WEDNESDAY'S HUM (1-31-07)

LET'S TALK PIZZA, PAISAN !
Every week the Hum is going to have a reader survey on local stuff.
Last week it was coffee and thanks to a suggestion in the comments, this week it's pizza ! Yum.

What's your favorite pizza spot? Does Vermont have any good pizza or do you hafta go to Boston or New York? Do you like Domino's or Donny's ? Bingo's or Baracci's ? Leonardo's or Luciano's ?
C'mon, don't be shy. With thousands of Hum readers, you won't be alone.

Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust is popular in the Hum-o-sphere.

Click on comments and fire away.


FIVE CORNERS UPDATE
The darn light took so long to change yesterday at the Essex Junction Five Corners we were able to order Domino's AND have it delivered to our car! We then polished off the whole thing and were about to chomp the wings when the stinking light turned green. Rats!
CAN'T THEY MAKE THAT LIGHT LONGER!!!

MONDAY'S HUM (01-29-07)

STARSHIP HUM CIRCLES THE BLOGOSPHERE

VERMONT DAILY PROPAGANDA ?
You might say the folks at Leftstream have definite opinions about some local lefty blogs.
Philip Baruth and his liberal blog, Vermont Daily Briefing, take a beating from not only the Leftstream crew, but also Snarky Boy. Green Mountain Daily, among others, is accused of being a disgrace to democracy. We'd report more on this story but we have to get back to the Trump-Rosie cuddling session.


CAUCUS DOODLE-DOO
Solid coverage of the local Dem caucus from the inimitable BurlingtonPol.com


VERMONT GARDENER DOES THE VERMONT FARM SHOW
Bits and pieces on Barre's Vermont Farm Show.


HELLO BURLINGTON

FRIDAY'S HUM (01-26-07)

STATEHOUSE SARGE GOING BYE-BYE
STOWE'S SPAULDING WILL HAVE MORE TIME FOR, UM, HUNTING

Kermit Spaulding, a fixture of a name in Stowe and Montpelier, will be retiring as sergeant-at-arms come February. His replacement will be Montpelier's Francis Brooks.

Spaulding will be remembered for years of public service, ranging from his service in the house of reps, to his dedication to youth sports and Crime Stoppers. The indefatigable Spaulding was involved in a dizzying amount of activities; at various times he was a tennis official, zoning dude, guardian-ad-litem, forest resources committee member, justice of the peace and basketball referee. He's even in the Lamoille Valley Bowling Hall of Fame, an honor we all strive for.

Spaulding will also be remembered for something else: shooting at a deer decoy from his pickup truck - one of those gotcha moments. He eventually resigned his chair on the Vermont Fish and Wildlife board because of that violation. Hey, he was just having some fun! Who doesn't enjoy firing ammo at a decoy from their 4x4. Geez.
Find out more in the Stowe Reporter.

ISLAND POND COLDEST IN U.S.
Vt. town grabs national attention with -29 (1-25-07)

IMMEDIATE OPENING FOR A FULL-TIME WHAT ?
A mischievous Hum reader alerted us about the following help wanted ad in Seven Days.

Development Associate
Join an energetic, results-oriented statewide organization building sustainable solutions to hunger. The Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger has an immediate opening for a full-time Ass...

posted: 01/22/2007 04:42 PM

We imagine there are plenty of strong candidates ( in Montpelier alone ) to qualify for the stringent terms of this employment position. Good luck.

SUV CRASHES THROUGH ICE IN MILTON
Environmentalists cheer; claim it's one less gashog ruining the earth!

WCAX reports that Robert Emory of Milton will be charged with LITTERING, not having insurance, environmental violations and will spend mucho dinero getting the evil SUV out of Arrowhead Lake.

WEDNESDAY'S HUM (01-24-07)

SHUCKS ! NO MERGER !
Maybe Lyndonville and Essex Junction can merge. Inside stuff.
We were planning sizable coverage on the merger but we're sick of it like everyone else and will not mention it EVER again.


COFFEE SURVEY CONTINUES
Hey! Tell us where the great LOCAL coffee is!
Lots of comments! Lots of fun!


DIS - LOYAL
Burlington Republican Progressive Green Goatee party candidate Loyal Ploof will run for the Republican city council seat - wait! - no, he won't - wait! yes, no, yes, no...

