Gardner Auditorium in the State House: A Hall of Shame

I have to hand it to Kevin Cullen -- this is so, so true. The place looks awful.

Raw deal

Looking for cheap sushi around Boston? Check this offering from Boston.com:

Sushi lovers in the market for good value have a world of possibilities

Daily drink called risk for women

Chances increase for many cancers, study concludes

WASHINGTON - For years, many women have been cheered by the news about one of their guilty little pleasures: That nightly glass of wine may not only take the edge off their day, but also help them live longer.

But now, another study says that sipping that glass of pinot noir may not be such a good idea after all.

A new study involving nearly 1.3 million middle-age British women - the largest study ever to examine alcohol and cancer in women - found that just one glass of chardonnay, a single beer, or any other type of alcoholic drink per day significantly increases the risk of a variety of cancers.

After a Devastating Birth Injury, Hope

Tanzania — Lying side by side on a narrow bed, talking and giggling and poking each other with skinny elbows, they looked like any pair of teenage girls trading jokes and secrets.

But the bed was in a crowded hospital ward, and between the moments of laughter, Sarah Jonas, 18, and Mwanaidi Swalehe, 17, had an inescapable air of sadness.

Pregnant at 16, both had given birth in 2007 after labor that lasted for days.
Their babies had died, and the prolonged labor had inflicted a dreadful injury on the mothers: an internal wound called a fistula, which left them incontinent and soaked in urine.

See also: an interesting Audio slide show.

Geese be gone!

Canada geese plaguing your campus? Finn to the rescue!

Globe Review: Seussical

A colorful chaos with the Cat, Horton, and friends

Wheelock Family Theatre's production of Seussical captures all the colorful chaos in a show that celebrates imagination, creativity, and integrity.

In between the beautiful ballads "Alone in the Universe" and "Solla Sollew," we follow Horton the elephant (a winning Kamau M. Hashim) and his efforts to protect his tiny Who friends, especially JoJo (the adorable Sirena Abalian, above), whose thinking leads him into trouble.

These two odd fellows epitomize Seuss's respect for independent thinkers who stick to their convictions despite the ridicule of others.

18 years of riding the Red Line

T attendent John Clements makes sure riders know there's a person watching over their train.

Governor's Transportation reform and revenue plan

If this isn't a who's who of Natick...

From Redmen furor, a call to civic engage-ment

Natick group's organizer urges new focus on local government

He led the unsuccessful effort to keep Natick High's sports teams as the Redmen, but these days, Jimmy Brown has plans that stop nothing short of changing the way politics are done in town.

Brown has created the Natick Forever Political Action Committee, a spinoff of last year's Redmen Forever group.

The group's kickoff event was a Tuesday night debate, moderated by Brown, between candidates for selectman in next month's election.

The Natick Forever PAC hopes to harness the momentum generated by the nickname debate into a broad base of civic engagement, and in the process hold the government it feels snubbed voters accountable to the will of the people.

Dumbest cop ever

Newsweek Essay: Our Model Marriage

The Obamas have the kind of relationship millennials aspire to.

My hunch is that millennials are going gaga over Barack and Michelle because they want to be Barack and Michelle.

It's not that other generations can't admire the Obamas' bond; their marriage—a union of self-sufficient equals—embodies the post-'60s ideal.

But unlike their elders, most millennials have yet to experience marriage firsthand, and what they've experienced by proxy hasn't been particularly encouraging: a 50 percent divorce rate, a steep rise in single parenthood, a culture captivated by cheap celebrity hookups.

Even America's most visible household hasn't offered much hope, veering from '50s-era subservience (the Reagans) to boomer dysfunction (the Clintons).

But now the Obamas—two independent individuals who also appear to be (surprise!) in love—have filled the void.

For young people who have rejected the tired "wife in the kitchen" template but resolved not to follow their parents to divorce court, it's a relief to see that the sort of marriage they hope to have—equal and devoted—can actually exist.

Kittens, inspired by kittens

If you need a laugh:

Is your diet making you fat?

Overeating at night keeps you from being hungry in the morning, setting off a vicious cycle in which you're never interested in breakfast but always starving by dinner. The key is to rebalance your day so you don't set yourself up for an evening binge.

Reach which other slimming strategies might be sabotaging your weight

loss, from eating a large dinner to "grazing" -- a personal bad habit of mine

-- rather than having several small meals throughout the day.