Glass

For decades, those with high cholesterol have been given a list of don'ts when it comes to their diet: Don't eat cholesterol-rich eggs; don't eat butter; don't eat red meat or regular ice cream. Well, now researchers have identified a list of do's for the diet that may work to lower cholesterol levels better than avoiding those don'ts. In a study published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers found that eating cholesterol-lowering foods like nuts, soy protein, and certain fiber-rich items result in bigger drops in "bad" LDL cholesterol than avoiding...

It is late on a Wednesday night, after the final bows have been delivered on Broadway. The applause has died down and the last audience members have sauntered out into the street. There is still time for one last piece of Broadway magic: a special gathering of three actresses who share an uncommon role. The last to arrive is Isabel Keating, who has graciously rushed from the stage of "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" with a bottle of champagne to be here. She pops her head into the small, elegant private room in the back of the Belasco Theatre.

It's daunting for contemporary artists to take on a project in an architectural masterpiece, especially when that building has famous examples of art in the same medium. That was the challenge faced by Alexander Beleschenko and Raffaella Sirtoli Schnell, charged with making walls of glass for the Undercroft of Trinity Church, the Copley Square monument that already boasted a stellar collection of stained glass in the main part of the church by such masters as John La Farge and the pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Burne-Jones.

The Spoleto Festival USA opens its 36th season Friday and among the planned performances is an opera by American composer Philip Glass to commemorate his 75th birthday and his long relationship with the internationally known arts festival. The Charleston festival is staging the American premiere of "Kepler," about the famed German astronomer Johannes Kepler. Only the score has previously been performed in this country. "We had been talking about various different things and this seemed the most appropriate," said festival General Director Nigel Redden, who first met the composer...

PROVIDENCE - The launch of a new museum building calls for a splashy inauguration. And so it is that the Rhode Island School of Design's wonderful new Chace Center, designed by Spain's Pritzker Prize-winning architect Rafael Moneo, opens with a show of recent work by Dale Chihuly. On paper, Chihuly checks all the right boxes. Not only is he the world's most famous glass artist, he studied at RISD himself, graduating in 1968. Better still, he returned to the school the following year, after spending time in Venice at a glass factory on the island of Murano, to set up RISD's first glass program.

The star of Nicolas Philibert’s entrancing 67-minute documentary, “Nénette,’’ is a 40-year-old orangutan who lives in a deluxe tank at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. She is large, arthritic, and stupendously hairy — her fur appears tinged with copper — and, above all, sad-looking. Her days are spent shoving fistfuls of hay into her mouth, methodically removing bottle caps in order to sip an assortment of beverages, hiding under quilts, and staring glumly at her visitors.

Because of a broken pane of glass behind the New York net, the final 2:53 of the first period between the Rangers and Boston Bruins was tacked on to the start of the second. With the Rangers leading 2-1 on Sunday, Boston's Brian Rolston fired a shot that sailed over the net and cracked the glass. Cracks were visible in the glass, but it didn't shatter and no pieces of glass appeared to enter the seating area or playing surface. After a brief inspection of the pane by a member of the ice crew, the teams were sent to the dressing rooms and an announcement was made...

A Massachusetts woman has been sentenced to more than four years in prison after she admitted that she and her husband intentionally ate glass particles, then submitted false insurance claims. Mary Evano, 49, was also ordered yesterday to pay more than $340,000 in restitution. In September, she pleaded guilty to a 23-count federal indictment on fraud, conspiracy, and other charges. Federal prosecutors said the couple collected more than $200,000 after filing insurance claims that they had been injured by glass in food from restaurants, hotels, and grocery stores.

BOYLSTON -- The mercury is nudging the nether side of zero, and the wind howls through the parking lot and whistles across acres of formal gardens lying under a glaze of snow. It's a perfect day to visit Tower Hill Botanic Garden. The reason is Tower Hill's Orangerie, a garden under glass filled with citrus trees, flowering shrubs and vines, and an assortment of spring flowers forced into early bloom. In winter the brick-and-glass building gleams like the Holy Grail on the far side of a wind-scoured snowfield.

CHICAGO - Visitors to the Sears Tower’s new glass balconies all seem to agree: The first step is the hardest. “It’s like walking on ice,’’ said Margaret Kemp, of Bishop, Calif., who said her heart was still pounding even after stepping away from the balcony. Kemp was among the visitors who got a sneak preview of the balconies yesterday. “The Ledge,’’ as the balconies have been nicknamed, open to the public today. The balconies are suspended 1,353 feet in the air and jut out 4 feet from the building’s 103d-floor Skydeck.

