Burma's Stillwell Road: A backbreaking WWII project is revived

  
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More than 1,100 American troops died building the road in what is now Myanmar. Today China and some in India see the long-neglected route as their lifeline.

 It was a road some said couldn't be built. Most of the men ordered to make it happen were African American soldiers sorted into Army units by the color of their skin.

As World War II raged, they labored day and night in the jungles of Burma, sometimes halfway up 10,000-foot mountains, drenched by 140 inches of rain in the five-month monsoon season. They spanned raging rivers and pushed through swamps thick with bloodsucking leeches and swarms of biting mites and mosquitoes that spread typhus and malaria.

Some died from disease or fell to their deaths when construction equipment slid along soupy mud tracks and dropped off cliffs. Others drowned, or were killed pulling double duty in combat against the Japanese.

Not long after the thankless job was done, two atomic blasts finished the war with Japan, and a hard-won passage that soldiers called "the Big Snake" was abandoned to the rain forest. The road had cost 1,133 American lives, a man a mile.

The one day I took the red line home....

Red Line trains experienced significant rush hour delays on Monday, the worst weather-related incident in what has been a tough 72 hours for the storm-bedeviled MBTA

"We understand that some people would be frustrated when these situations occur, but we can promise them that MBTA crews are working very hard in situations like this," said Joe Pesaturo, an MBTA spokesman. "We had one storm after another."

The problem began at 4:45 p.m., when a northbound train at Charles Street was shut down under “emergency mode” after a tripping device at the front of the train detected an unknown problem on the track, Pesaturo said.

The train powered down, triggering a series of delays that would eventually disrupt service in both directions for hours.

Crews hunted for the problem. They didn't realize until 6:10 p.m. -- and a second train had experienced a similar problem -- that snow and ice at the edge of the track were to blame. That possibility wasn't considered earlier because trains had been running on the track all day, Pesaturo said.

Let me get this straight...they didn't consider snow and ice were to blame? We just got three straight days of snow! And Charles is an outdoor station! If only there was an MBTA passenger bill of rights that could have forced them to give us food and water while we were stuck in the tunnel for an hour and a half .....

A 'Nativity' revelation

In the process of restoring it for an upcoming exhibition, the MFA made a surprising discovery. In the Renaissance equivalent of a cut-and-paste job, it appears that Tintoretto changed his mind about the subject, cut the original canvas to rearrange the pieces he didn't like, then - perhaps two decades later - painted over parts of the result to come up with an entirely new composition.

The painting that is now a horizontal nativity was once a vertical crucifixion.




It's a Christmas miracle.
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Always up for new sushi restaurant

Walk into Super Fusion Cuisine II, peek at the menu, and you'll have flashbacks to a dozen other Japanese restaurants where you've unwrapped your chopsticks recently. All the regulars are here: the maki combo, the sushi deluxe, the seaweed salad, even the tragically ubiquitous Philadelphia maki, a mash of cream cheese and smoked salmon.

But then consider the sea rainbow papaya ($9), an unexpected treat unless you're already acquainted with the original Super Fusion Cuisine in Brookline. This appetizer is theatrical, a thick disk of papaya sheathed in crispy tempura, topped with a lemony mix of smoked salmon, tiny scallops and snow crab, and a shrimp arching skyward. It's also very good.

This is the fusion in Super Fusion Cuisine II, little surprises lurking in the eel maki and the sashimi that will make you remember this place among the crush of blond-wood sushi bars.

SUPER FUSION CUISINE II

54 Mt. Auburn St., Watertown, 617-393-0008.

All major credit cards accepted.

Wheelchair accessible.
Prices Sushi $3.25-$45. Entrees $10-$20.
Hours Mon-Thurs 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., 5-10 p.m.; Fri 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., 5-11 p.m.

Sat noon-11 p.m., Sun noon-10 p.m.
Liquor: Wine, beer, and sake.

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Group signs pact for first commercial project at Weymouth air base movie studio

WEYMOUTH — The parties looking to build movie and television production studios on the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station have signed a deal they say clears the way for construction to begin in August.

The $100 million project, called SouthField Studios, will include 11 sound stages, production offices and more than 125,000 square feet of retail and office space.

Design and architectural plans still need to be developed and approved before work on the project begins. The project’s scope was scaled down from what was originally talked about – a $300 million project with up to 15 sound stages.

"Ungrateful Sallie Mae"

Ian McVey could have been anything. He chose to be a Marine. It is not a path that most kids from Weston would take, but Ian Thomas McVey was not most kids.


