Superintendent Carol R. Johnson unveiled a five-year strategic plan for the Boston Public Schools, outlining new direction and priorities for “closing access and achievement gaps and graduating all BPS students from high school>”

“The days of business as usual are over,” said Johnson. “If we intend to see all, not just some, of our schools become centers of excellence we must take bold and swift action. Every student in our city has the right to a high-quality education. I believe this plan is the road map that will lead us to new heights, where Boston can serve as a model for every urban school district in America.”

Johnson identified 14 schools that are under-performing:

• William Blackstone Elementary School in the South End
• Paul Dever Elementary School in Dorchester
• Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School in Roxbury
• E. Greenwood K-8 School in Hyde Park
• Curtis Guild Elementary School in East Boston
• John P. Holland Elementary School in Dorchester
• John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Jamaica Plain
• William Monroe Trotter Elementary School in Dorchester
• Orchard Gardens K-8 School in Roxbury
• Maurice J. Tobin K-8 School in Roxbury
• Henry Dearborn Middle School in Roxbury
• Harbor Middle School in Dorchester
• The English High School in Jamaica Plain
• Odyssey High School in South Boston

Johnson wants to focus on strengthening teaching and leadership among school administrators, copying best practices at “working” schools and looking at ways to streamline services throughout the school district.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino, fresh off his re-election victory and a recent knee injury, sent a letter to the Boston School Committee in support of the Superintendent’s proposals.

“There may be some who will find it easier and safer to sit back, to stall – to use our stretched dollars as an excuse to postpone this critical work,” Mayor Menino wrote. “To these people, I say time has run out. We can no longer wait to take action. From this day forward, we must collectively re-commit ourselves and pool our energies. With diminishing resources, it will be all the more important to think creatively and to rely on those measures that are cost effective, but reap big returns.”

Mark Baard has a knack for fringe science and, let’s say, odd areas of technology.

The renown Boston tech writer and Boston Globe columnist will get to explore Boston’s boldest and outwardly oddest people and discoveries in the world of science, technology, gadgetry, medicine, research, and much more with today’s launch of THE SCI-TECH HERETIC on BlastMagazine.com

“Boston is home to the world’s biggest risk-takers in science. Doctors dosing their patients with “Phase 0″ super-longevity compounds. Cyborgs trolling about with augmented vision and artificial smarts — and tracking chips under their skin. College professors moonlighting as UFOlogists and crypto-zoologists,” quipped Baard. “Now, the only place to meet these people is at Blast, and The Sci-Tech Heretic. I’m here because John Guilfoil knows a bit of our future lies inside all of that ‘crazy talk’ about science.”

The blog, located at http://heretic.blastmagazine.com covers everything from Scooby-Doo’s connection to Cryptology to artificial reality. It is the latest addition to BLAST: BOSTON’S ONLINE MAGAZINE, a 250,000-reader Generation Y-themed lifestyle publication founded here in Boston.

“This is simply a perfect fit for Blast,” said John M. Guilfoil, a Boston news reporter and the founder and editor-in-chief of Blast. “Our readers have a thirst for the latest technology. The weirder, the better.”

“Mark Baard is a name in the field of sci-tech in Boston,” Guilfoil continued. “He adds to Blast his level of professionalism, expertise, and name recognition in the local scene. We’re ecstatic to have him with is.”

“Blast is an outpost for real world journalism, in a world made surreal by out-of-control technology. There is simply no other place in Boston where you will find this kind of reporting, or The Sci-Tech Heretic,” said Baard. “John is brave and smart enough to try something different.”

ABOUT BLAST:

Launched at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve 2007, BlastMagazine.com, Blast: Boston’s Online Magazine, has grown like a weed for three years. It is a Generation Y publication focused on young, hip Bostonia with a global vision. Blast covers music, movies, tv, video games, fashion, food, sex, relationships, science, health, technology, and more. The site also covers world, local and national news. According to Alexa.org, Blast is the third most followed online publication in Boston behind Boston.com and BostonHerald.com. Blast has more than 100 contributing writers, bureaus in New York and San Diego, and reporters on three continents.

Toby Ryan, 17, was arraigned today in a Chelsea court and also charged with armed robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm and assault and battery. He was also charged, in an East Boston court, with receving a stolen motor vehicle. Bail was set at $1,500 and $5,000 respectively.

A 14-year-old boy who is believed to be the second perpetrator was taken into custody today but was not arraigned. He is expected to be arraigned tomorrow in a juvenile court.

Officers spoke with the Dominos Pizza delivery man shortly after receiving a report regarding the armed robbery. The man said he was robbed by two teenaged gunmen, named “Toby” and “Macho”, both of  whom he proceeded to describe. He said the teens demanded his car keys and cash at gunpoint.

Revere Police contacted Boston Police, who were familiar with the names and descriptions given by the victim. One hour after receiving the report, Boston Police located the stolen Toyota Corolla near Vallar Road. An attempt to stop it failed, as the driver and passengers sped away and then fled the vehicle.

Local officers then paid a visit to the 14-year-old’s home. The boy was not present but his mother told police he was with ‘Toby”.

The officers then went to Ryan’s home, where he was present. Ryan, who was allegedly sweating heavily, denied ever having left his home. He was taken into custody.

Officers later found “Macho” in  the lobby of a Waldemar Road building just a street over from Ryan. He was taken into custody as well.

Ryan’s trial will resume on Dec. 15.

The speech, delivered at MIT’s Kresge Auditorium, praised the school’s faculty members and students for their commitment to energy research and achieving new advancements in clean energy technologies. He spoke about his excitement after touring the school’s Energy Initiative program laboratories and the benefits that these new technologies can bring to the world.

“Windows that generate electricity by directing light to solar cells; lightweight high-power batteries that aren’t built but are grown. That was neat stuff. Engineering viruses to create batteries; more efficient lighting systems that rely on nanotechnology; innovative engineering that will make it possible for offshore wind power plants to deliver electricity even when the air is still,” said Obama.

He pointed out that every country has recognized that the world’s energy supplies are growing scarcer and “that’s why the world is now engaged in a peaceful competition to determine the technologies that will power the 21st century. The nation that wins this competition will be the nation that leads the global economy,” he said. “I am convinced of that. And I want America to be that nation. It’s that simple.”

Obama also promoted Ricovery Act Investments that are creating advancements in wind energy as well as creating jobs. He said the Act includes $80 billion to create thousands of jobs for Americans developing new battery technologies for hybrid vehicles, modernizing the electric grid and doubling the country’s capacity to generate renewable electricity.

Susan Hockfield, the president of MIT, said that having Obama speak about renewable energy at the university can motivate more students in getting involved in new energy technology and policy development.

“It’s enormously energizing. The Energy Initiative has become a real centerpiece at activities here at MIT. And having the president here to make a major statement about energy really confirms and amplifies the work that’s already been done on campus,” said Hockfield.

MIT’s Energy Initiative program director Ernest Moniz said that energy research conducted around the country has helped the US be a frontrunner for leading the global economy in clean energy. However, he said there’s still much work to be done.

“United States still has, in my view, the world’s foremost science, technology and innovative system. In the other hand, we cannot be complacent. We can compete as long as we have the resources sustained and commitment from the highest levels, which the president demonstrated today,” explained Moniz.

Obama has been the second president to visit MIT but was the only one who met with faculty members and received a tour of school laboratories. The previous presidential visit was made by Bill Clinton who delivered a Commencement address in 1998.

Video report by Melissa Unger

There will be some spoilers in the podcast. Click at your own risk.

Now that the movie has been shown to fans, we can finally sit down and talk about it.

I saw “Boondock Saints II” last week. I liked it.

I didn’t like it in the way that I’m a news editor and occasional film critic. I didn’t love it in the way that I’m an artist and I can appreciate a classic piece of film.

Let’s face it, there’s two kinds of people in the world: The ones that love “The Boondock Saints” and the ones who hate “The Boondock Saints.”

And I love “The Boondock Saints.”

Shit, I put it on the cover. But I’m not a damn fanboy. I’m not a fanboy about anything. In fact, the more I like something, the harder I tend to be on the people in charge. You can ask the people at Sony when PlayStation 3 first came out, and you can ask Boondock writer/director Troy Duffy, because I changed the pace on Monday and asked him some pointed questions.

What you’re going to hear in the podcast on the top of this article is my session on one of a series of roundtable interviews that Duffy and actors Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, and Billy Connolly put on at The Black Rose bar in downtown Boston. We had a good time and we laughed throughout most of the 20-minute session, but I was on a mission to bring home some data for this piece of our month-long coverage on the sequel, “All Saints Day.” But, besides that, the podcast is mostly hilariousness and gay jokes.

“It was just like riding a bicycle,” Duffy said about his return to directing.

“He sucked equally on this one as he did in the first one,” Flanery added after a pause, laughing.

But return it is. Duffy made Boondock in 1999 and hasn’t made a film since. He was a young director coming out to Hollywood, and he made some mistakes — and I’m probably being nice here. But he still managed to make a good movie amidst it all.

“They talk about Troy as a new director, but from day one it looks as if he was doing it his whole life,” Connolly said.

Just as people either love or hate Boondock, they either love or hate Duffy. (The Documentary “Overnight” really hurt him too)

The people in the original movie seem to be loyalists. Nearly everybody — including someone you don’t expect (it’s in the podcast) — is back for the sequel.

“Everything just happened,” Connolly said. “Everybody seemed to be there for the love of the piece, not just to be in a movie or earn some money.”

It showed. When you listen to the podcast and check out our other interviews, you’ll hear how good of a time they all had making both movies.

Boondock is an organic cult success, and the cast and crew know it.

“Half of Boondock was one guy sitting another guy down going ‘you’re watching this movie,’” Duffy said.

Will there be a third movie?

“Lets just ride this one into the shore and see what happens,” Duffy said. “I got some ideas.”

It’s also up to the studio and the fans. If the sequel makes money in theaters, I say bet on a trilogy.

At the end, I asked Duffy what we could expect from him going forward.

“During that 10-year period, I have written a bunch of scripts,” he said, “and I intend to knock them down like dominoes one by one. They’re in ascending budgets, all different stories. One is a period piece, a buddy comedy, a black comedy, one is about serial killers, one is called “The Peregrines” which would take me an hour to describe what the’s about, one is about a historical figure, which will take a lot of money to do that last one.”

The four guys also toured Boston College and Emerson College before premiering the movie for fans on Monday night. Here’s a vid from their day:

“Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day” is in theaters October 30.

As part of the Massachusetts Freedom to Vote Act, the proposed measure would allow a 16 1/2-year-old to pre-register to vote when they apply for a driving permit at the Registry of Motor Vehicles, so that when they turn 18, their registration will automatically kick in.

“This is an easy, no cost, common sense bill,” said State Rep. Ellen Story (D-Amherst), at a press conference before the hearing this week.

Story, who is lead sponsor for the bill, said she has had this proposal on her desk for a couple of years, and believes this is the right time to get it passed.

“The legislature is looking for things to do between now and Nov. 18, when we recess, that are good government bills and that don’t cost money,” Story said after her testimony to the Committee. “This doesn’t cost anything.”

Story said a person under the age of 18 should have the opportunity to pre-register, because young people at that age are starting to form their own opinions, and she said voting at a young age would lead to a lifetime of responsible voters.

“Voting is addictive,” said Story, who said the bill did not make it far last year but has heard no opposition from anyone. “If you start voting, you will never stop.”

In a study by Common Cause, the government watchdog found that only 50 percent of 18-year-olds are registered to vote in the US, and in the 2008 elections only 59 percent of eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 24 were registered to vote.

The bill has already been implemented in 10 states around the country, including Connecticut and Maine.

The new bill would not change the voting age to 16, since 18 is the legal age to vote as stated in the US Constitution, but the bill might make it easier for 18-year-olds to vote.

“I’m a junior, and if I could just register to vote now it would make things that much easier because things are going to be hectic with college,” said said Donovan Birch, a junior at Boston Preparatory Charter Public School, who testified to the committee. “The first half of my year will be applying to college, then getting ready for it, then I have to fulfill all my requirement for my senior year.”

Birch, a member of Young Civic Leaders, a program sponsored by MassVote, a voters’ rights organization, designed to build leaders in the community, said this new bill would make it easier because senior year of high school can be a very busy time.

“Even though I’ll be 18, registering to vote isn’t going to be the first thing on my mind.”

Rep. Michael J. Moran, chair of the Election Laws Committee, was impressed by Birch’s testimony.

“We need more kids like you getting active,” said Moran, who jokingly told the group of 10 to 15 high school students that he tried to get them a half-day of school. “I know it can be very boring, but very important stuff goes on in here, and I appreciate you all coming.”

Avi Green, executive director of MassVote, said it was important for the high school students to voice their opinion to the Committee.

“It’s critical,” said Green, who, along with MassVote, sponsored the press conference before the hearing. “Everyone’s always saying ‘This is good for high school students or that is good for high school students or this is good for youth’ but I think youth can speak for themselves.

“I think Donovan was just as impressive as the adults that I heard, and I really hope that bill passes.”

Green is also an advocate for the other major proposed bills in The Mass Freedom to Vote Act. Including, Election Day registration, which would allow voters to register on the day of elections providing they have proof of residence and ID, and early voting, which would give voters a week in advance to vote in case they were not available on Election Day.

No vote was made on the bill, and Green said he hoped the Committee to act sooner rather than later.

We talked to Barracuda Networks, a California-based company best known for its spam and virus firewalls. The company also offers storage, backup and e-mail archiving solutions.

The controversy originated from a Boston Globe request to review e-mails from advisers to Mayor Thomas M. Menino. But city hall could only account for 18 e-mails sent or received in a six month period from Michael J. Kineavy, Menino’s Cabinet chief of policy and planning and one of his closest advisers. City hall acknowledged that Kineavy deletes his e-mails on a daily basis, which circumvents the city’s nightly backup process. The city has said Kineavy’s actions exploited a glitch in the backup process because he both deleted his messages from his inbox and cleared his deleted items folder.

Government officials’ e-mails are a matter of public record.

Kineavy has since taken an unpaid leave of absence. But could this all have been prevented?

After talking with Barracuda and doing some of our own research, it is clear that City Hall addressed the issue of preserving its e-mail messages incorrectly. Boston’s backup process is a poor solution for archiving e-mails, and it runs contrary to accepted best practices.

“Relying on users to save e-mails (i.e. ‘do the right thing’) and not delete e-mails is prone to failure as people can mistakes,” said Barracuda spokeswoman Kylie Heintz.

Having faith in traditional backup systems is not the right answer. Even without the “glitch” that allowed e-mails to be permanently deleted, the City of Boston’s approach to ensuring all e-mails are saved by backing up the e-mail system was not ideal.

–

There is a functional difference between “archiving” and “backing up.”

Archiving is like storing e-mails in a filing cabinet in your office or an alphabetized library card catalog. Backup is like locking them all in a safe deposit box in the bank, behind a time-lock and a password that only the bank manager knows.

Backup systems typically compress all the files and messages into a single file — similar to “zipping” your photos so they take up less room on your hard drive. This creates another problem, because it’s more difficult to search inside these compressed files.

Even if Kineavy hadn’t deleted his e-mails, it still may have been difficult for the city to find, isolate and release his messages.

A backup process is routine, predictable and easy for an end-user to avoid. These processes rely on the end-user’s system. Products like the Barracuda Message Archiver and many of its competitors completely take the end-user out of the equation. An archiver is ideal in these situations, because these products save messages at the server level. Whenever an e-mail is sent or received by the server, the archiver takes it, copies it, saves it and makes a search-able index so that messages can be found later on.

Since public officials’ e-mails need to be saved, it is expected that they will need to be searched through at some point in time — like if a journalist requests copies of them. Backup systems are not designed with archiving in mind. The only way to access e-mails from backup systems is to restore the backup file and then manually search through the results. This is very time consuming, error prone and expensive.

Several cities in Massachusetts use hardware archiving solutions, and Heintz confirmed that some used Barracuda’s Message Archiver. None of the cities would go on the record for Blast, however, given the controversy surrounding e-mail

Boston’s backup script was a good solution for a disaster or system failure, but not necessarily the best solution for a public records request. Archiving is a superior method for public records requests.

“Organizations have needs for both,” according to Aseem Asthana, Message Archiver Product Manager at Barracuda Networks. Backup is vital to organizations. If something happens to an e-mail server, or a natural disaster wipes the server out, a backup can be used to restore all the data present at the time of the backup. But pulling individual files is more difficult. Often, an information technology professional is required to restore individual files from a backup.

An archiver, as opposed to a backup, allows e-mails to be accessed readily and seamlessly.

Menino’s office did not respond to a request to comment on this story.

We acknowledge that Barracuda is a for-profit company. Its Message Archiver starts at $1,999, but it would cost about 10 times that for a model amped up to serve a major city like Boston.

But it would also have saved a few headaches and maybe prevented Boston’s E-mailgate scandal.

John M. Guilfoil of the Blast staff contributed to this report.

Clarification: We changed the sentence “A backup process is routine, predictable and avoidable.” to “A backup process is routine, predictable and easy for an end-user to avoid.”

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to submit your songs or instrumental music in a way for individuals to hear your work-and license it for use in media?

Or wouldn’t it be helpful to have another option for your creative media project-something other than stock music?

indieTracks, a Boston based music library, offers solutions for both in a collection which categorizes music submissions from independent artists in an easy to use format.

According to the site, “indieTracks library contains a diverse collection of songs and instrumentals from over 100 independent bands, singer/songwriters, composers and other musical artists for placement in all forms of media. Right now the library includes 900 plus songs covering a vast range of styles, themes and production qualities, with new music added weekly”.

Not only innovative and creative: organized. One can browse using a customized search engine by keyword, genre, mood, instrumentation, tempo, era, length or production quality.

The company states that “The indieTracks artist agreement is completely non-exclusive. Basically, it gives us the right to represent and promote your music and you as an artist to music supervisors in the industry. In return, we will split any licensing fees we make off of your music with you 50/50. You keep all writers’ public performance fees, while we only keep the publishing royalties that are generated from usages licensed through indieTracks. If you plan to sell exclusive rights for a piece of your music, just let us know and if it’s not being licensed by one of our clients at the time, we can just remove it from our website and it’s all yours”

Artist/Production Manager Jeff Peters explained his take on why indieTracks is beneficial to independent bands and composers.

“In my eyes, I see indieTracks as an independent promoter for these artists (bands, composers) for TV, film, advertising, and media placements. We’re not pounding the pavement trying to get these bands gigs and such, but it is a mutually beneficial relationship – essentially a low-risk promotional avenue for both sides. We don’t pay for the songs to be composed, and the artists don’t pay to have their songs featured in our library. The simple motto of “we only get paid when you do” fits quite nicely … We are just offering our website as a link between those who need music, and those who have music to supply,” said Peters.

As for musicians involved, indieTracks has proven to be helpful and not at all complicated. “indieTracks is a great resource for independent bands. It has the potential to open up new avenues of opportunity and exposure. indieTracks is also easy to enroll in and easy to use. For us, it was a no brainer.” said Dave Sicilian of The Shills, one of indieTracks’ featured bands.

“The idea for indieTracks initially came from the founder of AirCraft, Robert S. Cavicchio. indieTracks was initially thought of as a creative pursuit to both broaden AirCraft’s music offerings and showcasing the talent of various independent musicians,” said Marketing/Licensing Manager Jennifer Ruggiero.

(Aircraft Music Library is a production library which has been providing music for production professionals for over 25 years, www.aircraftmusiclibrary.com)

Tim Reppert, producer/engineer explains how indieTracks impacts independent artists in a positive light by helping them to expand their reach into different markets.

“We have many friends who are blossoming composers who we have tried to include in our traditional production music library AirCraft, but this is the perfect way to work with them, to represent their own material and allow them the chance to make a profit from their hard work,” said Reppert, “something that young composers don’t always find easily because artists often struggle with the business of selling their product. We are happy to lend a hand. Our non-exclusive agreement allows artists keep the rights to their music, only sharing the rights for the jobs that we bring them. Otherwise, they are free to use it, or sell it, on their own through their own connections.”

Reppert went on to explain how indieTracks works to ensure artist freedoms, “I see this as opening up their world of possibilities. Either they can just leave it up to us and the exposure of our website, and to our clients, to get them work, giving the artists more time to create more music. Or, their freedom can be realized as they use our service and learn more about the Music License business through interacting with our site and our staff as they submit their music to our site.”

The site offers an area for musicians in the “I Want to Submit Music” area, and for clients in the “I Am Looking for Music Area” in a neat layout and organized catalog-as a client you may also listen to full length cuts, download MP3s and WAV files, keep track of your usage and request custom music searches by registering online.

“indieTracks was born from the desire to make more music available to our clients … in the process we are helping bands and composers who are struggling to find ways to get their music out in the world, and get them more exposure in places that they wouldn’t normally have access to, ie, Film, Documentaries, TV Shows, Advertising, Web media and so on,” Reppert said.

Reppert added, “This empowers the artist to go out into the world armed with what they learned to make more connections and grow their own client base. And all the while we are still working to get their music licensed to our clients. A win/win as they say.”

Indeed. Musicians helping other musicians? A creative database for clients? In a business world driven by networking, bands and composers can have the support of indieTracks, opposed to just showcasing their work on a site like MySpace, because indieTracks has the client base for you to work with.

IndieTracks is forging a new path in the music industry with a business model that partners with the artist, rather than contracting them and by approaching the business from the musician’s angle.

