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DÉJÀ VU 1969

by RDavis | Activism

It’s starting to look like the late 60’s and early 70’s across America and the world. An unpopular war is raging, thousands of people are dying and the people who are making this war happen are not listening to the rest of the world, asking them to put a stop to the madness.

This time the war is in Gaza and the state of Israel is incurring the wrath of much of the civilized world. The U.S. has become an enabler and many people feel that Biden is not doing enough to prevent Israel from killing more Palestinians and destroying their land. Senator Bernie Sanders is calling for the withholding of support to Israel if there are not strict conditions on how the aid is used, but his common sense pleas are falling on deaf ears.

It seems that although people of all ages are outraged at the behavior of Israel, it is mostly the young people of the world who are showing their displeasure at events and putting themselves at risk by protesting on college campuses. This is similar to what happened during the Viet Nam War.

Medicare Advantage Fraud In Plain Sight

by RDavis | Activism

The federal government may be finally realizing just how fraudulent the insurers are who provide Medicare Advantage policies. According to the Physicians for a National Health Plan (PNHP)”… federal administrators stood by their initial 3.7% increase, sending a message to corporate insurers that the Medicare Advantage gravy train may finally be slowing down.”

That would be something close to miraculous considering that many Advantage insurers have been found to be acting fraudulently and that most studies indicate that the Advantage program is draining money from the Medicare program at an alarming rate.

Five of the top 10 Advantage insurers have been accused of fraud by whistleblowers as well as the federal government.

No Pain, No Gain

by RDavis | Health

Weight loss is one of the more difficult issues that people have to deal with. You would be hard pressed not to find a few people who have struggled with their weight many times during their life. Until now there has been no simple solution to weight loss and, in my opinion, that is a good thing.

I was considered a “fat” child growing up and I took a lot of bullying and name calling during my public school years. My teachers even called me by a derogatory nickname from junior high and all through high school and I had to live with it until I went to college and heard people address me by my real name.

One of the reasons I was not accepted for the military during the height of the Viet Nam War was because I was overweight. I lost 50 pounds when I was 20 and travelling, but I have always struggled to keep my weight below what I consider an acceptable level.

Brattleboro and VT COVID-19 Regional Dashboard Summary – April 2024

by cgrotke | Health

Here’s the April 2024 dashboard summary. We continue semi-regular COVID-19 dashboard numbers from the Vermont Department of Health, and MA and NH counties that surround Brattleboro, as long as they continue providing them. Scroll down the new comments for the latest.

VT, NH and MA do weekly updates, near the end of the week, so we update on Fridays usually. All three have changed their dashboards since the start, so it is now tough to easily compare how things have changed. Variant updates are every two weeks.

Simon Renault on “Here We Are”

by Wendy O'Connell | Living

Take a look!  Simon talks about the good will that comes from life on the land, hard cider & sweet, the bounty of 150+ varieties of apples in one orchard, AND the dry stone walling center, farm market, cafe, crepe nights – all at Scott Farm, a stone’s throw from Naulahka on Kipling Rd.

Brattleboro Winter Weather Advisory Beginning April 2

by Not Signed In | Nature

The National Weather Service is forecasting a prolonged storm beginning Tuesday, April 2, and continuing into Thursday. The storm will initially bring rain before transitioning to snow Tuesday night through Wednesday, where it will potentially turn back to sleet and rain.

The shift to snow will occur first in higher elevations followed by the valleys. The Weather Service is predicting heavy snowfall in higher elevations and moderate amounts in the valleys. The accumulation of wet, heavy snow could lead to downed trees and power lines, which may cause power outages.

Can’t Impeach-Prosecute Joe Biden For Illegally Continuing to Supply Bombs Dropped on Homes in Gaza

by jay janson | Activism, Op/Ed

Biden has been guilty of breaking a U.S. law against providing U.S. weapons to a nation using them against a civilian population as Israel has been doing openly for five months.

