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Healthy sips for a healthier new year

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 09:00:11 GMT

Well that was a doozy of a holiday run, was it not? We sang, we ate, we gifted, we partied like it was the end of, well, 2023. And now it’s time to pivot to some post-holiday cleansing.Even if you’re not into the idea of doing a dry January and don’t particularly feel like jumping on the rollercoaster of drastic diet change. there are plenty of beverages out there that you can easily sip to boost your health — in many different ways.For example? Let’s start with chaga teas. You may not have heard of these yet, but they’ve been around for eons; people in Eastern Europe have been drinking them for centuries. It’s made from chaga mushrooms, which usually grow on the trunks of birch trees. Studies have found that they may help prevent cancer and slow tumor growth,  can help balance our immune systems, slow inflammation, and possibly even help protect our livers. A great and yummy one to try is from Boom Chaga (boomchagadrinks.com).If better sleep health is on your new year a...

TV Q&A: When will network shows air new seasons?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 09:00:11 GMT

You have questions. I have some answers.Q: What happened to the TV program “So Help Me Todd”?A: First, the series will begin a new season on Feb. 15, the same night that “Young Sheldon” and “Ghosts” resume on CBS. That’s part of a CBS series premiere week kicking off after the Super Bowl on Feb. 11, including “NCIS” on Feb. 12 and the three “FBI” series on Feb. 13.The late start for this and other shows is, as I have mentioned, the result of the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes, which delayed production and release of movies and TV shows. Programs are beginning to return, although the returns will stretch out over several months.For example, NBC has already started a new season of “Night Court,” its “Chicago” series all resume on Jan. 17 and the “Law & Order” bundle starts anew on Jan. 18. ABC begins a new run of “The Bachelor” on Jan. 22 but will not have a new season of “Abbott Elementary” until Feb. 7, “American Idol” on Feb. 18, and “Grey’s Anatomy” on Marc...

Children may be attracted to each other

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 09:00:11 GMT

Q. My boyfriend and I moved in together last April. We dated for a year prior to deciding to combine our families. I have two daughters, 7 and 16. He has a 12- and 17-year-old son; the oldest is planning to go to college in Hawaii after graduation. Recently I noticed the vibe is a little different between our oldest children and I am concerned they may be attracted to each other. What do we do? What’s good ex-etiquette?A. Ironically, I find parents often categorize kids in two groups. One, my kids. Two, all other kids. And all other kids stretch the truth, sneak out at night, drink alcohol, experiment with drugs and have physical attractions. So they don’t consider that their children, about the same age, may be attracted to each other, and move in together without the proper checks and balances in place.What are some of the pitfalls they may run into? Leaving the kids home alone without adult supervision and the obvious problems that may lead to, the impact their relationship and a...

Hottest winter theater tickets in Boston

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 09:00:11 GMT

Cold weather, hot emotions. Dark nights, bright lights. Explore artistic poles this winter in the Boston theater scene. There will be shows with silly pop music, riffs on classic literature, ballet, puppets, teen dramas, and haunting intimacy.“Trouble in Mind,” Jan. 12 – Feb. 4, Lyric StageBlack actress Wiletta Mayer is set to take Broadway by storm in 1955. But stereotypes and racism follow her through her debut in a supposedly progressive play by a white writer. Funny, warm, and cutting, “Trouble in Mind” is a backstage look at the theater of the past that resonates in the present. Lyricstage.com“Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” Jan. 16 – Feb. 4, Citizens Bank Opera HouseHere we are now! Entertain us! The fever dream, sugar rush, glitz and glam of Baz Luhrmann’s film has been put on stage. And everybody loves it. The winner of 10 Tonys comes to life with help from the catalogs of Madonna, Beyonce, Gaga, Britney, Adele, Elton, and many, many, many more. Boston.broadway.com“A Case for th...

Clive Owen gives Sam Spade a second act

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 09:00:11 GMT

Sam Spade may be back but he’s a continent away from his now-closed San Francisco detective agency. And he’s no longer in black-and-white, much less stuck in the 1930s and ‘40s.The aptly named “Monsieur Spade,” streaming Jan. 14, presents a retired Spade, played with wit and gravity by Britain’s Clive Owen (Clinton in “American Crime Story”), who now resides in picturesque France.It’s a revolutionary step for Dashiell Hammet’s iconic sleuth, created in his now classic 1930 novel and firmly set in memory with Hollywood’s third adaptation, rated as perhaps the greatest film noir ever: John Huston’s “The Maltese Falcon” (’41) starring Humphrey Bogart.“This is kind of a dream job for me because I’m a huge fan,” Owen, 59, said during a Zoom interview. “When they said, Would you be interested? I was like, Oh my God you’ve come to the right person. I just want to be in this world.“It’s very difficult when you’re taking these classic characters to f...