By the way: Because of incorrect information provided to Blast, the name of Robert S. Cavicchio was spelled incorrectly.

But no matter how much I try to justify it to myself, I just don’t have that much of a reason to personally have a car. I ride my bike around town eight months out of the year and curse the MBTA’s existence the other four. Cambridge, the place I call home, is replete with bike lines on practically every major thoroughfare, and Boston is certainly attempting to get there too. And when all else fails, I’m always up for a lovely stroll through town. It’s Boston, after all!

But there are times when it’s clear that I need a car. Like for my frequent trips to Ikea. Or like every eight or so weeks when I go on a massive grocery shopping binge because I hate walking back and forth between the grocery store, even though its only ten minutes away form my house. Or like every eight weeks when I do the laundry because I hate doing laundry with every fiber of my being.

Luckily for those times, there’s Zipcar. If you’ve been living underneath a rock, I’ll — pardon the pun — zip Zipcar up for you. The Cambridge based and founded company allows licensed drivers aged 21 and over to rent a wide variety of cars parked all over the city by the hour or by the day.

If you’re feeling eco-conscious, grab Prius Pete — every Zipcar has an adorable, alliterative name — from the Genzyme Garage in Kendall Square for $7 per hour. If you’re feeling flashier, grab Baker the BMW 328 for $13 per hour from the Boston Common garage.

To become a Zipcar member, users pay a $50 annual fee to join. For those who only grab a car every now and then, they pay the hourly or day-rate for whichever vehicle they want. For those who drive more often, users can make a minimum monthly commitment, and cash in on discounted rates. Every reservation includes 180 miles of driving, a gas card to fill the car up — and make sure to use it any time the vehicle falls beneath a quarter tank! — insurance to cover your indiscretions, and a parking pass if the Zipcar lives in a non-free lot.

Users make a reservation, tap their RFID-tagged Zipcard on the windshield to unlock the vehicle, which already has the key inside the ignition. They then zip around town, and then lock it up when finished by tapping their Zipcard on the windshield again.

Car sharing is as simple as the name sounds. The cars are meant to be parked near where users will need them. Because everyone pays a membership fee, they all in a way jointly own and share the vehicles. Everyone is expected to fill the gas when it gets low, keep the car relatively clean, and keep it from being damaged. Zipcar will even reimburse users that pay for a carwash. Another big part of car sharing is making sure the vehicle is where it’s supposed to be. When Zipcar says your reservation is over at 6:00 PM, they mean 6:00 PM, sharp. If you haven’t locked your car up by then, you’ll get a late fee. Get enough late fees, and Zipcar will suspend you from driving.

Obviously, I don’t want to turn you off from Zipcar. You have to really piss someone off to actually get your account suspended, and because it’s a car sharing program after all, users are usually rather fanatic and therefore largely respectful of the rules. Overall, Zipcar is simple, effective, and much better than having a car and insurance payment every month — plus, for me at least, it’s the closest I’ll ever get to driving a Beamer before I can ever afford one of my own.

While Zipcar got its start in Cambridge back in 2000, it has since spread to 49 cities across the world. Zipcar was founded by residents Robin Chase and Antje Danielson who based the company on car-sharing programs similar to those in Europe. By the end of 2002, the company had 6,000 users in Boston, D.C., and New York.

Zipcar got its start by stocking different neighborhoods with different cars, giving each area it’s own identity. In Cambridge, home to the recycling, biking, hippie granola crunchy type, the company filled the neighborhood with gas-sipping Priuses. In the Back Bay, Zipsters were more likely to want a showier convertible Mini-Cooper for weekend trips to the Cape.

Now in 2009, Zipcar has merged with former rival Flexcar, and now commands a fleet of 6,000 vehicles for 675,000 users in places as far as Ann Arbor, Mich., Tuscaloosa, Alab., and even across the pond in London. In fact, in one of the tougher economic times we’ve seen, Zipcar is preparing itself to go public, and is launching an IPO in 2010. The company is constantly adding cars to its fleet and expanding its user base. With the influx of cash from an IPO, Zipcar really will be going places.

What makes Zipcar so special is its amazing blend of cute personality, sharp business prowess, and of course, cutting edge technology. The technology starts when you try to start the car. Sitting in the upper right corner of every Zipcar is a little black box. When you tap your Zipcard on the windshield above it, the system sends out a signal to Zipcar HQ over EVDO — yes, that ancient data technology your old cell phone used to run — that matches your card to a reservation to a specific Zipcar. When everything aligns correctly, the black box unlocks the car door, the black box releases the kill switch on the engine, and you get in and drive off.

The black box is also hooked into the on-board diagnostics system, or OBD. When my Zipcar wouldn’t start on a particularly cold January night, I called Zipcar, and the helpful man on the phone could already tell me that I had killed the car battery by leaving my headlights during my quick trip into Trader Joe’s. If you somehow lock your Zipcard inside the vehicle, a quick phone call to Zipcar customer service can unlock it. Likewise, the black box has a simple GPS system so that the vehicles can be located should they wander off and get lost. The same kill switch that keeps the car from being stolen can also kill the car should it somehow manage to drive off.

However, the newest technology debuted at the tail-end of September is, of course, Zipcar’s new iPhone app. Up to now, users have had to make reservations though the Zipcar website, the mobile website, or over the phone. Both of the websites are robust, AJAXy, and a breeze to use. The phone however, well, lets just say it’s not Zipcar’s fault if you’re using a technology from the 19th century.

But now with the magic of the Zipcar iPhone app, users can locate themselves on a map of all of Zipcar’s offerings, make a reservation, and even unlock the car from inside the application. When I did just that with my iPhone app, I almost cried from the sheer amazingness of what I’d just done. It also made me feel amazingly futuristic, despite the fact that we’re all supposed to have personal jetpacks in the future. And OK, fine, people have been able to remotely unlock cars since OnStar in the 90s, but that still required calling someone who was sitting at a computer somewhere in Arizona. Now, I can do it from my touch screen god-phone.

Using the rest of the app was just as easy as you would expect Zipcar to make it. Making my reservation was a breeze. The app grayed out all Zipcar lots that didn’t have a car that matched my time reservation. If you needed the exact location of a Zipcar lot, the app would send the exact coordinates to your Maps application which would then direct you to the lot. While my reservation as open, I could extend the time I needed the car from inside the app as well.

Zipcar polled its users and found that 25% of them had an iPhone, hence releasing their first app on Apple’s platform. Everyone else without an iPhone can still use the mobile website to make reservations. Also, once you’ve given Zipcar your cell phone number, they’ll send you text message reminders about your reservations. You can then extend your reservation just by texting Zipcar back. “Ext30m” will get you an extra half-hour to get back while “End today 4pm” will do just what it says.

Zipcar has always been a company to embrace technology, and now every car in their fleet now comes equipped with an auxillary cord to plug into your iPod or mp3 player of choice, so you can jam out to Taylor Swift, or any other embarrassing musical offering you might enjoy. Every car has a toll-tag that auto-magically bills your Zipcar account for the tolls.

Another thing that’s hard to ignore about Zipcar is that the company is rather green—and we’re talking about more than its logo. Like I said before, I only drive a Zipcar when I really need one. But if I had a car of my own, I’d probably take a lot more places. That means I’m driving more, burning more gas, and doing my part to warm the earth with more carbon dioxide. When you factor in people who just use Zipcar instead of owning a car, that’s a lot fewer miles being driven out there.

Zipcar recognizes this, and discounts the Priuses in its fleet more than the other vehicles. Zipcar even ran a “low-car diet challenge” which in return for media coverage, encourage drivers to hang up their keys for a month and ride public transit or use a Zipcar when absolutely necessary. While the miles saved from these twelve users is merely a minuscule blip in the amount of carbon spewed into the atmosphere by the millions of drivers in the U.S. every day, the ideas are still a good one. It’s also a counter intuitive notion, considering that Zipcar essentially makes its money when people drive, but it’s just the good-nature of the company. When was the last time you saw gas companies encouraging eco-consciousness?

Zipcar is here for good it seems, and that’s something that I, and thousands of other users certainly embrace. While Zipcar advertises through print frequently, a lot of Zipcar’s brand strength comes through word of mouth. Zipcar user Matthew Lasek shared just such a story. “About two weeks ago I rented a Volvo and zipped to the hardware store to fill up on more paint, brushes and cleaner to remove all the paint I would inevitably spill. While locking the car a 65 year-old woman asked ‘So how does Zipcar work?’” Lasek then explained the entire membership and rental rental process to the questioning woman, Brookline resident Lauren Smith, who lamented how expensive it is to rent a cart through a traditional car service and how she hated asking her daughter to drive her on her errands.

When asked to sum up the Zipcar experience, Lasek put it like this: “I think this is what Zip Car is: freedom. This strong and able senior wanted to have the freedom to do something as simple as go to Johnny’s Fresh Market; while my exploits in Zipcars to the beach or Six Flags are a little more adventurous, the fact remains that Zipcar lets us do things that our own two legs can’t, or what our wallets would prohibit.”

Images courtesy Zipcar, the author, and Flickr users Andrew Currie, rakka, reinvented, and scoobyfoo.

Bob Marley’s not a reggae star. He’s a local boy, from New England. He’s the comedian who gained some measure of fame for his role as the bumbling Detective Greenly in “The Boondock Saints.”

His most famous line — “Where you goin? NO WHERE” — can still be heard 10 years later at bars across Boston.

We tapped the phones in the Blast newsroom to Podcast our 20-minute interview with Marley, where we talked about terrorism, comedy and most of all the hotly anticipated sequel to the 1999 cult classic (if all of Boston is considered one big cult) “Boondock Saints.” Marley reprises his role in “Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day,” which is due out October 30, despite the utter lack of publicity surrounding the flick so far.

Contrary to some published reports, Marley hadn’t known “Saints” director Troy Duffy since childhood. They met about 12 years ago.

“A buddy of mine introduced me to Troy and then they came to see me at The Laugh Factory (in Los Angeles) and he said ‘come audition,’” Marley said. “When that movie came out it was like nothing happened, and we were like ‘oh I guess nothing’s going to happen.’”

But something did happen. Suddenly, larger crowds were coming out to his shows, and they started firing lines from the movie up on stage.

“Then I realized it was taking off,” he said.

The original film helped lift the careers of the actors and comedians like Marley and guys like Brian Mahoney, and David Ferry. Marley said it was vital to bring this trio of cops back — as well as so many other actors, right down to the more obscure Tom Barnett, who plays the Irish gun dealer in both films.

So why did it take 10 years to make another “Boondock Saints?” In that case, the published reports are true. Duffy had problems with Franchise Films — and there was money involved. It was one big mess.

We do know that Marley’s character, the Boston Police Detective, will have a larger role in the sequel. He even tries to get with the gorgeous FBI Agent Eunice Bloom (Julie Benz).

