Seniors set sail at new health center at NewBridge on the Charles

Her resume may include posing as a statue, but  Amanda Palmer is not one for standing still.

If this week’s cold temperatures are any indication, then “First Night Boston 2010,” taking place Dec. 31 from 1 p.m. to midnight, will be a good one for the annual event’s signature ice sculptures — which this year will include two by Rockland-based master carver Steve Rose.

When in Rome, don't ask an Italian about la festa dei sette pesci.

The end of 2009 is approaching and it is time to look back at the year in beer.

I confess I am often on an unrequited quest to impress my daughters with my technical know-how, my online savvy, and my never-ending recommendations for books.

Old newspapers are fun to browse. Read the front page of one and you’ll find “Twittering” is not just a present day phenomenon.

Boys and girls need Big Brothers and Big Sisters for all kinds of reasons. Most of the time, the children we see have lost a parent through death, abandonment, divorce, mental illness, incarceration or disability.

It seems that every month there’s a new school for girls being built in a developing African nation by a philanthropic-minded celebrity. It is a direct result of the belief — which has received more attention in recent years than ever before — that if you take care of a community’s girls, the entire community thrives. It is the basis for the viral Internet sensation, “The Girl Effect,” which illustrates the chain reaction that occurs when you give a girl in a developing nation access to education and a means to support herself. It is the mission behind Oprah’s school in South Africa, a leadership academy for girls that gives them the tools to go from poverty to becoming tomorrow’s South African leaders. It is the theme of the noted new book, “Half the Sky,” by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, that postulates the best way to fight poverty and extremism around the world is to educate and empower women and girls.

To the Editor,

I read with interest the article “New Lux Cinema a Showstopper?” on the front page of the Oct. 22, 2009 issue of The Dedham Transcript. Since that article ran, there has been a lot of buzz about the decline in business at the Dedham Community Theatre and the effect it will have on Dedham Square if this trend continues. I wanted to take this opportunity to shed some light on this issue.

Dear Editor:

The Friends of Dedham Recreation and the Friends of the Dedham Pool would like to “thank” the following companies, organizations and Individuals for help making the 20^th Annual Dedham Day a huge success.

Here are a few highlights from the past week's games in Dedham.

Needham Bank, a customer-owned bank with a branch in Dedham, proudly announces that its annual "Stockings of Joy" campaign ended with great success this year.

Police said they arrested Jemall Bell, 26, of 33 Saint Rose St. Apt. 609 in Jamaica Plain, on charges of intimidation of a witness after officials discovered he has been impersonating his brother in court for about a year.

Police said they apprehended a suspect in a pizza shop robbery on Thursday, Dec. 3. Police said the suspect returned to his nearby home, where he apparently took a shower, before he went out his back door and was spotted by an officer.

Is your church planning a Christmas Eve service? Is your restaurant holding a New Years Eve party? Whatever you have planned for the holidays, The Dedham Transcript wants to know. E-mail you calendar listing to Dedham@cnc.com by Sunday, Dec. 20, at noon to get it in before Christmas.

Keldara Salon and Spa in Dedham Plaza is collecting toiletries and clothes for Women’s Lunch Place, a safe, comfortable daytime shelter for women located on Newbury Street in Boston. Keldara will have a special donation box available at the front door area and will be accepting donations through the end of December.