Student appeals award of $67,500 – Record labels seeking even more: $675,000
By Jonathan Saltzman – Globe Staff / August 26, 2010

A Boston University graduate student is appealing a federal judge’s order that he pay four record labels $67,500 in damages for illegally downloading music, even though the amount is only a tenth of what a jury said he should pay for copyright infringement on 30 songs.

Joel Tenenbaum, a doctoral student in physics, said yesterday that the reduced damages award that US District Court Judge Nancy Gertner ordered last month is “equally as insane’’ as the $675,000 that a federal jury ordered him to pay after a high-profile trial the year before.

“Sixty-seven-and-half thousand dollars only sounds reasonable because it was so much before,’’ said the 26-year-old former Providence resident, adding that he would have to declare bankruptcy if forced to pay the smaller award.

Free Israel tours bolster ties with young US Jews
By Lisa Wangsness – Globe Staff / August 26, 2010

Michael Silverman, a 21-year-old Northeastern University student who grew up in Needham, had not thought about Israel much before this spring. An electrical engineering major, he was not interested in the political situation there, and he had not regularly attended synagogue through most of his adolescence.

When he got the chance to travel there for free, he signed up; it sounded like fun.

But he never anticipated that the trip would transform him into someone who cares deeply about Israel and whose religious practice now includes daily prayer.

“Before the trip, I didn’t feel anything; I just knew this was a place where Jewish people lived,’’ he said. “Since going there, I feel connected to the people that live there. It felt like family.’’

To bidders, this market is looking up – Some see hopeful sign as groups vie to buy slice of Hancock Tower
By Casey Ross – Globe Staff / August 26, 2010

The John Hancock Tower — just a year ago a symbol of the nation’s commercial real estate crash — is now the target of a spirited bidding war among some of the industry’s leading names, signaling a revival in the market for trophy properties.

The Hancock’s owners have put a large stake in the building up for sale, and second bids were due yesterday. Among the contenders: a local firm that previously owned the Hancock and made a fortune selling it at the height of the market; another that owns Back Bay’s other signature tower, the Prudential; and a New York firm that has been unable to build on a prominent site in Downtown Crossing but now wants to own the city’s most recognizable skyscraper.

The demand for the Hancock is in part due to the sluggish market for building new towers. With lenders unwilling to underwrite new construction, real estate companies and their investors are eager to snap up existing buildings that can provide predictable returns.

From Universal Hub:
Power in the Fenway out again
By adamg – 8/26/10

Massachusetts Institute of Tardisology
By adamg – 8/25/10 – 8:11 pm

1498 – Michelangelo is commissioned to carve the Pietà.  More anniversaries.

What works? – A new study is weighing the success of surgical bypass and banding against intensive lifestyle changes to fight type 2 diabetes and obesity
By Karen Weintraub – Globe Correspondent / August 23, 2010

Colleen Williams is thrilled with the results of her weight loss surgery. Since April, she’s lost 25 pounds and is back in a size 10 for the first time since . . . well, at least since the birth of her daughter 22 years ago. And she just feels better about herself.

ulie Bernard is equally pleased with the diet and exercise program she started around the same time. Like Williams, Bernard was worried that her extra pounds plus diabetes would doom her to ill-health as she ages.

“I went into the program hoping to feel better,’’ said Bernard, 49, of Duxbury, who has lost 16 pounds so far.

Both women are participating in a pilot study by the Joslin Diabetes Center and Brigham and Women’s Hospital designed to help patients with diabetes improve their health while reducing medications. Roughly half the 100 people in the SLIMMT2D study will get surgery — either gastric bypass like Williams, or a stomach banding procedure — and half will start with the 12-week “Why WAIT?’’ program at Joslin that was created in 2005 to treat obese patients with diabetes, and which Bernard completed at the end of June.

Hub enrolls coeds in bid to squash bedbugs
By Christine McConville – August 25, 2010

City officials bracing for the annual swarm of college kids are trying to get six legs up on wiping out their potential roommates: bloodsucking bedbugs.

Warning stickers and spray paint failed in years past to discourage migrating coeds from Dumpster diving for furniture and unwittingly spreading the blood-sucking parasites. So city Inspectional Service crews are now on a search-and-destroy mission for couches, beds and other comforts of home left curbside.

As returning and newcomer college students flock to city apartments in the coming weeks, Inspectional Services Department spokeswoman Lisa Timberlake said crews also will be out in force distributing educational pamphlets on pesky bedbugs and how to stop them in their tracks.

‘Abortion’ Googled more in conservative areas
By Renee Nadeau Algarin/Boston Herald – August 25, 2010

A study by two Children’s Hospital doctors has found that Google searches on “abortion” rise in areas with more conservative abortion policies or where the procedure is less available.

Dr. Ben Reis and Dr. John Brownstein of Children’s Hospital Boston Infomatics Program reviewed the abortion rates and policies in 50 states and 37 countries and compared the information against the number of Internet searches for the word “abortion.”

They found more searches in states and countries with more restrictive policies or less access to abortion and lower abortion rates.

