Marc Comtois

What a Tangled BigBiz Tech Web We Weave

By Marc Comtois | February 9, 2011 |

First we all disapproved of Microsoft and they went down. Now it’s Google’s turn….and guess who it blames? Google is under siege in Washington like never before — and it says an “anti-Google industrial complex” is to blame. In an interview with POLITICO, a Google spokesman argued that a cabal of antitrust lawyers, lobbyists and…

Short: 2010 NECAP Results

By Marc Comtois | February 9, 2011 |

FYI, the 2010 NECAP Results will be up shortly. They may also show up here, but right now the 2010 results listed are from May of last year, not October. UPDATE: Here’s the overall report (PDF).

Roach: “Being Black in the 21st Century”

By Marc Comtois | February 9, 2011 |

Former Anchor Rising contributor and GoLocalProv MINDSETTER(tm) Don Roach takes the occasion of Black History Month to speak about what it means to be black in the 21st century: [T]he main “problem” facing black people in 2011 is a lack of identity. For centuries we were defined by others and defined ourselves by what was…

Harrop’s Crocodile Tears

By Marc Comtois | February 8, 2011 |

On Sunday, ProJo columnist Froma Harrop (I know, I know….) cried crocodile tears over the loss of the Moderate Republican. I used to vote for select Republicans running for national office. That’s become next to impossible because Tea Party groups have pushed GOP leaders to treat any cooperation with the Democratic foe as abject surrender.…

The Gamblin’ Regent

By Marc Comtois | February 8, 2011 |

The news is that Twin River is lobbying to be a full-fledged casino again (which really just means making the virtual table games real). But what caught my attention is who is helping to lead the charge: George Caruolo, Governor Chafee’s nominee to be the Chair of the Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary…

Insider Politics: A Girl’s Gotta Eat!

By Marc Comtois | February 7, 2011 |

WPRI’s Ted Nesi had the first tip clued me in (WRNI’s Ian Donnis had it first on his Tip Sheet~apologies Ian!) that former Moderate Gubernatorial Campaign runner Christine Hunsinger (who was a Dem before that as press secretary for Democratic Congressional hopeful Elizabeth Dennigan) will now be an independent as Governor Chafee’s Legislative Director. Nesi…

U.S. Manufacturing Leads the World (Still)

By Marc Comtois | February 7, 2011 |

I mentioned a few days ago that U.S. manufacturing continues on an upward trend. Jeff Jacoby makes the point that, despite what we hear and feel, U.S. manufacturing still leads the world by a wide margin: Americans make more “stuff’’ than any other nation on earth, and by a wide margin. According to the United…

Book Review: From Battlefields Rising

By Marc Comtois | February 6, 2011 |

Note Bene: One of the ancillaries of having a history blog was receiving, from time to time, a review copy of a book from its publisher. Well, although the aformentioned blog is now dormant, I still occasionally receive books and I think offering the occasional Sunday review seems appropriate. Life is more than politics and…

Harvard Study: 4 Year Colleges Aren’t for Everyone

By Marc Comtois | February 4, 2011 |

This really isn’t a surprise, is it? The U.S. is focusing too much attention on helping students pursue four-year college degrees, when two-year and occupational programs may better prepare them for the job market, a Harvard University report said. The “college for all” movement has produced only incremental gains as other nations leapfrog the United…

SEC Investigating RI

By Marc Comtois | February 3, 2011 |

WPRI’s Ted Nesi has broken the story that the SEC is looking into Rhode Island’s muni bonds. Nesi has Gen. Treasurer Raimondo’s statement on the matter and also points to a New York Times article on how the SEC is investigating Illinois’ pension funding mechanism, which is similar to Rhode Island’s. Basically, it has to…