FRIDAY'S HUM ( 11-03-06 )

VERMONT HUM ENDORSEMENT WEEK - LOOK FOR DAILY UPDATES

RUTLAND HERALD ENDORSES DUBIE, SAYS DUNNE LOST CRED WITH ATTACK AD - (11/3/06 Editorial)
BRATT REFORMER GOES WITH BROCK; SALMON LEFT SWIMMING ALONE -
(11/3/06 Editorial)

RUTLAND HERALD SAYS DOUGLAS IS THE ONE - (11/2/06 Editorial)
STOWE REPORTER GOES WITH SANDERS
RUTLAND HERALD ADDS SANDERS, REFORMER CHOOSES DUNNE
RANDOLPH HERALD GOES DEMOCRAT (Gulp)

FREE PRESS TRICKS SANDERS, GIVES TARRANT TREAT
RUTLAND HERALD SUPPORTS WELCH
October 31 Free Press editorial supports Tarrant in his run for the Senate, based on his innovative ideas on health care and job creation.
Rutland Herald's Welch pick is no surprise.

Here's an updated sampling of newspaper endorsements from around the state:
ADDISON INDEPENDENT
Dunne
Sanders
Didn't see anything about Welch/Rainville.

BRATTLEBORO REFORMER
Douglas
Sanders
Welch
Dunne
Brock
They must have thrown Douglas out as a bone; newspapers catering to a lefty constituency are seeing declining circ numbers.

CALEDONIA-RECORD
Douglas
Tarrant
Rainville
Are we surprised?

BURLINGTON FREE PRESS
Douglas
Welch
Dunne
Tarrant
Dunne was a bit of a surprise. Support for Tarrant frenzies blogosphere.

RANDOLPH HERALD
Sanders
Welch
Who said it's a right wing rag?

RUTLAND HERALD
Welch
Sanders
Douglas
Dubie

STOWE REPORTER
Sanders

Here's a great one. The Bradford Journal-Opinion seems to have no opinion. Did we miss it?

More later.

FIVE CORNERS UPDATE
Dilemma at the Essex Junction Five Corners Light yesterday. We were stuck behind a dump truck with a big sign on the tailgate stating CONSTRUCTION VEHICLE - DO NOT FOLLOW. Yikes! What do we do? If we can't follow it, do we have to turn around? If we follow it, will we be arrested? And who made the rules about not being to follow this truck?
By the time the light changed, the sign on the truck had weathered and was unreadable so we didn't have to worry. Thank God, 'cuz it was just too much to think about on a Sunday.

FRIDAY'S HUM ( 10-27-06 )

MALEK'S BAY
He's not a kook. He's no dummy. And he smells good.
Progressive candidate for Lt. Governor Dr.Marvin Malek's credible performance during last evening's VPR statewide debate in Colchester must have incumbent Brian Dubie licking his lips. Granted, Malek is no Pollina, but the smarter he sounds, and the more rational he behaves, the more he will tend to draw votes away from Dem challenger Matt Dunne, who already trails by 10 to 15 points. In the next debate, during the candidate question period, Dubie should ask Malek questions and just let him go, trusting that Malek will answer coherently and passionately, thereby ensuring more votes for himself, indirectly.
Desperately seeking office, Matt Dunne is still hanging on to the lame work ethic thing. Anybody who has driven through Montpelier in July knows that zero work is being done in an 'office'; one would look damn silly, or damn suspicious, propped up in a nearly empty statehouse, pretending, like a Fletcher Allen middle manager, to look busy.
We told you, kid. Stick with the service politics. It's a good idea.
By the way, Dr. Malek has said he will continue to practice medicine if elected.

FIVE CORNERS UPDATE - Essential collection
Couldn't wait at the Essex Junction Five Corners Light yesterday. I was too busy. So I strapped on a set of rescue lights to the top of car and sailed through unimpeded. It was great!

