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Living story sections

Bupkis

by RDavis | Health

The literal meaning of the Yiddish word bupkis is nothing. But as is the case with many Yiddish words, bupkis can add richness and nuance to the description of situations. For example: I got bupkis for presents from my friends on my 70th birthday. Bupkis implies disappointment and some degree of anger, as well as an expectation of a specific kind of behavior from friends.

As the current pandemic unfolded in this country it became clear that the American health care non-system is not meeting the needs of a large segment of the population. It was not exactly a revelation, but it should have been a wakeup call.

Politicians offered their usual meaningless rhetoric and there was no legislation put forward to address the sickness of the health care system. In fact, the pandemic legislation that passed became a financial windfall for obscenely rich Americans while the rest of us were thrown a few crumbs: political bupkis.

VFW $7 Lunch Specials Open to the Public 8-24 to 8-28

by LisaL | Food

Specials listed below are only $7 a plate.

Our hours are Mon-Fri from 11am-7pm. Sat & Sun from 1pm-7pm. We will be serving lunches Mon-Fri from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm, with doors opening at 11 am. Lunches will be served on our hall side due to social distancing restrictions. Entrance will be through the glass doors, and the public is welcome. Per town ordinance, masks must be worn while walking around the hall, but not while seated at your table. Everyone must sign in at the bar with the bartender.

Brattleboro Senior Meals

by KathrynT | Food

Brattleboro Senior Meals Menu August 24 to August 28
IMPORTANT INFORMATION AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MENU

Aug 24 Roast Pork
Mashed Potatoes
Brussel Sprouts
Applesauce

Whew !

by tomaidh | Travel

The temperature reached 130 degrees yesterday in California’s Death Valley.

(The hottest temp on earth since 1913)

Two Plagues, One Cure

by RDavis | Activism

I am trying to see all of the positive things that have come about as a result of the pandemic. We have more time to do the things we have been putting off for so long, we can read all of those books that have been on our reading list and we have time to connect with family and friends even though in-person contact is rarely an option.

But it seems to me that most people have had enough of the pandemic and they have run out of patience. After all, most people are not taking the long view because their lives have been so disrupted and they are struggling to pay their bills and put food on the table. It didn’t have to be this way and that is the greater pandemic tragedy that Americans have been subjected to.

VFW $7 Lunch Specials Open to the Public 8-17 to 8-21

by LisaL | Food

Specials listed below are only $7 a plate.

Our hours are Mon-Fri from 11am-7pm. Sat & Sun from 1pm-7pm. We will be serving lunches Mon-Fri from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm, with doors opening at 11 am. Lunches will be served on our hall side due to social distancing restrictions. Entrance will be through the glass doors, and the public is welcome. Per town ordinance, masks must be worn while walking around the hall, but not while seated at your table. Everyone must sign in at the bar with the bartender.

Election Season 2020

by RDavis | Activism

No handshaking and very few face-to-face encounters. Those are some of the major changes to political campaigning during a pandemic. The use of social media will be valuable as we head toward the first Tuesday in November.

Money will still rule because advertising on all levels gets a candidate’s name out there and television, print and other media ads do work. But there is also a potential for lower voter turnout because people may not be bombarded with the usual campaign activity of former years.

My hope is that, on the national level at least, voter turnout will be high because a majority of sensible Americans want to end the great American nightmare and make America sane again.

VFW $7 Lunch Specials Open to the Public 8-10 to 8-14

by LisaL | Food

Our hours are Mon-Fri from 11am-7pm. Sat & Sun from 1pm-7pm. We will be serving lunches Mon-Fri from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm, with doors opening at 11 am. Lunches will be served on our hall side due to social distancing restrictions. Entrance will be through the glass doors, and the public is welcome. Per town ordinance, masks must be worn while walking around the hall, but not while seated at your table. Everyone must sign in at the bar with the bartender.

Hand made burgers, fries, chicken wings, chicken fingers, sandwiches, etc. are still available. Take outs also available by calling 257-0438.

Isaias Heading Toward Vermont

by cgrotke | Nature

Tropical Storm Isaias is pounding the Mid-Atlantic as I type this, and is heading our way. And although it is centered over Maryland right now, we’re getting hit with the outer bands of rain already. This storm stretches from Virginia to Canada at the moment.

Originally it was tracking to the east of us, then directly over us. Unfortunately for this area, the storm track has shifted west and the center is aiming at Albany. That puts us in the “worst” quadrant of the storm – the 12-3 o’clock positions. The heaviest rain and winds are usually in this section of a storm like this.

VFW $7 Lunch Specials Open to the Public 8-3 to 8-7

by LisaL | Food

Specials listed below are only $7 a plate.

Our hours are Mon-Fri from 11am-7pm. Sat & Sun from 1pm-7pm. We will be serving lunches Mon-Fri from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm, with doors opening at 11 am. Lunches will be served on our hall side due to social distancing restrictions. Entrance will be through the glass doors, and the public is welcome. Per town ordinance, masks must be worn while walking around the hall, but not while seated at your table. Everyone must sign in at the bar with the bartender.

The Great Vaccine Hype

by RDavis | Health

Listening to news reports one might think that the only way that we can move from pandemic mode to some degree of post-pandemic normalcy is to have a vaccine to rid us of COVID 19. Any vaccine that is developed will not magically make COVID 19 go away. It might help a little, but a magic bullet cure is unlikely.

The sound bite, short-attention span world is not suited to explaining complex issues such as how vaccines are developed and how they work. Instead, the world sees hope when a lab developing a vaccine sends out premature press releases of success so their stock value can increase.

There are well established scientific protocols in place for vaccine development and they all require years of trials and research. Sometimes vaccine development efforts are successful and sometimes they are not. When a vaccine is developed and made available to the public it takes years for us to see the big picture of how the vaccine works.

Tech Dinosaurs, VHS Tapes, and Groundworks Collaborative

by spot | Activism

I have a collection of VHS tapes (movies). They’re virtually all in good shape. I had hoped to donate them somewhere, but most places no longer accept them. I just can’t consign them to trash.

Proposal: I want to get rid of all of them in one “package.” You must take them ALL. What you do with them afterward is up to you (yard sale, whatever). After we agree on an amount, you’d make out a check to Groundworks Collaborative and give it to me. I’ll see that they get it. I am in no way associated with Groundworks; just want them to benefit by this donation.

VFW $7 Lunch Specials Open to the Public 7-27 to 7-31 & Fish Fry Aug. 1st!

by LisaL | Food

Specials listed below are for 7-27 to 7-31
Our hours are Mon-Fri from 11am-7pm. Sat & Sun from 1pm-7pm. We will be serving lunches Mon-Fri from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm, with doors opening at 11 am. Our lunch specials are now $7. Lunches will be served on our hall side due to social distancing restrictions. Entrance will be through the glass doors, and the public is welcome. Per town ordinance, masks must be worn while walking around the hall, but not while seated at your table. Everyone must sign in at the bar with the bartender.