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MIT hackers figure out how to manipulate the Charlie Card system, and are slapped with a federal lawsuit barring them from sharing their findings (which include the revelation that at many stations, doors are unlocked and security kiosks are unattended ... don't tell ANYBODY). MINUS 1

Red Line trains start to go 25 mph over the Longfellow Bridge again, meaning I can no longer outrun a train. EVEN

After much belly-aching, Brett Favre heads to the Jets. Everyone breathes a huge collective sigh of relief, because, really, we're sick of hearing Favre's name, and we didn't care much to begin with. PLUS 4

US troops are storing certain Iraqi detainees in 6-foot tall, 3-foot wide wooden boxes. All that's missing are labels that read, "real, live human, just add water, food and air." MINUS 6

Stop & Shop recalls tuna because it might contain listeria, Pembroke recalls its water because it may contain E. Coli and everything is recalled due to salmonella. Oh, and West Nile Virus!!!! Good god, it's like an agoraphobic's wet dream! [Worst nightmare?—Ed.] MINUS 1

New 911 surcharges will go into effect in October, with a 45 cent increase for cellphones. You keep that in mind the next time you're about to call for an ambulance. Think of your minutes! EVEN

A police cruiser hits a baby stroller at a pedestrian crossing in JP. To protect and serve!!! MINUS 1

Google launches a service in China that allows free music downloads. They figured that since everyone gets pirated music there anyway, they might as well make it a little more organized. Hear that, America? We just have to make sure that everyone is pirating as much music as possible, and then Google will make it even easier for us. MINUS 1

Greyhound Lines has called for the immediate removal of several ads proudly stating, "There's a Reason You've Never Heard of Bus Rage," since two weeks ago, a Greyhound passenger in Manitoba, Canada, allegedly beheaded his seat-mate and ate parts of the victim's flesh. All of a sudden, the Chinatown bus looks like a safer bet. MINUS 1

The Herald discovers that 501 state employees have take-home vehicles, and promptly shits itself. The cars are apparently gassed up at the state's expense. Public service really is rewarding! MINUS 1

The Massachusetts Maritime Academy is changing the name of its training ship to "The Kennedy," honoring the family's tradition of being served and maintained by a large bumbling crew. PLUS 1

Off-campus housing is difficult to find and often too expensive for students to afford. Wow, good thing there isn't enough loan money to go around. MINUS 3

THIS WEEK'S TOTAL: MINUS 10

LAST WEEK'S TOTAL: EVEN

So maybe the push for a state income tax repeal doesn't look quite as captivating or gutsy as its counterpart campaigns to end dog racing or legalize marijuana. But this seemingly dry topic, with its arguably devastating or revolutionary consequences, might just steal the spotlight of this year's Massachusetts ballot questions.

It would give, on average, a $3,600 tax refund to 3.4 million Massachusetts workers. The ballot question is binding, so if the majority of Massachusetts residents vote in its favor, the tax relief would begin immediately, with a 50-percent decrease in the income tax rate beginning on January 1st, 2009, and the remaining 50-percent abolished one year later. As a result, Massachusetts would join nine other states that don't tax paychecks: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming, with New Hampshire and Tennessee taxing only dividend and interest income.

Efforts to halt the income tax in Massachusetts have been spearheaded by the Committee for Small Government. Chaired by Michael Cloud (a senatorial candidate on the Libertarian ticket in 2002) and Carla Howell (the Libertarian senatorial candidate in 2000, and the gubernatorial candidate in 2002), the group is no stranger to the ballot. Though their 2002 tax repeal initiative ultimately failed—with 885,683 voters for the repeal and 1,070,668 against it—its capture of 45.3 percent of the vote made the measure a closer call than expected. "Many believed there wasn't any support whatsoever for our ballot initiative," says Cloud of this previous attempt. Yet both sides of a widening divide seem to take this year's tax repeal efforts much more seriously after the question's 2002 results.

