Gambling – and a sex doll

    One thing Ed Rendell brought us was casinos, making Pennsylvania one of 40 states that have embraced slots or tables.

    I’ve always had reservations about this, though I had to concede Rendell’s point that the state was losing millions every year as our citizens trekked to Atlantic City.

    I explore some of the troubling issues involved in government betting on gaming in a Fresh Air interview today with Richard McGowan, a Boston College economist who’s written about this stuff for years. You can hear it at 3 and 7 on WHYY-91FM. If you’re outside the Philly area, find a station here.

    And I was remiss in not telling you to listen to my interview yesterday with actor Ryan Gosling, who earned an Oscar nomination for Half Nelson and made a weird but sweet film about an introvert in love with a sex doll called Lars and the Real Girl.

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    He was exactly what you hope for when interviewing a celebrity – candid and insightful.

    You can listen online here, and find out what happened to the love doll used in the film.

    By the way, I’ll sometimes file fewer blog posts when working on Fresh Air. My general approach is to write when there’s something to say, as opposed to just keeping the site warm. I figure you don’t need a post telling you I ate a great burrito.

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