Tonight, come by Christopher Columbus Park (right next to Long Wharf and the North End) for a special ONEin3 Boston event.

The Mayor’s Office of Arts, Tourism and Special Events, in conjunction with ONEin3 Boston, present an outdoor concert that can’t be missed: The Joshua Tree, a U2 tribute band and great entertainers in their own right, perform live in concert Tonight at Christopher Columbus Park on Boston’s beautiful waterfront.

Stop by after work to hear all your favorites while you enjoy the spectacular weather.

Date: Tonight, Tuesday, July 31
Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Location: Christopher Columbus Park, Atlantic Ave
Cost: Free

If you own property in the City of Boston (or are thinking about owning), either Residential or Commercial, you will be interested in the following tax related information. The Boston Municipal Research Bureau, an independent organization that studies the City of Boston’s finances, recently issued the Boston Real Estate Tax Classification System and Structure Report. In a nutshell it calls for legislation honoring the Classification Compromise of 2004.

Residential tax values (the amount of funds coming into the city) increased from 2006 to 2007 due to new construction, primarily new Boston condominium developments, however, residential tax rates decreased slightly over the same period.

If you aren’t burned out from the Boston Pops and the fireworks from July 4th, check out the below events that are happening this week:

Thursday, July 5 (Tonight): First Thursdays.
Art, poetry and Jazz on Centre and South Streets in Jamaica Plain (see link for full lineup).

Saturday, July 7: Life is good at Fenway.
Tour Fenway Park and enjoy a variety of events, from Dunk Tanks to Seed Spitting. Tickets $20 for adults, $10 for kids. 11am – 7pm.

Wednesday, July 11: Governor’s Volunteer Expo.
Join Governor Deval Patrick and 50 volunteer organizations that will be showcasing their volunteer opportunities. 11am – 2pm at the State House.

Thursday, July 12: Gardner Museum Neighborhood Nights.
“Magic Stories”: Free family event includes admission, storytelling, and art-making activities. 5pm – 8pm, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 280 The Fenway, Boston.

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino is opening a new summer camp on Long Island this summer. It is called Camp Harbor View and it is opening this Monday. 300 kids, ages 11-14, will spend the month of July out on the island, playing sports, challenging themselves on a ropes course, learning about the natural environment, and developing leadership skills. In August, an additional 300 kids will get this same experience.

All day today, Greater Media, which owns and operates five radio stations in Boston, is hosting an all day on-air and on-line fundraising effort for the camp. The day long on-air and on-line fundraising effort will take place on Thursday, June 28, 2007 from 6am – 7pm. It will be broadcast live on all five Greater Media Radio stations, (96.9 WTKK-FM, 102.5 WKLB-FM, 105.7 WROR-FM, 106.7 WMJX-FM and 92.9 WBOS-FM), located at 55 Morrissey Boulevard in Boston. Anyone who would like to donate will have the opportunity to make pledges via phone at 866-325-GIVE (4483) and on-line at the Camp Harbor View Website. The website has great auction items, including Red Sox tickets, trips, concert tickets, etc.

This should prove to be a great experience for the youth of Boston.

With temperatures predicted to reach almost 100 degrees in Boston today and tomorrow, what are you doing to beat the summer heat? Here are a couple of questions and answers regarding the summer Boston heat, and a look at Boston public pools.

Question: What is the best way to stay cool if I do not have central air conditioning?

Answer: A fan, which costs two to five cents per hour to operate, will make a room feel 4 to 6 degrees cooler. A fan can make you feel more comfortable but doesn’t prevent heat emergencies in very high temperatures. Ensure that you’re dressed in light and loose fitting clothing, wear a hat if you’re outside, and visit a neighbor or spend time in public places such as malls where there is air conditioning. Take cool showers.

Question: When you are really hot, is it better to drink ice water or room temperature water? And how much water should you drink?

Answer: It is best to drink cool water – icy water can cause stomach cramps. You should drink at least six to eight glasses of water a day.

If you are looking to test out that new cannonball technique, beat the Boston summer heat at these downtown pools:

• Mirabella Pool Boston
• Lee Pool Boston

What are your tips for beating the heat?

A recent National Association of Realtors member survey shows that those 60 and older make up the largest real estate blogging population in Massachusetts.

A paltry 1% of Realtors in Massachusetts have a blog, compared to the national average of 4%. According to a new report from Gartner, less than 2% of all Internet users are frequent content contributors. Between 10% and 15% contribute occasionally and more than 50% are reading or watching what the communities are discussing (free-loaders?).

The rate at which the number of blogs doubles has slowed over the past several quarters (according to Technorati), so it is apparent at this point that those who are blogging now will make up the core of content contributors moving forward, and we will only see slight gains in additional bloggers in the future (granted, the numbers are still large, but only 13% of Realtors in Massachusetts who don’t currently have a blog say they plan to blog in the future). The lopsided numbers of Massachusetts versus the rest of the country is somewhat surprising given the strong base of tech-savvy web innovators in Boston.

From a Boston Condos perspective, the several top blogs in Boston real estate offer a “feet on the street” look at what is really going on in the market. The great thing about blogs, especially Boston condo related, is that they give you a timely and informative look at the happenings right down the street.

Boston’s Mayor Menino is inviting individuals, businesses and institutions to partner with the City by volunteering their time and resources to help support the Boston Shines event this weekend.

Boston Shines 2007 is the 5th annual citywide neighborhood cleanup effort taking place on Friday and Saturday, April 27 – 28, 2007. Visit the Boston Shine’s website for further details on how you can participate.

Beginning July 1, 2007, all Massachusetts residents over the age of 18 must obtain health insurance that meets minimum coverage requirements. Individuals who cannot show proof of health insurance coverage by December 31, 2007, will lose their personal income tax exemption when filing their 2007 income taxes.

On Thursday, April 26, 2007 from 6:30-8:00pm at the Jury’s Hotel, our friends at Mass Inc, a public policy think tank, is hosting a Real Talk event on the Massachusetts health care law. As we have mentioned before, the Real Talk series is interactive and fun, and hey, there is free food afterwards!