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By Kerri Provost, October 29, 2011 8:00 pm

Continue reading 'Smitten in New Britain with Hartford’s Burlesque Troupe'»

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By Kerri Provost, October 14, 2011 1:46 pm

Here are a few of the upcoming Halloween events to look out for later this month:

Steampunk Halloween Masquerade Ball

Exactly what it sounds like. The Steampunk Bizarre artwork will still be on exhibit during this event. There will be a costume contest and participants should wear masks. This is at the Mark Twain House & Museum.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Jonathan Kruk, the official storyteller of New York, will be performing The Legend of Sleepy Hollow at the Mark Twain House & Museum at 7:30 on the evenings of October 25th and October 26th.

Cedar Hill’s Haunted History Lantern Tour

Wear comfortable shoes and dress warmly. Once you think you have done that, add one more layer. The wait for this tour has been long for a reason; in the past, it was likely that you would spend about an hour pacing about before guided through Cedar Hill Cemetery. This year, they are requiring attendees to make reservations for the tour on the evening of October 28th. Character actors will tell tales of their lives, and of their deaths. This is probably not appropriate for young children. You may want to bring a flashlight.

M.A.D. Costume Party

The New Britain Museum of American Art is awesome, so the trip is worth taking anyway, but on October 28th their monthly party will feature a costume contest, along with a burlesque performance by Hartford’s own Beat City Beauties. This event is for adults over 21 only. Before complaining about the admission price, take note: it’s an open bar. The NBMAA will have trompe l’oeil works by Sarah Lamb on exhibit, as well as minimalist art by Arthur Carter. Victoria Bradbury’s new media interactive installation will project viewers’ heads onto that of a boar. The museum is at 56 Lexington Street in New Britain.

Nosferatu with the Alloy Orchestra

At 8pm on October 29th, Real Art Ways will be hosting a silent film screening accompanied by live music! If you’ve never had this type of viewing experience before, it’s worth taking the risk.

Spirits at Stowe

Every Friday and Saturday evening in October, there are 45-minute tours (6:30, 7:30, and 8:30) of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s house, with a focus on her “interest in spiritualism.”

Spooky Storytimes

At 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m., the SAND/Ropkins branch of the Hartford Public Library will have this 30-minute storytime for children ages 3-5. This is located at 1750 Main Street. Free.

Is there anything not on the list that should be?

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By Kerri Provost, August 31, 2011 2:54 pm

photo courtesy of Afonso Lima

Click here to read about how a student in Hartford opted out of the Connecticut Mastery Test.

The Connecticut State Department of Education website makes the No Child Left Behind threats both clear and obscure at the same time:

Schools will be responsible for improving the academic performance of all students, and there will be real consequences for districts and schools that fail to make progress.

The phrase “academic performance” is Continue reading 'Back to School Guide: Reclaiming Your Child’s Education (2/2)'»

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By Kerri Provost, August 30, 2011 8:57 am

The following is not intended to be an all-inclusive list. Rather, these are my snobbish selections of what sounds most interesting in the upcoming month. Also, to mark the ten years since September 11, 2001, there will be numerous events, re-broadcasts, etc. For this calendar, I am only including those that appear to promise not to pander to reactionaries, nor foster chauvinism.

August 31- September 4th

Quidam: Cirque du Soleil at the Civic Center.

September 1st

Art After Hours: Escape to India. The Wadsworth Atheneum’s monthly party will feature Indian cuisine, dancing, henna body painting, and a fashion show by Sadhna’s, a downtown clothing boutique. The event begins at 5pm and concludes after the screening of Monsoon Wedding.

The Art of Carlos Hernandez-Chavez: “I am My Mother.” The opening reception will be from 5-8pm at the Pump House Gallery, located at 60 Elm Street at the edge of Bushnell Park. This collection of work by “Hartford visual artist, muralist, photographer, musician, arts educator and activist Carlos Hernandez-Chavez” will be on display through September 29th. Continue reading 'Happening(s) in September'»

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By Kerri Provost, August 22, 2011 7:51 am

Local activists began a rolling fast at the beginning of this month to show solidarity with prisoners in the California state system; 6,600 prisoners had been on a hunger strike to urge officials to change conditions in prisons, including the indefinite solitary confinement at Pelican Bay State Prison.

The rolling fast will be ending tomorrow, August 23rd. From 6:30-8:30 pm there will be a speak-out at La Paloma Sabanera. On this National Day of Action and Solidarity, local activists will be sharing their own stories about fasting. They will provide education about prison conditions, not just in California, but here in Connecticut as well.

This event is free and sponsored by Connecticut in Solidarity with California Prisoners.

