News
by Chuck Shepherd | Feb 13, 2017 | Articles, News, News of the Weird, Newsletter
On Jan. 31, doctors at Stanley Medical College and Hospital in Chennai, India, removed a live, full-grown cockroach from the nasal cavity of a 42-year-old woman whose nose had been “itchy” earlier in the day. Two hospitals were unable to help her, but at Stanley, Dr....
by Chris Goudreau | Feb 13, 2017 | Articles, Featured, News, Newsletter
Juan is a 40-year-old Springfield resident who is married with two children under age seven. He works construction jobs when he finds them across the state and had just arrived back in the city after working a job in Marlborough when he spoke with the Valley Advocate....
by Kimya Hedayatzadeh | Feb 13, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
Not many people would characterize the town of Amherst as poor. The downtown is interspersed with homey coffee shops, ethnic cuisine, fine dining, boutiques, and independent cinema. But behind the hip shops and $4 coffees is a growing homeless population. Though firm...
by Advocate Staff | Feb 13, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
It’s cold and the icy, black slush is up to your knees. The wind rips across the thick white fields of snow, stabbing tiny icicles through your coat. Breath in and the hairs in your nose freeze. This is February and it’s lovely.Bye, Bye ResolutionsBy the time February...
by From Our Readers | Feb 13, 2017 | Articles, Featured, Letters from our Readers, News, Newsletter
What is Trump Doing in Holyoke?As a teacher at Holyoke High School, I applaud your positive news piece about the students at Holyoke High School working to bring about more awareness to stop violence in our school community (“Between the Lines: What Do You Expect From...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Feb 13, 2017 | Articles, Columns, News, Newsletter, The V-Spot, Wellness
I’m a 19-year-old male college student. I just started to masturbate, but I don’t know how other people will react if I get into a relationship with them and tell them about this. I would like to know how to be fully comfortable with pleasuring myself as well as see...
by Kristin Palpini | Feb 6, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
In a warm cottage at the end of a dirt road in Jacksonville, Vermont, Brianna Harris and Amy McNeil discuss the “creepy” side of their relationship.The couple, a ski resort grounds keeper and an engineer who have been together for seven years, exchange knowing...
by Advocate Staff | Feb 6, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
Feel like makin’ love? You could bang along to the radio Top 40, Advocate reader, but that’s probably not your style. If you’re not into Selena Gomez, Ed Sheerhan, or Calvin Harris — ugh — we’ve got you covered with alternative love songs. Because metal heads, rude...
by Chuck Shepherd | Feb 6, 2017 | Articles, News, News of the Weird, Newsletter
Field work is always challenging, explained Courtney Marneweck of South Africa’s University of KwaZulu-Natal in a recent journal article, but studying the sociology of a white rhino’s dung meant developing a “pattern-recognition algorithm” to figure out “smell...
by Kristin Palpini | Feb 6, 2017 | Articles, Between the Lines, News, Newsletter
The Trump administration’s order that all presentations and publications by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency be vetted by political appointees before their release to the public sent a shot of pain down my neck.Doug Ericksen, the EPA’s communications director...
by Chance Viles | Feb 6, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
If you have a cellphone and the ability to access the internet,no one has to celebrate a Valentine’s day alone anymore. Now there is a separate outlet for specific needs to accommodate the growing culture of online dating. Want to find a date that definitely is into...
by Naila Moreira | Feb 6, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Down to Earth, News, Newsletter
Nurturing. It’s so often a feminine term, bringing thoughts of mothers, sisters, daughters; of Gaia, the Mother Earth. For a synonym, my thesaurus gives me “motherly.” It’s a term linked, too, with gentleness and tenderness, which in turn are associated with...
by From Our Readers | Feb 6, 2017 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News, Newsletter
Heroin Coverage Doesn’t Go Far EnoughThe reality is no one knows “how to get off heroin,” if that is defined as the final product of a treatment that has proven, predictable efficacy in creating long-term remission from opioid use disorders (“How to Get Off Heroin: An...
by Jenny Bender and Amanda Herman | Jan 30, 2017 | Featured, News, Newsletter
Editor’s Note: This week, we are delighted to collaborate with Jenny Bender and Amanda Herman, two active community members (one writer, one photographer) who set out this past year to do a citizens’ oral history project on our Muslim friends and neighbors. This...
by Kristin Palpini | Jan 30, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
Wash and Dry (Easthampton) Wanted to comment on the man I saw at the laundromat in Easthampton on Tuesday afternoon. you have beautiful blue eyes. We were folding our clothes at the same time. Hopefully you will read this, I would love to hear from you. Jan. 24, 2017...