Over the past decade, rumors flew around about a sequel, including one that would be set in New York. Marley was glad, however, that the film came home.

“I’m glad its in Boston and I’m glad it takes place in New England,” he said.

Although, despite the tax credits and “Hollywood East” mantra, the film was shot in Canada.

Marley said it was also fun to have a bunch of jackasses like comedians on set.

“Everybody on the film’s got a great sense fo humor, so it’s hard not to just sit there and laugh,” he said. “Judd Nelson is in this movie, and his part is menacing and yet hilarious at the same time. He’s really, really funny in the movie. There’s a bunch of clowns.”

Marley’s official website

Boston purchased land on the banks of the Charles River to protect the city from possible future flooding.

Today Boston was named one of the top communities for protecting clean water and the public health with green solutions. The report by American Rivers comes at a time when congress is debating sections of a climate bill that will help communities prepare for natural disasters including waterborne diseases and droughts.

“We are at a transformational moment for our nation’s rivers and water infrastructure, and Boston is forging the path to a healthier, more secure future,” said Rebecca Wodder, president of American Rivers.

To prevent floods and water damage to the city, Boston followed a plan drafted by the Army Corps of Engineers to purchase and preserve about 8,000 acres of wetlands along the upper Charles River. Instead of building an extensive system of levees, dams, and plumbling, the city was able to protect itself from future flooding and protect a very diverse ecosystem at the same time.

These are the hallmarks of green solutions, and in an economy where state budgets are tighter than ever, these measures add up to saving close to $40 million in flood damage every year. Considering that rebuilding New Orleans’ levees had a price tag of around $10 billion, purchasing a little bit of land seems like a really good deal.

The American Rivers group stresses that preserving floodplains, grasslands, and forests is one of the most cost-effective solutions to preventing flooding and protecting environments to recharge the rivers and aquifers that supply our drinking water, and here in Boston, we seem to be doing our part.

Cullop, or LethalxPrincess as she’s known to many, is a pro-gamer by trade. For years, Cullop crisscrossed the nation with Major League Gaming (MLG) immersing herself in a cutthroat world while breaking stereotypes in the process. Her squad, Team Foxy, is considered the top female team in the gaming community.

Not surprisingly, it was actually gaming that connected Cullop to the Sound Tour. Sponsored by the popular headphone company, the tour, which we previously told you about, is a reality show pitting Cullop and a team of four other female contestants against a squad of all men.

“I heard about the Sennheiser Sound Tour through the gaming community. Sennheiser is a great product that is highly recognized for its quality in the professional gaming world. When the tour was announced, the word spread quickly in the E-Sports community,” Cullop recalled.

With the ultimate goal to promote the Sennheiser headphone product base, the two teams have spanned North America participating in a variety of challenges. From meeting celebrities to getting on tour buses, Cullop admits it’s been a whirlwind ride.

“Personally, there are many highlights of the tour that I have enjoyed such as traveling, experiencing new communities, and meeting new and exciting individuals,” said Cullop. Ever the gamer, she admits that for her personally, the best part of the tour has not been meeting a person or going to a particular place, but rather it’s been a simple truth.

“The biggest highlight of the tour so far has been the fact that the girl’s team is in the lead. We have won three challenges and the guys have only won one. I am a very competitive individual and I am confident we will take home the grand prize,” she confided.

Along the way, both teams have been faced with the challenge of going up to people on the street to promote Sennheiser. While in some cases they’ve been shut out and rejected, most people have been willing to step in front of the camera according to Cullop.

“Generally people are accepting and don’t mind the camera, we actually seem to get better responses if the cameras are out and rolling. I think people want to know what’s going on with the cameras, the tour, and the product,” said Cullop.

One of the Sennheiser girl’s most memorable visits was their trip to Boston. Between crashing a few weddings, visiting the Salem Witches Cottage and partying it up outside the Paul McCartney Fenway concert, the ladies got their fill of Beantown. Cullop says it was easily one her favorite places on the tour.

“My time in Boston was amazing; I literally fell in love with it the moment I arrived. Boston is now on my top five places to move. What I remember most about Boston was the atmosphere in the air, I went to Fenway Park, Faneuil Hall, and shopping on Newbury Street. Everywhere I went people were alive with spirit; they were helpful, and even entertaining. I would love to live in an area like Boston because it has so much to offer,” she said.

With the tour winding down, Cullop admits she misses her Xbox, controller and gaming in general. Save for a few hours of gaming in NYC, she has not gotten a chance to play much while on tour. Despite this, Cullop contends she wouldn’t trade her Sennheiser Sound Tour experience for anything — or any game — in the world.

“The one thing I will bring away from this trip is the experience. No matter how the team does and no matter how I personally do in the competitions, I will always remember the new places, people, and experiences I have encountered along the way,” concluded Cullop.

(I wonder if this might be illegal soon.)

Anyway, we haven’t tried the vodka yet, but we’re getting some to taste and will let you know.

Absolut launched its cities campaign in the 80s and has previously launched New Orleans and Los Angeles vodkas, with Boston being the third city to have a vodka named after it. So suck it, New York.

Absolut is donating $50,000 from sales of the Boston vodka to the local Charles River Conservancy and has erected a wall in Copley where famous Bostonians like Carleton Fisk and Amy Poehler wrote down their favorite Boston moments. The plaques will be auctioned off, and all proceeds will benefit the Conservancy also.

Absolut Boston Homerun

1 part Absolut Boston
2 parts White grape juice
Top with Ginger Ale

Serve over ice in a highball glass.

Absolut Boston Mojito

1 1/2 parts Absolut Boston
3/4 part Fresh lime juice
1/2 part simple syrup
4 Mint leaves
Top with soda water

In a shaker, muddle mint leaves with simple syrup and lime juice, add Absolut Boston. Shake and pour into highball glass, top with soda

See also: The Absolut Finn

Television news reports also indicate flooding in the building, which may have caused the power loss. Fire officials told reporters that a water line feeding the building’s air conditioning may have failed.

The Boston Fire Department has declared a two alarm emergency response to assist people and assist those with mobility issues, with the evacuation.

The Prudential Center mall shops and restaurants are still open, according to news reports, but the Boston Globe reported some shops were flooded and others were asked by officials to close.

“The Pru” is a 52-story skyscraper in the heart of Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood.

WFXT-TV reported 2,000 people were being evacuated. No injuries have been reported, but the air conditioning has failed with the power outage in the building, causing rapidly rising temperatures during heat wave temperatures in Boston, according to witnesses.

The entire building was evacuated by 12:30 p.m., and fire officials said that no elevators were working below floor 36.

WERE YOU THERE? Send us your photos or videos or just rant away!

Special thanks to Scan New England for alerting Blast.

I actually really like writing about the weather, and I love weather maps and statistics and even lightening storms.

But I wasn’t prepared for the response I’d get for a simple story about advection fog rolling over Boston on Tuesday.

There were emails about conspiracy theories — people thought the government was sending Swing Flu through the fog. There were emails calling my an idiot, telling me to get a real job and write about real things. There were references about Kennedy flatulence. And there were cool emails with photos.

Here are the photos.

Nettie Kent Jewelry — Leather, copper, silver and gold leaf bracelet — $148

Leather, Copper, Silver and Gold Leaf Bracelet

Looking for the perfect bracelet that will go just as well with your sexy red dress as it will with jeans and a t-shirt? Look no further than Martha’s Vineyard designer Nettie Kent’s leather, copper, silver and gold leaf bracelet.

The first leather bracelet style she created, no two are ever the same. Silver is melted over copper and the flow creates a unique design each time. Kent then paints with gold leaf to highlight different areas. “The process brings me back to my roots as a painter,” she said. “It’s just a really fun and unrestricted way to use metal.”

Kent collects her leather from old belts, purses, even cowboy hats. Old copper flashing used in the jewelry is gathered from houses on the vineyard. “The sea air and salt water patinas the copper with beautiful colors and I think it looks like landscapes, almost like paintings,” said Kent, who studied painting at Hampshire College.

Blast is obsessed with the preppy leather cuff paired with the boho look of mixed metals. We guarantee compliments when you strap on this bracelet for a night, or day, on the town.

Get it now at Turtle in the South End, or visit www.nettiekent.com.

Nirva — Katya Dress — $650

Katya Dress

New England winters may inspire you to wrap up in cozy cashmere, but Lexington based designer Nirva Derbekyan looked to the even harsher winters of Russia to inspire her autumn/winter 2009 collection. Weather this cold never looked so good.

The gorgeous fuchsia fabric was Derbekyan’s inspiration for the Katya dress. She also noted that the wool gabardine is perfect for manipulations, prompting her to create a bright, fun colored dress with a conversely harsh structure. “Contrary to the tailored look, I wanted to add a bit of fluidity and geometry at the same time,” Derbekyan said. She added the front drape and the moveable cap sleeves to keep this unique dress in line with her signature style.

Blast is just dying to wear this dress to a formal fall event, but how special would it be for New Year’s Eve? We dare you to keep it in your closet that long.

You can buy the Katya dress when it goes on sale at Stil Boutique in the Prudential Center at the end of the month. Visit www.nirva.com to see the whole collection.

Twigs and Heather — Sterling Silver Dangle Twig Necklace — $125

Sterling Silver Dangle Twig Necklace

The summer weather beckons us to enjoy nature; what better way than to put it around our necks? Twigs and Heather, headed by twin sisters Heather and Kerry Alice Collins, cast sterling silver one-of-a-kind pieces plucked right from the Atlantic Northeast.

The dangle twig necklace reminds us of playing outside in the woods as kids, but without that child-like look. The particular twig pictured is a winter twig, and the changing seasons is the twins’ biggest inspiration.

“It’s pretty amazing the subtle (and not so subtle changes) that occur in the trees year-round.  Plus, the sentimental feeling that the twigs evoke in our customers is very special to us,” Heather said.

The dangle twig is a popular item, and because each necklace features a different twig, they each have their own personality. Blast thinks this necklace is the perfect gift for the nature girl—or the city girl who wants to get back to her, um, roots.

Order it online at www.twigsandheather.com or www.etsy.com. You can also pick it up at Turtle in the South End and MagPie in Somerville.

Sea Bags — Medium Anchor– $110

Sea Bags Medium Anchor

If we were millionaires at Blast (as we someday hope to be), we would certainly own a large sailboat perfect for party cruises and romantic dinners. But, for now, we’ll happily settle for the Anchor Bag by Sea Bags of Portland, Maine (not super-local, but how could we resist?).

All the bags are made out of recycled sails, and we especially love the Anchor Bag (available in navy or red) for its ability to catch the eye of a hot sailor on leave (not yet tested, but we’re assuming).

Sea Bags are environmentally conscious and preppy at the same time, which is more than we can say for that Abercrombie model you dated.

Owned by Hannah Kubiak and Beth Shissler, Sea Bags are designed by Stephanie Moran and her team.

