The Last Word

Posted by Amy Derjue on 6/30/2008 at 4:58PM | No Comments

Your long day of corporate drudgery is over. Get out and enjoy the city! Here are a few ideas to get you started, lovingly picked by Boston Daily.

Avoid the temptation to head to Old Navy and pick up one of those cheesy Fourth of July t-shirts to celebrate the holiday. Rather, pick up a great summer dress or bathing suit for the long weekend at Wish’s Spring Sale.

Even More Mitt Romney Speculation

Posted by Amy Derjue on 6/30/2008 at 4:12PM | No Comments

Mitt Romney is going to be in New Hampshire this weekend to campaign for John McCain while enjoying a parade near Lake Winnipesaukee. While the Republicans have wisely elected to skip the nauseating Unity photo-op, they’re still giving us vertigo from all the vice presidential back and forth.

It’s been relatively quiet on the GOP front as of late. But Politico.com reports that our boy Mitt is at the top of McCain’s list of running mates.

James Fagan Gets Targeted By Bloggers

Posted by Amy Derjue on 6/30/2008 at 3:32PM | No Comments

On Friday, we lamented Rep. James Fagan’s speech on the House floor about what defense attorneys would do to child rape victims if tough mandatory sentencing laws were passed. Here are his remarks again, in case you missed them.

Fagan, a defense attorney, infuriated victims’ rights advocates during a recent House debate when he said he would “rip apart” 6-year-old victims on the witness stand and “make sure the rest of their life is ruined.”

In a fiery soliloquy on the House floor, Fagan said he’d grill victims so that, “when they’re 8 years old they throw up; when they’re 12 years old, they won’t sleep; when they’re 19 years old, they’ll have nightmares and they’ll never have a relationship with anybody.”

It was a poor choice of words, to say the least. And some bloggers have taken action beyond writing about their outrage.

Behold the certificate we received from one Richard Cochrane, who bills himself as a Contributing Editor to Hypocrisy.com. (Click for big.)

Spanning the Web

Posted by Amy Derjue on 6/30/2008 at 1:59PM | No Comments

Taking you around the Internet for your afternoon enjoyment.

1214848571 Burgers and soda at Mitt’s house this July 4! Former Governor Mitt Romney will be campaigning for John McCain in New Hampshire this weekend. Hey, Mitt, we’re gonna be in the neighborhood, so make sure Tagg’s around. [PolitickerMA.com]

Dan Duquette’s Ethics Problem

Posted by Amy Derjue on 6/30/2008 at 11:35AM | No Comments

We didn’t think the State Ethics Commission had much time on its hands, what with the endless stream of complaints against House Speaker Sal DiMasi. But the agency has been working on cases that don’t involve Richard Vitale.

1214839352 The Patriot Ledger reports that former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette is being investigated for offering to sell Pittsfield mayor James Ruberto two tickets to the 2004 World Series for face value.

Manny Ramirez Gets Pushy

Posted by Amy Derjue on 6/30/2008 at 10:56AM | No Comments

Like most Red Sox fans, we love the “Manny Being Manny” incarnation of Manny Ramirez much better than the “my grandmother died for the 16th time, now trade me” Ramirez. His infectious smile and kindness to kids with nut allergies melts our hearts, while his offense continues to strike fear into pitchers around the league.

1214836787 But we’re a little worried that Manny might be burying his issues with the team a little too deep. Just weeks after coming to blows with Kevin Youkilis in the dugout, Manny took his frustrations out on the team’s traveling secretary on Saturday.

The Longfellow Bridge’s Woes Are No Longer Funny

Posted by Amy Derjue on 6/30/2008 at 10:22AM | No Comments

1212681530 It was funny at first, the litany of problems with the Longfellow Bridge. We cracked jokes about snorkels and parachutes when we learned the Red Line’s rail ties on the bridge needed to be replaced. We predicted that a kayak purchase would be in our future when we learned the span’s sidewalks weren’t safe enough to hold the Fourth of July crowds.

It got much less humorous this weekend. The DCR announced that the inside traffic lanes on the Longfellow Bridge would be closed to all traffic until repairs are completed this fall.

Weekend Redux: What You Missed

Posted by Amy Derjue on 6/30/2008 at 9:20AM | No Comments

Just because you spent all weekend dodging sudden showers doesn’t mean the world stopped moving. We round up the notable stories you missed.

Saturday
1214831019 Unity! Unity! Unity!

“Hello, Unity!” [Sen. Hillary] Clinton began, as the crowd burst into cheers. “Unity is not only a beautiful place, as we can see, it’s a wonderful feeling, isn’t it? And I know what we start here in this field in Unity, we’ll end on the steps of the Capitol when Barack Obama takes the oath of office as our next president.”

Yeah, whatever. You know who we’re really excited to see reunited? Trot Nixon and the big leagues.

What’s News

Posted by Amy Derjue on 6/30/2008 at 8:25AM | No Comments

Your condensed guide to today’s daily papers.

1214828567 Problems for the Boston Police, Part I: A Celtics championship reveler who stopped breathing after he was arrested near the Garden on June 18 has died. The man’s parents say he didn’t receive prompt medical attention, but police say they started CPR as soon as they saw he was in trouble. [Globe]