Anyway, for the inside scoop and best story, see Charity at She's Right.



TIMES-ARGUS, BILL O'REILLY SOUNDING LIKE ROSIE AND TRUMP
They've called each other dishonest and O'Reilly has called the Times-Argus part of the corrupt Vermont media. Now the Times-Argus has blasted back, calling O'Reilly "irrelevant" and a "blowhard." At least they didn't accuse him of having a comb-over.

Here's a reaction posted on a Times-Argus forum:

donna shelley
Posted: 01/21/07 06:39:00 PM
Normal user
Posts: 1
Registered: 1/19 2006

Bill O'Reilly

---

You and the author of this are complete lunitics.Bill O'Reilly is a person,not unlike you and who wrote this story,who is trying to wake Americans up so that child rapist get the maximum amount of time in prison for thier crime.So the guy get probation and now him and alot of other pediphilles will go rape kids 4 years and under because in Vermont they wouldn't get jail time. Bill might not always get it right but he is at least trying. This so called newspaper should listen to what he has to say. Do you have kids. If you did you wouldn't dare write a bad thing about Bill O'Reilly. He cares and it shows. I was a victim of child molestation not once but many times and I thank God for people like Bill O'Reilly. The judges and prosecuters in Vermont are very much for the offender. It tells people with children not to move to Vermont because the law does not protect the children. Shame and you for defending the offenders.

HALL NO LONGER MONITORED ?
Speaking of the Times-Argus, Darren Hall, master of the well-received TA political blog, Hall Monitor, has left the building. He will be communications dude for the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. Read his send-off from the editors here.


FIVE CORNERS UPDATE
Got to the Essex Junction Five Corners and had to break up a fistfight between a merger proponent and a merger opponent. It was a bloody mess, not unlike the whole merger proceedings. (Read this BFP My Turn piece from Hugh Sweeney.)
Whoops! We said earlier we weren't going to talk about the merger EVER again, and besides, the light changed and we headed to Winooski. No merger there. Just a roundabout.

FRIDAY'S HUM (01-19-07)

MONDAY UPDATE 1/22/07

VERMONT HUM EXTENDS COFFEE SURVEY
C'mon, join the crowd! Go to the comments and tell us about your favorite coffee joint in Vermont.


TRACTOR TRAILER OUT OF CONTROL ON I-89 IN SOUTH BURLINGTON
Northbound truck crosses median into southbound lanes
Read the state police report here.


ZPIZZA'S OVENS UNPLUGGED
Small article buried in the 'hip' Weekend section of Thursday's Free Press reporting on the closing of zpizza in Shelburne.
You might remember the opening of the joint about a year ago, significant only because the owner was disgraced Fletcher Allen biggie David Demers, part of the whole hospital expansion coverup thing.
Seems Demers is back in the healthcare industry (reassuring,huh?) and can't do both pizza and coverups, er, healthcare stuff. Had to choose one. Voila.
If you have 100K you can probably take over the pie operation.


BEST CUP OF COFFEE IN VERMONT?
Who serves up the best cup of coffee in the area ?

Speeder and Earl's, Dunkin' Donuts, Maplefield's, McDonald's, Friendly's, Libby's Diner, etc.?

Tell us (and thousands of bloggers and readers) your favorite in our comments section. We'd like to know.

By the way, we'll start the ball rolling by admitting that Dunkin' Donuts is the official coffee of Vermont Hum.

Here's a coffee quiz:

1. Out of five, how many American adults drink coffee ?
2. What kind of coffee bean is most often found in cannisters in supermarkets ?
3. Like flavored coffee? How is it made?
4. How long, scientifically, before the effects of that first cup of coffee kick in ?

For the answers to these questions, and much more, please access this fine article from Men's Health written and researched by, um, Brian McClintock!



