I have a personal genre of films that I’m especially fond of: movies that are uninspiring throughout their duration but have some sort of fantastic payoff at the end. There are, of course, a myriad of ways the start of the film can be uninspiring. Some, like Antonioni’s Passenger, use narrative tedium as a foil against the […]
Lot of folks picking on Jon Keller these days, so maybe I should say two things.
One, I don’t think people realize how revolutionary it is to have a gubernatorial debate that focuses squarely on policy choices, instead of poll numbers, horserace positioning, fuzzy symbolic ‘issues’, or personality conflicts. I’ll take this last debate over a […]
From Brad DeLong:
Democrats are (because of the environmentalist wing of the party) generally in favor of higher gasoline taxes and higher gasoline prices–except when gasoline prices are high). Republicans are in favor of letting oil markets “work”–except when gasoline prices are high.
Meanwhile, I’m wondering if it’s just coincidence that CBS4 has started to have a […]
Obviously, given the lack of announcement so far, there’s no book club meeting this month. Thanks to the patience of fellow bookclubbers as I reschedule for Wednesday, May 24. The next reading will be The Academic Kitchen, a social history of the academic discipline of home economics, using the case of UC Berkeley. As the […]
Chuck announces a rally to Stop Genocide in Darfur. Put me on record as thinking genocide is very awful and worth stopping, even at the expense of national self-determination, which I normally think is worth respecting. But take a look at Save Darfur’s action list and you get merely a call to “contact President Bush and […]
Jane Jacobs passes away. I’ll repeat what Marginal Revolution says: Life and Death of Great American Cities is one of the best books I have read. Here’s what I wrote after first reading it; this is a more recent praise of the book. One of the amazing things is that while the general anti-Big Planning sentiment […]
To follow up on yesterday’s offhand comment about political labels being relative… I am not one of those people who sneer at labeling. In general I do think it matters whether one is liberal or conservative, left or right, because differences in underlying assumptions translate into difference ideas of what the polity should do.
But there […]
On my morning commute in, a car hit a pedestrian at Brigham Circle. I was in the second car of the E line trolley, so I didn’t witness the incident (thank god), but I suspect that either a passenger was embarking or disembarking the trolley and the car didn’t stop or else a pedestian was crossing […]
The Globe had a good write up on the political bloggers in the state, left (Blue Mass Group) and right (Hub Politics). I was pleasantly surprised to see LeftCenterLeft given a mention. A belated welcome to any Globe readers who have made their way here.
The paper takes my tag line and adds “left-leaning.” My friends tend to think […]
One moment during yesterday’s gubernatorial debate struck me as odd. Jon Keller asked the question: if you absolutely had to raise a significant amount of revenue quickly, what tax would you use? Reilly offered a nonanswer (I wouldn’t do it), but Gabrielli made the point that he wasn’t sure, but he would look for a […]
I just got done watching CBS4’s debate with the 2006 Democratic gubernatorial candidates. Thanks to the station and host Jon Keller, not only for having it, but for a debate that was refreshingly substantive and engaging. No horserace questions, or media feedback loops, just the issues.
On those, each candidate said some things I nodded along […]
This weekend sees the annual Independent Film Festival Boston screening at independent venue around the city, mostly north of the river. The Globe critics have their suggestions at their blog and an article on the offerings. Cynthia Rockwell is posting her reviews. Self-Reliant Film highly recommends LOL and has an interview with the filmmakers.
This seems […]
Something tells me this guy isn’t gonna win.
Some reasoned response to news that Massachusetts is losing population. Add to that worries that the housing market is going to drive the whole state away.
My sentiments, though, are expressed by Chimes at Midnight:
What Humble Elias doesn’t understand is this, if the population is falling and the high tech jobs are shifting out of state, […]
Jay Fitzgerald complains about the Downtown Crossing plans:
I’m all for sprucing up Downtown Crossing and appreciate the city’s efforts to do so. But, frankly, I’m getting tired of the BRA ordering up/suggesting yet another ‘modern, glass and steel complex.’ Glass, glass, glass. Steel, steel, steel. I know it’s horribly bourgeois of me to say so, […]