Sep 2-8, 2009
Nothing Says Unaffordable Like Burlington Apartments; An Essex Couple Wants Answers About Their Son’s Suicide; The Evolution of the Peace and Justice Center
Stand By Your Van (Jones)
Over the weekend, presidential adviser Van Jones resigned after a smear campaign by FOX News patron patriot of the week Glenn Beck. So, why should Vermont care? For starters, Sen. Bernie Sanders chairs the Subcommittee on Green Jobs and the New Economy, which is part of the Environment and Public Works Committee. Sanders has worked…
Obama to Address Vermont Schools
Today, Vermont’s Education Commissioner Armando Vilaseca issued a statement in advance of Tuesday’s planned speech by Pres. Barack Obama to the nation’s schoolchildren. The department has received calls from parents complaining about the planned speech, said Jill Remick, a department spokeswoman. Nationally, some parents and conservative talk show hosts have complained that Obama’s speech is…
Salmon: Political Fish Out of Water?
Will Democratic State Auditor Thomas M. Salmon, the son of a former Democratic Vermont governor leave the party and become … a Republican? That’s the question lighting up comment threads on one prominent liberal blog as well as one prominent conservative blog. It’s also been a topic of a story earlier this week in the…
Dutch TV Puts VT Secession in Context
For this week’s paper I wrote a very short State of the Arts item about Vermonter Jim Hogue’s upcoming appearance on the Dutch TV and online series Metropolis, which commissions short videos from all over the world on a weekly given subject. Tomorrow at 4 p.m., U.S. correspondents Kel O’Neill and Eline Jongsma will be…
What’s Gone: Interns
Our summer intern team rode off into the sunset on Friday. Actually, Mike DiBiasio left the day after our Daysies party, in mid-August. Here are the remaining three interns eating a farewell lunch at Siagon Bistro last week. Left from right: Will Ryan, AlexaRae Wright and Jessica DiNapoli. Their main focus this summer was putting…
Free Will Astrology
Here’s the weekly astrological forecast for September 2 – 9, 2009. What’s your sign, baby? They’re all here… ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your assignment is to get angry in the most unique, brilliant and constructive way possible. Merely being annoyed and muttering generic curses will definitely not be sufficient. Nor will it work for you…
A Song Is a Song
Part one of a two-part conversation with new(ish) B-town resident Anders Parker
![Thunder Road [SIV142]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sevendaysvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/episode142.webp?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1)
Thunder Road [SIV142]
8/27/09: Thunder Road Speedway celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and Eva stopped by the renowned short track in Barre to meet racing greats like Ken Squier, “Tiger” Tom Pistone, Ken Ragan and newcomers like NASCAR’s Rookie of the Year David Ragan. Music: Chuch, Juarez, “Intro” For more racing fun, check out Eva’s ride in…
Keep on Rocking
Soundbites: Keep on Rocking, To the Nines, Bite Torrent, RIP Larry McCrorey, 1927-2009
Living on Earth, Part 2
Art Review: “Human = Landscape: Aesthetics of a Carbon Constrained Future,” a group show in various media, part of the Energy Project. Firehouse Gallery, Burlington. Through October 24.
More Than A Single Pebble
Side Dishes: Postretirement, Steve Bogart still has plenty on his plate
Letters to the Editor
SPECIAL TREATMENT FOR FLANAGAN? [“Emails Suggest the YMCA Knew About Sen. Ed Flanagan’s Inappropriate Behavior,” August 5] is the other side of profiling: giving the benefit of the doubt and full letter of the law to someone who is fair skinned, and, possibly, known to have high social status. It’s ironic that Vermonters have ratcheted…
News Quirks
Curses, Foiled Again Alaska State Troopers said Stacey J. Captain, 18, was driving a Dodge Dakota that burst into flames, but he was nowhere to be found when they responded. While a witness was giving her statement to troopers, she noticed someone, later identified as Captain, stealing her Chevy Blazer. The Daily News-Miner reported the…
eState Symposium
In case you’re just tuning in to Blurt today, I’m live blogging at the Snelling Center’s eState Symposium, a day-long conference on building a connected Vermont community. Bill Simmon of Candleblog is also reporting on today’s activities.
Last Week’s Puzzle Answers
Oops! There was some kind of printing error this week, and we accidentally left out the answers to last week’s puzzles. Here they are, in pdf form. We apologize for the goof! Download puzzle_answers.pdf
Live blogging governor’s debate
Yep, the title says it all. Weather and WiFi permitting, I just couldn’t sit back and let the Free Press be the only live blogger at tonight’s first gubernatorial debate. So, I’m playing around right now with the live-blogging software Cathy Resmer used during the EpikOne conference. We’ll see how it goes. Hope you can…
New Year, New Chef at ¡Duino! (Duende)
The aftershocks of the chef changeover at the Bluebird Tavern continue… The latest news could even be called a global event. That’s because Nathaniel Wade, the longtime sous-chef at Bluebird Tavern, is now executive chef at international street food cafe, ¡Duino! (Duende). According to ¡Duino! (Duende) general manager Lily Sickles, Wade’s Cordon Bleu education and…
“Happy New Year!”