WEDNESDAY'S HUM ( 10-25-06 )

FOIE GRAS IS NOT A CHEAP PERFUME SOLD AT BIG LOTS
Letter of the week goes to Bobby and Aly Riley for their educational offering in the October 18 issue of Seven Days. Thanks, guys. We were unaware of a Blue Star Cafe in Winooski, and also ignorant of a culinary treat (for some) called Foie Gras, which is what you get when you force-feed a duck until its liver looks like a rugby ball.
Here's the letter, along with some Wikipedia facts on the subject. Wiki, you rock!

CRUEL CUISINE
We were appalled to read that the Blue Star Café in Winooski offers foie gras, and equally disappointed that Seven Days’ editors chose to feature that as a selling point to highlight this establishment ["Gourmet Onion," October 11]. ["Gourmet Onion," October 11] Chicago recently passed a city ordinance banning the sale of foie gras due to the inhumane treatment of ducks and geese. Foie gras is made by force-feeding ducks and/or geese so that their liver expands to 10 times its normal size. There is no humane manner in which to attain this desired result. Companies and restaurants that sell or cook this culinary monstrosity support the continued cruelty to animals.

Shame on the Blue Star for offering this as a meal choice, and shame on Seven Days for calling attention to Blue Star’s menu without providing adequate information on such a barbaric practice. We like to think that the people of Chittenden County are at least as progressive, it not more so, than those in Chicago, and if properly informed would choose to create a similar law or ordinance in this area.

Bobby & Aly Riley
WINOOSKI

From Wikipedia:
oie gras [fwɑ gʁɑ] (French for "fat liver") is the fattened liver of a duck or goose that has been overfed. Along with truffles, foie gras is one of the greatest delicacies in French cuisine—it is very rich and buttery, with a delicate flavour unlike that of a regular duck or goose liver.

All animal rights organizations, and nearly all animal welfare organizations regard the production as cruelty to animals because of the force-feeding and the health consequences resultant from enlarged livers. Foie gras production is illegal in several countries and in several U.S. jurisdictions.

The production and sale of foie gras is reportedly illegal in Israel, with prohibiting legislation pending in others. In August 2003, the Supreme Court of Israel declared foie gras production a form of cruelty to animals and made it illegal, effective March 2005. On 29 September 2004, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a state law banning the production and sale of foie gras made from the livers of force-fed ducks and geese, effective in the year 2012, nevertheless, the Californian law would allow the production and sale of foie gras produced by methods not considered cruel to animals. It is assumed that the California farmer will be able to prove his methods humane, especially since veterinarians agree with him. Similar legislation is pending in New York state. California and New York are currently the only U.S. states producing foie gras but it is sold in all states. Moreover, on 26 April 2006, the City Council of Chicago voted to make Chicago the first United States city banning the sale of foie gras, effective 22 August 2006.^{[8] [9]} Several chefs have filed suit,^[10] and the City Council is considering overturning the ban which generated outrage across the city.

Force feeding is prohibited in the following places,^{[citation needed]} although the sale of foie gras is not forbidden in:

• Argentina
• Austria (six of nine provinces)
• The Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Finland
• Germany
• Ireland
• Israel (2005)
• Italy
• Luxembourg
• The Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland (1999 — was the world's fifth largest producer)
• Russia
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• The United Kingdom
• United States
  

  Main producers

  France is the leading producer and consumer of duck and goose foie gras. In 2005, the country produced 18,450 tonnes of foie gras (75% of the world's estimated total production of 23,500 tonnes) of which 96% was duck liver and the rest goose liver. Total French consumption of foie gras was 19,000 tonnes in 2005.^[1] Approximately 30,000 people are members of the French foie gras industry, with 90% of them residing in the Périgord (Dordogne), the Midi-Pyrénées régions in the southwest, and (Alsace). The European Union recognizes the foie gras produced according to traditional farming methods (label rouge) in southwestern France with a geographical indication of provenance.

  Hungary is the world's second-greatest foie gras producer and the largest exporter (1,920 tonnes in 2005). France is the principal market for Hungarian foie gras; mainly exported raw. Approximately 30,000 Hungarian goose farmers are dependent on the foie gras industry.^[2] French food companies spice, process, and cook the foie gras so it may be sold as a French product in its domestic and export markets.^[3]

  Bulgaria produced 1,500 tonnes of foie gras in 2005;^[4] Québec, Canada, also has a thriving foie gras industry; Canadian chefs use Québec foie gras as a demonstration of national pride.

