NEW YEAR'S HUM

How Sad, the Year Just Passed

How sad, the year just passed! A year the past
Arose like smoke from deep beneath the rubble,
Pouring up through fissures in the heart,
Perhaps our own as much as those of others.
Year of hatred writhing in raw pain,
Near mad with certainty arrayed in faith,
Each aggrieved alight with righteous anger,
Whirlwinds swirling through their swathes of rage.
Yet let us in the new year look for justice,
Ever the rock on which to live in peace,
Administered with love for every soul,
Regarding every evil as our own.

Nicholas Gordon

FRIDAY'S HUM (12-29-06)

TRUMP'S A 'PIMP', ROSIE'S A 'LOW-LIFE' !
We like to keep it local here, but the New York Post is having fun with this and so are we.

MOVIE MORGUE
10 WORST FILMS OF 2006: SEVEN DAYS
We love 'Worst of...' lists and we hope you do too. Rick Kisonak, take it away.

SITTIN' ON THE BROCK OF THE DAY
Insightful piece from the Dwinell Political Report (12-22-06) on why Randy Brock lost the race for auditor.
Seems RB wasn't the campaigning type - at least not in this STATE!! Maybe he can run for the auditor post in Florida.
Click here for the story and many others from the always entertaining DPR.

BEST VERMONT MUSIC OF 2006
This, according to the Vermont Guardian, the best paper no one knows about. We never hear anyone talking about the VG, but hell, we like it and we usually scan it when we're at the Brownell in Essex.
By the way, the Bluegrass Gospel Project, number 4 on the list, is Humly recommended.

FIVE CORNERS UPDATE
I was ready for the Essex Junction Five Corners light yesterday. Knowing I'd be at the intersection for hours, maybe days, I packed every Jack DuBrul book I could find, and some I couldn't find. I was able to read River of Ruin, Vulcan's Forge, Deep Fire Rising, Pandora's Curse, Charon's Landing and Havoc before the blasted light changed, which kept me from tackling Skeleton Coast, which was co-written with Clive Cussler. Oh well - maybe I'll get to that one next light.

P.S. - According to Wikipedia, Vermont author DuBrul writes techno-thrillers, which is a pretty cool term, eh?

WEDNESDAY'S HUM (12-27-06)

ROCKY KNOCKS OUT THE GOOD SHEPHERD
Were you wondering, as we were, how the latest Rocky would fare at the box office.
After one week, the film has made about 22 million, and has actually garnered a few good reviews, including the Chicago Tribune.
The Good Shepherd, DeNiro's 168 minute depiction of the making of an American spy, has gathered in around 10 mil.


FUEL FOR THE CITY - WEEK FOUR

Ever wanted to keep tabs on local gas stations - just to see who's charging what? Well, we're starting a new weekly feature that keeps tabs on eight stations in Essex, where we're based. We figure we'll have fun seeing what each station charges each week.

Latest prices on the right. Dec 4/ Dec 11/ Dec 19/Dec 26

Five Corners Simon's - Mobil - $2.31/$2.31/$2.35/$2.37

Maplefields Essex - Mobil - $2.33/$2.33/$2.35/$2.37

Essex Discount Bevy - Citgo - $2.33/$2.33/$2.33/$2.39

Bushey Sunoco - Full - $2.35/ $2.35/$2.29/$2.39

Dave Whitcomb Citgo - Full - $2.35/$2.35/$2.35/$2.45

Go Go Gas - ? - $2.29/$2.27/$2.35/$2.35

Champlain Farms - Exxon - $2.31/$2.33/$2.37/$2.35

Fairgrounds Bev Citgo - $2.31/$2.33/$2.36/$2.39

Week 4 notes:

• See how they all jumped up in time for Christmas travel.
• Dave Whitcomb at $2.45! Geez, Dave - that full service better include a wash and wax!
• Interesting to see where the price goes after the holidays. We'll be on it.

