WEEK IN REVIEW
this holiday season This time, it was the attempt in poor taste, by Adams, to tell us why he hates Christmas festivities and all that goes with the season [“Bah, Humbug,” November 29]. It’s bizarre that Adams wastes about 18 inches of print to tell us, in detail and poor humor, why he hates the holiday. Then, like we really need a disgusting conclusion to make sure we understand his point, Adams tells us that the yuletide season makes him vomit. His diatribe makes me vomit.
cozy up
Federal, state and local government finally did a small school in. Ridiculous regulations, poor leadership and a gullible public sank a 100-year-old-plus institution from a lean-run operation with above-average results to a bloated bureaucracy with high costs and poor outcomes. The majority of townspeople in Rochester who went along with this charade should be really proud of themselves.
at the great northern
Michael Lary ROCHESTER
Daniel G. Cohen BURLINGTON
HAPPENING PLACE
THEGREATNORTHERNVT.COM
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11/20/17 9:48 AM
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12/4/17 10:09 AM
Doug Collette
SOUTH BURLINGTON
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FEEDBACK 7
It took a little longer than expected, but they finally did it [“Last Gasp? How a Vermont High School Ended Up With Just Two Students,” November 22; Off Message: “After Vote, Rochester Will Close Its Middle-High School,” November 29].
716 PINE STREET, BURLINGTON, VT
SEVEN DAYS
ROCHESTER RUINED
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12.06.17-12.13.17
Tim Lewis
BURLINGTON
May I suggest that Margot Harrison’s 2.5-star review of Justice League [Movie Reviews, November 22] was a bit harsh? Granted, this film was no Wonder Woman, but the Seven Days critic did paint with broad strokes, to the detriment of her observations and analysis. Better to completely ignore the tiresome (and tired) Marvel versus DC Comics competition theme and instead focus on the nuances within the fairly well-paced two hours — including but not limited to designating the source of your character quote (Gal Gadot has imbued her splendid portrayal of Princess Diana with a melodramatic streak), the friction within the supergroup, the irony of Superman’s revival via much the same process as the creation of the Kryptonian monster in Batman v Superman, and, last but not least, Ben Affleck/Bruce Wayne’s subtle stab at parody of President Donald Trump in the final scene. Delving into this genre does require engaging in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s willing suspension of disbelief, but that doesn’t preclude an attention to detail, the likes of which can make (or break) the appreciation of a movie — or any other creative work, for that matter.
SEVENDAYSVT.COM
In [Soundbites, “Thinking Thankfulness,” November 22], Jordan Adams wrote, “The arrival of the holidays usually means an overall lull in exciting music happenings.” I could not disagree more. There is a myth that our local music scene has barely anything to offer at times — yet it always does. How cool was it when two bands from Montréal, which are friends, found out they had shows at Radio Bean and Light Club Lamp Shop on the night before Thanksgiving? Ivamae and the Mountain Carol were great that night, too. How cool was that version of “Strawberry Fields Forever” that Barbacoa dropped on us at Foam Brewers the night after Thanksgiving? Granted, there may be lesser-publicized shows at this time of year, but there is always something great happening for you to experience, if you take a chance on going out. Heck, you might even be able to sit at home and hear live performances by Eastern Mountain Time, Black Rabbit and Zeus Springsteen on your smartphone in the coming weeks. Conversely, when Adams wrote, “I’m constantly thankful for the vastness of Vermont’s music scene. The fact that a person can go out and see live music every night of the week is special, and we’re lucky to live in a place where that’s possible,” I could not agree more. We are lucky. Anytime you need a place to go where you can hear quality music at an affordable price, you can always find something.
NO ‘JUSTICE’ HERE