Boston City Councilor At-Large, Henry Santana, and Northeastern graduate student, Yadah Ampofo, each share how they would spend a perfect day in Boston’s Mission Hill neighborhood.

The post Here’s how to spend the perfect day in Mission Hill appeared first on Boston.com.

NYT

By REUTERS

17-12-2018

Four jailed Catalan separatist leaders currently on hunger strike sent letters to more than 40 European heads on Monday to protest what they see as mistreatment by the Spanish courts.

The dispute between Catalonia's independence-seeking regional government and Madrid has worsened in recent weeks as negotiations have reached an impasse. Pro-independence protests are planned across Catalonia on Friday.

"We suffer from a judicial process that severely violates our fundamental rights, including the right to the presumption of innocence," the Catalan leaders wrote in the letter, which was sent to more than 40 European heads of state and government.

Spain's courts are unduly delaying their appeal demands to prevent the separatists appealing at the European level, the Catalan leaders said.

The four signatories went on hunger strike earlier this month to protest their treatment by the Spanish judiciary, though they have no intention of starving themselves to death, one told Reuters last week.

A total of nine Catalan leaders are in jail awaiting trial for their role in the region's failed bid to split from Spain last year. If convicted, they face decades in prison on charges including misappropriation of funds and rebellion.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and his cabinet will travel to Barcelona on Friday for a meeting to be held amid high security as pro-independence groups have announced plans to hold protests and block transport in the region.

(Reporting by Sam Edwards; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

International observers will determine if the right to defense and impartial trial are respected

VILAWEB

18-12-2018

A group of judicial and human rights experts, as well as professors throughout Spain, have set up a platform called ‘International Trial Watch – Catalan Referendum case’ to supervise the trial against independence leaders, presented on Monday.

At the event, criminal law professor Iñaki Rivera stated that they are creating reports to determine if the “right to defense, the existence and duration of pre-trial incarceration, and impartial trial, balance between parties, and the taking of evidence” are respected, along with the competency of the Supreme Court in the trial.

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.

Zendaya and Robert Pattinson were spotted on the set of "The Drama," a new movie filming in the Boston area this fall.

The post Robert Pattinson and Zendaya are back in Boston filming ‘The Drama’ appeared first on Boston.com.

"The Drama," set to film in Boston throughout the fall, is seeking extras with "distinctive faces" now through the end of November.

The post The new Zendaya and Robert Pattinson movie filming in Boston needs extras appeared first on Boston.com.

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

The winner will be selected on October 23.

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

John Shairs faces life in prison for the murder of Tina Amore, a mother of two.

The post Salem man found guilty in 2020 beating death of his girlfriend appeared first on Boston.com.

In response to growing customer demand, stores of all stripes are bringing out their festive collections weeks before the Nov. 1 start of the holiday shopping season.

The post Eggnog before Thanksgiving? Shoppers eager for a new season scramble retail calendars appeared first on Boston.com.

The brand said it expects to operate as The New Tupperware Co. upon completion of the deal.

The post Court approves Tupperware’s sale to lenders, paving way for brand’s exit from bankruptcy 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.

The tree will be lit during a live TV broadcast on Dec. 4, featuring 50,000 multi-colored lights with a Swarovski star on top and remain on display until mid-January.

The post Crowds flock to tiny Mass. town to send off Rockefeller Christmas tree 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.

The post A nod to Chris: Boston’s folk legend Chris Smither turns 80 this weekend appeared first on Boston.com.

The stars have been spotted around Boston filming A24 movie, “The Drama.”

The post What are your favorite Zendaya, Robert Pattinson movies and shows? appeared first on Boston.com.

Getting surprised with an engagement ring on top of a lobster roll may be the most New England way to do a proposal.

The post For $10,000, get a lobster roll (and engaged) at Pauli’s in the North End appeared first on Boston.com.

"He's the one who took my game to a whole new level," Gronkowski said of Belichick, adding that he thinks his former coach will be "unbelievable" as a television analyst.

The post Rob Gronkowski discussed why ending up with Bill Belichick, Patriots was ‘perfect fit’ appeared first on Boston.com.

"I think it was a great play to start Jacoby Brissett, let Drake [Maye] develop."

