A weekly report on things I’ve read, heard and seen since last Wednesday. 

Article: “Could Massachusetts become the first state to repeal legalized marijuana?” by Bryan Hecht, Boston Globe, July 6, 2026. It looks like this November there will be a ballot question asking voters to repeal the ballot question that made selling pot legal in Massachusetts. This article talks about some of the consequences if it passes such as lost tax revenue, marijuana businesses closing, etc. I voted for the repeal several years ago on the grounds that marijuana use was all around us so it might as well be permitted and regulated. I’m not sure how I will vote this year. The primary cause of my skepticism is this: Every day I take my dog for a walk along Pine Street. The number of cars that pass us trailing a plume of marijuana smoke and its distinctive smell is beyond belief. How can the drivers of these cars not be impaired? This article does reveal that the prime movers behind the repeal effort are Republican Party operatives which does cause me pause in allying myself with their efforts. Still, I’ll pay close attention to whatever is written or said on this issue because I’m definitely in the persuadable camp. 

Book: The Reshaping of Everyday Life: 1790-1840 by Jack Larkin (1989). I spotted a Kindle version of this book for $1.99 so purchased it, mostly because the period covered spanned the founding and early decades of Lowell. When the book was written, the author was the chief historian at Sturbridge Village which was an important validator of his expertise in this area. The book provides a practical explanation of almost every area of life including typical working conditions, schooling, travel and transportation, simple pleasures and entertainment, sex and marriage and family customs, and housing arrangements. The book was packed with details, so much so that it was challenging to remember details, however, the book’s value was mostly atmospheric, giving a good feel for life. The other thing that stood out was how much everything changed over the fifty years covered. It left me wondering if the pace of change over the past 50 years was equally drastic in the evolution of everyday life today. 

Article –‘Systemic failure’: Crash that killed Boston transit planner sparks furor over road safety efforts” by Diti Kohli, et al. Boston Globe, July 10, 2026. 36 year old Louisa Gag was a city of Boston transportation planner who was also a bicycle safety advocate. While cycling to work on July 9, she was struck and killed by a motor vehicle on Tremont Street in Boston. Her death sparked outrage among advocates of bicycling and walking since the location of her death had long been identified as a hazardous stretch of road. The fact that nothing had been done was just further evidence that even a progressive city like Boston puts a higher value on convenience for those driving motor vehicles than it does on those riding bicycles or walking. 

Article: “A smoky haze gives skies an eerie tint.” by Ken Mahan, Boston Globe, July 15, 2026. On Tuesday, July 14, I woke to TV weather forecasters predicting a 100 degree day. In the morning, I walked the dog early but it didn’t feel that warm. After lunch I went out to the porch and it was pleasant weather-wise: not too hot with a nice breeze. But there was an odd tint to the sky, almost like a storm was imminent. My weather app showed a 0 percent chance of rain with not a cloud in the sky. Yet on the porch, the sun was invisible (which kept the temperature down). At some point, it occurred to me this was smoke from wild fires. I hadn’t heard that in the news but it had happened last year and was memorable, probably because I don’t ever remember anything like it previously. On Wednesday, this story and all other New England news outlets talked extensively about the smoke.

Obituary: “Sam Neill, Leading Man Who Could Play Everyman, Dies at 78” by Natash Frost, et al, New York Times, July 14, 2026 – Best known for his role in the Jurassic Park movie franchise, Sam Neill was born in Northern Ireland but moved to New Zealand when he was 7 and remained there the rest of his life. Through his career, he appeared in many notable films including The Hunt for Red October, but I always knew him from the British TV show, “Reilly, Ace of Spies” which appeared on WGBH-TV (Channel 2) in Boston and on other PBS stations in early 1984 as part of the Mystery TV series. Neill portrayed Sidney Reilly, a real-life spy of the British secret service in the early 20th century. Reilly, who was born Sigmund Rosenblum in Odessa), was considered the first modern “super-spy”. Among his exploits were stealing heavily guarded German naval blueprints, infiltrating the German General staff during World War I, and nearly pulling off a coupe that would have deposed Vladimir Lenin in Russia in 1918. I believe the show is available for viewing on BritBox and on the PBS Passport app.