Task force: No guns for criminals or mentally ill: "Forty-four recommendations. In a report released Monday, the state Committee to Reduce Gun Violence says Massachusetts needs to comply with the Nation Instant Background Check System. Shoot 'em up. The review also says that all gun license applicants should complete live-fire training."
While I'm sure Massachusetts residents care about gun violence, this article flounders a bit by failing to report little more than a government committee doing its job. It lacks some sort of conflict despite featuring such a hot button issue. Gun violence in Massachusetts is remarkably low already, but obviously, if there's room for improvement, let's improve. I don't foresee objection to this committee's suggestions gestating into legislation given Massachusetts's prevailing political hue, and I'm not saying such a contradictory voice is necessary to balance out the piece. But leading with such an uncontested stance as giving guns to criminals or the mentally ill makes me believe this article's appearance above other more pressing news articles is evidence of a bias. Would I take the story on the noticeable uptick in instances of sexual assaults across all Boston college campuses on page 4 and hoist it to the front page? That might do a better public service.
Say it ain't SNOW: (text accompanying a picture) "Monday's dusting of snow made the commonwealth Avenue Mall appear serene, but forecasters say the upcoming weather pattern is anything but quiet."
Public display of the word "snow" in the New England area requires a trigger warning this time of year. The threat of its arrival has the power to cancel school days and debilitate public transportation. The governor can make it temporarily illegal to drive, forcing you wake up an hour earlier the next day to dig out a parking space with enough time to find the old folding chair, the one rusted shut from its last tour of duty. "Snow" grabs every New Englander's attention because it is evocative of so much more than just precipitation. This article contains no opinion.
B.J. Novak has 'One More Thing' to say: "Actually, the "Office" star and debut author has a few."
I can't read a stop sign without running into some review of B.J. Novak's new book One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories. The writer-turned-actor-turned-writer is getting a full court publishing press from Boston Globe, Boston Phoenix, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, etc. etc. including a "book trailer" with over 100,000 Youtube views and an appearance on Letterman late January. However, the interview doesn't even mention how he'll be at the Harvard Book Store Monday February 10th. And that sold out event is its own indication of why Novak's four-inch face smiling back from the front page can grab the attention of a standard television-savvy individual.
Seriously appreciated this writing: "find the old folding chair, the one rusted shut from its last tour of duty." Was shocked the Harvard Bookstore event was not listed in the last article--almost all authors must have an 'event' to get press in Minnesota. If there are several events offered based on a tour by a luminary like Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison, the article may even refer to the events' calendar for a local lecture.
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