Clocks square off in China's far west

Kashgar, a city of 350,000 built around an oasis along the old Silk Road, has two time zones, two hours apart.

How you set your watch depends not only on the neighborhood, but on your profession and ethnicity, religion and loyalty.

People living on both sides of the time divide say there is little confusion because they have as little to do with each other as possible.

When communist China was formed in 1949, Mao Tse-tung decreed that everybody should follow a single time zone, no matter that the country is as wide as the continental United States.

But Uighurs, the dominant minority in China's northwestern Xinjiang province, balked at running their lives on Beijing time, which would have them getting up in the pitch dark and going to sleep at sunset.

"It is as ridiculous as having Los Angeles following New York time," said Alim Seytoff, who left Xinjiang in 1996 and is now secretary-general of the Uyghur American Assn. in Washington.

"That is the totalitarian nature of the Chinese government that they try to impose one time zone."

Medford driver rescues dog after hitting it; owner sought

The MSPCA is seeking the owner of a stray Husky who was hit by a car in Medford around 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 21.

Unlike several past cases of “hit and run,” the driver who accidentally hit the Husky immediately sought police and medical assistance for the injured dog.

After finding that there were no available local options to treat the injured husky he quickly drove her to Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, where the dog — nicknamed Sasha by the hospital staff — received immediate emergency medical attention.

“Unfortunately it is all too common for drivers to accidentally hit a dog and flee the scene to the detriment of the animal,” said Dr. Kiko Bracker of Angell Animal Medical Center’s Emergency/Critical Care service.
“The quick thinking that his driver possessed, as well as the empathy he showed, meant that Sasha was receiving life saving medical attention shortly after this accident.”

In addition to the driver’s quick thinking, the driver also agreed to pay $1,000 to cover a portion of the cost of emergency medical treatment as well as X-rays.

America's best (and worst) salads

Visit the Salad Hall of Fame to read on...it will blow your mind.

More bad news at New York Times co.

The New York Times plans to eliminate several weekly sections, including its stand-alone City Section.

There are also discussions to eliminate the regional weeklies in New Jersey, Long Island, Westchester and Connecticut, and the Friday Escapes section as well.

The Boston Globe just made a similar move, nixing the City Weekly and dividing the Globe Northwest section between the Globe North and Globe west editions.

Happily some of the content will still be available online.

cute shoes, and vegan to boot

OlsenHaus.com

Meatless Monday

Ziti with Sun-Dried Tomato "Cream"
Makes 6 servings

Tofu replaces heavy cream in this flavorful no-cook sauce, which is warmed when you toss with the hot cooked pasta.

• 1 cup silken tofu, drained
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 pound dried ziti
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. When water boils, add salt and pasta, stirring to prevent sticking. Cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, combine remaining ingredients except parsley and process until smooth, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of pasta water to thin sauce to desired consistency. Drain pasta and transfer to serving bowl. Spoon sauce over pasta and toss to mix. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories 158, Protein 5g, Total Fat 6g, Saturated Fat 1g, Carbohydrates 23g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 583mg, Fiber 2g

Right whales in Cape Cod Bay

In a rare congregation, about 70 North Atlantic right whales have gathered in Cape Cod Bay. The group represents approximately 20 percent of the endangered species' worldwide population.

Right whales were named because of they were so easy to harpoon, making them the "right whale" to hunt.

The lumbering animals feed close to the surface and conveniently float after death. Unlike other species, right whale populations never significantly bounced back once whale hunting eased. The animals still fall victim to ship strikes and get entangled in fishing gear.

Read the story.

News in the world of news: It ain't good

First, FishbowlNY reports that there have been 100 layoffs on the business side of the New York Times, with a 5 percent pay cut across the newsroom, too.

