Elayne Clift (a Hillary lover) is outraged that President Trump is against unborn children being murdered. She calls his pro-life position “downright mean.”
No, Elayne, you're the one who's downright mean!
...I have a reoccurring nightmare: I'm being chased by a man who is trying to stab me. There you have it. I don't think I've shared this with anyone - well, maybe my therapist. I know it's unpleasant to think about, but let's think about something even more unpleasant:
Only one week after the shootings in Texas with 26 dead, including a fetus and its mother, my reaction has been rather strange. It is as if I have wrapped Teflon around my body, my soul, and my humanity. My reaction has been, “Oh, that's too bad. What's playing...
My skin crawled when I read the following from writer MacLean Gander on sexual misconduct and the #MeToo movement: “If we were an honest and genuine society and culture, we would cease the criminalization [...] of those human drives that fuel huge industries of drugs, prostitution, pornography. [...] It is fair and good to regulate conduct, but not to make it unlawful when it does no harm” (emphasis mine). These statements are so wrong. Where to start? The only illegal...
Two Keene State College students recently spent time as interns at Our Place Drop-in Center in Bellows Falls learning about the charitable food system and applying some of what they have learned in the dietetics program at Keene State College. Katherine Rosenthal of Des Moines, Iowa, and Dani Cuddeback of Seattle worked alongside the staff at Our Place three days a week for three weeks, according to a news release. Among their activities were interviewing clients about what they like...
The nights are getting longer, and there's a chill in the air. For those who can't afford to heat their homes adequately, that chill is inescapable. According to a news release from Southeastern Vermont Community Action, households with low incomes spend an average of about $2,000 more than they can afford on energy costs every year. While many get some assistance through the state's Seasonal Fuel program, what happens when that isn't enough? For low-income households facing a heating emergency,
Ãine Minogue, a gifted Irish harper and singer, has created music that “takes audiences to wander the winter landscapes of soul and settles them before a blazing fire,” according to a news release. Her songs, poetry, and dance music return to the area as part of the new Stone Church by Candlelight series at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 9, at Immanuel Episcopal Church, the stone church on the hill, 20 Church St. Born and raised in Borrisokane, County Tipperary, Ireland,
The River Singers Community Chorus led by Mary Cay Brass is celebrating their 26th anniversary of joyous singing together with two special holiday concerts Saturday, Dec. 9, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 10, at 4 p.m., at Next Stage, 15 Kimball Hill. The 90-voice River Singers is a multi-generational chorus known for its eclectic mix of traditional music from many cultural and musical traditions. According to a news release, “concertgoers will hear thrilling, soulful songs from Bosnia, South Africa,
Elaine Gilman and John Hagearty are the Wardsboro Public Library's Artists of the Month for December. Both are residents of West Wardsboro and have been for the past 30 years. Gilman's art is in fiber and Hagearty's in watercolor. Gilman, an avid quilt collector, has owned two shops in the midwest and has exhibited in shows in and around Vermont, particularly in Wardsboro on the Fourth of July. Her primary focus this year is centered on her evening bags made...
Between 2000 and 2015, depression among Americans aged 12-17 rose four times faster than among anyone else in the population, according to a study from Columbia University. Between 2009 and 2015, attempted suicides, drug overdoses, cutting, and other types of self-injury have increased substantially in U.S. girls, with the sharpest increase among those aged 10 to 14. That rate nearly tripled from 2009 to 2015, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. In Vermont, calls to the state's Child...
Club to offer ham radio testing TOWNSHEND - The West River Radio Club will offer an FCC licensing and ARRL certification testing session for all levels and upgrades on Saturday, Dec. 9, at the Heins Building of Grace Cottage Hospital, 133 Grafton Rd. (Route 35), Townshend, at 9:30 a.m. Bring two forms of identification (one of them a picture ID), any prior radio license, a pencil, calculator, and $15 cash or check. All are invited to stay for our monthly...
College news • Marie S. Dennis of Marlboro, made the Dean's List for her fall trimester at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, R.I. She ended with an overall GPA for the term of 3.84. Dennis is in her junior year and is a liberal studies major with a minor in business. Honors • Dr. Robert Backus was presented with the 2017 Vermont Emergency Medical Services Lifetime Achievement Award on Dec. 4 at the Rescue, Inc. headquarters in West Townshend.
