Published August 6, 2010
Hop on a schooner in Salem this weekend. Ahoy, matey! (Michelle Kelley/Flickr)
It’s a good weekend for chowing down, whether you want to toast to the beauty of the perfect root-beer float in honor of the drink’s big day or try all the New England clam chowder you could ever need (at a castle, no less). There are boats to be sailed, drums to be banged on and Shakespeare classics to be seen. So what’re you waiting for? Get out there and enjoy!
Published August 6, 2010
Earlier this week I asked where you stand on the gambling debate, which may not be dead yet. (Radio Boston’s week-in-review roundtable takes up the topic today at 3.) Most of the discussion happened on Facebook.
I'm getting maximum mileage out of this graphic.
Where does George Preston stand?
As close to the bar as possible.
George will be here all night, folks.
Carla Jalbert is skeptical:
I do not see an opportunity for “JOBS” – when Foxwood opened years ago there were many workers in the slot area – now with technology, automation, you hardly see any attendants.. I believe the expense of having slots there will not create jobs, and the money will be more pure profit for the race track owners!!
On that note, Carla, casino proponents — and the press — have thrown around the “15,000 jobs,” but I’m not clear where that number comes from.
Briavael O’Reilly is realistic:
As with any addiction, people are going to find ways to gamble. At least if we keep it in Mass, the state can get some of that money to put back into other programs.
…and similarly, from Michael J. Curtiss:
Being a pragmatist, I can only say that if man is going to continue to insist on the right to pursue his vices, then others ought to be able to make a living from them. Bring it on.
Oh, it’s already been broughten.
Richer Earth, in the comments:
I have been a long-time opponent of state-sanctioned gambling because the social costs can be high (been to Atlantic City lately?) and the jobs estimates tend to be inflated. Lately, however, I’ve changed my tune.
If the only way that we can raise the money to keep libraries open, teachers employed, and arts programs running is to enable fools to be parted from their money, let’s get it over with. Gambling … is a tax on stupidity and it seems it is the only tax that can garner any support.
Cynthia Knowlton is suspicious:
I’m curious about the real reasons people are anti-casino. I’ve heard, “it’s habit forming”. So is drinking, drugs, prescription medication, and smoking. I’ve heard, “it will take people away from their families due to addiction.” So do… drinking, prescription medication, and drugs. I’ve heard, “it will rip the moral fabric of the community.” So do drinking, drugs, and strip clubs. What’s the 1 constant in all those statements? Alcohol. I certainly don’t think that banning alcohol is the answer anymore than not having casinos.
Debbie Howarth wants better research:
Will these Casinos and Racinos really make money and produce jobs? Twin River in Rhode Island has been in debt and losing money for years. If we are trying to compete with Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun I think we should do the research and establish a quality venue in western Massachusetts that will pull patrons from New York and points west as well. The current plan spreads the resources thin and definitely has a sleaze factor.
We don’t want to over saturate the market and end up with these places empty or closed within 5 years!
Dale Schaetzke has another idea:
First, Scrap the lottery, we the people should not be in this business and there is no way we can label it a government service. Second, although I don’t like gambling, it should be legal. Repeal the prohibitions. If people want to put money… in a machine that keeps it, let them.
Jane Powers smells abuse:
Gambling is a BIG mistake.. They should call it what it is, a tax on poor people.
And Jeff Bowen is radical:
Definitley For it. Gambling shoud be a right of every Ameirican. We live in America after all. Land Of The Free. Remember that! I am pro- Medical Marijuana as well. If an American wants to drink, smoke or gambel they should be aloud to and not fear prosecution from the Govt. Oh, yeah and I am pro- Prostitution, the oldest profession. We can learn alot from the Netherlands. Does that make me a liberal? I am tired of the government telling people what they can and can’t do.
What do you think?
Published August 6, 2010
Good news! Massachusetts is getting a check for $665 million from the federal government (despite a “no” vote from Sen. Scott Brown). It’s called FMAP funding. And here’s why it means the embattled gambling legislation may not be dead yet.
(Dennis Redfield/Flickr)
In interviews with WBUR today, the House and Senate minority leaders (Republicans) both say they want the gambling legislation to die. Neither of them has a lot of power on Beacon Hill, but they could prevent their colleagues from objecting to the FMAP spending. Which means the chambers could meet in informal sessions. Which means gambling would not come up for debate.
Globe reporter Michael Levenson said it best: “Like Wile E. Coyote, the gambling bill just will not die.”
Published August 5, 2010
Wouldn’t it be nice to unplug? Can you?
William Powers, author of the New York Times bestseller, “Hamlet’s BlackBerry,” think it’s possible, even necessary. In fact, he does it every weekend. Powers joined Radio Boston to share what he has learned — and then Hubbub immediately afterward for a live chat.
I live-blogged the radio conversation before Powers joined in online. You can scroll down to 3:38 for his part.
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Readers, how do you disconnect? Do you create boundaries between you and your mobile gadgets? Would you be able to handle an “Internet sabbath?” Share in the comments.
Published August 5, 2010
Elena Kagan’s Supreme Court confirmation vote is today.
Update: Excerpt of a statement from Sen. Brown:
First, let me say that I have a great deal of respect for Elena Kagan. She has an impressive resume, and in my private meeting with her I found her to be brilliant, as you might expect from a former dean of Harvard Law School. However, I cannot vote to confirm Elena Kagan. The reason is simple. I believe nominees to the Supreme Court should have previously served on the bench. Lacking that, I look for many years of practical courtroom experience to compensate for the absence of prior judicial experience. In Elena Kagan’s case, she is missing both. When it comes to the Supreme Court, experience matters.