Painstakingly assembled from more than 600 tiny pieces of hand-painted glass, "Veritas," the newest stained-glass window at Wellesley College's Houghton Memorial Chapel, shows the Goddess of Truth holding a glowing yellow lantern, her face serene and bright against the deep blues and reds that surround her. Flanked by her sisters Wisdom and Loyalty, this goddess is different: She's not white. And she stands above a world tree ringed by the symbols of 14 religions and belief systems.

Q. I have two glass shelves that came wrapped in shrink-wrap type plastic. Now the image of the plastic wrap remains on the glass. It won't come off with glass cleaner or with soap and water. What will clean up the glass? BRENDA, by e-mail A. Is it the image of the wrap or the wrap itself? If it is the plastic itself, soak the shelves in water overnight. If it's just the image, rub with Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. If that doesn't work, take the shelves to the dealer to see what he can do. Q. I have a white Formica ceiling in my bathroom.

Ira Glass, host of "This American Life," was at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square Wednesday for the New England premiere of "Sleepwalk With Me," which he co-wrote. It was the opening-night film of the 10th annual Independent Film Festival Boston, which runs April 25 to May 2 at the Somerville, Brattle, and Coolidge Corner theaters. In addition to Glass, VIPs appearing at the fest include actress-director Julie Delpy ("2 Days in New York") and directors Todd Solondz ("Dark Horse")

Bruins center David Krejci didn't practice Friday because of a sore neck after being flattened by a pane of glass jarred loose by celebrating fans following Chris Kelly's overtime winner in Game 1. Krejci fell forward after the glass struck his back. "I looked at what happened. I didn't expect that to happen," Krejci said after the glass fell. "I got up and skated away. " Claude Julien explained that after consulting with his trainers, he decided to keep Krejci off the ice today.

One moment, David Krejci was upright on the TD Garden ice, celebrating Chris Kelly's overtime goal in Thursday's 1-0 Game 1 win over the Capitals. Seconds later, after a loose pane of glass flattened him from behind, Krejci was lying on his stomach. Krejci likely will be in the lineup for Game 2 Saturday afternoon at the Garden, but his neck was sore enough to keep him off the ice for Friday's practice at the Garden. Coach Claude Julien decided to nix Krejci's practice after consulting with team trainers.

The 100th anniversary of Fenway Park might seem worthy of a champagne toast, but the folks from Welch's are proposing the next best thing: Having fans lift a glass of its Sparkling Grape Juice Cocktail at a Red Sox game set for April 20. According to Welch's, representatives from Guinness World Records will be on hand to verify whether this grape juice cocktail salute is worthy of the record books. In a statement, Welch's vice president of marketing Matt Wohl said the toast to both look back at Fenway's storied past --- and to look ahead as...

NEW YORK - Ice broke through a glass atrium at the Sony Building in Manhattan, and 10 people sustained minor injuries, fire officials said yesterday. A spokesman for the Fire Department said ice and glass fell into the lobby area of the Madison Avenue building on Saturday night. Several people were taken to hospitals for treatment of minor injuries, fire officials said. A spokeswoman at Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan said four of the injured were taken there. City building officials say ice fell from the 32d floor, shattering two glass panels in the lobby.

A South Boston man who admits throwing a heavy glass that shattered during a bar fight and fatally sliced the neck of a bystander from New York has been sentenced to four to seven years in prison. Twenty-six-year-old Hector Guardiola on Wednesday pleaded guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter stemming from the August death of 23-year-old Michael DiMaria, of Hicksville, on New York's Long Island. The Suffolk County district attorney's office says Guardiola had an argument with another bar customer.

ATLANTA - When the Nuggets inserted little-used Kenneth Faried into the starting lineup Saturday night at Pepsi Center, coach George Karl realized the Celtics were the NBA's worst rebounding team and had no one to match the vigor of Faried, who rose in last year's draft because of his rebounding prowess at Morehead State. Faried embarrassed the Celtics on the boards in Denver's 98-91 win, nabbing a career-high 16 in just 24 minutes, leaving the Boston brass to ponder whether the team is capable of rebounding enough to win consistently.

ATLANTA - When the Nuggets inserted little-used Kenneth Faried into the starting lineup Saturday night at Pepsi Center, coach George Karl realized the Celtics were the NBA's worst rebounding team and had no one to match the vigor of Faried, who rose in last year's draft because of his rebounding prowess at Morehead State. Faried embarrassed the Celtics on the boards in Denver's 98-91 win, nabbing a career-high 16 in just 24 minutes, leaving the Boston brass to ponder whether the team is capable of rebounding enough to win consistently.