News
by Peter Vancini | Jun 14, 2016 | Articles, News
From the comfort of a ranch-style home in Westfield, Zaid AlNassar says that the difference between his family’s situation in the strife-torn Middle East and their new life in the U.S. is “like the Earth and the sky.” The worries of those days seem a world away as his...
by Hunter Styles | Jun 20, 2016 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News
Guns ‘N’ Education “The Kirk Whatley Challenge: Before you write guns off, shoot one — safely” (June 16-22, 2016) by Hunter Styles attracted a lot of attention online. We posted the article to Facebook along with the question: Can you truly be anti-gun without first...
by Chuck Shepherd | Jun 20, 2016 | Articles, News, News of the Weird
In May, the Norwegian Consumer Council staged a live, 32-hour TV broadcast marathon — a word-for-word reading of the “terms of service” for internet applications Instagram, Spotify and more than two dozen others, totaling 900 pages and 250,000 words of...
by Hunter Styles | Jun 14, 2016 | Articles, News, Newsletter
Open-carry laws in Massachusetts allow Kirk Whatley to strap a gun holster to his hip, secure his favorite pistol there, and keep it visible on his walks around town. But he wouldn’t recommend it. For one thing, he says, there’s no good reason to let everyone know...
by Richard Andersen | Jun 14, 2016 | Articles, News
This story of today starts in 1934. The American Legion Post 21 Championship baseball team has been invited to play in a national tournament in Gastonia, North Carolina. When the team gets off the train, the band stops playing. A bus pulls away from the curb. At the...
by Hunter Styles | Jun 14, 2016 | Articles, Columns, News, The Beerhunter
Have you ever wondered why Massachusetts farmers markets don’t allow the sale of beer, even though vendors are typically welcome to sell hard cider and wine? So have state lawmakers. Early last month, the Senate passed a sweeping agricultural bill...
by Advocate Staff | Jun 14, 2016 | Articles, Featured, Letters from our Readers, News
What Killed the Monkey Facebook reactions to “Gross Negligence Alleged in Death of UMass Lab Monkey”William Robinson: Sounds like the incident didn’t have much to do with the nature of the research itself, but a veterinary mishap resulting from pure accident —...
by Advocate Staff | Jun 14, 2016 | Articles, Arts, News, Newsletter, Scene Here
On June 12, the day of the massacre at the gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando, Florida, people in the Valley held vigils to mourn the tragedy and to comfort each other. In Greenfield, people sang “We Shall Overcome” on the town common. In Northampton, they held a vigil...
by Kristin Palpini | Jun 14, 2016 | Articles, Between the Lines, Featured, News, Newsletter
Usually, when you buy something, you know the price before you step up to the register. Most of us have a pretty good bead on how much a gallon of milk is and who has the best prices on gas, but when it comes to pharmaceutical drugs, everyone’s standing before the...
by Chuck Shepherd | Jun 14, 2016 | Articles, Featured, News, News of the Weird
Life is good now for British men who “identify” as dogs and puppies, as evidenced by a BBC documentary, Secret Life of the Human Pups, showing men in body outfits — one a Lycra-suited Dalmatian, “Spot” — exhibiting “sexual”...
by Hunter Styles | Jun 6, 2016 | Articles, Arts, Music, News
Interstate 24 carries traffic through the heart of Manchester, Tennessee. But on June 21, 2002, the highway turned into a parking lot. The cause: Bonnaroo.In the 14 years since, the music and arts festival has streamlined the traffic plan with police and city...
by Kristin Palpini | Jun 6, 2016 | Articles, Arts, Leisure, News
More Chaos, PleaseFlying trapeze artists, puppets, Hula hoop extraordinaires, buskers, artists, crafters, bands, authors, dancers, and performing artists are among the funky folk who will converge on Cottage Street in Easthampton this Saturday for Cultural Chaos. The...
by Kristin Palpini | Jun 6, 2016 | Articles, Arts, Music, News
Get SchooledThe GZA (minus the RZA, the Ol’ Dirty BZA, U-God, Chef, and the Ghostface Killah) is stopping by the Valley to hold a master class in lyrical flow Wednesday night at Pearl Street. Known as the “spiritual head” of the seminal Wu-Tang Clan, GZA/Genius is...
by Advocate Staff | Jun 6, 2016 | Articles, Arts, Music, News
There’s only so many ways to take a group photo of a bunch of musicians — we know this because we see a lot of repetition in band publicity photos. How is it that creative and talented musicians across the planet keep coming up with the same band photo over and over...
by Kristin Palpini | Jun 6, 2016 | Articles, Arts, Leisure, News
Like Real Books, But CuterShrink anything down small enough and, eventually, it will get ridiculously cute — including books. This week, The Tiny Book Show, a mobile museum of teeny-tiny books, will appear, for a short time, in Shelburne Falls and Greenfield. The...
