Boston's rail commuters gave mixed reviews on the new seats of the Metro Boston Transit Authority's Blue Line cars. Some riders complained the new seats were too slippery, while others appreciated the wider space it offers. The new seats is made of fiberglass with a shape not fitting the human spine. The old model had soft vinyl seats, but narrower by 2 inches. Hence, only 35 passengers could sit per row in the new car compared to 42 riders before, regular commuters told the Boston Globe.

A skyscraper climber dubbed the "French Spiderman" scaled the 52-story New York Times building in Manhattan Thursday in a stunt to promote public awareness on global warming. Alain Robert, reputed to have climbed 70 tall buildings around the world, unfurled a banner with the words ""Global warming kills more people than a 9/11 every week" upon reaching the top of the building. Police waiting for him at the rooftop arrested him for still unknown charges.

A controversial plan for a 54,000-square-foot mansion proposed by Russian mogul Valery Kogan was rejected by officials after receiving a flurry of complaints from neighbors saying the house would be too large. The permit was denied Tuesday by the Greenwich Planning and Zoning Commission, halting construction of what would have been the largest single-family residence since the city began reviews back in 2001.

A construction worker buried under a wall of mud managed to survive the ordeal, allegedly through the act of meditation and positive thinking. The worker, 52-year old Wang Jianxin, was reportedly digging a ditch in eastern China when the wall came down on him, with him being buried with nothing other than his safety helmet for protection.

Officers apprehended a man who was charged with impersonating a state police in order to get a free train ride. Saying that he was a State Police sergeant and that he needed to ride the train for official business, 32-year old Paul Rumery requested to ride the train for free, from Saco to Boston.