Hello

Stories

Weekend Creativity Series: Shapes of Stories

by cgrotke | Creative

I was reminded this week of a somewhat famous lecture by author Kurt Vonnegut on the shapes of stories. He creates graphs showing how stories can be plotted into diagrams, and that despite a diversity of tales out there, most stories follow some very simple story arcs.

Since giving his lecture, others have done similar analysis and studies of well-known and popular stories and their data basically backs up Vonnegut’s propositions. About six story arcs account for the majority of stories told.

Can you tell a tale using one of the common patterns? What happens if you break the pattern?

Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – July 19, 2016

by cgrotke | Town News

The future of the Municipal Center is just one of many issues the Brattleboro Selectboard will take up at their next regular meeting.

Central Fire Station plans will be reviewed, the board will get a preliminary look at the 2016 year end financial report, they will hear about downtown activities, and consider an arts project for highways. All this and more. You can attend in person, participate, and bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.

I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project Update: Week of July 18th

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

I-91

Northbound I-91 traffic has been relocated onto the southbound bridge. Traffic will remain reduced to one lane in each direction on I-91 until completion of the new bridge. The new bridge will be 104’ wide and is designed to carry all four lanes of traffic –two northbound and two southbound.

To reduce congestion on I-91, both Exit 3 on ramps will be closed on Sunday, July 17th from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM (I-91 will remain open). Traffic conditions on both I-91 and through the town will be monitored closely throughout the day. Should traffic congestion become an issue, the ramps may be re-opened until traffic conditions improve. This will be managed actively throughout the day until peak traffic volumes have passed.

Two Sides of the Coin

by KAlden | Op/Ed

I was so proud of our town last night when I saw how many people turned out for the Black Lives Matter rally and march. It was the most diverse group I’ve evr seen gathered in one place in Brattleboro; white people; black people, asian people, students, retirees, families with kids in tow, business owners, farmers, librarians…it was an impressive sight. It was a peaceful and powerful event and the police officers present seemed to understand that it was not – in any way an indictment of them but rather a unified attempt to stop the never ending violence in this country.

Reading the comments in the  article about the same event on the Reformer’s FB page this morning elicited a very differnt feeling in me. While some of the comments were positive, most were displays of blatant, in your face racism, hatred and ignorance. Many commenters called BLM a “terrorist group” like ISIS and said the rally was only meant to be anti police. Horrible cartoons and memes were posted- people seeming quite proud about openly racist and, of course, the inevitable “terrorist” cartoons about our President.

Gubernatorial Candidate Meet, Greet & Lunch

by RobertOeser | Politics

Gubernatorial Candidate Meet, Greet & Lunch

Where: Senior Meals – Gibson-Aiken Center – 207 Main St., Brattleboro, VT  05301

When: Friday, July 22, 2016 at 12 Noon

Who:  , Vermont’s former Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Transportation, Irene Recovery Officer, and State Representative, is seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor in the upcoming .

Q&A:

Will there be lunch?

Brattleboro Union High School Board Meeting Agenda

by Not Signed In | Education

BRATTLEBORO UNION HIGH SCHOOL BOARD
53 Green Street
Brattleboro, VT 05301
www.wssu.k12.vt.us

NOTICE OF COMMITTEE MEETINGS

The BUHS #6 Planning and Policy Committee will meet at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, July 18 in the WRCC Cusick Conference Room.

The BUHS #6 Teacher Curriculum Committee will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, July 18 in the WRCC Cusick Conference Room.

Black GIs Killing Blacks Overseas a Problem for ‘Black Lives Matter’ Leaders Betraying MLKjr

by jay janson | Op/Ed

DESCRIPTION:
Unless Martin Luther King is wrong, the movement to protect US Blacks from White people will go nowhere while Black GIs help white people kill Africans in Africa and other non-Caucasian people all around the globe. Slogan ‘Black Lives Matter’ is ignominious, humiliating, undignified, embarrassing, pleading, definitely not noble, not appropriate to repeated murdering of innocent folks and children and other inhuman behavior.

In Days Of Old When Knights Were Bold

by tomaidh | Other

…there were a bunch of families who owned and controlled everything.