by Kristin Palpini | Jun 8, 2016 | Articles, News
Due to a malfunction with the press, the Advocate was printed later than usual and will be delayed reaching news stands. Sorry for the inconvenience; the full June 9-15 2016 Advocate will be online Thursday morning. – Editor Kristin Palpini,...
by Kristin Palpini | Jun 6, 2016 | Articles, Arts, News, Stage
Meet-Cute ArtFor this year’s Full Disclosure Festival — a weekend of public installation art, performance art, and art to be named — each participating artist was paired with a researcher and sent on a blind date. The point of the meeting was for the artist to get a...
by Kristin Palpini | Jun 6, 2016 | Articles, Between the Lines, News
Massachusetts State Troopers can now detain for 48 hours people suspected of being in the country illegally — allowing federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enough time to show up, arrest the person on federal charges, and begin deportation...
by By Kristin Palpini | Jun 6, 2016 | Articles, Arts, Music, News
It’s okay to be stumped when your friend invites you out to see his favorite math rock funk band — tonight with a Zydeco guest washboard player! The variety of musicians in the Valley is immense, and so is the range of music they play. So, if you ever wondered whether...
by By Naila Moreira | Jun 6, 2016 | Articles, Columns, Down to Earth, News
I’ve always had a thing for creepy crawlies. I was the kid who caught the wasp stuck in the classroom to let it out the window. And I still crouch to move a worm from the sidewalk into the grass. So, when a colleague of mine, Sara Eddy, started her first beehive, I...
by From Our Readers | Jun 6, 2016 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News
What is Columbus Day, really? Interesting article by Kristin Palpini (“Between the Lines: Columbus, Genocidal Slave-Traders Should Not Get Their Own Holidays” May 26-June 1, 2016). As a child growing up in the ’60s and ’70s I learned from my family and...
by Peter Vancini | Jun 6, 2016 | Articles, Arts, News, Scene Here
Daniel Evans, 63, has been playing his guitar on Main Street in Northampton for over 15 years, but as of Sunday, June 5, the man locals have come to know as “Downtown Daniel” has officially retired. Evans, who’s struggled with homelessness, became a part of the fabric...
by By Chuck Shepherd | Jun 6, 2016 | Articles, News, News of the Weird
By 2009, when Zimbabwe’s central bank gave up on controlling inflation, its largest currency was the 100 trillion-dollar bill — barely enough for bus fare in Harare and not even worth the paper needed to print it. However, that 100 trillion-dollar note has...
by Peter Vancini | Jun 6, 2016 | Articles, Arts, News
Mel Bosworth caught the writing bug early. In fifth or sixth grade, he told his mother about an idea he had for a newspaper column and she immediately brought him down to the newspaper’s office to pitch the column to the editor. He spent the following summer producing...
by Peter Vancini | Jun 3, 2016 | Articles, News, Newsletter
By Peter Vancini An animal welfare watchdog group is alleging that “gross negligence” led to the death of a research monkey in a UMass Amherst animal care facility on Oct. 15, 2015. The marmoset was severely burned while it recovered from surgery. The incident was...
by Peter Vancini | May 31, 2016 | Articles, Food + Booze, Leisure, News, Newsletter, Wellness
Ah, spring: The time of year when nature wakes up from its deep winter slumber: birds are singing, flowers are blooming, and allergy sufferers are miserable. A runny nose, itchy eyes, and constant sneezing are facts of life for the nearly 8 percent of Americans that...
by By Kristin Palpini | May 31, 2016 | Articles, Between the Lines, News
There are a lot of allies living in the Pioneer Valley — we’re a woke bunch.The Valley is home to many people who are allies of the LGBTQ community, Black Lives Matter, feminists, workers’ rights and social justice causes, people with disabilities or mental illness,...
by By Chuck Shepherd | May 31, 2016 | Articles, News, News of the Weird
Pixee Fox reported in May that she was recovering nicely from cosmetic rib-removal surgery, performed by one of the few doctors in the world who offers it, Dr. Barry Eppley of Carmel, Indiana. Though she has had more than a dozen “beautifying” procedures,...
by Hunter Styles | May 31, 2016 | Articles, Food + Booze, News
It’s time, everyone! Spring is well under way and summer is just around the corner (or maybe it’s already here, judging by last week’s heat wave). Time to supercharge your shop local skills and hit the streets (and fields, and parking lots) for the Valley’s spring and...
