Victorian shines on Waltham street

It's hard not to notice the F.W. Wetherbee House, a striking Queen Anne-style Victorian amid equally large but mostly nondescript homes along Waltham's Crescent Street.

Built in 1892, the 10-room, three-floor dwelling's corner turret, elaborately patterned shingles, ornamented Italianate front porch, and green and red paint scheme give it a commanding presence.

The 3,500-square-foot home — listed on the Massachusetts and National Registers of Historic Places — has been renovated and restored by its owners of 16 years and retains 19th-century elements, both original and reproduced.

The asking price is $739,000 for the five-bedroom, 21⁄2-bathroom home with hardwood floors, down from $769,000 when it previously was on the market about a year ago, according to Realtor Glenna Gelineau of Century 21 Gelineau & Associates in Waltham.

Two sets of original pocket doors lead to the spacious living room and smaller parlor, both of which feature stained-glass windows. A small alcove graces the front of the living room at the base of the turret, while the parlor boasts a working fireplace with original tiles.

Original chair rails, Anaglypta wallpaper and oak flooring decorate the dining room. A pantry with original wooden built-ins leads into the modern kitchen with its maple cabinets, granite countertops and island, and a stainless steel Bosch dishwasher, Thermador gas range with griddle and Sub-Zero refrigerator. There's a half bath off the kitchen and a door to the side, wraparound covered porch.

The home is named for its first owner, Frank W. Wetherbee, who worked as a foreman for the American Waltham Watch Co. on Crescent Street. It formerly served as a college fraternity house and boarding house, traces of which have been erased.

Lincrusta, a deeply embossed wallcovering resembling leather, covers the lower part of the wall in the eight-foot-wide foyer and extends up the original stairway to the second-floor hallway.

The second level includes an office/library with built-in bookcases between two bedrooms, a cedar-lined linen closet and a full bath with dual sinks, granite-tiled, walk-in shower and soaking tub. The master bedroom has a large walk-in cedar closet and bamboo flooring.

The refinished third floor, which includes sloped ceilings, can function as an au pair or teen suite. There are cabinets and a small sink and fridge right off the stairs, a full bath, two bedrooms and another large room. A separate door from that room opens to the sunlit turret, which has five arched windows and an original, but chipping, painted ceiling.

The spacious walk-out basement, which includes workshop-grade wiring and lighting, has a washer and dryer, an original two-basin soapstone sink and door to the backyard.

The backyard includes a small lawn with plantings and a two-car garage, but overlooks an office park.

Other features include central vacuum and alarm systems, a new cast-iron Peerless boiler and a 200-amp electrical service.

The house was featured on HGTV's "Restore America" cable program last year.

Broker: Glenna Gelineau of Century 21 Gelineau & Associates, 781-710-1749

12.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nissan rolls out a sleeker Altima

Fully redesigned for 2013, the Nissan Altima is a smart choice for competitively priced, comfortable driving. A quiet cabin features upgraded materials throughout with excellent visibility and well-thought-out controls.

The car may not be a sports sedan, but hop into the NASA-aided-design "no fatigue" seats, grab hold of the leather-wrapped steering wheel, hit the push-button start, flip the paddle shifters, crank the easy-to-use infotainment system and away you go.

Nissan has smoothed out much of the conservative roundness of earlier versions of the car, streamlining it with a tighter grill, lowered roofline, sleeker fender curves and chrome-tipped dual exhaust, adding much to the curb appeal of this popular midsize. The car is slightly wider and longer, and the cabin and trunk are huge. The iconic bug-like headlamps fit well into the new body style with the taillights curling into rear fenders.

Engine choices remain the same from prior years. The midlevel 3.5 SV tester we drove had the 3.5 liter V-6 coupled to a CVT that produced a robust 270 horsepower, allowing the car to easily cruise on the highway and giving me plenty of pop from stop. Gas mileage estimates run from 22 in the city to 31 on the highway, and I averaged 26, right in the middle of the range.

The handling of the sedan left me underwhelmed and wishing for more road feel. The soft and cushy steering response is what prevents Altima from being classed as a sport sedan. However, this daily commuter provides solid footing and a compliant ride, and I think most folks will enjoy driving the car and find maneuvering around town quite easy.