Dear Abby: Hubby retires early, wife bears burden

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 09:00:11 GMT

Dear Abby: With no discussion, my husband decided to retire two years ago. He said he would just take Social Security and we’d be fine. He failed to take into account that he was underage for Medicare, and all of his dental and medical bills would become my responsibility since I’m still working. Luckily, I convinced him to leave SS alone, and to roll his 401(k) into an IRA.There have been bumps. He spent several months sitting all day long unless I asked him to do something specific. I finally put my foot down, and he’s now responsible for evening meals, cleanup and laundry. Unfortunately, he does little beyond that. Most of our conversations begin with, “I watched a video today …”Abby, I have been working since I was 13, and I’m tired of working, too. I find myself angry and jealous of my husband’s laziness. I have started eating and drinking more than I used to, and we have no sex life. I have no energy to garden, go out after work ...

Alaqua Cox brings full ‘Echo’ story to Disney+, Hulu

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 09:00:11 GMT

Marvel’s “Echo,” which premieres Tuesday on Disney+ and Hulu, ranks as the first adult Marvel show with a TV-MA rating. It was born from the character of Maya Lopez/Echo, played by Alaqua Cox.Previously Maya was seen in Marvel’s Disney+ series “Hawkeye.” Enigmatic and mysterious, that changes with “Echo” where her past, her family, her roots are revealed.Maya, Cox said in a virtual global press conference, “is a deaf indigenous person who has a biological family and an adopted family. She’s trying to reconnect with her family after finding out that her adopted family, her uncle specifically, betrayed her.“She went back to reconnect with her biological family and try to rediscover a more complicated and deep life. As she rediscovers family I’m hoping that she can learn — and we can all learn — how she rediscovered family.”The similarities between actor and character are strong.“We’re similar,” Cox acknowledged. “We both have childhood trauma that we̵...

Outgoing Demitria wants to be a social worker

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 09:00:11 GMT

Demi is enthusiastic, very outgoing, and well-spoken. Some of Demi’s favorite activities are hanging out with her friends, doing her makeup/self-care, cleaning her apartment, and baking. Demi is good at keeping a clean space, advocating for herself, setting boundaries, and goal setting. Demi’s favorite memories consist of going to Boston and concerts with friends.Demi is of Caucasian descent. Demi graduated high school and has a plan to attend college or a university in the future. Her plan is to study Social Work and become a DCF worker. While in high school Demi enjoyed math class and stayed busy in lots of activities like cross country and dance.Demi would do best with at least one mother figure in her home and a family who loves and supports her. Demi wants to feel comfortable talking to her family and to help her maintain connections with her birth father and extended family.Can I Adopt?If you’re at least 18 years old, have a stable source of income, and room in your hear...

Fort Myers ready to welcome fans for Sox spring training

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 09:00:11 GMT

Boston Red Sox Spring Training tickets went on sale Friday, and while fans everywhere are waiting to see about that rebuild; there’s another rebuild that’s already on solid ground.The Fort Meyers region in Florida, while not 100% operational yet, is very much back from the historic destruction from Hurricane Ian.Lee County and the Greater Fort Myers area has come a long way since last year’s Spring Training, when the aftereffects of that category 4 storm that destroyed homes, businesses, beaches and more were still very much felt.There were pretty much no waterfront hotels open. Beaches were a mess and construction crews were everywhere. And while some spots had begun to open again, it all needed time.This year, you’ll find many beachfront hotels back in business, most nature attractions up and running (and growing lusher again by the day), and beaches themselves that, while you may still need to find the right spot and wear water shoes to visit, are open and as serene as they were ...

California waves approached historic levels during late December storm

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 09:00:11 GMT

KSWB -- Waves throughout California approached historic levels during the late December storm, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography announced Saturday. Scripps Oceanography’s Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP) recorded the large wave events that hit the West Coast from late December into early 2024. WWII-era munitions found at dumping site off SoCal coast in deep-sea survey California buoy stations recorded the massive waves during the Dec. 28 swells, with the largest wave recorded reaching 51.8 feet at Cape Mendocino, in Humboldt County.The highest significant wave height, which is the average measurement of the largest 33% of waves, was measured at 29.3 feet at Point Sur, in Monterey County. In San Diego County, the largest individual wave measured by CDIP was 24.8 feet at the Mission Bay West buoy.The large waves were caused by extratropical storm activity in the Pacific Ocean. Waves heights during that swell were slightly larger than forecasted by the NOAA GFS wave mo...