By G. E. Shuman Okay, so, I admit it. THIS really is my favorite time of year. I enjoy spring, but don’t like spring cleaning; I like summer, but don’t enjoy mowing, raking, or bugs; and I like the first snowfall of winter, for about the first five minutes of that first snowfall. UGH! Fall, to me, is perfect. The sound of electricity pouring through my air conditioners is gone for the year and the roar of our fuel-guzzling furnace is yet to begin. The lawn no longer needs to be mowed, and whatever unaccomplished summer projects I had projected to produce are also in the past, or, more precisely, definitely postponed into the indefinite future, for better or for worse, for richer or for…

In 1980, the sport of tennis was dominated by a mad man. He had behavior problems and anger issues; he made life miserable for everyone around him. His name was Björn Borg. “Borg vs. McEnroe” is a college course in psychology and sociology masquerading as a sports movie. It explores the troubled psyche of champions. And it exposes the ugly but predictable ways that the sports media twists their already fragile minds. John McEnroe is the bigger star now, but at the time Björn Borg (Sverrir Gudnason) was the undisputed king of tennis. When we meet him, Borg is 24 and he has already won Wimbledon four times. He is easily the most accomplished Swedish athlete of all time. And he is acclaim…

By Lindzey Beal Lyme Disease has spread at an alarming rate in Vermont and continues to grow. Last year, according to the CDC, Vermont was listed #1 in the country for confirmed cases of Lyme Disease and is designated as an “Endemic State”. In addition, a study done by Doctor Marie J. George of the Infectious Disease Department at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in 2017, found upwards of 63 percent of ticks were infected statewide with at least one tick borne illness, with some carrying two at the same time.  Ticks and Lyme Disease are an enormous public health concern that must be addressed immediately. The smartest choice to tackle this issue is to work with Mother Nature rather…

By Greg Sukiennik Editor of the Brattleboro Reformer On Monday, four student journalists at The Register, the Burlington High School student newspaper, broke the news that the Vermont Agency of Education had filed six counts of unprofessional misconduct charges against BHS guidance director Mario Macias. The four student editors — Julia Shannon-Grillo, Halle Newman, Nataleigh Noble and Jenna Peterson — used public records to document the story. The charges include incompetence, falsifying a student transcript, mistreatment of employees, improper release of student information to a third party and improper treatment of a college student, who was working as a substitute teacher. Ma…

History books tell the Great Man version of history. American history starts with great man Cristopher Columbus, continues with great men George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, and moves forward quickly to great man Abraham Lincoln. When the history of our time is written, future generations will read about Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. “But what about us?” you may ask. “Aren’t we as important as the great men of our time?” No, we are not. The best we can hope for is that one historian will buck the trend and tells our side of the story. Howard Zinn (1920 - 2010) is one of the most well-known and respected 20th Century historians. He was able to toss the Great Man blueprint in the…

Dear Editor, Patrick Leahy occupies the U.S. Senate seat once held by George Aiken, and a century before Aiken, by Justin Morrill.  Aiken and Morrill are two of the most and consequential and distinguished Senators to ever serve our nation. Morrill was a key source of strength and influence in the United States Senate for President Lincoln, and the person most responsible for creating America’s state college system. The ability for poor and lower income families to include first generation college graduates is largely due to the work of Justin Morrill. The great achievements of America in the twentieth century would not have been possible without an upwardly mobile society of educat…

(A Slightly Seussical Saying, for Stop Sign Obeying) By G. E. Shuman We have a red sign, at the end of our street. It says the word STOP, in white letters so neat. I think it’s a law, that when seeing that sign, A driver must do what that sign has in mind. To slow, and to look, when approaching a ‘T’ In the road is just part of what driving should be. When you come to that sign, to avoid the police You should always try stopping and looking, at least. Because there are cars full of other folks, still, And sometimes they speed when up-climbing that hill That meets with the street that goes right past our place. It’s as if, for some reason, they’re runnin…

When I was a teenager, I took a bus to New York City by myself. My most vivid memory was being confronted by a mentally ill homeless person. He stated passionately that the government is out to get him and that the President is destroying the country and is personally responsible for his homeless predicament. Everybody talks about the leaders of our country. But nobody seems to consider their perspective with empathy. Leaders are human beings like us, with jobs much harder than ours. The breakout international hit drama “Vikings” presents the human side of leadership in an entertaining and intellectually stimulating way. The main character is Ragnar Lothbrok. Ragnar has an aptitude…