I found the cabin to be very relaxing and the controls well-placed and easy to use. The redesign carries over here, too, with a nice mix of soft and hard surfaces. It replaces the heavily chromed cockpit shape with a slick combination of brushed aluminum and polished surfaces, and the dash is more appealing with streamlined vents and gauges — ending a decade-old design of round, oversized, protruding pieces. My Bluetooth phone-based Pandora streamed with a touch of a button through the stereo, highlighting a new infotainment center that is keyed off the navigation screen.

Nissan has pushed the Altima up into the same crowded class as the Honda Accord, Ford Fusion, Toyota Camry, Mazda 6, VW Passat and Hyundai Sonata vying for market share. At a base MSRP of $27,780 and tested at $29,335, this well-appointed SV has only one trim level higher that primarily adds leather seats and is a worthy entry in the class. The base model starts at $22,000, and with eight models you should be able to configure a nice car for a price point that's affordable.

12.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Market Basket, ‘A’ to ‘B’

Market Basket CEO Arthur T. Demoulas and other so-called "B" shareholders in his camp are asking a court to put on hold a $300 million shareholder payout until a judge decides whether the company's interim board chairman is independent as mandated by a 1998 court ruling.

Because chairman Keith O. Cowan had served since 2012 as one of the "A" shareholders led by Arthur S. Demoulas — who's been trying to remove his cousin as CEO of the Tewksbury-based grocery chain — Cowan cannot be considered independent, the court documents argue.

Although Cowan's designation has changed to an independent "A/B" director, "his marching orders certainly had not," according to a lawsuit filed yesterday in Suffolk Superior Court. He has "continued to take directions from, and execute the agenda of, the family that originally selected him and now has elected him," the lawsuit filed against Arthur S. Demoulas, the other "A" shareholders and Cowan states.

"Mr. Cowan is pursuing in a rapid, almost frantic, fashion, the agenda and interests of the "A" shareholders, including … their hunt for extreme liquidity in the form of large distributions," a slowing of company growth and removal of the CEO at the "expense of a very successful business model," according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit notes that Cowan voted the same way as Arthur S. Demoulas on 19 of 22 votes at July board meetings — and was the deciding vote in August on the $300 million payout that "B" directors opposed.

"At the meetings, it is very clear that Mr. Cowan's conduct, and votes, are being directed by Arthur S. Demoulas," the lawsuit states.

A spokeswoman for Arthur T. Demoulas declined comment. Cowan and the board's spokeswoman could not be reached.

Under a 1998 Middlesex Superior Court ruling, three members of the seven-member Market Basket Board must be "disinterested, independent" directors meeting New York Stock Exchange standards. The ruling was intended to balance the interests of the two long-warring factions of the Demoulas family.

The "A" shareholders have wielded new power after a June election shifted a board majority to their favor. This allowed them to elect all three independent directors and Cowan as chairman.

The lawsuit is the latest volley in a string of lawsuits between the two factions of the Demoulas family since 1990. A hearing is set for Sept. 19.

12.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

New projects replenish dwindling housing stock

It's no surprise that the inventory levels of residential real estate in Boston are down — way down.

According to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), in an analysis of the Back Bay, Beacon Hill and South End neighborhoods, it's become extremely low.

Here's a look at the shrinking reality, for Sept. 4
over the past three years:

•    2011: 391 units

•    2012: 196 units

•    2013: 162 units

That's a drop of 141 percent!

So where will the new inventory come from going forward? The current Millennium Place building slated to open this fall is at approximately 75 percent capacity. Beyond that there are plenty of buildings in the works though all seem to be lease options for the moment. Could the developers of these buildings decide to change direction and offer units to purchase instead?

There are approximately 3,200 new leased apartments expecting to be delivered to market in the Boston metro area in 2013, which is more than doubled from 1,500 new supplies in 2012. Add to that an additional 8,000 units expected to be delivered in the next two to three years and you see why we become a bit speculative.

Here are a few of the larger options both hitting the market today and in the near future:

580 Washington St.
 265 units

Currently for sale. Approximately 75 percent capacity.

426 Washington St. 
500 units

Ground breaking Sept. 17

659 Washington St. 
381 units

Currently being leased.