The memo to staff reads, in part:

The recession, especially the deteriorating advertising climate, is exacting a bitter toll, despite all that we have already done to reduce spending.This morning, we notified about 100 employees on the business side of The Times that their jobs were being eliminated. We thank these
dedicated colleagues for all they have contributed to The Times over the years.The broader announcement today outlines a temporary salary reduction for the remainder of the year for all
non-union employees, including the top leadership of the company. It is our hope
that these cost-cutting measures will allow us to avoid further layoffs.Although
employee pay will be cut by 5% for the remaining three-quarters of the year, you will be entitled to 10 additional personal days off over the nine months. Next year, we plan to return salaries to their current levels. Of course, such a decision depends on the state of our business.

And, over at the Christian Science Monitor, today marks the last publication date of their daily print newspaper.

An editor's note to readers says:

"No longer inked on wood pulp, no longer trucked from printing plants to your mailbox, no longer published only five days a week, the daily Monitor is now a dynamic online newspaper on all days. Complementing our 24/7 online Monitor is a new print weekly, the first issue of which will be in subscribers' mailboxes in two weeks. "

Tough times.

I shall make this for Easter! Wherever it is we're celebrating

Strawberry Tart with Orange Cream

Cointreau is a well-known liqueur from western France, where it was first made more than a century and a half ago in the city of Angers. Colorless and with a strong, pleasing aroma, it has an exotic flavor that is a marriage of sweet orange peels from Spain and bitter orange peels from the Caribbean island of Curaçao. Although similar to triple sec, Cointreau is drier. You will find it sold in a distinctive square bottle with a bright red ribbon. A popular after-dinner liqueur, Cointreau is also often used as a flavoring ingredient, as in this tart recipe.

Ingredients:
1 rolled-out round of tart dough
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1⁄4 cup sugar
1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
2 tsp. Cointreau or other orange-flavored liqueur
2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved lengthwise
1⁄2 cup apricot jam

Directions:
Fold the dough round in half and carefully transfer to a 9 1/2-inch tart pan, preferably with a removable bottom.

Unfold and ease the round into the pan, without stretching it, and pat it firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.

Trim off any excess dough by gently running a rolling pin across the top of the pan.

Press the dough into the sides to extend it slightly above the rim to offset any shrinkage during baking.

Refrigerate or freeze the tart shell until firm, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 375°F.

Line the pastry shell with aluminum foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or raw short-grain rice.

Bake for 20 minutes, then lift an edge of the foil.

If the dough looks wet, continue to bake, checking every 5 minutes, until the dough is pale gold, for a total baking time of 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove the weights and foil. Continue to bake until the shell is golden, 7 to 10 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until smooth. Mix in the orange zest and Cointreau.

Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the bottom of the tart shell. Arrange the strawberry halves, overlapping them, in concentric circles on top of the cream cheese, completely covering the surface.

In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the apricot jam until it liquefies. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer set over a small bowl.

Using a small pastry brush, gently brush the strawberries with a thin coating of jam.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.

Makes one 9-inch tart.


Basic Tart Dough

Ingredients:
1 egg yolk
2 Tbs. very cold water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
8 Tbs. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

Directions:
In a small bowl, stir together the egg yolk, water and vanilla; set aside. To make the dough by hand, in a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the egg mixture and mix with a fork just until the dough pulls together. To make the dough in a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, stir together the flour, sugar and salt in the mixer bowl. Add the butter and beat on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the egg mixture and beat just until the dough pulls together. Transfer the dough to a work surface, pat into a ball and flatten into a disk. Use the dough immediately, or wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes. To roll out the dough, on a lightly floured board, flatten the disk with 6 to 8 gentle taps of the rolling pin. Lift the dough and give it a quarter turn. Lightly dust the top of the dough or the rolling pin with flour as needed, then roll out until the dough is about 1/8 inch thick. Use a small, sharp knife to cut out a round or rounds 2 inches greater in diameter than your tart or larger tartlet pans. Use a small, sharp knife or a cookie cutter to cut out rounds 1/2 to 1 inch greater in diameter than your miniature tartlet pans. If using a rectangular tart pan, cut out a rectangle 2 inches larger on all sides than the pan. Makes enough dough for one 9 1/2-inch tart, six 4-inch tartlets, twelve 2-inch miniature tartlets or one 13 3/4-by-4 1/4-inch rectangular tart. Nut Dough Variation: Add 2 Tbs. ground toasted pecans, walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts to the flour mixture and proceed as directed. Make-Ahead Tip: The tart dough may be made ahead and frozen for up to 1 month. To freeze, place the dough round on a 12-inch cardboard circle and wrap it well with plastic wrap. Alternatively, use the round to line a tart pan and wrap well.

