Green Party Caucuses

by Will Stomp | Politics

Dear Friends,

With the Paris Climate conference finally setting the stage for concerted action on behalf of the Earth and Nature, it may very well be time for our local politics to reflect this sea change.   Neil Johnson has written an urgent appeal to help get the Green party registered as a statewide party in Vermont.  Its time has come.  He needs four more town to caucus.  It needs to be done by tomorrow (Monday, 12/14).  Emily Peyton will be organizing the caucus in Putney.

Who said life can’t be exciting, if you wait until the last minute!

Cheney & Clapp 1881 Advertisement – Holiday Bazaar and Christmas Museum

by cgrotke | History

In December 1881 we see an ad for Cheney & Clapp announcing their store as a “Holiday Bazaar and Christmas Museum,” which is quite a boast.

They can make the announcement, though, because of the wide range of items available for you to buy from them, including Teaching Bibles for the teachers out there that you know, a “bewildering variety” of cards from the best makers, diaries, books, statuary (who doesn’t need a statue?) and work baskets. They also have dolls and toys.

“We Choose To Go To The Moon”

by Vidda | Op/Ed

 3:42 minutes
Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to land on the Moon in 1969. There have been six manned U.S. landings between 1969 and 1972. A cursory trolling of the Internet will bring a trove of manned moon landings hoax claims and debunkers of the hoax theory. Did man walk on the moon or not?

One strong indicator against man walking on the moon hoax is that if the 1969 landing was a hoax, then all six manned missions to the moon were a hoax, as well as all of the unmanned vehicles landings and all the manned orbits around the moon. If a hoax is in order, then it would not make sense to create a hoax for just the first manned mission but to create a hoax for the entire array of Apollo missions.

In fact, there are too many indications that the manned landings were for real.

Externalities

by tomaidh | Opinion

I awoke this morning, and turned on the radio. It was the ending of the Thom Hartman show on KVT.

A caller was discussing what he called “externalities”

 [Factors whose costs are not reflected in the market price of goods and services. Externalities are a loss in the welfare of one party resulting from an activity of another party, without there being any compensation for the losing party. Externalities are an important consideration in cost-benefit analysis.   (businessdictionary.com)]

Hartmann commented that the American business model calls for privatizing the profits and socializing the externalities.

He cited two examples:

Weekend Creativity Series: Hue and Saturation

by cgrotke | Creative

This week we’ll study some color theory with Scott Naismith, a Scottish landscape painter, and dive into aspects of hue and saturation with him.

I’ve been doing art all my life, yet still struggle with color. I love black and white lines and using pens and pencils to shade things with hatch marks and smudges. The 256 shades of greyscale suite me well, and they could keep me busy forever.

I Miss the Reformer Christmas Stocking

by Tego | Op/Ed

I miss reading all the comments and good wishes in the donation column. I miss having a local charity that gave 100 percent of the proceeds to its intended beneficiaries.

I miss Pat Smith running the newspaper campaign. I miss how people would write: In lieu of local Christmas cards. I miss how you could write anything you wanted and make it as long as you wanted and it would get printed.

Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda & Notes – December 15, 2015

by cgrotke | Town News

It’s time for another Selectboard meeting, and time for them to make some decisions about the Waste Management District budget, changing from weekly trash pickup, and single stream recyling.

They’ll also ponder the Police Fire Facilities project, award a bid for Elliot Street bridge repairs, approve some grants, and hear the annual report from the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance (formerly the Downtown Alliance, formerly Building a Better Brattleboro).

You can bring up other issues not on the agenda during public participation. Attend in person, watch on BCTV, or read about it hear after the meeting.

Flipshare Users: Can You Help?

by Tego | Sci-Tech

I love my Flip video camera, I know Cisco stopped supporting it a couple years ago, but it’s been working fine until this week. Flipshare no longer works for me. I’d like to pow- wow with others who have encountered, or better yet, worked through this problem. Anyone out there with a Flip who does not want to give up? Please contact me here or by e mail at info@theresamaggio.com. Thanks. Tego

A Nuremberg Trial for US Funding Slaughter of Syrians Destruction of Libya Iraq Afghanistan

by jay janson | Op/Ed

TITLE:
A Nuremberg Trial for US Funding Slaughter of Syrians Destruction of Libya Iraq Afghanistan by jay janson

DESCRIPTION:
“Assad killed his own people peacefully protesting!” Sound familiar? Substitute ‘Gaddafi’ for ‘Assad,’ and one is on one’s way to bring to mind so many other similarities made to be forgotten in TV, radio and printed news and entertainment in Western media, media owned by corporations profitably investing in the illegal and unconstitutional use of US Armed Forces and CIA. CIA creation and use of ‘Islamic’ terror is reviewed.

