The Zelensky- Trump Setup

If you think that the shouting match that unfolded between Zelensky and Trump in the White House was some sort of spontaneous, unexpected event then I have some oceanfront property in Nebraska I can sell you for a very low price.

Trump never intended to make a deal with Ukraine’s leader so he used his usual grifter/bully tactics to stage an event that would allow him to withdraw U.S. support from Ukraine. At least in his twisted, devious mind he would now be able to throw all support behind Russia.

The entire scene in the White House was bizarre from the start. It was billed as a deal-making event where Ukraine would agree to sell rare earth minerals to the U.S. in exchange for concessions in the Russia-Ukraine war.


February 2025 Precipitation Report

February was a wet, mostly snowy month.  Total moisture recorded for the month was 4.74″ compared to the NOAA average of 3.11″.  For the calendar year 6.31″ compared to the normal of 6.50″.

Snow for the month measured 26.3″ compared to my average since 1993 of 16.5″.  The most I have recorded in February is 40.0″ in 2014-15 and the least is 0.0″ in 2012-13.  For the season, snow total stands at 50.4″, about a foot below the season average of 62.5″ with March and April to go.  My snow stake out in the yard is at 14″ this morning and will vary greatly upon how much sun you receive along with how much snow has fallen.


The Games of Boris Spassky – Part I

This game, from the 1960 USSR Championship played in Leningrad, Spassky’s birthplace, was famous in its own right at the time and served as inspiration for the chess game featured in the James Bond film From Russia With Love.

While Spassky’s 15th move was later found to be technically inaccurate, Bronstein had used two hours of time at that juncture, leaving a mere half-hour for his next 26 moves.   Under time pressure even the elite stumble in the face of complexity, and  so Black’s consequent misstep allowed Spassky to finish the game with unerring precision.


Local Solutions Protect Us All – Windham County Heat Fund Benefit at Vermont Jazz Center

On Saturday, March 29 at 7:30 p.m. the Windham County Heat Fund will hold a benefit concert in conjunction with the Vermont Jazz Center. It is 20 years since we started the fund and the need never diminishes. This concert is not so much of a celebration but more of a lamentation of the fact that the fund still needs to exist. On a hopeful note, we do not rely on any government funding for our efforts and that means our money is local and it stays local.

This has been an unusual year for the fund. Although it is still February our statistics put us at the end of the season, meaning we are very low on funds because about 100 individuals and families have been provided with $48,850 in fuel while we have received $45,503 from individual donors, local businesses, churches and grantees. The surplus we had at the end of last year has made a big difference.


Interfaith Youth Group Sets Sights on Spring Service & Learning to Asheville, NC

A multicultural community of idealistic teenagers and young adults, the Brattleboro Area Interfaith Youth Group comes together monthly to develop friendships, to have fun and to provide service to others. Twenty-one members of their group, ranging in age from 13 to 22, are busy fundraising to make their dream of a service and learning trip to North Carolina a reality this spring.

Brian Remer, one of the adult leaders describes the group as being made up of young people who are interested in sharing their life experiences and cultures and providing each other support while doing community service that helps others. Nearly half of the group are young newcomers from Democratic Republic of Congo, refugees who were resettled in the area in the last several years.

“We first got the idea last fall when we heard about the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene on the area surrounding Asheville, North Carolina, as it was eerily reminiscent of the damages we experienced from Hurricane Irene in the Windham County area,” Remer said.


Harris Hill – All Events on Saturday

Brattleboro, VT. (February 15, 2025) —   This weekend’s Harris Hill Ski Jump competition schedule has changed due to pending winter weather that will be arriving late afternoon today.

Today’s event will be a full day of competition hosting both the Pepsi Challenge/US Cup competition AND the Fred Harris Memorial Tournament. There will be no competition tomorrow, Sunday. Below is the schedule of events.


A Bigger Prize

I told myself I was going to try to keep away from writing about the madman who is running this country. All of us have to figure out a way to preserve our sanity for the next four years and retreat has become an option for many. But the future that I see unfolding demands to be talked about because all of our lives may be transformed in ways we do not welcome.

I got a call from a woman in Florida who is married to a Puerto Rican man and they have two small children. They are living in a state of heightened fear every day and they are looking for a safer place to live. She knew nothing about Brattleboro but happened upon our little town in the cybersphere and wanted to talk to someone who lives here.


Harris Hill Ski Jumping Weekend

WHAT: This weekend marks the 103rd year of the Harris Hill Ski Jumping competition, the only Olympic sized ski jump in New England, February 14-16, 2025 in Brattleboro, Vermont. The event has a festive atmosphere for the whole family with opening ceremonies, live event announcing, music, local food and drink, a jumbotron and souvenirs. The weekend will serve as a stop on the US Cup competition of the United States American Ski Jumping (USASJ) series.

