Welcome back!  We hope your break was full of friends, family, relaxation, and as many instances of excessive eating as you could have possibly hoped for.  Mine certainly was.  

But now it's back to the grind.  To start this semester off, I'll briefly mention some recent stories in the Globe that you may have missed.  The first centers around a report by the Harvard Institute of Economic Research suggesting that attempts at stimulating local economies won't get very far without making the place a desirable place to live in (and in fact, livability often leads to economic stimulus).  The report actually dates back to 2000 (it's here, if you feel like reading through it), but I'm sure most of us will find that its findings are no less relevant now than they were nine years ago.

The second article presents an interesting perspective on how cities might affect us psychologically.  The gist is that cities slowly drive us nuts, and we have to mitigate their harmful effects on our psyches by regularly exposing ourselves to"nature" (loosely defined).  Not terribly groundbreaking on its face, but there is some interesting discussion regarding how we respond differently to different natural features.

The third piece notes that Gov. Patrick signed into law a Bicyclists' Bill of Rights, which the state's bicycle lobby has pushed for years.  Kudos to all involved.