What if the Buddhist values of loving-kindness and compassion were at the heart of a political philosophy, what we might call a “Politics of Compassion” in 21st-century America?
Explore the Buddha's world, his politics, and what an “Engaged Buddhism” looks like in the U.S. today through a series of three monthly Wednesday evening programs with the Rev. Dr. Thomas Redden, a professor emeritus of political science and history at Southern Vermont College and Marlboro College and an ordained Zen Buddhist priest, Zen Peacemaker Order.
• The Buddha's World: Oct. 19. The historic Buddha lived at a time of dramatic change technologically, economically, socially, and politically. Redden will examine those changes and how the Buddha's teachings challenged the traditional Brahmanism of his day and resonated with his many followers.
• The Buddha as Political Actor: Nov. 16. As the leader of a religious community numbering in the thousands in Eastern India, the Buddha needed to maintain good relations with the local kings and communities in order to thrive in a very political and often violent environment. As a result, he developed distinctive leadership styles toward his followers as well as the local rulers. Above all, he was pragmatic, nondogmatic, and flexible.
Obituaries • Dawn (Mastellone) Franceschetti, 55, of West Dover. Died peacefully at home on Oct. 7, 2022, surrounded by her family, following a courageous battle with ovarian cancer. Born May 22, 1967 in Tarrytown, New York, she was the daughter of Stephen and Florence (Scheffold) Mastellone. She grew up...
A two-in-one concert celebration of a new CD, Big Woods Voices: Poetry in Harmony and Becky Graber's songbook, All I Need is Here, is scheduled Friday, October 21, at the Brattleboro Music Center (BMC). Big Woods Voices celebrates a cappella vocal harmony through arrangements grown from American roots genres,
First, thank you, voters of Windham County, for your support during the August Primary election. I was honored to be selected by Democratic voters to be placed on the November general election ballot as their candidate for the office of assistant judge. I am asking once again for your vote and support. This year, for the first time in many years, at least one of the county's two assistant judges will be new to the office. The position requires significant...
Nelson Withington Skating Facility opens for season on Oct. 22 BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department says that the Nelson Withington Skating Facility will be opening for the season on Saturday, Oct. 22. The public skating schedule is as follows: Mondays: 7–9 p.m. (Dollar Night); Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.–noon (adults only); Fridays: 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. (adults only); 7–9 p.m. (public skate); Saturdays: 1:30–4 p.m. (Dollar Skate); 7–9 p.m. (public skate); Sundays: 1–4 p.m. and 7–9 p.m. (public...
Wendy Harrison and Nader Hashim understand public service and have committed themselves fully to that work. Each has a record of effective collaboration all over Windham County with people of all ages, political perspectives, cultural backgrounds, and socioeconomic concerns. Together, their expertise ranges from housing to law enforcement to environmental protection to economic development to transportation to the court system to public finance. Each has shown that they know how to solve problems creatively, with a commitment to providing real...
We're newcomers to Windham County, having moved to Brattleboro in 2020, but we've quickly fallen in love with this beautiful area. We've met many wonderful people in our short time here, one of whom is our friend Tim Wessel, whom we are proud to support in the upcoming state senate election. We met Tim and his wife Erin through our son's daycare, which their son also attends and which is still in operation only because Tim, Erin, and a dedicated...
Canal Street Art Gallery, 23 Canal Street, presents “Amendment XXIX Right to Privacy,” a collection of artworks signifying artists' personal expression on a Right To Privacy Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Artists in the show include Clare Adams, Nancy Fitz-Rapalje, Corinne Greenhalgh, Yevette Hendler, Marcie Maynard, Roxy Rubell, and Jeanette Staley. The show opens Friday, Oct. 21 with an opportunity to meet the artists during the Bellows Falls 3rd Friday Gallery Night from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibit is...
I've known Tim Wessel, who seeks to represent Windham County in the state Legislature, for over 20 years; he has always impressed me as being a good listener, a team player, thoughtful, evenhanded and deliberate in his actions. I have greatly appreciated the work that he's done on the Brattleboro Selectboard; Tim was the chair during the very first year of the pandemic; he was instrumental in the creation and funding of our skatepark, and he worked hard to protect...