by Kristin Palpini | Jan 30, 2017 | Articles, Between the Lines, News, Newsletter
The first time I watched “Holyoke High Fight! Stop Violence,” I expected to see a video of a couple kids beating on each other or a message from a parent-teacher association pleading for peace.“Couple high school kids from Holyoke,” said an email from a colleague who...
by Amanda Drane | Jan 30, 2017 | Articles, Columns, News, Newsletter, Third Eye Roaming, Wellness
Brian Leaf wants you to pass gas, audibly, in yoga class at least once.Why, you might ask? He says the practice reacquaints you with your humanity.The barrier-breaking suggestion is one of many in a new book written by local author Leaf, The Teacher Appears: 108...
by From Our Readers | Jan 30, 2017 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News, Newsletter
One Week. Still Alive.My liberal friends are freaking over the prospect of the 45th president. But to be fair and balanced, I’ve decided to give the new president a chance. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. I think I’m going to enjoy the “post-reality era”...
by Chuck Shepherd | Jan 30, 2017 | Articles, News, News of the Weird, Newsletter
Schools’ standardized tests are often criticized as harmfully rigid, and in the latest version of the Texas Education Agency’s STAAR test, poet Sara Holbrook said she flubbed the “correct” answer for author motivation — in two of her own poems that were on the test....
by Warren Johnston | Jan 30, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Food + Booze, News, Newsletter, The Pour Man
Broadside Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon; $12.99 Although it might be hard to tell from our contradictory weather these days, we’re in the dead of winter, a season that cries out for deep, rich red wines full of dark berry and plum flavors. Cabernet Sauvignon is one...
by Advocate Staff | Jan 23, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
My impression of the Women’s March in D.C. was one of amazement, relief, and hope. At first, the prospect of joining the march was intimidating. I was unsure of my safety, of how the opposition would react toward the protest. We arrived at the rally site...
by Advocate Staff | Jan 23, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
From the Daily Hampshire Gazette editorial board Shortly after Donald J. Trump gave his inaugural address Friday, the Rev. Franklin Graham described the rain that began when our nation’s 45th president stepped to the podium as a symbol of blessing. After hearing...
by Chuck Shepard | Jan 23, 2017 | Articles, News, News of the Weird, Newsletter
In January, the U.S. Court of Appeals finally pulled the plug on Orange County, California, social workers who had been arguing in court for 16 years that they were not guilty of lying under oath because, after all, they did not understand that lying under oath in...
by Advocate Staff | Jan 16, 2017 | Articles, Food Booze and Beyond, News
Everyone has a favorite dive bar — a place you can go in your old jeans and sweater, have a beer for under $3 and watch some Jeopardy! with townies looking to unwind.Dive bars — and we use the term lovingly — tend to be physically and metaphysically secluded. Signs...
by Michael Majchrowicz | Jan 16, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
Downtown Northampton now boasts a new recovery center aimed at providing addicts and loved ones with emotional support.The Northampton Recovery Center at Edwards Church, 297 Main St., which officially opened Monday, was a project that was roughly eight months in the...
by Kristin Palpini | Jan 16, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Between the Lines, News, Newsletter
A painting depicting police officers as feral pigs has been ordered removed from the Capitol after months of controversy and a tug of war over whether the art should be on display. What do you think? As I write this on Monday, Donald Trump is yet to be sworn in as...
by Kristin Palpini | Jan 16, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
If you’ve never checked out Craigslist’s Missed Connections section, you really should. Like all geographic designations on the forum, the Western Mass list is full of wistful near-meets and longing. Below is a compilation of “missed connection” items from...
by Chuck Shepherd | Jan 16, 2017 | Articles, News, News of the Weird, Newsletter
The salary the Golden State Warriors pay to basketball whiz Stephen Curry may be a bargain at $12 million a year, but the economics is weirder about the prices Curry’s fans pay on the street for one of his used mouthguards retrieved from the arena floor after a game....
by From Our Readers | Jan 16, 2017 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News, Newsletter
More WishesIn response to Hunter Styles’ “Between the Lines: Our Wish List for 2017” posted on Facebook.James Moses: “In the meantime, we’re trying to wish Hillary out of the woods and back into her pantsuit. Maybe the Clintons should relocate from Chappaqua to...
by Kristin Palpini | Jan 16, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
Day One On the first day of a Donald Trump presidency, Saturday, Jan. 21, the streets of D.C. as well as cities and towns across the country will be jammed with women and their allies demanding that leaders protect the rights of women through the Women’s March on...
