Cash for Candy: Dentists to buy kids' Halloween haul - Framingham, MA - The MetroWest Daily News
Posted using ShareThis
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Get ready to vomit: Beef truck crashes into Weston tolls
Just watch the video -- vegetarians beware: your stomach may turn at the sight of all this raw meat, but do yourself a favor and don't contemplate the likely odor from it sitting out there since 3 a.m.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Months to Live: Fellow inmates ease pain of dying in jail
Allen Jacobs lived hard for his 50 years, and when his liver finally shut down he faced the kind of death he did not want. On a recent afternoon Mr. Jacobs lay in a hospital bed staring blankly at the ceiling, his eyes sunk in his skull, his skin lusterless. A volunteer hospice worker, Wensley Roberts, ran a wet sponge over Mr. Jacobs’s dry lips, encouraging him to drink.“Come on, Mr. Jacobs,” he said.
Mr. Roberts is one of a dozen inmates at the Coxsackie Correctional Facility who volunteer to sit with fellow prisoners in the last six months of their lives. More than 3,000 prisoners a year die of natural causes in correctional facilities.
Mr. Roberts recalled a day when Mr. Jacobs, then more coherent, had started crying. Mr. Roberts held his patient and tried to console him. Then their experience took a turn unique to their setting, the medical ward of a maximum security prison. Mr. Roberts said he told Mr. Jacobs to “man up.”
Mr. Jacobs, serving two to four years for passing forged checks, cursed at him, telling him, “‘I don’t want to die in jail. Do you want to die in jail?’ ”
“I said no,” said Mr. Roberts, who is serving eight years for robbery. “He said, ‘Then stop telling me to man up,’ and he started crying. And then he said that I’m h
is family.”
is family.” American prisons are home to a growing geriatric population, with one-third of all inmates expected to be over 50 by next year. As courts have handed down longer sentences and tightened parole, about 75 prisons have started hospice programs, half of them using inmate volunteers, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.
Joan Smith, deputy superintendent of health services at the Coxsackie prison, said the hospice program here initially met with resistance from prison guards. “They were very resentful about people in prison for horrendous crimes getting better medical care than their families,” including round-the-clock companionship in their final days, Ms. Smith said.
The guards have come to accept the program, she said. But still there are challenges unique to the prison setting. Some dying patients, for example, divert their pain medication to their volunteer aides or other patients, who use it or sell it, said Kathleen Allan, the director of nursing. She added that patients can be made victims easily, “and this is a predatory system.”
But she said the inmate volunteers bond with the patients in a way that staff members cannot, taking on “the touchy-feely thing” that may be inappropriate between inmates and prison workers.
Read the entire article here:
Thursday, October 15, 2009
In India, New Seat of Power for Women
Prospective Brides Demand Sought-After Commodity: A Toilet
NILOKHERI, India -- An ideal groom in this dusty farming village is a vegetarian, does not drink, has good prospects for a stable job and promises his bride-to-be an amenity in high demand: a toilet.
In rural India, many young women are refusing to marry unless the suitor furnishes their future home with a bathroom, freeing them from the inconvenience and embarrassment of using community toilets or squatting in fields.
About 665 million people in India -- about half the population -- lack access to latrines. But since a "No Toilet, No Bride" campaign started about two years ago, 1.4 million toilets have been built here in the northern state of Haryana, some with government funds, according to the state's health department.
Women's rights activists call the program a revolution as it spreads across India's vast and largely impoverished rural areas.
"I won't let my daughter near a boy who doesn't have a latrine," said Usha Pagdi, who made sure that daughter Vimlas Sasva, 18, finished high school and took courses in electronics at a technical school.
"No loo? No 'I do,' " Vimlas said, laughing as she repeated a radio jingle.
Indian girls are traditionally seen as a financial liability because of the wedding dowries -- often a life's savings -- their fathers often shell out to the groom's family. But that is slowly changing as women marry later and grow more financially self-reliant.
A societal preference for boys here has become an unlikely source of power for Indian women. The abortion of female fetuses in favor of sons -- an illegal but widespread practice -- means there are more eligible bachelors than potential brides, allowing women and their parents to be more selective when arranging a match.
With economic freedom, women are increasingly expecting more, and toilets are at the top of their list, they say.
The lack of sanitation is not only an inconvenience but also contributes to the spread of diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid and malaria.
