Feb 9, 2010 5:24 AM Posted by Robi I listen to sports radio on my overnight ride into work and they know their audience is mostly men. I hear ads for hair replacement, male enhancement and debt consolidation. Topics right in most guy's wheelhouses
This morning I heard a story that made my ears perk up. Beer can be good for your bones. That got my attention.
Two days after the Super Bowl parties guys can now say "honey, my bones do feel a lot stronger!" A Tufts University researcher helped conduct a study that claims two beers a day can help increase bone density. Turns out beer is an excellent source of silicon, a material needed for strong bones that is lacking in most modern diets. Beer can even be better for your bones than calcium!
But all in moderation. More than two drinks a day can weaken bones, so they say
The researchers admit these alcohol studies are confusing to people.Some say beer and wine in moderation is good for you, others say they're bad for your health. Do you take these seriously? Feb 9, 2010 4:09 AM Posted by Robi If you want to get hitched as Boston City Hall and use the clerk to perform the ceremony, you just have to come up with sixty bucks. Apparently this type of nuptials are pretty popular with the clerk acting as justice of the peace almost two dozen times a week!
That's some serious cake for the city to rake in right? Nope, turns out the clerk, Rosario Salerno , pockets that money, to the tune of $68,000 a year. That's on top of the $100,000 she already makes
One finance watchdog group tells the Herald, that's double dipping. They say if being a JP is in her job description, that money should go into the general fund for the city. Even the city council president says it's a policy that needs to be looked at
A lot of big city clerks tell say they're too busy to perform marriage ceremonies, not Salerno. She tells the Herald she averages 22 a week but still gets her other jobs done. She points out that the legislature is OK with this extra duty and insists it's not a perk Feb 8, 2010 11:11 AM Posted by jcase written by Joe ShortsleeveIt's an election year, so you are not going to hear politicians talking about new ways to collect tolls. But one year from now, Massachusetts could be testing exactly that. Call it a new way to pay for our roads. James Aliosi, the state's former top transportation official, predicts a new road usage tax is in our future. It’s an idea he really likes. Call it a mileage tax. Why? Fuel-efficient cars mean less revenue from the gas tax. So, rather than increase the gas tax, Massachusetts is considering taxing drivers for the miles they drive. That’s right... taxing drivers for the miles they drive. Aliosi says a system like this “is inevitable.” And under the proposed system, driving at rush hour could cost more. As much as 8 times more. Right now, only some drivers pay tolls. Shouldn't everyone pay? What do you think? Should we abolish the tolls and gas tax in favor of a mileage tax? Feb 8, 2010 10:27 AM Posted by Paula_Ebben Here's your chance to be Don Draper. The Saints won (hallelujah!) and the ads have run. Watch the Superbowl commercials again here, and then talk to us:
Which was your favorite this year? (Letterman) The Stand-out? (Betty White) The Disappointment? (Keep your hands off my Mama? GoDaddy, puh-lease!) Do they ever live up to the hype? (Tebow?) Anything surprise you or catch you off-guard? (Letterman/Leno, again) Have we created the idea that Super Bowl Ads are amazing, but they really never were? It's your call.... Feb 8, 2010 5:25 AM Posted by Robi It felt like there was just as much pre-game hype for the Tim Tebow ad as there was for the game itself! Count me as one of the people who believe that, like Peyton Manning's performance, the commercial didn't live up to the billing
So many people worried about "abortion talk" or a "pro-life message during the football game but the "A" word never came up. One critic called the spot "The Euphemism Bowl"
In the spot you see a woman holding up a photo of her "miracle baby." It turns out to be Tim Tebow's mom who never brings up that doctors urged her to abort her future Heisman Trophy winning son because of a illness she contracted. That information comes when you click on the link for the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family who paid for the spot
Were you as underwhelmed as I was with the spot? Did they score with their subtlety? Was the controversy much ado about nothing? Feb 8, 2010 4:04 AM Posted by Robi Judging from the comments on our website, most of you are not fans of toll takers. You think the folks that collect your cash on the Mass Pike are lazy, overpaid and they don't say "thank you" nearly enough
Well there may be good news for your quarter-carrying commuters. Toll takers may be another step closer to extinction. The Herald reports today Governor Patrick and top transportation officials are considering a Raytheon-made electronic system that would do away with toll booths and human toll collectors
Toll taker salaries start at $50,000 a year. The plan would save the state millions
But are you ready for a completely human-free collection system? Do you want to have the option of paying cash on site? What about people do don't use the Pike on regular basis? Are you worried about a system that would videotape your license plate? Feb 5, 2010 10:22 AM Posted by Paula_Ebben I'm not going to try to deny it. It actually brought tears to my eyes, and I bet you'll well-up, too. Right after the SuperBowl, CBS is launching a new docu-reality show called "Undercover Boss." Watch the clip here and you'll see what I mean. In mid-Recession America, it's going to be a huge hit.
