Living

Living story sections

Butt Naked – Why Humans Lost Most of Their Body Hair

by Vidda | Nature

Compared to our sisters and brothers in the animal kingdom, humans are gloriously naked, when they are naked. The drastic reduction of hair on our bodies is nothing less than remarkable. It is unprecedented in our family of hominids, which include orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees and humans. Nevertheless, humans still have approximately the same density of hair follicles as chimps and gorillas.

So why have we lost most of our body hair? Today’s evolutionary scientists speculate, but do not offer one definitive reason.

 

 

 

Interfaith Service for Holocaust Remembrance Day

by BAJC Shir HeHarim | Spiritual

An interfaith service for Holocaust Remembrance Day will take place on Wednesday May 4th at 7 pm, at the First Congregational Church in West Brattleboro.  BAJC (Brattleboro Area Jewish Community) and BAICA (the Brattleboro Area Interfaith Clergy Association) will offer a service in commemoration of the six million Jews and five million homosexuals, political protestors, Catholics, handicapped, and others who were murdered at the hands of the Nazis.

Crafting for the Homeless – Last Session for the Season!

by BAJC Shir HeHarim | Activism

Crafting for the Homeless- come make a difference!

Come join us on Sunday afternoon, May 1st, from 1:00-3:00 pm, to craft items for the homeless population in the area. Using traditional crafts, we will make hats, scarves, blankets and sleeping mats from yarn and fleece fabric.

Crafting for the Homeless is completing its second year of meeting on the first Sunday of the month at Brattleboro Area Jewish Community, Congregation Shir Heharim. This will be our last session until next fall.

Some people come to learn to knit or crochet, others arrive with projects already underway. Some are members of BAJC; some are not. All are welcome! We donate our projects to Groundworks Collaborative. 

Chance To Ask a Question in the Florida Debates

by DWard | Activism

Dear ibratt readers, here’s something fun to get into – an opportunity to ask a question to Congressman David Jolly (R-FL) and Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL) about the issues that are most important to you. You can watch the Florida Open Debate for U.S. Senate on Monday, April 25, at 7:00 pm EDT. All questions will be chosen from among those that receive the most votes online.

Prince Checks Out

by cgrotke | Obituaries

Well, that takes the wind out my funky sails. Prince just died at age 57. The year 2016 continues to be a brutal year for entertainment.

I was a rock and roll fan living in Florida on a visit to Buffalo when I first hear Prince. I was at a party of friends who attended a private school. They were cool. I was not. At some point someone put on Controversy. It was amazing and like nothing I had heard before. “What is this?” I asked. “Prince,” was the answer. “It is punk-funk.”

Punk-funk? I didn’t know either of those terms very well, but I liked it. When I got back to Florida I found the single, and the album. I was hooked.

Fourth Annual “Camp for a Common Cause” Set for May 20

by ChrisLenois | Activism

Local band Groove Prophet takes to the bandstand to benefit Groundworks Collaborative 

BRATTLEBORO – Groundworks Collaborative presents the fourth annual Camp for a Common Cause, Friday, May 20 on the Brattleboro Common. 

For the past three years this event has been a joint fundraiser for Morningside Shelter and the Brattleboro Area Drop In Center; however the two organizations merged last June creating Groundworks Collaborative.  The family-friendly one-night campout continues to successfully raise awareness around homelessness in the greater Brattleboro area.   

Bereavement Support Group for Adults

by Not Signed In | Health

A new Seven Week Bereavement Support Group for adults begins on May 3rd and will meet each Tuesday from 5:00-6:30 pm, ending June 14th. The group is free of charge and open to anyone in the community grieving the death loss of a loved one, no matter when or where the loss occurred.

Bereavement Support Groups offer a safe, mutually supportive environment for sharing experiences through discussion, readings, simple activities, and suggestions for moving through grief. This group is sponsored by Brattleboro Area Hospice and will meet at the hospice office at 191 Canal St. in Brattleboro.

Burden of Proof – A Preponderance of Evidence

by ChrisPratt | Activism

What follows is a tiny but representative section from my website. All the statements here are either self evident and well established facts or they are borne from several thousand source articles or videos which have often been produced by mainstream media or other news outlets.

