Perch

HELENA, Mont. — Two young goats wandered onto the thin ledge of a railroad bridge and spent nearly two days high above the ground until rescuers in a towering cherry picker plucked them from their perch, hungry but safe. The rescue occurred Wednesday 60 feet above a little-trafficked rural roadway in southern Montana between Billings and Roundup, after a caller told the Rimrock Humane Society the goats were stranded on the 6-inch ledge. The young female animals, weighing 25 and 35 pounds, mostly stayed on the angled ledge, even though there was a wider surface area on a pillar just...

In his April 25 op-ed "Jim McGovern's flawed war," Jeff Jacoby attacks the efforts of McGovern and others to overturn the "corporate personhood" established by the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, warning that its elimination would "empower the political class to a degree never before seen in our history. " I'd like to know what this "political class" is that Jacoby so fears. Is it the businesspeople funneling millions of dollars into super PACs to crush political rivals with attack ads?

WERNER PEAK, Mont. — Getting above it all, staying at a historic fire lookout perched at 6,960 feet on the spine of this mountain, is a fine way to snuff the stresses of life. A few weeks back, I called the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and booked our stay at this site, which has been manned by firefighters since 1914. While modern technology and airplane surveillance take on larger roles for spotting flames in remote regions, lookouts are no longer used as an active resource for fire detection, except during extreme fire conditions.

WORCESTER - The last time that Boston College and Minnesota-Duluth met in the NCAA Tournament they were playing for third place in Detroit after each had lost in triple overtime. Minnesota-Duluth won that encounter, 7-6, on a day when both varsities would rather have been installing radiators on a Ford assembly line than playing for a consolation prize. That was in 1985 when Ronald Reagan was in the White House, Scott Sandelin was playing for North Dakota, and Jerry York was coaching at Bowling Green, where he'd just learned what Sandelin found out this season - how hard it is for a...

There's no voice-over narration in "Darwin's Nightmare," Hubert Sauper's despairing, essential documentary about environmental and social cataclysm in Africa. No soothing tones of Morgan Freeman to help you figure out what to think. The film throws us into an unbearable situation and lets us find our way, much as the people of Mwanza, Tanzania, have. Some well-fed American audiences may blame the messenger for not providing the comfort of documentary hand-holds when they're really reacting to his message, a harrowing vision of global commerce run amok.

HONEOYE FALLS, N.Y. — Wild Wings is a national chain restaurant serving crispy, spicy drumsticks in barbecue sauce. Wild Wings is also a family-friendly raptor rehabilitation center just south of Rochester. People tend to get their wings mixed up, with humorous results. It’s not unusual for Terry Kozakiewizc, director of the raptor center, to get a call like this: “I picked up the phone and the caller said he’d like to order three dozen wild wings.’’ Kozakiewizc said, breaking into a wide smile.

POSITANO, Italy -- We have been going to Positano for seven years , and plan on going back this year and the next, as well. We stay at the same bed-and-breakfast, La Fenice, in the exact same room, sleeping in the exact same bed. We watch the sun come up over one group of mountains, and at cocktail hour, drinking local wine and eating the world's best mozzarella cheese, we watch the sun set over another. Located about a half-mile from Positano proper, La Fenice's rooms sprawl down the mountainside, tucked into nooks and crannies.

Moments after Jay Bruce caught a routine fly for the final out, the public address announcer in Cincinnati called everyone’s attention to the standings board behind the right-field seats, the one that was about to reflect a seismic shift in the NL Central. Finally, the Cardinals had been knocked off their perch. Scott Rolen homered and had three RBIs, and Bronson Arroyo pitched a complete game and drove in two runs yesterday, leading the surging Reds to a 7-2 victory that ended St. Louis’s long run as the division’s top team.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Dynamic DeSean Jackson tied an NFL record for long touchdowns and carried the Philadelphia Eagles to the top of the NFC East last night. Jackson scored on a 72-yard punt return and a 60-yard pass from Donovan McNabb, sparking the Eagles to their most points this season in a 45-38 shootout victory over the New York Giants. The second-year wide receiver missed last week with a concussion, but was sensational in boosting Philadelphia (9-4) into prime position for the playoffs.

When Joe Johnson is scoring and Josh Smith is doing a little bit of everything, the Atlanta Hawks are awfully hard to beat. The Miami Heat got a sampling of that 1-2 punch last night in Atlanta. Johnson made it two straight 30-point games, Smith dominated during a decisive first-half run, and the Hawks won their sixth in the row, beating Miami, 105-90, to reclaim a share of the NBA’s best record with Phoenix. “It’s just beautiful basketball right now,’’ Smith said.

