Opinion
My Turn: We all wear armor
By CAROLE GARIEPY
We all wear armor, yes we do. Sometimes we wear a full suit, sometimes just a small breastplate. A recent trip to the Worcester Art Museum made me think about armor in a broader way.The museum was gifted with the vast armor collection from the Higgins...
My Turn: East-west rail and the wonders of Swiss transit
By Jonathan Kahane
Grüezi mitenand. After a three-year hiatus, I find myself back in Switzerland again visiting family and friends. Before Covid, I would come here to enjoy camaraderie, alpine vistas, skiing, hiking, chocolate, watches, cheese, it’s touted “purist...
Dropped Senior Center services
The recent firing of a dance instructor at the Greenfield Senior Center brings to mind the similar actions of the same director in forcing the shut down of free tax preparation a few years back.At that time, theses services were provided at the old...
As I See It: Why we fail our New Year’s resolutions
By JON HUER
The Week magazine (Jan. 20) has an interesting article on why people fail with their New Year’s resolutions (80% of them by February). Why do we fail to maintain our own self-promises?Naturally, the Week magazine asks psychologists who typically...
Connecting the Dots: Group action is a time-honored tradition
By JOHN BOS
Our embattled planet’s capacity to sustain humankind’s “lifestyle” is about to run out.Global warming has increased the number of extreme weather events around the world by 400% since the 1980s. Countries really do know how to stop these events: just...
Seeking veterans for war memorial
I am writing as chairman of the Bernardston Veterans Memorial Committee. We are in the process of updating the Veterans Memorial in Cushman Park and will be adding names to honor those that have served since we dedicated the current memorial, in 2002....
John Howard: Induction stoves are safer and save money
There’s been a lot in the press about how bad gas stoves are for your health. They can cause asthma in children and have other gases which are not terribly good for adults (www.ecowatch.com/gas-stoves-asthma-children.html). Using the range exhaust...
My Turn: FERC is failing New England’s Great River
By KARL MEYER
On Jan. 12, 2023, Vince Yearick, director of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) Division of Hydropower Licensing, gave a new fat gift to FirstLight Power for its Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Station in Massachusetts. Parent-owned...
Turn back Doomsday Clock with Eisenhower Plan
By WILLIAM LAMBERS
With the Doomsday Clock now 90 seconds to midnight, the closest to nuclear war ever, it’s clear diplomacy must be brought back into action to reduce the threat.The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists just made the annual Doomsday Clock announcement...
My Turn: Netanyahu’s new government — What does it mean for Israel?
By Richard Fein
The new coalition government in Israel is the most ultra-nationalist, theocratic in that nation’s history. Many of Israel’s friends are deeply concerned about Israel’s future as a Jewish Democratic State living up to the ethical standards enshrined in...
City Council and police funding
Last week, Greenfield Police Chief Robert Haigh Jr. made an aggrieved presentation to City Council claiming that he has to cut the night shift because the Council defunded the police, and he said that this would make our town unsafe. But the council’s...
Calling Democrats evil
I take exception to the use of the word "evil" when describing Democrats in the recent letter “New bill on abortion,” (Recorder, Jan. 21). This country is deeply divided along political lines, and the situation is not helped when people write letters...
Debt ceiling battle
After reading the article by reporter Greg Vine on the front-page of Tuesday’s Recorder about the impending debt ceiling battle, and U.S. Rep McGovern’s take on it, I felt that his one sided perspective deserves a response (“McGovern: Debt ceiling...
Appreciate column on Ukraine
We would like to commend Dr. DavideGottsegen for his insightful column, “As war rolls on, support for Ukraine must continue,” in the Jan. 20 Recorder. He eloquently and correctly condenses the issues, outlines the over 1,000 year history of Ukraine...
Wants aggressive action by City Council
Having refused to accept responsibility for racism in their promotion decisions, Police Chief Robert Haigh Jr. and Mayor RoxannWedegartner are now fighting their war with the City Council at the expense of the safety of the people of Greenfield,...
My Turn: Surprise and alarm over Northfield SoulFest
By JAMIE YOST and CHRISTOPHER SIKES
After more than two months reviewing Moody Center’s plans for the three-day SoulFest Christian Music Festival, the Northfield Select Board issued a strongly-worded letter to the President of the Moody Center. The five members of the Select Board...
Tom’s beloved Catamount
Few knew or loved Catamount more than Tom (“Monsai”) Maloney. Aside from growing up on the southern-most extremity of the mountain, it was Tom’s playground from the time he could ambulate. Starting with bicycles and advancing to an old VW Beetle, to...
Wants update from the border
I see that Daniel Brown is still contributing columns to the Recorder. He used to be so insightful about the human disaster it was at the border during President Trump’s term in office since he now lives near the border and sees it firsthand. It would...
Bernardston Senior Center
If you are looking for a fun and entertaining place to spend your time, come to the Bernardston Senior Center. We have an amazing director, Jennifer Reynolds, who is always coming up with new ideas and is friendly and welcomes new members. We have...
Appreciates report on police staffing
Thank you to the Recorder for the article on Monday about local police staffing for the overnight 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift and getting this information out to the community. Currently Deerfield, Montague, Orange and Greenfield provide their own police...
