I’ve got a stack of catalogs on the floor beside my desk. They’ve been coming for months, but a few weeks ago, I thought instead of recycling them immediately, I’d make a stack beside my desk – not that I need another one of those – but to see if I could detect some sort [...]
What happened last week in Seattle – and more significantly what didn’t happen – was a great example of direct democracy. By taking the streets and raising their voices, protesters set a stumbling block in the road toward an unaccountable, unelected world government by multinational corporations. Congratulations to all who participated peacefully.
Now get [...]
“God bless us, every one.”
Is it that time of year? Again? Already? Now that it’s December, Adrienne is spoiling for me to rent the 1951 British version of “A Christmas Carol,” with Alastair Sim. It’s a good movie, I’ll admit, but “A Christmas Carol” was written in 1843. [...]
Happy Thanksgiving. It’s a day for traditions, every family has them – turkey, dressing, pumpkin pie, going to church, watching football, visiting, playing cards in the back room, perhaps. How about a walk? I know any number of people who go out to stretch their legs and get a lungful of bracing [...]
The Burlington paper, the Gannett Sunday rag, says that for the 14th time in the past five years Burlington – or Vermont – has made the national list of “best places to live.” Really? Well, we’ll see.
Vermont’s number one industry is tourism, so it’s no surprise that when the list-makers stop by for a [...]
There was snow on the mountaintops six weeks ago, which means it’s due in the valleys this week. I’ve seen a few flakes floating in the air, but nothing has accumulated on the ground. The harvest is in, which means no more fresh vegetables from the farm share. The Saturday public market [...]
Christmas at the Automat
I’d like to share a personal Christmas tradition that dates back over 20 years. I was in high school. One of my teachers, A.P. Bechner, a Manhattan native, would give an annual speech he called “Christmas at the Automat.”
Automats are now a thing of the past. The automated cafeteria first opened in [...]