by Kristin Palpini | May 23, 2016 | Articles, Arts, Music, News
Brian Cooper has what seems like an obvious suggestion when it comes to fixing the C_lvin Theater’s marquee: Use money collected through the $2 “Historic Preservation Fund” fee attached to every Calvin ticket sold to buy a new one.The letter “A” has been missing from...
by By Peter Vancini | May 23, 2016 | Articles, News
When Ray Sebold set out to build his environmentally-friendly dream house in Montague, he knew he would have to do it on the cheap.“By no means are we rich,” Sebold says. “There’s no family money involved here. I personally have more skills than money.”Seabold, 64, is...
by Kristin Palpini | May 23, 2016 | Articles, Between the Lines, News
Here are some things that, if you do them, should disqualify you from ever having a national holiday in your honor:Driving civilizations that once consisted of millions of people to near-extinction through starvation and murder;Enslaving people to force them to work...
by Advocate Staff | May 23, 2016 | Articles, Arts, Leisure, Music, News, Stage
Happy Brffday, GirlThe self-anointed Queen of Crossplay (a blend of cross dressing and cosplay) Serenity Lockhart is having a birthday party Saturday night at Gateway City Arts in Holyoke and everyone is invited. Dress to impress Her Majesty and to coordinate with the...
by Advocate Staff | May 23, 2016 | Articles, Arts, Leisure, News
Springtime in Paradise One of the biggest arts fairs in New England makes its annual spring stop in Northampton this week, with over 250 artists from every corner of the country showing work in ceramics, painting, decorative fiber, art glass, furniture, jewelry,...
by By Rivka Solomon | May 23, 2016 | Articles, News, Wellness
Last fall, when the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced they would finally help the 1 million to 2.5 million Americans with the disease commonly known as chronic fatigue syndrome, patients hoped this would be our moment of recognition — like when the NIH...
by Kristin Palpini | May 24, 2016 | Articles, Arts, Leisure, Music, News, Stage
By Kristin Palpini After looking into what the Historic Preservation Fund fee charged for admission to Calvin Theater concerts is for, Advocate staff wanted to know how fees compare around the area. Below is a comparison of the fees charged for upcoming shows at area...
by Kristin Palpini | May 23, 2016 | Articles, Columns, Leisure, News, O Cannabis!
The hungry stoner is a crude cliche. Ravenous, bug-eyed, slovenly, and insatiable is how the type is usually portrayed in pop culture. The truly initiated, however, know that while weed can bring on a powerful case of the munchies, it’s nothing to go all reefer...
by Chuck Shepherd | May 23, 2016 | Articles, News, News of the Weird
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign announced they had recently transmitted high-speed digital data through slabs of pork loin and beef liver. The signal cleared the muscle and gristle so cleanly that it permitted streaming of high-definition...
by Advocate Staff | May 23, 2016 | Articles, Arts, News, Scene Here, Wellness
Through the open door of Springfield’s Virtue Brazilian Jiu Jitsu come the sounds of little bare feet rapidly thumping on gym mats. Inside, Kym Sturdivant’s watchful gaze over the tiny fighters is sober. Arms raised, the grade-school grapplers circle each other,...
by Advocate Staff | May 16, 2016 | Articles, Arts, News
We walk, bike, and drive past it all the time, but the abundance of art decorating the Valley’s streets deserves more attention than a fleeting glance. There is some amazing work sticking it out in the rain, snow, and sun just to inspire. To bring more attention to...
by Advocate Staff | May 18, 2016 | Articles, Arts, Featured, Scene Here
It’s 8:30 a.m. and the sun already feels warm on Main St. in Springfield’s South End. Birdsong can be heard beyond the roar of a passing bus. Across from a patchy, untended lot enclosed by a chainlink fence, children in backpacks skip along the sidewalk, weaving...
by Hunter Styles | May 16, 2016 | Articles, Arts, Music, News
Adhamh Roland has the look down pat: black-jacket tuxedo, bowler hat, and a friendly twinkle in his eye that speaks volumes. “Yes,” his smile says, “I have an accordion. Yes, I show up unannounced, bearing a special message from someone you know. And yes, I’m going to...
by Advocate Staff | May 16, 2016 | Articles, Arts, News
Don’t misjudge Agawam’s quiet streets as a sign that nothing is going on. There’s a lot happening in this community — and we’re not talking about Six Flags.Agawam Cinemas: It’s more than nostalgia that draws people to the newly re-opened Agawam Cinemas; it’s...
by From Our Readers | May 16, 2016 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News
Assault on Assault WeaponsEditor’s Note: Earlier this month, residents of Longmeadow voted on three proposed measures to ban all assault weapons from the town, keep a more detailed catalog of guns kept in town, and to ban any firearm from public buildings and...