MONDAY'S HUM ( 10-23-06 )Early Edition

KITTY TURNS 100
Quick piece on WCAX this morning about Burlington's "Kitty" Green and her achievement - reaching the century mark. "Kitty" lives at Burlington Health and Rehab with - get this - her 96 year old sister! Geez, those gals should write a self-help book on longevity.
Green, born in St. Albans in 1906, is known for having a positive attitude, which could be one of the reasons she's been around this long.
Here's to your first hundred years, Kitty.

CARVING UP SORRELL
If you think the Sanders-Tarrant race is bitter, try out the AG tilt. Repub candidate Dennis Carver has, at various times, accused Bill Sorrell of protecting the corrupt, lying to the people, and doing nothing when he should have been doing something.. Carver was so insulting on a recent channel 17 debate, a caller, who admitted he wasn't a big Sorrell fan, told him to stop the attitude and keep it civil. Here's a tag line from Carver's website, which by the way, is not a bad site, technically speaking:

I have taken every step I know to convince the Attorney General to live up to his oath of office. He refuses.
The current Attorney General is the problem; I intend to be the cure.

Carver, 59, garnered over 90,000 votes in his last run against Sorrell, back in 2004.

FIVE CORNERS UPDATE - Essential collection
I was at the Essex Junction Five Corners Light so long this morning my car depreciated 2,000 bucks. I'm not kidding. The guy from Capital in Essex came over while I was idling and said, " Hey, Boy - since you been at this here light , the value of yer car has gone down substansurly." (sic) Writers - don't you love hangin' a sic once in a while. Also, have you noticed more newspapers are putting [sic] in parentheses than brackets. Picky-picky.

FRIDAY'S HUM ( 10-20-06 )

BETTER LETTER
Our award for letter of the week goes to Jeff Spengler of Colchester, who is willing to do the cooking if his wife is elected state rep from Colchester. We selected this letter from the Colchester Sun on account of Jeff's unflagging loyalty, puppy dog enthusiasm and just plain cutesy wutesy writing style. We don't know if we want to eat Jeff's cooking, but we do admire his spunk. To get to know his candidate wife Kristy Spengler a little bit better, read this:

"Go for it Kristy

Hi. It's me again, Kristy's husband, Jeff. Some of you may remember my letter to the editor entitled "Don't do it Kristy" a few weeks ago, where I playfully bemoaned her running for office and the extra dinners I would have to cook but concluded she was the right person for the job.
My mantra of "Don't do it" has become "Go For it", and she is. Kristy has been tirelessly working, talking with constituents, hitting the neighborhoods week after week. She returns home full of interesting stories of discussions and observations from our neighbors from all parts of our district. She is very encouraged by the enthusiasm and encouragement she is being met with. She is listening and learning. I think this is what makes Kristy such a great advocate for Colchester. She has conviction and a clear vision of what is important, but she is open minded and continues to assimilate all the information and exchanges she is enjoying. She is listening intently and would bring these views to Montpelier. This is a key to a successful representative. I don't really trust someone who is close minded and proclaims they know all the answers. I want a representative that will remain open minded and work with others to move forward on important issues like global warming, health care for all Vermonters, and fair taxation. Solutions to these problems are not simple and the ability to work together will be the key to success.
I know Kristy better than anyone else (Ok, maybe her mother would debate this), but she has the right stuff. Kristy is enthusiastic, well meaning, honest and one of the nicest people in Colchester. With those attributes, her conviction, her fresh set of eyes and ears, and willingness to listen and learn, we can't miss.
Go for it Honey...I'll do the cooking!"

Jeff Spengler
Colchester

FIVE CORNERS UPDATE - Essential collection
Really had fun at the Essex Junction Five Corners light yesterday. Knowing it would be a while before the light turned green, a fellow idler and I got out the Parcheesi board and played a spirited game. It had been so long since I had played Parcheesi and it felt great. The light changed just as the game ended. Perfect timing!

