Frustrated buyers have their say

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Larysa

The post she was responding to - Buyers aren't chumps! - took on the insulting attitude toward buyers some display on the comment board of this blog. Melissa has been house hunting in Newton for the last six months and is taken aback by the idea she is being manipulated into buying by happy talking Realtors. I don't view my purchase of a home as an investment with an expected annual yield. I'm buying it, as Karl Case advocates, as a durable good in which I will raise my family and use local public services such as schools and parks. Well said. Now here's more from meliss173. True, owning a Continue reading >>>

Tarek Mehanna’s conviction for expressing his beliefs only helps Al Qaeda

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Lara

On April 12 the United States government successfully convicted another young Muslim male who believed he had the right to express his deep disdain for American foreign policy in the Middle East and Asia. Tarek Mehanna, an American-born Bostonian, took his First Amendment rights quite seriously when he vocally condemned his government for killing thousands of Muslims abroad. As a result, he was convicted of conspiring to help Al Qaeda. While his prosecution may appear to be another success in the nebulous war on terror, it is in fact a victory for terrorists abroad who win hearts Continue reading >>>

Mitzi Gaynor still has ‘Razzle Dazzle!’

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Larysa

Song and dance legend Mitzi Gaynor made her name in the movies — starring in 17 feature films including 1958’s “South Pacific,” for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination — but her lasting success has come in television and from her decades as a celebrated nightclub headliner. “I loved being a movie star, but I’m not sure I was all that good. The camera always got in my way. I was never as comfortable making a film as I am on television or on stage in front of a live audience,” explained Gaynor by telephone recently from her home in Beverly Hills. Gaynor, who brings her Continue reading >>>

Forget the ‘burbs! Find your dream home in one of Boston’s repurposed buildings

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Larysa

Baker Chocolate Factory Apartments (1200 Adams St., Dorchester). These apartments might be your closest shot at realizing your childhood Willy Wonka fantasies. Sure, there’s no brigade of Oompa Loompas to cater to your every whim and likely no means to transform spoiled children into giant blueberries, but this Dorchester apartment complex does have a rich, chocolatey history. The three buildings that today house studios and one- and two-bedroom residences were originally the country’s first chocolate mill, in operation from 1765 to 1969, when Baker’s Chocolate relocated their headquarters Continue reading >>>

One World Cuisine closing down flagship restaurants Mantra, Café of India

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Larysa

“We’re repositioning our OneWorld chain of Indian restaurants in Greater Boston and exploring the opportunity to open a high-end Indian restaurant on the Boston waterfront. Also, we will be soon opening our Dosa Factory brand in Waltham and a few other suburban locations,” said Amrik Pabla, president and chief executive officer of OneWorld Cuisine. “As we launch our new strategy, we will be closing our Mantra restaurant in Boston. And yesterday, we closed our Café of India in Harvard Square in Cambridge after the lease expired.” Café of India has been a stalwart in Harvard Square Continue reading >>>

2012 NHL Playoffs: Bruins Hit Up ‘Titanic’ Exhibit, Just Can’t Help Themselves

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Lara

With all the bad blood between the Capitals and Bruins in this year's NHL playoff series, it's nice to see that some of the Bostonian visitors were able to get out and enjoy themselves in our fair city. Young Tyler Seguin enjoyed his lunch on the waterfront Tuesday afternoon until this happened. Getting lunch at the harbor in Washington and a bird just pooped on me and my phone. Good sign. — Tyler Seguin (@tylerseguin92) April 17, 2012 That's kind of gross, Tyler, not that there's anything wrong with that. A few of the other Bruins did the conventional D.C. thing--taking Continue reading >>>

Harvard Square is proving grounds for bright stars of chess

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Larysa

Star basketball players stick out in a crowd, but grandmasters at chess? Not so much. So to the uninitiated, the grandmaster peering over shoulders to watch a chess match in Harvard Square is indistinguishable from the weekend warrior or the tourist. But the regulars know. On an unusually warm weeknight in March, Farzad Abdi, a chess master, took on Billy Collins, a homeless man who is widely acknowledged as one of the best players in the square. Toward the outer edge of the circle of spectators stood grandmaster Marc Esserman. As Abdi moved in for the checkmate, Collins – down in pieces Continue reading >>>

Video Battle of the Bands Entry Deadline is Friday

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Larysa

The contest pits bands from nearly three dozens communities in Greater Boston, the North Shore, Merrimack Valley, South Shore, Cape Cod and the Islands. The contest will work this way: We’re asking local bands to upload a video of themselves performing an original song until Friday, April 20. On Monday, April 23, we’ll kick off a regional competition across Eastern Massachusetts. Voters will be able to comment and tell us their favorites. Voting for the first round will close on Friday, May 4. The top two winners from each regional group (Boston/Greater Boston North, North Shore/Merrimack Continue reading >>>

New firm picked to market commercial space at SouthField

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Larysa

Boston real estate brokerage Richards Barry Joyce Partners has been selected to be the new leasing agent for commercial space at the planned SouthField Corporate Center. The firm is the third brokerage since 2006 to be assigned the marketing duties for the 1.7-million square feet of commercial development permitted at SouthField, the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station. The brokerage was picked by LNR Property LLC, the 1,400-acre site’s master developer. LNR hopes Richards Barry Joyce’s local contacts and experience in the Greater Boston office and industrial markets will lure Continue reading >>>

Grubb & Ellis Releases First Quarter 2012 Industrial Market Report

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Larysa

BOSTON– Grubb Ellis Company released its First Quarter 2012 Industrial Market Trends report for the Boston market. Here are some of the highlights: • Greater Boston’s overall industrial market began 2012 on an upbeat note, registering 520,000 square feet of positive net absorption in the first quarter. Tenant occupancies in newly constructed buildings carried the market improvement. Properties built since 2002 accounted for 615,000 square feet of positive net absorption, while those older than 10 years saw negative absorption of 95,000 square feet. Thanks to the strong occupancy gains in Continue reading >>>