ASHLAND, N.H. - When the Republican presidential contenders depart Dartmouth College next week after their eighth debate, politicos will try to divine how it all played in this first-in-the-nation primary state - looking to population centers like Derry, Manchester, and Nashua. Instead, they might consider Ashland. This working-class town with chattering mill dams, hilltop views, and a tenacious downtown has long been an uncanny barometer of Republican sentiment in New Hampshire.

This pristine Contemporary in a quiet cul-de-sac has as its closest neighbor the Danvers River. Every first-floor room, including two utility rooms, has a water view. French doors in the rear lead to a back patio of slate, then to a large wooden deck with a built-in hot tub, and the remainder of the 25,000-square-foot lot is a sandy beach that reaches right to the water's edge. The main interior space is a living room with extraordinary cathedral ceilings, dark exposed beams, skylights, and cooling fans.

PHILADELPHIA — Michael Vick 2, Manning brothers 0. LeSean McCoy ran 50 yards for a go-ahead score on a fourth-and-1 late in the fourth quarter, and the Philadelphia Eagles rallied to beat the New York Giants, 27-17, after blowing a 13-point lead last night. Vick looked a little more ordinary after a spectacular performance in a 59-28 win over Washington last Monday night, but he led the Eagles (7-3) to a comeback win nonetheless, and into sole possession of first place in the NFC East.

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Jerrell Jackson spun free from a knot of tacklers on a 38-yard reception for the go-ahead score, sparking a 16-point fourth quarter that helped No. 18 Missouri upend the top team in the BCS standings with a 36-27 victory over error-prone Oklahoma last night. The third-ranked Sooners (6-1, 2-1 Big 12) committed three costly turnovers, out of character considering they had only five giveaways the first six games. Two of the turnovers led to 10 points and the other squelched a drive deep in Missouri territory, and the Sooners also missed a chip-shot field goal.

HONEOYE FALLS, N.Y. — Wild Wings is a national chain restaurant serving crispy, spicy drumsticks in barbecue sauce. Wild Wings is also a family-friendly raptor rehabilitation center just south of Rochester. People tend to get their wings mixed up, with humorous results. It’s not unusual for Terry Kozakiewizc, director of the raptor center, to get a call like this: “I picked up the phone and the caller said he’d like to order three dozen wild wings.’’ Kozakiewizc said, breaking into a wide smile.

HELENA, Mont. — Two young goats wandered onto the thin ledge of a railroad bridge and spent nearly two days high above the ground until rescuers in a towering cherry picker plucked them from their perch, hungry but safe. The rescue occurred Wednesday 60 feet above a little-trafficked rural roadway in southern Montana between Billings and Roundup, after a caller told the Rimrock Humane Society the goats were stranded on the 6-inch ledge. The young female animals, weighing 25 and 35 pounds, mostly stayed on the angled ledge, even though there was a...

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Jerrell Jackson spun free from a knot of tacklers on a 38-yard reception for the go-ahead score, sparking a 16-point fourth quarter that helped No. 18 Missouri upend the top team in the BCS standings with a 36-27 victory over error-prone Oklahoma last night. The third-ranked Sooners (6-1, 2-1 Big 12) committed three costly turnovers, out of character considering they had only five giveaways the first six games. Two of the turnovers led to 10 points and the other squelched a drive deep in Missouri territory, and the Sooners also missed a chip-shot field goal.

A year ago during an interview, Ghostface Killah made light of his advanced age by saying he would soon start rapping about his iced-out cane. By hip-hop standards, the Wu-Tang Clansman qualifies for a senior discount on his samples. Yet at 37, Ghostface is as vital and vibrant as any young gun, and a whole lot more interesting. On "The Big Doe Rehab," in stores and online today, swagger is seasoned with wisdom and humor and stories of inner-city life are recounted in such telling detail that the album feels more like a series of urban radio dramas than a...

WERNER PEAK, Mont. — Getting above it all, staying at a historic fire lookout perched at 6,960 feet on the spine of this mountain, is a fine way to snuff the stresses of life. A few weeks back, I called the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and booked our stay at this site, which has been manned by firefighters since 1914. While modern technology and airplane surveillance take on larger roles for spotting flames in remote regions, lookouts are no longer used as an active resource for fire detection, except during extreme fire conditions.

Moments after Jay Bruce caught a routine fly for the final out, the public address announcer in Cincinnati called everyone’s attention to the standings board behind the right-field seats, the one that was about to reflect a seismic shift in the NL Central. Finally, the Cardinals had been knocked off their perch. Scott Rolen homered and had three RBIs, and Bronson Arroyo pitched a complete game and drove in two runs yesterday, leading the surging Reds to a 7-2 victory that ended St. Louis’s long run as the division’s top team.