Latest / Sunny Mornings Boston / Wednesday February 21, 2024

Transcript

Wednesday February 21, 2024 · Sunny Mornings Boston

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  Good morning and a warm welcome to your show, Sunny Mornings in Boston.
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  We're the daily podcast that gets you started on the right foot and always with a positive
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  vibe.
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  I'm your host, Melissa, and it's Wednesday, February 21st.
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  You'll be interested to know today's National Sticky Buns Day.
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  Originally known as Schnecken, these confections are a Philadelphia specialty, believed to
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  have been introduced by German settlers in the 18th century.
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  Though typically a breakfast item, sticky buns are also known as cinnamon rolls, caramel
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  rolls or monkey bread.
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  Yes, please.
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  Now grab yourself a sticky bun and a coffee while we check out the weather in the Boston
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  area.
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  This morning it's partly cloudy and feels like 16 degrees with 5 mile per hour wind.
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  The sunset will take place at 5.23 p.m. and it will rise again tomorrow at 6.31 a.m.
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  It looks like we're in for a partly sunny day with a high near 35 and east wind 5 to
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  9 mile per hour.
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  Tonight, mostly cloudy with a low around 26 and east wind of 5 to 8 mile per hour.
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  For all you beach runners, the first high tide Wednesday will be just after 9 a.m. with
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  a low tide at 3.30 p.m.
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  The nearshore buoy at Cape Cod Bay reads 39 degrees for the water temperature.
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  Looking ahead in the weather.
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  We'll see mostly sunny conditions on Thursday with a high near 43 degrees, turn into a cloudy
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  Friday with a 70% chance of rain and highs around 48.
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  The weekend will be clearer and cooler with sunny skies, breezy conditions and highs ranging
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  from 35 to 41 degrees.
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  Bonjour, food enthusiasts.
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  This podcast is brought to you by Versailles Cafe and Pastries in Encinitas.
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  Nestled on El Camino Real South, just north of Encinitas Boulevard, this cafe is a haven
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  for culinary delights.
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  Indulge in their amazing Eggs Benedict or their gluten-free crepes.
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  You can grab a panini for lunch or just breeze on through to get your morning coffee.
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  They are open every day from 8 to 5.
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  So stop on by and don't forget to tell them.
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  Sunny mornings send you.
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  In local news.
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  In the Boston metro area, home vacancies reached a 20-year low with just 0.4% of homes vacant
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  and for sale at the end of 2023.
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  This figure indicates a tight housing market, as reported by Axios.
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  For much of the last decade, vacancies in greater Boston have remained under 1%.
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  Although homeowner vacancies increased slightly between 2020 and 2022, home sale prices continue
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  to soar.
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  Rental vacancies also declined in 2022.
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  In response to low inventory, U.S. homebuilders are increasing new construction.
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  Nationally, homeowner vacancies were at a near-record low of 0.9% in the fourth quarter.
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  However, experts emphasize the need for a diverse mix of housing to address the housing
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  shortage.
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  In greater Boston, permits for new housing rose over the past decade, but the housing
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  stock is still limited and costly.
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  Some suburbs like Newton and Dedham have permitted fewer new constructions, resisting state efforts
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  to increase multifamily housing near train stops.
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  Medford stands out, having permitted the most new housing in Massachusetts.
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  Meanwhile, Boston and other major cities are considering converting old office spaces into
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  housing, with tax incentives for developers pursuing such projects.
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  Now onto sports.
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  The College Football Playoff has adopted a new 5-plus-7 format for its 12-team expanded
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  playoff.
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  This system includes five automatic qualifying spots for the highest ranked conference champions
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  and seven at-large spots.
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  The shift from the original 6-plus-6 model occurred after the Pac-12 was reduced to two
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  members.
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  The College Football Board of Managers, which includes a university president from each
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  of the 10 FBS leagues, and Notre Dame unanimously supported this change.
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  The Pac-12, despite falling short of the membership minimum for an automatic berth, benefits
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  from increased at-large spots.
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  The expanded playoff begins next season with the four highest ranked conference champions
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  receiving buys into the quarterfinals.
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  First round games will start the third week of December, competing with the NFL.
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  Quarterfinals are scheduled for New Year's, with semifinals in mid-January to avoid clashing
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  with the NFL's wild-card weekend.
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  The championship game is set for January 20, 2025.
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  This format will be in place for at least the next two years.
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  No sports last night in Boston, but tonight the Bruins are on the road to take on the
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  Oilers.
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  And tomorrow night, the Celtics are on the road to play the Bulls.
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  In top news, have you ever heard of aptanems?
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  It's when your name eerily aligns with your career.
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  Take Frank Fish, a marine biologist or Carla Dove, who leads the Feather Identification
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  Lab at the Smithsonian, handling all things avian.
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  Greg Pond, an aquatic biologist, echoes this unique coincidence, his surname mirroring
