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April Services at Brattleboro Area Jewish Community

by BAJC Shir HeHarim | Spiritual

There will be two Shabbat morning (shacharit/Torah) services this month, at 10:00 on April 2nd, led by Cantor Kate Judd, and on the 9th, led by a guest leader. Morning services are followed by a light kiddush snack and time for shmoozing.

There will be a Yizkor service on the last night of Passover, April 29th, at 6:30, the third of the four required Yizkor services in the Jewish calendar–the special memorial prayer recited by all those who have lost a parent or a close loved one.  A minyan is needed for the service, which will be quite brief. Please come for Yizkor, then stay, if you wish,for a musical Kabbalat Shabbat and dessert potluck (no chometz, please!).

Do You Crochet or Knit? Help Us Help the Homeless!

by BAJC Shir HeHarim | Activism

Come join us on Sunday afternoon, April 10th, from 1:00-3:00 pm, to craft items for the homeless population in the area. Using traditional crafts, we will make hats, scarves, blankets and sleeping mats from yarn and fleece fabric.

Crafting for the Homeless is in its second year of meeting on the first Sunday of the month (Except this month only!) at Brattleboro Area Jewish Community, Congregation Shir Heharim.

That’s Funny – You Don’t Look Gnostic!

by BAJC Shir HeHarim | Spiritual

Join us Sunday April 10th from 3:00-5:00 p.m to explore Gnosticism with Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Keiner. 

Gnosticism is the shared root of Jewish, Christian and other ancient Mediterranean faiths and cultures. But just what exactly is shared between these various religions? What is Gnosticism? How is it embedded in Jewish text, life and practice today?  During our afternoon with Rabbi Andrea, we will explore the core concepts of the Jewish mystical tradition and its Gnostic roots. We will ask what the core insights of this tradition are, and how it is reflected today in our communities.  As these principles draw us into a deeper understanding of our own beliefs and practices, we will also gain the ability to have meaningful interfaith dialogue with others.

100 Year Old Tree Down in Crowell Lot?

by Not Signed In | Questions & Answers

Anybody know what happened to the tree in the Crowell Lot around 3/17? Lightning? Wind? I think D&E Tree was on the scene to clean up the body. The kids just got a new piece of playground equipment – 2 tree stumps. While I’m at the Crowell Lot, has anyone noticed the basketball stuck in the tree about 50 feet up?

Brattleboro Rejects Columbus

by Will Stomp | Town News

In a stealth vote in the final moments of Representative Town Meeting today, fairly new RTM member Dylan Mackinnon of District Two proposed the following non-binding resolution:

“I move that the town change, in reference to the second Monday in October, as Indigenous People’s Day in place of Columbus Day.”

K. Daims attempted an amendment to have the Selectboard bring this proposal to a town-wide resolution, but the amendment was defeated 28 to 43.  The proposal passed overwhelmingly, though the exact vote was obscured by a vast WHOOSH! of indigenous spirits flooding the room with silent whoops and hollars.

Bart Simpson Predicts President Trump

by tomaidh | Politics

Bart Simpson predicts a President Trump – and he’s a disaster!

In the 2000 episode “Bart to the Future,” ‘The Simpsons’ joked that President Lisa Simpson (THAT Lisa Simpson) would inherit a budget disaster from President Donald Trump.

Purimpalooza Musical Costume Party Tonight at Vermont Jazz Center

by BAJC Shir HeHarim | Entertainment

Purimpalooza Musical Costume Party with Wanda Houston and Eugene Uman at Vermont Jazz Center, tonight, March 19

The Brattleboro Area Jewish Community (BAJC) marks the holiday of Purim this year with “Purimpalooza,” a costume party open to everyone, starring jazz vocalist extraordinaire Wanda Houston and Brattleboro’s own jazz master pianist Eugene Uman, along with several other local performers, at 7:00-10:30 PM at the Vermont Jazz Center in Brattleboro, VT.

Hillary Swaps Partners, Switches Parties!

by JohnWilmerding | Politics

New York, NY — Friday, March 18, 2016 — (SAP: Satirical Amalgamated Press) — Hillary Clinton has announced that she is planning to leave the Democratic Party and join the Republicans.

Faced with the ascendancy of the junior Senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders, Clinton explained in an interview today that she feels her chances of being nominated her party’s candidate for the presidency will be better among the Republicans.

Watch Town Meeting Live on BCTV’s Youtube Channel

by BrattleboroTV | Media

Join members of Brattleboro’s Representative Town Meeting body for a day of deliberations over passage of the Town and School District budgets.

The meeting starts at 8:30 AM but we’ll have the stream up at 8:00 AM so you can check it out ahead of time. At any point if your stream gets behind (this can happen if you pause the feed, or if it needs to buffer) just click the ‘Live’ button in the bottom left and it will skip you ahead.

