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New England economists aren't ready to utter the "R" word just yet.

At the bi-annual New England Economic Outlook Conference last Friday, over 100 economists prepared to hear the worst. But Ross Gittell, vice president of the New England Economic Partnership (NEEP), delivered optimistic news: New England will be spared a recession.

Americans have heard a lot of about the economy in recent months—mostly that it's sort of doomed. Taxpayers received economic stimulus checks last month designed to increase consumer spending and stimulate the economy. The housing market is in deep decline and gas prices keep going up and up. But compared to the national economy's decline, New England is standing up fairly well, Gittell said.

Massachusetts is the stand-out among the New England states, according to Alan Clayton-Matthews, director of NEEP and professor of public policy at UMass Boston. He attributed this to the state's favorable "industry mix" of technology and knowledge-based jobs. However, while these industries continue to grow statewide, nationwide and worldwide, other sectors—construction, manufacturing and trade—are declining. Areas with higher education rates fare better than those with lower education rates.

"We have an economy that's really good for some, but bad for others," Clayton-Matthews said.

Gittell predicted slow growth for all of New England in the next few years.

Rhode Island has the weakest economy of all the New England states, according to Edward Mazze, professor of business administration at the University of Rhode Island, due to a deep state deficit, low consumer confidence and a decrease in jobs.

According to Mazze's report, one in every 284 houses in Rhode Island is in a state of foreclosure.

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com, Inc. and advisor to Republican presidential candidate John McCain, believes the power to stimulate economic growth lies in the hands of policymakers. Since last year, politicians have slowly stepped up to the challenge and made "laudable efforts." He advocated cutting spending, since no politician likes to tell citizens about a tax hike.

"We need good policymaking to short-circuit the decline," Zandi said.

Gittell said the hardest economic times—at the end of 2007—are behind us, but there is still much repairing to be done.

"We believe the worst is over, but the problem is not over," he said.

Ah, beer. I mean, music.

Boston and brew are nearly synonymous. Never mind Mr. Samuel Adams, who is an international superstar at this point, but Harpoon Brewery is also fast on the march. Last time I was in Brooklyn (I can last about 24 hours there), the bartender at the hipster dive I chose was going on and on about Harpoon IPA's popularity. Down the street in Williamsborg [sic], a new crop of Boston bands were starting to take hold, too. With Boston known for its baseball and beer, our bands are not so far behind.

For our annual spotlight on local music, we picked 12 bands that are next in line to be Boston's biggest. As one example, All These Kings—led by cover model Aaron Marks—already has the kind of devoted following that prompts marriage proposals at their live shows. We got the inside scoop from a dozen bands in the A&E section. We've also reviewed six local CDs and sipped coffee with the Cello Chix. Our Commerce section gets musical with a review of ear plugs (you might need them this summer) and goes noshing with local darlings the Toothaches. Elsewhere, there's high-stakes paintball, Boston's media war and Exit Polls from the sold-out M83 show.

There's also plenty about beer.

Last Thursday, bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical commonly found in plastics, was put on trial by the City Council's Committee on Environment and Health. The gavel-happy councilor John Connolly, the committee's chair, held court in a concrete bunker cum City Hall assembly chamber and refereed testimony from experts in public health, chemistry and biology who debated BPA's potential health and environmental dangers.

BPA is found in pretty much everything: CDs, DVDs, sunglasses, car paint, Tupperware, plastic bottles, the lining of tin cans and people. Lab studies on animals have shown a link between BPA and fertility problems, obesity, early onset of puberty and cancer; a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that 93 percent of Americans over six years old have BPA in their bodies.

The widespread use of BPA in consumer products has been in the media spotlight of late, following the Canada's decision to classify BPA as a toxic substance and its ban on the sale of baby bottles containing the substance.

John Shea, director of Environmental Health Hazards at the Boston Public Health Commission expressed monotone concern about the chemical's effects south of the border. "The National Toxicology Program seems to believe it is a problem," he said. "I think it's pretty certain there is some effect ... "

But Dr. Steven Hentges, from the American Chemistry Council—an association that represents chemical manufacturers—says not so fast. He dismisses the recent news kerfuffle over BPA as "sensationalistic media attention."

"These are not new materials. They have been used safely for 50 years," he insisted. "It's one of the most studied chemicals."