GAS PRICES - VERMONT RIPPED OFF!!! 1/19/07

Gas prices by state
State	Regular	State	Regular
Alaska	$2.42	Montana	$2.18
Alabama	$2.14	North Carolina	$2.19
Arkansas	$2.10	North Dakota	$2.16
Arizona	$2.30	Nebraska	$2.12
California	$2.60	New Hampshire	$2.26
Colorado	$2.17	New Jersey	$2.16
Connecticut	$2.42	New Mexico	$2.19
District of Columbia	$2.32	Nevada	$2.56
Delaware	$2.23	New York	$2.47
Florida	$2.28	Ohio	$2.03
Georgia	$2.10	Oklahoma	$2.00
Hawaii	$2.91	Oregon	$2.62
Iowa	$2.09	Pennsylvania	$2.32
Idaho	$2.31	Rhode Island	$2.34
Illinois	$2.19	South Carolina	$2.04
Indiana	$2.03	South Dakota	$2.20
Kansas	$2.05	Tennessee	$2.10
Kentucky	$2.07	Texas	$2.11
Louisiana	$2.14	Utah	$2.27
Massachusetts	$2.28	Virginia	$2.11
Maryland	$2.25	Vermont	$2.35
Maine	$2.28	Washington	$2.64
Michigan	$1.99	Wisconsin	$2.15
Minnesota	$2.01	West Virginia	$2.26
Missouri	$2.00	Wyoming	$2.19
Mississippi	$2.10	U.S. average	$2.21

Source: AAA Fuel Gauge Report

WEDNESDAY'S HUM (01-17-07)

CARR CRASH
WVMT 620 AM announcing the cessation of The Howie Carr Show(3-7 weekdays). Station reports it wasn't their decision; syndication probs with WRKO/Boston necessitated the change. Carr's last day on VMT will be Friday, Jan. 19.

Carr's replacement will be Independent Conservative Jerry Doyle.


HERE'S MUD IN YOUR EARS
Seven Days (Jan 10) with nifty piece on WMUD, a local radio station beaming it's signal from scenic Bridport, Vt. No commercials, no blah-blah-blah, no corporate office in Anycity, USA.
Just a bunch of homey,' farm fresh' organic tunes to soothe the soul. We swear we heard Shawn Mullins earlier, bringing us back to his sweet performance at Battery Park last summer.


FIVE CORNERS UPDATE
It was so cold at the Essex Junction Five Corners Light this morning I saw a hitchhiker on 2A holding up a PICTURE of his thumb. Real cold.
Seriously, it was so cold in Essex, Garry's Barbershop was doing a brisk business selling thermal hairpieces!
Honestly, it was so cold at the intersection I saw a dog stuck to the fire hydrant.
Is winter almost over?

MONDAY'S HUM (01-15-07)

1956 COMIC BOOK: "MARTIN LUTHER KING AND THE MONTGOMERY STORY"
Read it online!


PATRIOT GAME
Ten Reasons The Chargers Blew It
Tons of Pats fans in northern Vermont and they will all enjoy reading this Fox article.

FRIDAY'S HUM (01-12-07)

HE DOESN'T BUY ALL THAT GLOBAL WARMING CRAP
Ever wonder where the people are who still don't 'get' the threat of massive climate change?
We got one for you.

Go get a January copy of Vermont Sports (free) and look on page 21. Reader Athlete Dave Watson is asked by VS if he is worried about global warming impacting his skiing. Watson answers:

"No, I don't worry about the environment much because it's much more powerful than we give it credit for, and it's doing its own thing. We're coming out of an ice age, so there are going to be changes. It's going to change quite a bit. The earth is a pretty old place, and you have to look over the course of thousands of years, not decade to decade. I'm not worried about her 'cause she'll be fine. She was fine before humans and she'll be fine after humans."

Now, this guy is no dummy, mind you. He's climbed Everest twice, he's a Smuggs ski patroller, and a spokesperson for the Vermont Department of Health. He's obviously tuned in to Mother Earth.

Despite Dave's rosy opinion, we still believe that our planet is climatically challenged and unless we shake tail, there will be an enormous geophysical event...within fifty years.


39 REASONS TO READ ED SHAMY
Burlington Free Press columnist Ed Shamy hit one out of the park Thursday with his piece entitled '39 things you'll never hear', meaning words you won't hear in Vermont anytime soon.
Genuinely funny stuff. Here are the HUM's 5 favorites:

• "If it weren't for that stupid lake, I could be in Plattsburgh in, like, eight minutes."
• "Let me explain Act 60 to you."
• "I'll be there in just a moment. I just have to breeze through Five Corners."
• "Hope that guy on the personal watercraft comes closer to our dock on his next pass."
• "We're blessed with a really affordable state university."

