Today’s Boston Herald goes to town on local boy gone bad Ahmad Abousamra, the Stoughton man wanted for terrorism and suspected of being a social-media guru for ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State – whatever name they’re going by these days.
Inside, the Terror Techie gets the Full Osama.
Get it – Post-er? Yeah, us too.
The news report itself is straight out of Tabloid 101 (with four – count ’em, four – bylines):
A 32-year-old computer whiz who was raised in Stoughton is suspected of using the high-tech skills he honed at Hub colleges to spread the bloodthirsty message of ISIS terrorists on social media, according to a Herald source and news reports.
Ahmad Abousamra — who was educated at Northeastern University and UMass Boston — had already been placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list last year with a $50,000 reward offered for information leading to his capture and return.
The FBI said Abousamra “has shown that he wants to kill United States soldiers.”
He is now believed to be a social media warrior for the heartless terrorists behind the recent beheadings of two Americans.
The spotlight that has been cast on the Islamic State terror group in Syria has also put a new focus on a Massachusetts man wanted for terrorism, who is believed to be living in that country and possibly supporting ISIS.
Ahmad Abousamra, who grew up in Stoughton and attended schools in the Boston area, faces terrorism charges in federal court in Boston, and the FBI in December put him on its Most Wanted Terrorists list. A $50,000 reward has been offered for information leading to his capture, and officials believe he has been living in Aleppo, Syria.
The Globe story did contain one fact the Herald missed: “Lowell Police Sergeant Thomas Daly – a member of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force . . . said Abousamra has a ‘high-pitched voice that would distinguish him from others.’'”
Presumably not, however, as high-pitched as the freaky local tabloid’s.
It’s been a long, dry summer for the Boston Herald in terms of Market Basket advertising. From the very start of the Demoulas Slapfight/Market Basket Rumpus, the beleaguered supermarket chain has relentlessly bypassed the thirsty local tabloid, choosing time and again to run ads only in the Boston Globe.
It actually started last summer, when the Employees & Management of Demoulas/Market Basket ran this full page in the Globe:
Then, facing an employee/customer revolt this summer because the board of directors had ignored the ad above and fired Arthur T., the new Market Basket CEOs ran this ad, also exclusive to the Globe:
That plea, of course, fell on deaf ears, so the increasing desperate Arthur S. forces resorted to this full-page Help Wanted ad – again, just in the stately local broadsheet:
That one really hurt, since Market Basket was essentially telling Herald readers: We not only don’t want you to shop here, we don’t want you to work here either.
Ouch.
But wait! Here’s what ran in today’s – yes! – Herald.
(The two-page spread also ran in the Globe but why get technical about it.)
Hey, thirsty local tabloid: 2 Liter 7up or A&W Rootbeer 89¢. Drink up!
Local authors Ben Mezrich and Dennis Lehane get front-page treatment in today’s Boston Globe, with Mezrich landing the cutesy-pie photo.
For inspiration, writers now have Hollywood
The hardcover comes first. Then the movie. Then the paperback emblazoned with the words “Now a major motion picture!” Everyone knows that. But the usual order is being upended this week, as not one, but two of Boston’s best-selling writers — Dennis Lehane and Ben Mezrich — are publishing novels that were inspired by Hollywood, not the other way around.
“It couldn’t be more reversed,” said Lehane . . .
In perhaps another sign that the world may start to spin backward — that movie posters may one day proclaim “Now a Nonfiction Narrative!” — a Hollywood producer and director not only thought of the idea for Mezrich’s new book, “Seven Wonders,” a thriller linking the ancient and modern wonders of the world, but he is copublishing it. And he tosses around the word “synergy” when talking about literature.
Anyone else want to see a ballot initiative to levy a syn(ergy) tax on Hollywood producers? Thank you.
Anyway, more from Beth Teitell’s Globe piece:
Like Lehane, Mezrich is used to seeing his work in multiplexes after it’s been in bookstores. “The Accidental Billionaires” was made into “The Social Network,” and “Bringing Down the House” was turned into “21.”
But Mezrich’s new book began as a Hollywood pitch, as the back cover makes clear. “A fast-paced, globe-trotting thriller that’s rife with historic secrets, conspiracies, and intrigue,” it reads.
Is it, now?
Crosstown at the Boston Herald, the enthusiasm level is not quite so high in Andrew Blom’s review.
Mezrich’s latest doesn’t offer many ‘Wonders’
“Seven Wonders” is the latest from Boston author Ben Mezrich and, unlike his other works, is a huge disappointment.
It’s about Jack Grady, an anthropologist and Indiana Jones wannabe, who goes on a quest to find why the Seven Wonders of the Ancient and Modern World, despite some being built centuries apart, are somehow linked to a secret that could change the world.