“When the President of the United States becomes aware of the possibility of violations of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), the law mandates specific actions:

Prompt Notification to Congress: The President is required to promptly notify Congress about the potential violations.”

Viado Promoted to Co-Director of Youth Services’ Restorative Justice Programs

by Nanci Leitch | Living

Brattleboro, VT–Cassandra “Kaci” Viado plays a key role in Youth Services’ mission to build resilience and be a catalyst for change as the new Co-Director of the agency’s Restorative Justice Programs.

Promoted from her position as the Restorative Panel and Pre-Charge Programs Coordinator for the last 18 months, Viado is well-versed in working with volunteers, participants, harmed parties, and facilitating restorative justice panels. In that capacity, Viado attended one-on-one meetings for over 100 cases annually, collaborated with local law enforcement, Probation and Parole, and the States Attorney’s Office.

In her new role, Viado manages five restorative justice-based programs for youth and adults in Windham County: Pretrial Services, Court Diversion, Driving with License Suspended, a diversion-based program for substance use and/or mental health needs called Tamarack and the Youth Substance Awareness Safety Program, which emphasizes healthy choices over punishment.

aBrattleboro

by AnneODyne | Home & Garden

Writing from outside and away from the area now, not quite self-imposed exile but with the place in the rear view mirror.  What comes to mind; ghost roads, places only inhabited in memory, a distilled distance.  A somewhat heavy thing to have a home and then not live in it. Circumstances, fate, who knows what controls our comings and goings?

Clearly space and time are connected as being far away throws spectral light on long years of residence. People, snippets of conversation, smell of certain hallways, the bank of various turns, particular potholes… funny what’s recalled of its own accord. 

Those People

by RDavis | Activism

I have been trying to understand why having a visible population of people who either appear homeless or, who look as though their body or their mind is in a troubled state, cause people to react strongly to their presence. I don’t think there is a simple answer to this question, but I do believe that if we try to look at “those people” from different perspectives we just might be able to soften the fear and anger that is aroused.

It is frightening to many people to have to walk in close proximity to people they believe to be homeless or troubled. Part of the problem is that panhandling has become a common activity and when people are asked for money they feel violated and they may fear that they will be accosted if they don’t give people what they are asking for.

We live in a free society and that means that all of us have rights to pursue a vocation, whether or not it is socially acceptable, as long as it does not break any laws. Some places have tried to outlaw panhandling. Panhandling is a confrontational act and some people might say they have the right to walk in their own town without experiencing the fear that panhandling arouses in them. A lot of people react when they see a panhandler by assuming they are too lazy to get a job.

Brattleboro Dog and Wolf-Hybrid Licenses Due April 1

by Not Signed In | Pets

Annual Brattleboro dog and wolf-hybrid licenses are available for the 2024 licensing period. All current dog owners were mailed a renewal notice in early February. To renew an existing dog license, return your payment and renewal notice with updated rabies vaccine information by April 1, 2024.

So, About That Winter

by cgrotke | Nature

Now that Spring is here, we can talk freely. We didn’t seem to get very much snow this winter. Felt pretty warm, too. Is the end of snow near?

This is very much like the weather used to be in the mid-Atlantic. When I was in DC in the late 80’s and early 90’s, it would get cold, but there was barely any snow. A half an inch would surprise people and shut things down. We got much more slush, and that would freeze into ruts because there wasn’t a good plow system in place.

A Celebration of Earth: An Evening with Bill McKibben, Douglas Brinkley, and Ben Cosgrove at Next Stage

by hahrenholz | Activism

Join Next Stage for an evening of discussion and music inspired by the climate crisis and environmental activism. New York Times bestselling author and historian Douglas Brinkley and environmentalist and author Bill McKibben will talk about their writings on climate action and environmental history, in a discussion moderated by Vanessa Vadim.

The evening will open with music from traveling composer-performer Ben Cosgrove, whose music explores themes of landscape, place, and environment. The event will take place at Next Stage on Saturday, April 13 at 7:30 pm at 15 Kimball Hill in downtown Putney, VT. Tickets are $15.