by Hunter Styles | May 16, 2016 | Articles, Between the Lines, News
Last October, I sat among hundreds of Springfield public students in the dark of the downtown venue CityStage. We had gathered for a touring performance, created by Double Edge Theatre of Ashfield, called The Grand Parade (of the 20th Century). It was a delightfully...
by Chuck Shepherd | May 16, 2016 | Articles, News, News of the Weird
Google filed a U.S. Patent Office application on April 28 for a vision-improvement device in liquid form that, once inserted — i.e., injected directly into the eyeball — solidifies into not only a lens replacement for the eye, but an instrument that carries its own...
by Naila Moreira | May 9, 2016 | Articles, Columns, Down to Earth, News
It’s one of the things we need most for survival, yet take most for granted. We need it to drink, to cook, to bathe, to brush our teeth.Water.We’re blessed to live in a zone of abundant rainfall, and the Mill and Connecticut Rivers pour through the Valley. But even...
by Hunter Styles | May 11, 2016 | Articles, Arts, Leisure, Music, News
Holyoke Rocks The enterprising staff at Gateway City Arts always seems to be revving its engines, pushing the canal-side arts center to host the most fun and interesting programming in a rapidly-evolving downtown Holyoke. This weekend, they’ve outdone...
by Kristin Palpini | May 11, 2016 | Articles, Arts, Leisure, News
The timer started when the door closed, and for a moment it was very confusing. Inside Puzzled Escape Games’ first escape room, the Advocate staff stood frozen like the Scooby-Doo gang before a haunted house — silent, wide-eyed, and a little hungry (it was dinner...
by Kristin Palpini | May 11, 2016 | Articles, Arts, Music, News
OMG, ya’ll Frost your hair tips, put a logo across your rear, and dig out your puka shell necklace because it’s 2000 again and Aaron Carter is coming to sing at the Waterfront on Main Street in Holyoke Saturday night. It’s being promoted as a “girls night out”...
by Advocate Staff | May 11, 2016 | Articles, Arts, Leisure, News
Stories in Strokes The Abraham Project, developed by German artist Marlis Glaser over the past 10 years, contains more than 200 drawings and paintings of Holocaust survivors and their children in Israel. Glaser based each of these artworks on narrative...
by Kristin Palpini | May 10, 2016 | Articles, Arts, Leisure, News
At the Best of the Valley 2016 winners’ party at the Log Cabin in Holyoke last week, there was a photo booth. Hundreds of the community’s top community leaders and business owners were there. Here is what...
by Peter Vancini | May 11, 2016 | Articles, News, Uncategorized
With winter gone and Earth Day a recent memory, it seems like a good time to check in on the local environment before we all head outside to play in the sun again. Area environmental specialists say the Valley is full of environmentally conscious folks, which is...
by Advocate Staff | May 9, 2016 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News
Pot is not harmlessIn March, I was invited by community members to speak to students at Mount Holyoke College about the current science of marijuana, an issue I have devoted much of my career to understanding. I was surprised and saddened that a letter writer from...
by By Kristin Palpini | May 9, 2016 | Articles, Between the Lines, News
Hundreds of Springfield children spend seven hours a day, five days a week, nine months out of the year at German Gerena Community School, which may or may not have a severe mold problem, depending on who you ask.According to parents and community leaders, including...
by By Chuck Shepherd | May 9, 2016 | Articles, News, News of the Weird
The eye-catching Vietnamese model and Playboy, Venezuela edition, Playmate Angie Vu complained to the New York Daily News in April that her five-plus months in jail in Brooklyn have been “torture” and “cruel” because of her lack of access to...
by Peter Vancini | May 4, 2016 | Articles, News
Today is Luis Colon Castro’s 21st birthday and he’s been homeless twice in his life. The other five people sitting around the table at Out Now, a Springfield advocacy group that provides a safe space for queer youth, listen empathetically as Luis, a thin man in...
by Advocate Staff | May 4, 2016 | Articles, News, News of the Weird
By Chuck ShepherdOne notably hypersuccessful YouTube channel — 700,000 subscribers — features Lauri Vuohensilta of Finland pulverizing various objects such as a bowling ball, in a 100-ton hydraulic press. Said Vuohensilta, “I think it’s built into every...
by By Kristin Palpini | May 4, 2016 | Articles, Between the Lines, News
Longmeadow residents have the opportunity this week to ban all assault-style weapons and large capacity magazines from their town. Residents at Town Meeting will vote on 31 articles Tuesday, May 10, including three that deal with gun ownership. The proposed measures...
by Hunter Styles | May 5, 2016 | Articles, Featured, News, Uncategorized
It was Northampton that held the first Pride march in the area, and those who participated walked down the Main Street of a very different America. The year was 1981. Non-heterosexual citizens held virtually no legal protections as employees, as tenants, as...
