Daily Archives: May 12, 2010

The Phoenix Takes Its Bite Out Of Apple

Published May 12, 2010

Colleague Wen Stephenson (previously senior producer of On Point) writes a well-rounded summary of the barrage of bad Apple press:

Apple loses its cool

If you’ve followed the Apple coverage closely, you may have detected two distinct story lines. In the first and dominant one, emanating largely (though not exclusively) from mainstream media types, Apple is a breathlessly watched media-business story, on which rides the fate of the very media covering it. In the second, coming mainly from the blogosphere’s techno-intelligentsia, it’s a more profound story of technology and ideology — on which rides nothing less than the freedom of the Internet and the very meaning and future of the digital revolution.

At least it’s another excuse to talk about the lost/stolen iPhone prototype, a story I’m absolutely obsessed with.

Guberfest On Radio Boston: Today, Tim Cahill

Published May 12, 2010

Is there a better word than gubernatorial? On Radio Boston this week we’re interviewing the 2010 candidates for Massachusetts governor. It’s a roster of heavy-hitters: Charlie Baker, Deval Patrick, Tim Cahill, Jill Stein (and Grace Ross, if it turns out her signatures are certified). I’m dubbing it Guberfest. You can catch up on our “Battle for Beacon Hill” page.

All along we’ve been asking you to submit questions. (And as you read here Tuesday, we’ve spent a lot of time figuring out how to better integrate your questions into the show.) Today, independent Treasurer Tim Cahill is in the hot seat.

Cahill is the target of a new wave of GOP attack ads, designed to push Cahill out and give the Republican Baker a clearer shot at the incumbent.

Cahill says he’s only being attacked because he’s doing so well. But maybe not, according to a just-released Rasmussen poll (which WBUR takes seriously, politics reporter Fred Thys tells me). In the poll, Cahill takes 14 percent of voter support to Baker’s 31 percent and Patrick’s 45 percent — a solid 10-percent jump for the incumbent, by the way (but polls don’t matter, he told Meghna.)

Do you see this as a three-way race? With the election a mere six months away, who’s your pick (at least for the moment)?

Boston Wednesday: 5 Stories You Shouldn't Miss

Published May 12, 2010

Five stories you shouldn’t miss on a rainy Boston Wednesday:

  1. GOP Group Targets Cahill; Cahill Is Flattered

    The Republican Governors Association is intensifying its campaign to beat down the independent candidacy of state Treasurer Timothy Cahill and give the GOP candidate, Charlie Baker, a clearer shot at victory in the fall election. “If I wasn’t doing well, they wouldn’t be attacking me,” Cahill said Tuesday. (Adam Gaffin: Patrick must be loving the Baker/Cahill war.) (Brian C. Mooney/Globe)

  2. Patrick Rips Arizona’s Immigration Crackdowns

    Gov. Deval Patrick on Tuesday blasted Arizona’s new immigration law, accused his gubernatorial opponents of grandstanding on the issue, and said supporters of such crackdowns were “trying to invent a villain for political purposes.” (Michael Levenson, Globe)

  3. Cambodian Gang Members Seek Redemption In Lowell

    Cambodian teens in Lowell joined gangs to search for respect and an identity. But many wound up in prison, dead or deported. Now, gang survivors are searching for a different kind of visibility. Part of a week-long series. (Bianca Vazquez Toness, WBUR)

  4. Their Loss, Our Defeat

    Afternoon sunlight seeped through the bay windows of the second-floor apartment on a side street in Dorchester, casting an odd glow on the shock and grief that filled the room. Gray-haired men sobbed. Relatives and friends drifted through the door. A woman cried out, “You just don’t know. It’s just so hard on us all.” (Brian McGrory, Globe)

  5. Celtics Incinerate The Cavs

    The score didn’t lie. A 120-88 score seldom does. It was a thorough domination, a total beatdown, a complete mastery in the final three periods of a team that led the league with 61 victories this season, but one which has now lost home playoff games to the Boston Celtics by margins of 18 in Game 2 and 32 in Game 5. (Bob Ryan, Globe)

Hubbub seeks your daily suggestions for roundups of the best stories in Boston. Leave suggestions in the comments, or tweet @WBUR with the hashtag #hubbub. I’ll give you credit if one of your suggestions is included.