On Friday, February 14 ♥️, Harris Hill Ski Jump will host a Friday night target jump competition featuring athletes from the weekend’s lineup of competitors. Jumpers aim to land as close as possible to a TSSD Services logo painted on the landing to win a cash prize. The event is FREE and a thank you for the greater Brattleboro community for its continued support of the annual ski jumping event. Live announcing and limited hot drinks will be available for sale for Friday.


Spring Training for Serious Illness Program Volunteers

BAH is pleased to be offering another volunteer training for the Serious Illness Program. The training will be starting in April with days/times to be determined to allow for maximum flexibility and accessibility.
 
The Serious Illness Program was created to offer support, solace, and assistance to people going through a life-altering serious illness that may or may not carry a terminal prognosis. 
 
This is a wonderful opportunity to spend time with clients who are learning to adapt to the changes a serious illness brings. 


Brattleboro and VT COVID-19 Regional Dashboard Summary – February 2025

Welcome to the February 2025 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. Numbers are low, but not zero. 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. Variant updates are every two weeks.


Sports – A Healthy Refuge

If there was ever a time when we needed a refuge from the madness of the world it is now. Many of us are finding are own personal refuges and one of mine is sports. It doesn’t matter whether you are a participant or a spectator/fan because once you are immersed in any kind of sporting experience it is easy to forget about the rest of the world for a time. Reminiscing about your own personal sports history also has value.

My favorite sports are baseball and basketball. I have never been a football fan and I attribute that to the fact that my high school didn’t have a football team. I was the team manager for most of the sports at my high school, sort of a combination mascot and all around errand boy for the coach and players.

Our soccer team was one of the best in the state. A lot of that had to do with the fact that all the other teams we played had their best athletes on their football teams. All the big guys that usually don’t play soccer were on our team and we literally trampled most of the other teams.


January 2025 Precipitation Report

A dry month with fairly normal temps. Measured 1.57″ of moisture compared to a NOAA normal of 3.39″.  Even with the relatively cold temps most of the month, about 1/2 of the moisture fell as rain.

Snow for the month totaled 12.6″ compared to my average of 16.5″.  My average in just the years 1993-2010 was 19.4″. Total snowfall so far this season stands at 25.3″ at my location.  For comparison Mt Snow ski area lists their season total at 93″.  They do exaggerate a little but they also have been receiving much more snow this year and skiing has been good for several weeks.


Audio Story Hits the High Points of Harris Hill “Like Nothing Else in the World”

ski jumper

The Harris Hill Ski Jump stands like a beacon on the local landscape. Every February thousands gather at Harris Hill to watch athletes from around the world compete for the Winged Trophy. The thrills of this extraordinary event are brought to  life in the January episode of the Brattleboro Words Trail Podcast as jumpers fly, crowds roar and cowbells ring and three very different voices share their impressions on the hill.


Time To Cut Health Care Costs At The Top

A group of lawmakers has finally decided to tackle the issue of obscenely high salaries paid to hospital CEO’s and administrative leadership in Vermont. Every time this issue has come up hospital spokespeople hide behind the mantra that they have to pay high salaries to attract qualified candidates. That may be true, but we are living in Vermont, not New York or Boston, and I think we can still attract excellent candidates without having to lure them in with salaries that could pay for three or four front line health care providers.

The purpose of the recently drafted bill states, “This bill proposes to require hospitals to provide information about employee compensation and administrative staffing ratios to the Green Mountain Care Board as part of the Board’s hospital budget review process. It would also direct the Board to ensure that the ratio of administrative employees at each hospital to employees delivering health care services directly to patients is aligned with national averages for similar hospitals and that the compensation for a hospital’s executive and clinic leadership does not equal more than 10 times that of the hospital’s lowest-paid employees who deliver health care services directly to hospital patients.”


Celebrate the Lunar New Year of China, Korea, and Vietnam

Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) celebrates the Lunar New Year of China, Korea and Vietnam Sunday, February 2, 1-3:00. You don’t have to be Asian or know anything about Asia to participate! Join us at the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center to usher in the year of the Green Wood Snake. Celebrations, which typically last two weeks, began on Jan 29th.

This Green Wood Snake year offers the unique opportunity to quickly shed skins of the past, creatively express what is in the shadows, and move forward covering much ground. We will start our celebration with a potluck. Then join us for traditional Chinese Dance with Li Fei Osborne, group Taiji and Qigong, and traditional New Year songs and crafts.


Do Voters Voting as a Group Support Democracy?

The Planet Hank Live Show streamed live on January 16, 2025 and is available on YouTube
https://bit.ly/4hq2rXC

Starting around 33 minutes, there is a section which I would like to point out. Here is the text, courtesy of the YouTube generated transcript: