“But what can I do?” It’s a question that comes up a lot in conversation and one I’ve grappled with in recent months as I’ve tried to figure out a response to it. When nothing we do seems to make any difference, why should we even care what’s going on let alone try to do something about it? Or to put it another way, what is an ordinary person to do in the face of the kind of unsettling news that has become routine in the last ten years?
Minnesota has just passed a law legalizing gay marriage! We now have 12 states plus the District of Columbia -that are embracing marriage equality for all of it’s citizens. It has taken a long time to get this much momentum but now it feels like a wave of hopefulness that can not be stopped. Slow and steady progress. Nevada may be next!
The Vermont House passed today, accepting changes made by the Vermont Senate and sending the bill to the governor’s office to be signed into law. If signed, it will go into effect July 1, 2013.
Governor Peter Shumlin said “I applaud the Legislature’s action to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Vermonters support sensible drug policies. This legislation allows our courts and law enforcement to focus their limited resources more effectively to fight highly addictive opiates such as heroin and prescription drugs that are tearing apart families and communities.”
A Tempo Senior Move Slates Activities for May: “Older Americans’ Month”
Originally decreed by President John F. Kennedy in 1963 as Senior Citizens’ Month, and now known as Older Americans’ Month, May is a good time to think about services offered in New England by A Tempo Senior Move. Offering advice and services related to the changes often experienced by retirees and seniors as they get older, A Tempo Senior Move is participating in a number of events scheduled for the month throughout the region, including a recent clinical workshop at the Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis presented by Christina Healy, RN, MA, and Dr. Marjorie Kettell. Healy is a geri-psych clinician and psychoanalyst on staff of A Tempo Senior Move.
In an effort organized by the Exit 1 Gateway Project and Green Up Vermont, a visiting Americorps team and local volunteers expanded the Exit 1 gardens on May 4, Green Up Day, and May 9, 2013. They Greened Up the Exit 1 end of Canal Street.
They turned over fresh ground to prepare more garden space. They planted a bank of daylilies, as well as brightly colored pansies and other annuals that are blooming now.
On Exhibit at the Library: Postcards: Why do we Read & Write?
2nd Floor Display Cases
May/June 2013
Christina Gibbons, PhD, of Brattleboro, an independent scholar interested in the history of literacy, fills the glass display cases with her images of reading in postcards collection in the second-floor entryway during May.
“I started collecting images of women reading twenty five years ago and now have several hundred. The original post cards were first exhibited in the library at UMass Amherst in 2001. After that I began lecturing and quickly realized my collection was not about painting but about the history of literacy, so I added men reading and writing as well.”
CLAREMONT ALONE IN FIRST, CHESTER/SAXTONS WINS IN MUD, SUNAPEE BEATS WALPOLE AND KEENE WINS FIRST GAME IN CRVBL ACTION
By Kevin McElhinney, CRVBL
The defending Connecticut River Valley Baseball League champion Claremont Cardinals are now in sole possession of first place, the Chester/Saxtons River Crush emerged victorious in a rain shortened battle against Putney, Sunapee defeated Walpole and Keene won its first game of the year in recent action among local adult baseball teams.
DESCRIPTION:
Antiwar leaders do not call for the prosecution of US homicidal crimes against humanity ALREADY committed in Syria, nor of crimes committed in Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen, Pakistan, Grenada, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Cuba, Lebanon, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Guatemala, Congo, Korea and Greece. Crimes committed without arrest, arraignment, indictment, punishment, imprisonment, or hanging
TEXT:
Antiwar leaders protest, “Hands off Syria!”, but do NOT call for the prosecution of US homicidal crimes against humanity ALREADY committed in Syria by CIA, State Department, Congress, the Executive branch and investment bankers.
PLEASE ATTEND MEETING: Clark Canal Community Association, Thursday, May 16th — 6:30 P.M., Agape Church
Each Summer for years, Peggy Longueil directed the program and we all thought she would continue forever. When Peggy died, it was our good fortune that Juanita Lane volunteered to keep the Summer program alive.
