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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.

Singer/songwriter John Gorka Returns to Next Stage on June 2nd

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present singer/songwriter John Gorka at Next Stage on Sunday, June 2 at 7:00 pm.

Rising from a milieu of lovelorn singer-songwriters, John Gorka illuminates instead with his trademark wordplay, twisting, turning, and tying words and phrases in the way a balloon artist creates complex creatures from simple balloons. Few contemporary songwriters coax language as deftly as Gorka.

For over two decades, Gorka’s keen ear has picked up the stories of those along his path, folding them into poetry and song. His keen perceptiveness inspires people from all over the world to share their stories. By involving those tales in his music, he escapes the trap of introspection that hobbles less-gifted singer-songwriters.

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series Presents Contemporary Klezmer/rock Ensemble Midwood on June 1st

by hahrenholz | Music

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series presents contemporary klezmer/rock ensemble Midwood, on Saturday, June 1 at 6:00 pm at Cooper Field, 41 Sand Hill Road, in Putney.

“Midwood is a who’s who of klezmer, jazz, and world music. Richie Barshay, the drummer, has played with Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea. The violinist, Jake Shulman-Ment, is one of the most sought after Klezmer and traditional violinists in the world,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts. “We’re bringing some of the old world to Putney for a Klezmer dance party with Midwood. This one will be history in the making.”

Led by violinist Jake Shulman-Ment, Midwood is a contemporary klezmer/rock celebration of freedom and the Jewish tradition of wandering and migration. This new supergroup, featuring some of the most exciting young performers on the international world music stage, seamlessly traverses borders through original compositions, expansive improvisations on traditional melodies, and heart-wrenching re-imaginings of Yiddish folk songs. Their debut album on Chant Records, Out of the Narrows (2018) draws from deep Eastern European Jewish roots to explore the power of love, movement, and wilderness to transform the human mind and heart.

Carriage Hill Fire

by Not Signed In | Police & Fire

Central Station and Station Two were dispatched at 18:55 hours on a first alarm to 166 Carriage Hill for a reported structure fire, caller reported smoke coming from the vents in the roof. Engine One arrived on the scene at 18:59 hours, LT. Chris Fellows reported moderate smoke showing from a split-level ranch and requested that a second alarm be dispatched.

Crews confirmed all occupants were accounted for; neighbors advised that they believed no one was home. Engine 1 crew stretched a hose line made entry performed a primary search and then began a fire attack. The fire was in the kitchen and the crew made an aggressive attack on the main body of the fire. As other crews arrived, a secondary search was performed, as well as checking for fire extension in the rest of the home.

Construction Update Brattleboro-Hinsdale Bridge – April 25, 2024

by Not Signed In | Hinsdale

The northbound shoulder will continue to be closed all week long and motorists are advised to watch for vehicles entering and exiting the construction site.

Delivery of steel to the abutment site on Vermont Route 142 is currently scheduled for Monday, April 29th, and Wednesday, May 1st. The delivery route is planned to provide direct access from the south along VT 142 from Massachusetts Route 10. Flaggers and Uniformed Traffic Officers will be available to assist with the delivery, however it is not anticipated to require a lane closure. When the steel is ready to be moved from the truck to the bridge, a brief hold of all traffic on VT 142 will be required.

Books As Greenery

by AnneODyne | Books

If you’re a reader, fond of acquiring books, and have ever moved, you know there’s a day of reckoning when the sheer mass of paper harkens back to its original arboreal form. There’s also the curious phenomena where the sight of the cover, or even the pages themselves, trigger a corresponding site in the brain, bringing back some of the content and memories of reading, circumstances and experience. Books are not just objects, they can become part of our identity. But these are considerations for another time.

The bulk and burden of books may or may not be a vanishing element in our lives, as digital media proliferates, and reading actual volumes wanes as an entertainment or information source. It seems to me fitting that the packed box or carton of books has so much heft. Books ARE heavy in more ways than one. There’s no way around it. Having recently moved sparked an intensive bout of assessment. Are all books keepers indefinitely? Are they really toss-able? Or, heaven forbid, burnable, as an act of lightening and transformation rather than censorship and intimidation? It’s beneficial to recall; All is transitory in this world.

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series Presents Dominican Jazz Guitarist Yasser Tejeda, on May 25

by hahrenholz | Music

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series presents Dominican jazz guitarist Yasser Tejeda, on Saturday, May 25 at 6:00 pm at Cooper Field, 41 Sand Hill Road, in Putney.

