Police warn women in Eastie

East Boston has a relatively low crime rate, but one or more guys is going around the community groping women, according to today's Boston Globe. The article says that most of the attacks happened near the Airport subway station, but they are scattered throughout the Eagle Hill and "flats" areas of the neighborhood. Ladies, beware.

Lynn, Lynn, city of...latte?

An article in today's Globe mentions three food establishments owned by couples, one here in East Boston; one in Davis Square, Somerville, which I frequent; and the third in Lynn, which I don't live in or frequent, but that is the one of the three that I've been to ... a couple of times, actually.

The Lynn location is the Gulu-Gulu Cafe and it's pretty cool. They also have a nice web site. There aren't too many spots north of Eastie to get a latte and an equal dose of funkiness within a 20 minute drive, so a place like Gulu-Gulu is welcome.

Sorry Gipper

Ronald Reagan cut taxes for the rich, grew the deficit and supported ruthless dictators around the world. He was not a good president, and I am with Deval on this one.

Manny being...oh, who cares?

Dan Shaugnessy has got this one right: There are few real heroes in the Sports section. The incident he writes about is covered in a Globe story from yesterday that sounds much like a Mike Barnicle column from about 20 years ago that I was so moved by I clipped it out and used it in the classroom for years. One difference: In yesterday's fire in Roxbury the three children were rescued, but two boys and their sister -- all under the age of 7 -- died in the other conflagration despite valient attempts to save them.

I ran into Mike Barnicle about three years ago. We chatted briefly and then I asked him about that particular column. He remembered the incident and even the name of the firefighter that he focused on, which was cool.

Bees or not bees? A serious question

No one is sure why, but honeybees in America are dying according to a story on Boston.com and that is terrible news. Of course, I will be quite angry when the price of honey skyrockets as a result, but there are other consequences if the little social buzzers meet their demise: Many plants -- including those that produce fruit and drugs -- need to be pollinated.

Maybe it's some side effect of global climate change or industrial pollution, or maybe it's a non-native mite or disease, but whatever the cause let's hope it doesn't wipe out all of the honeybees in the US. Not only will a catastrophe such as that cause a number of problems, but it could be a canary in our collective coal mine.

Bush fails returning soldiers

Kings, fuhrers and presidents have, throughout history, sent people off to die in misguided wars. I don't know much about the effects of such an experience for soldiers of the Roman Empire or Attila's Huns, but in America in the 21st century we all know that men and women return home with a great deal of physical and emotional difficulties as a result of being in battle.

It's unconscionable, then, that our government should not be prepared to offer the necessary services that our military people need and deserve when they come home, but that is what often happens and there is a Boston Globe story today about the sad result for one young man.

It seems like a tax cut for the well off is more important to George W. Bush than taking care of the people that he put in harm's way.

Good, bad and ugly

Is morality taught to us or is it ingrained in our genes? That is part of the research being done by a Harvard psychologist and discussed in a recent Globe story.

I'm always impressed when I see cars stopped at a red light late at night when there is clearly no traffic coming across an intersection and no law enforcement around. It's proof that our society is holding together by some shared sense of right and wrong. On the other hand, when young people march off to fight in a war without questioning their elected leaders, I feel like there is too much blind subservience to authority in our world.

Some would say, of course, that morality is handed to us by a higher power, but I long ago gave up ascribing credit or blame -- or anything else -- to anything except physics, chemistry and the machinations of human beings.

'Surge' in civilian deaths?

The funny thing about bombs is that they don't restrict themselves to blowing up bad guys. Actually, it's not funny, it's sad -- and horrific and shameful.

The American military says that an air strike Thursday killed 13 insurgents, but Iraqi officials said that 45 civilians died in the attack. The actual numbers are likely some combination of those two, but there is no justification for innocent people dying because they happen to be near the targeted individuals.

The photo shows a boy reportedly injured in the attack. Reporters on the scene also saw the bodies of children killed by the air strike. But hey, we could all do what US Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt suggested Americans do when they see images of dead Iraqi civilians on TV: "Change the channel."

Say two prayers and call me in the morning

It seems that a recent study of cancer patients reveals that many feel that medical systems haven't met their "spiritual needs." Excuse me, but aren't hospitals supposed to be concerned with people's medical needs?

Prescription nation

How can a 2-year-old child be diagnosed as being bipolar and having ADHD? That's what happened to Rebecca Riley. At the age of 4 the little girl from Hingham was being given large doses of prescription meds, which eventually killed her in December. Riley's parents are now charged with her death and the girl's doctor is being investigated by the state medical board.

In America we focus on the use of illegal drugs when it seems that the legal stuff is causing just as many problems. Why do our young people need to be on so many meds? Does the clout and ubiquity of the pharmaceutical industry have anything to do with it? Didn't we survive as a species for 200,000 years using natural herbs instead of these manufactured pills?

Look at the recent comments by a Tufts doctor on the subject of multivitamins that so many people take. There seems to be little evidence that they work. As is true with most health-related issues, the bottom line is to eat your vegetables, go easy on the meat, drink in moderation, don't smoke and exercise regularly.

M1107

I don't remember hearing that Congress moved Daylight Savings Time up four weeks back in 2005, but the new alignment goes into effect this year in just over a month and there's a story in today's Globe that talks about the ramifications. It's no Y2K -- hell, Y2K was no Y2K -- but the new shift could cause some small glitches.

It's no theory

Global warming is not just a theory. Ask the stranded polar bears in the photo ... and ask them quickly because the life span of their species in the wild can probably measured in decades. The scientific world is still trying to convince the political world, however, which means we are probably doomed.

'Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.'

Real, natural, unprocessed food. It's what's for dinner. Or, at least, should be for all of us. This New York Times story talks about an area I've thought a great deal about in recent years.

It's a long article, but what is more important than what we eat? Note especially the nine rules at the end of the piece. One of them is, "Don’t eat anything your great-great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food."

This is who they are

Despite all Massport's warm and fuzzy talk about being a good neighbor, the reality is much different. Take a look at this story about a woman nearly beaten to death on Massport property.

His name is Clint

In recent days I saw the film Unforgiven for the first time since its theatrical release in 1992, and I think I'm even more impressed now with its deconstruction of the mythology of the West. If you have yet to see the movie, I recommend it. Be cautioned, however, that Unforgiven takes quite a dark view of the world.

Late in the film, which took the Oscar for Best Picture, a young cowboy says of a man that he just killed, "He had it coming, right?" Clint Eastwood's grizzled and weary gunslinger pauses, looks out over the landscape and says, "We've all got it coming, kid."