Last summer, he got his orders: go to Iraq as a platoon commander with the Second Combat Engineer Battalion of the Second Marine Division.

On July 19, not long before his unit was to ship out, McVey's motorcycle was blindsided by a car driven by an 84-year-old woman near Camp Lejeune, N.C.
He was killed instantly. He was 23 years old.

His father, John McVey, had to settle Ian's college loans. He wrote to the lenders, asking that the debts be forgiven. Two wrote back, saying they would forgive the loans.


The third, Sallie Mae, the government-created college loan provider that privatized its operations in 2004, refused.


"What bothers me most is we say our country is at war, but it's only the soldiers, the Marines, and their families who are at war. We're not in this together. Sallie Mae couldn't care less," John McVey said. "I put my heart and soul into that letter. And a computer wrote back."
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Taking heat for not cooking

For the knife-sharpening snark squadrons of Gawker.com and a segment of the gastronomic elite, Rocco DiSpirito has come to embody the Faustian bargain of celebrity in the restaurant business.

He is portrayed, and often satirized, as a supernaturally talented chef who squandered his gifts in the scattershot pursuit of fame, fortune and pink ruffled shirts.

Of course, these days plenty of chefs are hawking products and hustling for TV gigs — Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, Tom Colicchio, Mr. Bourdain himself.

And yet very few of them come in for the vigorous hazings that Mr. DiSpirito endures.

Mr. DiSpirito defends his career path with missionary zeal. What he loves to do, he says, is to bring his rarefied culinary skills to regular folks everywhere. And he hasn't rule out the idea of opening a restaurant someday in the future.

Gift guide for street people

Leave the tags on, keep the colors neutral and remember the socks, according to the LA Times.

The minimalist

Sorbet? Let’s Make It Short and Sweet

By MARK BITTMAN

THE first time I made this sorbet I was ridiculously happy, and I can almost guarantee that you will be, too. It is the epitome of a minimalist recipe, requiring no exotic ingredients, no technique and virtually no time.

If you can shop and press the button on your food processor you can make this sorbet — and make it while you are loading the dishwasher with plates from dinner.

Why sorbet, now? Because its main ingredient is frozen fruit, which is requisite here. Frozen fruits, and vegetables for that matter, are picked when ripe and suspended in their ripeness until you’re ready to use them.

No fruit is as good frozen as perfectly fresh, of course, and many are next to useless, especially when thawed. But frozen fruit is convenient: strawberries are already hulled, mangoes peeled and cubed, peaches are seeded and sliced. It is also relatively cheap. And being frozen makes it a pretty good starting place for a frozen dessert.

So: begin with a bag of your favorite frozen fruit. Put it in the food processor with some yogurt, sugar and a bit of water. Turn the machine on and process until you get the consistency you are after; be careful not to over-process it or you will have a smoothie.

You can be adventurous, too. I made a sorbet using frozen cherries and four ounces of melted, cooled bittersweet chocolate instead of sugar. Rather spectacular.

And not only will you not have to buy an ice cream maker, but you will never again pay $4 for a pint of sorbet.

1 pound frozen strawberries or other fruit
1/2 cup yogurt, crème fraîche or silken tofu
1/4 cup sugar, more or less.

1. Put all the ingredients in a food processor container along with a couple of tablespoons of water. Process until just puréed and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. If the fruit does not break down completely, add a little more water through the feed tube, a tablespoon or two at a time, being careful not to over-process or the sorbet will liquefy.
2. Serve immediately or freeze it for later; if serving later, allow 10 to 15 minutes for sorbet to soften at room temperature.
Yield: At least 4 servings.

Video of the Year

Alas, when they found "Gino," it turns out he's no longer living.

EDAR: Everyone Deserves A Roof

The EDAR is the brainchild of Peter Samuelson, a philanthropist and film producer.

The cart features bins to hold cans, bottles and other recyclables collected by day. It folds out to create a sleeping platform, topped by a canvas cover with zippers and windows.

"I've always believed society is defined by how we deal with our weakest links," Samuelson said. "The best of America is when we take care of the less fortunate."

His first instinct was to build shelters, but then he did the math. Building a bed in a facility runs $50,000 to $100,000. The cost to house all of the county's street denizens would run into the billions. Besides, many of them resist services.

So he thought: What is there that's better than a damp box on a rainy night even if it's not as good as a bed?
The idea of a mobile, single-person shelter popped to mind.

