Monday, September 10, 2012
Sites mock parents who share "too much" information about their kids on Facebook. What do you think?
It's super exciting that your little toddler piddled in the potty for the first time and you want to share photographic evidence of the moment with all of your friends on Facebook. Well, you might want to reconsider before you hit the "share" button. There are a slew of websites these days dedicated to informing over-sharing parents that their childless friends are over reading about their kid's crap, literally. Take for instance, the blog ST*U, Parents, a submission-based "public service" blog that pokes fun at parents whose Facebook statuses have been hijacked with inane updates about their children. The author of the site, known simply as "B," created the blog in 2009 in response to annoying parental over-share posts that popped up in …
Sunday, September 9, 2012
A federal judge's ruling Tuesday on a Massachusetts case is believed to be the first of its kind.
A convicted murderer will receive a state-funded sex-reassignment surgery because a federal judge has ruled it is the only way to treat her "serious medical need." Massachusetts state prison officials must provide the surgery to Michelle Kosilek, who was convicted as Robert Kosilek for killing his wife in 1990. Kosilek was born a male but has received hormone treatments and lives in an all-male prison. U.S. District Court Judge Mark Wolf is believed to be the first federal judge to order prison officials to provide sex-reassignment surgery for a transgender inmate, the Boston Globe reported. Kosilek first sued the Massachusetts Department of Correction 12 years ago. Wolf ruled two years later that Kosilek was entitled to treatment for …
Thursday, August 30, 2012
We've heard a lot of readers call for change in our comment section this past month, and we want your input - what's the best way for us to keep the conversation interesting?
Hey readers – it's your friendly neighborhood news editor. No no, don't worry, I'm not here to sell you anything. But, I do need your input so we can decide the best way to go forward as an online community. Over the past month, I've gotten a lot of feedback that our approach to comment moderation just isn't cutting it for some of our readers. While it's always great to see so many passionate contributions to the site, it can impact the quailty of our community's conversation when threads stray wildly off-topic, get needlessly heated, personal and/or worse. My personal policy, as a guy that likes to get into the trenches myself, has been largely hands-off: I'd get involved if a comment was threatening, promoted bigotry or was otherwise …
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
New national study indicates that drug and alcohol use during the school day is a bigger problem than previously thought. Do you think it's a problem at the local level? Discuss with other Maldonians below.
According to a new study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, roughly 17 percent of American high school students engage in smoking, drinking or doing drugs during the school day. The study also said that approximately 86 percent of students indicated that they knew of classmates who abuse drugs or alcohol during the school day. This was the 17th such study conducted by the NCASA. The group interviewed more than 1,000 students ages 12-17, according to an article appearing on Huffington Post. Perhaps more disturbing aspects to the survey included roughly 50 percent of the students indicating there was a place on their campus where students regularly went to do drugs or drink alcohol. And about 44 percent said they knew …
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Trailing in the latest polls, Elizabeth Warren charged Scott Brown is part of a Republican war on women. Do you agree, or is this just a stunt?
Senator Scott Brown has opened up a lead over challenger Elizabeth Warren in a new poll released Tuesday. Public Policy Polling has Brown over Warren by five points. On the stump, however, Warren's on the offensive, saying Brown and the Republican party are waging a war on women. She's pointed to comments by Missouri Senate hopeful Todd Akin as the latest evidence of that war. Akin has been roundly condemned by liberals and conservatives alike for his statement that it's rare for women to become pregnant after a "legitimate rape." Akin has apologized and attempted to clarify his statement, saying he meant "forcible rape." Brown has publicly called on Akin to drop out of the race, and asked that the Republican party soften its stance on …
Monday, August 20, 2012
U.S. Senator Scott Brown and his challenger Elizabeth Warren both condemned Akin's comments this morning.
What do you think - should Rep. Atkins withdraw from the race? Share your views with other readers below. - In tweets just six minutes apart, Massachusetts U.S. Senator Scott Brown and his challenger Elizabeth Warren condemned comments made by Rep. Todd Akin that implied women who are raped could shut down their reproductive organs. When asked his opinion on abortions in the case of rape during a TV interview Sunday, Akin, a Republican from Missouri who is running for a seat in the Senate, said the following: "It seems to me, from what I understand from doctors, that's really rare. If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let's assume that maybe that didn't work or something, I think …
Friday, August 17, 2012
Malden Police are investigating claims that a superintendent in a Lincoln St. apartment building stole at least $5,000 from residents. Tenants: do you ever worry about your privacy or property?
It's natural: at some point, everyone has that nagging fear of a stranger breaking into their home. But what about the people with keys to your front door? Malden police are investigating accusations a building superintendent on Lincoln St. allegedly stole at least $5,000 from his tenants this month, after cashing forged checks from their personal checkbooks, the Boston Globe's Matt Byrne reported Thursday. “He had a key, so there was no sign of him breaking into our apartment,” victim Jenny Lienhard told WBZ-4 News. “(He) took our checkbook out of our drawer, and wrote himself a $180.00 check and cashed it.” The suspect has not been identified as he faces no charges, though police confirmed to the Globe that an investigation was underway…
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
A recent report says its a problem at Boston's airport - is it something you feel you've experienced? Does the idea bother you, or do you consider it a necessary security precaution?
Security staff at Logan International Airport have filed complaints that their co-workers target minorities for security checks, according to the Boston Globe. Over 30 officers have lodged the complaints, which are under investigation by the Transportation Security Administration, the Globe reports. Security at airports are supposed to use "behavioral detection" methods to pick up facial expression and body language to deem someone suspicious. According to the Globe, Logan had once been held up as a model for behavioral detection. Readers: Have you had a bad experience at the Logan airport TSA? Think they do a great job? Share your story with other readers in the comment section below.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Nearly a million Massachusetts residents were without power after Hurricane Irene - some, for day. Are the fines imposed against National Grid sufficient?
As we near the one-year anniversary of Tropical Storm Irene, which left many Malden residents (and nearly a million total Massachusetts residents) without power for days, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is proving that she hasn't forgotten what she calls an "inadequate response" to both the tropical storm and an October snowstorm last year. Coakely is recommending a $16 million fine against the company – the largest penalty ever recommended against a utility in Massachusetts, according to a statement from her office released Thursday. The penalties, if passed would not affect National Grid customers and would have to be borne on shareholders. The AG’s Office made the recommendation in a brief filed Wednesday with the …
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
After two major shootings in the past several weeks, is it time for an assault weapons ban?
Do assault weapons and large ammunition clips need to be banned again in the U.S., or should there be more citizens carrying? Let us know in the comments below. Advocates of expanding gun laws in Massachusetts, including some top law enforcement officials, spoke about the subject during a Boston press conference last week, vowing to lobby Senator Scott Brown and other congressmen to end their opposition to a ban on the weaponry. The conference came days before a shooter with reported ties to white supremacy organizations opened fire at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin last weekend, killing six people. Just weeks prior, a gunman sporting body armor and automatic weapons killed 12 people and injured 58 others in Aurora, Colorado. A …
Mike G.
5:18 pm on Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Raj, the irony of your comment here is astounding. ;) more ›