“Sharon & Daniel” will perform in the Tavern at the Four Columns Inn on Wednesday, Dec. 13, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. With playful harmonies, acoustic guitars, percussion, and upright bass, Sharon Leslie and Daniel Kasnitz perform acoustic versions of popular hits with a funky, jazzy twist. From classic standards to captivatingly re-worked Top 40 to seasonal favorites, the duo explores experiences of joy, love, fun, and community as expressed through popular song. “We present songs that draw us together...
Village Square Booksellers will host a 2nd Saturday Open Mic on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 1 p.m., followed by a reading by Pat Fargnoli and Tim Mayo. The Open Mic features poets taking turns reading from their works. The poets sit around a table, so there is no need for newbie poetry readers to be nervous about standing in front of a room. Patricia Fargnoli, from Walpole, N.H., was the New Hampshire Poet Laureate from 2006-2009. She has published five...
It's a consistent theme sung by business leaders in Vermont - there aren't enough workers to fill a growing employment gap in the state. With the state's unemployment rate hovering around 3 percent, there is a definite shortage of skilled workers. How to alleviate that shortage is a policy priority for the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, according to Betsy Bishop, the group's president. Bishop made her annual visit to the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce on Nov. 30 at a...
Breakfast with Santa will take place on Sunday, Dec. 10, from 9 to 11 a.m., at Next Stage, 15 Kimball Hill. The event is a fundraiser for the Putney Foodshelf and Putney Family Services. “The Putney Foodshelf provides a reliable safety net for our community members in need,” Hannah Pick, part-time Putney Foodshelf coordinator, said in a news release. “We are open twice a week at our location in the Putney Community Center on Tuesday evenings from 6 to 7,
I went to bed on Dec. 1 dreading that I would wake up to world in which the Republican party had completely abandoned the people of this country. I woke up on Dec. 2 to discover that, sure enough, the Senate had passed a tax “reform” bill that would strip millions of health insurance, raise taxes on the middle and lower classes in the long term, and reward only the wealthiest Americans. My fears, it seems, were entirely justified. My...
If you're over 50 and have some free time on Thursday mornings, why not give bowling a try? I stopped by Brattleboro Bowl this past week to visit with the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League. They're a small but fun-loving group of older bowlers who meet every Thursday at 9:30 a.m., for friendly competition and camaraderie. The 40 or so men and women in the league are mostly in their 60s, 70s, and 80s. The oldest bowler is 98-year-old Howard Manley.
Elizabeth Taylor couldn't come - mainly because she died in 2011. But her exquisitely carved, pink peacock cameo earrings were for sale on Main Street in Brattleboro for just one day last week. And Jerry Lee Lewis couldn't come either - the bad boy of rockabilly piano isn't dead yet, but he may be too old to travel. Or maybe he just doesn't care that his 1950s-era ID bracelet, with “Jerry Lee Lewis” inscribed on it, was also up for...
Artist Charlie Hunter is coming in from the cold with a display of his art and a talk about the process at Main Street Arts. Hunter and the participants in his annual March plein air (outside) painting retreat are mounting a show of some of their work that will run through Jan. 5 in the MSA gallery. Additionally, Hunter will give a talk titled “In the Very (Plein) Air” Thursday, Dec. 14, at 6 p.m. at MSA in its Taste...
As opposed to some recent years, where the Selectboard has had to make tough decisions when putting together the next fiscal year's budget, the process so far for the Fiscal Year 2019 municipal budget has been relatively smooth sailing. A three-hour budget workshop Dec. 2 with the Selectboard and town department heads saw no big surprises or contentious debates. Longer conversations mostly came from newer Board members asking procedural questions. One topic that kept coming up was what time Santa...
Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present contemporary folk singer/songwriters Mark Erelli and Stephen Chipman at Next Stage on Friday, Dec. 8, at 7:30 p.m. Erelli has toured internationally as a solo artist for the past 18 years, appearing onstage everywhere from coffeehouses and major folk festival stages to Fenway Park, where he once sang the national anthem before a Red Sox game. He has won music awards ranging from the Kerrville Folk Festival Best New Folk Award to...
