Boston Globe

With such limited space on the front page of the Boston Globe, you're always faced with tough decisions, such as: "Do we play up the hero Boston firefighter who once again saved a child or do we give the space to a month-old story about some rich guy who donated a ton of money to some town out near Lunenburg to build a library? And what about that story about John Kerry going to some environmental conference next month?"

And in the end you go with the rich guy in the boonies and John Kerry.

On Sunday, the Globe came out with its guide to the top 100 places to work in Massachusetts. Darn magazine printing schedules: That was three days after one of those alleged worker nirvanas, the law firm of Goodwin Procter, laid off 55 people, who might have another viewpoint, Elie Mystal reports.

The Globe has a front-page story today about Frank McCourt, his wife, their divorce and how LA hates the pair. I must be the only person in Boston not familiar with Frank McCourt's physiognomy, because the Globe didn't mention it at all while highlighting the Missus's features, right there in the lead: Read more

The Globe self reports.

Did anybody manage to finish today's Shaughnessy column, in which Danny Boy just can't keep from marveling that few people in London have ever heard of Tom Brady?

Dan Shaughnessy Watch valiantly tries, also noting Shank's continuing disdain for Stateside Patriots fans.

Ed. note: Yes, I admit it: I've been waiting for the right moment to use that line from that eTrade baby commercial.

The Boston Business Journal posts the latest financials from the Times, which includes a 27.2% drop in ad revenue at its New England Media Group, which includes the Globe and the Worcester Telegram and Gazette. And while the Globe may no longer be for sale, the Times is still shopping NESN and its piece of the Red Sox.

Channel 4 reports the site took down a design for a jack-o-lantern with a three-foot-high flame after an aghast state fire marshal's office complained. The Globe said it agreed to delete the flaming pumpkin even though it "added a warning to only attempt it outdoors, away from flammable materials, and with a fire extinguisher at hand."

A few days ago, the Globe's metro desk filed a story that raised the question of whether a senior BPD commander was demoted because he dared to tangle with Tom Menino's son, a detective. Read more

The Herald reports.

So the Fire Department puts out a $100,000 fire in a prominent Chinatown restaurant and uncovers illegal living quarters and possibly a gambling den in the seven floors above it. The Herald has the story. The Globe doesn't.

Dan Kennedy notes the Globe story on the guy in the Tony Manero suit (except in black) who would buy the paper.

The saga of the Newspaper Guild and Dan Totten continues. Among the charges: Misappropriation of union funds. He could face a union jury of seven union members.

No word on whether law enforcement will be called in.

Sure, no criminal charges, but still: Innocent, etc.

The Outraged Liberal is outraged at a Globe interview with Mike Capuano, in which he charges, without any challenges from the Globies, that he is more liberal than Martha Coakley.

... My issue is with Andrea Estes and the editors who allegedly exercise tight rein over their reporter charges. Where is the effort to challenge him on his assertions that "she's not a liberal."

Personally, I'd love to know where Capuano differs with Coakley -- and when I persisted in reading to the almost bitter end I found the public option and Afghanistan are areas I should explore.

On my own without help from the newspaper supposedly devoted to helping its diminishing stable of readers understand the personalities and issues of an historic election.

Reporters, particularly those who cover politics, love to declare they are equipped with BS detectors and that they hold politicians accountable. You sure couldn't prove it with this notebook dump. ...

WBUR profiles the two groups that would buy the Globe: The cousins whose family used to own the paper and the slash-and-burn investment company from California.

Michael McGraw-Herdeg at MIT dissects the Globe's widely disseminated story about the experiment to use Facebook to check somebody's sexual orientation: The story doesn't mention that the experiment was done back in 2007 until 944 words in and the basic technique has been in use for at least six years now:

... Johnson quotes a 2009 conference paper where scientists warn: "Using friends in classifying people has to be treated with care," because the classifications can be weak. Sounds like someone ought to check this against the social-network-terrorist-sniffers whose software has, the [Wall Street] Journal reports, "foiled a Pakistani suicide bombing plot on Western targets and discovered a spy infiltration of an allied government." ...

Adam Reilly has the shocker: the Newspaper Guild has taken away President Dan Totten's credit card and suspended his ability to write checks.

Reporters love tips.

Dan Kennedy explains his decision to go with the online GlobeReader instead of the paper version (except on Sundays, when he'll still go out to retrieve a copy):

... Seven-day home delivery of the Globe now costs $46.56 a month in Media Nation. With advertising in what may be a permanent decline, readers are going to have to pick up more of the cost, so I certainly don't fault the Globe for charging more. But our family is not immune from economic pressures. For us, it makes sense to go with paper on Sundays and use GlobeReader the rest of the week. ...

Steve Garfield notes a Globe story today about new apps using state data doesn't name the apps or say how you can get them. So he helps out puzzled readers.

No matter what the Globe crossword puzzle says.

New York overlord talks to Globe workers; one stands up and says she doesn't believe a word he says.

Times President Janet Robinson travels to Worcester on the morrow.

The Times itself reports the paper is planning a San Francisco edition featuring local news - as is the Wall Street Journal:

In addition to planning a San Francisco edition, The Times is exploring the prospects for regional editions based in other cities.

Via John Carroll, already wondering whether the Times would unload the Globe, then promptly launch a Boston edition (then again, anybody remember when the Times tried a New England section?).

Correction of the week: Edward Brooke not dead yet.

Via Jim, who notes that the first correction at that link has a mistake of its own.

They can't win against 300 years of history, or something.

Also, that gay people live in West Roxbury! Sarah Schweitzer's look at changing West Roxbury actually isn't all that bad (did I just say that?) - at least, for people who have paid absolutely no attention to West Roxbury in the past five years, like, oh, the Globe. Also? The "unlaced Converse tennis shoes and chunky glasses" New York arriviste crowd at the local Starbucks is still vastly outnumbered by the fully laced sneakers and Sox hats crowd at the local Dunkin' Donuts. So don't worry, traditionalists: The big neighborhood event is still the annual Little League parade.