BETTER LETTER
Excited about the big Barre drug bust? John Walters isn't. He thinks the recent arrests will only make Barre a more lucrative market. Read his thought-provoking letter to the Times-Argus now.

CHRISTMAS HUM

HAPPY CHRISTMAS HAPPY CHRISTMAS HAPPY CHRISTMAS

HOW LOVELY 'TIS to TAKE THIS TIME

How lovely 'tis to take this time
To greet our dearest friends,
To wish them health and happiness
Before the old year ends.

Darkness comes late afternoon
And winter lies ahead,
But friendship is a glowing fire
When all seems cold and dead.

Just as in some vacant barn,
Unnoticed in the night,
The whole of human history turns,
So we, too, make things right.

We must keep alive the flame
Though darkness grip the Earth;
For in the love we find in friends
Is our chance for rebirth.

NICHOLAS GORDON

SPECIAL HUM (12-23-06)

REST IN PEACE, ROBERT STAFFORD
Long before the concern for global warming became fashionable, Robert Stafford was working intensely to combat the effects of air pollution. Here is a stirring piece from the New York Times, dated September 13, 1988, in which the retiring Senator Stafford is seen as he was, an individual quietly yet fiercely protective of our environment.

FRIDAY'S HUM (12-22-06)

SALMON SWIMS UPSTREAM TO RECOUNT VICTORY
WCAX with the best report.


HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HOLLOWS?
Burlington Free Press.com posted the AP story earlier yesterday than many media outlets, especially in Vermont. Trouble was, the title was not entirely correct. Instead of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the article erroneously reported the title as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. Check out the minor gaffe here.


TERRIBLE TEEN TAKEN TO TANK

Remember the woman in her 80's who was assaulted and robbed on her way to a Burlington polling station in November.

Burlington police have arrested Kelly Saxton, 16, of South Hero and charged him with robbery.

Can you guess how the fool was caught? He tried to cash a check from the victim's checkbook. Smart.

Note: Vermont Hum will stay on this story. We will report who the judge will be and what type of sentence the perp will receive.
It will be interesting to see how harsh (or lenient) the penalty is for robbing and injuring an eighty-three year-old woman.

Below is the Hum coverage of the incident from November11-13.

VICTIM VOTES ON WAY TO HOSPITAL

As we reported earlier, an 83 year old woman was assaulted as she and her sister walked to the polling station on election day. Betty Grady was walking on George Street in Burlington when an evil scumbag came up behind her and yanked at her purse, breaking her wrist as he dragged her. He got away and, at this point, is still at large.

Betty Grady lost all her cash in the attack. If anyone knows of a collection being taken please let us know and we'll let many others know.

Incredibly, Betty Grady STILL went to vote before having her injuries treated!

We end our election coverage on a sad note. An elderly woman, walking to the polling station in Burlington, was knocked to the ground and had her purse stolen. She suffered broken bones and assuredly, future psychological trauma. The Free Press tucked this story neatly on page whatever, and life goes on.
My God, can't we do something? Can we make this a bigger story?
Every time we read about something horrific like this, do we think, God, that's awful, and then move on to the next page? It's so easy to feel terrible about something like this and then be swept back to our own busy lives. We feel bad for the old lady but, gosh, we got a bus to catch. Or a plane to catch. Or life to catch.
We all care but what do we do? We have to do something. We will do something.
Vermont Hum is not through with THIS.

WEDNESDAY'S HUM (12-20-06)

REUTERS: MILD TEMPS IN VERMONT TIL JANUARY - Click here to find out why!

FUEL FOR THE CITY - WEEK THREE

Ever wanted to keep tabs on local gas stations - just to see who's charging what? Well, we're starting a new weekly feature that keeps tabs on eight stations in Essex, where we're based. We figure we'll have fun seeing what each station charges each week.

