When N.L. Dennis was singing in a recording studio with Toots and the Maytals, Bob Marley stopped by to listen. Marley praised Dennis's delivery. Today, Dennis lives in his native Jamaica and joins hundreds of Jamaicans who come to Vermont every summer in search of better paying work. Most of them work on vegetable farms and at apple orchards. Dennis works as a reggae musician. On July 28 at 11 a.m., he will play a free concert at the Putney, Vermont farmers' market. Putney is near Brattleboro.
May 17, 2024
Climate Rally is May 21
In Springfield on May 21 there will be a climate rally. It starts at 5 p.m. at 244 Worthington Street. The organizers have a web page at:
https://climateactionnowma.org/our-allies/
A major cause of climate change is overpopulation, according to:
www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/climate/
May 10, 2024
132 Arrested in Amherst
In Amherst on May 8, police arrested 132 peaceful protesters at UMass. The protesters were calling for the university to stop supporting Israel's war on Gaza. The UMass professors' union president said he supports the protesters. Two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author Colson Whitehead responded to the arrests by canceling his planned speech at the UMass graduation ceremony, set for May 18. Whitehead also won a MacArthur fellowship (the annual award is now $800,000) and the National Book Award.
The protesters have a web page at:
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May 09, 2024
VTDigger Stifles Media Democracy
For people in Brattleboro who want to know what the state legislature is doing, the best option may be to read VTDigger. The mission of the Vermont Journalism Trust, owner of the popular news website, is to “produce rigorous journalism that explains complex issues, promotes public accountability and fosters democratic and civic engagement.”
What's less clear is how much the group wants itself to be subject to public accountability and democratic and civic engagement.
May 03, 2024
125 Rally
On April 26 in Amherst about 125 peace protesters held signs inside and outside an event at UMass with the governor of Massachusetts. The protesters were calling for UMass to stop investing in companies that take part in Israel's war on Gaza, and to cut ties with military contractors.
April 26, 2024
Former Police Chief Charged with Theft
In Northampton, on April 11, 2024 students at Smith College ended their 12 day, 24-hour-a-day occupation of the college's central administration building. They were protesting the war by Israel and the USA against Gaza.
On October 25, 2023, fifty-seven members of the UMass Amherst community--fifty-five students and two campus employees--were arrested in the Whitmore administration building, demanding that UMass divest from and cut ties with Raytheon and other companies that are fueling and profiting from the war in Palestine.
April 19, 2024
10 Arrested at Protest
Ten people from the Pioneer Valley were among about 70 people at a rally on April 15. Ten people were arrested for non-violent civil disobedience. The goal was to stop Israel's war on Gaza. The rally was outside a military factory in Middletown, Connecticut, which is about 40 minutes by car from Springfield, Massachusetts.
April 12, 2024
Rosanne Cash
Rosanne Cash will play a concert in Keene on Saturday, June 8 at 8 p.m. She will play the Colonial Theater. You can hear one of her songs at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTFyaQ9ZlL0&ab_channel=RosanneCashVEVO
April 12, 2024
Environmental Victory in Brattleboro
Thanks to the work of environmental activists, a new bus will start running in Brattleboro on April 15. On average, even electric cars are worse than busses and trains for the environment. That's because cars so often have just one person in them. Electric cars still require roads. Asphalt is made from oil and gravel. Train tracks are narrower than roads and they are built on plain crushed stone. Eliminating roads could create space for forests to grow. Details about the Brattleboro bus are at:
www.moover.com/brattleboro-microtransit
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April 04, 2024
150 Rally
More than 200 Smith college students occupied the administration building at the college starting March 27. The 24 hour a day occupation was continuing as of about 10 a.m. on April 4. The students were calling on the college to stop investing in corporations that make bombs, guns, and other supplies used by Israel to kill people in Gaza. The USA provides much of the money for the genocide.