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1888:

We refuse absolutely to repeat the remarks about the condition of the street crossings which the letter carriers have made to us the past week. They are all good boys, and if they grew profane when they saw the mud half-way up to their knees they were excusable and it will never be set against them as a sin.


An Extensive Take On Act 46, Education and Community

Act 46 and the Quality of Education and Community

As far as I can see Act 46 is not going to have any measurable impact on the quality of education we provide to our children or, by extension, their lives thereafter.  

The driving force behind Act 46 is to hold down school taxes by reducing the per pupil cost of education.  This does not mean we will see lower education tax rates.  An expectation of a lower tax rate will only prove disappointing and frustrating. We will, however, be persuaded to agree that fewer buildings, higher teacher/pupil ratios and lower administrative costs must add up to more efficient operations. In the end we will sigh and shrug and accept that the Act ought to be beneficial because the cost after consolidation should logically be less than it would have been without consolidation.  If precedent holds there will never be any demonstrated evidence that our assumptions are correct.


French Weekend Intensive & Trip to Quebec

Express Fluency is offering a weekend French intensive November 4th-6th and a trip to Quebec November 10-12. Both of these opportunities are geared toward “intermediate” French speakers.

Many of us studied French for years in school and have lots of vocabulary and grammar rules locked away in our brains, yet we struggle to speak. This class will help unlock your brain and improve your comprehension and speaking skills. It draws upon the latest language-acquisition research to help students speak French comfortably. Conversation, storytelling, videos, and reading are all part of this dynamic and entertaining class.


Where’s Walden

This article continues in the vein of my previous piece, The events described in both happen in roughly the same timespan, yet this one looks at impacts individuals can have. These articles share a common theme, that being; what are among the greatest assets of our country have come about as byproducts of our worst behavior. This is less a case of finding a silver lining, I prefer to see it as recognizing a lotus emerging from the muck. 

We know plenty about Henry David Thoreau’s famous retreat, and his legendary wanderings. However were it not for the meeting and influence of his Penobscot friends, Joe Aitteon and Joe Polis, Thoreau’s time at Walden pond might have been a singular episode rather than the start of a lifelong obsession. It was these friendships that took HDT from admirer of Nature to avid student, from a pastoral pastime to a central compulsion. 


Staying Safe Online at Putney Library: Viruses, Scams and Flim-flams in the 21st Century

There are many ways to be snookered, manipulated, tricked and even bullied into becoming a victim on the internet, as well as through regular mail, phone, etc. People tricking others into doing things against their better interests is not a new phenomenon, but the ways that can happen has changed in recent times. It helps us all to have us all be more aware, more informed, and more skeptical of seemingly innocent inquiries.


BHS Podcast – First Peoples, Part II, with Rich Holschuh

Rich Holschuh serves on the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs and spends his nights and weekends investigating the story of Brattleboro and its peoples, dating to a time 12,000 years before William Brattle was even a twinkle…

In this podcast, Rich talks about his work uncovering the history of Brattleboro’s first peoples and reconnecting modern peoples to that heritage.


Future Use of Melrose Terrace

Board of Commissioner Action on the Future Use of Melrose Terrace

The Brattleboro Housing Partnerships’ Board of Commissioners affirmed the following statement at their regular meeting on October 24, 2016:

“After extensive engineering, planning and analysis we have determined that it is in the best interest of the entire community for the future use of the land at Melrose Terrace to be used for the Brook and flood hazard area water storage. We have worked very closely with Town staff in reaching this decision and plan. We have adopted a plan to remove 11 buildings at Melrose Terrace; widen the Whetstone Brook and add a box culvert to the George Miller Bridge. We have submitted a request for Pre-Disaster Mitigation funds to assist with this project and are looking for other funding as well. After we have done this work, we will proceed to remove all the remaining structures.


Menopause – The Climacteric Cause of Female Life Extension and the Freedom of Newfound Sexuality

My sister-in-law told me that when she was menstrual and having babies she had little to no interest in sex. It was more obligatory to please my brother than necessary for her.Yet, after her divorce, and when she reached menopause, she said that she was really horny all the time, but because she was older and in her opinion, less attractive and post mid-forty, her opportunities to meet men to satisfy the newly acquired sexual urges were diminished. She complained that the sexual frustration was difficult to bear. I found her candor fascinating and I immediately understood that she was not alone.


Chain Reactions

135-65 Million years ago, shallow seas covered much of what would later be constellated as the Southern States.  More specifically, the ancient North American coastline corresponded with what is now termed the Mississippi Delta. As a result, the soil there, in a fairly narrow crescent, was particularly fertile due to the deposits of chalk and other alkaline elements. So fertile, in fact, that cotton production flourished to a greater degree there than anywhere else on the planet. 