Despite opposition from legislative leaders, the income tax question was added to the ballot after the Committee for Small Government collected 76,084 signatories certified by the state Elections Division in December '07, and another 15,913 in June '08. The ballot question, if passed into law, would decrease current state revenues by at least 40 percent, since income tax will account for roughly $12.7 billion of the $28.1 billion state budget in 2009.

These numbers are staggering to the Coalition for Our Communities, a group of municipal organizations, labor unions and businesses who seek to defeat the referendum. Steve Crawford, the coalition's spokesperson, warns that "The magnitude [of the tax repeal] is such that it'll have a devastating impact on our state's future."

Michael Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Association, adds that the $12.7 billion from income tax revenues are not directed toward any particular program, but go toward a variety of infrastructure needs, including public education, prisons, police, state parks, Medicaid and human services, to name a few.

Proponents of the repeal argue that the initiative is especially necessary given today's struggling economy, and this may improve the bill's chances with voters who are financially struggling. "Taxpayers really need a tax cut! This is not, 'Gee I wish I had it,'" Cloud says. "We need to recognize how bad things are ... A lot of families are just a few thousand dollars from losing their homes. The tax refund money would go to pay off credit card debt, student loans, foreclosures. This money could be used to pay for $4.50-a-gallon gas!"

Widmer strongly opposes the repeal, yet worries that unhappy citizens may vote for it merely to "send a message" of dissatisfaction to the government. "When the conditions are such that people are being squeezed, as they are today in most every aspect of their lives, the conditions are right to support something like this," he explains.

Other benefits boost the bill's appeal, explains Howell. "Businesses—unless they profit from state government spending in some way—are more inclined to set up shop in a state like Texas, with no income tax, than they are in Massachusetts," she says. As a result "ending the income tax will create hundreds of new jobs, it will stop the exodus of tax payers to other states, and provide an opportunity for workers and businesses to stay in the state."

One study done by the Beacon Hill Institute in 2000 estimated that cutting the state income tax rate from 5.8 percent to 5 percent over the course of three years (the current rate is 5.3 percent) would have resulted in 75,000 new jobs. Cloud himself believes that since the 2008 proposition would cut the income tax by a significantly larger percentage (seven times this number by his calculations), it would result in several hundred thousand new jobs over time.

The Massachusetts communications director for the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) , Tim Sullivan, laughs openly at the claim that a tax repeal would increase jobs, proclaiming that the Beacon Hill Institute's research has a politically conservative slant. "That is absolutely backasswards logic," he says. "They haven't had an objective, fact-based study in their history!" The Beacon Hill Institute's mission, as cited on its website, is "grounded in the principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility and free markets."

The AFL-CIO is a member of the Coalition for Our Communities, but Sullivan insists this isn't simply a union issue. "We're citizens first and taxpayers first. The fact that we're union members means that we kind of understand that we're all in this together ... we believe in collective bargaining, and that's what government is," he says. "Obviously, police officers, firefighters, teachers and municipal employees all rely on taxes for their salaries and benefits."

But Cloud suggests some of these government-funded jobs are unnecessary, citing the price tag on public school systems. "We believe these prices are ridiculously high," says Cloud, offering private education and homeschooling as better alternatives. "A parochial school gives a better education, has a lower dropout rate, but only spends $3,100 per year."

Howell and Cloud's fight for the tax repeal is centered around their faith in small government. "Big government often harms the very people that it is intended to help," says Howell. "It forces people to give up hard-earned income to pay for wasteful bureaucracy." Howell and Cloud also view small government as an opportunity and incentive for people and businesses to grow, and save their money to support their families, pay off debt and live "the kind of lives that they want to," says Howell.

Crawford is less optimistic. "The impact that this would have on our state's economy is frankly unknown," says Crawford. "But it's certainly not good."

