For a 32-year-old, Regina Spektor has done a lot of living. At 9½, she emigrated from Moscow to the Bronx with her family, and she has toured all over the world, including Japan, Australia, and South America (not to mention a stop at the White House). In a rehearsal space in midtown Manhattan, the pop singer talked about her upcoming return to Russia, the problem with memory, and her geriatric sense of humor. It’s a big spring—you’re finishing one tour, starting another, and you’re releasing your sixth album. It’s been a little crazy. I just came back from a tour opening for Tom Petty. Then I got home, jumped right into work, played Boston yesterday, and got home at 5:30 in the morning. Tomorrow I’m ... Continue reading →
Meanwhile, rates of melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, have been increasing more quickly among young white women than their white male counterparts, which, in the words of the report, “might be attributable, in part, to their increased rates of indoor tanning.” Skin cancer is now the most common form of cancer among young women. And frequent indoor tanners are up to three times more likely to develop melanoma than those who never go, according to a 2010 study. Why are so many young white women willing to risk cancer to be tan? One reason might be that they are more concerned about their current looks than the nebulous threat of cancer. A study suggests that they tend to be more put off ... Continue reading →
By GARY FINEOUT The Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida's quest to identify and remove non-U.S. citizens from the voter rolls was started at the direct urging of Gov. Rick Scott, the state's former top elections official said.Ex-Secretary of State Kurt Browning, who resigned this year, told The Associated Press that Scott asked him whether or not non-U.S. citizens were registered and if those people were voting. Browning explained to the governor during a face-to-face meeting last year that people who register and falsely claim they are citizens can be charged with a crime."He says to me — well, people lie," Browning recalled this week. "Yes, people do. But we have always had to err on the side of the voter."Browning said the conversation prompted ... Continue reading →
TALLAHASSEE — When Pinellas County's tiny Lealman Fire District needed help navigating the state Capitol this year, it used its limited public funds to hire a lobbyist.The cost: between $10,000 and $30,000, according to records.But the gamble worked. The fire district's legislation — which continues to protect Lealman against the negative effects of annexation — was signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott in April."The only way to get it heard by the Legislature is through a lobbyist," Lealman fire Capt. Jim Millican said. "Someone has to get the word to all the legislators why this bill is important."Although the economic downturn has caused local government agencies to make tough budget decisions, many are still carving out room for Tallahassee lobbyists. Numerous city and county ... Continue reading →