TEXT:

1889 Advertisement for Mexican Feather Cards

by cgrotke | History

It is the Christmas fad this year, after all, so why not stop downtown and pick up a Mexican Feather Card for someone you love? They are very affordable, and everyone wants one.

While there, you might consider a celluloid booklet or two as well.

At Geo. A Briggs & Co.’s, for the 1889 holiday shopping season.

Open House for Jerry Carbone

by msquare | Town News

LIBRARY OPEN HOUSE FOR JERRY CARBONE

The public is invited to an Open House at the Brooks Memorial Library on Friday, Dec. 18 from 4 to 7PM to celebrate Jerry Carbone’s work for and at the Library.

Jerry Carbone has been a leader in Vermont public libraries for 37 years.  Under Jerry’s leadership, Brooks Memorial Library broadened and deepened its mission to become a community hub, a resource for lifelong learning, and a center for multimedia literacy for the 21st century. 

In his 23 years as Director, Carbone worked tirelessly to sustain public and private library funding and inspired a major bequest that will help ensure the library’s continued role as a model for public library service in Vermont.  He started working at Brooks on November 4, 1978 as a Reference Librarian and became the Director in 1993.

158 Families

by tomaidh | Politics

158 families are trying to buy our government.. . .

A handful of super-wealthy Americans is in the process of buying our government.

If you want to know how, and how to stop them, let explain:

Selectboard Special Meeting Notes – Money, Sirens, & The Continued Question of Public Input

by cgrotke | Town News

“Our 200th meeting in a row,” said John Allen, commenting on the more-than-weekly nature of recent board meetings.

Town Manager Elwell made note of an excellent audit result, in which the state’s Department of Public Safety looked at about $236,000 worth of grants given to the town and found Brattleboro to being looking good. All praise to Grants Manager Kim Ellison.

In response to public inquiry, Elwell said the engineer looking into downtown traffic flow for cars and pedestrians should have results for the town soon, and that favorable bids had been received for the Green Street retaining wall project, to be discussed at next week’s (201st) meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard.

Vermont Delegation Calls for More Public Scrutiny, Meetings in Vermont on Decommissioning Regulations

by Not Signed In | Politics

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 – The Vermont congressional delegation – Sen. Patrick Leahy (D), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) and Rep. Peter Welch (D) – announced Tuesday that they have called upon the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to improve public input on proposed changes to nuclear plant decommissioning regulations.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, who serves on the Senate energy and environment committees, led the effort which urged the NRC to hold public meetings in each state where a nuclear power plant is currently being decommissioned and to extend the deadline for public comments.

1869 Advertisement for Clark & Willard, Druggists

by cgrotke | History

Here is an ad that tells us much about its time and place. It’s December 1869, and Clark & Willard have opened up at a new location. They have holiday goods, confectionery and fruit, and unsettled accounts to announce.

The new location is a result of a fire at the previous location, and the ad uses quite a bit of valuable space to mention a reward for returning a “valuable cat.”

Notice of Application to Brownfields Reuse and Environmental Liability Limitation Program

by BMAC | Town Plan

Please take notice that Brattleboro Museum & Art Center whose address is 10 Vernon Street, Brattleboro, VT is applying to the Vermont Brownfields Reuse and Environmental Liability Limitation Program (10 V.S.A. §6641 et seq.) in connection with the redevelopment of property known as 11 Arch Street in the Town of Brattleboro.

A copy of the application, which contains a preliminary environmental assessment and a description of the proposed redevelopment project is available for public review at the Brattleboro Town Clerk’s Office and at the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation offices in Montpelier.

Bolivian Baroque Debuts at 43rd Christmas at Christ Church on Dec. 11 & 12

by fomag | Music

Guilford, Vt. – Friends of Music at Guilford’s 43rd Christmas at Christ Church program is set for December 11 & 12, Friday at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday at 4:00. These annual gatherings feature both choral and instrumental Christmas music, a story, and a short carol-sing.This year’s program includes an eclectic selection of songs, both sacred and secular, to bring in the holidays. Under the direction of Tom Baehr, the Guilford Chamber Singers present perennial favorites “Carol of the Bells” and “Deck the Halls” with much earlier carols from the 14th to the 17th centuries.

To these are added contemporary pieces “Bethlehem Spiritual” and “The Winter’s Night,” a hauntingly beautiful and evocative song that has become the group’s favorite; an entertaining setting of “Winter Wonderland” and even an arrangement of “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy” from Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker.” “Come, Dear Children” by Alfred Burt is an invitation to participate in the season’s festivities.