Jan Simpson was a working mother in her 30′s with two young children when her aging parents’ health began to fail. Suddenly, and without any real knowledge of what she was getting into, Simpson entered a decade-long journey through eldercare. “It was a challenging time,” says the Concord, MA resident. “My father was living with [...]
They were frilly, silly, political and even risqué and today, vintage penny postal cards can bring a collector top dollar. Postcards were hugely popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Without widespread access to telephones, mailing the cards was an inexpensive and entertaining form of communication. Their artwork advertised goods, commemorated holidays, promoted politicians [...]
The City of Northampton, Massachusetts is using a negotiated energy performance contract — for tapping into guaranteed future energy and water consumption savings — to finance $6.5 million in improvements to 28 municipal buildings and schools. Slated for completion by the end of this year, the upgrades will lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduce water usage [...]
Bats: They’re blood sucking, rabies-riddled vampires. Right? Well, not so much. If these high-flying creatures of the night strike fear in your heart, you’re not alone; but your fears are totally unfounded. According to Bat Conservation International, only three bat species actually feed on blood (none in the U.S.) and they “lap it up like [...]
On September 24, 2008, U.S. Army staff sergeant Michael Downing was standing in the gun turret of his convoy’s lead humvee in Afghanistan when it was hit by an IED. The force of the explosion threw him 40 feet from the vehicle and caused irreversible injuries to both legs. Downing was in the 9th month of [...]
Disasters bring out the best in most of us. In fact, American charities have already raised more than $246 million for Japan’s earthquake relief efforts, according to Charity Navigator. They’ve raised more than $6.5 billion for Hurricane Katrina victims. But disasters can also bring out predators. If you’re thinking of contributing money to an agency [...]
Most people are afraid of them and might normally be happy to hear the population has shrunk by 80%, but that’s until you consider the benefits of bats. This unique flying mammal is at great risk from a deadly and mysterious disease, White-nose syndrome (WNS). It is killing bats at an alarming rate in the [...]
The Red Sox may be the most famous attraction in Boston’s Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood, but the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is undeniably the most extraordinary. In fact, there is no other museum like it in America. Within her 15th-century Venetian-style palace, Isabella Gardner painstakingly assembled cherished works of international art, tapestry, furniture, rare books and letters, [...]