To own a bag inspired by all things nautical, visit www.seabags.com.

Lillian Asterfield — Sea Lillian Necklace — $35-$65

Lilian Asterfield Sea Lilian Necklace

If you used to rummage through your dad’s closet and play dress up with his ties, the Sea Lillian necklace is your dream come true. Nicole Deponte’s Lilian Asterfield pieces are made completely from recycled and upcycled products, such as old vintage ties, t-shirt yarn and plastic curtain rings. We love this necklace because it is one of the most unique out there.

Each Sea Lillian necklace is different, but we chose to feature this particular one because we couldn’t take our eyes off it. Sadly, it’s recently been sold– but never fear; Deponte takes special orders.

Her jewelry was recently shown at Lucky Gallery during an exhibit featuring artists who focus on sustainability. You can buy her pieces at Turtle in the South End or at www.nicoledeponte.com.

Read, set, SHOP!

Two incidents led to two minors getting alcohol poisoning at the club, which opened on Lansdowne Street in February, the Herald reported.

The House of Blues did not comment on the situation, but Live Nation may appeal the suspension.

Lowell Police reacted, putting out a “be on the lookout for” notice, and rumors started that a fire department car had been stolen. It turned out, however, that the fire department had sent the old, decommissioned fire car to the auto shop to be painted for possible loaner use in a movie being filmed in the area, according to a Lowell police officer.

Apparently, the auto shop decided to have some fun with the car and took it for a spin around their lot, catching the eyes of the local cops.

No charges were filed, but a police source said the fire department will take their paint business elsewhere.

The shallow corridors of Arlington Station provide a walkway for bustling businessmen, a means of transport for blundering tourists and the perfect acoustics for a classical guitarist who finds peace in his daily grind of playing to the passersby.

Playing with upturned lips, David Gonzales, knowingly picks at his guitar but without the pride of a man who has played for as long as he has. Rather, he shyly gazes upon the crowd with a humble smile, and you’d swear you’d known him for years. His thick fingers play soft chords and gentle rhythms that would soothe the most hurried of subway travelers. He first picked up the guitar at age 8. The music comes easily now.

A 3-foot blonde strolls by, dancing in her yellow raincoat. She can’t be more than four years old, but she is one of the few who takes notice of Gonzales. At that moment, he glances up and plays just for her, and they share a smile.

There is a stigma surrounding him simply because he plays music in the streets. “People can say what they say,” he offers. And while his guitar case stays empty for large parts of the day, a casual smile remains on his face. Gonzales plays because he wants to, not because he has to.

“It’s not about the money,” Gonzales says. “My God, you have no idea how much money I could make doing this is Europe, in Asia.”

Dressed in a pink and white striped polo with light-colored khakis, Gonzales has the appearance of a casual businessman. He owns 22 pairs of tennis shoes. “I am dressed like rich, and I play in the streets,” he says in his still thick Argentine accent, though he has survived in the US for more than eight years. “This is who I am. This is my life,” he says, without apology. “The key is, you must do something to survive.”

Gonzales grew up very poor on the streets of South America. In appearance, he is unlike most Argentinians, with dark skin and eyes the color of molasses. Because of this, Gonzales says he experienced discrimination very early, even by his own stepfather, who never offered him money or life lessons. So he grew up poor and without role models.

“I was born very, very poor. We were sleeping in a king bed, four people, maybe five. So I know how much value you can learn from life,” he says.

But that is all he talks of his past. Instead, he focuses on the future and on his place in society.

“Everything I want I can make true in my life,” says Gonzales. “It’s confidence. If you have truth, confidence and determination … everything is possible. I can decide and design the life I want and have it.”

And he has. Gonzales worked as a photographer for an international magazine for three years, he worked for Delta airlines, he learned to scuba dive off the coasts of Brazil, he played professional rugby in France, he’s worked as a personal trainer and he owned a landscaping company. “I like the difficult things,” he says. “Every part of history to my life is big.”

One of his bigger moments came, Gonzales says, when he began getting acclaim for his photography and seeing the seedier side of journalism. He once was asked to take a picture of a prominent South American lawyer caught in an affair. So on a Brazilian beach, he found them, and he photographed him holding hands with his mistress. The controversy surrounding the picture is what drove Gonzales out of the field. “I am a journalist. We are the worst people in the world,” he says. “Where’s the love man?”

Each job tells another story. And he is not finished yet. “There are many things I long to do,” he says.

When’s he not playing music, Gonzales still plays rugby for the Boston Irish Wolfhounds and has since 2003. He loves the game. “It’s a gentleman’s sport,” he says proudly.

One of his teammates, Mike Kerry, spoke of Gonzales in an excited Irish brogue. “He’s a good guy,” he said. “Workways, he seems to have always jumped around to different things. But he seems to have found his niche … seems to be happier playin’ the music.”

“I am happy,” Gonzales says. “It’s not only the music, it’s the way I am.”

“I like the guitar,” he says. And pauses to grin. “I like food.” And though he makes a living strumming the guitar, he plays for the love of it and for the people who listen. “It’s not about the money,” he says again. “It’s an exchange of peace.”

“Everybody is afraid,” he says, of the economy, of Iran, of the swine flu. Gonzales plays for them.

There is a man who passes him by often, a Boston judge, who once remarked to him, “your music gives me a lot of peace,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales, who believes in karma, says “peace and love” are the only things he carries, and distributes alongside the music.

“I have many good things to give. I don’t want one person to say I didn’t learn one good thing. Wherever I’m going, I’m bringing peace.”

It is up to him, where that may be. Perhaps a professional rugby coach, perhaps back to Delta. But one thing is for sure, Gonzales is not scared of anything,

“Each time you pull me down, I go up,” he grins broadly. “And when I die, I wanna be like this.”

Turns out, a postal worker crashed the truck after, he told police, he was cut off by another driver. But when cops began investigating, the postal worker couldn’t produce a driver’s license.

According to police, a computer check revealed that his license had been suspended and that there was a warrant out for his arrest.

Roy Triolo, 36, of Revere was arrested.

The Globe, citing city public health officials, said that the results are not confirmed, but that two students came down with symptoms after returning from Ireland, where apparently a mumps outbreak has occurred.

All four students had been vaccinated against the disease, which is not 100 percent effective. The Globe says 10-20 percent of those vaccinated are still vulnerable to the disease.

She continues telling me how she got started on the path to her first record, “Fortress Round My Heart,” without pausing to acknowledge she had just opened a beer bottle in one off the most innovative ways I had ever seen: “So I had this show booked and I didn’t have a band, I just had a bunch of songs. [...] I went back to Stockholm and was like looking for musicians everywhere. So I found these guys in Stockholm, basically. [...] I told these guys it was just going to be one gig, so that’s why they said yes, but we’ve been on tour for three years.”

Ida Maria (pronounced Ee-da) made a splash on the American music scene far before she physically walked onto its shores. Her song “Keep Me Warm” was featured in the season four finale of “Grey’s Anatomy” (”Grey’s” fans out there will recognize the song from when Derek found Meredith standing outside his camper) and she recently had a big interview with Rolling Stone.

The Norwegian artist waited three years to tour in the States, but said the wait was well worth it.

“It’s like the difference between reading a book and experiencing it, because I had a very certain frame of mind of how the States were before I came here, and when I came here that all changed,” Maria said. “I’m very surprised at how open and including and positive and social Americans are. [My experience with] Americans have mostly been tourists that come into tourists shops, that are talking really loud and are acting very “American.” Everything’s big and everything’s loud and everything. But I just have a totally different view of it now. I love to be here.”

Dressed in an oversized red flannel shirt, maroon leggings and short black boots, Ida Maria took the stage at the Paradise Rock Club March 31 opening for Glasvegas, her opening joke about Italians and the Boston mob met with silence. But the second she opened up her mouth and began to sing, the audience was held in rapture by her haunting voice, especially during her song “Stella,” a song she introduced as being about “love, religion and prostitutes.”

Everything came together when Maria played her hit single, “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked.” Those unfamiliar with Maria would have missed the shared smiles between the band members when the opening chords resonated through the venue, but the second Maria screamed “I won’t mind if you take off all your clothes/Come on, take them off/’Cause I like you so much better when you’re naked,” people were dancing along and bobbing their heads; singing along as if they knew the words even though they’d never heard the song before.

“I just wrote that song because I thought somebody needed to write it. It’s like, it’s so obvious,” Maria said. “It’s fun for me to tour and sing to people every night that I would like to see them more if they were naked.”

Though no one at the Paradise took the song literally, Maria said she had experiences where so many shirts were thrown on the stage there was a “mountain” around her, and once in Dublin when a guy skipped his clothes, went straight for his shoes and threw them at her face.

“But I love it when the guys start taking off their clothes. That’s just fucking amazing. That’s the whole point of the song, you know? The point isn’t that the girls are going to get undressed, it’s that the guys are going to show their… you know,” Maria said.

On Jan. 21, it was announced that Maria had won a Norwegian Grammy for “Best Newcomer of the Year.” Maria performed “Naked” at the ceremony but had a surprise from the award presenters after her performance.

“These two most famous TV presenters came walking out totally naked on live television. Their [genitals were covered ] but I didn’t know they were going to come out naked. It was weird. Some guy sued the TV stations because of that and stuff,” Maria said. “I’m just happy someone finally took [the song] literally.”

Maria will continue to tour in the US on the West coast throughout April, though she said she has started writing music for a potential sophomore album. She said the music will cover “strange topics” very different from “Fortress Round My Heart.” “I’m not even sure if I want to make another record,” she said. “We’ll see.”

Citing influence from Iggy Pop, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Lou Reed, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles, Maria said her music is more American than British or Scandinavian.

“As a European we get a lot of culture from the States: TV, films, and music, and we’ve all grown up watching American shows and American films and listening to American artists,” she said. “But if I look at my record collections, it’s definitely more American bands than English or French.”

Maria’s signature sound is very throaty vocals with occasional pops and cracks, which ends up sounding like a toned down version of her screaming. She said the band started out rehearsing in a small venue with no mics set up so she had to scream to hear herself over the drums, bass and guitar. “When I first did shows with the full band and stuff, I just continued singing like that, so it’s a bit of a coincidence or something,” she said.

The last song of her set at the Paradise, “Oh My God,” is definitely a screamer. Even after the last strums of guitar had faded away, Maria kept yelling “Oh my god!/Oh my god!/ Oh my god!” into the microphone, but by that point in the show, the audience was completely engrossed in her performance. After she left the stage, the man sitting next to me who was there to see Glasvegas said he was in awe. He had never heard of Ida Maria before but had thought she was fantastic.

When asked what she thought set her apart from the rest of the musicians out there, Maria said, “They say I’m different. I don’t know.”

Maybe a little bit of “different” is exactly what the American music industry needs right now.

