As if gambling isn’t controversial enough on its own, Gov. Patrick’s proposed "casino zones" — three regions that would each host one Vegas-style complex — are also stirring up trouble. […]
Worcester isn’t west!
Posted inEducation, The Download, Transportation
Why Johnny Can’t Walk to School
"Less than 15 percent of all schoolchildren walk or ride bicycles to school," notes Charles Euchner (a frequent contributor to CommonWealth) in a fascinating Hartford Courant column. The main reason […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Libertarian nation, from New Hampshire to Nevada
Third-quarter presidential fundraising statistics are out, and places like the New York Times have rather unhelpful maps that show where candidates are getting their money but are not adjusted for […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Electric fence keeps presidential candidates in line
At least that’s the effect of their pledges not to campaign in any state that dares to defy Iowa and New Hampshire by holding their primary too early. The St. […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Election eve maps: 5th Congressional District
The above map shows what a Republican victory looks like in the 5th District of Massachusetts, where voters will be choosing between Democrat Niki Tsongas and Republican Jim Ogonowski in […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Sunday quickie: Independent voters in Massachusetts
For some reason, my Bloglines feed for today’s Boston Globe sent me a chart listing the percentage of voters in each Massachusetts town who are "unenrolled" (i.e., not affiliated with […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Land sharks: Keep walking or get arrested
The New York Times reports on the case of a pedestrian arrested for — well, not being enough of a pedestrian: According to court documents, a man named Matthew Jones […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Dems diss Michigan
Yesterday five Democratic candidates (Obama, Edwards, Richardson, Biden, Kucinich) pulled their name off the ballot for the January 15 presidential primary in Michigan, leaving Christopher Dodd as the only obstacle […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Indefensible political statement of the week
"Voters have a very strange way of not listening to the pundits." — Gary Hart, to the Boston Globe’s Scot Lehigh in an October 5 column titled "Clinton is far […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
Transit stats: MBTA ridership is southbound
Public transit fans (not to be confused with foamers) should head over to the American Public Transportation Association to get ridership stats for the first six months of 2007. The […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Neighborhood anchors face extinction
Entrepreneur.com has an interesting list of the 10 Businesses Facing Extinction in 10 Years. No surprise that newspapers and pay phones are on there, but a few may be worrisome […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The solidifying South
Over the next few months, I’ll be posting maps to set up the geographical context of the 2008 presidential election, and to explain how I came up with the 10 […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Megabucks
The Sunday New York Times has a story and interactive map on state lotteries. Massachusetts is singled out as having "the highest lottery spending per resident, at $699, and the […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
History of the Wal-Mart Empire
I offer no opinion on the merits of shopping at Wal-Mart, but I feel compelled to point out this cool video from the Wall Street Journal. "The Diffusion of Wal-Mart" […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The unbearable oddness of the Iowa caucuses
Friday, October 5, 2007 Blue Mass. Group has a great post (and subsequent discussion) about the Iowa caucuses and how different they are from any kind of election most of […]
Posted inHealth Care, The Download
Expensive shrinks cost Massachusetts billions in lost productivity
The Milken Institute reported on Tuesday that the US economy took a hit of more than $1 trillion in 2003, all from lost workdays and lower productivity due to chronic […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
Wonder condos in Natick
Last week the New York Times reported on the 215 luxury condos going up next to a Natick mall, on the site of an old Wonder Bread factory:Applying the lifestyle-center […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
More heads need more roofs
Housing has become scarcer in the dark-colored states on the above map, with new residents moving in (or being born) faster than contractors can put up houses. (Click […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Obama’s geography lesson
We wanted to launch this blog in time to cover the 2008 presidential primaries, but we can’t guarantee that those primaries will be at all exciting. Things on the Republican […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
On the value of national polls before the Iowa caucuses
There is a school of thought that national polls don’t matter when it comes to presidential nominations, and that upsets in the early contests of Iowa and New Hampshire can […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
America’s 10 political regions redefined
UPDATE: November 2008 results. Also see my pre-election preview in America magazine. UPDATE: See charts on the voting history of each of the regions from 1948 through 2004 here. There […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
America’s 10 political regions redefined
UPDATE: November 2008 results. Also see my pre-election preview in America magazine. UPDATE: See charts on the voting history of each of the regions from 1948 through 2004 here. There […]
Posted inArts and Culture, Uncategorized
Made in Massachusetts
nowadays we expect to see actors, athletes, and other celebrities used to sell products. Things were much different a century ago, when goods got their props from doe-eyed, rosy-cheeked boys […]