"Women suffer the most since there are prying eyes everywhere," said Ashok Gera, a doctor who works in a one-room clinic here. "It's humiliating, harrowing and extremely unhealthy. I see so many young women who have prolonged urinary tract infections and kidney and liver problems because they don't have a safe place to go."
GWU lauded for "green move-out"
Finally, someone made good use of all the waste that's produced on student move-out day. This should definitely catch on in Boston!
The George Washington University Hatchet reports:
The George Washington University Hatchet reports:
The Washington Business Journal recognized GW's Green Move-Out program with
a Green Business Award for Innovation on Thursday.
The award highlights the
University's efforts to green-up their act with the move out program, which the
WBJ called a creative solution for the tons of waste students leave behind
during move out every year.
Instead of throwing away what students leave
behind during move out, which would add to area landfills, Green Move-Out
donated the items students left behind to local food banks and homeless
shelters.
Green Move-Out 2009 collected 2,169 bags of clothing, which was equivalent
to 50,537 pounds, according to the Green Move-Out Web site. Additionally, 2,719
pounds of food donations were collected.
"The amount of donations equates to
the weight of over 17 hippos, 9,450 MacBooks or 69,000 tall Starbucks lattes,"
said Matt Trainum, a director of GW Housing Programs, in an e-mail.
These
items are then given to various charities, including The National Children's
Center, Bread for the City, So Others Might Eat, the Capital Area Food Bank and
local animal shelters.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Secretariat's story is heading to the big screen!
Check it in the Globe
And, for anyone else out there's who's dying like I am for a dearth of races to watch, a little nostalgia. I'm not embarassed to say I almost shed a tear watching this at work:
And, for anyone else out there's who's dying like I am for a dearth of races to watch, a little nostalgia. I'm not embarassed to say I almost shed a tear watching this at work:
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
A new gelateria in town? I'll be the judge
There's a critical test they must pass, and so far only one venue -- Gelateria in the North End -- has measured up: Do they allow you to order two flavors in one dish (mezzo fragola e mezzo limone is my favorite), as all gelato shops in Italy do? Most importantly -- do they do this without charging you for an extra scoop (which you're not really getting?)
I'll let you know how it goes at Piattini ("little plates"), which offers Boston a new gelateria -- and more -- on Newbury Street. Check it out and let me know what you think! Is this the real deal?
Amandabout.town does NOT compromise when it comes to genuine gelato!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Quel Horreur: Gourmet Magazine to fold permanently!
Boston Globe/ AP reports:
Gourmet, the nation's oldest food magazine, is being closed by Conde Nast Publications as the high-end magazine publisher tries to weather a devastating advertising slump.
NEW YORK --Gourmet, the nation's oldest food magazine, is being closed by Conde Nast Publications as the high-end magazine publisher tries to weather a devastating advertising slump.
Conde Nast is also closing Modern Bride, Elegant Bride and Cookie, a parenting magazine. Earlier in the year it killed publication of Portfolio, a business magazine, and Domino, a lifestyle title.
Conde Nast had no immediate comment. But in a memo Monday, Conde Nast employees were told the magazine shutdowns were required "to navigate the company through the economic downturn and to position us to take advantage of coming opportunities."
Consultants from McKinsey & Co. have been helping the publisher identify ways to cut costs in a brutal media slump. For instance, Gourmet's ad pages were down 50 percent in the second quarter from the year before, according to the Publishers Information Bureau.
Conde Nast Publications, run by billionaire S.I. Newhouse Jr., also publishes such magazines as Vogue, The New Yorker and Wired and is a unit of privately held Advance Publications Inc. It is retaining a separate food publication, Bon Appetit.
The Conde Nast memo said that as Modern Bride and Elegant Bride close, a third magazine, Brides, will be upgraded to monthly instead of coming out every two months.
Gourmet, which debuted in the 1940s, is revered by many culinary aficionados and edited by Ruth Reichl. Now, Conde Nast said, Gourmet's brand will live on in books and TV programming.
Gourmet, the nation's oldest food magazine, is being closed by Conde Nast Publications as the high-end magazine publisher tries to weather a devastating advertising slump.
NEW YORK --Gourmet, the nation's oldest food magazine, is being closed by Conde Nast Publications as the high-end magazine publisher tries to weather a devastating advertising slump.