WEDNESDAY'S HUM ( 10-18-06 )

DUNNE BELL
Just as we criticized Gov Douglas for his misguided campaign strategy against Scudder Parker, we also criticize Lt. Gov candidate Matt Dunne for his silly attacks on Brian Dubie's work habits. In a radio debate on WDEV, Dunne took exception to Dubie being out of his office so much, and said Dubie wasn't earning his 61K Lt. Gov salary. Dubie said he doesn't have to sit at a desk in Montpelier to work hard, which he has stated before. He is proud of his travels around the state and abroad, and feels much can be done being 'on the road'. Dubie later leveled Dunne, stating that Dunne has missed 36 per cent of his legislative votes.
Dunne, who has won many supporters with his fresh approach to campaigning, is seen as a good guy with smart ideas and bountiful energy. The Hum applauds his ' service campaign', in which he and his staff work on volunteer projects as they tour the state. The last thing Dunne should be doing is getting into a pissing contest with Dubie about the Lt. Gov's office attendance. Dubie is basically seen as a nice guy, a patriot and a diplomat proud of his travels as an ambassador for Vermont.
Dunne would be well-advised to keep it clean, keep hammering home his service politics philosophy and keep smiling. He's got great teeth!
For additional reading, link to this solid article by Darren Allen and the Rutland Herald.

FIVE CORNERS UPDATE
Thank goodness for the Essex Junction Five Corners Light. I was at home yesterday looking for a quiet place to study the Essex merger plans. I would need a couple of hours, at least. Hmmm. Where could I go? Then it hit me! I could get in my car and study the plans while I was waiting for the light to change. Perfect! That would give me a few hours without ringing phones, blaring tvs, etc.
I was able to digest the complicated merger plans, and still had time left over to read the new Vermont Maturity from cover to cover. It was grand!
Submitted by Brian McClintock.

MONDAY'S HUM ( 10-16-06 )Early Edition

START YOUR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING
Hum around town re: Burlington Firefighting, a new book from the Images of America series. Here's the scoop from Arcadia, publishers of over 3,000 local history titles.

Book Description: Burlington Firefighting richly illustrates the triumphs and tragedies, the hauntings and secrets of the Burlington Fire Department. Originating as a series of bucket brigades, the fire department developed from competing companies that served as elite social clubs into a professional organization that was incorporated in 1895. The transitions from hand-drawn to horse-drawn carts and pumpers to steam engines and motorized trucks largely shaped the evolution of firefighting in Vermont as a whole.

The author is not some schmo who comes to us from a Images of America corporate cubbyhole. Liisa Reimann has impressive credentials; she's a grad student in UVM's Historic Preservation Program. Read her bio here.
The book sells for 20 bucks and has lots of great old photos.

FIVE CORNERS UPDATE - Essential Collection
Heard a budding entrepreneur talking about starting carhop service at the Essex Junction Five Corners intersection. What a great idea! You've got cars idling at the lights, sometimes for hours or even days, with a captive audience waiting for your product. Have a waiter on rollerblades delivering yummy food to motorists who are deeply entrenched and have time to kill. By the way, does anyone remember the Essex A&W? Those were the days, my friends.

FRIDAY'S HUM ( 10-13-06 )

HUMBUGS - Quick snippets from the control center

* Ethan Allen Cinemas is closed. Note on the door thanks patrons for the last 25 years.

* One of our correspondents noticed a Honda Civic with a BUY LOCAL bumpersticker. Huh?

* In Vermont, we have lefty blogs, righty blogs, techie blogs and gardening blogs. Sports blogs, knitting blogs, farming blogs, dirty blogs, clean blogs and music blogs. But do we have any politically centrist blogs or good nonpartisan news blogs that aren't preaching to the choir in one way or another?

* Why are trains allowed to blast 3 gazillion decibel whistles at 11:30 p.m.

* Did you know you could drive to Panton in mid-October and see 20,000 snow geese socializing. Just one of the many reasons we love The Vermont Gardener.

