Published November 16, 2010

Most impressive adaptation yet of the All Things Considered theme.

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See also: Other variations of the ATC theme song. The fifth and current theme dates back to 1995.

Published November 16, 2010

I’ll be on Radio Boston to take your calls and discuss recent examples of crowdsourcing leading to “justice” on the Internet.

Here’s what’s on the docket for Tuesday at 3:

Minorities and Hepatitis B. Asian-Americans account for more than half the city’s cases of Hepatitis B but less than 10 percent of Boston’s population. WBUR’s Adam Ragusea meets a Harvard student group trying to change that.

Speed vigilantism in the Internet age. The Internet reacted swiftly to three recent stories with outrage and condemnation — the arrest of a 16-year-old at Roxbury Community College, the accusations of plagiarism at Cooks Source magazine, and the racially charged tirade of a woman in Hingham. Also joining us is Michael Fitzgerald, a freelance writer and current fellow at Harvard’s Nieman Foundation for Journalism.

Brookline author Douglas Star. The Boston University professor discusses his new book, “The Killer of Little Shepherds,” which chronicles the birth of modern forensics from the end of the 19th century. Starr shares some remarkable stories about early masters who solved notorious crimes without the aid of modern “CSI”-type technology.

Published November 16, 2010

WBUR’s Deborah Becker and Lisa Tobin round up the highlights of a biannual report, publicized today, that show health care access remains tight in Massachusetts, with hospital emergency rooms increasingly picking up slack — even as the number of insured residents gets closer to the 100-percent mark.

CommonHealth blogger Rachel Zimmerman has a good summary:

A snapshot of the current health status of Massachusetts shows a more violent, fatter state, but also one filled with more insured residents and fewer adult smokers than in years past. The data, gathered by the Massachusetts Health Council, as part of its 2010 health indicator report, also unearthed some health statistics you probably don’t know.

Rachel highlighted 10 of the most surprising facts from the report, including: Binge drinking is up among higher-income groups; more than a quarter of adults with asthma have depression; and 17 percent of Mass. middle schoolers are overweight.

Stick with CommonHealth for razor-sharp health care coverage.

Update: The full report is up on Scribd.

Published November 16, 2010

Good morning! A mild Tuesday with rain in the forecast this afternoon. Here’s what’s news:

Is Massachusetts healthy? Depends what you mean. A lot of kids are obese, and Mass. is the most violent state in the Northeast, according to a biannual checkup on health in the state. (WBUR)

Polls are open in the special election for Boston’s 6th council district. Matt O’Malley, Jim Hennigan compete to fill the seat left vacant by John Tobin. (West Roxbury Patch)

A New York company will pay $6 million in the 2003 Buzzards Bay oil spill. At the time, it was the Bay State’s BP. (Globe)

Four Loko sales may be restricted in Mass. But not banned outright. (Globe)

Boston Medical Center designated grieving space for families of murder victims. That hospital has seen a lot of murders this year. (Globe)

Megabus plans to offer 9-hour rides from Boston to D.C. “The four-year-old company will add service from Boston to Baltimore and Washington on Dec. 15 — the only bus line to offer direct trips.” (Globe)

A woman says she begged her Boston cabbie to stop as cops chased him. Osei Kwame, 51, pleaded not guilty to kidnapping charges and had his hackney license suspended indefinitely. (Herald)