Whatever happens in individual games over the next two weeks, this may be the most depressing Olympics since Berlin in 1936 and Munich in 1972. And it makes me happier than ever that Boston came to its senses and dropped its 2024 bid. The opening ceremony said it all. Unremitting commercials interspersed with some tape-delayed …
Legislature fails to pass non-compete legislation
If you're an executive for one of the big guys, like EMC or Boston Scientific, or if you depend on the support of the big guys, as does the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, you're probably pretty happy that the legislature failed to pass non-compete reform. Signing non-compete clauses means employees must wait a year or more …
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Hillary chooses morning over mourning in America
Last night’s historic moment almost seemed anti-climactic. I had shed my tears at the historic milestone when Hillary Clinton had clinched the Democratic nomination. I held my breath for weeks thereafter until Bernie Sanders had endorsed her, making it clear just how high the stakes are in this election. Last night was all about reinforcing that …
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The table is set for Hillary
Will Hillary Clinton get the post-convention bump she needs to reassure even her anxious supporters and would-be donors that she can win in November? Tonight will determine that. Days one through three have set the table, but they won't necessarily matter as the convention memories recede. It's the candidate who counts. On Day 1, it was Michelle Obama who …
Pay equity issues start at the top
Stock market and share prices are near record highs. At the same time, Republicans and Democrats alike bemoan a sluggish recovery that has left too many behind. As delegates gather in Philadelphia this week, I wonder how many of the speakers will address this disconnect seriously, especially when so many there contributed to this …
Debbie Wasserman Schultz should be fired now
Bernie Sanders has been saying for eight months that the Democratic National Committee rigged the primary system. He also has long said that, in the interest of fair play, DNC Chair Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz should be forced to resign. Emails written by DNC CFO Brad Marshall, released yesterday by Wikileaks, suggest Sanders had it right. …
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Donald Trump a clear and present danger*
Donald Trump's kids shone at the Republican national convention. Poised, articulate, attractive, they'd make any parent proud and certainly reflect well on their parents. Ivanka Trump's call for pay equity and child care support were a welcome contrast to the GOP platform. So, too, was PayPal CEO Peter Thiel's assertion that the party shouldn't let "fake …
Republican convention: Red meat turns rancid, mean, and poisonous
Two down, two to go. Days, that is, of the Republican National Convention. I'm not watching gavel to gavel. I have a life. But, as a political junkie, I'm drawn to watch the evening activities, as deplorable as they are. From an organizational perspective, especially for an alleged master of the spectacle, Day One was …
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Ruth Bader Ginsburg fumbles
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was way out of line in her scathing criticism of Donald Trump. Three times in the last week, she let it be known she can't imagine this country under a president Trump, She called him "a faker," said he "has no consistency about him," and added that he says whatever comes into …
Race across America
Philando Castile. Alton Sterling. Lorne Ahrens. Michael Krol. Michael Smith. Brent Thompson. Patrick Zamarripa. Seven men shot and killed last week. Seven senseless deaths, all speaking in one way or another to the racism laced through relations between African-Americans and the police. We have to be blind not to see it. Stone-hearted not to feel …
Marjorie Arons-Barron 