45 Stuart St. 
404 units

Spring 2014

1 Herald St. 
475 units

Spring 2015

Pier 4 
369 units

Spring 2014

L West Square

320 D St. 
260 units

Fall 2013

The bottom line is that the Boston real estate market continues to exhibit strong growth supported by a steady improvement in the overall economic employment environment, a steady rise in new construction, a decrease in the overall vacancy rate and a strong rent growth.

Charlie Abrahams is a licensed real estate agent in Boston who works with buyers and sellers and 
can be reached for any 
additional information 
at Bostonrealestate
@charlieabrahams.com.

12.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

BRA’s objection prompts Emerson to scale back Boylston dorm plan

Emerson College has scrapped plans for a 280-foot dorm building on Boylston Place after residents and the Boston Redevelopment Authority objected to the shadow the tower would cast on Boston Common.

"Our design department felt strongly about it," said Susan Elsbree, a BRA spokeswoman. "It's something people care and worry about."

Instead, the BRA recommended a 171-foot building, throwing a wrench into the college's plans.

Peggy Ings, Emerson's associate vice president of government and community relations, said the owners of 4-6 Boylston Place balked at the change, saying the lower height did not make economic sense.

"They wanted it to be higher, as did the college," but the BRA did not, Ings said.

Instead, Emerson will build a 171-foot dorm at 1-3 Boylston Place, property it already owns. The college also eliminated a dining hall and performance space in the building.

Ings would not comment on the fate of the establishments currently at the address, including The Estate nightclub and Sweetwater Tavern, other than to say the college is in contact with the owners. She said Emerson does not plan to have a bar on the ground floor of a dorm.

12.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ex-trustee frets over grocer’s profit-sharing

An ousted trustee of Market Basket's employee profit-sharing plan expressed concern yesterday about his removal and the future of what he calls the grocery chain's "crown jewel."

"I'm disappointed," said Bill Marsden, director of operations for Tewksbury-based Market Basket and an eight-year plan trustee. "This is the crown jewel of our company. It's invested wisely and with great care and safety in mind."

Market Basket employees including Marsden — who's worked for the chain for 55 years — have been apprehensive about the profit-sharing plan since a board shift put majority power on the side of Arthur S. Demoulas, who's been pushing for the ouster of his cousin, CEO Arthur T. Demoulas, over his management of the company.

Under the profit-sharing plan, which requires no employee contributions, the company pays in 15 percent to 20 percent of an eligible worker's yearly salary.

"I'm getting phone calls left and right," Marsden said.

The Market Basket board voted Aug. 22 to remove Marsden and 30-plus-year trustee D. Harold Sullivan, a retired Market Basket treasurer. It elected Nabil El-Hage, one of three independent board members, as trustee, while the CEO retained his trustee position.

El-Hage and the two other independent directors sought to reassure employees in an Aug. 29 letter, saying the new board "reaffirmed its commitment to continuing Market Basket's tradition of contributions to the employee profit-sharing plan."

Marsden called the letter "ambiguous," noting it doesn't specify if the current level of company contributions will continue.

Asked if there's a move afoot to dismantle the plan or cut contributions, a board spokeswoman cited the letter. "Demoulas Supermarket has no plans to reduce its commitment or contributions to the plan," she said.

12.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Studies examine cardiac safety of two new diabetes drugs

Two studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine yesterday offered hope for doctors, patients and pharmaceutical firms concerned about the potential negative cardiovascular effects of new drugs designed to combat Type 2 diabetes.

A new class of drugs known as DPP-4 inhibitors did not appear to raise a patient's risk of heart attack, stroke or 
cardiovascular death.

"This large cardiovascular outcome trial sets a new standard for examination of the safety of diabetes drugs," Deepak L. Bhatt of Brigham and Women's Hospital, one of the study's authors, said in a statement.

One study followed more than 5,300 patients for 18 months as a part of the randomized study of the drug alogliptin. The other trial studied the effect of saxagliptin on more than 16,000 randomized patients who had a history of or were at risk for cardiovascular events and monitored them for two years.

