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