For more go to burlingtonfreepress.com


DOES AP HACK ROSS SNIDE HATE BLOGGERS?
Green Mountain Daily with an eye opener.



FIVE CORNERS UPDATE
Interminable wait at the Essex Junction Five Corners light yesterday, a wait so long, in fact, that our daily need for bowel cleansing surfaced while we were idling, which led us to ask a question we should have asked years ago - WHY IS THERE NOT A STINKING PORT-O-LET AT THE FIVE CORNERS ? SHOULD WE KEEP COLOSTOMY BAGS IN OUR CARS AND TRUCKS?

Hmmm. Maybe we'll grace the next village selectboard meeting with our presence.

WEDNESDAY'S HUM (01-10-07)

'BALI GIRL' BACK AS APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE HEAD
Remember Susan Bartlett, D-Lamoille ? Went to Bali during an important part of the 2006 legislative session?
Let us refresh your memory with a Hum article from May 4, a very crucial time at the statehouse.

THURSDAY'S HUM ( 5-04-06 )
GONE FISHIN'
From the halls of Fletcher Allen to the sidestreets of Brattleboro, considerable HUM re: Senator Sue ( Bali Girl ) Bartlett and her trip to the South Seas. You see, it's kind of an important time at the Statehouse right now. There is a budget being crafted and Bali Girl is chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee. It would be nice to have her there helping out. Unfortunately, she had to jet off to Bali for a conference, leaving half the state of Vermont shaking their heads and saying, "What's up with that?" What is up with that?

Great, huh? She's back to run the APP Com again. With her experience, she can certainly be an asset - IF SHE'S IN THE COUNTRY!


ROPE-A-DOPE
As Johnny Mac would say, "You cannot be serious!"
The hapless state Republican Party cannot be seriously considering the selection of either Alan Parent or Rob Roper as GOP chair, two individuals who have been part of losing campaigns in the past few years.
Former Rep. Parent from Franklin County ran unsuccessfully for a state Senate seat this fall and Roper, get this, worked on the 2004 McMullen campaign. Boy, that's an impressive blip on one's resume.
No - what the Repubs need is some fresh blood; individuals with more than a modicum of creativity and compassion, not some recycled ying yangs from failed seasons past.
Who do we suggest ? Dunno. Send us some names.



FUEL FOR THE CITY - WEEK SIX

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/Jan 2/Jan 9

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

Maplefields Essex - Mobil - $2.33/$2.33/$2.35/$2.37/$2.39/$2.39

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

Bushey Sunoco - Full - $2.35/ $2.35/$2.29/$2.39/$2.39/$2.37

Dave Whitcomb Citgo - Full - $2.35/$2.35/$2.35/$2.45/$2.45/$2.39

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

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

Fairgrounds Bev Citgo - $2.31/$2.33/$2.36/$2.37/$2.39/$2.36

Week 6 notes:

• Ooh! Gonna rush right out and get that mystery gas for 2 cents cheaper.
• Even though gas prices are falling, it historically takes over a month to see much change.
  

MONDAY'S HUM (01-07-07)

TIMES-ARGUS ANTI-CHRISTIAN?
BARRE REVEREND ACCUSES PAPER OF BIGOTRY
In a scathing attack, Rev. Ralph W. Howe suggests that the central Vermont daily has an obvious anti-christian agenda.
To their credit, the Times-Argus published the letter. Read it here.


GRANT ENABLES VT. FARMERS TO LEARN SPANISH
Brattleboro Reformer article illuminates increasing need for Vt. farmers to hablo espanol.


YOU EVEN LOOK LIKE AN ATHEIST!
Great thoughts on the dynamic between atheists and Christians from one of our favorite sites, the fun and informative SHE'S RIGHT.
Hi Charity. Love the new look! It's crisp and clean and has so much...flava!