The post Rob Gronkowski is the latest Patriots icon to defend decision to start Jacoby Brissett over Drake Maye appeared first on Boston.com.

"Every time you hear a piano note, that's another mass shooting." A new way to hear the stark numbers on gun violence.

Also: Adam Lankford, a criminology professor, turns to data to explain why the US has more mass shootings than any other country; Susan Cruz, a Salvadoran-American, remembers holding a gun at the age of six; two sisters with different opinions on guns go to a shooting range; we learn about the origins of the Second Amendment; plus we hear from faith leaders all over the US.

(Image: Visitors view gun displays at a National Rifle Association outdoor sports trade show on February 10, 2017 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Credit: Dominick Reuter/Getty Images)

In India, revelations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official app has been sending user data to a third party provoke outrage.

Also: Author Mona Eltahawy starts #MosqueMeToo to give Muslim women an outlet to speak out against abuse and it goes viral; two friends from Iran start a popular website about sexual health specifically for Farsi speakers; some researchers worry that we are not teaching our robots to be ethical enough; plus a woman named Ivanka Majic has an uninvited brush with fame.

(Image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has his picture taken with a mobile phone on September 2, 2014. Credit: Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty Images)

El Salvador is one of just a handful of countries where abortion is banned in all circumstances. The ban is so comprehensive, that every miscarriage is considered suspicious and at least a dozen Salvadoran women who say they suffered a miscarriage are serving lengthy jail terms. Professor Michelle Oberman, a leading scholar on legal issues around pregnancy, tells the story of two such women who had recently been freed from prison.

Also: The story of two Somali girls in Boston who formed a friendship through writing poetry together; the tale of an unlikely bond between a guard and a prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp; We hear from a Syrian superfan of the 90s hit TV programme ‘Friends’; and Marco Werman visits a local school in Boston to hear from some very young news consumers.

(Teodora Vasquez hugs her parents shortly after being released from the women's Readaptation Centre, in Ilopango, El Salvador where she was serving a sentence since 2008. Credit: Marvin Recinos/Getty Images)

Help us update our list of reader-recommended bookstores around Greater Boston.

The post Tell us: What is your favorite independent bookstore in Greater Boston? appeared first on Boston.com.

Concerns about how movie studios will use AI helped fuel last year’s film and television strikes by the union, which lasted four months.

The post Robert Downey Jr. says he ‘intends to sue’ all future executives who use his AI replica appeared first on Boston.com.

Plus: Holidays at the Newport Mansions, best places to visit in December, and the final Memorial Drive Recreation Sunday of the year.

The post The North End was named a hot spot for ‘authentic’ travel. Do you agree? appeared first on Boston.com.

Families can take part in scavenger hunts, nightly s’mores, and more.

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A Tufts professor reportedly said they would no longer send students to Moulton's office for internships, but the university refuted the report.

The post Tufts refutes report that it’s broken ties with Seth Moulton over transgender comments appeared first on Boston.com.

It makes perfect sense to all who know Sarah Reeves that she is where she is and doing what she is doing. But the journey it took to get her here has not been an easy or uneventful one. I got the chance to visit with Sarah about her recent single release, Nowhere, and God’s ongoing story in her life.

Having been raised in the church and music industry by her record producer father and mother, a nurse, at the age of 15 Sarah encountered the presence of God in a way she never had before. She knew at that moment that He was calling her into a life of music and ministry. She dove head first into leading worship within her local church and by 18 was signed to a label and touring the country leading worship. After some time, she met and married her husband, Philip Kothlow, and decided for a season to step out of music and sort of discover herself and “live some real life . . . away from music”. She took a job working as a preschool teacher and Philip was an electrician at the time. A couple of years into marriage, she found herself in a place she never thought she’d be.

“About three years ago . . . I remember us just reaching this point in our marriage where we were facing wall after wall, and struggle after struggle. We came to this place where we found ourselves on the verge of divorce and we knew at that point we had to make a drastic change. We were both working full-time jobs . . . and we decided to step away from those. We went away and really just kind of started over. Focused on each other. Focused on God and putting Him at the center of our marriage. We learned how to be married and fell in love all over again. During that time . . . I started putting out YouTube covers and slowly God started to open up doors again into music. Things were really starting to happen. He had redeemed our marriage and now he was redeeming my artistry again. What I thought was over was just beginning.”

