Category Blogs

Ann Romney’s flawed speech: What’s love got to do with it?

BY TIM LOUIS MACALUSO Praise flowed for Ann Romney even before she delivered her speech at the Republican National Convention last night. Hours earlier, Republicans nominated Mitt Romney for president. But Romney, polls indicate, is having trouble with women and minority voters. And it was on Ann Romney’s shoulders to help recast his image in […]

Massachusetts’ low uninsured rate has political implications

BY JEREMY MOULE Massachusetts has the lowest rate of residents without health insurance of any state in the US. That’s a simple fact, released this morning by the Census Bureau. But it has massive political overtones: Massachusetts has a health insurance system that is the basis of Obamacare. And that system – including an individual […]

MUSIC REVIEW: Eat to the beat

[ REVIEW ] By Frank De Blase Part of The Public Market Band’s allure is its duct-taped assembly, its rag-tag nonchalance, its Rube Goldberg framework. Bands practice this for years, trying to make their performances all gunfighter cool and dangerous. TPMB is one of the few bands that doesn’t try, and yet it achieves that […]

CONCERT VIDEO: The Front Bottoms at the Bug Jar

New Jersey pop-rockers The Front Bottoms came to the Bug Jar on Thursday, August 23, for a sweaty set of its acoustic laden and heart-stirring rock. Check out a quick video below, and you can head to our Facebook for more live photographs from the show.

Federal regulations for smog-causing pollutants still uncertain

BY JEREMY MOULE For decades, New York has had more stringent emissions regulations than other states. It’s been state government’s way of trying to improve air quality. But air moves, which complicates such efforts. Emissions from other states will drift in to New York, making their pollution this state’s problem. Former Attorney General Eliot Spitzer […]

WEEK AHEAD: SW Neighborhood meeting on School 16

BY TIM LOUIS MACALUSO Residents of the 19th Ward and nearby southwest neighborhoods are meeting on Wednesday, August 29, to discuss ways to become more engaged in School 16’s future and to better support area parents and students. The meeting is at 6 p.m. at the SW Community Center, 275 Dr. Samuel McCree Way. It […]

NEWS BLOG: After a scorching summer, weather hits GOP

It matters that weather has delayed the start of the Republican National Convention. It matters a lot. The convention was supposed to start today, but Tropical Storm Isaac changed those plans. Many delegates and speakers are facing changes to their travel plans, reports the Washington Post. Nationwide, weather has been a constant topic of news […]

NEWS BLOG: O’Brien’s interviews are one of the few worth watching

BY TIM LOUIS MACALUSO A frustration with watching news interviews on television is the sorry lack of tough follow-up questions. Mainstream anchors instead seem to rely more on giving equal time to both sides of a political issue. It’s easier, it’s less risky, and they can almost count on what type of response they’ll get. […]

NEWS BLOG: The Party of No and the price of obstructionism

BY TIM LOUIS MACALUSO If anyone needs an explanation for why public approval of Congress has plummeted to an all-time low, reporter and blogger Michael Grunwald gives an excellent account in his new book, “The New New Deal: The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era.” Grunwald has been making the case for some […]

CONCERT UPDATE: New York State Fair kicks off today

Summer may be winding down, but there’s still a little time left for one last hurrah (and some deep fried doughnuts). The New York State Fair kicks off today at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, bringing a wide range of music and other activities along with it. Highlights on the Grandstand this year […]