11/28/2009

11/28 Mark Patinkin: We’re still guided by our leader
I picked him up at the airport last weekend, and as happens each time I see him, was taken aback at how much taller he is than I am. It has been that way for a while, but I still see Josh as my little nephew, nestled on the couch by my daughter on family visits, thumbs in their mouths. I suppose that was a long time ago. He is 25 now. It is the nature of uncles to be surprised at how fast that happens.

‘Jerk’ dance craze started with some homegrown hip-hop
Dance craze that got its start in L.A. neighborhoods has become an Internet phenomenon.

11/29/2009

Mark Patinkin: Remember Green Stamps, Fizzies and house calls?
Things I miss … and further down … things I don’t.

Where to find that special holiday card
One of my favorite parts of the holiday is trekking to the mailbox to discover greetings from friends and family.

Kiss drummer Peter Criss had breast cancer, tells men to deal with it
SPRING LAKE, N.J. — Lying in bed one night in 2007, Peter Criss felt something strange: a small lump on his left breast.

Hanging on
Chains are among the simplest and most ancient forms of jewelry. But designers are using them in elaborate and modern ways this season.

Model-train masterpiece is growing in Mansfield, Texas
MANSFIELD, Texas — A train and three rail cars sit in the tiny shadow of a water tower in Don Hughes’ workshop, causing him to smile.

Champion snowboarder returns to virtual slopes
Shaun White used to battle with his older brother Jesse for control of the family’s PlayStation game console while the two were growing up near San Diego. Now, at 23, the Olympic snowboarder is a video-game star, with his second title, “Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage,” in stores now.

Fun ways to add an ethnic touch
Tips on incorporating cultural traditions on your wedding day

Volunteer Center: Give your time in the season of giving
Volunteers are needed during this holiday season. Whether it is helping at a holiday shop or sorting and packaging care parcels, volunteers are integral for making holiday services a success.

Fundraisers: Nov. 29
The Newport Art Museum’s Griswold House, 76 Bellevue Ave., is the setting for a champagne tasting Dec. 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. The evening, presented in conjunction with Bellevue Wine and Spirits, also features designer-created “Holiday Tables” and benefits the Newport Art Museum. Tickets are $15 for museum members; $25 for nonmembers. Call (401) 848-8200, ext. 109, for reservations; tickets also available at the door.

Reunions
Central High School Class of January and June 1955 will hold a 55-year reunion in June 2010. For more information, call Mary (Zuercher) Abbenante at 615-9284 or Joan (Bruckshaw) Barker at 737-7292.

11/26/2009

Attleboro’s La Salette shrine shines a light on annual holiday tradition
It’s free to see the festival of lights at the shrine in Attleboro

More holiday light displays around R.I. and Mass.
If you like lots of lights, how about millions of them?

Stroller Strides gives new moms a way to get back in shape
Babies and toddlers play important roles in their mothers’ workouts

The Essentials: Keep moving between formal workout sessions
HEALTH

11/25/2009

For the Macy’s parade guru, it’s Thanksgiving all year
John Piper compares organizing the annual extravaganza to planning a huge holiday meal

Rita Lussier:
Seems like a good day to talk about food. After all, most of us will spend a fair amount of time today in pursuit of the perfect meal. Shopping for the right ingredients. Searching for the best recipes. Setting out our fancy dishes. Fussing over table settings. Then, we’ll be chopping, dicing, slicing, peeling, sautéing, stuffing, basting, baking and, of course, cleaning. Or maybe, you’ll just travel to a place where someone else has been doing all of the above.

Make a pilgrim for Thanksgiving
Holiday figure starts with an empty plastic condiment bottle

The ESSENTIALS
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11/24/2009

Mark Patinkin: Down to the docks every day — and loving it
I felt like going down to where the fishing boats tie up, so I drove to Galilee. It was a warm morning for November, and breezy. Out in Block Island Sound, I saw a dragger coming back from a trip. It was called the Kelsi and Morgan. It came through the breachway to the state’s commercial fishing docks, home to about 50 big trawlers and dozens of lobster boats.

