Tag Archives: new york

Videos of “Catastrophic” Flooding in Vermont

29 Aug

As someone who had the privilege to attend school in Middlebury, Vermont for four years, I have been deeply saddened and horrified to see the videos coming out of the state today. There have already been 39 confirmed deaths from Hurricane Irene and more than 5.5 million people lost power from North Carolina to Maine. Nowhere has the damage been worse than Vermont though.

There are currently 15 towns in Vermont and New York that have been cut off by the flooding. Damages from the storm could top $7 billion and Vermont officials seriously considered flooding the capital, Montpelier, to save a nearby dam. Officials confirmed that two people died in the waters.

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin appeared on Democracy Now! to talk about the unprecedented nature of the storm in Vermont. He said “we are still under siege” from the storm and called the flooding “catastrophic.”

This is the second major disaster as a result of storms. We had storms this spring that flooded our downtowns and put us through many of the same exercises that we’re going through right now. We didn’t used to get weather patterns like this in Vermont. The point is, we in the colder states are going to see the results of climate change first.

Here are some of the most shocking videos posted online. This video shows the normally calm and tranquil little stream in Brattleboro, Vermont turned into a torrent of water. I was there just a couple of months ago.

This video shows a bridge in Rockingham, Vermont being swept away by the water. The covered bridge dated back to 1870.

This video shows the amount of flooding in Grafton. Bridges are being washed out and the town remains out of contact from the rest of the world. According to the video, the rushing water is usually a “tranquil stream.”

Here an empty car is swept down the river in Bennington, Vermont.

This is the view in Chester, Vermont.

This video shows the devastation at the Grafton Cheese Company. Thankfully, the company reports everyone is safe and the cows are okay.

Devastating news from the breweries in the state as well. A photo of Long Trail Brewery completely underwater was posted, though apparently the situation is not completely dire.

The same cannot be said for The Alchemist Pub & Brewery, which was destroyed in the flooding in Waterbury. Having been to The Alchemist, they are truly wonderful people who make amazing beer. I hope this closing is only temporary.

The Flat Street Brew Pub in Brattleboro also appeared to be completely flooded yesterday. No word on the scale of damage. Our thoughts are with Vermont in this difficult time. Consider a donation to the Red Cross.

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In Italia!

4 Jul

After what will surely go down as one of the more epic voyages of my life, I arrived safely in Italy with 10 new kids on the Experiment in International Living. We’re now close to entering the second week of the program (time flies) and the group has safely arrived in Treviso for our homestay. We’re here until July 16, after which we’ll journey to Bologna, Parma, Modena, Venice and finally Riccione.

Among the highlights of those upcoming travels: a four-day course on how to make artisanal gelato, a visit to a Parmasean cheese farm, learning how prosciutto is made and a tasting of the world-famous balsamic vinegar made in Modena. Should be lots of fun.

I’ll fill everyone in on the adventure getting over here at a later date, but I’m happy to say that I should have regular internet access for the next couple of weeks.

On the negative side, I have discovered that All’Italia is probably the worst airline ever. When we flew from New York, we connected in Paris but my bag didn’t make the trip. It’s now literally a week later and the bag still has not arrived. Supposedly it is in Rome and should be on one of the next flights up here. Not sure I believe that though. The setback is mostly annoying, but getting really aggravating now. Am I entitled to money for this? Please offer your suggestions below.

Will update more in the coming days. A presto! Ciao!

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Anthony Weiner Admits to Sending Lewd Tweet

6 Jun

New York Democrat Rep. Anthony Weiner held what MSNBC’s Luke Russert called “an extraordinary” press conference this afternoon, admitting he sent lewd, inappropriate images to a series of women over a series of years. Following days of news coverage, Weiner admitted that a tweet showing a cloth-covered erect penis was sent by him. Over the course of the press conference, Weiner apologized numerous times for his behavior, calling it “dumb,” “inappropriate,” “stupid,” among other terms.

Among the facts we learned:

  • Weiner meant to send the tweet that started the press coverage as a direct message on Twitter. For those of you not familiar with how twitter works, think of a direct message as a short, private email communication visible only to the two parties involved. A tweet, like Weiner sent, is visible to anyone who follows the account or searches for it. Once he realized his mistake, Weiner “panicked” and lied in order to prevent further personal embarrassment.
  • The series of relationships with women dates back at least three years. Many of the inappropriate relationships occurred before Weiner was married, but some of them occurred after he married long-time Hilary Clinton aide Huma Abedin last year.
  • Weiner never met any of the women and never engaged in sex outside of his marriage. The congressman met most of the women via Facebook and spoke with several of them by phone. He refused to answer whether he engaged in phone sex with any of them.
  • Before beginning the press conference, Weiner spoke with Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi. She urged him to tell the truth and expressed her disappointment in his behavior. Pelosi later opened an ethics investigation into Weiner’s behavior.
  • Weiner issued a blanket apology to everyone affected by his bad judgement. The apology included right-wing commentator Andrew Breitbart who broke the scandal and shockingly took to the podium before Weiner spoke.
  • The congressman denies using governmental resources to have the discussions, saying they occurred at home and own personal devices. He does not plan to resign.

Also, noteworthy:

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2 Awesome Short Documentaries

27 May

If you have a few minutes, check out these short documentaries. Well worth the quick view.

1) World’s Last Handwritten Newspaper: The Musalman is the world’s oldest Urdu-language newspaper and its also thought to be the last newspaper in the world that is handwritten every day. This is the story of how the newspaper is put together each day and what inspires the people to continue their work. There is no practical reason why they couldn’t have switched over to computer production.

2) If These Knishes Could Talk: So this video is not actually completed yet, but it envisions a documentary about the New York accent. Seems really interesting, and the trailer contains interviews with a lot of interesting people. If you like the trailer, consider donating a few bucks so the filmmaker can afford to finish the project.

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$3.89 Million For a Photograph

19 May

Cindy Sherman had a very good day at Christie’s auction house. Her photograph (seen above), entitled “Untitled #96,” was sold for $3.89 million. That’s a record for a photograph.

The buyer was New York dealer Philippe Segalot, and the underbidder was Per Skarstedt, also a New York dealer. No word on what they will do with their newly acquired work of art.

Sherman is no stranger to success in the auction world. Another of her photographs, Untitled #153, was sold for $2.7 million recently. It features the artist as a mud-caked corpse.

Do you think the picture is worth how much it sold for?

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