Through the Summer Program, neighbor kids have a place to be active and enjoy planned activities, including movies, swimming, and even did a marvelous job painting a mural at the Brattleboro Transportation Center!
This Wednesday, May 15th at 6 pm is game night at the Brattleboro Food Coop deli.
Who knows what we’ll play? Bring along a favorite you’ve been wanting to play and maybe we’ll play it. Usually Tim and Mike have enough games for everybody, but it never hurts to bring more.
You can look up my review of last month’s get together in Board Game group.
Recently we were informed that One Stop Country Pet would no longer be carrying EVO brand organic, raw dry dog food, the only kind our three boys have ever eaten. We finished the supply we had (which fell within the production time before Salmonella was identified in several Natura products).
We just spoke with another pet supply store in Boston and they, too, stopped carrying Natura products as a result of the problems Natura has had after being bought out by Proctor and Gamble, according to both stores.
For the last week or so, Agway on Putney Road has been having its seasonal sale of young chickens and ducks. There are five or so big bins filled with chicks, ducklings, and even a gosling or two, I think. They have some lamps to keep them warm, and food and water.
Ask for help and they’ll get a box and put your little feathered friends in it for you and you can be on your way.
On your way to what? When we were young, parents got us some duckings to raise. They started out indoors but quickly became backyard friends.
The fourth installment of the 2012 Real Estate and Personal Property Taxes will be due on May 15, 2013. Payments made after May 15, 2013 will have an additional 1% interest, as well as an 8% penalty added to the unpaid balance.
The utility billing is also due on May 15, 2013. Payments made after May 15, 2013 will have an additional 1% interest, as well as an 8% penalty added to the unpaid balance.
BCTV Channel 8 Schedule for the week of 5/13/13
Monday May 13
12:00 am NRC VT Yankee Safety Assessment Hearing 4/30/13
1:29 am Spotlight On Vermont Issues – Ep. 2 Senator Anthony Pollina on Campaign Finance
2:00 am FSTV Overnight
4:00 am VT Right to Know Label Genetically Engineered Food
5:40 am Bono: The good news on poverty (Yes, there’s good news)
A recent LTE from Putney resident Elan Moses contained too much misinformation to be useful (Governor’s misguided views on gun control).
While his point that Vermont’s lack of gun legislation opens the door to many abuses, his suggestions for curing this were naïve and disingenuous.
“It does not mean we do not make efforts to make it harder to acquire semi-automatic weapons here in
Vermont”. I don’t think he has any idea what a Semi-Automatic firearm really is. (Unfortunately, this attitude is widespread in America. The very word “semi-automatic” has a high scare factor despite the fact that the
overwhelming majority of hunting rifles used in the USA today are semi-automatic).
Because, in fact, I do have relevant input and I’d like to share it with them ASAP. What is the best way in this town to get contact information to be able to connect with all of the members of a committee (by phone, or email, or whatever medium works for them)?
Guilford Community Church is hosting an African Supper on Saturday, May 18 from 5:30-7 p.m. as a fundraiser for re-forestation efforts in Kenya.
The price of the meal for adults is $10; children ages 11 and under are $5; ages 5 and under free. The maximum charge per family will be $25. The menu includes traditional meat and vegetarian dishes such as fried plantain, African roasted vegetable soup, Samosas, Chicken Tikka, beef stew, vegetable curry, spiced red beans in coconut milk and cornbread, with Maandazi, a sweet donut, served for dessert with ginger tea.
Ready for your weekend concert? Here’s one you are either going to love or hate.
There isn’t much middle ground with Dread Zeppelin. You either enjoy an Elvis impersonator singing Zeppelin songs with a reggae twist, or you do not.
I do. This band cracks me up. To my ear they do excellent, inventive cover songs with the right mix of love and parody. Mixing Heartbreaker with Heartbreak Hotel is genius.
The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Finance Committee will meet on Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at 4:30pm in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center.
Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100
The Brattleboro Arts Committee will meet on Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at 4:00pm in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center.
Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100