Sotomayor adds celebrity flair to usually somber Supreme Court culture
She mamboes with movie stars, smooches with musicians and loves her New York Yankees

Memo to dads: You are not supposed to be your child’s best friend
I recently spent some time with a friend who has three children. My buddy, whom I’ve known since fifth grade, is a college-educated responsible guy who has never failed to do right by his family. When describing him, “well-rounded” comes to mind. He’s masculine but not macho, sensitive but nowhere near maudlin, perceptive, intuitive, caring, compassionate. Like I said, well-rounded. His wife is as solid as a rock.

The ESSENTIALS
HEALTH

11/23/2009

Rudeness deserves rudeness in return
Do two rudes make a polite?

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News Flashes: Week of Nov. 22
Pirate Edward Teach — better known as “Blackbeard” — was killed during a battle off the Virginia coast.

11/22/2009

Mark Patinkin: I think I’ll settle for a little back pain, thank you
I put on scrubs and lay down on the MRI table, facing up. One of the techs pushed a button and I moved inside. I am not claustrophobic, but spending 40 minutes inside a narrow tube is challenging. They had to keep telling me to be still. They were imaging my lumbar spine.

Grace always has a place
Usually short and sweet, sometimes long and flowery, a mealtime prayer is a worldwide, millennia-old custom.

How Madeleine Albright used pins to make her point
WASHINGTON — The pins are displayed in glass cases at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York so that the jeweled butterflies seem to be in mid-flight and the patriotic eagles and flags sparkle like Fourth of July fireworks in a vitrine.

Smart holiday dining
Eat breakfast, be a picky eater, skip the drinks, take a walk

How to get your body back after the baby
TV trainer and author Tracey Mallett says: ‘If you are thinking about getting pregnant, get in shape now’

5 secrets to wedded bliss
Redbook Magazine recently asked couples nationwide to share their top marriage-strengthening solutions. Writer Ty Wenger compiled a list of the top five things couples do regularly to make their relationships work.

What to do with the maiden name?
Some brides drop it, some keep it and others compromise by using it as a middle name

Society The Providence Center
The Providence Center, which provides mental health and substance use services, celebrated its 40th anniversary Nov. 5 at The Westin Providence. Honored at the event, which attracted nearly 350 guests and raised funds for the center’s newly established “Coping with Crisis Fund,” were, left to right, Andrew Prescott, partner at Nixon Peabody LLP; Bill Devereaux, partner at Pannone Lope Devereaux and West LLC and Providence Center trustee; Kathy Hinckley, director of constituent affairs for Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy; Dr. Jim Greer, clinical director at The Providence Center’s Child and Family Services; and Dale K. Klatzker, Ph.D., president and CEO of The Providence Center.

Backers of Providence’s Heritage Harbor hopeful despite funding setbacks
Funding woes don’t stop museum backers from planning for the future

Fundraiser
www.gloriagamma.org.

Volunteer Center: Feeding the needy, helping with homework
Learning good practices as a child is the best way to ensure a fulfilling and complete adulthood. Volunteering is a wholesome practice to start at a young age, but sometimes finding volunteer opportunities can be difficult. This week’s volunteer opportunities are available to people of all ages. If volunteering is a new experience bring a parent, friend, brother or sister and discover together how rewarding volunteering can be.

11/21/2009

The nation’s Santas lobby for swine flu shots
The nation’s Santas lobby for swine flu shots

Local people in the news
Two Rhode Islanders were among the six people inducted into the New England chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in a ceremony Nov. 18 in Quincy, Mass.

11/20/2009

Brown professor wins national poetry award
“I was surprised” to win the National Book Award for poetry, Keith Waldrop says

11/19/2009

Tagging a Christmas tree for cutting is a wholesome tradition
Selecting and marking a Christmas tree for cutting is a wholesome tradition

Not all trees created equal
Needle retention, strength of branches, symmetry of form and even smell differ among species

R.I. tree farm sampler
Here’s a sampling of some of the 34 Christmas tree farms listed with the Rhode Island Christmas Tree Growers Association. The farms included below, which offer a geographic range across the state, allow you to tag and cut a tree. For more, go to richristmastrees.com.

People: Amy Fisher, Johhny Depp, Mary Cheney
Amy Fisher, the “Long Island Lolita” who shot her lover’s wife in the head, is coming to Providence.

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