Leisure
Freesport: Fenway Forever
I recently blew an opportunity that most baseball fans would kill for—and I'm glad I did. I was in Phoenix last weekend for my company's annual managers' meeting, which is a chance for a bunch of radio people to get together, attend a few seminars...
Fishing with Eagles
A long, long way down the 28-mile dirt road to Seboomook, we found a stream to our liking. We hated to be picky, but what the hell. This part of Maine is lousy with good trout water.John headed downstream and I headed up. Dan grabbed the pool at the bridge. Old...
Memory Besieged
Sometimes imagination is better than truth. David Benioff, author of The 25th Hour, learned this in writing his novel City of Thieves. Benioff visited his retired grandparents to hear the story of how they survived the infamous siege of Leningrad during World War II....
How Bazaar
When a small group of indigenous people perish, along with their language and art, it may have as much impact as the proverbial butterfly that flaps its wings and creates a storm halfway around the world. Formed to preserve such diverse and unique cultures, Cultural...
Turning Back Time
My dad came to my prom. Granted, he only stayed to take pictures, but still…I wore a floor-length purple sequined dress that was far too big for me, easily rendering my barely-there breasts invisible. My boyfriend picked me up in his dad's rocking Camaro,...
Summer in the City
My roommates weren't exactly tiptoeing. Had it been a cold winter morning, they'd have crept around in the dark, hushing each other in deference to their still-slumbering friend. But it was a gorgeous summer morning, and as they hustled around filling coolers,...Freesport: The Imperfection of Perfection
The only thing more shocking than the Patriots losing the Super Bowl, now almost four months ago, is the national hysteria that continues to rejoice at their downfall. Listen to sports commentators across the country wax poetic about the so-called "Spygate"...Freesport: The Banner by the Numbers
Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett remembers what he was doing the last time the Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers played for the NBA Championship."I can remember sitting in front of the TV with a big plate of food on a Sunday afternoon, watching the Celtics...Freesport: The Imperfection of Perfection
The only thing more shocking than the Patriots losing the Super Bowl, now almost five months ago, is the national hysteria that continues to rejoice at their downfall. Listen to sports commentators across the country wax poetic about the so-called "Spygate"...
A River Runs Through It
The mighty Deerfield River runs 73 miles from southern Vermont to Greenfield, where it marries the Connecticut River. Dozens of spots along its shores and in its watery depth offer New Englanders and visitors opportunities for camping and other recreational and...Fenway Fanfaronade
My heart felt like it was about to pound out of my chest as my wife and I trudged along the Charles River, dodging roller bladers and over-zealous bike riders who were either training for the Tour de France or were way too enamored with the whole concept of physical...
The Right Chord
Wally Boot, by his own admission, is not a great piano player, but he knows his Beethoven from his Bach. More importantly, certainly for his employers, he has an amazing ear. Twice a week for 10 months of the year, Boot lets his fingers dance across the keys of a...
Live Poets Society
A much-perused poetry anthology of mine—one which purports to represent the best in contemporary American poetry—offers an idiosyncratic selection of poems by Mark Doty. One piece is about urban decay, another involves goldfish and AIDS, and one eulogizes...
The Answer, My Friend…
The Montague Clean Energy Campaign kicks off this weekend with the Earth, Wind and Sun Fair. Just like any other seasonal fair, this one is chock full of fun activities and good food, but, in addition, everything is green-minded and aimed at harnessing clean energy....
Zine Scene
Though the blogs may have replaced the zine as the DIY publication du jour, zine writers continue to have an impact on culture and vernacular. Food for Thought Books presents two writers who pioneered the mongrel literary format: Erick Lyle (pictured), aka Iggy Scam,...
A Wheel Good Time
Flips, lutzes, axels—these are but a few maneuvers in the repertoire of artistic roller skaters. The lesser-known sister to figure skating glides into view this week with the 2008 Regional Artistic Roller Skating Championship. Competitors will attempt to roll...
Behind The Veil
With all the sabre-rattling of the current administration and the general paranoia of the state of Israel, surrounded as it is by enemies, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that Iran is a large, diverse country that includes more viewpoints than those of...Nothing Left to Prove
I think if you ask most professional athletes, they would tell you that they'd rather end their careers hoisting a championship trophy than they would on an operating room gurney. Oddly enough, Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling may do both.Schilling this week...
Galway the Small Way
Poetry seldom fills stadiums. That is largely a shame, but it brings the advantage of seeing even big-name poets in small venues. This week offers a fine chance to do that when the widely respected poet Galway Kinnell reads from his work at Shelburne Falls’...
Hominid Omelette
It's nearly impossible to accurately depict what life was like for young dinosaurs. But the Springfield Science Museum, using reconstructed nests, authentic dinosaur eggs–including an 18-inch egg laid by a giant, ostrich-like species of oviraptor–and...