Do I draw conclusions from all these references? Do I feel that these references provide overwhelming evidence of a pattern? Do I feel these articles support the positions I and millions like me take? Absolutely.

Sometimes It Snows In April

by cgrotke | Nature

We should probably note for the on-going record that it is currently snowing in Brattleboro, and there is close to an inch of the stuff piled up on the ground. What makes this somewhat unusual is that we’ve had almost no snow in March, the temperatures were warmer than average, and everything had melted. 

Spring was well on its way, with snowdrops, crocuses, and daffodils starting to blossom, leaves on some bushes and trees starting to bud, and birds returning from their migrations. Many humans had begun yard clean-up and spring cleaning. Now it is all put on pause until it watms back up.

Vital Forces

by spinoza | Health

These are my homeopathic books. Needless to say I have an abiding interest in this subject. Perhaps another time, when the vibes are less hostile, that story can be told.  It’s hard to conceive all the information contained within these pages is mass hallucination, unicorn farts, and utter bunk. 

I don’t practice homeopathy anymore actively, for me the deal-breaker was encountering the disdain, abuse, mocking harassment, even legal threats from those who choose to thwart and crush rather than consider possibilities and positives.

Lost iPhone

by DonInGuilford | Questions & Answers

A family member lost an iphone 5S with a blue leather case on Thursday about 2:00 pm in front of about 69 Green Street in Brattleboro.  If you may have found it, please reply to me.  Thanks

Brattleboro Senior Meals April Breakfast Menu

by KathrynT | Food

APRIL BREAKFAST MENUS

April 1st – Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Home Fries,  Fruit, Yogurt, Juice, Coffee.

April 5th – Stuffed Egg w/Sausage Gravy, Scone, Potato Pancake, Fruit, Yogurt, Juice, Coffee

April 8th – Whole Wheat Pancakes, Syrup, Sausage, Fruit, Yogurt Parfait, Juice, Coffee.

The Refugee Crisis: How Can I Help?

by ESchwartz | Activism

The Brattleboro Area Interfaith Initiative is hosting an event to raise awareness of the plight of refugees around the world. This free public gathering will take place on April 2 at 7:00 PM at the Centre Congregational
Church, 193 Main Street, Brattleboro.

Sami Abdallah and Jennifer Silverstone from Eyes On Refugees will speak about their recent volunteer experience at refugee camps in France. They will be joined by Inga Paluch, who will give an overview of the work of Carry Me Home, a disaster relief organization based at the Centre Congregational Church. This initiative is run entirely by volunteers who collect children’s clothing, baby carriers, and small toys and ship them to refugees along the Balkan route.

Hire Putney School Students on April 16th – Support the VT Refugee Resettlement Program

by Not Signed In | Activism

The Putney School’s annual Charitable Work Day will take place on Saturday, April 16th. If you live within 30 minutes of Putney, you can hire high school students to do yard work or house work for you, and all of the money raised this year will go to the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program.

Did you know that when refugees arrive in the US for resettlement, the government only provides them with about $925 each to get them started in their new home? Imagine trying to settle into a new country, find a job, and earn enough money for your next month’s rent before that initial stipend runs out.

Youth Services’ Summer Camp Fair During April Gallery Walk

by Not Signed In | Family

Youth Services will host their Annual Summer Camp Fair on Friday, April 1, on Gallery Walk Night from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at the River Garden in downtown Brattleboro.

Many summer camp providers will supply activities and entertainment for the children. The public is encouraged to take advantage of this great opportunity to arrange a fun-filled summer while being entertained. To entice the public to stop in, Youth Services is holding a free drawing for $100 credit toward a camp of the winner’s choice and giving out free balloons.

Just So Pediatrics Announces Extended Office Hours

by BMH | Health

Just So Pediatrics (JSP), a member of the BMH Medical Group, is now offering extended hours in order to accommodate patients who request evening and occasionally, weekend appointments. In addition to its regular hours of 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM on weekdays, JSP has extended their office hours from 8 AM until 8 PM on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with additional appointments available on some Saturdays.

“Extended hours benefit working parents who cannot come during 8:30am to 5pm hours,” says Cynthia Howes, RN, a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner with JSP. “They also increase health care access to school aged children and decrease school absences.” Research from the University of Michigan shows children who have access to extended pediatric primary care appointments have half as many Emergency Department visits as those who do not.