A month after closing, B-Side files for bankruptcy

The owner of the B-Side Lounge, the funky retro Cambridge cocktail bar and restaurant that closed its doors last month, has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

The company, which has yet to file a full accounting of how much it owes creditors, listed $500,001 to $1 million in debt and an equal amount of assets.

A U.S. trustee assigned to the case has proposed liquidating the B-Side’s assets by auction to help pay off creditors. The Jan. 15 sale would include certain personal property at the bar, its liquor license and the lease for its Hampshire Street location, according to court documents.

The nightspot, which made Esquire magazine’s Best Bars in America list this year, was known for its vintage cocktails and the occasional celebrity sighting, including Conan O’Brien and Ben Affleck with then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez.

Defector reaches out to North Korea by balloon

Lee Min-bok sends fliers drifting across the border in hopes of enlightening his former countrymen. Despite an anti-propaganda pact, he's not alone.

Lee Min-bok is equal parts meteorologist, tinkering inventor and political dissident, a man obsessed by a singular goal: to spirit messages to those left behind in his native North Korea -- 23 million countrymen living under the ironfisted rule of Kim Jong Il.

To reach the isolated society devoid of outside newspapers, radio and television, the 52-year-old defector uses a simple yet elegant method to fly under the radar of North Korean intelligence watchdogs: He sends millions of leaflets northward by way of his towering helium balloons.

In this high-tech age, the balloons have struck a nerve with Pyongyang and landed Lee and other launchers center-stage in the Korean peninsula's high-wire political standoff.

Last week, North Korea cited Seoul's inability to control the launches -- by defectors and a handful of civic groups -- as a major reason to again close its border, banning tourists and reducing trade.

Analysts say the leaflets are written in simple language by former North Koreans who intimately know the North's culture and which political buttons to press.

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Dogs have sense of fairness, study finds

No fair! What parent hasn't heard that from a child who thinks another youngster got more of something? Well, it turns out dogs can react the same way.

Ask them to do a trick and they'll give it a try. For a reward - say, sausage - they'll happily keep at it.

But if one dog gets no reward, and then sees another get sausage for doing the same trick, just try to get the first one to do it again. Indeed, the dog may even turn away and refuse to look at you.
Dogs, like people and monkeys, seem to have a sense of fairness.

"Animals react to inequity," said Friederike Range of the University of Vienna, Austria, who led a team of researchers testing animals at the school's Clever Dog Lab. "To avoid stress, we should try to avoid treating them differently."

Is New Bedford on the rebound?

I'll also use this opportunity to tout my brother's photography, which I've used to illustrate this New Bedford story without asking him first. He's super talented.



According to the New York Times, New Bedford may be on the verge of a comeback, with defunct mills undergoing conversion into upscale waterfront condos, and the first downtown hotel since 1958 planned for development this year.



The five-story hotel will incorporate a historic granite structure, which used to be a whale oil refinery, a reminder of the days when New Bedford was the whaling capital of the world. Its facade will combine brick, granite and wood.
The site is just outside the New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park, 13 city blocks of 18th- and 19th-century buildings where the likes of Herman Melville and Frederick Douglass once strolled.
“This is very important to the city,” New Bedford’s mayor, Scott W. Lang, said of the hotel.

The New Bedford Standard-Times also ran a story about the city's revitalization.

And the Worcester Telegram & Gazette has a piece about this "Whale of a City."

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Cost forces college students to transfer, graduate early

The day after senior Alison Brazaitis received her early decision acceptance letter to GW four years ago, she got another letter saying she was not eligible for any financial aid.
The news was devastating to her family, and to make ends meet her mother took a second job. But with an economic crisis at hand and harder times looming, Brazaitis has decided to graduate a semester early to save money.
Brazaitis is one of many GW students who are looking for ways to afford attending college in the midst of economic turmoil. Although GW is no longer the most expensive college in the country, some students have resorted to graduating early or transferring in order to lessen the financial burden.
Dan Small, executive director of student financial aid, said his department has been working to meet the needs of the students.
"We realize that there was a high number compared to other years of those who are struggling, but we are going to figure out how to do this," Small said.
The financial aid office has responded to more than 100 letters from students concerned about their financial situation, Small said.

Here comes Big Red

Not sure how I feel about this :

With more riders flocking to the MBTA, the public transit agency has decided to experiment with making two Red Line cars roomier by removing most of their seats.

The modified cars, which will be dubbed “Big Red” cars, will be used on one of 28 six-car rush hour trains during the pilot program, which begins Monday. The program is modeled on similar efforts in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City.

Video of the Day

Lucky pengiun!

Should pot really be taxed?

