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  • It’s a Shoe-In

    My feet need a lot of cushioning.  I stand and walk a lot on hard surfaces.  Some years ago I discovered MBT’s (Masai Barefoot Technology shoes.)  My bad knee stopped bothering me.  My plantar faschiitis cleared up.   I met people who raved about them.

    Recently when I needed to replace  my shoes, I decided to see what else is available that might be a bit less expensive but would give me good cushioning and support.  (My MBTs ran about $ 225.)   Before MBTs I pretty much bought New Balance or Nike or such on sale for $ 40 or under so the MBTs were a leap.

    I tried Good Feet on Rt. 9.  The shoe that I liked is $ 160, but for the support needed, there’s a patented orthotic type insert that goes for about $ 260.  Yikes!  But that it has a 3 year warranty is a selling point.  Then there is a cushioned insole for about $ 28, but they would throw that in.  And the shoes were non-returnable.   

    Nordstroms in the Natick Collection was having a sale, and I asked about MBT’s because a friend told me they carried them.  The answer was that I can order them, but they didn’t have them in the store anymore.

    Then I noticed that Nordstroms had Skechers Shapeups, which had a similar cushioned sole to the MBTs.  The style I liked, which would transition from work to play was $ 99, but they didn’t have my size in black.  The helpful sales clerk told me I could order them, but I am leary of buying shoes without trying them on.

    I found the same style up the way in the Skechers store in the Natick Collection, but they didn’t have my size and they were $ 110.

    After checking the Skechers website, where the price was also $ 110, I found the same pair at DSW Shoe.  They had my size, my color, and the price was $ 99.    Sold!

    But I was surprised that Nordstroms was less expensive than I would have expected.  I will have to check them out more often.

  • CALLAHAN HAPPENINGS FOR JANUARY 2010

    FRAMINGHAM, MA — Here’s what’s happening in January at the Callahan Senior Center this month!
    Support Groups at Callahan Senior Center

    • Bereavement Support Group: Mondays, January 4, 11, 18 & 25 at 10:00 am.
    • ‘Better Breathers’ Support Group: Wednesday, January 13 at 1:00 pm.
    • Diabetes Support Group: Tuesday, January 26 at 10:00 am.
    • Grandparent Support Group: Wednesday, January 27 at 7:00 pm. Please call the Center to confirm in the event of a change.
    • Low Vision Group: No meetings in January & February. Meeting will resume in March.
    • Massage Therapy: Thursday, January 7 (by appt. only).
    • Parkinson’s Support Group: Tuesday, January 19 at 1:30 pm.
    • Podiatry: Wed., January 13 with Dr. John 1:00 – 4:00 pm & Wed., January 27, with Dr. Lukoff from 1:00 – 3:30 pm (by appt. only).
    • Stroke Survivors’ Support Group: Monday, January 4 at 1:00 pm.

    BLOOD PRESSURE CLINIC FOR JANUARY – Wednesdays, January 6,13,20 & 27 from 9:30am—12:30pm (more…)

  • French Biotech Company CYTOO Opens U.S. Subsidiary in Framingham, Massachusetts

    Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray and other state officials participated in ribbon-cutting ceremony

    FRAMINGHAM, MA (Dec. 11) – CYTOO Cell Architects, a French biotechnology company focused on applications in cell based assays, high content analysis and cell screening for life sciences research, announced today that it is expanding its operations to serve researchers in the United States by opening a U.S. subsidiary headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts.

    The company officially opened its United States headquarters in Framingham today. The company’s main offices are in Grenoble, France. Company officials were joined at the ribbon cutting ceremony by Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center President and CEO Dr. Susan Windham-Bannister, Massachusetts Department of Business and Technology Director George Ramirez representing the Massachusetts Office of International Trade & Investment, MassBio Economic Development Director Peter Abair, Senator Karen Spilka, Representative Tom Sannicandro, Representative Pam Richardson and Selectmen Ginger Esty, Laurie Lee and Dennis Giombetti.

    “It is outstanding that CYTOO, an international company on the cutting edge of Life Sciences research, has sought out Framingham for its US headquarters,” Representative Pam Richardson said. “Framingham is already home to a host of Life Sciences companies and I am pleased to welcome yet another.”

    CYTOO provides innovative enabling technologies and products for high content cell analysis. CYTOO chips streamline cellular analysis by decreasing cell variability. The chips are composed of four square inches of 20,000 concave geometric micropatterns, which standardize cell position, shape, and organization when the cytoskeleton architecture and organelle morphology adapt to the shape of the micropattern. By April 2010 the company hopes to release a new technology, CYTOO plates, which hold up to 384 wells of 1,000 micropatterns. The company is the first to offer a technology that standardizes cells, streamlining analysis and speeding up discoveries. By opening a US subsidiary in Massachusetts, the company hopes to better address the worldwide market for cell-based assays in life sciences research.

    In June of 2008, Governor Patrick signed into law the Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative, a ten-year, $1 billion commitment to maintaining and strengthening the life sciences as a major economic engine for the Commonwealth. Conversations with CYTOO began at the BIO International Convention, held in Atlanta in May, 2009. Company officials cite their meetings with MOITI and the Life Sciences Center, and subsequently with Governor Deval Patrick directly, as having been key to their decision to locate in Massachusetts.

    “It is terrific to see our state’s Life Sciences initiative, and our presence at BIO International, bringing new companies to Massachusetts,” said Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray. “We warmly welcome CYTOO to the Commonwealth, to Framingham and to the diverse group of pioneering companies that make Massachusetts a global leader in the life sciences industry.”

    CYTOO’s decision to locate in Framingham is part of a growing trend of foreign life sciences companies locating their regional headquarters in Massachusetts. Last week Systagenix Wound Management, a British company, opened its headquarters for the Americas in Quincy, Massachusetts. Biocell Center, an Italian company, recently opened their US headquarters in Medford, Massachusetts. The companies have cited the state’s Life Sciences Initiative as a key factor in their decision to locate here.

    “CYTOO’s decision to locate in Framingham is a direct return on investment for our state’s presence at the BIO International Convention in Atlanta this past May,” said Dr. Susan Windham-Bannister, President & CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, the quasi-public agency charged with implementing the state’s Life Sciences Initiative. “Massachusetts is a great place to do business for life sciences companies, both international and domestic, and we welcome CYTOO to the world’s leading life sciences Supercluster.”

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