News from the Hub

I was talking about UMASS Amherst, but i like Southwick Zoo too.
I grew up in Medfield.

Here's the link to Manny playing cricket:

http://ballhype.com/video/manny_being_manny_cricket_edition_on_vimeo/

Obama's aunt from Kenya is not going to be deported.  She had a hearing yesterday at the U.S. Immigration Court in Boston (wearing a red wig apparently!)  Her case will be held February 2010 and she can stay until then at least and they will decide whether to allow her asylum or not.  Obama claimed he didn't know she was illegal but supports the legal procedure.

Signs of Spring:  here it is April and a chilly gloomy day.  Spring always seems so late compared to those lovely slow springs in the UK.  Here its usually over in about a week in May.  You get one gorgeous week when it warms up and all the trees come out (sneezing starts) and then the next week the temperature goes up to 95.     Further north you even get seasons within spring, like Mud-time and then later on the dreaded Black Fly season.
But today there are a few inklings.  The robins were chirping merrily this morning while they looked for worms.  The daffodil shoots are coming up among the day lilies.  The campus is being beautified for Commencement.  Hope springs eternal!

That video of Manny playing cricket was so funny!!!

I am glad we finally got rid of him!

Opening Day is going to be postponed until tomorrow because of threat of heavy rain this afternoon.  Well, they hardly ever have it at Fenway.
We did have a thunderstorm on Friday.

And they won!    Beckett was in good form.  And poor old Teddy managed to throw out the first ball.

The MBTA is threatening to cut back service drastically.  They have a $160 million deficit so are thinking about raising fares and cutting service:  cutting back on commuter rail by dropping trips after 7 PM and all weekend runs, dropping less busy bus routes, closing 6 Green Line subway stops, etc.  They claim this is just something they're thinking about but no doubt leaked it to arouse the public and get the state to cough up.

Here on the campus of Prestigious but Nearly Bankrupt U. there is a tree I pass every day.  Some years ago someone noticed a hollow area at the foot of this tree and cleverly made a tiny red door and a sign over it saying "Pooh".  There are often various seasonal embellishments.  Today however there was yellow tape across the little red door with a sign saying "Foreclosure eviction -- Watch for house contents auction"     Wish I had been able to take a pic.

It has been all over the news about this "Craigslist Killer" who had killed a woman he met on Craigslist. They have arrested a 22 year old BU student.

http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO111031/

It has been all over the news about this "Craigslist Killer" who had killed a woman he met on Craigslist. They have arrested a 22 year old BU student.

http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO111031/

Yes a BU medical student at that!  Apparently he was "only" after money and the killing was to keep her quiet.

Filene's Basement is being sold to a liquidator.  Very sad.

I thought Filene's Basement was LONG gone! Did they keep the last store in Boston or something? The one in Norwood went bust...oh, ten years ago, I bet.

I thought Filene's Basement was LONG gone! Did they keep the last store in Boston or something? The one in Norwood went bust...oh, ten years ago, I bet.

Well, the "real" Basement is gone since they ripped down the downtown Filene's to put up some huge complex (which is now at a standstill because of the economy, much to Mumbles' chagrin).  But they had established a Back Bay store, which of course is nothing like the "real" Basement.  I think the intention had been to re-open when there was something to be the basement of on the old site.  But don't think it will happen now.  There is also a Basement in NYC -- maybe other cities (?)  (Sigh) many happy hours spent scrounging through the old Basement.  (I miss Filene's itself too and don't start me on Jordan Marsh)