All That Glitters
On a day in mid-June, when the Google News headlines were bemoaning $4/gallon gas in the United States and indications were sinking in that even more expensive fuel was to be the new reality, my son and I were waking up in my nephew's apartment in Stuttgart. On...
Lunch With the Beetles
Don't know what a Puritan tiger beetle is? If your inner entomologist is intrigued, join Aimee Gelinas of the Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary for a Canoe Trip and Luncheon at Rainbow Beach. Wander the beach and learn about protecting this endangered insect. This is a...
Alba Gu Brah
Each of the four constituent countries (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) that make up the United Kingdom seems to retain a prideful, almost defiant grip on its individual culture. The efforts to do so on the part of both Ireland and Scotland have been...Reloading Is Not Rebuilding
Former Boston Red Sox centerfielder Johnny Damon has never struck me as a player that takes anything too seriously. But that was before his current team, the New York Yankees, went from being a championship contender to becoming the joke of the American League....
Freesport: One of Us
It remains to be seen whether he has the goods to bring a national championship home to Amherst. But if Derek Kellogg is as good at recruiting and offensive and defensive strategy as he seems to be at community relations, UMass basketball fans are going to have an...
Diamonds in the Rough
A unique opportunity is on the horizon for those who enjoy viewing and purchasing all kinds of minerals. Whether it's meteorites, petrified wood, fossils, jewelry, gemstones or other mineral-related paraphernalia you seek, the East Coast Gem, Mineral and Fossil...
Rock da Block
Shut down the main street and bust out the victuals—here’s a town that knows how to party. Beginning at 3 p.m. with a parade that includes dogs, dancing zombies, a roller disco corps and the Lawn Chair Brigade, the 2nd Annual Turners Falls Block Party (not...Freesport: A Cancer in the Clubhouse
It looks like, in the end, the Red Sox and Manny Ramirez actually agreed on one thing—when it came to his tenure on that ball club, enough was enough. In a move that shocked a lot of sports fans but probably shouldn't have, New England's favorite...Why Can't We?
I'm speeding across the middle of France in a TGV train, the green and yellow fields a blur and low clouds looming all around us. It's morning here on the line between Tours and Paris; I am en route to Charles de Gaulle airport, where I will board a flight to...
A Human Condition
Set in Eastern Mass—parts of Boston and Cape Cod—The Condition chronicles the lives of the members of the Drew-McKotch family. Paulette and Frank's rocky marriage takes a turbulent turn for the worse when they discover that their daughter, Gwen,...
Nature's Bounty
There are few things in life that are finer than a free meal with ingredients grown and produced locally and prepared by local chefs. Greenfield’s Annual Harvest Supper is now in its fourth year. Along with free grub, there is live music and a Really, Really...
Freesport: Saving Pro Sports…
The product of a broken home, the famed actress and comedian Carol Burnett was raised by her grandmother in an impoverished section of Hollywood. A generation later, just a few miles down the road, Boston Celtics basketball superstar Paul Pierce grew up in Inglewood,...Free Sport: The New Gang Green
The NFL season is fast approaching, and, as usual, there are a lot of questions still to be answered. But there is one thing you can bank on—the most interesting division in the league to watch is going to be the AFC East. One reason is our own New England...
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
No, it’s not a tribute to the infamous B-movie—though if you suddenly see a lot more enthusiasm for that vibrant red fruit (often mistaken for a vegetable) in the Valley, it’s probably because the 8th Annual Red Fire Farm Tomato Festival, an...Freesport: What the Future May Bring
Is it OK to start getting concerned about the New England Patriots yet?As I'm writing this, the Pats are 0-3 in the pre-season, and Tom Brady hasn't taken a snap because of a mysterious foot injury, which has also prevented him from doing much to prepare for...
Youk-ing 'Em in Seattle
The Red Sox swept the Mariners last month in Seattle. I saw it—live!A friend of mine who used to live in Amherst, had emailed me in May, saying, "Any way I can tempt you to take a trip out here? The Red Sox are here in July and I have tickets for the...
Up in Arms
The nation's first (and last) armory, the Springfield Armory was closed in 1968 when the government began outsourcing its weaponry needs to the private sector, and has since become one of the nation's 391 national park sites. During WWII, however, the armory...What Do You Think?
Landfill a Public Service?Since moving to Northampton last year, I have been scratching my head trying to understand why the city persists with its dubious plans to expand the landfill in among its most bucolic areas. Imagine my surprise when I learned that Mayor...
Get A Horse
Sick and tired of being enslaved to big oil? Well, friends, you can fight back. In conjunction with Northampton’s Arts Night Out, there looms a parade featuring cyclists, skateboarders, dancers, hula hoopers and more, all capering to the theme of the day: Death...Freesport: Mediocre to Meteoric
The minivan emblazoned with Red Sox stickers blasted through the intersection, cutting me off and nearly sideswiping a motorcycle in the process. I was about to flash the driver half the peace sign when I saw something on his bumper that instantly turned my frown...