Whereas, present racial inequity stems from the history of enslavement; Whereas, 400 years of racism in the United States has divided humanity and denied the dignity due every human being; Whereas, the whitewashing of Vermont's history with abolitionist movements made it seem that it fully eliminated slavery in its constitution, and this whitewashing creates a division between White and Black Vermonters; Whereas, when a people try to hide the reality of oppression, it distorts the relationship between people; Whereas, the...
I support Carolyn Partridge for assistant judge in Windham County. Carolyn's experience as a legislator recommends her highly for the office. As a committee chair in the House of Representatives for 14 years, she rightly earned a reputation for fairness, competence, and compassion. These qualities will serve her well on the bench. Her service as assistant judge will bring honor to the bench, justice to those who appear before her, and competence to the county she well serves.
The Champlain Trio presents “Transfigured Night” Sunday, Oct. 23, at the Brattleboro Music Center (BMC). The 4 p.m. concert is an invitation to embrace the changing of the seasons with a program that transports the audience from sunlit evenings to the dark of winter. “This musical journey will warm souls and excite imaginations,” say organizers, as the Trio “explores 'Adagio' by Schubert, the 'Ghost' trio by Beethoven, and ends with a moonlit walk through the woods with Schoenberg.” The Champlain...
On Saturday, Oct. 22, Compass School will host its annual Fiesta, with a Latin American-inspired tapas-style dinner and a musical performance by Cara Trezise. Trezise is a vocal artist, dancer, and educator based in Vermont. “Her inexhaustible passions for song, food, movement, and sparkle offer a joyously eclectic musical experience,” say organizers. Trezise will perform a set of Cuban/Latin music on guitar and then facilitate a salsa dance class, “guaranteed to enliven your bodies and spirits!” say organizers. More about...
David Zuckerman has been a leading home- grown Vermont Progressive for 22 years, first as a legislator and then as lieutenant governor. An organic farmer by trade, his work in Vermont is not done. He is running for his former position. Social, economic, and environmental justice has been his platform throughout his political life. Racial equality, reproductive rights, equal marriage, workers' rights to unionize, paid family leave, livable wages, and defending the environment are the values that have sustained him...
A recent review by the Reformer of the current slate of Republican candidates for local and statewide government offices got me thinking. Not one of the them repudiated Donald Trump; perhaps they weren't asked. Even before watching the last of the Jan. 6 committee hearings, it occurred to me that any candidate who doesn't condemn Trump and his plot to overthrow the government and the U.S. Constitution should automatically be disqualified for public government service. My reading of the coy...
In a panel discussion following the recent viewing of Break the Silence: Reproductive and Sexual Health Stories by local filmmaker Willow O'Feral, viewers and panel participants discussed Article 22, a.k.a. the Reproductive Liberty Amendment, a.k.a. Proposal 5. For so many reasons, it was very helpful to be in a room full of people who wanted to talk about it! Here's my best attempt to describe the basics of the discussion as a list of frequently asked questions about this ballot...
Here's why Tim Wessel gets my vote for Vermont Senate to represent Windham County in the upcoming November election: 1. He's served successfully on the Brattleboro Selectboard for nearly six years, including the last few tumultuous ones in our community due to Covid. He's shown that he can show up when times are tough. 2. He successfully pushed for our rental housing inspection program to protect renters from dangerous living conditions. With the rising housing crisis in our area, this...
I support Tristan Roberts' candidacy to represent Halifax, Whitingham, and Wilmington, in Vermont's House of Representatives. During the past few months, I have gotten to know Tristan through his writing, his website, in-person conversations, and attending September's candidates' forum at Memorial Hall in Wilmington. He is an effective communicator. He speaks and writes with clarity. Tristan has a firm understanding of the issues facing Vermont and the residents of the Windham-6 district. If there is an issue he is not...
Marathon board meetings of the Windham Southeast School District (WSESD) on Tuesday, Oct. 11 and the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union (WSESU) on Wednesday, Oct. 12 ended with one chair intact, the other out of that role, and a call from Superintendent Mark Speno and others to “reset” and board members to “deal with” personality clashes. On Oct. 11, WSESD Board Chair Kelly Young moved that the board censure, or reprimand, herself, for alleged ethics violations. That move was ultimately defeated,
Rock River Players (RRP) launches its 2022–23 season with Oscar Wilde's satire, The Importance of Being Earnest, Nov. 4 to 13 at the Williamsville Hall on Dover Road. Directed by RRP founder/co-artistic director Annie Landenberger, Wilde's greatest hit is the second large-cast comedy classic offered by the RRP since the pandemic, following last year's sell out, The Front Page. “Though Wilde labelled it 'a trivial comedy for serious people,' Earnest is a pretty irreverent satire, a poke in the fleshy...