I voted yes to legalize small amounts of marijuana in Massachusetts in November. California is now considering a similar measure, and this LA Times column sheds some light on the potential for revenue. It brings up some interesting points, such as:

You have to consider that legalizing it would have its own costs. Recent research shows marijuana to be more addictive than was thought. Because marijuana is illegal, and because its users often smoke tobacco or use other drugs, teasing out marijuana's health effects and associated costs is almost impossible. And more people would smoke it regularly if it were legal -- estimates say 60% to 70% of the population as opposed to 20% to 30% now -- and the social costs would rise. There's also doubt about figures from Harvard's Jeffrey Miron, who says that billions spent on enforcing marijuana laws could all be saved by legalization. Research finds that many marijuana arrests are collateral -- say, part of DUI checks or curfew arrests -- and many arrestees already have criminal records, meaning they might wind up behind bars for something else even if marijuana were legal. Legalization also wouldn't do away with pot-related crime entirely. There would likely be a black market, just as there is in other regulated substances, such as cigarettes and liquor. That means police and prosecution, which cost money. As to the tax benefit, that's partly a function of the price point for legalized pot. If everyone could legally grow and consume dope, then the crop probably wouldn't be worth $35 billion and the taxes wouldn't be anything to write home about.

These are all things I wondered about before election day, particularly the part of collateral arrests, as I saw that firsthand as a cops reporter.

Thoughts?

Check out next time you're in Norwood

Before or after a night of Fiddlehead Theatre?

Olivadi Restaurant is in Norwood Center and takes its cues from the Calabrian cuisine, which isn't my favorite (though it is technically my ethnicity) but seems to make for an interesting, varied menu.

Cambridge: The only place not in a recession

Need evidence?

Just look at this monstrosity they built, at a time when most municipalities are trying as hard as they can to regionalize police, fire and 911 call centers to save money.

The best part in my mind is that they named it after their CURRENT city manager, who -- just a guess here -- was probably instrumental in getting the money for this to be built.

Read all about it, here.

Zimbabwe villagers face starvation

The twin miseries of crop failure and economic collapse have left Zimbabwe's villages without food. Millions survive on nothing but wild fruit, and many have died.


"Children are dying out in the bush," one foreign doctor says, on condition of anonymity. "We are all guarded. We have to keep quiet or else we'll be kicked out" by the government.


The crisis has been exacerbated by President Robert Mugabe's decision in June to suspend humanitarian aid during the run-up to his one-man presidential runoff.


People search for scraps in garbage dumps, working shoulder-to-shoulder with baboons. Others dig for crickets to eat, and at least one woman cooked a meal of poisonous fruit for herself and her three children to spare them ongoing misery.

Today's video of the day

Rick Astley |MTV Music

Today's video of the day

Because it's Monday.

Who's leaving mystery meat on Framingham common?

This has been going on too long for me not to blog about it.

Someone has been leaving huge cuts of meat -- and not shabby meat, either, but choice cuts -- on the grass in Framingham's town common.

It happens in the morning and has been going on for six weeks.

Police are totally stumped.

Is it you?

MTV Video of the Day

Michael Jackson MTV Music

All videos, all the time

Just as MTV used to be. Go back to the 80s! www.mtvmusic.com!

The Smiths |MTV Music

Because it's Friday

Props to Brento.

Downtown Crossing: the next Faneuil Hall?

Mayor Thomas M. Menino and business executives are moving to create a special tax on Downtown Crossing business owners to raise millions of dollars a year to pay for streetscape improvements and other upgrades to the gritty shopping district.

City officials and executives are seeking to create what's known as a business improvement district. They said that it will help soften the ambiance of Downtown Crossing, where vacant storefronts mix with million-dollar condominiums, decades-old jewelry stores, and swank new restaurants.

"This is going to be the new retail area of our city, and its best days are still ahead of it," Menino said. "I'm very bullish on this idea. We have some good leadership in place to make it a reality."

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Another one bites the dust

Two, actually.

Yesterday, attention beaders/scrapbookers/knitters, I found out that Spark Crafts in Porter Square is closing -- for good. Not long ago, maybe a year, they relocated here from Davis Square. To my knowledge, they have had a loyal following. But these are not good times for anyone, and I guess crafting is a luxury.

And today, I found out the Abbey Lounge is closing as well.

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Mr. and Miss Jay get a Top Model spinoff!

Jay Manuel and J. Alexander plan their own show.

"Operation Fabulous," if it is picked up by the CW, will follow them as they ride into small towns across the country to advise everyday girls on how to work it in the real world.

