Published February 18, 2009 at 6:08 a.m.
COMIC RELIEF
I want to thank Seven Days for retaining their comics section. It isn’t that I would expect Seven Days to trim or remove comics, but in recent weeks Village Voice Media has abruptly cut out its comics, and the alternative comics industry is in some danger as a result. Alternative comics of the sort published in Seven Days, such as “American Elf”, “Troubletown” and “Lulu Eightball”, are among its bigger draws and one of the first things I look at when I pick up Seven Days. Beyond that, alternative weeklies like Seven Days have long helped to sustain alternative comics, which are a vital and, to my mind, important art form. Seven Days does its part to support the creative people who write and draw these comics, for which I am thankful, and I hope this continues well into the future.
Alex Costantino
SOUTH BURLINGTON
PLOT SUMMARY
The members of Temple Sinai should be appalled by the behavior of their rabbi and lawyer in the way that the Katsnelsons have been harassed after the death of their daughter [“Judge Awards Lakeview Burial Plots to Burlington Couple,” January 28].
I wonder if the members of Temple Sinai also know that the temple bought those plots from the City of Burlington for about $450. I heard they were being sold to temple members for $1500. If the temple folks are so eager to have “traditional” Jewish burials, someone at that temple should read A Plain Pine Box by Rabbi Goodman. His Minnesota congregation offered free funerals to their members, as a mitzvah, and was not profiteering from the bereaved.
HINESBURG
Carlson is a member of the Vermont Funeral Consumers Alliance and author of the book Caring for the Dead: Your Final Act of Love.
TECHS WANT A VOICE
Ken Picard’s article “Fletcher Allen’s Technicians Launch Union Drive” [January 21] falls short on addressing the issues the technicians are attempting to address.
Obviously, as you’ve mentioned in your article, technician-to-patient ratios and staff experience are important. While this is one component of the union drive, it is not the only focus, and to imply that misses the point. We believe that to retain qualified and experienced technicians, Fletcher Allen must look beyond staffing. Time and again we hear of technicians lamenting the lack of quality training or ongoing learning opportunities. The increased cost of continuously hiring and training technicians can be avoided by making the environment of care one that leads to long-term staff retention.
Experienced staff who are asked to train new technicians should be entitled to compensation for their time and experience; this is not currently the case. Time and again, experienced staff leave FAHC for private practices that offer better wages and a respectful environment. All that being said, FAHC is overall a good organization to work for, and I am pleased to be a part of it. We feel that the union currently in place for the staff nurses helps to have these issues addressed, and that is our reason, as technicians, for wanting a voice of our own.
Valerie Whitaker
WILLISTON
CORRECTIONS:
There was no byline on the art review in last week’s issue. The piece was written by Anne Galloway.
The alma maters of Mount Mansfield Media filmmakers Adam and Evan Beamer were misidentified in a recent piece entitled “Burlington Prof Goes Undercover in Local Superbowl Spot.” Evan went to UVM, and Adam graduated from Northeastern in Boston — not Burlington College, as stated.
The website address for Burlington City Arts was incorrect in last week’s piece about a 10-day European trip “in search of Samuel de Champlain’s France.” The correct address is burlingtoncityarts.com.
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