Are we ever going to be able to talk to each other again? This is something I've been asking myself for a while now. And, along with the threat to our democracy, I find that question to be one of the real tragedies of our polarized society. Oh, and let me be clear: I'm not only talking about our inability to talk to those with opposing views; I'm also referring to the increasing difficulty in talking to those on our...
Hydro-Québec, a large-scale hydropower company based in Canada from which Vermont draws a significant portion of its electricity, plans to purchase 13 generating stations and three storage reservoirs in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. A subsidiary, HQI US Holding LLC, announced its plan on Oct. 12 to purchase Great River Hydro LLC, an affiliate of ArcLight Capital Partners, for $2 billion. Great River Hydro, based in Westborough, Massachusetts, operates dams, power stations, and storage reservoirs along the Deerfield and Connecticut...
This year, Epsilon Spires will celebrate Halloween with three early horror movies, accompanied by live soundtracks performed by some of the premier silent film accompanists in the country. On Saturday, Oct. 22, the iconic vampire film Nosferatu will be screened with a score performed on the pipe organ by Dennis James, followed the next weekend by The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari on Oct. 29 with music by the Anvil Orchestra. The following Monday, Halloween night, will feature a special presentation...
Shoot the Moon Theater Company returns to their first live, in-person theater performances since 2020 with a production of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for its 2022 annual Halloween Spectacular. Shows take place Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 21–22 and Oct. 28–29 at 7:30 p.m. in the Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery. Artistic Director Joshua Moyse says in a news release, “We stayed in contact through COVID-19, did some online readings, and did a digital Halloween show in...
Five new exhibits will open at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) on Saturday, Oct. 22, including solo exhibits by Renate Aller, Madge Evers, Judith Klausner, Alison Moritsugu, and a group exhibition curated by Michael Jevon Demps. “The Space Between Memory and Expectation” is an immersive, site-specific installation by Aller of large-format landscape photographs of mountains, glaciers, trees, the ocean, and other natural landscapes, complemented by an assemblage of lichen-covered rocks from the West Brattleboro home of artists Wolf...
It's sort of unusual for an institution to have a grand opening ceremony more than a year after opening a new facility, but not much has been usual about the four-year process of Groundworks Collaborative to create a new social service infrastructure for the area. “It doesn't seem like a standard practice to be formally opening the campus after it's been operational and so heavily used for so many months,” said Josh Davis, executive director of the nonprofit, “but between...
Housing in the rural central tier of southern Vermont always has been dependent upon single-family homes. Apartment complexes are rare in most villages. Instead, most residents in southern Vermont have found housing in single-family homes to purchase and apartments to rent in repurposed larger homes or other buildings. Despite waiting lists for low-income or senior housing, that formula seemed to have satisfied the majority of the populace - until COVID-19 hit the East Coast in March of 2020. The pandemic...
It stands 14 feet tall and is nearing 200 years old, but it's in remarkable shape considering what it has gone through in its long life. A large stained-glass window illustrating Jesus' parable of the “Sower and the Seed” is, as far as anyone can tell, the last such artifact from the former Methodist church which was built in 1835 and once stood at 66 Atkinson St. That building was demolished in December 2021, but with the blessing of the...
Hurricane Ian, the deadliest storm to hit Florida since 1935, struck the west coast of the state in the early morning hours of Sept. 28. Winds and water from the Category 4 storm ravaged much of central Florida. Preliminary estimates of uninsured losses are topping $17 billion, making Ian one of the 10 most costly storms in U.S. history. At least 102 people are already known to have died, and many people, three weeks later, are still missing. Zachary Rounds,
The Twin Valley girls' soccer team hasn't won a game or scored a goal so far this season. But I saw little gloom when I went over to Hayford Field in Wilmington on the night of Oct. 14 to watch the Wildcats take on the Arlington Eagles. Considering that Arlington beat Twin Valley, 10-0, when they met on Sept. 23, it was reasonable to expect a similar result on this evening. That the Wildcats held the Eagles to just two...