Plus: Ferry prices, long COVID, and a silly bird
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October 04, 2024
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Begin your day informed

🧩 5 DOWN Witch ([link removed]) | ⛅ 70° Some sun ([link removed]) | 🦫 Nibi's new home ([link removed]) !
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Diamond Naga Siu
Starting Point writer
X: @diamondnagasiu ([link removed])

Good morning. I’m running my first 5K this weekend — fingers crossed that I’ll be able to walk by Monday.

Today, we’re looking at ferry prices ([link removed]) , a funny penguin ([link removed]) ,
and Boston-born Erewhon ([link removed]) .

But first, let’s examine the evidence surrounding school smartphone bans.

We have a special deal for Starting Pointers: 6 months of Globe.com for just $1 ([link removed]) .
TODAY'S STARTING POINT
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CJ BURTON FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

After years of debate among schools, parents, and students over whether smartphones should be banned from classrooms, the Globe's Big Idea columnist Kara Miller ([link removed]) has come to a conclusion: Phones are bad for students, and taking them away is the only solution.

Here’s why:

Diminishing attention spans in the classroom. Research has shown that with the rollout of 3G around the world, bringing internet access to cell phones, test scores dropped pretty universally. The decline equated to losing a quarter of a year of school.

Declines in work productivity. On average, we check our emails 77 times a day, and compulsively read texts, comments on Facebook, or replies to a post on X. “We want to know who needs us, who likes us, who is saying bad things about us,” Kara writes. And that erodes our ability to concentrate, especially if we are working on something that involves deep thinking, such as complicated presentations, research, coding.

Poor quality sleep. Kids who use electronic devices like smartphones in the hour-and-a-half before bedtime get lower-quality sleep and are more lethargic the next day, studies show – not a good recipe for learning.

Emotional damage. A range of research from around the world has linked high use of cellphones to “digital stress, low self-esteem, worries and angers, loneliness, anxiety, depression, and mood disorders.” Bullying also comes into play, as kids make cruel TikToks or ridicule unpopular students in group chats.

A ban can be a tough sell to parents, who like the idea of being able to reach their kids, even if only to tell them they’ll be late picking them up. And with a rise in school shootings in the US, some want their children to be able to call to let their parents know they are all right.

Several countries have banned smartphones in schools or are testing the idea. A recent study out of Norway of 400 middle schools that had banned smartphones showed positive results, including decreased bullying and improved academic performance among girls.

The US has been late to the party. Florida, Indiana, and South Carolina have instituted bans, while the governors of California and New York are pushing for them. In Massachusetts, a growing number of communities are restricting electronic devices, including Ipswich, Lowell, Brockton, Methuen, Fall River, Sandwich, and Pioneer Valley Regional. Governor Maura Healey has not called for a cell phone prohibition in schools. But Kara writes, “She should.”

Read Kara’s story here ([link removed]) .

COMMENT: Should schools ban smartphones? Send your thoughts to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Starting%20Point%3A%20Smartphone%20bans) . We'll publish some of the comments in a future Starting Point.
POINTS OF INTEREST
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Elizabeth Kenny's long COVID symptoms improved with treatment, but she still tires by the end of the day. SUZANNE KREITER/GLOBE STAFF

BOSTON There still is no cure for the debilitating symptoms of long COVID, but some Boston doctors are starting to unravel its mysteries. And they are helping patients get their lives back ([link removed]) . (The Boston Globe)

COLORADO A county clerk was sentenced to nine years in prison for letting a guy associated with MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell access the county voting system in the 2020 presidential election. Her actions were spurred by rampant false claims about voting machine fraud ([link removed]) . (The Hill)

BIRDLAND A photographer from Lexington, Mass., won gold in the Comedy Bird Photo category of the Bird Photographer of Year’s annual contest. Nadia Haq captured a photo of an Adélie penguin sliding on ice in Antarctica ([link removed]) . (The Boston Globe)

EAST COAST PORTS The dockworkers' strike has been suspended until Jan. 15 after a tentative 6-year contract agreement was reached. Wages would increase by 62 percent over the life of the contract ([link removed]) . (ABC News)

