One of the perks of being on vacation is the time to sit back and leisurely read the Sunday papers leisurely. I noticed some interesting numbers in today's Boston Globe. The front page headline reports that the town of Middleboro has voted 2-1 to approve the possibility of a gambling casino being built in their community. A total of 3, 722 citizens of approximately 14,300 registered voters turned out on a Saturday in July to participate in a special town meeting. A casino isn't something I'd want in any suburban town where I lived but that's not my principal point here.
Tucked away on page B-3 was an article about Women of Faith's Amazing Freedom conference held at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston. Run by a Dallas-based "nondenominational" Christian group, the conference attracted some 10,500 women.
The Middleboro decision, of course, was a much anticipated event and has implications on many levels for the whole Commonwealth. Still, 10,500 people doing something out of the ordinary together just might merit page 1 in the City and Region section, not page 3.
Such editorial decisions aren't peculiar to the Globe but are typical in the media. Some news sells papers, other news doesn't. The archdiocesan weekly, The Pilot, operates on the same philosophy. Although I might not theologically endorse everything that was said at Amazing Freedom I do believe those 10,500 women made a better decision in attending the conference than did the voters in Middleboro.
Faith, however, did make a more prominent appearance in today's offering from Morrissey Boulevard. Another great op-ed piece by Elissa Ely does not hesitate to name a neighbor's Christian faith as the reason and source of the assistance he offered Ely's family after her father's death. Worth the read!
You are comparing nationally to one city. Not comparable.
ReplyDeleteanonymous: I'm not sure what you took to be the "national" element in my post. "Nationally" some 400,000 women attend such conferences annually, this one was in Boston and drew 10,500, probably from around the New England area. Can you clarify what you intended? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis is sort of a side issue but you seem to not favor casinos (and I would agree with you). I know that some are addicted to gambling and there have been reports of more crime in towns in which casinos are found. If it were possible to put those aside, what do you think of moderate gambling as a form of diversion?
ReplyDeleteI thought Mr. Waring was such a wonderful neighbor to a widow and her children. In Concord, I find that Scott Vanderhoof is a wonderful help to so many people. He does little repairs to things, which he will never let you pay for! He repaired a cross pendant recently for me. As Scott was soldering away on my cross, he jokingly said to someone standing nearby, "I wonder if I'll go to heaven?!" I answered, "if you aren't going, Scott, nobody is!"
ReplyDeleteI thought Mr. Waring was such a wonderful neighbor to a widow and her children. In Concord, I find that Scott Vanderhoof is a wonderful help to so many people. He does little repairs to things, which he will never let you pay for! He repaired a cross pendant recently for me. He jokingly said to someone standing nearby, as Scott was soldering away on my cross, "I wonder if I'll go to heaven?!" I answered, "if you aren't going, Scott, nobody is!"
ReplyDelete