BostonZest

MGH Advice and Resources on How to Maintain Good Brain Health

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is more than just our choice for healthcare when we aren't feeling well. It has become our resource for information and programs to stay healthy. A recent article on what you can do to maintain good brain health was important enough for us to share as our Friday Link, this week.

Most of you who take the time to read a site like BostonZest are already doing a lot of things suggested here. Many of the tips have to do with leading a healthy lifestyle. But we want to make you aware of this research center, the Institute for Brain Health, at MGH should you fall into one of the groups that are the focus of their work.

They describe the Institute for Brain Health as,

"An initiative conceived by experts from across the neurosciences, the Institute for Brain Health serves two groups of patients: those at high risk for brain disease and those who are highly motivated to preserve brain function. Our patients gain access to all of the clinical neurosciences at Mass General, as well as our therapists, nutritionists and clinicians from the Benson Henry Institute.

Should you, or someone you care about, need these services, we can attest to the great care and programs provided by the experts at MGH.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino  

Doing Donuts on the Public Garden Lagoon

Early on Tuesday morning, this worker was doing donuts with his boat on the Public Garden Lagoon. 

As he circled, he was spraying something with a hose from the barrel he had on-board. 

Penny chatted with his co-worker on the shore who said they were killing the weeds that were making it hard for the Swan Boats to navigate their route.

We photographed an algal bloom on the lagoon back in February, so Penny asked if that was related to the current problem. The worker said it would take care of that. He also said they were using a safe product.  

Update 06.29.17- Penny was able to catch some morning light in a way that shows the weed growth in the lagoon from the bridge.

Nonetheless, we wanted to alert everyone that there is something in addition to water in that little pond. With all the people who ignore the signs and keep feeding the ducks and geese, we know there is a lot of bacteria and fertilizer in the water. For example, each goose attracted to the lagoon by people who feed it can produce up to 1.5 pounds of waste a day.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino  

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Make Universal Hub a Morning Habit

We all have morning routines. Universal Hub (UH) is part of mine. Since keeping up with local news is important to me, I read newspapers and each morning I visit Universal Hub to get a very local update on what happened overnight or the latest on first responder incidents that I heard on our scanner.

This late day incident in Chelsea is a great example of why you want to check UH when you hear more sirens than usual, see helicopters circling, or smell smoke. When this was taking place, someone over on the Reddit Boston forum asked about all the state police vehicles on Route 1. Another forum member said that they found out what was happening by going to UH! Good to know I'm not the only one. 

In addition to the great work of Adam Gaffin and a few regular posters, this can be a good source of crowdsourced information. Regular readers know the commenters with good, reliable information and those with a worn out drum that they beat at every opportunity. 

As more so called news operations become promotional vehicles for network shows or sports teams, it's important to find your own sources of local news. Universal Hub is one of the best. 

Support Universal Hub

As with many other sites, Universal Hub is supported by advertising, affiliate programs, and contributions. 

There is a link that asks readers,

"Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) donation."

You'll find the place to click by scrolling down in the right hand sidebar. The next time you get a great, timely, local answer to your question, "What's going on right now in Boston?" click the link and drop a few coins in the UH tip jar. 

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

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Words: Penny Cherubino
Screengrab from Universalhub.com 

Prong or Choke Collars Now Illegal in Some Places

Recently Toronto enacted a few new laws that canine guardians will want to know about should you be traveling there with your dog. 

• "No person shall use a choke collar, choke chain, pronged collar or any similar device at any time on a dog" (this does not apply to martingale collars)
• "... no person shall keep an animal tethered where a choke collar, choke chain, pronged collar or any similar device forms part of the tether.
• "No person shall tether an animal unsupervised for longer than one hour."

Here's our pal Marley in a nice, wide martingale collar. These are designed for dogs who could pull out of a collar because they have a narrow head. She is also very well trained and walks politely beside us. In this photo, she's watching a squirrel. 

Cheers for Toronto!

They are not alone in this action. If you plan to travel this summer with your dog, you should check to see if something still allowed in this area is illegal where you are visiting.

What You May Not Know About Choke/Prong Collars

Think about your dog’s anatomy and important body parts that are just under the skin on their neck. W. Jean Dodds, DVM, one of the leading experts on thyroid disease in dogs says, “The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped organ just in front of the larynx and trachea, and the mandibular salivary glands are found on the side of the face just below the ears. Thus, they can be easily injured by trauma and sudden pressure forces (like could occur from the slip ring and chain of metal collar, and a metal prong or hard braided leather collar). A harness or ‘gentle leader’ type collar is preferred these days, especially for strong dogs that like to pull and lunge out when on a standard collar and leash.”

