WEEKLY HUM ( 07-31-06 )

MEL TIPS 'EM
Here we go again. Yet another celeb busted for driving under the influence. Mel Gibson was pulled over for speeding and was found to have a BAL over .10, which is a no-no in this day and age. Mel, Mel, Mel.
To the countless other rich and famous people who read this blog, remember our advice from last week.
WHY DRINK AND DRIVE WHEN YOU CAN AFFORD TO DRINK AND BE DRIVEN!

BETTER LETTER
Our Humdrum award for letter to the editor of the week goes to primary care physician Deborah Richter for her biased yet careful summation of the differences between Sanders and Tarrant with regard to health care. In a nutshell she submits:

• Tarrant wants to provide insurance to everyone, yet does not state how it will be paid for. Sanders wants insurance for all, but states that it must be publicly funded.
• Richter points out that every industrialized nation in the world has a publicly funded budget for health care coverage, spend less than we do, and live longer, which is certainly debatable.
• "Rich Tarrant's heart may be in the right place," she says. "But what we need now are clear-eyed, realistic answers to a problem spinning out of control. Bernie Sanders has the right handle on this. We need public financing of medical care, public control of overall health care costs, and above all we need a real functioning health care system."

Sure, the letter sounds like standard Sanders supporter stock, but it also smacks of a frustrated practicing primary doc, trying to navigate the swirling and chilly waters of Vt. health care.
This letter appears in the July 26 issue of the Vermont Times.

BLOG DAYS OF SUMMER
The halcyon days of July and August are also the calm days of the Vermont blogosphere. A vacation here, a wayward post there; it seems like our local blog friends relish the cessation of hyperactivity and are regrouping in preparation for a lively and stimulating September. Hall Monitor, a Hum fave, is taking some time in August to chill, and other blogs are taking it easy.
Conversely, a newer blog seems to be posting and tinkering furiously; here is the link for Green Mountain Hard Right.

FIVE CORNERS UPDATE
Skidded up to the Essex Junction Five Corners Light and received bad news from a fellow idler. The red light was going to be a long one, he told me, cuz a village official was in a really bad mood and decided to take it out on motorists, programming the light so it would change only every six hours. I shrugged and didn't much care because I had just come from the Brownell Library and was clutching a brand new copy of 'In the Land of the Wild Onion', written by Dummerston's Charles Fish. The book outlines Fish's journey on the Winooski River from Cabot to Lake Champlain. I was able to read the entire book AND walk it back over to library before the six hour light changed. Real relaxing.

WEEKLY HUM ( 07-21-06 )

EASY DRINKIN' COORS
Here's one of those stories that makes you say, "Oh, this is beautiful!" Beer baron Pete Coors arrested on charges of DUI in Colorado, a block from his home. Seems the Sultan of Suds had been at a wedding reception and enjoyed one too many...Coors?
Tim from Montpelier remarked: "If you are as rich as Pete Coors, why not take a limo to the wedding reception?"
Good point, Tim. Why drink and drive when you can afford to drink and be driven.

WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE? SEVEN DAYS!?
Stink on the streets of Burlington re: the saucy and spicy ads in the Burlington Free Press for male enhancement products, complete with a provocative pic. Some questions we encountered were:

• Does the Free Press need the money that badly?
• How many readers are actually going to order the product?
• How many men kept the paper for future reference?

BETTER LETTER
Our Humdrum award for the week's best letter to the editor goes to a couple of fellows at the Vermont Agency of Transportation, who actually wrote in to apologize for misleading facts regarding train scheduling. Click here for the Seven Days letter and article.

IT'S BEGINNING TO SOUND A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS
Star 92.9 played Xmas music all day Wednesday and received many compliments from listeners appreciating the silliness. And the kids loved it, too.

FIVE CORNERS UPDATE
Bellied up to the Essex Junction Five Corners Light yesterday and couldn't see a thing. There were thousands of BMW motorcycles all around me, and the exhaust fumes shrouded the intersection with an eerie yellow haze, like something from Soylent Green. The collective roar of the bikes was so loud, I couldn't hear my Wood's Tea Company CD, so I turned it off, left the car idling and hitched a ride with one of the Beemer pilots. We went for a scenic ride through the bay and by the time I returned to my car, the light changed. Hey, if you can't beat 'em, join em'.

WEEKLY HUM ( 07-21-06 )

EASY DRINKIN' COORS
Here's one of those stories that makes you say, "Oh, this is beautiful!" Beer baron Pete Coors arrested on charges of DUI in Colorado, a block from his home. Seems the Sultan of Suds had been at a wedding reception and enjoyed one too many...Coors?
Tim from Montpelier remarked: "If you are as rich as Pete Coors, why not take a limo to the wedding reception?"
Good point, Tim. Why drink and drive when you can afford to drink and be driven.

WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE? SEVEN DAYS!?
Stink on the streets of Burlington re: the saucy and spicy ads in the Burlington Free Press for male enhancement products, complete with a provocative pic. Some questions we encountered were:

• Does the Free Press need the money that badly?
• How many readers are actually going to order the product?
• How many men kept the paper for future reference?

BETTER LETTER
Our Humdrum award for the week's best letter to the editor goes to a couple of fellows at the Vermont Agency of Transportation, who actually wrote in to apologize for misleading facts regarding train scheduling. Click here for the Seven Days letter and article.

IT'S BEGINNING TO SOUND A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS
Star 92.9 played Xmas music all day Wednesday and received many compliments from listeners appreciating the silliness. And the kids loved it, too.

FIVE CORNERS UPDATE
Bellied up to the Essex Junction Five Corners Light yesterday and couldn't see a thing. There were thousands of BMW motorcycles all around me, and the exhaust fumes shrouded the intersection with an eerie yellow haze, like something from Soylent Green. The collective roar of the bikes was so loud, I couldn't hear my Wood's Tea Company CD, so I turned it off, left the car idling and hitched a ride with one of the Beemer pilots. We went for a scenic ride through the bay and by the time I returned to my car, the light changed. Hey, if you can't beat 'em, join em'.

HUM STAFF ON VACATION - SEE YOU NEXT WEEK

WEEKLY HUM ( 7-2-06 )

GET TORTI
Now, let's see if we understand this. The head of the Agency of Natural Resources, Tom Torti, is leaving his post as the environmental top dog, to become prez of the Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce, an org that goes to bat for thousands of businesses in Vermont.
The kicker is that Torti won't be leaving for 4 months or so, which has many people in the state shaking their collective heads, and murmuring something about 'conflict of interest'. Torti supporters state that any conflict of interest matters will be solved by recusals, and four months is not that long, anyway. Detractors say Torti has not been a good fit with the agency all along, and this is a good chance to start fresh, immediately.
Torti's year and a half with the ANR has been bumpy, to say the least. Vermont Hum recommends that Tom Torti resign his position, take the summer off, lick his wounds and move on. He'll probably be a great chamber chief.

BETTER LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Our HumDrum award, which picks out the best letter to the editor, goes to Jill Diemer of Burlington, who writes:
" If a person were to expose themselves to my son and I while walking down North Street they could face fines , mandatory therapy, a record and possible jail time. If 40 people do it while riding bikes it is considered "legal activism?" Try explaining this type of logic to your 5-year-old." Powerful stuff, Jill.
This letter appeared in the Burlington Free Press.

PITT, JOLIE, WESTERN MASS, CAMERA, SECRET SERVICE - HUH?
Weird and unfinished story coming out of Western Mass - Westfield to be exact. Read this quick piece from USA Today and try not to say, 'what?'
By the way, MassLive is a great site for individuals who have Western Mass ties or are just interested in the area. The site features folksy columns by Tom Shea, whose wife is author Suzanne Strempek Shea, a Hum fave.

DAYSIES CHAIN
Vermont blog frenzy regarding the Seven Daysies and it's Best Vermont Blog award. Numerous blogs have been less than subtle in their encouragements to the readers for votes; we at Vermont Hum have decided not to cheapen our presentation with the solicitation of votes; we instead want to thank our faithful readers for making us one of the fastest growing Vermont blogs in 2006.
Speaking of blogs, an anonymous reader was quite vociferous in his/her assertion that a blog can win only if the technical aspects of writing are, for the most part, sound. The example given was a posting from a blog called PoliticsVt and it's June 30 entry entitled Seven Daysies: Best Vermont Blog.
Indeed, the reader had a point, with the blog grossly mispelling clamoring (clammering) and responsibility (responsability). It was noted that 'polls close on July 3'rd; we've never quite seen the 3rd put that way. Recommended was misspelled, but give 'em some slack - that one is a toughie. Sentence structure was iffy, but hey, maybe it was a bad day. We've all had 'em. I guess we would have to agree that winning blogs should have some sense of, well, basic writing skills.

FIVE CORNERS UPDATE
Shucks! Got to the Essex Junction Five Corners Light just as the stupid thing turned yellow. Usually we scream through the yellow (after all, yellow means STEP ON IT!) but this time we came to a stop. Knowing we had time on our hands, we got out the DVD player and threw in...Five Corners! Yes - Five Corners the movie. The one from '87 about a psycho returning to his neighborhood after spending time in the clink. Great cast, with Jodie Foster, Tim Robbins, John Turturro and in a small role, Campbell Scott. It was great seeing the movie again and the light changed just as the credits rolled. It was perfect!