Both men began separate careers in fashion long before being recruited by Banks for "Top Model" -- Manuel as a makeup artist and Alexander as a model turned runway walk instructor. On "Operation Fabulous," the pair would do for the plain Jane what "Queer Eye" did for the straight guy.

Say it ain't so: Out of Town News is closing?

Granted, I no longer frequent Harvard Square because it has sucked for at least 10 years now. But this is so...historic!

The Cambridge Chronicle reports that the iconic landmark has not renewed its lease, which is set to expire the end of this month. Construction to "improve" the square has hurt business for years, and the internet seems to have driven the final nail into their newsstand coffin.

Ski-tacular

Just thinking ahead, before the snow falls (in Boston, anyway).

We all know last year's ski season was out of this world. Happily, the resorts put that extra coin into some major improvements.

Find a rundown of the upgrades here, at the Globe's ski preview section.

Expect better snow machines, refurbished base lodges, expanded trail acreage and increased rental options.

There's also a helpful guide to what each resort can offer -- lots of beginner trails? Perfect grooming? Fast lifts? Cheap ticket packages?

I'm there.

Cute gift idea

This could hold a PDA, Blackberry, GPS, digital camera, ipod, Zune, whatever. I love it!

This sounds yum

I'm always a fan of Cesare Casella. Courtesy of Daily Candy, this has a good combo of salad and protein:

Insalata Pontormo

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil1 tbsp.
• mixed fresh herbs (any combination of rosemary, thyme, basil, savory, chives, oregano, and mint)
• 3½ oz. Italian pancetta, sliced and cut into strips
• 6 eggs
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 c. mixed salad greens
• 3 tbsp. Pontormo Dressing (recipe follows)

1. Place olive oil, herbs, and pancetta in large frying pan and cook over medium heat.2. When pancetta is transparent (about 5-7 minutes), beat eggs with salt and pepper and scramble everything in the pan. The eggs shouldn’t be too dry. If they are drying, remove from heat and continue stirring.3. Dress greens with the Pontormo dressing, mix in eggs, and serve immediately. (If you want a bit of crunch, add croutons or serve with crusty bread.)

Pontormo Dressing

1 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp. red wine

¾ tsp. salt

½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper

¼ c. extra-virgin olive oil

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegars and wine. Whisk in salt and pepper, then olive oil.

Birth center's possible demise ignites protest

A proposal to cease all deliveries at the North Shore Birth Center in Beverly - one of only two hospital-affiliated centers statewide that offer natural birth options - has ignited a passionate protest from women across the region.

With a debate and potential vote by Beverly Hospital's board of trustees expected Tuesday morning, women have been picketing the hospital, circulating fliers, writing letters to board members, blogging and organizing on Facebook, where more than 500 members have already signed on to the campaign.

The center's nurse-midwives, operating out of a cozy, homelike bungalow on the grounds of Beverly Hospital, have helped deliver more than 6,000 babies since the facility opened in 1980.

Unlike a hospital setting offering drugs to induce labor and control pain and machines to monitor the process, the center features a Jacuzzi or tub for labor and delivery, holistic approaches to pain management, and a kitchen, living room, garden, and deck encouraging family and friends to gather and participate in the birth.

This is me

Boston Globe: As the number of people carrying smart phones climbs, those with antiquated mobiles are feeling a creeping sense of embarrassment over their late conversion to new technology.

According to the Consumer Electronics Association, the number of iPhones, BlackBerries, and other smart phones has nearly tripled in the past year.

"You can tell a lot about a person by the kind of phone they carry," says image consultant Doris Klietmann. "If you have someone with a BlackBerry, you can usually assume they're educated and they either earn a good salary or they have an important job that requires them to be in constant communication."

That's my phone on the right. Except it can't take photos. Time to upgrade you think?

Ahmadinejad Congratulates Obama, Urges 'Real' Change

TEHRAN, Nov. 6 -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has congratulated President-elect Barack Obama on his victory, the first time since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution that an Iranian leader has offered such wishes to an American counterpart.

Ahmadinejad wrote a letter to Obama saying Iran would welcome "major, fair and real changes, in policies and actions, especially in this region," according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency.

Analysts here say the letter indicates that Iran is ready to improve relations with the United States.

Broadway's rough road ahead

The second-act rendition of “Let’s Hang On,” in “Jersey Boys,” might be Broadway’s anthem at the moment.