Widmer is slightly more apocalyptic. "This is so sweeping, this would create political and fiscal chaos," he says. "In simple terms, this is 40 percent of your budget, so every agency would sustain a 40 percent cut." Opponents of the bill see a lose-lose situation, with only two courses of action upon its passing: dramatically reducing all programs across the board, or raising property or sales tax in order to make up the difference.

Massachusetts Senate President Therese Murray attacked the initiative to abolish income taxes in her June 12th Chamber of Commerce speech, looking to Florida's high property taxes and their effect on the real estate market there. "According to a Zogby poll conducted last year," she said, "unreasonable property taxes are the major reason why 37 percent of Floridians are considering moving out of the state." In some districts, where Floridians have yet to qualify for state property tax-caps, residents have seen their property taxes increase more than 100 percent over the past several years. But to make up for an income tax repeal with a property tax increase, the Massachusetts Legislature would have to address Proposition 2 1/2—a ballot initiative that went into effect in 1982—which currently limits the state's property tax increases.

Murray also voiced concerns about the inequity of those who might profit if the ballot passes. "By eliminating the income tax and destroying services, or by raising property and sales taxes—low-and mild income residents suffer the most."

The ballot question's defenders are convinced that the legislature can find money elsewhere to make up for the repeal. "The state spends $8-$14 billion off-budget ... this is the dirty little secret the state legislators don't want to talk about," Cloud says. MassINC—a public policy think tank—confirms that off-budget spending occurs, with findings that in 2006, the state's budget was $25.6 billion, while state spending totaled $37.5 billion.

Cloud believes that taxpayers' dollars subsidize unnecessary spending, including the expansion of state tax breaks for the film industry. "They're squandering money on a scale that's unheard of!" he exclaims.

Howell agrees, claiming that "government agencies, by their nature, are wasteful and unaccountable."

Cloud calls for more government transparency to stop off-the-books spending. "If there was a corporation who engaged in these practices, legislatures would call for hearings and transparency. They ought to be doing the same thing with themselves! Taxpayers should be able to look and say—'Oh, this is being well-spent.' That's how you get people involved and have practical democracy."

Cloud cites a 1978 California law, Proposition 13 (aka the "People's Initiative to Limit Property Taxation"), as a successful example of transparency eliciting government efficiency. After reducing property taxes by 57 percent on average, Cloud states that "everyone watched the state and local government with careful eyes"—as a result, police facilities and other services were not impacted, he explains.

But Murray argues that tax money is not wasted, but that it's important in sustaining and improving necessary public services. "Municipalities are already struggling to maintain their local budget. Rip out 40 percent of the state revenues they rely on and watch our schools and local services fall apart. It's really that simple." Sullivan concurs, saying, "There isn't an enterprise in the world that has 40 percent frivolous waste." Bob Bliss, communications director at the state's Department of Revenue, adds that "cities and towns get about $5 billion in various forms of state assistance."

The Committee for Small Government faced a challenging timeline of gathering signatories in order to make their way onto the ballot. However, the group may still face an uphill battle till Election Day concerning money. "We've spent everything we have to-date just to get on the ballot," says Howell. Despite likely fundraising and donations, the Committee for Small Government will be hard-pressed to generate an advertising campaign budget that is comparable to their opponents.

Sullivan knows that the decision is ultimately up to voters. "The Legislature doesn't get to vote on this, the people do. And I think people are going to choose schools and clean drinking water and parks that are clean and safe for our kids to play in," Sullivan says. "Taxes are like the membership fee to society, and as long as they are fair—which they are—people will understand that they get a lot in return."

Nonetheless, Cloud believes that voters "are hungry for some breathing room" in today's economy. The deadline to register to vote is October 15th. "Hungry" or not, cast your ballot on November 4th.

Several publishing organs came under fierce criticism last week. They were under fire because, after failing in their attempts to fact-check and verify a story that ran in a supermarket tabloid, and after everybody involved in the purported scandal insisted to the above-mentioned publishing organs that the story was horseshit, it turned out to be true.

