Archive for February, 2007

Brian McGrory, Boston Globe metro columnist, somewhat belatedly chimes in on Boston’s decision to spend $1.5 million on the hi-tech sound-surveillance system known as ShotSpotter. Mr. McGrory finds it entirely resonable for the cash-strapped Hub of the Universe to spend the money on a system that pretty much tells residents that they can’t be trusted. [...]

Indianapolis Colts are world champions after defeating the Chicago Bears 29-17 in Super Bowl 41. The Colts head coach Tony Dungy has secured his position as one of the NFL’s elite coaches, and Peyton Manning has strengthened his claim as the league’s best quarterback. Indianapolis dominated the game but had a hard time finishing off [...]

It’s easy to confuse Republic of China with People’s Republic of China. The former is what is normally referred to as Taiwan (and formerly known as Formosa) while the latter is, well, China. Or Communist China as some might say. Associate Press writer Linda Straker reports on a recent gaffe in Grenada, where a band [...]

The Boston Globe op-ed columnist Derrick Z. Jackson has lunched a two part assault on casino gambling in Massachusetts. One wonders why he stretched it to two parts since the first installment is complete garbage. Mr. Jackson tries to show that casino gambling won’t create much – if any -revenue for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, [...]

The Boston Globe has a long article on two lesbian women who were attacked by “teenagers” after leaving a park in East Boston, where they had watched a 4th of July fireworks display in 2003. There’s barely a word in the article about the perpetrators, so I take it they aren’t lacrosse players from Duke [...]

The new gates that the MBTA has installed at subway stations for the new CharlieTicket (and eventually the CharlieCard) have unacceptably high failure rates. In my personal experience the card has a failure rate somewhere between 5% and 10%. Last Wednesday night five of the gates at North Station refused my ticket, three or four [...]

It’s all fun and inspirational games until somebody leaves for a better playground. Brandeis University hails its then-favorite son after he was tagged as Boston new school superintendent: “Manny Rivera is an outstanding educational leader whose passion, dedication, and success in educating urban children are inspiring,” said Professor Marya R. Levenson, the Harry S. Levitan [...]