(2/16/07) Here's a collection of bits and pieces of news and information from around town, with apologies for last week being nuggetless.
Town Report: The Town of Amherst's Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2006 is now available on the web site. That link takes you to the more-manageable Table of Contents, which lists the links to every individual departmental report. If you'd prefer to browse through all 240 pages from start to finish, you could do that here.
Focus on Climate: Molly Turner and Eleanor Manire-Gatti will host Focus at noon on Sunday, February 18th on 91.1 FM WMUA. The topic will be climate change, and guests will be: Stephanie Ciccarello, Amherst's administrator for the Conservation Task Force, who will be addressing the Town's Climate Action Plan; and Reverend Fred Small, who will speak about the upcoming Interfaith Walk for Climate Rescue, which begins in Northampton on March 16th, and ends in Boston on March 24th.
What's up, Doc? A Bugs Bunny Film Festival – it doesn't get any better than that. Two shows daily at the Amherst Cinema, 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., February 17th - 25th. All tickets are $5. Enjoy original Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons on the big screen from those comfy blue chairs.
Serious Cinema: If cartoons aren't your thing, you may prefer the 15-week series of classic international cinema, which began February 15th at the Amherst Cinema. Thursday evenings at 7:00, films including Federico Fellini's La Strada, Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries and Marcel Carné's Children of Paradise will be preceded by introductions from local professors of film, language and culture. Each week's film will be re-shown without those intros at 2:00 p.m. on the following Sunday. Check out the Amherst Cinema's web site for more information.
Good-byes and Tries: 23 Town Meeting members are not seeking re-election this year. They are: Normand Berlin, Mary Lynn Boscardin, Peter Elbow, William F. Field, Richard Gale, Donald G. Gallagher, Louise R. Grosslein, Jolene K. Hart, Ruth V. Hazzard, Fred H. Houck, Mei-Ju Hwang, John S. Ingram, Martin F. Jones, Woden B. Kusner, Janet Lansberry, Mary Jane Laus, Carol A. Lee, Jane K. Mellor, Victoria Morales, Patricia Roper O'Brien, Jane W. Price, Deanne Sloan Riddle and Dade Singapuri, and we thank them for their service. Town Meeting candidates include 73 non-incumbents, 17 of whom have served previously, and 56 of whom would be first-timers. Best of luck to all. Or most.
Winter Warmer: How about a tea tasting? Learn all about the tea plant and the six main classes of tea from Robert Heiss, tea expert, author and co-owner of Cooks Shop Here. The Natural History of Tea program will be held Tuesday, February 20th, at 7:00 p.m. at the Hitchcock Center. The fee is $5 for members, $10 for non-members, and pre-registration is recommended. Learn more at the Hitchcock Center's web site, or call 256-6006.
Mayer @ Mullins: John Mayer will be at Mullins Center on Monday, February 26th. The show starts at 8:00 p.m., and doors open at 7:00 p.m. Tickets ranging from $34 -$44 are still available as of this writing, and can be purchased on-line, or by calling Ticketmaster at 413-733-2500.
Poetry @ Jeffery Amherst: Amherst native Doris Abramson will be at Jeffery Amherst Bookshop on Saturday, February 24th at 1:00 p.m., reading from and signing Time Will Tell, her new book of poetry and profiles. According to the Bookshop, Abramson now lives in New Salem, and was a UMass theater professor and specialist in the theater of Black America.
Amherst on NPR: Did you catch the Amherst College story on National Public Radio's All Things Considered last week? It's part of a series on “the economic divide,” and it looks at how differences in social class affect higher education. Good stuff.
Archive Resource: NPR has long been generous with making its archives available on the web, but that isn't the case with all sites. How often have you wanted to re-read or share an article from the Boston Globe or the New York Times that can no longer be accessed without paying a few bucks? An excellent resource to keep in mind is NewsBank, which gives you access to the full text of articles from those papers, as well as the Washington Post, Detroit Free Press and more. All you need is the number from your Jones Library card. Learn more about the great databases and information resources available with library card access right here.
Nuggets always welcome. Pass them along.
-- Stephanie O'Keeffe