LOS ANGELES ​​How did Southern California become the epicenter of hype diets and twenty-dollar smoothies? Look no further than Erewhon, the cultish chain of grocery stores that started in Boston ([link removed]) . (The New Yorker)

FENWAY There’s no October baseball for the Red Sox this year — and that’s unacceptable, according to Globe sports reporter Alex Speier ([link removed]) . Roster construction failed the team this season and should be their focus going forward ([link removed]) . (The Boston Globe)

SOUTH KOREA The country is grappling with a deluge of non-consensual, explicitly sexual deep-fake videos and images that have ruined women’s lives and deepened the gender divide. Parliament is finally cracking down ([link removed]) . (Associated Press)

AT SEA A ferry trip to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket could cost you a lot more next year if the Steamship Authority raises prices to cover increased costs. It would be the largest rate hike ever ([link removed]) . (The Boston Globe)

THORNTON, N.H. Word in the woods is that East Pond has the purest, cleanest, bluest water in the state. You just have to hike 1.5 miles through a forest to reach it ([link removed]) . (WOKQ)
ELECTION INSIGHTS | 31 days until the presidential election

Local election clerks in Massachusetts are preparing for a daunting election ahead — and facing a deluge of threats, interference, misinformation, and burdensome requests.

“Elections aren’t what they used to be,” Elizabeth Turner Greendale, a clerk in Holliston and president of the state’s town clerks association, told my colleague Samantha Gross ([link removed]) . Clerks “are retiring sooner than intended because they wanted to avoid the presidential election cycle.”

Massachusetts isn’t alone. Nationwide, nearly 40 percent of local election officials left their post between 2018 and 2022, according to a recent study. For those who remain, the threats and problems started early in this election year:
* Phishing: In September, election workers received an email that looked like it was from a reputable national organization that helps ensure voting integrity. The message asked the clerks to fill out a survey, which included their personal cell phone numbers and home addresses. Experts say this information could be used to target election officials during or after the Nov. 5 election.

* Conspiracy-fueled requests: There has also been a coordinated effort to bombard clerks with public information requests for troves of data related to the 2020 election such as voting machine tapes and serial numbers, copies of digital ballots, and file names. One guy even pressured a clerk to register his child to vote so that he could claim a voter fraud conspiracy.

* Suspicious packages: In September, the FBI and Post Office intercepted suspicious packages sent to election divisions in at least eight states — including Massachusetts. Some of the letters contained an unknown substance, but the FBI would not comment on the investigation.

💬 Best line from Liz Cheney’s Wisconsin speech: “I was a Republican even before Donald Trump started spray-tanning ([link removed]) .”
TEXTING PROMPTS | For the lazy but social

Copy and paste these text messages so that making plans with friends is easier

The Honk! Music festival is back. Want to go?
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Biles in Boston!!
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Let’s make puffable pottery
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I need Oktoberfest 🍺
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I miss you! Brunch some time?
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POLAROID DIARIES
Where we share our adventures around New England and rate them for Starting Point readers.
Rating: Bagged (💰) | Tagged (🏷️) | Dragged (❌)
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New England Aquarium ([link removed]) | Boston

Visiting the sea lions outside of the New England Aquarium is the perfect little side quest to brighten up your day. If you’re in the area — swing by. If you work downtown or live nearby, take a quick detour. It’s a great, free way to break up the day.

Rating: Bagged 7.5/10 (💰)

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Korean Momma ([link removed]) | Cambridge


This online business by Duly Lee is dishing some of the best, creamiest Basque cheesecakes: A gooey middle. Its buttery, salty base. The caramelized top. Plan ahead, because you have to pre-order the cake, then pick it up on a “drop” date/location in Cambridge.

Rating: Bagged 9/10 (💰)

HEADLINES IN THE CLOUDS
Guess the headline from three choices based on words that appear in the story.
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Play Now ([link removed])
Thanks for reading Starting Point. See you on Monday. – Diamond Naga Siu

This email was written by Diamond Naga Siu ([link removed]) and edited by Teresa Hanafin ([link removed]) .

Have a question for the team? Email us at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Question%2Fsuggestion) .

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