The cardiac safety of glucose-lowering drugs has been the subject of keen interest in the pharmaceutical industry since December 2008, when the Food and Drug Administration issued new guidelines with specific requirements for heart-safe drugs before and after the approval of new antidiabetic drugs.

The saxagliptin study found more patients were hospitalized for heart failure compared with the placebo group, an unexpected issue that "deserves further study," said study chairman Eugene Braunwald of Brigham and Women's Hospital.

12.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Microsoft buying Nokia's devices and services unit

REDMOND, Wash. — Microsoft Corp. is buying Nokia Corp.'s devices and services business, and getting access to the company's patents, for a total of 5.44 billion euros ($7.2 billion) in an effort to expand its share of the smartphone market, the companies announced late Monday.

Microsoft will pay 3.79 billion euros ($5 billion) for the Nokia unit that makes mobile phones, including its line of Lumia smartphones that run Windows Phone software.

Microsoft is also paying 1.65 billion euros ($2.2 billion) for a 10-year license to use Nokia's patents, with the option to extend it indefinitely.

"We are very excited about the proposal to bring the best mobile device efforts of Microsoft and Nokia together," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in a memo to employees. "We are receiving incredible talent, technology and IP (intellectual property)."

Microsoft said it is acquiring Nokia's Asha brand of low to mid-level smartphones and will license the Nokia brand for current Nokia mobile products.

"This element provides Microsoft with the opportunity to extend its service offerings to a far wider group around the world while allowing Nokia's mobile phones to serve as an on-ramp to Windows Phone," the companies said in a joint statement.

Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft said it will draw from its overseas cash resources to fund the transaction. When the deal closes in early 2014, about 32,000 Nokia employees will transfer to Microsoft, the companies said.

Nokia, based in Espoo, Finland, said Stephen Elop will step aside as president and CEO to become executive vice president of Nokia devices and services. Chairman Risto Siilasmaa will stay in his current role and assume the duties of interim CEO.

Elop is expected to join Microsoft at the close of the transaction, along with several Nokia vice presidents.

Nokia plans to hold a news conference in Finland on Tuesday morning to discuss the deal.

12.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

More online schools on way

Massachusetts is poised to open two more cyber public schools by this time next year, and districts statewide are clamoring to establish their own virtual academies — despite the failing test scores at the one online school we already have.

A new state law allows a total of 10 cyber schools to open by the year 2020 as the latest trend in education — virtual schooling — sweeps the nation, with mixed results.

These schools contract with outside companies that provide software to allow students to receive computerized instruction. Ideally, students exchange emails and phone calls with teachers throughout the day, and have a learning coach, like a parent or guardian, to supervise them at home.

Yet the MCAS scores at the Massachusetts Virtual Academy in Greenfield, which enrolls 500 students throughout the state, have the second-lowest growth percentile in the state, and math proficiency is half the state average.

Even Jeff Wulfson, deputy commissioner for the state's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, called the school's scores "nothing to write home about."

But rather than first fixing the problem we have, the state Legislature passed — and the governor signed — legislation to expand virtual schooling.

Advocates argue these schools target students who would otherwise be learning very little — or nothing at all.

"It's another way we can meet the educational needs of kids that are often very hard to educate, left out or left behind," said former state Rep. Marty Walz, the bill's author. "It's a small subset of kids, but it's kids whose needs are almost never being met by our schools. I don't want to leave anyone behind if there's a way to reach them."

The Legislature also crafted the bill to leverage greater state control over Massachusetts Virtual Academy, hoping to fix those dismal scores in the online school, whose superintendent did not return messages from the Herald. The Greenfield School Committee had voted to close the school altogether in February rather than cede such authority to the state. But the committee reversed its position months later after parents with children in the school waged a campaign to keep it open. This fall, it will be the only school in the state operating under the new legislation.

But not for long.

Six groups of regional school districts have applied to open their own virtual academies, including one in Boston. But how do we ensure the right students are attending these schools? Advocates say the law was written to gear enrollment toward students who have been expelled from conventional schools, as well as kids who are chronically ill, teen parents, actors, Olympic athletes and bullying victims. But I'm not sure how that's possible in practice. And I find the latter disturbing. What kind of message does it send to kids that a victim of bullying must leave the classroom and learn at home?

