound alarms about troubling proposals.

Welcome to "Meet the Mayor," a segment in which we interview local Foursquare Mayors in their natural habitats.

Essex Station
Mose Berkowitz

What's this concrete block thingy?
This used to be a portal for the Boylston-Essex train station. Before the MBTA, the Boston Elevated Railway went over Washington Street.

Welcome to "Meet the Mayor," a segment in which we interview local Foursquare Mayors in their natural habitats.

MBTA Downtown Crossing Station
Joselin Mane

Ever seen a dead body down here?
There was that video of a drunk woman who fell into the tunnel. Remember that? I've seen a lot of bums, but no dead people.

Public transportation is a dirty endeavour. Convenience and positive environmental impact aside, once that bell sounds and the subway doors slide shut, you and your fellow passengers are temporarily encased in a hurtling Petri dish of microbial nightmares. Not a very romantic situation, but the intrepid researchers at Craigslist have taken up the task of empirically analyzing just how romantic a subway ride can get.