Nearly every show had its audience shrink last week, with 14 productions experiencing more than a 10 percent drop in ticket sales.
So musicals and plays are trying to hang on until the holidays bring an influx of cheer-seeking visitors to New York, looking to be entertained.

After the new year they will try to hang on again, through January and February, traditionally two of the industry’s slowest months.

Three musicals, “Hairspray,” “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” and “Spring Awakening,” have already announced that they are closing in January. A handful of others have been struggling to fill seats.

Big change for the newsweekly market

U.S. News & World Report Going Monthly
In June, U.S. News moved its publishing schedule from weekly to biweekly and it's no surprise that the magazine has struggled to compete with its traditional competitors -- Time and Newsweek -- even as those magazines have had their own difficulties in this depressing journalism environment.

U.S. News has tried boosting its PR efforts, stepping up its web presence and embracing its image as the-magazine-that-makes-a-lot-of-lists.
Still, there have been plenty of layoffs and, last year, the New York Post's Keith Kelly reported that "The magazine has not made any money since the dot-com bubble burst in 2001."

Election night: Where I wish I was

Yup, Ben's chili bowl.

Actually, this whole thing has me in a bit of D.C. mourning today; there's nothing like watching election returns in Washington. I can't believe that the year I last did that was Bush-Gore.

Ryanair may be flying stateside

Well, TO the states from Europe, according to this article.

It all sounds fine and dandy as long as you realize you'll have to pay a lot in ground transport to get you from Ryanair's far-flung airport partners to your final destination.

Teens say they're reading urban fiction because it reflects life in the city. Should parents be concerned?

Urban fiction - also known as street lit or street fiction - is a style of literature that depicts drugs, violence, and sexual promiscuity in black and Latino neighborhoods.

Some of the books detail the extravagant lifestyles of drug dealers.

Others describe the bloody violence associated with the drug trade.

The sex scenes in some of the novels are extremely explicit, and sex is often used as a form of power rather than an expression of love.

As more teenagers fall under the spell of street-lit novels, some adults worry about how the content is influencing teenagers.

But teens and some adults insist that the content of the books doesn't change mind-sets.

This is interesting

4 Surprising Signs You'll Live a Long Time

( Eater's Digest)

We all know the obvious ways to add years to your life: Don't smoke, eat your veggies, wear a seat belt (even in the backseat). But there are other, lesser-known habits and attributes that can help you live to a ripe old age.

YOU SKIP SODA (EVEN DIET)
I finally kicked my diet cola habit in my 20s, a good thing too, because scientists in Boston recently found that drinking one or more regular or diet sodas every day doubles your risk of metabolic syndrome-- combination of conditions that increase your chances of heart disease and diabetes. The exact culprit isn't completely understood, but it could be the caramel color added to colas and other dark sodas, which increased the risk for metabolic syndrome in animals. Experts also speculate that exposing your tastebuds to the sweet fizzy flavor of soda conditions you to crave sugary foods, which can lead to weight gain. Whatever the reason, it's an easy enough habit to quit. Club soda (sodium free, of course) with a splash of juice satisfies the fizz craving with just enough sweetness.

YOUR LEGS ARE STRONG
Lower-body strength means you also have good balance, flexibility, and endurance. While you probably care more about how your legs look in a mini and a pair of knee-high boots right now, as you get older those attributes reduce your risk of falls, injuries, and hip fractures, all of which are associated with declining health in older folks. So do some squats, lunges, and stair climbing to look good now-- and be strong and healthy later. It's win-win!

YOUR MOM HAD YOU YOUNG
If she was under age 25, you're twice as likely to live to age 100 as someone born to an older mom, according to University of Chicago scientists. The reason, they suspect, is that younger moms' best eggs go first to fertilization, which may mean healthier offspring.

YOU EAT AND DRINK PURPLE THINGS
Red wine, concord grapes, blueberries (okay, not quite purple, but close enough) all get that deep rich color from polyphenols- compounds that reduce heart disease risk and may even protect against Alzheimer's disease, according to new research. So crack open a bottle of Pinot (don't overdo it), snack on some grapes, or make a blueberry pie and ponder all the years that lie ahead.
Talk about happy and healthy!

My favorite Halloween pet photos from Boston.com

Apparently chicken heads are the preferred costume for cats this year.

Time to buy stock in Nice 'N Easy

You will not catch me doing this.

With stock portfolios in the toilet, layoffs looming everywhere and credit hard to come by, many folks are looking for places to cut back.

That includes their own heads.

Consumers are slashing their budgets by skipping visits to upscale hair salons and opting for inexpensive stylists. Some are getting haircuts less often or dyeing their own locks at home.