FUNNY STUFF AT THE ST ALBANS MESSENGER
The night before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas and where do I start
For I live in a town without a Wal-Mart

I know it’s my fault, I’m a last minute shopper
I thought I’d find all of my gifts at Price Chopper

But when I arrived, to my eyes did appear
That the shelves were all empty, except for some beer

Well, that just won’t do, the kids are too young to drink
So I hopped in my car and I started to think

I drove to the places, all the stores that I know
But nobody carried the new GI Joe

My cell phone started ringing, On No! It’s my spouse
She screamed, ‘you better come home with that Barbie doll house’

And as I drove on, the truth became clear
There aren’t any places to buy toys around here

So that’s enough of my issues
Now I’ll say my good-byes

And I’ll buy them all cutting boards
From As The Crow Flies

Scott Wells

St. Albans

FIVE CORNERS UPDATE - Essential collection
Was able to polish an entire set of Gunucci silverware at the Essex Junction Five Corners Light this morning.
Was not able to sort them back in the tray 'cuz the stupid light changed, which irked me.

You know, sometimes the Essex Junction Five Corners Light changes too quickly!

FRIDAY'S HUM (01-05-07)

INAUGURAL ADDRESS GOOD...AND NOT SO GOOD?
If one reads small market AP drone Ross Sneyde's account of the Douglas inaugural speech, one would think, " Oh boy,here we go with partisan gridlock again."

But if one listens to WCAX, one would think things started off peachy:
"People on both sides of the aisle praised the Governor's remarks. Democrats say now is not the time to criticize - and they thought the Governor has the right agenda..."

Hmmm. Guess we'll have to wait for the Hall Monitor's assessment.


SADOWSKY IMPROVING; STILL UNDER THE WEATHER
Speaking of CAX, nice guy weatherdude Gary S. is recovering after he underwent open heart surgery after Christmas. Read how he's doing here.


'PINOCCHIO' SHUMLIN SLAMS DOUGLAS
It's starting already. Pinocchio Shumlin seems to applaud Douglas and his inaugural speech but if one reads between the lines it smacks of boastful arrogance.

Pinocchio says,
"I was encouraged that our agenda and his agenda have become so similar. Frankly, it sounded like he's adopted our religion. Let's hope he comes to services."

Pinocchio then goes on to pick at the Governor.
"When we started talking about the tremendous challenges and opportunities (of global climate change) his response was, `There's not much Vermont can do.'

Way to go, Pinocchio. Nice bipartisan attitude. Love the way you guys are ready to work together.


BARACK OBAMA INHALED
When asked by Jay Leno if he inhaled (pot), Barack Obama replied, " That was the point". Funny stuff. Trouble is, the drug thing will derail Obama's prez run. See yesterday's latest from the Chicago Sun-Times.

Not only is Obama under pressure for the pot comment, the Washington Post claimed yesterday that " Obama has become the first potential presidential contender to admit trying cocaine..."
This from NBC5 from Chicago.

Looks like last month's darling of N.H. needs a spin doctor. Real soon.

WEDNESDAY'S HUM (01-03-07)

PoliticsVt DEBLOGGING; BOWING OUT W/ SOLID POSTS
PoliticsVt, one of the more responsible members of the online pol community here in Vermont, will be blasting out of the blogosphere sooner than later, leaving us with a recent string of strong posts.
Here are some articles worthy of mention.

Jan 2 - The Rumor Mill: Is Douglas Ready For New Things?
It's a great piece for the local political junkies among us.

Dec 27 - The Passing of a President: Gerald Ford
PoliticsVt cherishes the memory of President Ford.

Bravo, PoliticsVt. Thanks for the good work.



FUEL FOR THE CITY - WEEK FIVE

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/Jan 2

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

Maplefields Essex - Mobil - $2.33/$2.33/$2.35/$2.37/$2.39

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

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

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

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

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

Fairgrounds Bev Citgo - $2.31/$2.33/$2.36/$2.37/$2.39

Week 5 notes:

• Go-Go has a rep of low pricing, but what kind of gas is it?
• Are prices going to go up or down? See ya next week.

FIVE CORNERS UPDATE
Brought my clean laundry to the Essex Junction Five Corners light yesterday and had a folding party. I threw on the CD, VERMONT SONGS, with Marty Morrissey and Robert Resnick, opened the Fritos and proceeded the fold and organize 26 loads of clothes. The light turned green just as I finished finding the mate to that last pesky sock. It was perfect!