John Edwards—he used to be somebody most papers cared about—was screwing around on his possibly dying wife, just as the National Enquirer said he was. Every now and then, the legless man wins the marathon, right?

Wrong. If the modern media doesn't know intrinsically when tabloid horseshit will have legs, and when it'll just be horseshit, then it's worthless to us, and we should just let TMZ tell us about Gazprom and CIA black sites and Guantanamo. (Spoiler alert: Hot n' sexxy guys and ladies could maybe be getting all types of freaky at the three aforementioned locales. We can't prove it, so let's just assume they are.) These days, being good at being the media means not being afraid to mangle your facts. Apparently.

Every newsroom in the country had heard that John Edwards might've been getting some ass on the side. So why did papers look the other way, instead sending drugs and condoms up to his hotel room? Because they're worthless and elitist. That's what we've learned from several roundup stories about how the story didn't get play because it wasn't much of a story to begin with.

The Wall Street Journal, seeming to forget that it's now owned by Rupert Murdoch, ascribed "traditional media's late arrival to the Edwards story" to "skepticism about the Enquirer, which isn't taken seriously as a Washington opinion-maker." The New York Times, noting papers' "distaste for following the lead of a publication they hold in low esteem," added that the shitrag was peddling "a story about the private conduct of an also-ran presidential candidate."

And then there was the fact that there were no facts to print. The Washington Post's executive editor told the Times, "We checked them out and we asked questions, and at no time did we have any facts to report," adding, "These kinds of allegations fly around about just about every candidate." CNN's political director told the paper it had been on the story for a year. "Edwards denied it, the woman denied it," he said. "You have to have some sort of evidence before you put something on the air." Politico's Michael Calderone even interviewed the Enquirer's reporters. But, he argued, "A media story—without a corresponding news story—is sort of a weasel way around the unpleasant fact that you can't actually confirm the rumors yourself ... It was decided that writing on the rumors—without confirming them—simply validates the Enquirer, a tabloid that's broken celebrity scandals wide open but still isn't regarded by many as a credible news source. And while the Enquirer deserves credit for some great shoe-leather reporting, the magazine still plays by a different set of rules than Politico or other outlets. And that includes the willingness to pay sources for verifiable information."

The Times, which used to be an important newspaper, had good reason to be gun-shy on the Edwards story. It wasn't too long ago that it all but accused John McCain of having geriatric sex with a comely female lobbyist. Also: Judy Miller. And Jayson Blair. The lesson from its recent embarrassments, we thought, was that newspapers are just supposed to print facts. Facts are what make the news news. When stories run without facts, Matt Drudge calls you names and makes you cry. That's how this thing works, right?

Not so, says Post media critic Howard Kurtz. "Even as some national news organizations tried halfheartedly to confirm the tawdry tale, they ignored it in public—wary of the National Enquirer, of Edwards' dismissal of 'tabloid trash,' of wading once again into the swamp of sexual scandal without definitive proof ... The fact that big newspapers, magazines and networks have standards—that is, they refuse to print every stray rumor just because it's 'out there'—is one of their strengths. But in the latter stages of this case, it made them look clueless. Perhaps there is a middle ground where media outlets can report on a burgeoning controversy without vouching for the underlying allegations, being candid with readers and viewers about what they know and don't know."

Ah. OK. In that spirit, Media Farm would like to address something that's currently out there. It's a hot rumor. The streets are talking, and they can't be ignored anymore. So here goes.

Mitt Romney killed a boy in Thailand. And, oh, the twisted things he did to the corpse!

In the 1950s, there were over 6,000 dairy farms in Massachusetts. Last year, the official count was 189. Massachusetts dairy farmers have struggled for years, as costs for feed, labor and fuel have increased. Sen. Stephen Brewer, D-Barre, who grew up on a dairy farm, says that a farmer has to be a "universal worker": a plumber, electrician, veterinarian and, oh yeah, a dairy farmer.

"Farmers are in survival mode," Brewer says. "They're hanging by their fingernails."

