Why Everyone Roots Against the Patriots

Why Everyone Is Rooting Against the Patriots. The Globe does a nice breakdown of nine reasons why everyone hates the Pats, but to summarize: It’s kind of like why everyone hates Charlie Sheen — winning, having an affinity for cameras, and saying stupid/dismissive/smug things at the wrong time. It is what it is. [Boston.com]

Massachusetts Health Reform: What’s Working, What’s Not. Now that it’s the “national model” that Mitt Romney can’t discuss, everyone’s turning their eyes to the Bay State to see how it’s going. The pros: An increase in coverage and a decrease in emergency-room visits. The con: It’s not getting any cheaper. [Washington Post]

Is Boston One of the World’s Top Ten Most Productive Cities? Debatable. A number-crunching blogger over at Slate declared Boston as one of the top ten most-productive cities in the world based on economic output per capita, compiled in part by data from the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program. What results is a list of generally small- to mid-size metropolitan areas that are heavily involved in high-tech industries or finance. Oh, and Washington, D.C. [Slate]

If You Rent in Boston, Then Your Bank Account Knows How Much It Sucks. Rents hit an all-time high during the fourth quarter of 2011, putting prices in the Boston metropolitan area as the fifth-highest nationally behind NYC, San Francisco, Westchester County in New York, and Fairfield County in Connecticut. So we’re the fifth highest and the fifth rudest? Priorities! [Boston.com]

Will the Elizabeth Warren/Scott Brown Pledge Actually Work? It’s too soon to tell, but what’s clear is that the People’s Pledge is a “glimmer of hope in the doom and gloom of money in politics” — and could beat out the billion-dollar campaign industry in the most-watched Senate race of the year. [Salon]