GW: No longer the most expensive college in the nation

After two years as the most expensive college in the country, GW has given up the top spot to Sarah Lawrence College, University officials confirmed this week.

Apparently coyotes frolic too

Spotted in Natick:

Coyote making merry with a (domesticated) dog's Santa toy.

NY Times: Leading in Job Losses, Rhode Island Struggles On

Rhode Island now has the highest unemployment rate in the nation, the first time the state has held that distinction in the three decades since such records have been kept.

With unemployment at 8.8 percent, Rhode Island has edged past Michigan, and every month seems to bring fresh reports of companies cutting workers, shutting divisions, closing altogether.

“I hate to say it but a distinct improvement for Rhode Island right now would be to have our economy be dead in the water,” said Leonard Lardaro, an economics professor at the University of Rhode Island, who compiles an index of Rhode Island’s economic health.

“Statistically this is the worst year. Clearly we’re going down faster than other states.”

Man installs barrier on street, forcing residents to walk to their homes. L.A. officials are trying to resolve the dispute.

Maria Freyre could not believe her eyes last week when she pulled onto the Lincoln Heights street where she has lived for 45 years.

A neighbor had erected a steel gate across Forest Park Drive, blocking 18 residents' access to their homes.

A simmering neighborhood dispute had prompted Gardner Compton's barricade. Forest Park Drive crosses private property, Compton said -- his. He was willing to let his neighbors walk on foot along the narrow dirt road, but cars were no longer allowed.

Angry residents called Los Angeles authorities, who pledged that they would move quickly to resolve the dispute and have the gate removed from the street, which has been in use since 1924.

Residents say they are lugging groceries past the gate and using miner-style flashlights to hike back and forth at night to their cars.

'Boston Globe' Will Drop Two Sections, Add New Tab

 Just like its sister paper in New York, The Boston Globe is in the midst of reworking its section make-up, effective with the Oct. 24 edition. The Globe is dropping two sections while introducing a new tabloid called "g" that will run in the paper.

While other newspapers across the country, including The New York Times, are hot to fold metro into the A section, the Globe opted to keep it as a stand-alone. 

The paper will continue to carry the A section and sports along with metro. Business will become part of metro. Features and arts and entertainment-related items that ran in Sidekick, will be incorporated in the new tab, "g."

Thoughts on losing Sidekick?

A water taxi for the Mystic?

The part that confuses me: why wouldn't it go to Boston? Who wants to take a boat ride from Medford Square to Malden or Everett? That serves no one.

Read more here.

"A pitch for soccer in East Somerville"

While I agree that moving the Revolution from Foxborough to the city would tap soccer's fan base and make games accessible to public transportation, this area has several problems:

#1) The traffic is already horrible (not that Foxborough's isn't, but there aren't any suburban side streets to avoid an d absorb game traffic here; Somerville is the most densely populated city in America after Manhattan)

#2) The green line extension, as this article mentions, will eat up some free space around here, and Somerville has worked too hard on not having the same parking problems as Cambridge.

#3) The article fails to mention the GINORMOUS IKEA that is also being built over here! I'm nervous enough about how that store will affect the city and traffic from 93 in Boston to Medford; now you want soccer games, too??

Read the article here.

Finally! It's on sale!

And I can't buy it because I'm going to Florida. I seriously doubt they sell trench coats in Florida.



And, of course, they're out of my size online. Figures.



Was $225, now $157.





I've been wanting this thing for months. Now it's nearly $70 cheaper, and back in my price range. This is madness.

A new survey by CareerBuilder.com might hold the key to your career using your zodiac sign.

Scorpio, Leo, Taurus and Cancer signs were the most likely to earn $100,000 or more per year while Aquarius and Capricorn signs were most likely to earn $35,000 or less, according to the survey, which included more than 8,700 workers and was conducted nationwide across industries.

Pisces, Sagittarius and Capricorn were the most satisfied with their current jobs, and Gemini and Cancer reported being the least satisfied.

Read on to see how key characteristics of different zodiac signs matched up with the careers survey respondents reported.

Can this be pro life?

The Bush administration this month is quietly cutting off birth control supplies to some of the world’s poorest women in Africa.

Thus the paradox of a “pro-life” administration adopting a policy whose result will be tens of thousands of additional abortions each year — along with more women dying in childbirth.

The saga also spotlights a clear difference between Barack Obama and John McCain.
Senator Obama supports U.N.-led efforts to promote family planning; Senator McCain stands with President Bush in opposing certain crucial efforts to help women reduce unwanted pregnancies in Africa and Asia.