Mia Davis from the Clean Water Fund and co-author of Baby's Toxic Bottle called BPA a "synthetic sex hormone" that leeches into food and beverages from plastics. She compared the chemical industry to the tobacco industry of the 1970s, accusing it of trying to confuse consumers. "BPA does not belong in food and beverages. Safer alternatives do exist already," she said. "It's very important we have federal, state and city action."

"In the permanent campaign era, it was all about manipulating sources of public opinion to the president's advantage."

-- Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, in his new book What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception. He also calls the press "complicit enablers" and accuses Bush of a "lack of inquisitiveness." Burn. 5.28.08

"It was selected by her stylist for the advertising shoot. Absolutely no symbolism was intended."

-- Dunkin Donuts, on a commercial in which the painfully vapid Rachael Ray wore a scarf that resembled a keffiyah. 5.28.08

A gunman donning a black trench coat fired off several rounds from both the pistol and the rifle he was slinging as he dashed down the corridor of Davis Hall, a residential building at Westfield State College (WSC). Two civilians ran away screaming.

A few eerie seconds passed. Then, four armed officers scuttled by in a diamond formation: one person facing forward, two on each side, and one turned back toward the direction they had come from. They followed the gunman out of sight, and then only shouting and gunshots could be heard.

This was only a test.

Last Thursday, WSC held an "active shooter" training for campus police officers and state police. The scenario session teaches proper procedure for dealing with a gunman at a campus, shopping mall or sporting event.

"They put us through the ringer," said Officer Jeffrey T. Hastings, of the Westfield State College campus police. "They try to keep it as realistic as possible." Hastings said that with high-stress, realistic practice, it's more likely that WSC campus police will revert to their training if someone really starts shooting up the school.

In the 10-hour, one-day training, 16 WSC campus police officers and two state troopers were trained by 17 Massachusetts State Police Special Tactical and Operations (STOP) instructors—essentially, the state's SWAT team—to seek out a shooter in the diamond formation (for 360-degree coverage), and "neutralize" him or her.

Hastings, who has attended the training for the last three years, likened it to CPR training. "We train for it every year, we just hope we don't have to use it."

One of the ways instructors keep the training realistic is by using "Simunitions," 9-mm hard plastic pellets filled with colored detergent. They're like the paintballs you used to shoot the neighbor's cat with, but they're faster and more accurate. The pellet leaves a colored mark on clothing, and "it also has a pain penalty," Trooper Jeffrey M. Lenti said: a Simunition will cut skin if it makes contact. They're shot out of real guns with a special barrel attachment. "There's no learning curve with a different type of weapon," said Lenti, who sets up and conducts the training around the state.

Trooper Anthony Pagliaroni, who played the gunman in a scenario staged for the media, said that the guns feel real, but don't have "as much kick as a real bullet."

STOP Trooper Scott McDonald said that he has run the training at schools with armed and unarmed campus police, but he has to teach the unarmed officers different tactics. They wait for armed officers to arrive, gathering information on the shooter's location and physical description. McDonald estimated that over 50 percent of schools in Massachusetts had armed police, which in his opinion is not enough. "Think of all the damage that could be done in those 20 minutes" waiting for armed police, he said.

While active shooter training was mandatory for WSC campus police, it's optional for state police. But, Trooper Aaron V. Washington, one of the instructors, said, "I see it heading in that direction."

Back in the day, it would have been rare to see a patrol officer trained in active shooter protocol. Washington said that in 1966, when Charles Whitman shot and killed 14 people from a University of Texas at Austin tower, "there was no training. Nobody knew what to do, and that's why so many people got killed."

But now, with the recent spate of school shootings across the US, active shooter training is in high demand. "After Columbine, that's when active shooter [training] began nationwide," said Lenti. He said that the program was developed eight years ago, and has been growing ever since.

WSC decided to host the training after the director of its Institute of Homeland Security, Raymond A. Carolan, talked with local law enforcement about how he should spend grant money the Institute was given by the federal Department of Justice.

The Institute of Homeland Security at WSC provides training, information and research to law enforcement and other public safety organizations in New England. Active shooter training falls under the jurisdiction of the Institute, Washington said, because an active shooter is considered a domestic terrorist, and Homeland Security covers all kinds of terrorism.

