News Analysis

Romney a confident challenger; Obama a cautious incumbent
Wednesday’s debate provided Americans with their first chance to see the candidates face-off on the same stage.

Mitt Romney finally got his chance to face down the president in person, and he appeared to make the most of it with a critique that was cogent and sharp.

Graphic

What the candidates said

The words that popped up most frequently during the first debate between Mitt Romney and President Obama included “tax” and “insurance.”

Senator Scott Brown could get a boost from Mitt Romney’s debate performance.

Analysis

Romney’s performance could help Brown

Mitt Romney’s dismal poll numbers in Mass. have been Scott Brown’s biggest hurdle, so anything that makes Romney more competitive in the state could help Brown.

Latest news

 

Marcus Pixley

Man freed in drug lab scandal misses court date

A judge issued an arrest warrant for Marcus Pixley, a drug defendant who had his bail reduced due to potential evidence tampering.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2012/10/04/BostonGlobe.com/Foreign/Images/2012-10-04T133805Z_01_IMS21_RTRMDNP_3_SYRIA-CRISIS-250--90x90.jpg Turkey authorizes military operations in Syria

The Turkish prime minister said the Parliament’s action was not a declaration of war, but gives Turkey the right to respond to attacks.

Dan Shaughnessy

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2012/10/04/BostonGlobe.com/Sports/Images/Dan_Shaughnessy_150px-2862--90x90.jpg For Red Sox, an ugly season finally ends

Bobby Valentine’s final hours as Red Sox manager were a little sad as the worst season of a generation officially ended.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2012/10/04/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/Copy%20of%20Schilling%20sock%204-26-07--90x90.jpg Schilling may have to sell ‘bloody sock’

The sock from the 2004 World Series was among the collateral the former Red Sox pitcher pledged to secure investments in his failed video game company.

Boston Globe ePaper

ePaper

Read the ePaper edition

The complete print edition, in its exact layout. Browse the print edition page by page, including stories and ads.

Globe Insiders

Video

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2012/01/29/BostonGlobe.com/Tools/Images/rudick_2--90x90.jpg Globe Insiders video: The Back Story

A video series where Globe journalists tell the stories behind their stories. Exclusively on BostonGlobe.com, it is hosted by multimedia journalist Dina Rudick.

Globe exclusives

Center Jordan Carter (41) helped lead his teammates through some agility drills at practice on Wednesday.

Boston English football team learns thrill of victory at last
The latest Kindle e-readers offer improved performance, but the rival Nooks still provide good value.

Tech Lab

New Kindle offers light reading
Mindy Kaling says she likes dressing up because it makes her happy.

Mindy Kaling on men, sequins, and chunky jewelry
The women in the Swedish IKEA catalogue for 2012, left, were edited out of the Saudi Arabian version, right.

Juliette Kayyem

IKEA’s Saudi problem
Crocus, tulip, galanthus, allium, daffodils.

It’s prime time to plant for spring

Archive Photos

A look back at Carl Yastrzemski’s Triple Crown
Dunkin’ Donuts has sought other trademark rights, but most are for specific products like “Coffee Coolatta.”

Dunkin’ Donuts lays claim to ‘best coffee in America’ trademark
“The Price of Politics” explores last summer’s faceoff between President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner (right).

Book REview

‘The Price of Politics’ by Bob Woodward
Bobby Valentine takes the ball from Andrew Bailey, who allowed a tying two-run homer.

Dan Shaughnessy

Red Sox officially now a last-place team
After notoriety onscreen and off, Ben Affleck began rehabilitating his image with a shift to directing in 2007. His new film, “Argo,” opens next week.

As director, Affleck puts the froth far behind
A flatbread of mushrooms and fontina; firecracker yellowtail.

At Sip Wine Bar + Kitchen, wine takes back seat to convenience

Editorial cartoons by Dan Wasserman

Sports

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Dustin Pedroia, manager Bobby Valentine, James Loney and Jarrod Saltalamacchia waited on the mound during a pitching change in the eighth inning against the Yankees.

Valentine says Red Sox coaches were disloyal

A radio interview took a sharp turn when the Red Sox manager said he thought some of his assistants tried to undermine him this year.

Metro

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Mylazia Johnson had her jail term halted because of how a chemist handled evidence.

Roxbury mother freed amid state drug lab scandal

As of Friday, Mylazia Johnson is one of more than 20 people freed following allegations that a state chemist mishandled drug samples.

Columnists

Bobby Valentine’s final hours as Red Sox manager Wednesday were a little sad as the worst season of a generation officially ended.

Dan Shaughnessy

For Red Sox, an ugly season finally ends

Jeff Jacoby

A clear knockout for Mitt Romney

joan vennochi

An ineffective Obama falls flat

edward l. glaeser

Tolls — the solution to Mass. commuting woes
The women in the Swedish IKEA catalogue for 2012, left, were edited out of the Saudi Arabian version, right.

Juliette Kayyem

IKEA’s Saudi problem
The latest Kindle e-readers offer improved performance, but the rival Nooks still provide good value.

Tech Lab

New Kindle offers light reading

scot lehigh

Armed with a pre-debate fact check

derrick z. jackson

50 years later, chemical barrage goes on

Brian McGrory

Mitt Romney hasn’t changed a bit

joanna weiss

More refinement from Brown, Warren
The proposed site of Konza Technology City currently has no infrastucture.

farah stockman

In Kenya, turning savannah into gold

Boston Capital

As Sox sank, so did ticket resales

Business

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Facebook has topped 1 billion users.

Facebook tops 1 billion users

CEO Mark Zuckerberg updated his Facebook status on Thursday to announce the milestone.

Politics

Political Notebook

Republican Rep. Todd Akin spoke to reporters in the Missouri Capitol building on Thursday.

Todd Akin’s past remarks stir things up

The Republican Senate candidate said in 2008 abortion doctors perform the practice on women who are not actually pregnant.

Nation & World

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A Syrian man held the body of his son in Aleppo, Syria, on Wednesday, after a suicide bombing killed at least 34 people.

Turkey fires at Syrian targets

It was the first instance of significant fighting on the Turkish-Syrian border since the unrest began in Syria last year.

Arts

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Book Review

‘Son’ by Lois Lowry

Lois Lowry is too fine a writer to write a bad book. But no writer is too great for stumbling, as she demonstrates in her long-awaited, young adult novel.

Style

style

Actress Halle Berry.

10 Bond girls who had the look

In celebration of 50 years of James Bond, we’re counting down the most stylish Bond girls.

“What we did in Massachusetts is a model for the nation, state by state. The federal government taking over health care for the entire nation and whisking aside the 10th Amendment.”

Mitt Romney,  on health care

Magazine

The cover for the September 30 2012 issue

How will independents factor into the Brown-Warren Senate race?

The cover for the September 23 2012 issue

9 hot trends in kitchen design
The cover for the September 16 2012 issue

The self-promoting, fan-financed, go-it-alone star
The cover for the September 9 2012 issue

Things to do in the Berkshires

Opinion

“The former Massachusetts governor was plainly enjoying himself. The president seemed to want nothing more than to run out the clock and bring a painful evening to an end.”

Jeff Jacoby 

Ideas

“We know a lot about the things that are closer to our size, our altitude, our spot in the universe — and less about things that are hard to reach, hard to dig up, and hard to quantify.”

Samuel Arbesman  on what big data is missing