Everything Is Discussed
This week, Jonathan Safran Foer, the author of Everything Is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, comes to UMass, where the students of the Commonwealth College have all been studying Extremely Loud. Foer has received both over-the-top...
Stink Fest
Vampires of Franklin County beware: the savory smell of garlic wafts this way. The North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival celebrates its 10th year of enlightening the Valley about the glorious bulb of health and flavor. The family-friendly event focuses on the...Freesport: Their Ship Comes In
I think it’s important to remain as objective as possible when I cover local sports teams, but once in a while that objectivity gets tested by the actions of a certain coach or group of players. In that context, I have no apprehension about saying how happy I am...Head for the Hills
Two long-running festivals in Western Mass. take place this week: the 47th annual Festival of the Hills and the 74th annual Berkshire Harvest Festival (the number inversion is too interesting not to co-bill them).The festival further north—Berkshire...
Take This to the Bar
The baseball playoffs used to be the crown jewel of American sports. Alas, expansion, money and the media have transformed baseball from the national pastime into just another pastry on the TV sports dessert tray. Hardcore baseball devotees now take a backseat to the...
Horsing Around
The Lipizzaner stallions, an Austrian breed of horse saved from probable oblivion by General George Patton during World War II, aren't your average horses. They aren't even average for show horses—the stallions specialize in extremely difficult maneuvers...Take or Leave It If You Please
Director Robert Altman’s final film, A Prairie Home Companion, was a meditation on endings and death, and seems, in hindsight, to be the last reflection of a man who knew he was close to the end. But Altman’s final note is by no means reflective of his...Monuments to Greed
Sports fans took another hit on the chin this past Sunday night when the floodlights went out over the hallowed diamond of Yankee Stadium for the last time. Count the Steinbrenner boys as the latest in a much-too-long line of deconstructionists looking to reshape the...
Paying the Price
While the United States boasts only five percent of the world's population, it houses 25 percent of the world's inmates, according to an April, 2008 New York Times article. The cost of incarcerating that many prisoners averages $30,000 per inmate. Some 7.2...
Why We're Fighting
In Michael T. Klare's Blood and Oil, current American foreign policy is examined in light of a 1945 meeting between Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Saudi king Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud. The pair agreed that the U.S. would provide military protection to Saudi Arabia, and...Holiday Gift Guide
This holiday season, what with the looming economic and ecological crises, it's more important than ever to buy local and to buy green. Keepint that in mind, the Advocate canvassed the Valley, seeking out the best–and often strangest–homegrown and...Everyone loves polar bears, right?
Lighting the Way1. Canturns, $10-40, www.shopwesternmass.com/canturn2. Recycled Tee Diapers, $25 ,www.loveybums.com and at a slew of local businesses, including Mixed Greens, The Toy Box and Monkey Business in Amherst; Kid's Kloset, A Child's Garden and...You Say You Want A Revolution…
A recent piece in Newsweek suggested that what we need to address the global problems of economic recession and en vironmental destruction is a "Green New Deal." The idea is a compelling one—that, just as FDR's infrastructure-centered work programs...
Muggle Struggle
Like him or not, one has to give credit to sci-fi writer L. Ron Hubbard for starting his own religion (Scientology), based on wacky space "thetans," that persists to this day. Perhaps she hasn't achieved quite such a milestone, but it appears that Harry...
Skiing: A Rich Man's Sport?
This is a discussion that has been going on for quite a long time. As a little kid in New Hampshire, I remember driving up to Mount Sunapee just to watch "them" ski. It was in the 1950s and "they" were from another planet as far as I was concerned....
Poetica Trifecta
Over the course of his career, Mark Strand has won what might be termed the Poet's Trifecta: a Pulitzer Prize, a term as poet laureate, and a MacArthur Foundation fellowship. And, although the writer projects a certain self-effacing quality, some of his best works...
Blog Toy Box: Scary Christmas
It's been a hell of year, hasn't it? More war, environmental destruction and economic meltdown has left us all with a bitter taste in our mouths. For many of us, it's hard to even conceive of keeping the rent paid, much less shopping for the holidays....
Blog Toy Box: Space Tennis, Anyone?
We didn't care about melamine in 1978. Our plastic—and everything was plastic: cars, trees, children—leaked noxious fumes and yellowed in the sun instantly. And we were grateful. It was a heady time for young astronauts, and I was in training for the...Blog Toy Box: The Season of Giving
I had an unpleasant experience with panhandling. A close relation decided to drop out from society. Her choice led to a transient life on the road, and tragically, to an early grave. I'll call her X. She got her start by panhandling in Pulaski Park and on Main...E-Edition
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