1. Don’t set a budget Budgets put such a damper on holiday spending. It’s much more enjoyable to not be constrained by a well-thought-out plan. 2. Don’t budget any money for giving gifts to anyone but immediate family Sure you’ll end up buying gifts for the office party, all your friends, and neighbors, but it’s […]

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Catholic voters said "yes" to Donald Trump in Tuesday's election, giving the Republican a 10-point jump from 2020 to 2024.

It's no surprise that students are pushing back on cellphone bans in classrooms. But school administrators in one South Florida county working to pull students' eyes away from their screens are facing some resistance from another group as well - parents.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto argues in an exclusive interview that his country remains the only NATO nation to avoid sending weapons to Ukraine because such a step, he believes, would only prolong a war with Russia that it is increasingly evident neither side can win.

Take a look at the first photos from Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson's first season in the TARDIS, streaming this Friday on Disney+.

The post Gallery: Doctor Who Double-Episode Premiere Is This Week first appeared on SciFi Stream.

Sauron continues his devastating rise to power in the new season, arriving globally this summer on Prime Video.

The post The Rings of Power Premieres This August (Watch The New Trailer!) first appeared on SciFi Stream.

Ecology and Economy for a Sustainable Society
This year’s Trondheim Conference on Biodiversity has been organized to be held from May 27 until May 31, 2013 in Trondheim, Norway.  The conference will go under the "Ecology and Economy for a Sustainable Society" slogan and will be aimed at exploring how to cut development pathways towards a sustainable society by aligning policy, business, economy and ecology across borders, scales and systems.
Since the first Trondheim Conference held in 1993, the world population has grown by 25 %, the total GDP by 75 % and world trade has tripled. Despite positive achievements, loss of biodiversity along with global warming is undermining human wellbeing, especially that of the poor and vulnerable. Those issues and finding suitable solution will be on the main agenda of the 2013 Trondheim Conference.

Participation and registration
Participation in the conference is by invitation only. Each country has been invited to send two experts, one from each field of biodiversity and economy/planning. Invitees may register for the conference on the Participation and registration page.

The post 10 things to do in Boston this weekend appeared first on Boston.com.

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"They’re definitely planning on being very active in the free agent market."

The post MLB agent Scott Boras claims Red Sox are ‘wanting to secure high-level players’ this offseason appeared first on Boston.com.

"I will do my best to work my way up from my minor contract to become the best player in the world."

The post Japanese ace Roki Sasaki to become available to MLB teams this offseason appeared first on Boston.com.

While the Red Sox aren't the odds-on for any player, they hold the third-best odds or better for three of the top free agents.

The post Red Sox listed among betting favorites for handful of top free agents this offseason appeared first on Boston.com.

Classic FM has posted what it believes to be the hardest classical music quiz online, allowing you to test out your knowledge and brag about ... Read more

The post Feel like testing your classical music knowledge? Take this quiz appeared first on CMUSE.

"I could never have reached this area of growth that I needed to."

The post Tom Brady credited this for helping him find success early on with the Patriots appeared first on Boston.com.

Test your knowledge of cider doughnut secrets, Pink House problems, and Jaylen Brown’s brainstorm in this week’s news quiz.

The post Did you follow the local news this week? Take our Greater Boston news quiz. appeared first on Boston.com.

Plus: Thanksgiving hot dogs, thoughts on Question 5 results, and a Jurassic Park-themed drag brunch

The post Here are the best restaurants to try this month appeared first on Boston.com.

A gondola ride, a brewery, a sugar house, and more rounded out our day in Stowe.

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You'll find it in Fall River.

The post This is the most haunted place in Massachusetts, according to Thrillist appeared first on Boston.com.

A "a collector of curiosities" once lived there.

The post Salem visitors can learn about this 1729 home by scanning a code appeared first on Boston.com.

Local officials are racing against the clock to intervene and save Ingersoll’s Ordinary before more than three centuries of Danvers history is lost for good.

The post This North Shore home has ties to the Salem witch trials and American Revolution. Officials say it’s now ‘rotting’ away. appeared first on Boston.com.

The alcohol-free beer garden comes from Dray Drinks, Boston's first NA bottle shop.

The post A non-alcoholic beer garden pops up in Brighton this weekend appeared first on Boston.com.

Rotten returns with a curious mixture of rage and nostalgia.

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The post 10 things to do in Boston this Halloween weekend appeared first on Boston.com.