“This Bandwagon Series, we’re excited to have a lot more Latin-influenced artists like Yasser Tajeda,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts. “Yasser was one of the headliners at this years’ GlobalFest at Lincoln Center, and when I saw his virtuosity on the guitar, his expression, and the joy he brought to the music of the Dominican Republic, I knew he’d be a great fit for our programming.”

Yasser Tejeda is an award-winning Dominican composer, guitarist, vocalist, and producer. According to Billboard, Yasser is giving traditional folkloric music a new spin with jazz, rock, and Caribbean rhythms in “a frenzied celebration of ancestral union.” At the same time, Juan Luis Guerra, the most influential Dominican artist in the world, praised his mission, calling it a “marvelous example of what’s happening with Dominican music.” Yasser hopes to incite an awakening while inspiring new generations to explore, promote and uplift their roots.

Tejeda has released three commercial albums, La Madrugá (2023), Kijombo (2019), and Mezclansa (2009), with his group Palotré, while also surprising his followers with an acoustic EP called Interior in 2021. Mezclansa was dubbed one of the “100 essential recordings of Dominican music” by the Dominican National Association of Art Writers (Acroarte). His second album Kijombo received six awards from Dominican Republic’s Premios Indie, including Best Album. La Madrugá, which is Tejeda’s latest offering, features his latest collaboration with Vicente García, “En El Naranjo”, as well as the singles “Tu Ere’ Bonita” and “Todo Va a Marchar”.

A Bit More About the Next Guilford Play

by DonInGuilford | Arts

People have been asking Guilford Center Stage about our upcoming play, as both the playwright and the play will be new to our audience.

We were chatting with a high school teacher, Marc Considine, way up in Hardwick, Vermont, about Charles Henry, who painted the four theater curtains at Broad Brook Community Center, and also some at Hardwick Town House. He coaches a very ambitious after-school drama club at Hazen Union High School, and had produced the Charles Henry play, “A Battle of Wits”, which we also staged in 2016.

He mentioned that he had written scripts for his students, and we asked him to send us one his kids had performed at a regional high school drama festival, and that’s the play we’re performing.

“Love Lost Diaries” will have three performances at Broad Brook Community Center: Friday and Saturday, May 3 and 4 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday May 5 at 2:00 pm. One of the lead actors in that 2016 play, who has appeared in almost all our productions, Julie Holland, is directing this show.

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.

Brattleboro Selectboard Special Meeting Agenda April 25, 2024

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Thursday, April 25, 2024 at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room at the Brattleboro Municipal Center (230 Main Street, Room 212) and over Zoom. Prior to the meeting at 5:30pm, the Board will convene and is expected to enter immediately into executive session to discuss contracts and real estate negotiations. The attached agenda contains information on how to access the meeting remotely, including the required “passcode.”  ASL interpreters will be available for deaf and hard-of-hearing community members. The backup materials for this meeting will be available on the town Website Brattleboro.gov/Selectboard by the end of today.

Brattleboro Committee Meeting Agendas

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Arts Committee will meet on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 5:00pm in the Brooks Memorial Library Community Room.

The Brattleboro Finance Committee will meet on Wednesday, April 24, 204 at 6:30pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room.

Construction Update Brattleboro-Hinsdale Bridge – April 18, 2024

by Not Signed In | Hinsdale

One way alternating traffic patterns with flaggers will be implemented on Vermont Route 142 adjacent to the construction site on Monday and Tuesday next week. The northbound shoulder will be closed all week long and motorists are advised to watch for vehicles entering and exiting the construction site.

Delivery of steel to the abutment site on VT 142 is currently scheduled for Wednesday, April 24th, Monday, April 29th, and Wednesday, May 1st. The delivery route is planned to provide direct access from the south along VT 142 from Massachusetts Route 10. Flaggers and Uniformed Traffic Officers will be available to assist with the delivery, however it is not anticipated to require a lane closure. When the steel is ready to be moved from the truck to the bridge, a brief hold of all traffic on VT 142 will be required.

Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series Opens May 18th with Mehrnam Rastegari & Habbina Habbina

by hahrenholz | Music

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series opens its season with Persian musician Mehrnam Rastegari and Mediterranean surf trio Habbina Habbina, on Saturday, May 18 at 6:00 pm at The Putney Inn, 57 Putney Landing Road, in Putney.

“When we kick off the Bandwagon Series, we are looking for an artist that delivers on our Bandwagon promise of diversity, virtuosity, and creativity,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts. “Mehrnam is a rising star in the New York City World Music scene. The pairing of Mehrnam and Habbina Habbina brings joy, dancing, and a unique sonic experience. People should come prepared to dance!”