War of the Words: Two Addison County newspapers aim their ink… at each other
An old-fashioned newspaper war has flared in Addison County, complete with personal innuendo, charges of journalistic bias and accusations of “un-Vermont” and “un-American” behavior. The battle pits the well-established Addison Independent, with its award-winning news coverage and liberal editorial policy, against the insurgent Addison Eagle, which has implemented an aggressive marketing strategy in hopes of…
The Wait is Over: Playing the “Endgame” with Godot
Ever leave a play or movie with a nagging sense that you didn’t get the ending? Or maybe you got it, but it still didn’t provide that all-important sense of closure. You know it doesn’t really matter, but questions still nag at you: Did the hero get the girl? Is the guy in the hockey…
The View From Below: Can’t make it to the Caribbean? Determined divers find ice is nice
You might have noticed something strange in the waters of Lake Champlain during Burlington’s First Night fireworks on December 31st. No, not Champ. That was a pair of scuba drivers underneath the cascading embers of colorful explosives, cozying up to each other in the 38-degree water. “Best seats in the house,” claims Betsy Carter of…
Here She Comes… Robert Redford’s ex gets film credit for the Sundance-sanctioned “Miss America”
You’d think the executive producer of a documentary about the Miss America pageant would relish a moment in the spotlight. Lola Van Wagenen, a 62-year-old resident of Charlotte, guided the project, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this month and will be broadcast nationwide on PBS January 27. But she has a valid…
Lobbying Ethics?
Most of the distinguished hired-gun, contract business lobbyists who buzz through the Statehouse honeycomb on a daily basis readily acknowledge that their role is similar to that of whores. They provide a service for a price and do their best to keep the customer satisfied. But make no mistake — even among whores there is…
Letting It Slide
In the second week of each new year, the Middlebury College students return for their J-term — the “J” stands for January. It’s a one-month mini-semester where the students are encouraged to experiment with a class outside of their established interests and chosen majors. Archery for Russian majors, Chaucer for biochemists, that sort of thing.…
Back Talk
“Vision” is a verb for Gary Chassman. “If you can vision it, you can do it,” says the Burlington book producer who imagined, organized and oversaw the creation of a traveling art exhibit inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. Chassman was on the scene when the Smithsonian-sponsored “In the Spirit of Martin” opened two weeks…
Not Another Envelope, Please
I could have sworn the past five years had been middling ones for movies overall, but it seems I was mistaken. Apparently Hollywood has been producing so many motion pictures of staggering quality, there haven’t been enough award ceremonies to recognize them all and new ones have been created to handle the overflow. How else…
Flick Chick
When McCabe & Mrs. Miller came out in 1971, I fantasized about being the Julie Christie character, an opium-addicted madam of a bordello run by Warren Beatty’s tragicomic gambler-gunslinger. In a forlorn Northwestern mining town at the turn of the 19th century, he yearns for the kind of romantic love she’s incapable of returning. Graced…
