Dec 25-31, 2013
Double, Year-End Issue: News and Arts Updates; the Year in Food; the Good, Bad and Absurd Movies of 2013; Top Ten in Vermont Music
Obituary: Arthur William Ploof
Arthur William Ploof, age 74 years, a lifelong resident of Lamkin St. in Highgate Center died Sunday afternoon December 29, 2013, at the Fletcher Allen Health Care Facility in Burlington with family and friends at his side. Born in St. Albans on November 25, 1939, he was the son of the late Paul Charles and…
Obituary: William (Bill) Goldstein,
Lincoln William (Bill) Goldstein, 70, passed away peacefully on the morning of Sunday, December 29, 2013, surrounded by loving family. Bill was a man of many talents and passions – an avid athlete and outdoorsman, a lover of political discussions and good books, a well-respected oral surgeon, an equestrian, a cyclist, patriarch to his children…
Kisonak and Harrison at the Movies 2013
Our critics sound off on what sucked and what didn’t
The Best Things to Happen in Vermont Food in 2013
Your devoted Seven Days food writers can barely leave the house without being asked variations on these questions: “What’s new and good?” “What’s your favorite restaurant?” and “Where should I be eating?” These are the queries of amateurs. Those of us who eat for a living are forced to ask the questioner to be more…
![Kwanzaa at the Schoolhouse with Nari [SIV335]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sevendaysvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/episode335-4-e1755138922261.webp?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1)
Kwanzaa at the Schoolhouse with Nari [SIV335]
12/19/13: Näri Penson is celebrating 31 years of teaching pre-kindergarten through first grade at The Schoolhouse in South Burlington. This week marks the 29th Annual Kwanzaa Ceremony at The Schoolhouse under her guidance. Students share traditional African American songs, light candles, and explore the 7 Principles of Kwanzaa. This episode of Stuck in Vermont was…
Best Bite of 2013: Rustic Roots
Don’t tell my doctor, but most days I don’t eat breakfast. I might have a handful of almonds and some green tea or a protein shake, but the thought of anything more turns me several shades of green. Owing to my lifelong distaste for eating before noon, I was in my late twenties before I…
2013: The Year in Liquids
I spend as much time thinking about and trying liquids as I do solids, and Vermont always has a flood of superlative drinks to choose from. Here are some of the highlights of the past year. Best Cocktail I came to Burlington’s Sotto Enoteca in search of an amazing glass of wine. Instead, I got…
Recapping the Top Vermont Made Recordings of 2013
2013 was an astonishing year for recorded music in Vermont. From any angle, by any metric, we set new highs in the quantity, quality and diversity of local music. And it’s not an anomaly; it’s a trend. For many of the same reasons, 2012 was also a particularly remarkable year. And looking ahead to releases…
The Top Music Stories of 2013
With another calendar about to close, it’s time once again to look back and reflect on the year in local music. 2013 got off to a disturbing start as we learned in January that longtime area DJ Andy Williams, aka DJ A-Dog, had been diagnosed with leukemia. A slew of benefit shows followed in an…
Updates of State of the Arts Stories From 2013
If you’re like us, you probably look back at this time of year and wonder where the time has gone — how did 2013 slip by so quickly? We also think about some of the stories we wrote and wonder, What ever happened to…? That’s why we chose, somewhat subjectively, to report the outcomes of…
Name Game 2013
What’s in a name? More appropriate, inappropriate and downright illegal behavior
English-Language Learners Team Up with Elders to Tell Stories
At first glance, Sheila Carpenter and Alexis Wea Mbengue wouldn’t appear to have a lot in common. Carpenter, a white-haired 71-year-old from Rutland, used to work as a dishwasher and hasn’t traveled much outside Vermont. Mbengue, 32, was born almost 6000 miles away in Douala, Cameroon. After earning a bachelor’s degree in law and working…
A Vermont First Night Guide to Ringing in 2014
Hats off to you, 2013. With the calendar coming to a close and 2014 on the horizon, it’s time to end the year on a high note. Setting the tone for the days ahead, poet Rainer Maria Rilke once mused, “and now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.” Taking…
News Quirks
Curses, Foiled Again Johnny Deleon, 20, was thwarted in his attempt to steal hubcaps from cars parked outside a restaurant in Harris County, Texas, where law officers were holding a retirement party. After an officer who spotted Deleon confronted him, about 30 deputies inside the restaurant rushed outside to assist. Noting that Deleon failed to…
Soundbites: New Year’s Eve (Eve?) Preview
So much hype. So little payoff. No, no, I’m not talking about this column, or Anchorman 2. I’m referring to New Year’s Eve. (Important note: Due to early deadlines at Seven Days, this column was written on December 15, three days before Anchorman 2 came out. It’s possible the movie is good, and I’ll look…
Updating Some of Vermont’s Top News Stories of 2013
Most of the big news stories of 2013 are still getting ink — and pixels: The F-35 fight ain’t over yet — or so say opponents. Victims of serial killer Israel Keyes continue to turn up. Officials are working on the multi-million-dollar details of Vermont Yankee’s shutdown. And the business manager of Seven Days is still waiting…
Eyewitness: Gisela Alpert
Gisela Alpert is svelte and slim, but she likes her artwork big and bold. A Montréal native with a background in landscaping, Alpert paints much-larger-than-life-size close-ups of flowers. She has also chiseled the top portions of a pair of 16-ton, 12-foot-tall black concrete slabs that are part of her elaborate design for a small park…
Book Review: Nostalgia: A Novel, Dennis McFarland
Is post-traumatic stress disorder a timeless side effect of war or a 21st-century buzzword? Readers may find themselves asking that question as they delve into Nostalgia, the powerful new novel from Brattleboro-area author Dennis McFarland. Malcolm Gladwell came down on the latter side of the debate in a 2004 New Yorker piece called “Getting Over…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Edmund Kean (1789-1833) was one of the most famous British actors of his time. But a contemporary, the poet Samuel Coleridge, was frustrated by Kean’s inconsistency, regarding him as a great artist who on occasion lapsed into histrionics. “To see him act,” said Coleridge, “is like reading Shakespeare by flashes of…
Letters to the Editor
System Is Broken Gov. Shumlin’s prolific fundraising is definitely “Fair Game” for Paul Heintz’s persistent, probing coverage [December 4]. Sadly, seasoned political observers are not likely to be shocked by revelations that Shumlin is dialing for dollars with the election still so far away. No big surprise, either, that his campaign cash calls went out…
