Spring 2004

Spring 2004

Without a hitch

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Without a hitch

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Unmarried couples remain a relative rarity in Massachusetts, according to the 2000 US Census. Of the 1.33 million households headed by self-described couples, only 130,919 are headed by unmarried partners. Among those living together without benefit of marriage are 7,943 gay male couples and 9,156 lesbian couples. Not surprisingly, Provincetown is the least matrimonial community(...)

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A hard look at education accountability in the wake of No Child Left Behind

Education

A hard look at education accountability in the wake of No Child Left Behind

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No Child Left Behind? The Politics and Practice of School AccountabilityPaul E. Peterson and Martin R. West, editorsWashington, DC, Brookings Institution Press, 340 pages. In January 2002, President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act, which elevated to federal law an approach to systemic educational reform–high standards, regular assessment, and real accountability–that had been(...)

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Robert Greenstein and the Center on Budget get hawkish on the federal deficit

Economy

Robert Greenstein and the Center on Budget get hawkish on the federal deficit

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Earlier this year, when President Bush proposed his budget for fiscal 2005, it surprised no one that the administration’s spending plan was denounced by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal think tank traditionally concerned with the effects of federal spending –and especially the lack thereof–on the poor. More of a surprise was(...)

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New inductees for the state’s endangered species list, carefree men and worried women, a treasure trove of data from the Pioneer Valley, New York Citys complaint hotline, Bostons enthusiasm for the arts, Amazon’s nailing of local reading habits

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New inductees for the state’s endangered species list, carefree men and worried women, a treasure trove of data from the Pioneer Valley, New York Citys complaint hotline, Bostons enthusiasm for the arts, Amazon’s nailing of local reading habits

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Swan song for the twilight moth? State wildlife officials are singing the blues over the Twilight Moth, believed to be near extinction in Massachusetts. They’re proposing to add the moth, last seen near the former Devens army base, to the list of endangered species in the state, along with the Precious Underwing Moth and the(...)

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Letters

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We may be tucked away in West Cambridge, but Sky & Telescope is the oldest, most successful consumer astronomy magazine on the planet! But surprisingly, there was no mention of S&T in your wonderful article about the state of magazine publishing in Boston (“Short shelf life,” CW, Winter ’04). Since 1940, S&T has been a(...)

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Sociologist Thomas Shapiro says that a lack of assets, not income, is holding African-Americans back

Economy/ Politics

Sociologist Thomas Shapiro says that a lack of assets, not income, is holding African-Americans back

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On the issue of economic inequality, Americans are of two minds. On the one hand, we value opportunity over security, balancing a meager safety net (compared with other developed countries) with the promise of upward mobility for those with ability, gumption, and tolerance for hard work. The idea of opportunity itself suggests variability of outcomes,(...)

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