Last night, I went to see Selene Colburn participate in “freedom of information.” Colburn was one of 31 dancers across the country who took part in Miguel Gutierrez’s day-long dance/protest piece, a response to the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Each of the dancers agreed to move for 24 hours — while blindfolded, and…
Bite Club TV: Tehran Teatime
Driving the main drag in Johnson, the last thing you’d expect to see is a Persian restaurant. Farah’s Middle Eastern Foods may be the most elegant take-out only restaurant you’ve ever seen. The walls are lined in Persian rugs and a gold-plated samovar pours Sri Lankan tea to visitors. Bite Club TV producer Elizabeth Rossano…
Burlington Zombie Walk This Saturday
An army of the undead will descend once again on our fair hamlet on Saturday, October 18. What is the Burlington Zombie Walk, you ask? Watch the video. Wanna join the fun? Meet at the top of Church Street at 5 p.m. dressed in your zombie best. There’s an after-party at Red Square from 5-9…
Call-in Show Tonight on BT’s On-Again Off-Again Relationship with Al Jazeera
Seven Days reported last week that municipally owned cable TV provider Burlington Telecom is dumping Al Jazeera’s English language channel from its broadcast line-up. We got one letter supporting BT’s decision to drop the Arab news network, and several protesting it. Tonight, the controversy is the subject of a live call-in show at 5:25 on…
Christ has Risen
This kind of “news” is a guilty pleasure for me. Blogged with the Flock Browser
Vermont Pipeline Protestor Arrested in D.C. Describes Experience
Disobedient demonstrators arrested in a climate-change protest at the White House on Saturday were held in what one Vermont detainee called “deliberately harsh” conditions before being released without penalties on Monday afternoon. Christopher Shaw, a 62-year-old Bristol resident, writer and Middlebury College lecturer, suggests that federal and District of Columbia police were trying to discourage…
eState Intro
Just getting settled at the eState Symposium. Not sure what to call it. The name is kinda long “Building Community in a ‘Connected Age'” doesn’t quite roll off the tongue. BCiaCA? BuCCA? I think I’ll go with eState Symposium. I’m sitting at a table, waiting for the sessions to begin. Who’s here? I’ve already met…
Hatin’ with the Phelpses: Epilogue…
…wherein Lauren waxes philosophical and crap about hanging with the haters. Now that the charming and affable Phelps clan of Westboro Baptist Church infamy have finished up their whistle-stop tour of hate here in Vermont and have zoomed out of the state in their peppy little Kia minivan, it might be appropriate to reflect on…
Best Bites: AJ’s Country Pantry Restaurant
It’s always a little scary when new owners take over one of your favorite restaurants, particularly when the place specializes in old timey food at old timey prices. Would the Country Pantry in Fairfax be as good now that it belongs to A&J? Oh my, yes. In fact, the things that were already great about…
Snelling Mulls Bid for Governor
Mark Snelling, the son of former Gov. Richard Snelling and Lt. Gov. Barbara Snelling, just may soon follow in his parents’ footsteps from the business world to the world of politics. The younger Snelling confirmed to Seven Days that he is seriously considering a run for either governor or lieutenant governor. He joins a growing…
Hatin’ with the Phelpses- part 4
11:15 a.m.- After a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday outside of OZ Synagogue- “Happy Birthday to Kennedy’s death, Happy Birthday to Kennedy’s death, the Jews lost their favorite waterboy, Happy Birthday to Kennedy’s death”- the Phelpses piled into their sweet Kia Sedona and hightailed it out of town. Please indulge me in a few observations:…
Vermont Whistleblower Lands California Health Care Post
New to town? Next time you trek up to the shining fortress on the hill known as Fletcher Allen Health Care, think of David Cox when you park in the underground garage. Cox, 55, just signed a one-year deal to become the chief financial officer of the Marin Healthcare District in California. Cox, who will…
Hatin’ with the Phelpses- part 3
10:22 a.m.- Phew, hating is exhausticating. I’m pooped from all this picketing. The singing and the running and the sign-holding- I’m not sure if they work out to train for all this hating, but I can barely keep up. So here’s what’s happened so far- I sprinted from Montypee in my little Vibrator, passing a…
Hatin’ with the Phelpses- part 2
8:32 a.m.- Ok, I’m freezing my sweet ones off with all this hatin’. I’m wondering if the Phelpses brought the chill with them from Kansasss. Things have been pretty amusing thus far. Here are the highlights: – As I was taking pictures on the sidewalk in front of the hate clan, I was called a…
Hatin’ with the Phelpses- part 1
Today the great state of Vermont is being visited by Kansian hatemongers, the Westboro Baptist Church. As expected, the morning got off to a rollicking start full of singing and hating and flag-stomping. Fun for the whole family, including 7 y.o. Luke Phelps-Roper, ringleader Shirley Phelps-Roper’s 11th child, who has been shivering his hate-filled socks…