by Warren Johnston | Jan 16, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Food Booze and Beyond, News, Newsletter, The Pour Man
For more than three decades, New Zealand winemakers have been known for producing some of the best Sauvignon Blanc in the world.Until recently, however, the Kiwi producers haven’t been bringing home international accolades for their Pinot Noir. The country’s...
by Kristin Palpini | Jan 9, 2017 | Featured, News
If you’ve never checked out Craigslist’s Missed Connections section, you really should. Like all geographic designations on the forum, the Western Mass list is full of wistful near-meets and longing. Below is a compilation of “missed connection” items from...
by Kristin Palpini | Jan 9, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
So, you want to get off heroin; now what? If it’s an emergency, go to the hospital. If you’re lucid, get to a detox center. If you’re Section 35 court ordered to get clean, the state will place you in a bed put aside specifically for Section 35ers.After...
by Peter Vancini | Jan 9, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter, Scene Here
As temperatures dip and the ice thickens on Heritage Park in East Longmeadow, ice skaters and hockey players of all ages lace up their freshly sharpened skates and brave the cold to carry on a generations-old winter tradition. Just ask Ryan Morton. He used to play...
by Chuck Shepherd | Jan 9, 2017 | Articles, News, News of the Weird, Newsletter
Russian producers are planning the so-far-ultimate survivors’ show — in the Siberian wilderness for nine months with temperatures as low as minus-40-degrees Fahrenheit, with 30 contestants selected after signing liability waivers that protect the show even if someone...
by From Our Readers | Jan 9, 2017 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News, Newsletter
Love for the Advocate Cheers to the Valley Advocate writers and staff for excellence in informative journalism covering topics with both local and universal appeal. Particularly notable in recent months was the “Extra Credit on Question 2 — Follow the Money” article...
by Hunter Styles | Jan 9, 2017 | Articles, Between the Lines, News, Newsletter
Our annual December Halos and Horns issue of the paper, which sums up staffers’ thoughts on who in the Valley (and the world) has been naughty and nice for the past year, only allows us to look backward. But with a new year rolled out before us, Advocate writers...
by Naila Moreira | Jan 9, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Down to Earth, News, Newsletter
My first container of compostables was beautiful. Inside a repurposed chipped ceramic crockpot lay a smorgasbord of broccoli stems, wilted lettuce, carrot shreddings, sprouted potatoes, onion skins, outer cabbage leaves, asparagus ends, and tomato stems. It looked...
by Advocate Staff | Jan 6, 2017 | Articles, Blogs, News
Each week, the Advocate staff assembles for an AdvoChat, where we bat around thoughts on a subject in the news. The chat is lightly edited. dave.eisen (Dave Eisenstadter, web editor): Kristin, you’re working on a piece on addiction (EDITOR’S NOTE: here it...
by Advocate Staff | Jan 3, 2017 | Articles, News, Wellness
It’s a classic dilemma. The upcoming holidays prompt intense fits of eating followed by the guilt of said eating with promises of a better life for the New Year. New Year’s Eve cues New Year resolutions, and many choose fitness as their goal, making a...
by Peter Vancini | Jan 3, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
Between 2013 and 2015, the number of opioid-related deaths state- wide surged from 918 to 1,578 — an increase of over 70 percent in two years. The opioid crisis in Massachusetts has reached epidemic proportions, according to the findings of a report out this past...
by Advocate Staff | Dec 27, 2016 | Articles, Arts, Film, Leisure, Music, News, Newsletter, Stage
How Does This Work? Who on earth do we think we are, doling out judgement left and right? Find out here. The List HALOS // The People of East Longmeadow — For creating a seven-member Town Council in the wake of a coup on the now-defunct three-member Board of...
by Kristin Palpini | Jan 3, 2017 | Articles, Between the Lines, Columns, News, Newsletter
Some topics are too rich to write about just once. For all the people wondering, “What ever happened to …?” this week’s column features updates on issues I’ve written about in this space before. If you’ve got a topic from this column in mind that you’d like to see...
by Chuck Shepherd | Jan 3, 2017 | Articles, News, News of the Weird, Newsletter
The Hastens workshop in Koping, Sweden, liberally using the phrase “master artisans” recently, unveiled its made-to-order $149,900 mattress. Bloomberg News reported in December on Hastens’ use of superior construction materials such as pure steel springs,...
by From Our Readers | Jan 3, 2017 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News, Newsletter
Halos & Horns Editor’s Note: Some responses to the Advocate’s annual section dedicated to the promoting and pooh-poohing of what went on in the last year. I just want to congratulate you on your latest issue. I found it engaging and on target. Beside the nods to...