The state has provided emergency aid to dairy farmers in the past, but a bill, awaiting the governor's signature, could provide a more permanent fix. Cyndi Roy, a spokesperson for Gov. Deval Patrick's office says the bill is still on the governor's desk. Brewer expects it to be signed on Thursday.

Once signed into law, it would ensure dairy farmers are compensated appropriately for what they produce; it would also establish a relief package, including a tax rebate when milk prices fall below a "break even" price and a $25 million loan program with low interest rates.

"The bill provides a mechanism for alleviation of tax burdens, which these farmers need desperately," Brewer says.

Much of what the consumer pays for milk benefits the distributor and the store, but doesn't always trickle back (pun intended) to the farmer.

Dairy farmers' wages are not subject entirely to the laws of supply and demand, since the federal government signs the paycheck. The intention of the federal subsidies was to protect farmers during bad crop years and slow economic times, but the government salary hasn't changed in decades, forcing many farmers further into debt.

Warren Facey, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Dairy Farmers (MADF), says farmers have been extremely active in working with lawmakers.

The bill is currently in its third rewrite, having evolved dramatically since its first draft. Introduced by Brewer last January, the bill's original goal was to establish a maximum retail price for milk. Keeping the price down would benefit not only consumers, but the dairy farmers as well, by ensuring more milk is purchased and that the profit is returned to its source.

In May 2007, the governor signed a Declaration of Emergency for the state's dairy farmers, which earmarked $3.6 million to help the farmers stay in the black. But they're still clamoring for a more permanent solution.

"There's a tremendous rise and fall in the price of milk," says Facey, who operates a dairy farm in Leyden. "This bill would stabilize that in our favor."

The bill would also create a Massachusetts Dairy Promotion Board for "developing and increasing the consumption of Massachusetts dairy products." Facey says the MADF would work closely with the board to be sure farmers' concerns are heard. "There's a lot of work to be done even after the bill is signed," Facey says.

The Health Care Quality and Cost Council (HQCC) and the Communications and Transparency Committee met last week, on a rainy Wednesday afternoon, to discuss the best way to convey dry medical issues to the public.

Dr. John Freedman, clinical consultant to the council, presented his research on hospital quality. Each hospital in Massachusetts was rated for stroke mortality, care for heart attack and care for pneumonia, according to a four-star system. The data will be featured on the HQCC's website.

Freedman said the stars are an easy way for people to determine which hospital to use. "We want to make this user-friendly," he said.

Other charts also displayed confidence levels and statistical significance. Freedman showcased four different ways the website could display the dense data.

After a grueling 45-minute presentation detailing explanations of how to read each chart, the HQCC was ... grumpy. "All of this is interesting for people interested in methodology," said Dolores Mitchell, a council member. "But not for the rest of us."

The HQCC concluded that the charts should be condensed. "I will certainly encourage the other researchers to make it less confusing," Freedman said.

David Friedman, a council member, announced the council would launch an awareness campaign about their improvement goals, which include health care cost control, patient safety, chronic care management and prevention, end-of-life care, racial and ethnic disparities, and transparency. The council will focus on a different goal each month.

"I think the method of communication will be much easier when the website is up," said Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, state secretary of Health and Human Services and chair of the council.

The council hopes to launch their website by the end of September.

A 13-foot high, 100-foot long mural of an iconic face reproduced nine times – a pop art image with converging colors – stands on Thayer Street in the South End. The composite portrait of Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama blends two politicians, as well as the lines between art and politics.

The mural, which could come down any day, pasted on a construction wall owned by GTI Properties, is the work of Ron English, a self-described "culture jammer," who gained notoriety illegally manipulating billboards. "The basic idea behind culture jamming is appropriating the methods and platforms created for the dissemination of corporate advertising to deconstruct the corporate message," English told the Dig, via email. His past work includes manipulating a McCain campaign billboard to look like a Viagra ad.