Latest prices on the right. Dec 4/ Dec 11/ Dec 19

Five Corners Simon's - Mobil - $2.31/$2.31/$2.35

Maplefields Essex - Mobil - $2.33/$2.33/$2.35

Essex Discount Bevy - Citgo - $2.33/$2.33/$2.33

Bushey Sunoco - Full - $2.35/ $2.35/$2.29

Dave Whitcomb Citgo - Full - $2.35/$2.35/$2.35

Go Go Gas - ? - $2.29/$2.27/$2.35

Champlain Farms - Exxon - $2.31/$2.33/$2.37

Fairgrounds Bev Citgo - $2.31/$2.33/$2.36

Week 3 notes:

• Simon's jumps from 2.31 to 2.35. Huh?
• Why is one Citgo 2.33 and one 2.36? Ripoff?
• Bushey's full serve Sunoco goes down! What's up with the 2.29?
• Go-Go is charging 2.35 for its mystery gas? Whoa!
• CHAMPLAIN FARMS AT 2.37 ! EXCUSE ME !
  

Love ya. Let's do lunch at the Five Corners sometime.

MONDAY'S HUM (12-18-06)

GRANDSON NOT IN CHRISTMAS MOOD
GRANDMOTHER STRANGLED WITH CHRISTMAS LIGHT CORD


BETTER LETTER
Our Better Letter to the Editor award goes to Ralph Farnsworth of New Haven. Farnsworth's offering, published in the Sunday, December17 Burlington Free Press, questions the driving capabilities of Senator Edward Flanagan, of which there is considerable Hum.

Evaluate senator's
driving abilities

"I think state Sen. Edward Flanagan should be examined by the state to see if he is qualified to operate a motor vehicle. The next time he has an accident, he may not be so lucky or worse, he may involve other people.

I believe the state should re-examine operators after the age of 75 or 80 for eyesight and some form of reflexes. I don't believe a written exam is necessary.

Maybe operators having an accident for unexplained reasons such as Flanagan should also be re-examined, regardless of age."
RALPH FARNSWORTH
New Haven

FIVE CORNERS UPDATE
Delightful atmosphere at the Essex Junction Five Corners yesterday. Christmas carolers went from car to car taking requests from idlers. I chose The 12 Days of Christmas 'cuz I knew there would be more than enough time to get through it.

FRIDAY'S HUM (12-15-06)

AH! NORTH BEACH IN DECEMBER
Waves gently lapping the shore. Warm sand pliable beneath one's toes. A mild breeze skimming in from the south.
July in Vermont?
Nope.
Yesterday.
Dogs, joggers and amazed saunterers gathered at Burlington's North Beach to enjoy a 51 degree December day, which is not even close to the record 63 degrees set back in 1901, according to the National Weather Service.
The average high for this date is 33 degrees and the record low was a brisk -11, back in '33.

On a related note, George Monbiot's book, HEAT How to Stop the Planet From Burning is generating BIG HUM.


KENNY ROGERS SPOTTED IN MONTPELIER?
Was singer Kenny Rogers seen walking down State Street in Montpelier?
Nah. It was just another Rogers look-a-like. Have you noticed a ton of guys who look like the venerable country/pop/lounge crooner. You are not alone.
menwholooklikekennyrogers.com


FIVE CORNERS UPDATE
Industrious day at the Essex Junction Five Corners light. The wait was so excrutiatingly long I was able to walk to Big Lots, pick out a pack of embarrassingly inexpensive Christmas cards, return to the car and sign, seal and stamp each one, with time left over.
I walked them over to the village post office, mailed them and scampered back to the intersection. The light still hadn't changed.
So, I had a few tugs of eggnog and...

When I came to, the cell phone was ringing. It was a friend from Montana who had received the card and was calling to extend the best of the season. We were in the midst of a vigorous back and forth on the true meaning of Christmas when the light finally changed. I wished my pal "all the best", and drove to the dollar store, where I was able to start, and finish, my Christmas shopping. Thanks to the Essex Junction Five Corners light, I truly had found the 'spirit of Christmas'.

WEDNESDAY'S HUM (12-13-06)

WILLISTON LANDFILL PRIMER

GET YOUR FILL
Considerable Hum on the streets regarding the proposed 66 acre Williston landfill.
Here's a quick breakdown:

WHY ?