* Are people able to smoke 2 cigarettes at the Essex Junction Five Corners Light before it changes?

WEDNESDAY'S HUM ( 10-11-06 )

AUD MAN OUT
Lib Union offering Jerry Levy with halted rambling during the VPR Auditor of Accounts debate made an interesting debate even more interesting. Levy stammered something about not being the best technical person for the job but would give 100 per cent. He's also directed plays which makes him uniquely qualified for the position. Levy wasn't at the debate - his segment was taped. Here's the wrap on the major candidates:

• Republican incumbent Randy Brock was solid, having an answer for most everything. He's proud of keeping politics out of the office, and doubly proud of completing state audits in a timely manner, something that hadn't been commonplace in the past. When Martha Abbott tried to corner him about living in Florida part-time, Brock was steadfast, saying he's taken some long weekends to the Sunshine State but does not live there. He stated he has a car with lots of miles, all of those miles logged in Vermont.
• Dem candidate Tom Salmon needs more debate experience; at times he had a lightweight timbre not unlike Dan Quayle. He was strong when he pointed out he's the only one in the race with a college accounting degree and is a CPA. Brock is not. When Brock pointed out that Salmon had not held a job since 1993, Salmon defiantly stated that was false; he worked for a firm from 2002 -2003.
  
• Martha Abbott sounded confident and answered questions thoroughly. She admitted unapologetically that she is carrying a political agenda though the campaign.

NOT THE END OF THE TORRE
Whew.

FIVE CORNERS UPDATE - Essential collection
Light was so long at the Essex Junction Five Corners yesterday, I was able to eat an entire Martone's grinder from start to finish while idling. Have you ever had one their grinders - the thing is like 18 feet long. It was delicious and messy but I was also able to clean up with some stray baby wipes and take a short nap before the light changed.

MONDAY'S HUM ( 10-09-06 )

IMAGINE IF RICH TARRANT...
Imagine if Rich Tarrant held a press conference and said:
"I would like to announce a shift in our campaign strategy. As of now we will be using our remaining funds not for advertising purposes, but to help out organizations in Vermont, groups that certainly could use the money. Our first donation from the Tarrant campaign will go to the Ethan Allen Homestead, who are on the verge of dismantling their operations. Our 1.5 million dollar gift to the Homestead will ensure their viability for years to come, and we truly feel their cause of education and enlightenment is a worthy one. Many advertising venues and media outlets have benefited from our immoderate spending; where has it gotten us? From all accounts, our run for the Senate is floundering and foundering, struggling and starting to sink, so we have decided to go this route, and let the cards fall where they may. Thank you."
Imagine.

Editors note: We here at the Hum are not endorsing Bernard Sanders. We feel his accomplishments as mayor were sizable; conversely his accomplishments in Congress have been minimal. Detractors of the Hum's position on Sanders are asked to point out large differences he has made in the lives of Vermonters since he has served in Washington. We also get nipped when he rails against the wealthy yet he makes five times more than the average reporter, EMT, or day care worker.
We just believe Tarrant spent his money unwisely.

TORRE STORY
Lot of Yanks fans in the area; some of the knowledgeable ones love Newsday for its coverage of the Bronx Bombers. Check out this commentary from Shaun Powell on why Joe Torre should go.

FIVE CORNERS UPDATE - Essential collection
The Essex Junction Five Corners intersection was a hub of activity yesterday. While waiting for the interminably long light to change, we noticed idlers getting a lot done in their vehicles. One guy was printing spreadsheets from his laptop, another was sitting on his hood, with tax forms all over the place. A mom was playing Twister with her daughter; luckily the SUV they were in was large enough to accomodate the game. Along with monitoring the action, we were able to listen to the brand new Guster CD, in it's entirety.

---

FRIDAY'S HUM ( 10-06-06 )

DEEP COVER
Our investigative reporter is on special assignment covering Edwards, who's in town. Details to follow.

