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The above photo was taken April 16, 2014. It was authenticated by the University of Brattleboro Photo Lab, and it may not get more authentic than that.

I’ve just heard of someone being scammed. A phone call from a “Live Technician” with a Las Vegas number and a Canadian billing address, scammed this elderly woman for several hundred dollars and wiped much of her laptop, iPad, and iPhone clean. The caller “knew” which devices she owned before she told him and she unwittingly gave him access to her devices. He was claiming that she needed to buy his company’s malware and that her computer was loaded with troubles. He wiped out whole programs she’d paid for, and supposedly installed their malware. Of course, all of her information and identity is now stolen.

During the month of March, Brattleboro Area Prevention Coalition (BAPC)  is doing a community survey to determine if people are bothered by second-hand smoke in front of Price Chopper and/or Rite Aid on Canal Street.

BAPCwill be hosting a community Facebook chat in early April to discuss the results and determine the next step. Please complete the survey, pass it along, and join us for the Facebook chat on April 8th from 7-8 PM. 

Imagine the worst when it comes to the loss of privacy in the modern era, and . .

Driving – It’s a privlege, not a right.

When parking, don’t block sidewalks. Pedestrians and those in wheelchairs need to get through, so when you park a car, pay attention to keeping the sidewalk (or crosswalk) free.

The US army has built a fake city designed to be used during combat training exercises.

The 300 acre ‘town’ includes a five story embassy, a bank, a school, an underground subway and train station, a football stadium, and a helicopter landing zone.

Located in Virginia, the realistic subway station comes complete with subway cars and the train station has real train cars.

Yield at Crosswalks

Motorists, yield to pedestrians in all crosswalks, even at mid-block crosswalks. When downtown, stop for pedestrians who are waiting to cross. Pay particular attention to the crosswalk in front of the Post Office/Rec. Department.  

In other town crosswalks, stop for pedestrians if they are already in the crosswalk. Do not drive through the crosswalk if a pedestrian is crossing in it, even if they are on the far side of the lane from you.

I was down at the Town Clerk’s office today doing some research. While I was there, someone called asking how to get in touch with iBrattleboro, so they put me on the phone. He said he didn’t have a computer but wanted to warn people about another phone scam.

He said that the scam goes like this. You cell phone will ring once. If you get curious and call it back, you get charged $20, plus another $9 a minute for as long as you stay on the phone.

So, be warned.

Part of my research involved looking at Selectboard minutes from the 1950’s and I got to pass over many unrelated but interesting things we don’t hear much about today (and some things we still hear about).

Do you remember:

– The West Brattleboro Speedway…

Walking – you’re in charge of your own safety. 

No sidewalk? Walk facing traffic. If there isn’t a sidewalk, walk on the left side of the road facing oncoming traffic. The mantra is “Walk left, ride right.”

Driving – It’s a right, not a privilege.

Avoid distractions. Reaching for cell phones and other gadgets causes accidents. If you must make or receive a call, pull over or use a hands-free device. Texting while driving is illegal in Vermont. 

Bicycling – Same roads, same rules.

Ride with traffic. Riding against traffic is a major cause of bike-car crashes. Ride right and follow the law.

A couple of times in the last month or so, I’ve been clocked going 90 near Crowell Park heading toward Green Street. Impressive for an old Honda starting at zero mph at the Cedar Street turn, eh?

As I say, I was clocked going that speed. I wasn’t going that fast, of course.

Twice now I’ve seen the speed detector do an odd thing. As you approach at a normal speed, the reading suddenly and rapidly rises: “Your speed is 40, 50, 70, 90… Slow Down!” Then it resets itself.

Walking – you’re in charge of your own safety

Use crosswalks. Crosswalks are designed for your safety. If there is a crosswalk nearby, take the time and walk to it before crossing the street.

No crosswalk? Yield to cars. If there is no crosswalk nearby, you should cross the street only when there is a safe gap in traffic.

Driving – it’s a privilege, not a right.

Be alert when driving. One moment of inattention can take someone’s life. Don’t take the road for granted!

Funded by a grant from the Public Health Law Research program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, this study examined data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System database from 2005 to 2010 on every crash on US public roads that resulted in at least one death. Pedestrian fatalities caused by distracted driving crashes have steadily increased between 2005 and 2010 – from 347 in 2005 to 500 in 2010. Bicyclist fatalities caused by distracted driving crashes increased from 56 in 2005 to 77 in 2008, decreasing to 73 fatalities in 2010.

Want to learn more? .

Today I received two calls -both on my cell phone – both looking for medical information. The first- from # 767 – 275-9061-was from someplace called ” National Medical Audits”. The second – about 2 hours later- was from # 356-490-5697. and from “US Medical Associates” Both calls were obviously from call centers – there was a lot of background noise-and both times the caller was a man with a very pronounced Indian accent.

[Brattleboro, 1,000 years ago]

LESS THAN A YEAR AFTER KING DICK YIELDED THE MUNICIPALITY TO SIR DAVID: THE ONCE FEARSOME, FIRE-BREATHING BUDGET-DRAGON WAS SLAIN, THANKS TO AN IBRATTLEBORO POLL. 

SOME SAY THE POLL HAD BEEN HACKED. BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT ONLY THE WOODEN FLAGPOLE IN FRONT OF THE IBRATTLEBORO COMPLEX HAD BEEN HACKED BY SOME KID WHO JUST HAD TO TRY OUT THE NEW HATCHET HE RECEIVED AS A GIFT FOR HIS 10TH BIRTHDAY. 

I just received a new twist on the medical alert obnoxious telemarketing calls.  This one showed up in the caller ID as being from “Alert” so when I picked up, I just listened, didn’t say anything.  A robo call came on saying that a system had already been paid for, including shipping (“perhaps by a friend or relative”), and all I needed to do was press one to arrange for delivery.  I didn’t go down that road, but to be so bold as to say it is already paid for will undoubtedly get some people to respond.  How despicable can thes telemarketers get?  Please don’t answer!!  I ask that rhetorically.  I’m sure your responses would be just as nasty as the thoughts going through my head!

“There was no excuse, in this country and in this time, for the spread of a deadly new epidemic.  For this was a time in which the United States boasted the world’s most sophisticated medicine and the world’s most extensive public health system, geared to eliminate such pestilence form our national life. When the virus appeared, the world’s richest nation housed the most lavishly financed scientific research establishments-both inside the vast governmental health bureaucracy and in other institutions – to investigate new diseases and quickly bring them under control.”

– Journalist/ Historian Randy Shilts in ‘And The Band Played On.’