by Peter Vancini | Jan 3, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter, Scene Here
There’s always a little bit of added electricity in the air when a Nor’easter is bearing down on New England and the snowflakes start to fly. The cold brings out a sense of camaraderie in people: us v. the snow. Sometimes the best thing to do is to find a cozy corner...
by Advocate Staff | Jan 3, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Food + Booze, News, The Pour Man
At first blush, one wouldn’t think that the producer of one of world’s most popular “brown-bag wines” would be making a well-crafted, reasonably priced Pinot Noir, much less any other drinkable wine. But that’s the case with Chloe, which means “green shoot” in ancient...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Jan 3, 2017 | Articles, Columns, News, Newsletter, The V-Spot, Wellness
Sometimes, when I’m in the mood to masturbate, I enjoy watching porn. The problem is when I do, it literally takes me no time to orgasm. Yesterday, I was feeling in the mood to enjoy myself. So, I started browsing some videos.I barely started touching myself and felt...
by Hannah Roach | Dec 27, 2016 | Articles, News, Newsletter
I don’t quite remember seeing my first swastika, but I do remember first realizing what it meant. Like many Jews, I felt the Holocaust sit on my consciousness and take a space in my identity. I remember listening to my mother talk about the reasons why my family would...
by our readers | Dec 27, 2016 | Articles, News
Something to hate about the mall Comments on “Five Things to Love About the Mall” Barb Brown: The majority of puppy store puppies come from puppy mills where the dogs are over bred, kept in small, over-crowded conditions and many of the puppies have severe deformities...
by Chuck Shepherd | Dec 27, 2016 | Articles, News, News of the Weird
The rebellion against the absurdities of Black Friday this year by the organization Cards Against Humanity came in the form of raising money to dig a pointless hole in the ground. During the last week of November, people “contributed” $100,573, with Cards digging...
by Advocate Staff | Dec 21, 2016 | Articles, News
In this week’s Advocate chat, we wanted to discuss that lovable group of people whose votes actually count — the Electoral College! Has its time to go the way of other outdated American institutions (i.e. slavery) finally come? As always, the chat has been...
by Peter Vancini | Dec 19, 2016 | Articles, News, Scene Here
The quadrangle at the Springfield Museums, with its many sculptures of Dr. Seuss’ most famous characters, can inspire wonder in most visitors any day of the year, but there’s an extra bit of Seussian whimsy about it around the holidays. The characters — The Grinch,...
by The Daily Hampshire Gazette editorial board | Dec 19, 2016 | Articles, Between the Lines, News, Newsletter
The marketing teams of white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups have been busy. Rather than give up their hateful views — misogyny, racism, anti-Semitism — they’re trying to scrub themselves clean of the stink by adopting another name — the “alt-right.”As the New York...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 19, 2016 | Articles, Columns, News, Newsletter, O Cannabis!
I came out as a marijuana enthusiast to my family when I was 16 and fell on my mother.Late at night, I had been out with some friends smoking pot and gossiping. I came home to find my mom still up, sitting in her rocking recliner in the living room watching TV. I...
by Peter Vancini | Dec 19, 2016 | Articles, News, Newsletter
After being at the heart of the labor movement in Western Mass for over 40 years, Jon Weissman is retiring as the coordinator of Western Mass Jobs With Justice at the end of this year at age 70. Over the course of his career, Weissman served in the trenches of the...
by From Our Readers | Dec 19, 2016 | Articles, Featured, Letters from our Readers, News, Newsletter
Hey, Trump: Labor Secretary Should Champion Workers President-elect Trump just selected Andrew Puzder as his nominee for Secretary of Labor. Unfortunately, as the CEO of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., Puzder holds a record of opposing the economic agenda demanded by the...
by Advocate Staff | Dec 19, 2016 | Articles, News, Newsletter
If you’ve never checked out Western Mass Missed Connections on Craigslist, you really should. The forum is filled with wistful glances, hopeful romantics, and some great drama. The following is a compilation from last week’s forum posts, with the date of...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 19, 2016 | Articles, Featured, Food + Booze, News, Newsletter, Taste-Off!
The winter holiday season is the best time for fudge. It’s a season of indulgence and sharing and sweets and fun — that’s what fudge is all about. Stock up on some now and hand out pounds of rich, creamy, gooey goodness as presents or keep it home and eat it sliver by...
by Chuck Shepherd | Dec 19, 2016 | Articles, News, News of the Weird, Newsletter
Radical Dentistry Radical dentistry was on display in November in London’s Science Gallery, where installations offered “art-science collaborations” — including Taiwan artist Kuang-Yi Ku’s “Fellatio Modification Project.” Former dentist Ku, complaining that textbooks...