Nicholas Penna Jr., of SalonCapri in Newton Highlands and Hyde Park, Mass., talked to Blast recently with some wicked cool, green hair tips

Create Dreadlocks (the easy way!):

• Section off hair into half-inch sized sections
• Apply a wax to the section of hair
• Using a comb, tease the root area of the hair
• Begin to twist the hair
• Spray with a light hairspray
• Use a flat iron to hold the hair in place and move it up and down to create a “dreadlock” look

Skip Shampoo to conserve your hair products and save $/ stress on your hair:

• Shower daily, but don’t always shampoo! Just wash out hair with water and dry it normally
• Three times a week use shampoo and wash hair thoroughly
• By reducing the amount of times you shampoo a week, you can also save on fading your color

SalonCapri was awarded “Best of Boston 2008″ by Boston Magazine.

Authorities say Chambers, 52, is a homeless drug addict who frequently stayed at a friend’s studio apartment in Chinatown. On Feb. 10, 2008, they say Chambers and another friend, Edward “Red” Quiles got into a heated argument after Quiles accused Chambers of stealing his stash of heroin.

“Drugs are part of the case,” said assistant district attorney Ian Polumbaum. “Drugs explain why these two men joined together, then collided, ending in a homicide.”

Polumbaum’s case lays out a timeline where Chambers and Quiles spent a night buying and using heroin before passing out early the next morning. Later, the friend who had rented the apartment, woke up to hear the other two men fighting and “engaged in a physical scuffle.”

“Find my [expletive]. Where’s my [expletive],” Quiles allegedly yelled at Chambers. “Mr. Quiles was accusing Mr. Chambers of stealing drugs from him,” Polumbaum said.

Chambers allegedly replied, “I don’t have your stuff.”

Then the tenant left the apartment and Chambers later called 911 to summon police.

During the fight, prosecutors say Chambers pulled a knife and stabbed Quiles. Chambers fled the apartment, but he and his blood-covered hands were quickly discovered by police, responding to his own 911 call.

Quiles bled out and died. Now Chambers is claiming self defense, but prosecutors don’t buy it. It will be up to a jury to decide what’s true in this sad case of drug-fueled death.

“Try to reconcile the evidence with the defendant’s own version of what happened,” Polumbaum told jurors. “Pay close attention to his claim that he did this killing in self defense.”

Kurvin Richardson, 38, of Roxbury, was arrested in June 2005, 15 years after the murder, and he finally goes to trial Monday, authorities said.

Firefighters responding to a gas leak call found Roman’s stabbed and beaten body in her apartment on May 31, 1990. Aerosol cans were found in Roman’s stove, which was turned on.

Police said Richardson was nailed down as the suspect using DNA evidence, which wasn’t admissible in courts in Massachusetts until 2005.

The pop princess graced Boston at the TD Banknorth Garden Monday to an audience of 17,804 circus freaks (also known as “Britney fans”).

The titillating and death-defying acrobatics of the opening circus performers who performed everything from dance style martial arts to graceful and awe-inspiring flips on a flexible beam carried by two strong men was enough to have the audience riveted throughout the entire pre-show acts.

Following that and the Pussycat Dolls opening act, Britney gyrated, lip-synched and got her freak on for an hour and half, performing her newest radio hits from her latest album “Circus” and classic Brit faves including “I’m a Slave 4 U” and “Baby One More Time.”

Britney is a performer first, plain and simple. She can put on a show, she can dance her heart out and boy can she make an exhibition of herself. But something was missing from this show. Yes, the 27-year-old mother of two and divorcee has been through a lot since becoming a teen pop sensation at the tender age of 16, but she could have given 100 percent to her dancing rather than the mildly disappointing 80 percent the audience witnessed.

That said, her dancers, acrobats, clowns and all around circus talent from the Big Apple Circus put on a fantastic show that had the audience on the edge of the seats, when they weren’t standing and dancing along with the music. The costumes were elaborate and glittery, to say the least and a toned Britney seemed content. Her one ballad “Everytime” was beautifully done, with Spears sitting poised and sweetly on a giant, brightly colored umbrella, pouring her heart out.

With a Bollywood themed rendition of her hit “Me Against the Music,” her and her dancers, clad in bellydance garb, shook their stuff utilizing all three circus “ring” stages. Other showstoppers included “Piece of Me” which had Britney caged and exploited — what else is new?

One of the best songs wasn’t even Britney’s and didn’t have her or anyone else present on stage and was a sexy and burlesque inspired video of an amazing dance version of the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams are Made of This.”

With a borderline-S&M themed “Freakshow” number, funky and upbeat “If You Seek Amy” piece and fun, flirty, risque mix of two songs from her “In the Zone” album: “Breathe on Me” and “Touch of My Hand,” the audience was completely satisfied with their Britney experience. And despite all of the turmoil and negative press attention to her personal life, the fact is she is putting herself out there, touring, making more and more millions and maintaining an incredibly devoted, if not mildly psychotic, fan base.

She came, she performed and she’s still conquering. After all, she’s Britney, bitch.

According to Patrick’s press office, the governor made the announcement via his Twitter feed.

The other choices for the quarter included the Lowell National Historic Park, the House of Seven Gables in Salem and the U.S.S. Constitution.

We’re wondering what would have happened if Fenway Park was included.

More than 245,000 people voted on the new design.

The Mint recently asked all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories, to select one preferred and three alternate nationally recognized sites to be featured on the reverse of a new quarter. As part of America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act, the new quarters will be issued at the rate of five new designs per year beginning in 2010, and will be issued in the order in which the selected sites were established as national sites, as opposed to the last round, where quarters came out in the order of statehood.

The Boston Globe reported that price told friends and co-workers Friday that he reached a “mutual agreement” with the station’s owner, Ed Ansin, to leave his post after 12 years.

His last newscast was Wednesday night. Price had a contract with WHDH until 2012.

WHDH moved Kim Khazei to co-anchor with Frances Rivera on Channel 7’s 10 p.m. newscast, the Globe reported.

Guitarist Rob Morris, with the help of a laptop, some software, and a bit of Velcro, can move, shake, or tilt his souped-up guitar to change its sound on the fly.

Here’s basically how it’s done (read the Globe story for full details):

Notice anything different? Photo © 2009 The Boston Globe

1. Attach the remote to the guitar: Duct tape works. Velcro is a little fancier. Don’t let it fall off on stage.

2. Make the Wiimote and computer talk: Morris runs “Bluetooth Setup Assistant” on his Mac.

3. Software: The Max/MSP multimedia suite to translate the controller’s motions into any guitar effect he wants. Besides pitch and echo, he likes the “granular synthesis” effect, which can create blips and beeps that sound like old video games.

4. Convert to audio: Plug the guitar and laptop into a PreSonus Firebox, and connect the Firebox into an…

5. Amp: Turn it on and rock out!

Vivian Darkbloom plays tonight at 7:30 as part of the Boston Music Spotlight Live series at Olivers Nightclub at the Cask ‘n Flagon. 21+. $10 at the door.

Click here to read John’s story in the Boston Globe.

“I understand why people make fun of it,” said Mickey Rapkin, author of the book “Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory,” in a recent interview. “It’s a group of guys sitting around singing Justin Timberlake songs without instruments. But there’s revenge. They’re laughing too, but they’re laughing all the way to the bank.”

Boston is home to several college and semiprofessional groups, including Overboard, which consists of eight men living out the dream of rock stars, complete with gigs, fans and recording albums, when they’re not at their full-time jobs.

But don’t compare this contemporary a cappella group and others like it to those glee clubs your grandparents knew, with four people standing around a microphone singing barbershop tunes, or the Tone Rangers full of sexually ambiguous men.

The men of Overboard, who range in age from 23 to 31 and balance their regular lives with their singing commitments, take the hits of artists like John Mayer, All American Rejects, Rob Thomas and Fall Out Boy and recreate the original songs’ rhythm and feel using just the sound of their voices.

“The thing I really like about a cappella is that you don’t need any equipment to do it,” said 29-year-old Nick Girard, who founded Overboard in the summer of 2006. “I don’t like to use the word organic, but it’s really such an easy, spontaneous thing to do.”

Arranging a cappella, however, is no longer as simple as gathering individuals to sing a song. Not all songs are compatible with the style of a cappella, and writing the score or rote memorizing the compilation can take days for some groups.

Girard said a song with a strong chord-based foundation lends itself to a cappella better than a song with the guitar and bass playing repetitive and similar notes.

When he arranges a song for a cappella, Girard said, he generally starts by concentrating on the bass and then bringing in the sounds of the other instruments, like the guitar or piano.

“You have to figure how many people are in your group and how many notes you need to represent to make your song sound like the real thing,” he said.

The common sounds used in a cappella to mimic the rhythms of background music include “ooh”s for softer sounds, and “ah”s “dum”s, “do”s and “jen”s for hard sounds.

But why bother making the human voice sound like an instrument when computer technology can manipulate sounds and certain instruments can modernize even the most classic works of music? Is a cappella even relevant today?

“The point is to entertain other people and to entertain yourself,” Rapkin said. “Why would technology keep people from singing together? You don’t need to set up; you just need your friends.”

Old school a cappella was primarily based on barbershop quartets singing jazz, but in the 1990s, the all-male group Rockapella seemed to reinvent the art form, channeling the theme that all sounds would be provided by the members’ “voices and appendages.”

Today’s groups incorporate contemporary music into their repertoires and make each performance “an exercise in how…close the human voice can come to real instrumental music,” Gerard said.

“It definitely has a certain charm to it, and it’s always well-received no matter who we sing to,” he added. “Turning popular music and being able to perform it the way we do is an interesting novelty that a lot of people haven’t seen. And there is a lot of money to be had. It’s family friendly and extremely portable.”

“My whole belief is that the community of gamers all over the world, including Boston, is insulted by commercials, bored with TV content and is looking for a source of entertainment with more depth,” said Gamer Doc president Jim Belanger, 54. “Video games are providing that.”

“They want true freedom to play what they want when they want,” Belanger said. “They’re kind of rejecting the old ways of marketing.”

Gamer Doc has generated news buzz in local and national markets.  They sell games, but instead of just putting product on shelves, there are video games being played all around with game systems being repaired in the back and gaming-related events and contests going on in the middle.

This interactive “gaming community” experience promises to be unique.

“We’re like a Gamestop, a Blockbuster, an arcade and a repairs center all rolled into one,” said Jason Renfro, 37, who opened the first Gamer Doc in Los Angeles.

Gamer Doc hopes to launch three stores in the Boston area this year

Locations provide services based on the needs of the customer. By talking with staff, gamers and new players can increase their knowledge of specific games and systems. Customers can actually play games and participate in events in the store like tournaments, gaming leagues, new game demonstrations and release date events.

In the original Gamer Doc location, the model seems to have worked too well — “In December there was so much business in the store that we had to cancel all the events,” said Renfro.

