MetaFilter posts tagged with MA

There Goes Swifty

Gungho — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:33:26 -0800

Massachusetts witnesses the end of Greyhound Racing. Today is the last day of Greyhound racing at The Revere, Massachusetts Wonderland Greyhound track. After a 2008 referendum vote put on the ballot by Grey2K and others the 74 year tradition of Greyhound racing at the former Victorian era Wonderland amusment park will end with a slate of 12 races tonight. Some say this is a great day to be at the dogs, some say this is a great day for the dogs. Still others say that the majority of dogs will be moved to other states and lose out on the hoped for opportunity to be adopted. In the end hundreds will lose their jobs in a state with 9.7% unemployment. The fate of the dogs is uncertain, and Boston's famed Revere Beach loses its final attraction.

America's only "Native Martial Art"?

P.o.B. — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:11:39 -0800

"For a long time it has been a kind of martial arts Loch Ness monster: an American fighting form with supposedly sinister origins that many have heard of but few have seen or experienced. No one, it seemed, had any concrete proof that it existed, or at least none they were willing to share. Until (2:36) recently." Longer (5:19) ver here As the article notes, there wasn't much info available about 52 previous to the past few years. Information was generally secondhand and culled from multiple sources. Here is a link aggregate that extends back many years, including a thread with plenty of (alleged) info embedded in it here. The style(s) include techniques with names like Skull and Crossbones, Catch and Kiss, and The Crown. Catch and Kiss was popularized by a person named Mother Dear on (in?) Rikers Island (second post down). (Wiki) Some inside YT links contain NSFW rap lyrics and marketing.

Three Years. Fifteen Suicides.

rollbiz — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 18:55:44 -0800

Prison and the Mentally Ill in Massachusetts: The Globe reports on the pitfalls and consequences of using a retribution-based correctional system on the criminally insane in MA, as inmates in the state kill themselves at triple the national rate. Part I. Part II. Part III (in tomorrow's Globe). Photos of the system's most troubled. Last words of some disturbed inmates. As solitary confinement and other traditional forms of correction continue to be used on the most vulnerable in the prison population, one must wonder: Is the problem funding (PDF), understanding, or a combination of these and other forces? What is the solution?

Defying Demographics

rollbiz — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 20:06:17 -0800

Defying Demographics: A look at University Park Campus School, a 7-12th grade school located in the poorest neighborhood in blue-collar Worcester, MA. Approximately 73% of students hover at or below the poverty line and 61% are minorities, yet over 80% go on to college and 99% pass the Massachusetts graduation exams. The partnership between Clark University and Worcester Public Schools has created an environment so successful that a number of cities are looking to emulate it. Have they discovered the key to closing the achievement gap?

Because we were under the influence [...], we had little choice but to concentrate only on what we were playing and thus, did not move around a great deal.

goodnewsfortheinsane — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 12:12:46 -0800

Master's thesis on My Bloody Valentine's album Loveless (full thesis as pdf, html).