‘Proof’ adds up to strong showing by Independent Drama Society
By Jenna Scherer / Boston Herald Theater Review – August 25, 2010

Never doubt the allure of a half-crazed, half-genius mathematician. We are just across the river from MIT, after all. It is, at least superficially, the appeal of David Auburn’s “Proof,” a play about theorems, family and madness that all plays out on one very tortured Chicago front porch.

But in this Tony- and Pulitzer-winning play, machinations both narrative and numerical are beside the point. What it is first and foremost is a character study of its protagonist, Catherine. It’s one of the great female parts of the last decade, one previously filled by the likes of Mary-Louise Parker, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Gwyneth Paltrow.

In the Independent Drama Society’s production at the Factory Theatre it’s filled by Kate Daly, a Framingham State student and newcomer to the Boston theater scene. Lucky for us, she’s giving one of the best performances you’ll see on a local stage this year.

[The Factory Theatre is at 791 Tremont Street. - ed]

Cross between a blackout and a brownout in parts of Mission Hill, Fenway, Roxbury last night
By adamg/Universal Hub – 8/25/10 – 7:43 am

OK, this was pretty special
By adamg/Universal Hub – 8/24/10 – 2:05 pm

1609 – Galileo Galilei demonstrates his first telescope to Venetian lawmakers.  More anniversaries.

***** WATER EMERGENCY UPDATE *****

Residents should flush household plumbing before resuming regular water use

Today, the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA) has notified Mayor Thomas M. Menino that as of 3:30am this morning the drinking water in the City of Boston is safe for consumption. Residents and businesses must flush their household plumbing by running water for at least 1 minute before resuming regular use.

“I would like to thank the residents of Boston, the city’s emergency responders, and our local leaders for their cooperation and collaboration during this water emergency,” said Mayor Menino. “We have once again shown that Boston is a strong and resilient community that works together to get through a crisis.”

The MWRA is advising residents to “flush” their water. Flushing your household and building water lines includes interior and exterior faucets, showers, water and ice dispensers, and water treatment units. Residents are encouraged to consider the following advice:

INSTRUCTIONS FOR POST-BOIL ORDER

Residents are advised to “flush” their water to clear plumbing of potentially contaminated water. Flushing your household and building water lines includes interior and exterior faucets; showers; water and ice dispensers; water treatment units, etc.

Cold Water Faucets: Run tap water until the water feels cold, 1 minute or more, before drinking, tooth brushing, or using for food preparation.

Hot Water Faucets: To clear hot water pipes and water heater of untreated water, turn on all hot water faucets and flush for a minimum of 15 minutes for a typical household 40-gallon hot water tank and 30 minutes for an 80-gallon hot water tank or larger. Never use water from the “hot” faucet for drinking, cooking, or other internal-consumption purposes. After this flushing, hot water is then safe to use for washing hands, and for hand-washing of dishes, pots and pans, etc.

Refrigerators: Water dispensers from refrigerators should be flushed by at least one quart of water.

Dishwashers: After flushing hot water pipes and water heater, run dishwasher empty one time.

Humidifiers: Discard any water used in humidifiers, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), oral, medical or health care devices, and rinse the device with clean water.

Food and baby formula: Be sure you have discarded any baby formula or other foods prepared with water on the days of the boil order. (If unsure of the dates contact your water Department.)

Ice cubes: Automatic ice dispensers should be emptied of ice made during the boil order. Then, discard ice made over an additional 24 hour period to assure complete purging of the water supply line.

Boston residents with questions or concerns should call the Mayor’s 24-Hour Hotline at (617) 635-4500 or through our website www.cityofboston.gov which will have extra staff on hand to help assist with. Additional information is also available on cityofboston.gov.

World Press Freedom Day 2003 – New Hampshire’s famous Old Man of the Mountain collapses.  Other anniversaries.

Abruptly, making do becomes a new normal
By Brian MacQuarrie and Maria Sacchetti
Globe Staff / May 3, 2010

For much of Eastern Massachusetts yesterday, a ruptured pipe washed away the routine.

Two million residents grappled with the sudden challenge of living without safe tap water, finding new ways to brush their teeth, wash their dishes, and even to get a cup of coffee.

They stood in long lines at stores, boiled water in big pots, and began rethinking old habits to determine what’s safe.

“It’s awful,’’ said Dawn Giordano, 40, of Watertown, as she watched her sons play lacrosse. “I’m trying to avoid things with water.’’

Many people tried to muddle through with good humor. At the sink, they reached for bottled water instead of the faucet. They drank soft drinks instead of hot coffee. They used paper plates and plastic forks.

But in a region saturated with coffee-and-doughnut shops, the starkest effect may have been caffeine withdrawal.

“You can’t get coffee any where,’’ said Mark Norton, 30, who went to five shops before he finally gave up and made the instant variety at home in Medford. “There’s probably going to be tons of road rage because nobody can get their coffee today.’’

On Newbury Street in Boston, the coffee shops turned away hope-filled cappuccino fans who thought their espresso-based drinks would be safe.