Naturally, your leash should be short, strong, and always attached to the dog when you are not in a legal, off-leash recreation space. Since the training goal is to have your dog walk quietly by your side, there is no reason to use dangerous extendable leashes. We avoid walking near anyone who uses one since we’ve seen the damage they can do to dogs and people. Dogs on these devices are uncontrolled and unpredictable.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino except choke collar which is courtesy of Positively.com

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Taking Your Dog Along When You Travel to Canada

Today we share a resource link from our friends over on Go Pet Friendly.

Last month they updated their page on "Traveling with Your Dog to Canada."

I learned I could not bring my Poppy's homemade, raw diet into Canada. I would have to substitute a product that is "commercially packaged and sealed with ingredients listed in English."

They cover all the basic information you will need and include an important section on breed-specific regulations you must know about if you plan to travel to Ontario or Montreal.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.

 

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: screenshot courtesy of Go Pet Friendly.

Boston Area Commencement Dates for Spring 2020 Impact Hotel Prices, Availability, Restaurant Reservations and More

Due to the pandemic we have not updated this post. We hope we will be able to do that for the class of 2022!

With or without a spring 2020 Boston area college graduation in your family, you'll likely need to coordinate your dining and travel plans around the commencement ceremonies. We have set up this page as a permanent resource and update it as we find new information.

Our list also helps visitors to Boston understand why hotel rooms are so expensive and restaurant reservations so scarce on some dates in May. The local destination experts on travel websites are busy answering questions about the cost of visits to our city.  

Reservations at area restaurants will be harder to find May 9th, 10th and 11th with Mother's Day and 5 commencements, and scarce May 15th through 18th when 17 schools – including Boston University, Tufts University, and Boston College – will hold ceremonies. Harvard commencement is May 28th and MIT May 29th – each of these schools is large enough to have an impact on its own. Harvard can also interfere with traffic as they move busloads of people from one place to another around event time.

To help you plan your dining options in May and early June, here are the dates of the major commencement ceremonies for your 2020 calendar. 

If you know of a Boston area college or university graduation date that we've missed, send us a comment.

April 25, 2020

• Wentworth Institute of Technology - April 25, 2020

May 1, 2020 - May 3, 2020

• Northeastern University - May 1, 2020
• Eastern Nazarene College - May 2, 2020

May 8, 2020 - May 11, 2020

• Berklee College - May 9, 2020
• Boston Conservatory - May 9, 2020
  
• Massachusetts College of Pharmacy - May 9, 2020
• Emerson College - May 10, 2020
• Mother's Day - May 10, 2020
• MGH Institute of Health Professions - May 11, 2020

May 15, 2020 - May 18, 2020

• New England Law Boston - May 15, 2020
• Simmons University - May 15, 2020
• Suffolk University - May 15-17, 2020 Commencement Weekend
• Babson College - May 16, 2020
  
• Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology - May 16, 2020
• Bentley University - May 16, 2020
  
• Emmanuel College - May 16, 2020
• Fisher College - May 16, 2020
• Hellenic College Holy Cross - May 16, 2020
• Lasell College - May 16, 2020
• Lesley University - May 16, 2020
• Boston University - May 17, 2020
• Brandeis University - May 17, 2020
• The New England College of Optometry - May 17, 2020
• New England Conservatory - May 17, 2020
• Tufts University - May 17, 2020
• Boston College - May 18, 2020

May 21, 2020 - May 24, 2020

• Bunker Hill Community College - May 21, 2020
• Northeastern University School of Law - May 21, 2020
• Boston Architectural College - May 22, 2020
  
• Boston College Law School - May 22, 2020
  
• Massachusetts College of Art and Design - May 22, 2020

May 28, 2020 - May 31, 2020

• Harvard University - May 28, 2020
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology - May 29, 2020
• North Bennet Street School - May 29, 2020
• University of Massachusetts Boston - May 29, 2020

June 12, 2020 - June 14, 2020

• Cambridge College - June 14, 2020 

 

Thanks to everyone who supports us by beginning their Amazon shopping from here. It doesn't cost you any more, but when you click on an Amazon link like this one, they put a few coins in our tip cup.

The perfect gift for a graduate is an Amazon Gift Card 

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino

Photo: iStockphoto.com

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Farewell to the Swan Boats...

As I made my early morning circuit of the Public Garden yesterday, I watched the crew ready the Swan Boats for their migration to winter quarters.

One-by-one, under the careful supervision of members of the Paget family, the boats are disassembled and packed into a truck for the trip. (Unlike the Canada Geese living on the lagoon, the swans don't form a "V" and fly South.)

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of photographing the spring build of the Swan Boats and was very impressed by the planning, checking, and thoughtful work that goes into the stewardship of these Boston treasures. 

I look forward to seeing the swans return to the lagoon in the spring and would like to say a public thank you to the Paget family for their continued protection of this iconic part of our neighborhood. 

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

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Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2016 Penny  Cherubino  

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