The Abraham Obama piece was commissioned by Will Kerr, director of Gallery XIV, for the show A Politic, which features 40 politically minded pieces from 40 different artists. "In some ways, it's the smartest and dumbest thing I've done," Kerr says. "Everyone said six months ago, 'Don't do a political show, that's the kiss of death.'"

Kerr is no stranger to controversy. Gallery XIV's Michael Costello show, which featured detailed paintings of nudes posing with muppets, was dubbed "pornographic" by protesters. Now, Kerr has come under fire for the mural, because English's fans pasted prints of it all over town, incurring the wrath of his South End neighbors. He's also received hate mail, including one letter demanding, "HOW DARE YOU PUSH YOUR POLITICAL BELIEFS ON THE PUBLIC." He's considering plastering that to the wall, next to the mural. "I'm trying to raise the stakes and invite people to add to it, but in a way that's thoughtful," Kerr says.

Will Whelan, a teacher at Bishop's Summer Academic Fun and Enrichment (B-SAFE) program, took his middle-school students to look at the piece for one such collaboration. "We talked about the subtle shift in color value, and the choices of color he used." He'd been teaching the campers about color theory, and the meanings and cultural associations with colors. The Democratic presidential candidate's name came up before Whelan ever took them to the mural. "We were talking about black and white connotations, and Obama came up. They said, 'Well, he's black, and he's mixed race' ... Then we talked about why people are identified by race rather than other attributes."

The students came up with questions they would ask Obama, ranging from "Why do we need to take the MCAS to graduate?" to "Why do guns get into the wrong hands?" to a very complicated question about why you can't buy two gallons of milk for $1. They also painted their own colors onto black and white Xeroxes of the Abraham Obama image. Some followed the mural's color patterns, while others manipulated the image, making Obama a clown, a woman, and crossing out his eyes, scrawling "PEACE" on his forehead. Whelan and Kerr pasted them on the wall, around the mural's shoulders.

Kerr and local activists interested in making the art a viral and political phenomenon knew Obama would be in Boston for his birthday (and a fundraiser), and reached out to his campaign. "My focus was benefiting the gallery and not being a fundraiser, but if it benefited the gallery, I wasn't opposed to benefiting the campaign," Kerr says. He'd planned to cut up the mural into 4-foot squares and auction off the pieces, signed by English and perhaps Obama. "I always had to be a capitalist, be about the bottom line," he says, since he'd only sold two of the pieces in the show, and couldn't renew his lease (Kerr finalized a deal last week to move the gallery to Albany Street). The Wall Street Journal covered the plans to sell the mural, quoting Charles Nesson, a law professor at Harvard's Berkman Institute for Internet and Society, pledging to start the bidding at $1,000. The next day, Kerr found the mural had been "defaced," with giant dollar bills glued to the portrait's eyes. "My understanding was, once that happened, the backers all pulled out," he says.

Last Monday, when Obama came to Boston, Kerr hoped to get a photo op with him standing next to the mural, among the campers. "I think the consensus was it would have been unwise of him to come, that it would seem presumptuous for him to say, 'I am the next Lincoln,'" Whelan says.

Kerr affixed a removable fabric eyepatch to one of the panels, but it has since been torn down. He's also painted his self-portrait on the mural, and got artist Xi Cai to paint a portrait of her grandmother. He encourages other artists to join the dialogue before the mural comes down.

When Gallery XIV moves at the end of the month, some of the work from A Politic will show in the State House, in the office of Rep. Jay Kaufman, D-Wayland.

The mural seems to straddle a line between propaganda and art, but to English, it's doing exactly what it was intended to do. "I thought all the talk about auctioning them off was a bit of hot air, but who knows? ... For me, street art is for the moment, it's not intended to last," he says. "I wanted this image to serve not as a direct statement, but as a point of departure for further conversation and as an appeal to the more brilliant angels of our nature."

Regarding too few affordable units being made available at Noquochoke Village:

Bail too low