A Suffolk Superior Court jury today convicted Dung Van Tran of Dorchester of assault with intent to murder for a Jan. 8, 2007 fire that left four people - including himself - with severe burns, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Tran attempted to immolate his 14-month old daughter, her caretaker and himself with gasoline and a match after his wife moved out on him because she finally had enough of him abusing her, prosecutors say, adding the baby and the woman were both asleep when Tran poured gasoline on them and lit a match.

All three lived - as did the caretaker's son, who suffered burns when trying to put out the fire on the baby. However, the baby suffered third-degree burns over 30% of her body including extensive burns to her head, face, forearms and hands, which required numerous skin grafts and other surgical procedures during several months at the Shriners Burns Hospital of Boston. Tran himself was put in a medically induced coma for several weeks.

The jury found Tran guilty on two counts each of assault with intent to murder and aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for the attack on his daughter and her caretaker and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for the burns suffered by the woman's son. He is scheduled for sentencing on March 11.

In a statement, District Attorney Dan Conley said:

This defendant had a history of domestic violence well before Jan. 8, 2007. The horrific events of that day were the culmination of a pattern that began much earlier – a pattern of abuse, control, and domination that thrived on shame and silence. When that control was threatened, the defendant demonstrated the only true power he had. Tragically, he hurt the most defenseless victims of all.

Seems that the cancellation of today's Boston trash pickup doesn't mean a one-day delay, as with holidays, but as much as a week's delay for Bostonians not fortunate enough to live in areas with two or three pickups a week. Such as Ed Coppinger of West Roxbury, who wonders how he's going to get his snow-laden barrels back in the yard and whether he'll need to buy a new one. Also, when he called the Mayor's Hotline, the man who answered agreed he has every right to be annoyed.

Halleyscomet became outraged when she learned the Globe is working on a story about how people earning $250,000 in the Boston area aren't rich and so are right to be concerned about possible Obama tax increases:

... How, exactly does making a quarter of a million dollars not make you rich in the Boston area? ... $250,000 a year is only middle class if you consider 98% of Americans to be lower class.

Here he is introducing a colorized episode from a Channel 38 "Twilight Zone" marathon (here he is back up in the Loft) - also features WBCN DJs doing various ridiculous things and a New England Telephone ad (back in the days when they actually advertised how you could call anywhere in eastern Mass. for five minutes for just a dollar - after 5 p.m.):