Media Farm has a friend who bought the domain name MediaFightClub.com. It was the highlight of our month, because the Farm is a huge fan of both journalism and craven bloodsport. And, obviously enough, any confluence of the two has our wholehearted support. That's why last week had the Farm worked into a heavy, wild-eyed lather. Boston Magazine's John Gonzalez (aka "Gonzo" ... luchador mask not included) took on Kevin Cullen, the Globe's crusty, coasting, (reportedly!) Irish newspaper columnist, and Cullen obliged everybody by firing a gratuitous return shot in print. For a moment, it was almost like Boston had a vibrant community of journalists in love with the craft and drinking and pugilism and fun. Imagine that.

First, to Gonzalez's attack. In a column in this month's issue of Boston (other highlights include a cover story about places where rich people vacation and a story about the hottest of hot new trends—giving birth to twins), Gonzalez plays Media Farm. Which is to say, he excoriates the Globe's metro columnists for—more often than not—blowing it out their asses. He calls Cullen, Yvonne Abraham and Adrian Walker "more Oprah than Oliphant," and paints the Globe's City & Region section as a sloppy patchwork of "robust reporting abutting frail commentary." Of the three, Cullen offers the fullest defense of himself to the author ("When Howie [Carr] calls you a hack, it doesn't mean anything anymore," and, "Do I need to write a column and say that Tom Menino has been here too long and he needs to go? I don't know. Right now I don't feel the need to do that"), and as a result, takes the brunt of the column's wrath: "Just as Carr's never-ending hack-a-thon wears thin, so, too, do the Kleenex-exhausting Lifetime movies that double as the Globe's metro columns."

Gonzalez also digs up a disgruntled former Globe writer who paints the current troika's toothlessness as a natural continuation of muzzling that Eileen McNamara allegedly encountered late in her tenure: "The paper was changing. They didn't want the brassy, ballsy, in-your-face columnists anymore. They wanted feature stories. Which is crap."

Gonzalez begged the stable of metro columnists to show some fight, and a within days, his wish had been granted: Kevin Cullen knocked him square in the jaw.

You'll have to excuse me today. It is very difficult to type through all these tears. You see, Boston magazine says I'm not tough enough to be a metro columnist ... If you haven't read it—and unless you've gotten your hair cut or gone to the dentist recently, you probably haven't—Boston magazine says neither I nor my colleagues Adrian Walker and Yvonne Abraham have the mettle to be good columnists ... A couple of months ago, I got a phone call from a nice young man who said his name was John Gonzalez. He said he was a senior writer for Boston magazine. I congratulated him on this remarkable achievement ... I can't say I've read Boston magazine very closely in recent years, but they were kind enough to send me a free copy of the current issue, and thumbing through its glossy pages, it seems it is indeed indispensable reading if you're in the market for an overpriced meal or a face lift ... As for Gonzo, we have a word in our business for those of little experience and less accomplishment who sit in smug judgment of their elders. But, frankly, I'm too much of a lady to say it.

Wonderful stuff. Brilliant. BoMag, to its credit, cheered Cullen and begged for more. And he responded ... by saying that Boston is different now than it was 40 years ago. Even if the significance of that difference eludes the author: "It's 40 years since Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated and American cities burned. Today, the Celtics are as black as the Chuck Taylor hightops the great Celtics teams of the 1960s used to wear. I don't know what that means, but, in this town, it means something."

Um, really? That's no good. You're a columnist, Kevin. You're supposed to have, you know, thoughts. Feelings. Opinions worth sharing with the city. "Tom Menino doesn't care that he mumbles. I don't know what that means, but it means something." See? That doesn't say anything—it's just words.

We would've gotten worked into further fury, but the day after Cullen's Celts column, he filed a meditation on Scott McClellan's new book. And Iraq.

Can somebody smack this guy again? He needs it. Already.