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By Kerri Provost, August 9, 2011 10:23 am

Last month, 6,600 prisoners in California participated in a protest against indefinite solitary confinement. It began at the Pelican Bay State Prison; eventually, inmates at a total of thirteen prisons participated. On the twentieth day of action, the state government agreed to reassess the use of solitary confinement (in which prisoners might be kept for years) in its prisons. The protests — which also included lawyers, family members, and community members –  involved marching, petitioning, chanting, and fasting. There have been conflicting reports about when the prisoner hunger strike ended, partly because the media had been refused permission to interview prisoners participating in the action.

Now, locals are fasting in solidarity to keep the pressure on the State of California. Connecticut in Solidarity with California Prisoners has organized this action. So far, thirteen people have committed to participating, three of whom will be fasting twice. One activist — a diabetic — will be fasting on the same day as another person. Continue reading 'Rolling Fast'»

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By Kerri Provost, August 7, 2011 10:44 pm

Just over a month ago, five young women from New England Climate Summer — Team RICONN — biked through Hartford, after starting their trip in Providence. Their goal was to make stops in Rhode Island and Connecticut, before heading straight from New Haven to their final destination: Boston.

They did it.

On Wednesday evening they rolled into Boston.

What does one learn after spending ten weeks away from home?

In a thank you letter sent by Team RICONN, Ellie said, “This summer has restored my faith and confidence in humanity. [...] I found myself constantly in awe of the level of hospitality and warmth with which we were met and the short amount of time that it took me to feel at home wherever we went.” Continue reading 'Climate Summer a Success'»

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By Kerri Provost, July 16, 2011 10:34 am

Nearly a year ago, we wrote about the MDC public hearing regarding the potential closing of West Hartford Reservoir to recreation. The impetus for this discussion was a frivolous lawsuit, filed and won, by a cyclist who had been seriously injured at the reservoir. As a result, the MDC had to hand over $2.9 million.

On Wednesday, Governor Malloy signed into law the Recreational Liability Protection for Muncipalities bill (HB 6557 / PL 11-211). The purpose of this law is to protect cities against frivolous personal injury lawsuits. This law goes into effect on October 1, 2011.

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By Kerri Provost, July 6, 2011 5:39 pm

This pig lives at Holcomb Farm, a farm that provides produce to Foodshare

It’s not accurate to describe Hartford as being a food desert. This term implies that food is unavailable. The obesity rate says otherwise.

Instead, we should be calling it what it is — a food swamp. Prof. Molly Anderson used this phrase during her presentation at a recent forum held at the Lyceum. Rather than a lack of food being the problem, it’s that there is, in these areas, “far too much of the wrong kind of food,” she argued.

Food security was the topic of discussion at the “IForum” in late June. Anderson, the keynote speaker, delivered her presentation, “A Home’s Not Just a House: Why Food Security Must Be Part of a Strong, Affordable Community”; a response panel comprised of Julia Pon, Margaret Williams, and Martha Page followed. Continue reading 'The Great Food Swamp'»

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By Kerri Provost,

Eighteen people, ranging from traditional college students to retirees, gathered in a musty basement bordering the Trinity College campus, yet not one was currently affiliated with this institution. Reaching them required navigating around the bicycles; bikes were tied to the chain link fence, to other bikes, to the porch, or just leaning against the narrow hallway walls inside.

Five young adults from New England Climate Summer were meeting with community members during their week-long stop in Hartford. They are one team of six taking part in this action and are cycling across New England specifically to speak with local activists in various towns and cities so that these individuals and organizations are acknowledged.

The Connecticut/Rhode Island team — an all female team — began in Providence (RI) before coming to Hartford. Next, they will make stops in Bridgeport, North Kingstown (RI), Westerly (RI), Stonington, Mystic,New Haven, and will end their trip in Roxbury/Boston (MA). The majority of all New England Climate Summer participants, actually, are women.

After Thursday evening’s potluck meeting, attended by folks affiliated with CCEJ and The Summer of Solutions, and others, I spoke with women from the Climate Summer Connecticut/Rhode Island team about their adventure so far. To set out on such a trip, one would expect the cyclists to have raced or at least trained for it. Instead, they said:

No one in the group has [done] anything like this before. In fact, most of us weren’t even avid cyclists before the trip. We’re learning as we go, and I think a lot of us will definitely be inspired to bike much more now that we’ve had this experience. Now that we’ve done a couple of 50+ mile days, biking one or two miles to the store won’t seem like a big deal.

This home in Shandaken, New York (near Woodstock) is one of many with anti-fracking signs in the yard.

This might not seem like a lifestyle change to some, but 40% of trips people in urban areas take are within two miles of home, yet 90% of those trips are made using an automobile. In an age when peak oil is no longer something that may possibly happen in a few generations’ time, it’s hopeful that there are young people taking energy issues seriously.

While they report a few minor snags, like potholes, debris in the road, and the lack of shoulders, they say that generally, their experience has been “very positive”:

Avoiding using automobiles for the summer is much more doable than people might initially think.

The Climate Summer group says they have “most enjoyed Continue reading 'Climate Summer'»