WEDNESDAY'S HUM ( 10-04-06 )

HE'S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD...
Did you know that the Soldier and Sailor Relief Act allows military personnel to drive with expired licenses? We didn't either, until we read a letter in The World, a publication based in central Vermont.

Armed Forces ID Should Be Accepted

Editor:

Hello, Northfield, Norwich University and the surrounding community. I am MSG Shane Bailey in the U.S. Army currently stationed at Norwich University. I've got over 19 years in the U.S. Army and seven years of that time I've been deployed overseas to Eastern Africa, Middle East and Central Asia. I most recently participated in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

My story is simple. On 17 September 2006, on a beautiful, Northfield Sunday afternoon, I stopped by a local chain convenience store/gas station to pick up a 6-pack of beer. The lady behind the counter asked for I.D. and I provided her with a current Department of Defense Identification Card. The lady stated that company policy "did not accept military I.D. as a valid proof of age". Shocked and insulted I provided her with a driver's license. She did not accept that either as she stated that they were expired. I tried to explain to her that Active Duty Military could operate a vehicle with an expired driver's license under the federal law called the Soldier and Sailor Relief Act but she promptly ignored my appeal and rudely asked me to leave the store immediately.

I found it hard to believe that a local business, which gets much of its support from Norwich University, blatantly and with contempt, refused to serve an American soldier. I've been here 3 years, love the people, bought a house in town and made some lifelong friends. As for me, I refuse to buy anything from a stick of gum to a tank a gas from ANY of that chain's stores.

-MSG Shane Bailey

Northfield

There was a SSCRA; it has since been changed to the SCRA. We took a cursory look through the act's revision but could not find mention of the expired driver's license stipulation. Maybe we weren't looking hard enough.

GREEN MOUNTAIN RUMBLE
Green Mountain Daily took the first swing. Green Mountain Hard Right responded with a flurry of jabs followed by a roundhouse right (get it) that left GMD on the ropes - and we're unsure if they will come back for more. Hot diggety dog - this exchange is more interesting than the Douglas-Parker catfight! We've got a feeling GMHR has an advantage in weaponry, but GMD could sustain with its scrappiness. View the match now.

FIVE CORNERS UPDATE
Fell asleep at the Essex Junction Five Corners last night while listening to the Sorrell-Carver debate. When I came to, Morning Edition was on and the light STILL hadn't changed. Somebody's got to do something about that!

GET BACK TO WORK, HON.
Yeah, you.

MONDAY'S HUM ( 10-02-06 )

BETTER LETTER
The HumDrum award for best letter goes to Dan Tuffley of Essex for his 'tell it like it is' piece in Sunday's Burlington Free Press.

"Day in and day out I see people crying about the wealthy, saying it is unfair they have money, and we should tax them more. Of course, the whiners never explain that taxing the wealthy out of spite does nothing more than hurt our economy, take away the incentives to work hard, and ultimately lead to economic stagnation. Socialism has been tried, and it fails. Vermonters might want to look up the Soviet Union and see how awesome socialism is.

Bottom line is, if you feel you do not have enough money, get a job, get a second job, or get some loans and go back to school. Do not blame society, or the rich people -- who often are the ones giving you the job -- for your ills.

And by the way, to the "Robin Hood" supporters of "rob from the hard working and give to the lazy," well, go back to school and take some economics lessons, folks. Tax revenue is up since the Bush tax cuts, and the economy is doing very well. Lower taxes provide people and business the money to invest in the economy, hire workers, and provide nice salaries, isn't that what you want? Sounds like people just want handouts and are mad that other people work harder than them."
DAN TUFFLEY
Essex Junction

OONA'S DAMAGED
Folkies in mourning after fire damages Ooma's Restaurant in Bellows Falls. Restaurant known for being gathering place and also for featuring damn good musicians. The place had recently changed hands.

FIVE CORNERS UPDATE
Sunday morning at the Essex Junction Five Corners Light was a religious experience. While idling yesterday morning, I was able to say 10 Our Fathers, 10 Hail Marys and still have time to read the ENTIRE New Testament. The light turned green just as I was wrapping up Revelations 21. It was perfect!