Along the way, Grady is joined by botanist Sloane Costa, and the pair must solve the mystery before a billionaire historian with a few secrets of her own catches up with them.
Fans of “National Treasure” will likely enjoy the adventure and history here, but if you’re looking for complex characters, rich dialogue and, you know, originality, you’re going to want to stay clear.
Why? Because “the characters are forgettable . . . [t]he dialogue is obvious and cheesy . . . [and there’s] no real suspense.”
Lots of adtivity in the Boston dailies yesterday, in spite of Labor Day weekend.
From our Why Does Shaw’s Hate the Boston Herald desk
Throughout the Demoulas Slapfight/Market Basket Rumpus, the other New England supermarket chains have been wisely buckraking in silence, letting their cash registers do the talking for them.
But now that Artie T. is back in the saddle, it’s time for rival chains to consolidate their ill-gotten gains.
Thus, the Boston Sunday Globe, Page 3.
Buy-our-nuts grafs:
Oh, nuts! postscript: The Shaw’s ad did not run in the Sunday Boston Herald. Big surprise.
From our Hey, Just Set Your Money on Fire desk
Yesterday’s Globe also featured this ad:
Question #1: Who even knew there was a Democratic primary race in the Massachusetts 5th Congressional district?
From our Does Anyone at the Herald Talk to Each Other? desk
So the hardreading staff betook ourselves to the porch yesterday morning (as is our wont of a Sunday) to read the feisty local tabloid, and here’s what we saw on Page 8.
Then here’s what we saw in the Sports section.
Hey, Heraldniks – we’ve talked about this before. Do you know what you’re webcasting or not? ‘Cause no one else does either.
Today’s local dailies have very different takes on the political rumpus du jour: Attorney General hopeful Warren Tolman (D-Teamsters AFL-CIO) calling AG hopeful Maura Healey (D-Hoopsters Teamsters) “unbecoming” for hectoring him about his lobbying work. [Apologies for the mixup.]
The Boston Globe is on the story like Brown on Williamson, starting Page One Metro.
Tolman’s moonwalking, of course, accomplished nothing with the umbrage-industrial complex, exemplified by this response:
Barbara Lee, of the Barbara Lee Family Foundation, which is dedicated to getting more women involved in politics, tweeted: “Code for close race = #unbecoming #unladylike #cold #bossy. Men always try to knock women off pedestal[s] like this in #mapoli and beyond.”
#Seriously? #Whatpedestal?
On the op-ed page of the stately local broadsheet (yikes! can we still use that term?), columnist Joan Vennochi tried to inject some reality into the conversation.
Unbecoming issue in the AG race
ATTORNEY GENERAL candidate Maura Healey was ruthlessly pushing Democratic rival Warren Tolman to explain what she describes as his record as a lobbyist, when Tolman, who contends he never lobbied anyone, replied: “Maura, it’s just unbecoming. I’m surprised you continue to push these issues rather than talk about the issues people care about.”
Tolman said he’s sorry now. But before he apologized, the word “unbecoming” triggered an urgent fundraising letter from Marty Walz, a Healey backer and president of the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts. “It means unattractive, indecorous. It’s not a word you hear men on Beacon Hill use about each other,” wrote Walz.
True enough. And, with Tolman in the lead in a tight, increasingly nasty race, it’s no surprise the Healey campaign would jump on her opponent’s use of it. After all, the word “unbecoming” holds a special place in Massachusetts politics. But overplaying it is a mistake. It didn’t help the last female candidate who tried.
Crosstown at the Boston Herald, an editorial entirely underplayed it.
Time to get real
How did it come to this? How did two really smart contenders for attorney general, two people who have already served the public and seem committed to the notion of public service, get caught up in a meaningless war of words?
Warren Tolman, a former state senator (and a sometime writer for these pages), took issue in a Tuesday debate with his Democratic primary opponent Maura Healey, a former assistant attorney general, when she criticized his work as a lobbyist.
“You go down this path, Maura, it’s just unbecoming,” he said.
Well, you would have thought from the reaction of the sisterhood that the man had just suggested she tie on an apron and return to the kitchen.
Right. Better both candidates should get back to business.
Girls gal Lena Dunham has a track record of being aggressively afashionable (see here for details) but last night’s Emmy getup was entirely beyond the pale (pink).
From today’s Boston Herald (far right):
Good Lord! Doesn’t she have any friends to tell her not to wear that? Or at least a mirror?
The Boston Globe was kinder to Dunham (and the reader):
Really, it’s time for A&E’s Intervention to step in.
So. Is the Massachusetts Democratic gubernatorial primary primarily – inexorably – changed now that the candidates have had their debate on Boston Herald Radio?
‘Cause that’s what today’s feisty local tabloid promised.
