Category Archives: Massachusetts

Instead of Racing to Tops or Not Leaving Children Behind, Why Don’t We Just Clone What Massachusetts Has Done?

Posted on December 12, 2012 by

The 2011 TIMMS international scholastic test results are out (I’ve written about TIMMS results before). I’ll have more to say about the results later–the Alabama-Massachusetts comparisons, my favorite*, are devastating. But, as a first pass, it’s worth noting that, once … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Massachusetts, Mathematics | 6 Comments

Implementing Medical Marijuana in Massachusetts

Posted on November 16, 2012 by

In the 2012 election, Massachusetts passed a ballot question calling for the legalization of medical marijuana (and yes, it’s depressing that passed, but an assisted suicide law did not. Priorities…). As I noted the last time a marijuana-related ballot question … Continue reading →

Posted in Drugs, Housing, Massachusetts | 2 Comments

In Honor of Senator Elect Warren’s Victory…

Posted on November 7, 2012 by

…let’s remember the example of one of her predecessors (it picks up around the 4:00 mark):

Posted in Democrats, Massachusetts

Helping Down-Ticket Candidates: Warren Gets It

Posted on November 5, 2012 by

One more reason why I like Massachusetts senatorial candidate Elizabeth Warren (boldface mine): Here—as across the state—the Warren campaign has coordinated its efforts with the state party and local officeholders so that doorknockers are talking not just about Warren but … Continue reading →

Posted in Democrats, Massachusetts | 1 Comment

The Mad Biologist’s Endorsements

Posted on November 5, 2012 by

Which will carry even less weight than newspaper endorsements, which is to say, none at all. Regular readers probably won’t be surprised, but here they are anyway (I’m not going through the whole Massachusetts ballot, because life’s too short): President: … Continue reading →

Posted in Democrats, Drugs, Massachusetts, Voting

When It Comes to the Cost of Public Universities, We Can Bring Back the Old Days

Posted on October 26, 2012 by

At least in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (God save it!) anyway. Given the one trillion dollars of student debt in the U.S., we often read that universities will need to reinvent themselves so as to remain financially sustainable (here’s one … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Massachusetts | 1 Comment

An Observation on ‘Undecided’ Voters and a Recent Primary

Posted on September 27, 2012 by

Last week, we had a primary in my corner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (God save it!). Many of the choices were just affirmations: on the Democratic side, both Rep. Mike Capuano and Elizabeth Warren (and you should support her … Continue reading →

Posted in Fucking Morons, Massachusetts, Voting

Core Curriculum Standards: Raising Many States Up, But Dragging Massachusetts Down?

Posted on July 25, 2012 by

More than once, I’ve argued that states with low educational performance could do far worse than stealing Massachusetts’ education policies and curriculum. In City Journal, Sol Stern has a good piece about the adoption of the Core Curriculum Standards by … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Massachusetts | 4 Comments

Disaster Capitalism Meets the Boston Public Library

Posted on June 28, 2012 by

By way of Universal Hub, we discover that the greatest crisis the City of Boston (God save it!) faces is some excess space in the Johnson Building (aka the ‘New Wing’*) of the Boston Public Library (boldface mine): The first … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, Funding, Libraries, Massachusetts, Taxes | 2 Comments

So How Many People Can You Cram Into an MBTA Train?

Posted on June 20, 2012 by

Recently, Northeastern University’s Dukakis Center released a report, Hub and Spoke: Core Transit Congestion And The Future Of Transit And Development In Greater Boston, describing the problems the MBTA, and the T (the subway), face. I’ll be writing about that … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, Massachusetts, Transportation | 1 Comment