The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has just gotten quite a bit of company: As many as 6,600 graves at the country’s hallowed Arlington National Cemetery for fallen U.S. service members may be mislabeled, one lawmaker said on Thursday.Political movements are becoming ever more like a match tossed into a room full of dynamite: No matter which stick you are aiming for, chances are a lot of others will fire off, too.A drama about a woman diagnosed with terminal cancer doesn’t exactly sound like the most entertaining new series on the fall prime-time slate. But there is more buzz surrounding Showtime’s “The Big C” than perhaps any other series premiering this season, and the incomparable Laura Linney is a major reason why the series is high on critics’ must-see lists.Although facts on the famed Clinton-Mezvinsky wedding, which is rumored to happen this weekend, are tighter than Hillary Clinton’s smile, some details have leaked out. Sources report that groom Marc Mezvinsky has “hurt” his father’s family by not inviting them to the wedding (Ed Mezvinsky pleaded guilty in 2002 to swindling investors out of $10 million.For Paul Rudd, the decision to star in Jay Roach’s new comedy, “Dinner for Schmucks,” was an easy one. “I thought the script was really funny,” he says. “That was it. It was kind of a no-brainer.” Of course Rudd, who’s built an impressive resume of smart comedies, was just as enamored of the man behind the camera. Subletting in NYC typically involves some kind of covert transaction. Try to find a budget traveler who hasn’t enjoyed the risk of Craigslist’s lease-free rentals. But thanks to a bill Gov. David Paterson signed into law last Friday, renting an apartment for less than 30 days isn’t kosher. Fortunately, there’s a saving grace for those in search of short-term living: Jersey City.New claims for unemployment benefits slipped last week, but stayed at a stubbornly high level that underscored the labor market recovery was having trouble gaining traction.Could nail mats like the Acushakti be the next Snuggies?Unless the locals covered you in meatballs and sang “Nessun Dorma” upon arrival, this vacation could hardly be more Italian. For this is a “Vespa vacation” — a two-wheeled tour of the nooks and crannies, the winding back roads and the off-the-beaten-track hidden gems of breathtaking Umbria, a beautiful region located in Central Italy.For many job-hopping careerists, smuggling a resignation letter in their bag like a guilty secret, there are few workplace rituals so hard as saying so long.
When Governor Deval Patrick recently unveiled his new Education Action Agenda, media did not focus on the new achievement standards for students contained within the 44-page report, but rather on the 44 words supporting in-state tuition rates for undocumented immigrants. Illegal immigrants make for splashy headlines, but reorganizing public education in Massachusetts apparently is a yawn.
It’s incredible that the largest increase to public education funding in the Massachusetts since Education Reform passed in 1993 would be side-tracked by a policy already the law of the land in Texas, Kansas and Arkansas.
Yes, that would be the Arkansas of former Governor and Republican Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee who approved a similar measure for undocumented students when he led the state.
Advocates for the in-state tuition proposal here would allow the children of undocumented immigrants — many of whom were brought here when they were toddlers — to pay the same rate as other in-state residents provided they graduated from a Massachusetts high school and pass the MCAS exam.
But since the immigration debate has become so frenzied, change appears near impossible with an uncooperative legislature and a local media intent on hysteria. Worse, the mere mention of the issue has aroused passions could derail the entire package.
“All those good ideas could go down in flames because he’s included in-state tuition,” said Rep. Kevin Murphy, co-chairman of the legislative Higher Education committee who represents Lowell, a city that is almost one quarter foreign-born.
While the media and some lawmakers carped on that single provision, the Governor’s education plan deserves a fairer public scrutiny. The study notes the alarmingly low rate of students statewide who earn college degrees in Massachusetts — only 3 or 4 out of 10 who start as high school freshmen — at a time when the economy puts a premium on higher education. It also proposes a “Readiness Passport” for students to track progress through a more comprehensive education system.
Sure, no plan is perfect and the funding details are forthcoming, but we need a broader debate. It’s insulting to extract one topic guaranteed to fan the flames when the alarming economic disparities in the state’s education system need to be solved.
Those are the flames, Mr. Representative, that consume good ideas.
Mark Puleo is co-editor of the Brazilian Journal, a bilingual publication in Greater New England.
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In the July MMMpod, Young Veins talk about breaking away from Panic! at the Disco, Keith Lockhart talks about Buckwheat Zydeco throwing the Boston Pops for a loop, Zooey Deschanel talks about how Roy Orbison inspired a She & Him song, Derek Miller of Sleigh Bells talks about how awesome Funkadelic is, and we talk about how awesome Jimmy Cliff is, who in turn talks about Sam Cooke and divine intervention. An explosive show for July! Oh yeah, and we also test your knowledge of America songs in the MMMPod medley.