The Red Line catches fire and two Green Line trains collide. Watch out: The Orange Line is due for a plague of locusts. MINUS 2

Can you guess which illegal activity a Boston firefighter is in trouble for now? (No, not marijuana or OxyContin) ... Blowjobs! A married firefighter was arrested by an undercover cop for trying to purchase a blowjob for $29. Yep ... the jake was a john. MINUS 1

The Menino administration coughs up $33 million worth of sick and vacation time to city managers and employees. So much for the private sector! MINUS 1

Researchers at MIT are working on an "Aware Car," which senses a driver's habits by monitoring both the traffic conditions and the driver's blood pressure and eye movements. In the future, cars will drive for us. Then, they'll take over the world!!! PLUS 1

RIP James Hook & Co. Even pet lobster owners and vegetarians mourn you. MINUS 2

Former Gov. Mitt Romney claims that his invite to McCain's backyard barbeque was just a friendly little gathering among politically powerful friends worth millions of dollars, and not a job interview for the VP position. EVEN

The trial of Neil Entwistle—the man accused of killing his wife and baby before fleeing to his British motherland—kicks off. Michele McPhee gears up to sell more books. MINUS 2

Rep. Rachel Kaprielian, D-Watertown, leaves her post to become the registrar of motor vehicles. The Ward 9 Democratic Committee selected delegates for a caucus to decide on her replacement (ah, the one-legged tortoise pace of democracy!). They chose Watertown Town Councilor Marilyn "Don't you know who I am?" Devaney (last year, Devaney shouted the line while hurling a curling iron at a beauty store clerk ... really). Between that and the fact that Rep. Carl Sciortino, D-Somerville, has to run as a write-in candidate because his nomination papers were stolen (can you imagine all the creative ways to misspell Sciortino?), this is gearing up to be one hell of an election. PLUS 4

Boston cabbies are asking to increase the per-mile fare by 50 percent, making their rate among the most expensive in the nation. The stress of driving in Boston may mean they deserve the fare increase, but some cabbies are the worst drivers in the city. Good thing taxies are for tourists. EVEN

After six years of objections about historical value, asbestos and legality, the church formerly known as Saint Aidan's will be replaced by affordable housing units and market-rate (read: pricey) condos. EVEN

Gas reached the $4 mark. Dust off your bicycles and, uh, legs. MINUS 4

THIS WEEK'S TOTAL: MINUS 7

LAST WEEK'S TOTAL: PLUS 2

Ah ... graduation. Your family's proud and you're scared shitless. Some will spend this summer looking for a grown-up job, others will take full advantage of the last few months to postpone reality, while others will go through another transformation—to their chest ... or some other part of their body.

While I'm aware that Boston is a far cry from my hometown of Scottsdale, Ariz.—home of TheDirty.com—I bet there are some young people looking forward to the transitional period, as an opportunity to end their self-loathing when they look in the mirror. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), 2007 saw a 15-percent increase in breast augmentation procedures alone among patients aged 18-19 from 2006 (and that's up from the 12-percent increase between 2005 and 2006). While one could argue that people who would allow their children to undergo cosmetic surgery have their priorities awry in the first place, there are plenty of well-meaning parents just trying to make life easier for their kid.

I myself had a breast reduction at 21. My parents, in my esteem anyway, were looking out for my overall health and well-being when they offered to pay for the procedure. Was it a decision based purely out of medical need? No. Has it improved my quality of life? Yes. Are there aspects I'd consider more carefully post-op? ... They call it hindsight for a reason, don't they?

The ASPS does not recommend breast augmentation for any individual under the age of 18. They cite that teens and their parents might not be fully aware of the risks involved with cosmetic surgery, that an adolescent's body may not yet be fully developed, and that teens need to be psychologically ready to handle the outcome of surgery. Not only do patients have to be emotionally prepared for the possibility of a less-than-stellar outcome, how about just acknowledging the impracticality of performing needless surgery on a young, healthy person? Reconstructive surgery included, general anesthesia is still a risk. Just this year, an 18-year-old Florida teen died from an adverse reaction to general anesthesia during a breast augmentation.

But why not address the bigger problem here. Rather than emphasize the importance of having the perfect physique at a young age (or further rationalize the insecurities of a teenager ("You're not ugly, honey, but we're willing to pay to fix the problem"), why not bolster their sense of self instead? Physical beauty is most fleeting. And lest we forget the lessons of reality television, it's easily the least important aspect of one's overall character. Two words, ladies: Heidi Montag.

One final thought: Not a time goes by that I see my mother, a wonderful, caring woman (also a nurse), that she doesn't ask me how my boobs are doing. Is it out of concern that she influenced a permanent, voluntary change in my body, hoping everything is still A-OK? I believe so. And, Mom, for the record, the girls are doing just fine.

