New Travel Company Launches To Get You ‘Off The Grid’ & Into a New Frame of Mind Every day spent sitting in a cubicle at work marked just another day the founders of Off The Grid Excursions (OTG) were planning their next trip. “We wanted a break in our day-to-day routine,” says co-founder Jaclyn Carron, who had caught the travel bug at an early age. After all graduating from Northeastern, the group […]
‘Gunclingers’: Aurora, Assault Weapons and the Rise of Mass Shootings I spoke this morning with James Alan Fox, who said mass killings were not unknown in the U.S. prior to 1966 — when Charles Whitman took to the Texas tower with an arsenal and began picking off civilians — but they were exceedingly infrequent. Ever since 1976, we’ve been averaging more than 20 per year. […]
Could Aurora, Colo., shooting suspect inspire copycats? The news media’s focus on Holmes also inspired some familiar criticism. Was the attention to the details of an alleged mass killer’s life not just wrong but also potentially lethal? Could the media’s gaze inspire the next nobody to commit a similar act in a sick attempt to become somebody, too? “How often must we […]
WEEI Sports Radio JACK LEVIN: COLORADO KILLER SUFFERS FROM AN ACUTE MENTAL ILLNESS AUDIO: Northeastern Sociology and Criminology Professor and author Jack Levin joins John and Dale to talk about the horrible tragedy in Colorado this past week. Levin shares his opinion about how the killer does not fit the typical profile, what may have caused the killer to do this, if an insanity defense is likely to […]
Gun control or carry permits won’t stop mass murder There are few criminal events as stunning and frightening as a mass shooting. The suddenness, randomness and unpredictability of episodes like Friday’s early morning massacre at an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater cause us all to wonder whether any place is safe.
Northeastern hires a new law school dean from UConn Northeastern University School of Law has named Jeremy R. Paul its new dean, the university said on Thursday. Paul joins Northeastern from the University of Connecticut where he is currently the dean of the law school and a professor.
Mixed Signs In Mass. Housing Market There are mixed signs in the state’s housing market. Foreclosure petitions — the first step in the process — have dipped to their lowest level this year. But according to the Warren Group, more petitions were filed last month than in June 2011. Housing expert Barry Bluestone monitors the housing market as the director for […]
What does the Supreme Court’s health care decision mean for federal-state relations? In the weeks since the Supreme Court issued a decision on the Affordable Care Act, some local health law experts have taken a longer look at the implications. And they’re concerned about just how far-reaching the decision could be. The Medicaid decision may have big ramifications, Wendy Parmet, associate dean for academic affairs at Northeastern […]
WHDH 7 News Expert weighs in on James Holmes’ behavior An expert on the criminal mind says in some ways Holmes fits the profile of a mass killer. For one, he recently had a big loss in his life; he was rejected by the University of Colorado’s PhD program, and he has isolated himself. But in other ways, he’s not at all typical, and may […]
CBS Boston Keller @ Large: Don’t Mention Accused Colorado Killer’s Name I saw the brother of one of the Aurora, Colorado mass-murder victims being interviewed on TV, and something he said struck me. He asked the media to do its best to avoid mention of the suspected killer’s name, so as to help deny him the notoriety that sociopaths of his ilk often crave. That struck […]
Will Penn State Sanctions Work? Boston’s Collegiate Community Reacts AUDIO: In the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, today the NCAA ordered Penn State to pay $60 million and stripped the late Penn State coach Joe Paterno of many of his college victories. The college will also be prohibited from participating in post-season play for four years. NCAA president Mark Emmert […]
Column: Mass murder is predictably unpredictable Through collaborating with my Northeastern University colleague Jack Levin over three decades in examining countless case studies of mayhem, several common characteristics and motivational themes have emerged. Mass killers tend to be profoundly frustrated and despondent over life’s disappointments, isolated from family and friends who might be in a position to provide comfort and support, […]