• Consumer would pay approximately 25% less in fees. ( Savings of 3+ million a year)
• There would be less tractor-trailer traffic; it's 73 miles to Coventry and 35 miles to Moretown, where the CSWD ships the trash now.
• Williston's landfill would be more environmentally sound than the for-profit operations in Coventry and Moretown. Both meet state standards, but not New York's more stringent ones. Williston plans to put a 2 foot layer of clay beneath the liner, which is made of 60 mil thick poly. They also will recirc leachate - water running through garbage - instead of extracting it and sending it a wastewater plant.
• Less time and money wasted loading trucks and shipping the waste. More time and money spent on programs/education.
• Local control better for encouraging waste reduction.

WHY NOT?

• Lower property values
• Too close to airport, should be at least twice as far away. Potential problems with seagulls endangering aircraft.
• Landfill not needed. Coventry and Moretown good for 20+ years.
• All landfills leak, according to opponents. Possibility of birth defects. cancer and asthma etc. for nearby residents.
• Trucking will remain the same. For-profit landfills will have to make up the difference somehow.
• Locals worried about landfill growth, traffic, etc.
• Residents near proposed landfill pissed off; claim they weren't privy to future landfill when they purchased their homes. Most agree Williston dropped the ball on that one, not CSWD.

Them's the facts. You decide.

FUEL FOR THE CITY

Ever wanted to keep tabs on local gas stations - just to see who's charging what? Well, we're starting a new weekly feature that keeps tabs on eight stations in Essex, where we're based. We figure we'll have fun seeing what each station charges each week.

Dec 4/ Dec 11 Latest price on the right.

Five Corners Simon's - Mobil - $2.31/$2.31

Maplefields Essex - Mobil - $2.33/$2.33

Essex Discount Bevy - Citgo - $2.33/$2.33

Bushey Sunoco - Full - $2.35/$2.35

Dave Whitcomb Citgo - Full - $2.35/$2.35

Go Go Gas - ? - $2.29/$2.27

Champlain Farms - Exxon - $2.31/$2.33

Fairgrounds Beverage - Citgo - $2.31/$2.33

Love ya. Let's do lunch at the Five Corners sometime.

MONDAY'S HUM ( 12-11-06 )

KOS ANALYSIS
Matt Dunne with good exposure over the weekend on Lib superblog Daily Kos, which generates about half a million unique visitors EVERY DAY, slightly more than the Hum.
Dunne's service politics campaign, which the Vermont Hum cheered on in an October article, is featured in a lengthy column written by Democrat 'puter guru Eric Loeb, who has rubbed elbows with Clinton and Gore.
Loeb gushingly describes the nuts and bolts of Dunne's service actions, which, in some ways, mirror the efforts of Loeb and his org, Goodworks-PAC. Loeb writes: " As the founder of Goodworks-PAC, my goal is to alter the flow of money in politics so that a substantial portion of every campaign's budget will go toward solving real problems as a necessary part of the campaign. "
Read the rest of the piece now.


FIVE CORNERS UPDATE - Essential Collection
It was bumper sticker heaven at the Essex Junction Five Corners Light yesterday. The car in front of me had one that read, Tailgaiters Buy My Cars, while the car up ahead in the right lane had a message stating, Your Little Princess is My Little Whore. The lady in the first vehicle looked to be a cigarette afficionado, and the gentleman driving the rusty princess whore vehicle looked, well, undereducated.
There were also numerous trucks with numbers on them, presumably carrying drivers who just can't get enough Nascar in their lives. Those drivers also looked, well, undereducated. But macho.
The best bumper sticker simply said, Breathe Deeply, which is not a good idea at the Five Corners, or as I lovingly call it, Idler's Cove. But I breathed deeply anyway, and felt better for it.

FRIDAY'S HUM ( 12-08-06 )

BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS

CLEAR CHANNEL MAKES CUTS IN CHITTENDEN COUNTY
RADIO GIANT HANDS OUT XMAS GIFTS -- IN THE FORM OF SEVERANCE CHECKS!
STAR 92.9, CHAMP AND KISS EMPLOYEES VAPORIZED!