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  his water-focused career.
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  These are not isolated instances, but part of a fascinating pattern where names can curiously
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  link to professions.
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  This phenomenon extends to other areas, too, like Betsy Weatherhead, an atmospheric scientist,
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  and Jay Sukchung, a blue crab researcher.
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  Their names unexpectedly have become significant parts of their professional identity, sometimes
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  even influencing opportunities.
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  While some might see these names as mere coincidences, studies suggest there might be subtle psychological
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  influences at play, with people possibly gravitating towards careers that reflect their names.
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  In a world where names often blend into the background, for these individuals, their names
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  stand out, adding a memorable twist to their professional journeys.
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  In business news, in the finance world, cash remains king.
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  Despite expectations of its decline, cash is holding strong, with investors pouring $128
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  billion into U.S. money market funds since the year's start.
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  Market treasurers are also holding onto cash, with a record $4.4 trillion in reserves by
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  the third quarter's end.
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  This surge in cash holdings contrasts, sharply, with earlier predictions.
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  The cash would lose appeal once the Federal Reserve started cutting interest rates.
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  However, with policy-easing expectations dialed back, cash remains attractive, especially
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  in money market funds, offering returns of 4% or more.
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  This trend isn't just a fleeting phenomenon.
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  It's a reflection of a broader shift in financial attitudes post-pandemic, with more people
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  recognizing the value of liquidity and safety in cash holdings.
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  Investors and corporations alike are re-evaluating their strategies, keeping cash in the spotlight
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  for 2024.
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  In crypto movement, Bitcoin is currently just under $52,000.
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  Ethereum is up to $3,000.
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  And Solana is $106.
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  Moving on to a more local vibe.
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  In our community spotlight on health and wellness, we are working with a national Pilates studio
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  to bring you some free classes, so listen up.
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  Check out Club Pilates, with several locations in the Boston area.
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  Pilates presents a comprehensive wellness approach, cultivating strength, reducing tension,
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  and elevating mental well-being.
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  Scientific research affirms its benefits.
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  So now you can check out Club Pilates for a free class.
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  With locations in Canton, Wellesley, Hingham, Brookline, and Framingham, just be sure to
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  tell them Sunny Morning sent you by.
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  And now, back to the show.
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  Let's talk science.
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  At just four months old, babies in bilingual homes display unique brain patterns, setting
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  them apart from their monolingual peers.
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  A study led by Boria Blanco at the University of Cambridge revealed that when exposed to
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  speech, these bilingual infants show broader and more extensive brain activation.
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  This study used functional near-inferred spectroscopy to track changes in cerebral blood flow, highlighting
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  differences in brain activation between infants raised in monolingual Spanish homes and those
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  exposed to both Spanish and Basque.
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  The bilingual babies not only had activations in the usual speech-processing areas of the
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  brain's left hemisphere, but also in the right hemisphere's corresponding areas.
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  Interestingly, these infants reacted similarly to forward and backward speech, unlike monolingual
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  infants who showed more interest in backward speech, possibly because it was more novel.
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  This early brain development in bilingual infants suggests they might be better equipped
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  to differentiate between languages from a young age, a skill that could have long-term
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  linguistic benefits.
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  The study underscores the profound impact early language exposure has on the developing
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  brain.
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  And in entertainment news, Matt Damon, celebrated for his role as Jason Bourne, is keen on joining
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  a potential newborn movie.
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  Reports emerged in November about a possible new installment, with Edward Berger, acclaimed
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  for the movie, All Quiet on the Western Front, rumored to direct.
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  On a late show with Stephen Colbert, Damon confirmed Berger's involvement and expressed
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  enthusiasm about working with him.
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  However, Damon, now 53, acknowledged the challenges of playing the action-packed role at his age,
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  hinting at a possible future recast.
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  The Bourne series, based on Robert Ludlum's novels, has seen Damon star in four of its
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  five films.
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  The new project, still in early stages at Universal, has no confirmed cast, but Damon
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  is a likely first choice.
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  Damon's recent works include Offenheimer, Drive Away Dolls, and a forthcoming project
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  with Ben Affleck.
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  Well, alrighty folks, it's time for the quote of the day, and today our quote comes from
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  Matt Damon in Rounders.
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  Great movie.
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  Listen, here's the thing.
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  If you can't spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you are the sucker.
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  Poof.
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  Brutal.
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  And that's a wrap for this morning.
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  Remember to stay tuned tomorrow for more news and updates.
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  Have an amazing day, my good friends.