Conde Nast is also closing Modern Bride, Elegant Bride and Cookie, a parenting magazine. Earlier in the year it killed publication of Portfolio, a business magazine, and Domino, a lifestyle title.
Conde Nast had no immediate comment. But in a memo Monday, Conde Nast employees were told the magazine shutdowns were required "to navigate the company through the economic downturn and to position us to take advantage of coming opportunities."
Consultants from McKinsey & Co. have been helping the publisher identify ways to cut costs in a brutal media slump. For instance, Gourmet's ad pages were down 50 percent in the second quarter from the year before, according to the Publishers Information Bureau.
Conde Nast Publications, run by billionaire S.I. Newhouse Jr., also publishes such magazines as Vogue, The New Yorker and Wired and is a unit of privately held Advance Publications Inc. It is retaining a separate food publication, Bon Appetit.
The Conde Nast memo said that as Modern Bride and Elegant Bride close, a third magazine, Brides, will be upgraded to monthly instead of coming out every two months.
Gourmet, which debuted in the 1940s, is revered by many culinary aficionados and edited by Ruth Reichl. Now, Conde Nast said, Gourmet's brand will live on in books and TV programming.
Somerville Hospital official: Ambulances coming back
Dr. Assaad Sayah under a poster honoring Somerville Hospital.
(This story confuses me. My husband and I were really blessed to have our only medical emergency before the hospital closed the in-patient wing in July. What would we do now? And, if we had a 'pediatric or neurological emergency' as the article states, would we be risking our lives if we got sent here by ambulance?)
Boston.com reports:
The head of emergency medicine at Somerville Hospital says that patients are arriving via ambulance regularly, after a slight dip this summer, when the hospital stopped offering in-patient treatment for budgetary reasons.
Arrivals fell by 5 to 10 percent after the in-patient wing closed in July, according to Dr. Assaad Sayah, who blamed the lull on a "miscommunication" between the hospital and paramedic companies.
"They had questions about the [quality of] care," Sayah said. "But we've proven that the care is appropriate."
Cataldo Ambulance Service, Inc., the hospital's main provider, declined comment on Tuesday.
But Sayah said ambulances are running at full throttle, because under the new system, individuals requiring in-patient admittance are quickly transferred to Cambridge Hospital, which like Somerville belongs to the Cambridge Health Alliance. And, Sayah said, transfers jump to the front of the line for beds when they arrive.
"We did that because we wanted people to feel as comfortable [checking into Somerville] as in other places," he said.
Patients go to Whidden Hospital in Everett - another Alliance partner - if Cambridge is full, and the same transfer policy applies.
Assaad said 9 percent of Somerville's roughly 23,000 patients require admittance each year.
Somerville patients are transferred out of the Alliance network if they require neurological or pediatric intensive care, and in that case, they don't have priority on a bed.
But about 90 to 95 percent of in-patient cases remain in the network, according to Dr. Christopher Grieves, who works in the emergency department in Somerville.
A list of upcoming library book sales
One of my all-time favorites, the Malden Public Library Sale:
Mark your calendars! The Friends of the Malden Public Library annual book and bake sale is Saturday, October 17, 2009, 10:00am-4:00pm. The book sale preview for Friends members will be Friday, October 16, 2009, 6:00-9:00pm. Purchase a membership at the door for $10. Hardcovers $1.00, paperbacks $.50; children’s books $.25 or 5/$1.00.
And the Somerville Public Library Book Sale:
Preview Sale for memberships at the $50 level and above: Thursday, October 22, 2009, 5:00-8:00pm; Public Sale Friday, October 23, 2009, 2:00-4:00 pm, Saturday, October 24, 2009 10:00-4:00 pm, Sunday, October 25, 2009 1:30-3:30 pm.
Mark your calendars! The Friends of the Malden Public Library annual book and bake sale is Saturday, October 17, 2009, 10:00am-4:00pm. The book sale preview for Friends members will be Friday, October 16, 2009, 6:00-9:00pm. Purchase a membership at the door for $10. Hardcovers $1.00, paperbacks $.50; children’s books $.25 or 5/$1.00.
And the Somerville Public Library Book Sale:
Preview Sale for memberships at the $50 level and above: Thursday, October 22, 2009, 5:00-8:00pm; Public Sale Friday, October 23, 2009, 2:00-4:00 pm, Saturday, October 24, 2009 10:00-4:00 pm, Sunday, October 25, 2009 1:30-3:30 pm.
