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Editorial: MBTA safety problems call for new, separate agency

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 12:30:08 GMT

There could be a light at the end of the tunnel for MBTA passengers, and not from a subway train that’s on fire.As the Herald reported, safety oversight of the T could fall under a new independent agency, if Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro gets his wish.Shapiro was responding to legislation filed by state Rep. William Straus that called for safety oversight to be moved to Shapiro’s office. The IG gave that idea a thumb’s down.Testifying Monday at a Joint Committee on Transportation hearing, Shapiro said that he instead favors moving this watchdog role from the Department of Public Utilities to a new independent agency “focused solely on safety of the MBTA.”Amen to that.MBTA safety is too big of a chronic problem for it to share bandwidth with other department functions. We’ve been through safety review panels, a blistering report from the Federal Transit Administration, apologies and promises.Through it all, riders have had to cope train derailments (one of...

Enjoy seasonal sipping with frose cocktail

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 12:30:08 GMT

With its pretty pink hue and delicate flavor, rose can feel as if the essence of summer has been bottled. Recently, a frozen rose drink dubbed “frose” emerged and made rose even more popular.There are different variations of frose. Some concoctions pour rose over sherbet while others mix the wine with various liqueurs before freezing. This “Best Frose Recipe,” from husband and wife home cooking experts Sonja and Alex Overhiser, is frose at its most basic – without skimping on flavor. Keep in mind that this mixture takes six hours to freeze, so prepare accordingly if you will be serving guests.TAG GOES HEREBest Frose RecipeINGREDIENTS1 750 ml bottle of favorite rose wine8 large strawberries (about 1 1/2 cups ripe strawberries, halved), plus more for garnish1 tablespoon honey (or maple syrup for vegan)DIRECTIONSOpen the rose and pour 2/3 cup into a glass measuring cup; set aside for when serving. Remove the tops of the strawberries and cut them in half.In...

Allen: COVID policies failed kids – what can we learn?

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 12:30:08 GMT

If you’re anything like me, you’ve done your best to blot out the COVID era from your memory.It doesn’t seem productive to ruminate on the days spent in fear and uncertainty – fear that public officials insisted should consume us; “hunkering down” in our homes; our children’s smiles hidden from us behind masks that even Dr. Anthony Fauci now appears to concede were (as applied) of nominal benefit.But the effects of our COVID response, which was in many cases destructive, still linger. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the realm of education.In parts of the country, some students lost a year (or more) of full-time in-person school. In certain cases, that was by choice; some parents worried that schools would be super-spreaders – they weren’t – and voluntarily kept them home.For other students, going to class in-person was simply not offered as an option.Frequent “exposure” quarantines that needlessly kept healthy kids at home for weeks at a time only made things worse.Learning lo...

Hassen: Belafonte – the artist who taught me about justice

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 12:30:08 GMT

Some know the late Harry Belafonte for his genre-jumping music and silky baritone voice, epitomized in his classic 1956 album “Calypso.” Others swoon over his performances in films like the 1954 musical “Carmen Jones.”In activist circles, he’s revered for supporting his good friend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the civil rights movement, funding voter registration drives in Mississippi, and financing the Freedom Riders and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), among many other examples.I knew him for something else besides: He was my first boss after college.In 2005, I worked for Harry Belafonte as his executive assistant in New York. We connected through my mentor-professor Saul Landau, the late writer and filmmaker who befriended “Mr. B” (as he liked to be called) through their travels to Cuba.I was just beginning my career, knowing only that I was drawn to social justice and the arts. There was no better person to learn about either than f...

Rachael Ray’s Pasta Carbonara a standout dish for Mother’s Day

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 12:30:08 GMT

Moms often work tirelessly to care for their families, with many juggling careers and time spent at home. It’s a balance that is sometimes tricky to manage, and at times mothers need to have their loads lightened. Children or spouses who learn to cook can take some pressure off of Mom.Mother’s Day is a prime opportunity for other members of the household to spend time in the kitchen. Pasta dishes generally are easy to prepare and can feed a crowd. Such is the case with this recipe for “Carbonara” from “Rachael Ray: Memories and Meals From a Sweet and Savory Life,” (Ballantine Books) by Rachael Ray.TAG GOES HERECarbonaraINGREDIENTS1/4 cup approximately EVOO1/3 pound chunk of meaty pancetta or guanciale, cut into 1/4-inch dice4 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced or chopped1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper1 cup white wine6 large egg yolks1 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus more to passSalt1 pound bucatini or spaghetti1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf...