No one can give you the scoop better than Kevin Carter, the scribe from Radio and Records whose daily Street Talk is a must-read for individuals in the radio biz. Here's his chatter from Wednesday, 12-6-06.

• "Even the bucolic hamlet of Burlington, VT hasn't been spared a visit from the CC Restructuring Snowplow of Doom(TM). Jennifer Foxx, a.k.a. "J-Fo," MD/midday ratings queen on AC WEZF (Star 92.9), was invited to leave the premises after nearly 13 years with the company and seven years in the market. Also out: Mel Allen, midday talent on Classic Rock WCPV (Champ 101.3/102.1); and Jag, morning talent on CHR/Top 40 sister WVTK (92.1 Kiss FM). ..."

According to Carter, neutralized radio employees are "...the result of America's newest unemployment sensation that's sweeping the nation: "restructuring."

Foxx, whose 100,000 watt voice was heard far and wide from 10-3 on weekdays, can be reached at foxxthatrocks@yahoo.com

WEDNESDAY'S HUM ( 12-06-06 )

KATHLEEN SPANO'S 15 MINUTES OF FAME
To all harried parents of young children:

Unless you want to have your name splashed all over VPR, Burlington Free Press, and the rest of the media dogs, take your kids with you when you go inside a store - or anywhere, for that matter. Kathleen Spano, who left her kids in the car in Macy's parking garage and claims she went into Macy's looking for a kid's hat, came out to a police surprise party. The cops claimed they had been waiting for Spano for about a half an hour, and that was after a good citizen reported the situation.
How old were the kids, you ask? 7 and 2.


FUEL FOR THE CITY
Ever wanted to keep tabs on local gas stations - just to see who's charging what?
Well, we're starting a new weekly feature that keeps tabs on eight stations in Essex, where we're based. We figure we'll have fun seeing what each station charges each week. Here goes.

Five Corners Simon's - Mobil - $2.31
Maplefields Essex - Mobil - $2.33
Essex Discount Bevy - Citgo - $2.33
Bushey Sunoco - Full - $2.35
Dave Whitcomb Citgo - Full - $2.35
Go Go Gas - ? - $2.29
Champlain Farms - Exxon - $2.31
Fairgrounds Beverage - Citgo - $2.31

Notes:

• Go Go has mystery gas. Your guess is as good as mine.
• The full serves are running a couple of pennies higher this week.
• Maplefields is said to be more pricey, but they have nice bathrooms! Over the next few weeks we'll find out if they are charging more than Simon's, who also sell Mobil. Does Maplefields peddle a better Mobil? Doubt it.
• These prices were recorded on 12/4/06
  

MONDAY'S HUM ( 12-04-06 )

PAPER TRAIL
Monday tidbits from papers around the state.

Barre Times-Argus - Look at these rainbow clouds hovering over Williamstown yesterday.

Bennington Banner - Think youth sports are out of control? Banner columnist Don Keelan weighs in.

Valley News - Heartwarming tale of a train ride from White River Junction going north on Thanksgiving eve.

Stowe Reporter - Evelyn Wermer Frey reviews Jernigan Pontiac's latest offering: Hackie 2: Perfect Autumn

Addison Independent - Of X-mas trees and Velco

Rutland Herald - Here's a test. Name the Rutland Mayor. If you don't know, click here.


FIVE CORNERS UPDATE - Essential collection
Had a sleepover at the Essex Junction Five Corners Light last night. Arrived around 7 p.m., sensing it was going to be a long wait. So we got in our jammies, opened the bag of unshelled peanuts, and threw Caddyshack into the portable DVD player. Don't you love that movie? We think Rodney Dangerfield's death last year should have been a national day of mourning.
Anyway, when the light changed the next morning, we drove off, leaving the intersection strewn with peanut shells, or as they call them in Georgia - mulch!