Today, Philip is Sarah’s manager and together they are storming back with a fresh perspective on music and a renewed passion for worship.  Nowhere dropped April 7th in anticipation of her full album release with Word Records in the fall.

When talking about the direction of this new project Sarah said, “God has given me this specific sound . . . but there’s always been this inner battle between being a worship leader and being an artist. There’s this style that I love but I felt the pressure to always keep it straight down the middle if I wanted to be a worship leader. About a year and a half ago, a friend sent me a track . . . and I wrote this song to it that I just loved and something in me came alive in that moment. Through that song I found so much clarity as if God said, ‘Sarah, I’ve given you this sound and you don’t have to choose . . . I’ve given you this gift for you to merge the two together.’

The production is very electronic and pop and hopefully will push the limits of worship leaders to write and produce outside of the box.”

When it comes to songwriting, Sarah always tries to “write songs that come from a place of things (she’s) walked through or that would encourage other people.” Her hope is to stretch stylistically and for people to not put the stereotypical worship mindset on this project, but rather to think bigger and more creatively.

A lot of her musical style and depth of worship comes from influences such as Jeff Deyo (former lead singer of Sonic Flood who, funnily enough, introduced Sarah to her now husband), Bethel Music, Glades, Ellie Goulding, and Coldplay. Personally, some of the people who have helped shape and mold her into the person she is today are her mother, who has been a huge prayer warrior, her husband, who knows how to encourage and challenge her to be a better person and artist, and her pastors Henry and Alex Seeley from The Belonging, a church that meets in Nashville.

Given the journey that it’s taken to get where she is today, we asked Sarah what words of encouragement she would give to those coming up as artists and worship leaders now who might be growing weary of the grind.

“One thing that I’ve learned came from a message that Alex Seeley preached a while back called Surrender To The Process, and it’s just been something that I’ve clung to and have had to learn how to do. I had to let my dreams die and had to come to a place where I had completely surrendered my heart, my dreams, my career, everything that I wanted . . . and once I came to that point, He finally was enough for me. I think when we get to that point, it just doesn’t matter . . . our craft, our music, everything that we can see . . . it’s amazing. And if it happens, awesome, but if it doesn’t happen, it’s okay. Our purpose is eternity and to build the Kingdom of God with whatever He’s given us in the moment. Be faithful in those little things and surrender to whatever process He wants to take you through.”

Make sure to check out Sarah’s single, Nowhere, available anywhere music is sold. And make sure to keep an eye out for other singles she will release as her full project date this fall gets closer.

Baseball always in season at the former home of Jack Barry

It's hard to imagine Japanese ace Roki Sasaki wanting to come to the Red Sox based on their recent track record, writes John Tomase.

Corey Kluber dominated the American League for most of the 2010s. The Red Sox knew plenty about that as the right-hander dominated the club in his lone playoff start against them during the 2016 American League Division Series. Kluber suited up for five teams, including three in the American League East, over his MLB career. Not only did the Red Sox value his veteran experience, they named him the Opening Day starter in efforts to protect Chris Sale to start the season.

Nothing in the genre beats David Simon's police shows (The Wire, Homicide: Life on the Street, We Own This City). That said - Bosch is as close as it gets - not only in realism and quality but vibe as well! Bosch - a high quality crime solving drama on Prime Video Also don't miss the spin-off Bosch: Legacy which is basically a continuation of the same show.

Why A Children's Book? The author of several books on identity and purpose, Tim takes a clear detour in writing a storybook for kids, but with clear intention. As the youngest of the five Tebow siblings, he was born and spent his first three years in the Philippines, where his parents served as Baptist missionaries. Tim vividly remembers their reading to him as a boy, how much he enjoyed it, and the difference it made in his growth and development. Believing that every person is unique,...

Visit CBNLEGACY.org, call 1-800-333-2373 or email PlannedGiving@CBN.org     Year-End Ideas - Optimizing Charitable Giving  There are three focus areas when deciding on optimizing charitable giving while maximizing tax deductions: Appreciated Investments  Cash  Retirement Plans  Appreciated Investments Gifts of Stock Select a highly appreciated stock held for 1-year+ in a brokerage account. Donate stock shares by DTC wire transfer. Benefits Receive an itemized charitable tax deduction at...