Lowry: 14th Amendment debt limit option is absurd

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 12:30:08 GMT

The position of the White House on the debt limit may be shifting from, “President Joe Biden doesn’t want to compromise,” to “President Joe Biden doesn’t have to compromise under the U.S. Constitution.”The heretofore fringe idea that Section 4 of the 14th Amendment empowers the president to keep borrowing and spending as usual even if the debt limit isn’t extended is getting a respectful hearing.Back in January, the U.S. reached the current debt limit of $31.4 trillion, which — surprise, surprise — wasn’t nearly enough. The Treasury Department has been using “extraordinary measures” to this point to avoid hitting the wall but will exhaust its running room around the beginning of June.The looming deadline has concentrated the minds of the White House and its allies — not on how to cut a deal, but how to find a fig leaf of legitimacy for Biden engaging in his most flagrant abuse of his authority to date. He&...

Madison Iseman lives out fantasy in ‘Knights of the Zodiac’

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 12:30:08 GMT

Growing up in Myrtle Beach, SC, Madison Iseman couldn’t imagine that one day she would play mighty Athena, the ancient Greek goddess of war – and wisdom.“Knights of the Zodiac,” opening Friday and adapted from a bestselling Japanese manga series “Saint Seiya,” is a $60 million live action international fantasy that begins when a young woman, Sienna (Iseman), discovers she is the reincarnation of Athena. Her protector is the orphan Seiya, aka the Pegasus Knight, played by Mackenyu.  In Japan, “Zodiac” has already opened as “Saint Seiya: The Beginning.”“I’m so honored they thought of me when they thought goddess,” an upbeat Iseman, 26, said in a Zoom interview.  “Such a beloved character who has been around far longer than I’ve been alive.“I always look for projects that are just so far from anything I’ve done before. I like to stretch and not get stuck in one role. So when this came I’m a huge fantasy lover, I love Greek mythology. It just checked a lot of boxes.”Iseman k...

Treat Mom with Mary Ann Esposito’s Mascarpone Blackberry Cake

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 12:30:08 GMT

Moms deserve and appreciate our attention every day of the week but especially on Mother’s Day. Something made by you like this wonderful ready-to-enjoy-with-tea-or-coffee mascarpone blackberry cake will be a lasting and treasured memory. Just ask her.TAG GOES HEREMascarpone Cake with BlackberriesINGREDIENTS1 1/2 cups cake flour1  teaspoon baking powder½ teaspoon salt2 -tablespoons grated orange zest5- tablespoons butter, melted and cooled¾ cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons2- large eggs½ teaspoon almond extract1 cup mascarpone cheese2 cups fresh blackberries, blueberries or raspberriesConfectioners sugar for dusting on cakeButter and line a 9 x 1-1/2 inch cake pan with parchment paper. Set aside.DIRECTIONSPreheat oven to 350FIn a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and orange zest.In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, ¾- cup sugar, eggs, extract and cheese until smooth. (Alternately use a hand mixer).Mix the dry ingredients with the egg mixture.Dust 1 cup of berries with...

Dear Abby: Sex abuse revelations yield shock, uncertainty

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 12:30:08 GMT

Dear Abby: I recently was told that my late father-in-law was a serial child abuser who molested his daughter and at least two of his grandchildren. My husband loved and deeply respected his parents. Should I tell my husband this information? Should I ask my grown son if he was also molested as his cousins were? I don’t want to “rock the boat,” but I want to do what is best for my son, and I’m not used to keeping things from my husband. — Wish I Didn’t KnowDear Wish: Who gave you this information, and why? Was it a credible source? Were your late father-in-law’s alleged crimes reported to the authorities? If you trust your source, by all means, talk to your son and ask if his grandfather ever did anything that made him uncomfortable. Why would you keep this from your husband? Tell him what you were told and by whom.Dear Abby: My brother “Gene” passed away a few months ago. He had been in and out of the hospital for most of 2022. ...

‘We dropped the ball.’ Celtics suddenly on brink of elimination after abysmal Game 5 loss to 76ers

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 12:30:08 GMT

The Celtics claimed they understood the stakes. Hours before their pivotal Game 5, Malcolm Brogdon declared it a must win. The sense of urgency was real.“It’s a desperation mindset for us,” Brogdon said. “We have to have this one.”By a quarter of 10 p.m. on Tuesday night, those words proved hollow. And suddenly, somehow, this Celtics season filled with so much promise, with expectations of a championship, is on the brink of dying in the second round.These Celtics – who made their lives difficult time and time again – continued the alarming theme on an embarrassing night in TD Garden. The crowd was lifeless from the opening tip, but the Celtics gave them nothing to be excited about. They flatlined with one of their worst performances at the worst time, a 115-103 loss to the 76ers.“We just didn’t have it today,” Jayson Tatum said.“We dropped the ball tonight,” Jaylen Brown said.“Everything went wrong,” Marcus Smart said.“That was our first really, really bad game of the playoffs,” Cel...