It's not often I say I told you so, but....
I knew this was going to happen even before the economy tanked!
The Boston Globe reports that 55 condos at Natick mall sold at auction this weekend
Going. Going. Gone.
It was standing room only inside a balmy, excitement-filled Crowne Plaza Boston ballroom yesterday as 55 of Nouvelle at Natick’s remaining 178 luxury condos sold at auction.
Buyers walked away with units at 36 percent to 64 percent off the original asking prices for the condos, which are adjacent to the Natick Collection mall. One penthouse suite sold for $626,000, more than $1 million less than its original price.
Among the winners were people who weren’t in the housing market before the auction was announced in early September, like Michael Yee, a 33-year-old marketing professional.
“I was waiting until spring 2010,’’ said Yee, who got his 922-square-foot, one-bedroom condo for $281,000, far below its $514,900 original price. He plans to move out of his studio apartment in Brighton by the end of November. “Now I have to break it to my landlord.’’
Prior to yesterday’s event, which organizers estimate drew about 400 people, only 37 of the 215 units had been sold or were under agreement, despite all the hype surrounding one of New England’s few condo complexes connected to a mall.
Now, in addition to immediate Natick Collection access, yesterday’s winners will get a host of upscale amenities that accompany their new digs: an on-site gym that offers yoga and Pilates; valet dry cleaning; a 1.2-acre rooftop garden with putting greens; and 24-hour doormen.
The auction is the latest twist in a saga that started two years ago when the condos hit the market. In recent months, the developer, General Growth Properties, has declared bankruptcy and had been slapped with liens by contractors who are owed money for work at Nouvelle.
In a bid to push selling, General Growth hired the Boston office of Accelerated Marketing Partners to auction a portion of Nouvelle’s unsold units.
Overall, General Growth took a huge hit on what they were originally asking: Yesterday’s auctioned units sold for $249,900 to $626,000, down from asking prices of $479,900 to $1.7 million - but the payoff in millions was immediate.
New owners who got a great deal still have to contend with monthly condo fees, because the fees are assessed on the number of square feet: 61 cents for every foot or $1,082 for a 1,774-square-foot unit. And taxes are assessed on the property’s full value, not the selling price.
The Boston Globe reports that 55 condos at Natick mall sold at auction this weekend
Going. Going. Gone.
It was standing room only inside a balmy, excitement-filled Crowne Plaza Boston ballroom yesterday as 55 of Nouvelle at Natick’s remaining 178 luxury condos sold at auction.
Buyers walked away with units at 36 percent to 64 percent off the original asking prices for the condos, which are adjacent to the Natick Collection mall. One penthouse suite sold for $626,000, more than $1 million less than its original price.
Among the winners were people who weren’t in the housing market before the auction was announced in early September, like Michael Yee, a 33-year-old marketing professional.
“I was waiting until spring 2010,’’ said Yee, who got his 922-square-foot, one-bedroom condo for $281,000, far below its $514,900 original price. He plans to move out of his studio apartment in Brighton by the end of November. “Now I have to break it to my landlord.’’
Prior to yesterday’s event, which organizers estimate drew about 400 people, only 37 of the 215 units had been sold or were under agreement, despite all the hype surrounding one of New England’s few condo complexes connected to a mall.
Now, in addition to immediate Natick Collection access, yesterday’s winners will get a host of upscale amenities that accompany their new digs: an on-site gym that offers yoga and Pilates; valet dry cleaning; a 1.2-acre rooftop garden with putting greens; and 24-hour doormen.
The auction is the latest twist in a saga that started two years ago when the condos hit the market. In recent months, the developer, General Growth Properties, has declared bankruptcy and had been slapped with liens by contractors who are owed money for work at Nouvelle.
In a bid to push selling, General Growth hired the Boston office of Accelerated Marketing Partners to auction a portion of Nouvelle’s unsold units.
Overall, General Growth took a huge hit on what they were originally asking: Yesterday’s auctioned units sold for $249,900 to $626,000, down from asking prices of $479,900 to $1.7 million - but the payoff in millions was immediate.
New owners who got a great deal still have to contend with monthly condo fees, because the fees are assessed on the number of square feet: 61 cents for every foot or $1,082 for a 1,774-square-foot unit. And taxes are assessed on the property’s full value, not the selling price.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
