Rome Tourism Industry Hoping for a Pope From the Americas

At Least One Group of Non-Americans Wants a Pope from the Americas. Some officials and businesses connected to the tourism industry in Rome have their fingers crossed that the next pope hails from the Americas, saying it would be a boost to tourism in the area, according to the New York Times. “A South American pope would be great. Or Mexico. In fact, anyone from the Americas,” Antonio Galati, manager of a hotel near St. Peter’s Square, told Agence France-Presse. Cardinal Sean O’Malley is doing his part for the industry, too: He joked to TMNews that it’s “difficult to eat badly in Rome.”  [New York Times]

It’s Looking Less Likely That Scott Brown Will Run for Governor. Now that Brown has joined the law firm Nixon Peabody, it’s looking more likely that a potential bid for Governor is off the table. “They’ve had a conversation and Scott’s turned to other things. He’s not running for governor in 2014,” an unnamed source told the Globe.  [Globe]

A Breakdown of the Boston’s Booming Real Estate Business. Nadja Brandt details the bright outlook on Boston’s real estate market when compared to other cities around the country. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: The boom is back.  [Bloomberg Businessweek]

MIT Media Lab Apologizes for SXSW Wristbands with Terrible Pick-Up Lines. In the apology, Media Lab director Joi Ito apologized for the wristbands, which included crusty pick-up lines like “That’s a nice dress. It would look great on my floor” and “Do you wash your clothes with Windex? ‘Cause I can see myself in your pants.” Obviously, not very MIT Media Lab-y. “They were offensive and in no way reflect the sentiments of the MIT Media Lab,” Ito wrote. “These wristbands were provided by the venue, and while we didn’t realize what was printed on them until after they’d been handed out, we should have prevented the situation from occurring in the first place.”  [BostInno]

Jack Parker Retires from Coaching But Will Still Work for Boston University. Parker, who has spent 48 years playing or coaching hockey at BU, will help to raise funds for the university’s capital campaign.  [WBUR]