The post 10 things to do in Boston this weekend appeared first on Boston.com.

Test your knowledge of Trump trolling, atypical temps, and a radio reversal in this week’s news quiz.

The post Did you follow the local news this week? Take our Greater Boston news quiz. appeared first on Boston.com.

Some health groups have said it’s time to do away with time switches and that sticking with standard time aligns better with the sun — and human biology.

The post Daylight saving time ends this weekend. This is how to prepare for the potential health effects. appeared first on Boston.com.

A cooling job market is impacting millions of workers nationwide.

The post Were you laid off this year? Tell us your story. appeared first on Boston.com.

After hearing the “Word of God” to go to Boston, Chris Smither became a full-on folk legend. He turns 80 this weekend, and will be feted with two shows.

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Find an amusement park near you for some summer thrills.

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Most readers vote that whoever buys or gives the ring owns it, no matter the circumstances. Do you agree?

The post This is who should get the engagement ring after a breakup, readers say appeared first on Boston.com.

The park will debut a 30,000 square-foot Water Zone.

The post This New Hampshire campground will open a massive water park in 2025 appeared first on Boston.com.

"There's just something about visiting a pumpkin patch, many with hayrides and yummy treats, that puts you in the fall spirit."

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Visitors can go on a "candy-coated" adventure in search of a golden ticket.

The post A Wonka-themed maze is opening this week in Massachusetts appeared first on Boston.com.

"As I always say, I use this as a microphone not only to give you guys information, but also to talk to the players. So, players, this is how we need to play going forward."

The post ‘This is who we are’: Patriots’ Jerod Mayo used his Monday press conference to ‘talk to the players’ appeared first on Boston.com.

The Patriots are now 3-7 after Sunday’s win over the Bears.

The post Patriots may have a long way to go, but this win showed they are playing hard for Jerod Mayo appeared first on Boston.com.

“This is who we are.”

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One of America's biggest exports to china is its recycling. But in recent months, China has been refusing shipments because so much US recycling is contaminated with food and other waste. That's forcing communities across the US to clean up their acts.

Also: Burberry sends its unsold fashion up in smoke; H&M attempts to market itself as a greener company; a climate scientist in California changes his lifestyle to reduce his carbon footprint; a travel writer grapples with the ethics of visiting Antarctica; plus music from the Small Island, Big Song project. (Image: Cody Marshall, with The Recycling Partnership, looks through a recycling bin in Lynn, Massachusetts. His organization is working with cities across the US, helping them educate residents on how to recycle better. Credit: Jason Margolis/PRI’s The World)

The US has been planning for catastrophe on a national scale since the beginning of the Cold War and the advent of the nuclear age. Now, with the new coronavirus, the US and the world face a very different challenge, but the approach is similar. Author Garrett Graff examined this intersection between national security and national emergency in his book Raven Rock, named after one of the major bunkers used by the US government in times of emergency.

Also, more than 300 million students in China are stuck at home and getting their schooling through online classes - how are they coping? As more people across the globe work from home, the team-messaging application Slack is having a big moment. International students in the US, displaced by COVID-19, face new challenges with online classes. In the US, farmworkers are considered essential so they still go out and work, but there are increasing concerns about their safety on the job. And Mr. Motivator wants you to have fun while exercising under quarantine.

Photo: An American flag is seen at sunrise at the Pentagon. Credit: Salwan Georges/The Washington Post/Getty Images

The US military is increasingly assisting the US government's domestic response to the coronavirus pandemic. So far, the military is setting up field hospitals in Seattle, New York, and Boston and has put additional units on prepare-to-deploy orders. US Secretary of Defence, Mark Esper, has issued a stop-movement order to the US military, halting travel and movement abroad in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Former Secretary of Defence and CIA Director Leon Panetta tells Boston Calling that balancing the challenge of limiting the movement of US troops while also maintaining global security will be difficult.

Also, the history of the World Health Organization and how it’s coordinating global efforts to combat Covid-19; the US and Mexico have shutdown all non-essential travel across the border, local businesses are feeling the hit; how a hospital in California's rural heartland is producing informational videos to reach immigrant farmworkers in the area; and families around the world struggle to find ways to explain coronavirus to their children.

Photo: Members of the Ohio National Guard help pack food and supplies at the Mid Ohio Foodbank in Columbus, Ohio. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and rising unemployment, the demand placed on food banks has grown rapidly. (Credit: Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images)

According to city officials, 87,351 visited on Oct. 31 alone.