Despite North Shore theater's closing and economic troubles all over, most local stages are managing to keep their doors open

(Good article, well executed, nice angle. However: It fails to mention the main difference between NSMT and community/summer theaters -- North Shore hires Equity actors at minimums in the $500-per-week range, whereas community theaters typically pay nothing or give a small stipend with no taxes witheld. It's easy to remain profitable if you charge comparable prices to professional theaters but don't pay your workers. And summer theaters don't incur weather-related costs such as winterizing a building, paying for heat, suffering losses during snow storms, etc.)

The Globe says:

The shutdown at the North Shore Music Theatre in January was a dramatic twist, but local stage companies are still playing the first act of the economic downturn.

"We're going into this stage of, how are we going to be able to learn from this and how are we going to adapt to be able to survive?" said Sue Griffin, a member of the board of directors at Marblehead Little Theatre.

Everyone knew that nonprofits would face challenges, but many were still shocked when North Shore Music Theatre cut short its season in Beverly, laid off all but three employees, and began a drive to raise $500,000 by spring in hopes of restarting productions. The April 15 gala opening of the Nordstrom's at Northshore Mall will benefit NSMT, among other charities. But there's no decision on what will happen after April.

Yvonne Abraham: A hub's pulse and grit

The debate over how to fix Downtown Crossing shouldn't obscure one important fact: There is much in this part of the city that is seriously cool.
Yes, the immense pit where Filene's used to be is a depressing sight, a monument to poor planning and bad luck. The empty stores that dot the streets make the whole area seem down-at-the-heel. And it's barren at night.

But despite all of that, if you like your city quirky and real, Downtown Crossing is packed with gems.

At the top of Winter Street, devotees line up at the Falafel King. Kadhim Al Zubaidy greets them all with "How are you brother," and "Hello my friend," and hands them free, hummus-dipped falafels. "I always give the falafel, one in the hand, one on the plate," he says.

At the Corner Mall food court, customers shovel gyros, chicken curries, greasy fries, or a dozen other cuisines from plastic foam containers. They sit alone, their heads buried in novels, or in groups, wearing business suits or paint-spattered pants.

It's an enormous mix of people - blacks, whites, Latinos, Asians - sitting shoulder to shoulder. And that's rare in this still-tribal city.

With its blue neon and glass-brick decor, the Corner Mall is utterly dated. But that's the charm here, and all over Downtown Crossing.

Few individual health policies cover maternity

San Fransisco Chronicle says the number of individual health insurance policies that do not include maternity coverage has risen dramatically in recent years, prompting concern among consumers and a legislative effort to require California insurers to include the benefit.

As more people lose their jobs - and along with that, their health insurance benefits - an increasing number are expected to turn to the individual health insurance market for coverage, an option that is usually less expensive than paying to stay on their former employers' health plans.

Health insurers and consumers who support the right to buy a policy that excludes maternity benefits say they shouldn't have to pay for a service they have no intention of using. They say requiring such coverage would increase premiums and force more people to go without insurance.

Supporters of the mandate, however, argue that denying coverage is unfair to women and that, in exchange for an average $7.17, or 4.24 percent, increase in monthly premium price per individual policyholder, society would save money if fewer women were on government-supported programs.

Modern-day Hooverville

In Sacramento's tent city, a torn economic fabric

A tattered encampment of 200 men and women along the American River is a vivid symbol of a financial crisis otherwise invisible to most Americans. Officials say they will shut it down within a month.

The Depression had Hoover-villes. The energy crisis had snaking gas lines. The state's droughts have empty reservoirs and brown lawns.

But today's deep recession is largely about disappearing wealth -- painful, yes, but difficult to see.