Guess what? I hope today is a good day for you, or that at least one good thing happens in your life today that makes you smile. Guess what again? Winter cold is on the way, accompanied by some snow chances too! The large-scale patterns have now shifted and caused the overall flow across the United States to slow and buckle. What does that mean? It means that when the flow slows down, and simultaneously becomes more south-to-north in orientation...
It was a nice way to say goodbye. Amid a scene of bustling construction activity Dec. 4, Windham & Windsor Housing Trust Executive Director Connie Snow accepted a $125,000 affordable housing grant from TD Charitable Foundation, which will be used toward the completion of the Great River Terrace project on Putney Road. Snow, who is retiring from the Housing Trust at the end of this month, also got a chance to preside over an open house to show off the...
Something about the holiday season brings out the baker in many of us. Perhaps it's the pull of tradition through years and generations past. Perhaps the ritual of holiday baking ties past to present to future for them and connects faraway lands and times past to the here and now. Perhaps the sight and smell of baked goods, providing warmth in the darkest days of winter, shake loose memories of the love that binds us to one another. Inspired by...
Vermonter Casey Murrow has something to say about the fearmongering, fact-mangling politician hungry to chew up the nation's press corps. “He called my father 'the cleverest of the jackal pack.'” Murrow, speaking Monday at the Putney Public Library, stood amid newspapers and magazines reporting the latest headlines about President Donald Trump. But the lifelong educator wasn't talking about the current-day commander-in-chief. Instead, the son of the late, legendary broadcaster Edward R. Murrow was referring to his father's most notorious adversary,
I don't know about you, but it seems to me it got much colder much sooner this year than it has in previous years. And nothing makes a person want to eat full-fat, flavorful foods like a long stretch of cold weather and gray skies. Cheese, of course, is one of the best categories of full-fat, flavorful foods, but when you're chilly, who wants to wait until the cheese gets to room temperature from the refrigerator? Not me! That's where...
Other than beer itself, the best gifts for any fan of the suds may be those other grand consumables, books. And with impeccable timing, publishers have provided. Any self-satisfied beer geek will quickly warm up to Bill McKibben's Radio Free Vermont (Blue Rider Press, $22). On page 3 of the longtime environmental activist and writer's first novel, a beer truck is hijacked in a remote part of the state and 4,800 bottles of Coors Light emptied onto the ground. Even...
My granddaughter and I make candied orange peel every year at Christmastime. I think she likes the idea of using orange peels that would normally go in the compost pile! Candying your own peels takes a little more time than opening a bag of dried apricots, but it is not difficult and requires little in the way of ingredients. We dip the candied peel in melted chocolate along with the rest of the dried fruit (see main text), and give...
Keeping our communities safe is a matter of trust and open communication. Our local police chief, Mike Fitzgerald, has stated that the Brattleboro Police work to make sure victims and witnesses of crimes feel safe in coming to them. This helps all of us live in a safer community. Because of recent executive orders on immigration, all over the country witnesses and victims of crimes are afraid to come forward if they are undocumented. Imagine that you were the victim...
I think it's very, very good for men to talk about their experiences. If they seem authentic, I care about them, even if they are confused. On encountering this piece, I asked myself repeatedly, what is MacLean Gander's point? The best I can come up with is a direct quote: “It is fair and good to regulate conduct, but not to make it unlawful when it does no harm. If we are ever able to be enlightened, we might find...
It was 1986, and in Vermont the winds of social justice were blowing warm and strong. One of the things people were talking about was the need for affordable housing. In an overheated real estate market, investors were buying buildings but either flipping them or letting them fall into disrepair. Low-income people were finding it difficult to keep a roof over their heads. The Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, devoted to preserving Vermont land as well as its built environment,
Relax. Time is tight just about now, but we still want to treat our family and friends with wonderful creations from our kitchen, morsels we create once a year. Cookies and breads top the list of holiday offerings, and often we have family recipes everyone craves and expects. I think about the sour-cream coffee cake my mother made for us all to enjoy for Christmas breakfast. It was a lot of work. But I also think about the lovely jars...
For Jessica Gelter, staging a performance of “A Christmas Carol” with her husband, James ”Jay” Gelter, represents “the classic problem of it being a well-known, often-performed parable.” The play, based on a novella by Charles Dickens first published in 1843, has been adapted and performed for stage and screen countless times - including for the past three years by Vermont Theatre Company. The classic problem: how to keep a beloved classic storyline fresh and relevant without the characters devolving into...