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5:45 Live: 3/18/16

by BrattleboroTV | Media

Get all the details on Brattleboro’s twice-recounted Selectboard Race, decision to move the Police Station to Black Mtn Rd, structural problems at the Parking Garage, construction on the Green St Ext, water poisoning in Bennington, the Retreat’s new CEO, and more!

Weekend Creativity Series – Parliamentary Procedure

by cgrotke | Creative

In honor of Representative Town Meeting, this weekend we’ll take a short look at Parliamentary Procedure and Robert’s Rules of Order.

This video shows how your 4-H club or other organization can be an effective governing body by using well-recognized procedures for meetings. They cover everything from committee reports to making and amending budgets, tabling items, and delaying actions on items.

What Does Jane “Win” If Her Husband, Bernie Sanders, Wins The Election For President?

by CrisEricson2016 | Politics

I was greatly criticized by friends of Jane Sanders for commenting on Facebook that she should improve her wardrobe and leave the “hippy” dresses behind here in Vermont. What incentive would help her to decide to make her wardrobe more upscale? After all, she is the wife of a U.S. Senator; but does her appearance look like a “First Lady”?

What Does Jane “Win” If Her Husband, Bernie Sanders, Wins The Election For President?

For starters, Jane “wins” the First Lady’s Office in the White House!

The Occasional Robot Round-Up, Spring 2016 Edition

by cgrotke | Sci-Tech

Time once again to check in with our eventual robot overlords and how they are evolving.

This is prompted by news that Google is hoping to sell off Boston Dynamics, the folks that are building some of the most advanced and scary robots on the planet. Seems that the latest generation have the potential for generating bad press, there are no sellable products in sight, and Google wants to walk away.

Here’s Atlas, one of the more recent human-sized Boston Dynamics creations, walking about, trying to do things, and being abused by technicians. As a commenter pointed out, there will come a time when AI-aware robots will find this video and think about it.

Great Leap Forward for Women’s Rights

by tomaidh | Pets

A Saudi panel of scientists recently concluded that women aren’t just household items as it was previously
thought, but are mammals and therefore should have same rights as camels and goats.

Previously, women had the same rights as a chair or a table and were seen more as individual property.

They now have an equivalent status to certain animal species, and thus must receive, at the very least, feeding, watering and be conferred a minimum of attention.

“Ain’t that precious?”

It’s a Riot!

by Vidda | Politics

Curly Haugland, a Republican National Committee member, says the nomination process is pretty straightforward: The party, not the voters, chooses the nominee.In an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Wednesday morning, Haugland, a North Dakotan and current member of the RNC’s Rules Committee, said that any assumption otherwise is misguided.

“That’s the problem: The media has created the perception that the voters will decide the nomination,” he said. He went on: “Political parties choose their nominee, not the general public, contrary to popular belief.”

Technically, this is true. The nomination is decided by delegates to this summer’s convention, not directly by voters. But it’s probably not a terribly helpful argument to make at a time when Republican establishment types are openly talking about wresting the GOP nomination from Donald Trump at the convention. Trump has said doing so could lead to “riots.”

The Great Red Ball Rescue, Faye Durpas

by SandglassTheater | Entertainment

PUTNEY VT- On March 19th at 1 and 3pm Sandglass’s beloved Winter Sunshine series continues with a romp
around the world in an upturned umbrella that will surprise and delight audiences of all ages. A family trip to the beach goes awry when a young boy’s favorite Red Ball is whisked away by the tides. Can he summon the courage to get it back? Join Jasper, a timid kid with a big imagination, as he sets out on an adventure across the ocean, under the waves, and up into the clouds. Along the way, he meets fantastical fortunetellers, thieving fishermen, and many mysterious creatures of the deep. Will he ever reclaim his favorite Red Ball from the clutches of the sea? Find out in this visually stunning production featuring multiple styles of puppetry, an original score, and lots of sea-faring fun!

Brooks Memorial Library – Ongoing Programs and Services

by Brooks Memorial Library | Books

Ongoing Programs and Services at Brooks Memorial Library – Reference, Technology, Fax Services and Wireless Printing.

Reference service
Need help finding books, movies, and other media in traditional and electronic formats? Engaged in a research project for school, work, or personal interest? Want help using the online catalog and finding your way through the library? Reference librarians can help with all of these questions and more. The desk is staffed Monday-Friday, 10-2 and 3-6, and most Saturdays 10-5, or email us at asklibrarian@brookslibraryvt.org. All reference is confidential.

Anyone Have Experience with VTel?

by DonInGuilford | Questions & Answers

Our neighborhood in Guilford is beyond the terminus for cable, so we use Fairpoint DSL, which is, let’s say: better than dial-up. It looks as though a newish company called VTel is promoting itself as intending to cover all of Vermont with good broadband, via, as I understand it, a combination of fiber-optic and some wireless technology. They may be making progress on reaching our area. So I’m asking if anyone knows about them, or, possibly, uses their services?  There have been some similar-sounding schemes lately that haven’t turned out well (see the Great Auk story in today’s Reformer.)