I have just been informed by a member of Massachusetts Senator Will Brownsberger’s staff that he “will be co-sponsoring a piece of legislation that will, among other things, prevent employers from asking job applicants for their social networking passwords.” This issue has been raised in previous sessions of the Massachusetts legislature, but it has not… Read More »
Have you ever noticed a strong smell of diesel fumes in an MBTA bus, most strongly at the back of the bus? The smell comes from diesel exhaust leaking into the passenger compartment of the bus. It is extremely toxic. Its short-term effects include headache, dizziness, light-headedness, and nausea. Long-term effects include cardiovascular disease, cardiopulmonary… Read More »
The privacy of our email is protected by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, passed in 1986, which requires law-enforcement officials to obtain a warrant to intercept and read private email. However, the law has a critical flaw: it does not require a warrant for emails “left on servers” for more than 180 days. This made… Read More »
Question 3 on the Massachusetts ballot in 2012 proposes to allow marijuana to be cultivated and sold in Massachusetts for the use of qualifying patients. To qualify, a patient must have been diagnosed with a debilitating medical condition, such as cancer, glaucoma, HIV-positive status or AIDS, hepatitis C, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, or multiple… Read More »
Ken at Popehat reports on Pittsfield judge Bethzaida Sanabria-Vega ordering a local blogger not only to stop writing about the daughter of a local public official who was the perpetrator of a hit-and-run accident which nearly killed someone and got off virtually scott-free after the courts “lost” some of the paperwork related to her case,… Read More »
I recently sent a complaint to a compact fluorescent light bulb manufacturer about a bulb that was rated for 12,000 hours but lasted less than three years. Their response included this: “…remember that there are situations that can shorten the life of a CFL, such as using the bulb in a receptacle that is turned… Read More »
Dear Mayor Menino, A small, vocal group of parents with children at the Mission Hill School have been waging a campaign to derail the BPS administration’s plan to relocate the school to Jamaica Plain. I am writing in opposition to their campaign and in support of the relocation plan as proposed by Dr. Johnson.
I was handed this flyer today in front of Boston City Hall: It’s a spoof mocking the Mayor’s demand for teachers to work a longer school day. Hey, BPS teachers… The teachers at my children’s private school work longer hours than you, with worse benefits than you, for less money than you. They do a… Read More »
To: Kevin.Honan@mahouse.gov, William.Brownsberger@mahouse.gov, mayor@cityofboston.gov, City.Council@cityofboston.gov CC: fareproposal@mbta.com Dear Gov. Patrick (via Fax), Rep. Honan, Rep. Brownsberger, Mayor Menino, and members of the Boston City Council, I am writing to you all in incensed opposition to the abhorrent plan currently under discussion to close the MBTA’s budget gap by decimating Massachusetts public transportation.
Dear Governor Patrick, Speaking as a religious Jew, I can assure you that I do not find it “inclusive” or “welcoming” for you to call the tree you’re lighting today a “holiday tree”. If it were my choice, there would be no religious symbols of any sort on public property. But since that’s never going… Read More »