When events do happen,  Gamer Doc locations will often recruit regular customers to help out the staff. Knowledgeable gamers can be a great asset to the community in a Gamer Doc location, Belanger said.

“They are key to our success,” he said. “We have a process of recognizing, and involving, the knowledgeable gamers to get them into the system.”

Belanger said GamerDoc planned to open three franchise stores in and around Boston

A franchise store is paid for by a group of investors. An agreement between Gamer Doc and the investors defines the market area. The challenge for the company is to find qualified franchisees, this will affect the timetable for store openings in Boston, Belanger said. The company sees benefits to franchising.

“The benefit to the owner is to be part of a growing and exciting brand,” the founding president said. “For the customers, we find generally, franchisees are more committed to the customer experience.”

Belanger and David Huether started the company in 2007. Many of the staff members on the current roster have been with the company from the beginning. There were many retailers selling video games at the time, but the pair had a different idea. Instead of simply selling the video games, they wanted to begin recognizing the role of “hardcore gamers” in the store.

“On the Xbox 360 there were these malfunctions called ‘the red ring of death’ that made the system inoperable,” Belanger said. “Hardore gamers were amazed when we gave them loner machines, so they could get back to playing their games,” Belanger said.

The focus on hardcore gamers will be reflected in the layout of the store. Locations will even have a specific line where gamers can quickly pick up their games and go if they want.

“Our idea is to make it so that people can get their games, and get to playing them right away,” Belanger said.

Belanger has been gaming since 1977. His first game was a “cocktail” version of the Pac-Man arcade game that sat two people for simultaneous play. His first console was an Atari 400. He currently owns an Xbox 360 Elite, a PlayStation 2 and a Wii.

He ended any ambition of PC gaming after repeated destruction in World of Warcraft, at the hands of his co-workers.

“Overall, I see the gamers of today are as the golfers of my generation, you have to play every stroke every time, or you’ll never know if you’re really good.”

The series is an interactive cooking demonstration and learning experience that takes place at various restaurants throughout the Boston area.  In a classroom like setting participants learn techniques, how to cook a dish, and mingle with the teaching chef through a question and answer session.  

Participants also get to taste the food prepared, receive a complementary glass of wine, a free recipe booklet and the opportunity to win a special gift from the restaurant they visit.  The best part besides learning how to cook a fine meal? Proceeds from each ticket sale benefit a charity of the restaurant’s choice. 

Masona Grill
Corey Street, West Roxbury
Sunday Feb. 8, 5 p.m.
Charity: Cancer Research

Himalayan Bistro
Centre Street, West Roxbury, MA 02132 
Monday, Feb. 23,  6:30 p.m.
Charity: West Roxbury YMCA 

Bangkok Café
Poplar Street, Roslindale, MA 02131 
Saturday, Feb. 28, 4 p.m.    
Charity: Roslindale Arts Alliance                    

Townsend’s Restaurant
81 Fairmount Avenue, Hyde Park, MA 02136  
Tuesday, March 3, 6:30 p.m.                  
Charity: The Cam Neely Foundation for Cancer Care 

Delfino’s Restaurant
754 South Street, Roslindale, MA 02131 
Monday, March 9, 6:30 p.m.                  
Charity: Italian Home for Children 

West on Centre
Centre Street, West Roxbury, MA 02132 
Monday, March 23, 6:30 p.m.             
Charity: PINCH Foundation 

Brickhouse Café
107 Bridge Street, Dedham, MA 02026 
Monday, March 30th, 6:30 p.m.             
Charity: Dedham Food Pantry 

Tickets are $40 per person and reservations are required in advance. They can be purchased on-line or by calling 617-323-0670.

Cirque Le Masque, a world-toured, non-animal circus gave an amazing performance on opening night at Emerson College’s Cutler Majestic Theatre, in Boston’s Theatre District. The 90 minute show ended with a standing ovation.

Carnivale tells a story about a girl, Moira, (performed by Cara Maher) who is tired of the discordant noise from her home in a big city. She leaves the city and jaunts to Rio de Janeiro, where she eventually joins the circus. Along the way, Moira makes friends with local carnival performers in Central and South America.

Through this exploration we get to see such stunning acts as dual trapeze and silk acts (by World Champion twins Serenity Smith Forchion and Elsie Smith), aerial acrobatics, dueling contortionists, a massive “German Wheel” (by former Cirque du Soleil star Andrei Roublev), all accompanied by the Cirque le Masque dancers.

Between aerial stunts and psychedelic costumes, this show left me enchanted. The “Silk Act” particularly left us on the edge of our seats. People cried out in disbelief when one of the acrobats leaped into the air from one of the silk ropes and gracefully caught herself, roughly ten feet from the ground.

This French-inspired show expresses a liveliness that will surprise you over and over again.

If you don’t like audience interaction this show will definitely change your mind. There are two side characters. One acts almost as a ring master and looks like something not from this planet — rounded belly and various patterns and colors all over his body. The other is an eccentric older man. In between acts, these charming but mischievous characters that will have you in stitches.

Cirque le Masque’s Carnivale is a stunning performance, filled with laughter, intrigue and amazement.

The choreography had traces of bachata and salsa footwork. The two male dancers performing one of the silk acts in the second half of the show were reminiscent of capoeira (Brazilian “kick boxing”), as their wardrobe consisted of loose, white pants and their spirited choreography involved fast flips and impressive leg extension.

I would have liked to see more of two things: more emphasis on the dancing and more of the actual dancing, especially at the end and especially from the main character.

Moira suddenly shows up as a show girl in Rio, but there’s little character development before that. The dancing could have been rehearsed more, as small things like piques, other footwork and body isolation were sometimes not in sync or as accentuated as they could have been. I assume that this is probably because more of the emphasis at rehearsal was put on the difficult stunts than the dancing.

The music could have had more Latino influence in its beat, since the story takes place in South America — but this is also a French-inspired show…

“The Boston Fire Investigation Unit has determined the cause … to be an unspecified electrical short circuit,” said Steve MacDonald, a Boston Fire Department Spokesman, in a statement. “This was based on interviews with the first arriving firefighters, physical evidence, burn patterns and other factors.”

The fire started in the ceiling of Thornton’s Fenway Grille, what was a popular college hangout on the corner of the block.

This fire destroyed Thornton’s, Rod-Dee Thai Cuisine, El Pelon Taqueria, Greek Isles, Sorrento’s and Umi Japanese restaurants. A dry cleaner, Bon Cleaners, was also burned to the ground.

The Jan. 6 fire caused $5 million in damage.

Jeffrey D. Nichols, 51, was released on a bail warning Tuesday after his arraignment in Boston Municipal Court on indecent assault and battery charges. He was arrested Jan. 16 after police said he touched a plainclothes detective in a sexual manner.

Police opened up an undercover investigation after receiving a tip from a passenger about someone fitting Nichols’ description. He was arrested at the State Street Station.

He’ll have to stay away from trains and stations throughout his case.

“If he does not abide by that order, or if he reoffends in any way, Nichols could be held without bail,” authorities said Tuesday.

Governor Patrick’s State of the Commonwealth Address

State of the Commonwealth Address

House Chamber

State House, Boston, MA

Thursday, January 15, 2009

As Prepared for Delivery

Madame President, Mr. Speaker, and Members of the House and Senate,

Honorable Members of the Judiciary,

Lieutenant Governor and Fellow Constitutional Officers,

Members of the Cabinet, Reverend Clergy, Mayors and Other Distinguished guests,

And above all, the People of Massachusetts.

I want to acknowledge my First Lady and yours, Diane Patrick. And we together want to acknowledge and thank the men and women in uniform – and their families – for the service they render in the United States military.

AN AGENDA FOR CHANGE

When we met in this chamber a year ago, I asked you to work with me on an ambitious agenda for change.

I asked you to increase support for public education, with a special emphasis on early education, all-day kindergarten and longer learning time – and you did.

I asked you to enact a Life Sciences Bill and a Clean Energy package — to grow jobs and shape a new economic and environmental future — and you did.

I asked you to support initiatives to end homelessness and move people from shelter to permanent housing — as an act of both compassion and common sense — and you did.

And I asked you to invest significantly over the next few years in rebuilding our college campuses, expanding broadband access, improving public and affordable housing, upgrading our parks and open spaces, and restoring our roads, rails and bridges – and you did.

In one of the most productive legislative sessions in a generation, you answered that call for action — and the Commonwealth is stronger. So, Mr. Speaker, Madam President, and each and every Member of both bodies, let me first say thank you — on behalf of all the people of the Commonwealth.

OUR BUSINESS IS FAR FROM FINISHED

And yet our business is far from finished.

We gather tonight under an economic cloud darker than anything this Nation has faced in three generations. Tens of thousands of people in Massachusetts have lost their jobs to a nationwide recession. Thousands have seen their savings or home equity snatched away by turmoil in the markets. Banks have money but won’t lend it. Businesses and nonprofits are laying off or won’t hire because they can’t see a clear path to tomorrow. We have unfinished business.

Within the sound of my voice tonight, there are mothers trying to choose between paying the rent or the heat this month, because they can’t pay both. There are parents listening to me now who have had to tell sons and daughters, home from college for the holidays, that they can’t afford to send them back next semester. There are homeowners on the brink of losing their homes because they got in too deep with the wrong lender. Achievement gaps in the schools persist in poor communities. And, in what feels like a personal tragedy for me, Black men, whether desperate or careless, are killing other Black men at ever more alarming rates. We have unfinished business.

BROKE, NOT POOR

So, this is not the time to let up or give up. This is not the time to lose either our will or our way — the grim economic forecasts notwithstanding.

When I was growing up, we were forbidden from calling ourselves “poor.” My grandmother taught us to say we were broke, because “broke,” she said, is temporary. We will cycle out of this downturn eventually and start to expand opportunity again, to widen the reach of the American Dream. And I am confident that — if we are honest about the challenges we face, responsible in the choices we make, and committed to work together for the common good – we will see our way through today’s economic clouds to a stronger and brighter tomorrow.

At the federal level, we are working hard to help shape a federal stimulus package to bridge us to a better economy. If and when that package is passed, we will be ready to get projects underway and put people to work. That means jobs extending broadband services; jobs installing solar panels, wind turbines, and weather stripping; jobs rebuilding roads, rails and bridges; jobs modernizing our health care records management system and building schools.

Of course, our job in state government demands more than waiting for a federal lifeline. We have launched one billion dollars of capital projects to start over the first 6 months of this year, creating new jobs and making it more attractive for companies and families to put down stakes in Massachusetts. Thanks to successful implementation of health care reform, nearly 98 percent of all Massachusetts citizens now have health insurance they can depend on, the highest proportion in the Nation. Our teachers and students continue to reach for ever better performance, scoring first in the Nation on NAEPs, the Nation’s “report card,” and near the top in the world on TIMSS, the international standards for math and science. We are not standing still.