It’s an easy vote for Brown to make. He appeases conservatives — but does not endanger Kagan’s nomination, which is a sure bet.
Published August 5, 2010
PET scan of an Alzheimer's patient's brain (Susan NYC/Flickr)
Every one of us knows someone — or knows someone who knows someone — with Alzheimer’s. The disease can lie in wait for a decade before devastating the brain.
On Radio Boston recently, we brought on a leading Alzheimer’s researcher from Boston, Dr. Brad Hyman, to talk about new ways of diagnosing earlier — followed by a fascinating live chat with Hyman here on Hubbub. The question is, Would you want to take the test? And are we investing too much into diagnosis, not enough into the cure? The medical community is divided.
The New York Times today brings these questions into focus:
Why suggest ways of diagnosing the disease before a person even has symptoms? Why tell people they are doomed?
And are those early diagnosis guidelines just a sop to pharmaceutical companies so they can start marketing expensive, and perhaps not very effective, new drugs?
So the Alzheimer’s Association, with participation from the National Institute on Aging, held a conference call on Wednesday to clarify their position.
They wanted, in particular, to explain why they advocated using so-called biomarkers, like scans for amyloid plaque in the brain, a unique feature of Alzheimer’s, and tests of cerebrospinal fluid. Such brain scans are still experimental.
The groups said biomarkers would be used, at this stage, only for research, with some patients in studies having tests to see how well such brain changes predict disease.
In my brief television career at KPBS San Diego, I reported an Alzheimer’s explainer to get at the science of this disease, which took my great grandfather’s life. I will surely regret bringing this back from the archives, but here it is.
I can’t bear to watch the video with the sound on, but I recall that it’s very informative.
Published August 5, 2010
One of @WBUR’s most retweeted tweets yesterday was my warning to “avoid, avoid, avoid I-93 North.”
WBUR’s Fred Thys was stuck in the jam for two-and-a-half hours. He channeled his rage into a hilarious chronicle of his journey. The Boston Globe tried something novel for a conventional newspaper — reporter Eric Moskowitz quoted tweets from drivers on location:
“Omg late to work bc been sitting in traffic for 50 min & counting on I93, what is going on?!’’ @LiLiii89 wrote on Twitter, part of a string of posts that chronicled the unfolding jam.
“Passed the hole going S on I93,’’ @intertwinemedia advised. “DO NOT get on N I93 Boston!!’’
Talk about texting while driving. It’s now illegal in Massachusetts, by the way, even if you’re stopped. But I surely would have tweeted my rage, too.
Published August 5, 2010
Stories of note around the Hub on a hot and misty Thursday morning:
The morning commute is looking clear. All lanes on I-93 North, near Medford, are open again after workers successfully closed a gaping pothole on a bridge that snarled traffic Wednesday. With the state spending billions of dollars on road and bridge repairs, WBUR’s Fred Thys went in search of the giant hole in the road late Wednesday morning. (WBUR)
Massachusetts stands to receive $655 million in federal Medicaid and education money under an aid package that narrowly cleared a key congressional hurdle yesterday despite opposition from the Bay State’s Republican senator, Scott Brown. (Globe)
The Celtics will enter the upcoming season with nearly as much sizzle as their counterparts in Miami, as NBA icon, all-time great center, and Hall of Fame personality Shaquille O’Neal signed a two-year, $2.8 million contract with Boston, his fifth team in an illustrious but rocky career. (Globe)
An NPR intern was stabbed by another woman Wednesday morning in DC’s Chinatown neighborhood, in an incident witnesses described as a random attack. Witnesses say the victim, Annie Ropeick, a rising junior at Boston University, was walking down the street when the woman ran up and stabbed her in the neck for no apparent reason. (WJLA)
Few people know that In-Q-Tel, the nonprofit investment arm of the U.S. intelligence community, has a stake in the Cambridge, MA-based startup Seventh Sense Biosystems. Neither In-Q-Tel nor Seventh Sense has ever publicized their relationship, which came to Xconomy’s attention recently. (Xconomy)
Published August 4, 2010
The man is larger than life. 7-foot-1. 325 pounds. Shoe size 23.
Over his 18-year NBA career, Shaquille O’Neal has bagged four NBA titles, a league MVP award, three NBA Finals MVP awards, 15 All-Star game selections and the Rookie of the Year award. Among active players, O’Neal leads the league in points, rebounds and blocks.
He has landed gigantic endorsement deals, a platinum rap album, shoes — all on top of an incredible $290 million earned in salary alone.
The Boston Celtics don’t just get a player. They get a brand. Here is a timeline of Shaq’s career highlights, both on and off the court:
Thanks to Toys “R” Us for the leprechaun hat, and big thanks to Jeremy Bernfeld and Jeff Carpenter for their help with this infographiq.
Published August 4, 2010
O'Neal in July (AP)
The Celtics make it officially official: free agent Shaquille O’Neal is coming to Boston.
Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“It is not every day that you can add a player of Shaquille’s caliber to your team,” said Danny Ainge, Celtics President of Basketball Operations. “His past experience speaks for itself and we believe that he is a great fit for our roster.”
He is now dubbed “The Big Shamrock.” Over his 16-year career, O’Neal has amassed a stunning $290 million in salary alone.