'Turk Turkee,' menacing Harvard

She may have a small brain, but if she's choosing to harass Harvard students, perhaps she's smarter than they think? I wonder if it's related to the Kendall Square turkey...

From the Globe:

When she's sleepy, she has taken a fondness to napping in the dean's garden. Sometimes, she'll spend hours staring at herself in the windows of the many surrounding buildings, no matter how many students tread past.
But after about a year waddling around the manicured campus, Harvard Business School's so-called Turk Turkee has become less of a mascot than a feathered menace.

The hen has "become very aggressive," said Gaia Bravicich, a master of business administration candidate from Italy who says the turkey often roosts in front of her dorm. "I don't want anything bad to happen to [her], but it's not safe. [She] scares me and a lot of other people. I don't feel comfortable walking outside a lot of the time now."

Jim Cardoza, a wildlife biologist with the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, said he wasn't surprised to hear about Turk Turkee nesting on campus - or about the complaints.
"It's like coyotes, raccoons, and skunks. When they become accustomed to people, and there are abundant food supplies, and they're not harassed, they lose their fear of people," Cardoza said. "I wouldn't call them dangerous, but I can understand how grown adults might be afraid of them."

Better train service to Worcester, New Bedford?

Massachusetts political leaders plan to announce a $100 million deal today to buy train tracks from a private rail company in hopes of improving commuter service between Boston and Central Massachusetts and obtaining a key link for a new commuter line to Fall River and New Bedford.

Train service has been a source of frustration all along the east-west corridor, where commuters from suburban towns such as Wellesley and Framingham have joined Worcester residents in demanding more frequent and more reliable service to Boston. Murray, a former Worcester mayor, ran for statewide office in part on promises to revamp service.

Under today's deal, improvements to service are expected to happen in stages.

Winter Hill gang hub gets some religion

Once, it was the headquarters of Somerville's notorious Winter Hill Gang, the auto body shop where debts were settled, along with old scores. There, James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi met and forged a partnership that would lead to murder, corruption, and a FBI scandal.

But soon the infamous hangout of gun-toting gangsters in the 1970s will be born again - as a Pentecostal church.

A preacher who bought the Marshall Street garage earlier this year from former gang leader Howie Winter said he plans to transform the building into the new home of the Somerville Church of God, which will open its doors in January.

The planned transformation was greeted yesterday with amusement by several of the gang's former members as they reminisced about the old days.

"Hallelujah!" said John Martorano, a 67-year-old hitman-turned-government witness who confessed to killing 20 people - including one victim that he shot to death in the garage in 1974. "I think it's great. I'm all for religion."

Can you be a VP and not read the newspaper?

Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin repeatedly failed to cite a newspaper or magazine when asked what she had read regularly before John McCain picked her as his running mate, saying only that she had read "most of them."

Palin also said that she doesn't believe that the media's coverage of her has been sexist. "It would be sexist if the media were to hold back and not ask me about my experience, my vision, my principles, my values," said Palin, Alaska's governor.

In an interview aired Tuesday on "The CBS Evening News," anchor Katie Couric asked Palin what publications she had read to stay informed and to understand the world.

"I've read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media," Palin replied. Asked for examples, she said, "Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years."

Study traces AIDS virus origin to 100 years ago

NEW YORK—The AIDS virus has been circulating among people for about 100 years, decades longer than scientists had thought, a new study suggests. 

Genetic analysis pushes the estimated origin of HIV back to between 1884 and 1924, with a more focused estimate at 1908.

Previously, scientists had estimated the origin at around 1930. AIDS wasn't recognized formally until 1981 when it got the attention of public health officials in the United States. 

The results appear in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.

This is not a new idea

It's just sad that the economy has to get this bad before Boston "thinks of" this. Other parts of the country synchronized their lights several years ago! 

Boston drivers waste hundreds of thousands of hours stuck at traffic lights -- and hundreds of thousands of gallons of precious gasoline as their cars idle. Now the city says it's moving to adjust the lights -- saving people's time and the planet at the same time.

"We’re always looking at ways in which we can lower our emissions and be smarter about moving traffic," Thomas J. Tinlin, the city transportation commissioner, said.

Timing adjustments to the lights at 60 intersections in the Back Bay this summer have sharply reduced traffic delays, city officials said today. 

The officials estimated that, on an annual basis, the adjustments will save 135,000 hours of people's time and 125,000 gallons of gasoline, while eliminating 9.5 tons of carbon monoxide emissions.