They were known as “Nobility” and “Royalty”

And most of them were extremely wealthy by the standards of the time.

Many of these families still exist, such as the Habsburgs, the Hohenzollern, House of Orange-Nassau, and the Battenbergs (Anglicized to Mountbatten, AKA Windsor).

And they’re still extremely wealthy.

Volunteers Needed for Upcoming Caribbean Food Festival!

by TheWilliamsAgency | Food

Greetings! We invite you to volunteer at Vermont JerkFest (www.vermontjerkfest.com).

We seek committed, enthusiastic and responsible people who would love to join in and contribute, meet new folks, and have a lot of fun! Volunteers get a cool t-shirt, a food voucher to redeem with one of our vendors, and a great time. Seeking volunteers for Friday set-up (10a-4pm); and Saturday – Zero Waste Champions, Set-up Crew, Parking Guides, Kids & Culture Zone, Registration, Vendor Coordination, Break-down, and Runners.

To volunteer, complete the Vermont JerkFest volunteer application here: http://bit.ly/VTJerkFestVolunteer

For more information or questions, contact us at info@vtjerkfest.com 

RT 30 Closure July 13th and 14th

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

Reminder:

On Wednesday, July 13th and Thursday, July 14th, Route 30 under I-91 in Brattleboro will be closed from approximately 7:00 AM until 6:00 PM to ensure the safety of the traveling public while work occurs on the new bridge.

Bonnie Clark
Field Office Manager
PCL Civil Constructors, Inc.
41 Spring Tree Road | Brattleboro, Vermont 05301
p 802-251-0709 | f 802-251-0695

Behind the Break

by spinoza | Nature

It wasn’t until I was on a paddle-board at sea, standing-up and looking down at a series of waves, that I could truly see how their power gathers and disperses. While I’ve previously felt the curl’s whiplash on my surfboard and viscerally knew if I was in the right position to catch a ride, it took being both immersed and watching the pattern come and go from above to grok the groove that is wavelength’s expression.

Paddling with only your arms lying on your belly, trying to get up to speed, the wave will inevitably overtake you. Knowing exactly when by feel alone is a hard earned skill. From the line-up, you get an incomplete picture. It’s coming, it’s coming, then it’s past. An iconic example of ‘seize the moment’ if ever there was one. Fundamentally speaking, to surf a wave, you must put yourself in its unrelenting path. A sitting duck.

Which Four Year Show To Watch?

by cgrotke | Politics

Summer is a time for TV execs to preview fall programming. So it is in politics, too. Conventions are previews for presidencies. What shall we watch for four years? Let’s look at the choices.

Bernie Sanders endorsed Hillary Clinton today, marking the official end of his campaign to become President and the beginning of his more-powerful-than-this-time-last-year campaign for major changes. This leaves us a Coke-Pepsi type of choice. Sorry, we’re out of root beer.

Clinton has been laying somewhat low, presumably preparing for the convention and general campaign. It’s certainly hers to lose. She’s got more money, she’s been through the election cycle many times before and has the connections and “ground game” to pull it off. The Clinton network has reach and power.

Speak Now – Vermont Health Plan Premiums Are Headed Up (Again)

by Lise | Health

As you probably already know, healthcare isn’t cheap in Vermont.  In recent years, our state’s healthcare has been among the costliest in the nation, mostly due to low population and little competition in the so-called marketplace.  This year, the state’s two health insurers — MVP and Blue Cross — have again sought rate increases, averaging over 8%.  If you’re already struggling to afford healthcare and haven’t seen an increase in your income in a while, such hefty increases in insurance premiums are going to take a toll.

2 Free Everyday Bicycling Workshops

by acharkes | Other

Alice Charkes is offering two Everyday Bicycling workshops this week. They will take place in the back parking lot at the Brattleboro Food Coop. They are free! Come to one or both!

Everyday Bicycling – how to use your bicycle for doing errands and/or commuting – Wednesday, July 13th, 4:00-5:00pm

Fix-A-Flat & Bike Maintenance- Wednesday, July 13th, 5:15-6:30pm

Please rsvp if you plan to attend: acharkes@myfairpoint.net