the boston globe PICK OF THE DAY Arts Night The 36th edition of First Night Boston presents cultural events at locations all over town. The full line-up includes tap dance, anime, opera, Shakespeare, story slams, and international short films. Among the musical highlights are Suzanne Vega (Jordan Hall, 9 p.m.), Mavis Staples (Symphony Hall, 9 p.m.), and the Julian Lage Trio (Berklee Performance Center, 7:45 and 9:30 p.m.). The FedEx Family Festival provides continuous entertainment for all ages Continue reading >>>

Click photo to enlargeAs 2011 gradually checks out this New Year's Eve in time zones from Sydney to Mumbai, to London, New York and on to the Bay Area, people will pull out their phones, shoot a photo and -- probably more than 1 billion times -- they will share it on Facebook.The holiday season is a dead zone for things like freeway traffic, stock exchange trades and real estate transactions, but for social networks like Facebook and Twitter, holidays like New Year's Eve and even Halloween unleash a tsunami of traffic, as people use their smartphones to share photos and post holiday greetings to Continue reading >>>

 EXETER, NH -- As Jon Huntsman campaigns in New Hampshire for votes one handshake at a time, the pro-Huntsman Super PAC Our Destiny has purchased $218,000 of air time in the Granite State labeling Mitt Romney a "chameleon." It is the first TV ad of the cycle to single out and criticize Romney, the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination.The ad, which will appear in both New Hampshire and the greater Boston area, attempts to paint a narrative that Huntsman and Romney are the "two serious candidates" left in the race. "Two serious candidates remain. One willing to say anything; be anything. Continue reading >>>

Hundreds of food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters in Massachusetts face unprecedented demand for meals from cash-strapped, struggling residents and are asking state officials to step in to help address the problem. The state’s four non-profit food banks – which supply food to organizations around the commonwealth – have asked the Patrick administration to increase state funding to $15 million in fiscal year 2013 – a $3.5 million bump from fiscal year 2012. Recent cutbacks in food supplied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and increased prices make it harder to feed the hungry, according Continue reading >>>

Eighth-graders from across Massachusetts will unite for Project 351 on Jan. 14 for an ambitious day of service honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. The youth ambassadors, representing the Commonwealth's 351 cities and towns, are chosen based on their exemplary service ethic and spirit of generosity and were nominated by education leaders in their home town. Project 351 was launched during Gov. Deval Patrick’s 2011 inaugural when more than 400 youth ambassadors united to serve, develop leadership skills and discuss issues critical to young people and their communities. Last year’s Continue reading >>>

Boston, MA, December 30, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Every year on February 14th, loved ones and new sweethearts around the world, celebrate Valentine's Day. This year, Kutroc Records proudly presents free ringtones from the label's catalog of songs on love and relationships. In the most popular month of romance, singer-songwriter Mateo Medina reveals his heart in "All I'm Saying" song.The special "Dia del Amor" (Day of Love), Valentine's Day ringtone, is a window into Mateo's love and affection for a special friend. "I've been trying to tell you for a minute, I just never got the words to say," Mateo says Continue reading >>>

When the Celtics play their home opener tonight at the TD Garden, one thing will be clear: If fans had any pent-up anger over the lockout-delayed season, it has morphed into pent-up demand. Less than a week into the lockout-shortened NBA season, arenas are sold out, television ratings are up, and last Sunday’s game between the Celtics and New York Knicks was the most watched Christmas Day game in cable history, with 5.9 million viewers tuning into TNT. Through Wednesday night, 26 of 32 NBA games have taken place in arenas filled to capacity. And last week, Continue reading >>>

Due to the numerous universities, hospitals, and high tech employers in the Boston area, the average Bostonian tends to be more educated than his or her domestic counterparts. However, our country’s ongoing financial predicament has caused people to augment their understanding of the banking world’s nuanced machinations. In particular, Boston's consumers now have a greater grasp of the repercussions of their banking choices. Community banks have been well positioned to take advantage of this new awareness, using their local ties and the local ties of their decision-makers to cater to local Continue reading >>>

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff The Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association announced its 2011 all-state football team. The team, which features a number of Boston Globe All-Scholastics, had four schools with two athletes on the list, including Catholic Memorial, Concord-Carlisle, Duxbury and Everett. The team will be honored at a banquet co-sponsored by the association and the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston on Sunday, March 4, 2012, at Lantana's in Randolph. Here is the complete list: OFFENSE QUARTERBACK Jonathan DiBiaso, Everett Cam McLevedge, Weymouth Matt Montalto, Dennis-Yarmouth RECEIVERS Armani Continue reading >>>

WATERTOWN, Mass., (MMD Newswire) December 29, 2011 - - Ford recently announced that its Michigan Assembly Plant has begun manufacturing the 2012 Ford Focus Electric, an all-electric compact car headed to Ford dealers in 19 select markets, including Boston, next year. The American automaker claims its newest model will be the first five-passenger, all-electric vehicle to achieve a miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) of more than 100. Ford is the first of the Big Three domestic automakers to sell an all-electric car, and it has gone to great lengths to improve on the inherent weaknesses of plug-in Continue reading >>>