Region’s coffee sales grind to just a trickle
By Michael Corcoran – Globe Correspondent / May 3, 2010

The massive pipe leak that cut off clean water to two million Eastern Massachusetts residents also sharply curtailed the availability of another critical beverage: coffee.

Dunkin’ Donuts, one of the largest coffee retailers in the country, stopped serving coffee in areas affected by the water break yesterday. Customers were greeted by signs on the entrances that said: “We are not offering hot or cold coffee products until further notice.’’ Dunkin’ Donuts was pushing Coolattas, a frozen coffee drink.

And many independent retailers also cut off the flow of joe, leaving groggy brunchers yesterday searching for other sources of caffeine.

At Flour Bakery and Café in Boston’s South End, a sign on the door warned diners that no coffee was available because of the water crisis. Across Washington Street, at Code Ten, salads and coffee were both off the menu.

Amrita Bajwa, a medical student from Boston, sat outside Code Ten with a friend, sipping from a bottle of water.

“I tried to get an iced chai tea from Flour, but had to settle for something else,’’ she said.

…snip…

“It is terrible for business,’’ said Lauren Krakauskas, an employee at Espresso Royale Caffe on Newbury Street, which shut down its espresso machines yesterday. “All we have to sell is orange juice.’’

Stores try to obtain, maintain supply – Coakley to investigate reports of price gouging
By Erin Ailworth – Globe Staff / May 3, 2010

Bottled water manufacturers stepped up production yesterday as they rushed to supply Greater Boston following a major break in a pipe that pumps drinkable water to the area. But deliveries were hampered by a shortage of drivers, who typically do not work on Sundays.

“We have plenty of water,’’ said Larry Gillis, with Nestle Waters North America, which bottles Poland Spring water and has a factory in Framingham. “Finding fleet resources to get the product we need into MEMA has been the challenge . . . We’re really scrambling.’’

There were sporadic reports of price gouging yesterday, and Attorney General Martha Coakley said her office plans to investigate.

“Businesses and individuals cannot and should not take advantage of this public emergency to unfairly charge consumers,’’ she said in a statement.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency is also working with Belmont Springs and CPF Inc., of Ayer, to get water to those most in need, said Peter Judge, a spokesman for the state agency. He said that each company has committed to providing about a million gallons a day for the duration of the crisis.

Thirty Massachusetts communities and more than 2 million residents are under notice from the state to boil water for at least a minute before drinking it or cooking with it. As a result, many are trying to buy as much bottled water as possible, some venturing into neighboring towns to do so.

On Saturday, police were called to a BJ’s Wholesale Club in Revere after shoppers started pushing and shoving in their rush to buy water.

40 years after tumult, a ceremony – BU invites class of Kent State year
By Steven Rosenberg – Globe Staff / May 3, 2010

Marsha Halperin was sitting in her dorm room at Boston University, studying for final exams, when a friend burst in to tell her the news: Four students at Kent State University, in Ohio, had been killed by the National Guard.

It was May 4, 1970, and the BU campus, like many across the country, had been roiling with protest since President Nixon had announced four days earlier that US forces were entering Cambodia.

“I felt like the whole world had gone crazy,’’ Halperin — now Halperin-Epstein — said.

Outraged students marched on the State House to protest the Kent State killings. The next morning protesters threw firebombs at a BU administration building, and several fires were set on campus.

BU officials decided they had to end the unrest. So they scrapped final exams. They ordered students off campus. And they canceled commencement — graduating seniors got their diplomas in the mail.

Now, four decades later, BU is making amends to the class of 1970.

With Menino’s backing, park makeovers on tap – Plans for the reuse of old bathrooms still on
By Andrew Ryan – Globe Staff / February 6, 2010

Prospects for an outdoor cafe or bike rental kiosk in Boston Common improved considerably yesterday when Mayor Thomas M. Menino unveiled legislation designed to spark an extreme makeover of a dilapidated 90-year-old restroom.

The move would allow entrepreneurs to sign 15-year leases for the stone, octagon-shaped building near Tremont and Boylston streets and for another historic but shuttered park bathroom in the Back Bay Fens. The hope is that a long-term commitment by the city will encourage investors to spend the roughly $700,000 to $1 million needed to renovate each of the structures.

“I think there is opportunity in these buildings to adapt and reuse them in a creative way,’’ said Antonia M. Pollak, commissioner of parks and recreation. “The bones are there.’’

The measure still requires several layers of approval, but the involvement of the mayor signifies that there is broad support for moving forward, said City Council president Michael P. Ross, who has pushed for the projects.

The following announcement was sent out this afternoon by the Mass. Dep’t of Transportation:

Bowker Overpass, Boston

The right-hand (inbound) lane of the Bowker Overpass will be restricted to allow for repair work tonight on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Loud jack hammering noise will end by 11:30 p.m.

Colin Durrant
Massachusetts Department of Transportation
direct: 617.973.7870

For news and updates check out our website www.mass.gov/massdot, blog at www.mass.gov/blog/transportation or follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/massdot.