NATIONAL ECONOMY AND BUDGET CUTS

Meanwhile, the national economy is making much of what we need to do harder to do. In October, we identified and closed a $1.4 billion gap in our state budget. With the economy continuing to deteriorate, we foresee the need for another $1.1 billion in cuts and other budget solves this month. At the end of this month, I will file an Emergency Recovery Plan to close this further gap. My request is simple: Give us the tools and we will finish the job.

I will also file a balanced budget proposal later this month for the coming fiscal year. Given the decline in state revenue, spending must be at levels significantly below what they have been in better times. No one’s priorities will be spared. Local services will be cut, and in many cases, police, firefighters and teachers will face layoffs. But as we debate these proposals among ourselves and with the advocates, let us remember that we are doing no more in state government than the people of the Commonwealth are having to do in their own lives — to make do with less, to trim down wherever we can to get through to a better time.

I know the impact is real. I see the people with disabilities whose work opportunities have changed. I see the youth workers whose efforts at violence reduction are more limited. I see the college and university instructors, the home health aides, the child care providers and so many others who deliver vital services, but who work without a contract or adequate pay.

Some think that cutting government is always good. But they see only abstractions. Behind every one of those budget line items, I see somebody’s best chance or only chance. And I will do my best to make the decisions I have to make with the impact of them clearly in mind.

We need everyone to contribute. We cut nearly $800 million from the Executive Branch last October, and will make another round of deep cuts as part of our Emergency Recovery Plan. In my office, we cut expenses by 17% in this year’s budget, and will make additional cuts in the next fiscal year. Given the times, as you consider your own spending, I am asking the Legislature and my fellow constitutional officers to do no less.

A SEASON OF SIGNIFICANT REFORM

At the same time, this crisis also presents us with opportunities. The times demand that we confront some issues that we may have avoided in ordinary times. Seizing these opportunities will make us stronger in the long run. So, I am asking the Legislature tonight to join me in a season of significant government reform.

While we may not be able to fund local aid at current levels, we can provide tools to help local governments better manage through these difficult times. In that spirit, we will again propose a series of measures that give cities and towns greater authority over local decisions. That includes raising new revenue through a modest meals and lodging tax, eliminating the outdated exemption the phone company enjoys from paying local property taxes, and encouraging as much regionalization of local services as practical. If we cannot provide direct aid, let’s at least untie the hands of local communities to capture the savings and raise the revenue within their reach. Let’s enact a municipal reform package this spring.

Our transportation system – and the means by which we pay for it – is a cluster of tangled knots. It’s time to level with ourselves and with the public about what our obligations are and how best to meet them, and to set us on a course to a more efficient and effective future. Let’s radically simplify our transportation system, and set it on a sustainable path, by enacting meaningful transportation reform.

The pension system is an area where the abuses of a few cast a shadow on the worthiness of the whole. I support the defined benefit system that we have in place today in state government, as part of the bargain we have with workers to serve the public at frequently below-market compensation. But the rules must be tightened so that abuses are eliminated and special benefits for a select few are removed. Only then can we restore the public’s confidence in the system. Let’s enact meaningful pension reform this session.

Public safety cries out for a better approach. Sentencing in the Commonwealth has become about warehousing people; and we do little to prepare the 94 percent of those incarcerated who will one day re-enter civic life. Once released, the misuse of the CORI system makes it nearly impossible for some people to get work, a place to live, and back on their feet. These practices may make a good sound bite, but they do nothing to make our communities safer. Let’s focus less on old rhetoric and more on preventing crime — and pass a meaningful, comprehensive Anti-Crime Bill.

And let’s enact ethics and lobbying reform now. I know we cannot legislate morality. But we can close loopholes in the current rules and stiffen the penalties for breaking them. In the coming three weeks, take up and pass our ethics reform bill, and let’s help restore the public’s confidence in the basic integrity of state government.

These five reforms will make our communities stronger and our government better. Along with earlier measures to lower auto insurance rates, introduce civilian flaggers at construction sites, and create an independent Office of the Child Advocate, these reforms further a vision of state government that serves the public’s interests, not the special interests.

SHORTCOMINGS

None of us here has the gift of divine perfection. Sometimes, without a doubt, we will come up short. We have not yet, for example, been able to deliver on our commitment to reduce property taxes in every community. Our initiatives to propel public education into the 21^st century may be implemented more slowly than I had hoped. Our proposal for resort casinos went down last year to defeat.

But in the words of Dr. Benjamin Mays, the legendary president of Morehouse College, “Not failure, but low aim, is sin.” Some will prefer to do as little as possible, to hunker down to wait for better times. Others will urge a more cautious agenda for fear that defeat provides a political advantage to our rivals. I choose a different path. I choose to focus on what’s next, what else we can do to help the people of the Commonwealth make a better way for themselves, their families and their communities. Hunkering down may be good advice in a hurricane, but it is not leadership. I choose a politics less about tactics and more about a vision for how to help ordinary people achieve their potential – even when times are tough.

“WE” MEANS ALL OF US

We do indeed have unfinished business. But the “we” to which I refer is not government alone. It is all of us. The times we are in are tough, but temporary. (Remember: “broke, not poor.”) While they last, we are going to have to learn to lean on each other, to live as members of a community.

That means check in on your elderly neighbor when it’s cold to make sure the heat is on. If you have some extra food, or can afford a few extra items at the grocery store, drop something off at the local food pantry. Take the coat your kids have outgrown over to a family shelter for a child it might fit just fine. Recycle everything you can. Give your time, your energy, your heart to someone somewhere. And above all, for the adults, show a young person how to look up rather than down.

Maybe you will say that no governor should come to this podium on this occasion and ask you simply to care about what havoc this economy is wreaking in the lives of others. But that is exactly what I am asking you do to. Because without you in this Commonwealth caring about that, and about each other, nothing we do here matters.

TOGETHER WE CAN

I still have hope for the future of the Commonwealth and her people. I still believe that “together we can.” And that is because I have always believed that “together we can” is more than a political slogan. It is an expression of will, of stubborn determination, of confidence. “Together we can” — like “yes we can” — is an assertion of character.

It is the same character that propelled a ragtag bunch of ill-equipped farmers and tradesmen, on a field in Concord and the green in Lexington, to invent America. It is the same character that caused slaves to steal away to freedom on the Underground Railroad, and lay claim to the conscience of a Nation. It is the same character that brought waves of immigrants to our shores with little or nothing, and enabled them in an earlier time and still today to build families, businesses and strong communities. It is the same character that inspires our researchers to build the web or life-saving robots or find a cure for humankind’s most stubborn diseases; the same character that moves young parents to work two and three jobs so their children can one day work at one good one; and the same character that leads us to affirm, whether gay or straight, that in Massachusetts equal means equal.

“Together we can” is about who we are. We are a home for hope. Citizens of Massachusetts, as long as we remember that and act accordingly, the State of our Commonwealth will remain strong. And I will remain both proud and grateful to be your governor.

Thank you. And God bless you all.

Three children are also being treated at Children’s Hospital Boston, according to Boston’s Channel 7.

According to The Boston Globe, the truck may have lost its brakes coming down a steep hill and lost control.

Turn to The Globe for more information on this story.

And it counted as exercise.

The Movement Center of Boston offers instruction in this school of fitness, which is called gyrotonic. A collection of intricate wooden machines, called the pulley tower combination, unit-guide the body in a controlled series of movements tailored to a person’s individual needs and goals. The motions are familiar, lifting and lowering the legs or circling them like pedaling a bicycle. But the reasoning behind the motions was different. Where traditional training would focus on lifting as much weight as possible, the instructor, Lisa Pari, uses just enough resistance to balance legs in midair and isolate the muscles around joints.

According to fitness experts, that’s what New Year’s Resolutions are all about in 2009: switching it up and taking that tired fitness plan in a new direction.

Gyrotonic, originally invented by Juliu Horvath as a form of rehabilitation for injured dancers, has expanded to reach customers from elite athletes to 80 year olds who can’t swivel their spines to people who “just come because of the sense of wellbeing they get from the system,” said Pari. Its sister method, gyrokinesis, is performed on a mat and necessitates more strength and flexibility.

Movement Center owner and master trainer Kathy Van Patten said it took a couple of lessons for her to realize she needed to continue her gyrotonic practice. After studying under the system’s founder for years, she’s a true believer in its benefits, which are similar to those of swimming, tai chi, dance, yoga, and gymnastics.

“It’s growing by leaps and bounds, and it’s just a matter of time before it overtakes Pilates and yoga,” she said.

Whatever route people decide to take, a new exercise prescription seems to be the ticket to making lasting body transformations in 2009. And Mike Walsh, a certified personal trainer and manager of BodyScapes Fitness in Brookline, Mass., actually considers these frigid New England winters the perfect opportunity for Bostonians to make changes in their fitness programs.

“Use it as a chance to break away from your mode and to become a more well-rounded athlete,” he said. “Use these three months that are tougher weather to do something else.”

That might include trying yoga, he said, for people who usually run or bike outside. Or, for those who have never tried getting fitness instruction, the first of the year might be a good time to give a class or personal training a shot.

BOSTON — Seeing the Boston Ballet perform The Nutcracker is a New England tradition. It’s one of our “things” here in the Bean.

Blast attended on Tuesday, and we were really moved by the performance that balanced the playful with the traditional to weave a classic masterpiece into fun for all ages.

From the cutest little black sheep purposefully a step behind his brothers to the angels opening Act II from the Boston Ballet School, The Nutcracker is two hours of your life well spent.

It is a show that will feel very familiar to anyone, even if you haven’t been to a ballet before — and we know college students and 20-somethings tend to not see enough live theater. The music will take you away, and the familiar scenes like the always crowd-favorite Russian dancers will make you feel like part of the show.

My favorite scene is the sensual Arabian Dance with its unbelievably beautiful music (listen) and dancing. The Boston Ballet performs this scene and all others wonderfully.

There are six more shows, two on each day, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so get your tickets now. Tuesday’s show was sold out.

Tickets start at $30, and there are group and student discounts abound.

The Nutcracker is a fairy tale ballet in two acts by Peter Tchaikovsky in the 1890s.

We all love movies, no doubt, but our generation really needs to pay more attention to theater, opera and ballet. There is nothing in the world like a live show, and some of the moves these dancers pull off are enough to make anyone gasp — you just KNOW that was difficult.

The Boston Ballet has settled into its new home at the Boston Opera House. It’s a wonderful ballet company that has been sorely under appreciated and underfunded in Boston, as the commercial Citi Center does all it can to bring in talent from New York and elsewhere.

The Nutcracker is a bold reminder that Boston’s home-grown talent is a world-class force. More plainly: it’s a reminder that Boston’s home-grown talent is awesome.

The Boston Ballet has a busy 2009 coming up, including an April-May run of The Sleeping Beauty that’s not to be missed either.