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Residents say rallying around local issues helps them find common ground.

The post This is what it’s like in the Mass. towns with the closest presidential election results appeared first on Boston.com.

I still pick out an Easter dress. While I am well past the age of ruffles and bows (mostly), it is a tradition that I just can’t bring myself to discard. It’s the last of these kinds of traditions from my childhood that survived into my adult life. And though my vehement grasp on my Easter clothing habits may seem a little silly, if you are in any way familiar with church, you are most likely well aware of the unspoken difference between Easter and every other Sunday of the year. Traditions vary, and memories are as individual as the people that possess them, but generally Easter is a day set aside for family, fun, and, at its core, taking a moment to really reflect on and celebrate the massive sacrifice that saved us. So yes, I remember the dresses and the overflowing Easter baskets, but more so I remember my mother sitting in the floor with us reading the story of the crucifixion, explaining the verses to us so that we could begin to really understand the gift we have been given. Easter Sunday is not just another Sunday, and that distinction can be felt across denominations, locations, demographics, and most any other factor, and if you are someone involved in church planning, it stands to reason that you have experienced the stark contrast between preparing for this particular Sunday as opposed to the rest. After all, on top of being a day that marks such an integral and sacred event to the Christian faith, churches can expect a doubling or even tripling in attendance by many visitors for whom this will be one of two church visits (including Christmas) over the entire year.

So how does that factor that in? Where do we find the balance between a new audience with an entirely different set of needs and the spiritual journey of the regular Sunday morning crowd? With such an emphasis placed on this day, questions and concerns arise from just about any staff of any church dedicated to making the most of this exceptionally unique opportunity. For insight on how to steward this chance, I spoke to Michael Farren, a Grammy nominated writer who spends almost every Sunday with the congregation he has been leading in worship for upwards of a decade.

AAW: Just to start, what are your overarching thoughts on Easter?

Michael: I love Easter, but the reality is, the power of Easter is there every Sunday, and every other day for that matter; it just so happens that culturally, Easter is a day where people actually slow down long enough to remember that something significant happened.

AAW: So how do you plan for Easter differently knowing that there is a cultural weight assigned to the day?

Michael: There’s no way around the fact that, again, culturally, people tend to go to church on Easter and Christmas in Western Civilization and in our context, America for sure. So, churches have just come to use it as an opportunity to introduce the gospel, or at the very least, remind people of the gospel when they walk in that one time a year. So, we do try our best to optimize the simple telling of what Easter is about and so, whether that’s songs or generally. Also, the message during our services on Easter, it’s very intentional that we present the gospel again because we know that there will be many, many there that haven’t been to church in a very long time.  If you haven’t been to church in a long time that can be for a lot of reasons, but more than likely its because you don’t have the connect with the God of resurrection

Me: What specific measures or actions do you take that differ from a regular Sunday when planning for Easter?

Michael: We’re going to make sure that all songs and all conversation that day reflect the simple gospel that people that particular day especially. We don’t run with other topics, we run with this is what happened on Easter, this is the power that was released on Easter, just knowing that there’s going to be a ton of people there that don’t know the message, or have forgotten the message or don’t know the power of the message and you don’t want to squander that opportunity to reach more people.

In the end, each church is different, but whether you meet in a school, a warehouse, a one hundred year old church, a barn; whether you are leading six people or six hundred; the gospel remains the same. The power of what we celebrate on Easter is unchanging. The God at the center of the story is unwavering. As daunting as the facts can be, as wildly unpredictable as the attendance is, as intimidating as it sometimes sounds, Easter truly is an unparalleled opportunity. One Sunday in April, churches everywhere get to open their doors to people who may not have set foot in a place like theirs for literally decades, people who might not even know why they wandered in, people who may even be hearing the story of their redemption for the first time. While the incredible significance of what we celebrate on Easter is present every day, it can’t be denied that this holiday carries a special weight. So, churches, as you dive into the process of planning for this day, I would encourage you to take a moment, step beyond the set lists, the bullet points, the logistics, and every other minute technical aspect of this visitor-heavy service, and just let it sink into your spirit how beyond amazing it is to not only have received this gift beyond measure, but to have the chance to give and re-give it to every starving heart that still needs to receive; and on Easter, they come right to you. 

Bob and Faith decided when they first married to follow an important financial principle. That was 65 years ago, and that decision has led to blessing their work, marriage, children, health, relationships, and more. Want to get in on that kind ...