Start, as always, with Page On, the top half of which touts the Big Bakeoff.
Inside, the Herald has two pages of new/hype in anticipation of the main event.
Tale of the tape:
And just in case you haven’t grasped the transformative power of a debate on Internet radio, the Herald scribes all strike the same chord in their ledes.
Leave your talking points at the door. Save your stump speeches for the campaign trail. At today’s Boston Herald Radio debate, we’re aiming for a free-flowing conversation where we’ll learn more about the three candidates facing off in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.
It’s a long shot, but there’s still a way for Attorney General Martha Coakley to lose the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and it would have to start at today’s Boston Herald Radio debate.
Coakley’s campaign is showing signs of cracking. Democratic party leaders are getting worried it will be 2010 all over again.
Believe it or not, the primary election is just over two weeks away, and Democrats face a critical choice on who will represent their party in November. The timing of today’s Democratic gubernatorial debate on Boston Herald Radio makes it pivotal, and likely to set the tone for the closing days.
In bitter debate, Democratic gubernatorial candidates take aim at each other, Baker
In the most bitter debate of Democratic gubernatorial race so far, Treasurer Steven Grossman sharply questioned the judgment of frontrunner Martha Coakley, painting her a protector of the Beacon Hill establishment, as former Medicare and Medicaid chief Don Berwick attacked his two rivals for their support of casino gambling in the state and their years-long embrace of “politics as usual.”
Coakley, the attorney general, defended herself, offered a few hits on Grossman, but also aimed some fire at Republican Charlie Baker, who is expected to be his party’s gubernatorial nominee.
Just over two weeks before the Sept. 9 state primary, the three Democratic candidates vying for their party’s nod upped their rhetoric against each other right from the beginning of an hour-long Boston Herald Radio debate at the newspaper’s Seaport headquarters.
Coakley, Grossman and Berwick let loose on Herald Radio debate
The debate between the Democratic candidates for governor kicked off in high gear today as Treasurer Steve Grossman went on the attack over Attorney General Martha Coakley’s $100,000 settlement with a lobbying group.
“It’s the worst form of judgment,” said Grossman, who slammed what he called the go-easy environment on Beacon Hill.
Not so easy-going off Beacon Hill though.
The Herald knows it’s not who listened to the web stream of the debate that will determine its impact. It’s the play the debate gets in the rest of the news media that counts.
As the headscractching staff noted earlier, the Boston Herald only got half the story when it zealously reported yesterday about the boycott of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge triggered by Jim Rigg, the superintendent of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
So now to today’s Herald, which devotes a full page to the ALS rumpus – a news report by Lindsay Kalter and a column by Joe Fitzgerald – and still no mention of the competing challenge.
Hey, Heraldniks – do we need to come over there and write it for you? If so, you’ve really hit rock bottom.
The headscratching staff spent most of Friday trying to figure out this Boston Herald piece.
Dad: Focus on ALS cure, not dogma
Catholic leader raises concerns
The Beverly father of former BC baseball player Peter Frates — responding to a Cincinnati church leader who threw cold water on the family’s wildly successful ice bucket challenge because it funds ALS embryonic stem cell research — said he’s a good Catholic who just wants to find a cure for his son.
“I understand the Catholic dogma. I’m also conflicted with the teachings, I struggle with it, too. I just want my son cured,” John Frates told the Herald yesterday.
Religious nut graf:
But the late-summer viral sensation — that has lured former presidents, celebrities and athletes — suffered a setback this week when Jim Rigg, the superintendent of Catholic schools for the Cincinnati Archdiocese, told students to stop any plans to donate to the ALS group because it supports research using embryonic stem cells, which violates the teachings of the church.
Okay, but why then does the Herald piece include this photo of Jim Rigg?
Caption:
‘SOCIAL MEDIA MIRACLE’: Jim Rigg, at right in the top photo, superintendent of schools for the Cincinnati Archdiocese, has counseled students not to donate to the ALS Association because of the church’s stem cell stance.
Nowhere does the Herald explain why Rigg is getting a bucket of ice water dumped on him if he opposes the ALS campaign.
Turns out there’s a competing ice bucket challenge, as reported by Boston Globe kissing’ cousin boston.com yesterday.
The anti-ALS Association ‘cause’ was recently taken up by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, which encouraged area Catholic schools to tell students to donate money to the John Paul II Medical Research Institute. The Institute does not use embryonic stem cells. Cincinnati Catholic schools superintendent Jim Rigg did just that when he took part in the ice bucket challenge on Thursday:
That’s why – say it with us – it’s good to live in a two-daily town.
be living in that country and possibly supporting ISIS.
Posted by Campaign Outsider 
It's Good to Live in a Two-Daily Town 