In a nutshell: grey-suited corporate President and COO Larry O'Donnell of Waste Management goes undercover (that's him to the left) to work in various parts of the company. He picks up trash and garbage, cleans out port-o-johns, works a conveyor belt. He's in physical pain and mentally exhausted, he sees first-hand how hard his people work, how good they are at what they do (and their pride in that), and various difficulties they face with little or no understanding from their managers. It changes everything for him once he dons the grey suit again to go back to the corner office. In the end, he meets again with his "co-workers" and his identity is revealed - cue the tears and bring your tissues.
Mr. MBA who had no clue suddenly has a new appreciation for the actual people who make the company a success because they do the work. He understands because he gets to know them as people and hears their problems. He changes what he sees is unfair. Wouldn't you love the head of your organization to do that?
As the show highlights, most people are doing the job of three employees these days after waves of lay-offs, most people feel lucky to have a job, but everyday work is still hard work. Do you wish your boss/CEO could go undercover and do your job for a day? If he/she did, what would you want them to see, understand , and then change?
Feb 5, 2010 3:13 AM Posted by Producer_TJ
Ladies, you're not going to like this one....
A new survey finds that women in Massachusetts earned 76% of what men made in 2008.
This study was done by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Nothing new, you say?
This women to men's earnings ratio is actually down from 79% back in 2004.
And the earnings ratio in Massachusetts has been below the national average for seven years now. So much for being a progressive state...
Ladies? Fellas? Why is this still happening?
What will you do.. or can you do to change this?
We want your ideas and solutions.
That study comes on the heels of a federal investigation into gender discrimination at colleges and universities, including some in New England.
To watch Joe Shortsleeve's I-Team report on that, click here.
Feb 5, 2010 2:41 AM Posted by Producer_TJ
Super Bowl 44 is Sunday. The Indianapolis Colts vs the New Orleans Saints, a game you can watch on WBZ. We already know some winners, more than 48 hours before kickoff.
They're the school children of Indianapolis.
Why? The Superintendent of schools in Indianapolis is imposing a one-hour delay to the start of school Monday. That's in order to avoid a repeat of what happened three years ago, when too many Indianapolis bus drivers called in sick after the Colts' last Super Bowl appearance.
What do you think of this plan? Does it show common sense? Or is it a sign of misplaced priorities?
Tell us what you think.
Oh yea, if you want to see some of the commercials that will air during the Super Bowl telecast, click here. Feb 4, 2010 10:55 AM Posted by David_Wade Do you know which retailer had the biggest sales drop last year?
Did you guess Abercrombie and Fitch? Yes, Abercrombie and Fitch. You know the store. You've passed it in the mall. It's the one with the 14 foot posters of young men with wash board abs and young ladies with big smiles (see pic above).
Why is the popular teen store struggling? Well, apparently kids are being very tight with their money these days. Whether they get their money from mom and dad or from their job at the mall, they don't want to spend $40 bucks on a t-shirt. Teenage unemployment is also up over 25%.
Some teenagers told us they are learning a lot about money, and about saving, during this recession. Do you buy that? Or do you think the lower sales at Abercrombie is less of a by-product of the kids' situation and more about their parent's financial struggles?
Do you think this recession will shape kids' spending in the future? What's happening at your house... with your kids?
Let's talk. | |
