Five ways to force yourself to be happy in '09

You might not know exactly what bel canto singing is, but when you hear the continuous tones used in Italian opera, you are sure to recognize it.

Enclave Diaspora ***1/2

There is a bitter irony in the positioning of two stories, "Bailout bankers paid well" (Page A-9, Dec. 22) and "Fighting boredom" (Page A-1, Dec. 22). The latter story features our most valuable national resource and the former features the highest-paid sector in America.

LORAIN — A 2-year-old girl nearly drowned in a bathtub Monday afternoon after her mother left her alone for a few minutes when she went to another room to listen to music, according to Lorain police.

Here are a few from 2008 that made us laugh out loud, raise our eyebrows or shake our heads.

Fannie Jean Britsch played piano by ear, loved hymns and other religious music, and had large family gatherings every Christmas. Since times were sometimes tight financially, the family would string beads or popcorn to put on their tree and would make tree-shaped decorations out of old Reader's Digest booklets. http://www.guinn-horger.com Guinn-Horger Funeral Home

Fourteen children were among 20 Afghans killed in new extremist attacks in insurgency-hit Afghanistan that also left two Canadian soldiers dead, security officials said Sunday.

A series of bomb attacks linked to Taliban insurgents have killed 10 Afghans and two Canadian soldiers serving in an international force helping to fight the extremists, officials said Sunday.

MERIDEN - As part of its efforts to widen its appeal, Center Congregational Church hosted a Russian musical ensemble Sunday.