Act 46 Study Committee Meeting Agenda and Minutes

ACT 46 STUDY COMMITTEE

Representing the Brattleboro Town School District, Dummerston Town School District,
Guilford Town School District, Putney Town School District and the Vernon Town School District
http://www.wssu.k12.vt.us

NOTICE OF MEETING

The Act 46 Study Committee will meet at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 27, 2016 at the Putney Central School.

AGENDA

I. CALL TO ORDER – 6:00 p.m. – Alice Laughlin, Committee Chair

II. REVIEW, PRIORITIZE AND ESTABLISH DESIRED OUTCOMES FOR MEETING BY CHAIRPERSON.


I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project Reminder

A reminder of the lane closures for Tuesday, October 25th and Wednesday, October 26th.

· Interstate Deck Repairs, Preventative Maintenance:

o On Tuesday, October 25th, I-91 Northbound will be closed between Exits 1 & 3 from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM.

o On Wednesday, October 26th, I-91 Southbound will be closed between Exits 3 & 2 from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM.


Know It All, Or Just Part?

Would it be better to have a supercomputer loaded with all the world’s knowledge, or just the “good” knowledge?

An immensely powerful AI engine could be loaded with everything we know, good or bad. It can know about love, puppies, and flowers. It can be told about torture and abuse. Those programming it can set a direction.

Would it be better to go forth relying on something that knows evil, or should evil be programmed out of the AI system?


BCTV Schedules For Week of 10/24/16

BCTV channel 8 schedule for the week of 10/24/16

Monday, October 24, 2016

12:15 am Sothern Vermont Idol: Week 3

2:30 am Kellogg Hubbard Library: Dan Kittredge – The Solution is in the Soil

4:25 am 20-20 – Insights into Vision Loss

5:00 am GMMT: Friday News Show

5:30 am VINS – Neotropical Migrant Birds


Grove Street/Municipal Center Access – Revised Schedule

Grove Street/Municipal Center Access – Revised Schedule

A revised project schedule for the water line installation at the Brattleboro Municipal Center results in the following impact to the public.

Thursday, October 27: Grove Street- Open to Through Traffic
Municipal Center Access – Access from Linden Street
Parking Meters – Not Available


Recent Cyberattack

USA today reports that a massive attack by yet unknown perpetrators disrupted the net yesterday:

“If you live on the East Coast and had trouble accessing Twitter, Spotify Netflix, Amazon or Reddit Friday morning, you were not alone.”

Dyn, a New Hampshire-based company that monitors and routes Internet traffic, was the victim.


Hans U. Hielscher at First Baptist Church

World renowned organist returns to Brattleboro to support the Estey Organ Museum. Hans presented a recital on the magnificent Estey pipe organ at First Baptist Church, Brattleboro, Vermont, on Saturday, October 8, 2016.

 


Weekend Creativity Series – Halloween Props

Brattleboro kids do a great job with Halloween. Impressive amounts of creative work go into choosing and making costumes. Maybe adults in town can up the ante with a bit more Halloween prop making.

YouTube is filled with videos on makeup, costumes, haunted mansions and so forth. I’ve chosen this one as it gives a good overview of some easy tombstones, which seem essential for any Halloween haunted graveyard.


VFW Lunch Specials 10-24 to 10-28

The Brattleboro VFW is open to the public for lunch. Lunch is served Mon.-Fri. from 11:30 – 1:30. Specials are only $5.50 a plate. Burgers, fries, onion rings, chicken wings, soups and sandwiches are also available.

Mon – handmade chicken cordon bleu w/mashed potato & veg.

Tues – chicken lo mein w/ homemade egg rolls

Wed – shepherd’s pie w/ salad

Thur – roasted pork loin w/ mashed potato & veg.

Fri – clam roll w/ chowder

If you have more than 4 people in your group, please call ahead of time at 257-0438. Take out orders are available, and some specials sell out fast.


This Week in Brattleboro History – First Peoples, Part I

Early Vermont histories portrayed this area’s aboriginal peoples as transients who occasionally passed through southern Vermont, en route to and from Northern New York and Canada, but were ultimately not residents of the area and therefor had little claim on these lands.

In this podcast Joe Rivers and his intrepid band of middle school historians show that those early Vermont histories were very much mistaken.


Brattleboro Committee Meeting Agendas

The Brattleboro Citizen Police Communications Committee (CPCC) will meet on Monday, October 24, 2016 at 5:30pm in the Brooks Memorial Library community room.

The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Human Services Review Committee will meet on Tuesday, October 25, 2016 at 4:30pm in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center.