Advocates of online schooling have suggested that bullied teens who have taken their own lives might be alive today if virtual schools existed. But I wonder how many tragedies are prevented by forcing kids out of isolation, pushing them to get up and go to school each day, to learn a vocation, perform a lab experiment or play a sport.

"We don't have all the answers yet," Wulfson said. "There are a number of things about brick-and-mortar schools that are hard to translate."

12.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

David Frost's most memorable interviews

LONDON — Veteran British broadcaster David Frost set a milestone in TV history when he drew extraordinary admissions from disgraced former President Richard Nixon in 1977. Armed with ambition, talent and a remarkable contacts book, Frost sat down with many other world leaders and the biggest names in show business over half a century. Here are some highlights from some of his most prominent interviews.

___

RICHARD NIXON, 1977

Over almost 30 hours of interviews with Nixon, who resigned three years earlier in disgrace over the Watergate scandal, Frost pressed the ex-president to acknowledge and apologize for his wrongdoing in office. Frost managed to get the following remarkable responses.

Frost: "I think people need to hear it, and I think unless you say it, you're going to be haunted for the rest of your life."

Nixon: "I let down my friends. I let down the country. I let down our system of government and the dreams of all those young people that ought to get into government but will think it is all too corrupt and the rest. .... And I have to carry that burden with me for the rest of my life."

Frost: "So what you are saying is that there are certain situations ... where the president can decide that it's in the best interest of the nation or something, and do something illegal?"

Nixon: "Well when the president does it that means that it is not illegal."

Frost: "By definition?"

Nixon: "Exactly."

___

MUHAMMAD ALI, 1974

Frost interviewed the legendary heavyweight boxer, then 32, inside a boxing ring, ahead of his landmark fight with George Foreman, when most people wrongly thought Ali would lose. But Ali was animated and brimming with confidence in the interview.

Ali: "I think it is befitting that I go out of boxing just like I came in, defeating a big, bad monster that nobody could destroy... Listen David, when I meet this man, if you think the world was surprised when Nixon resigned, wait till I whip Foreman's behind."

The boxer continued, partly talking directly to the camera, then standing up to caricature Foreman: "Listen, George Foreman, people are afraid of George Foreman. They talk about how hard he hits. The world has been deceived. You listen to me. You listen to me now, I never told you wrong. The man don't hit hard."

___

MARGARET THATCHER, 1985

In 1985 Frost grilled the prime minister about the sinking of the Argentine ship Belgrano by a British submarine that killed 323 sailors during the Falklands conflict.

As Frost pressed on with questions about what had happened, a visibly ruffled Thatcher sternly defended her decision to attack the ship. After being confronted with a barrage of questions, Thatcher finally said in frustration: "Do you think, Mr. Frost, that I spend my days prowling round the pigeon holes of the Ministry of Defense to look at the chart of each and every ship? If you do you must be bonkers."

___

MIKHAIL GORBACHEV, 1993

In an interview with the former Soviet Union leader, Frost asked about communism, his legacy, and his relationship with, and views of, Thatcher.

Gorbachev: "It was not too easy to begin with ... but I felt from the start I could deal with her. I regarded her as an outstanding woman and a major political force. I was far from sharing all her opinions. ... Many sharp words were exchanged. I could never agree to the way she felt about nuclear weapons. She was too attracted to nuclear weapons."

Frost: "Were you alike in character, do you think?"

Gorbachev, after a pause and a shrug: "That's difficult to answer. I think it's up to you to try to answer that. But she was an interesting human being."

___

TONY BLAIR, 2002

Frost seemed to catch the British prime minister off-guard when he asked an unexpected question about his relationship with President George W. Bush in an interview.

Frost: "Do you pray together?"

Blair: "Pray together? How do you mean?"

Frost: "Do you say prayers together for peace, you and the president."

Blair: "Well we don't say prayers together, no, but I'm sure he in his way hopes for peace. I hope for peace too."

___

BILL CLINTON

In an undated clip shown by the BBC Sunday, Frost was seen interviewing the former U.S. president about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.

Frost: "Did you love her?"

Clinton responded: "No. I don't think that's what that was about. On either side. But I liked her very much."

12.33 | 0 komentar | Read More