Public service announcement on grammar

Watch out! Exit pollster David Day can't spell. "You're music is incredible." Perhaps you could get YOUR editors to proofread, because YOU'RE becoming a disgrace to print media. (Did that help at all?)

By the way, when you do something daily into eternity, you do that thing every day. Two words. Everyday is an adjective. No?

When you interview people and listen to what they say, you need to write it down correctly. There's a good weekly.

Love you. Mean it. Bye.

VAL

VIA EMAIL

Comics: very adult

It's cool you mentioned Hub Comics ("Of Graphic Nature," 5.28.08), it's a really nice shop. Comic books are in vogue right now, and even the jocks that fucked with me in middle school for wearing X-Men T-shirts are embracing their inner geek.

That said, everyone needs to stop using the term "graphic novel" incorrectly. Graphic novels are comic books that are printed directly in book format. Collections of reprinted comic books are called trade paperbacks. The term "graphic novel" has become popular in an effort to legitimize comic books as not just for kids. It's part marketing ploy to appeal to a larger audience, part self-conscious nerdy guys wanting to enjoy the adventures of the Green Lantern Corps without the social stigmas associated with that; it's trying to turn what has been traditionally considered a low-brow form of entertainment into something that's socially acceptable.

DAN

JAMAICA PLAIN

We're seeking a second opinion

Ellen Przepasniak doesn't know what a psychiatrist is ("Tell me Where it Hurts," 5.28.08). A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in psychiatric medicine. Psychiatrists must graduate from medical school and choose a residency in psychiatry. General physicians do not have as much expertise in dealing with mental illness and medications associated with mental illness. Psychiatrists are much more qualified to recognize the interactions of multiple medications and their side effects. Ms. Klein may not have been treated with dignity, but a psychiatrist is absolutely the first doctor she should have seen.

Sincerely 

RACHEL

VIA EMAIL

P.S. Try convincing my brother that he is not a physician. He graduated from Harvard Medical School and is still paying off loans. If he isn't a doctor, he sure wasted many years attending classes, completing an internship and a residency.

SouthCoast has a long way to go to promote efficient energy use, and some surprising strategies could get us there.

Hold charity game at Ben Rose Field

While New Bedford may not be hearing the sound of trains whistling through town in the near future, there is still a growing clamor in the air that is moving it along the track of progress.

Park group should apologize

Did Revere forget to pack?

Sleepless

Carter was our worst president

League policy should change

The status of New Bedford's black youth has become a topic steeped in controversy and pessimism. It has aroused some people to proclaim that New Bedford's black and Cape Verdean youths are being programmed for failure and rapidly becoming an endangered...

Preserve field

Oust legislators who block casinos

George W. Bush seems finally to have discovered the veto. After six years of inactivity in that regard, he has employed it several times.

Scarf flap recalls McCarthy-era irrational fears

Algae could

Immigration seems to have receded as a hot-button campaign issue, and that might be a good thing, meaning perhaps the issue can be resolved after the election, because the collateral damage from that rancorous debate is doing us no good.

New school superintendents are taking over in urban districts across Massachusetts, including right here in New Bedford. But how much change will they really bring?

One of the real injustices in the great American judicial system is that when a public figure is accused of any wrongdoing and some governmental agency begins an investigation, the only time the public learns about what an investigation found is usually...

In a precedent-setting case, a federal judge ruled last week that the Massachusetts Highway Department violated federal clean water laws by failing to develop an adequate storm water cleanup plan for 2,500 miles of state roads and bridges.

Richard Fellenberg's June 3 letter chastising Lawrence Brown for lack of substance in his recent columns is completely without substance itself.

My 7-year-old daughter and I were at a local pond Sunday. The beach is small and used mostly by families with young children, and our time together was fun and well-spent. But our day was cut short by teenagers acting very inappropriately.

This is in response to the young lady from Charlottesville, Va.

I'd like to help answer the wonderment expressed by May 31 letter writer Meg Ellis about whether "these people" who live in motels in Yarmouth are gainfully employed or on public assistance.

At the Cotuit Fire District annual meeting May 28, the voters in attendance rejected the first article on the warrant asking them to accept the annual reports, because the elected district officers failed to disclose their salaries and benefit packages...