MetaFilter posts tagged with vermont

One Year in 16 minutes & 5 seconds

gomichild — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 02:19:41 -0800

One Year - Time Lapse Seasons, times and scenery changing over the course of a year at Terrapin Garden Farms. [via mefi projects]

Life under a giant plastic bowl

daniel_charms — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:42:22 -0800

In the bright and shiny future, we all live in cities under giant domes, green and warm all the year round - a sort of Logan’s Run, but without the forced euthanasia. It almost happened in, of all places, in Winooski, an old mill town in northern Vermont. In 1979, at the height of the oil crisis, someone proposed during a meeting called by the town fathers to discuss energy needs that the town should be covered with a dome to reduce the escape of heat. The idea quickly took off. Some heralded it as 'the ultimate in Yankee ingenuity'. Not everyone was as enthusiastic, though, and Winooski's requests for federal funds were turned down. Soon, the enthusiasm faded. The legend of the dome, however, still lives on as a giant umbrella covering the town.

Full of LGBT, not RBHT!

ericbop — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 07:52:49 -0800

First, there was the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck. Now, everyone's favorite super-premium conglomerate-owned sticking-to-its-righteous-roots ice cream company has transformed "Chubby Hubby" into Hubby Hubby (only in VT, only for September), in support of same sex marriage, which is legal in Vermont as of this month. No word yet whether Iowa-based Winnebago will follow suit with a specially-named RV.

Everything's Better With Butter

ericb — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 22:43:39 -0800

'Artisanal butters' are favored and appreciated by cooks and gourmands -- especially those crafted by "garage entrepreneurs" from Maine [video]* and Vermont (churned by Diane St. Clair and favored by Thomas Keller at his noted restaurants, The French Laundry and Per Se). Butters from Canada, France, Ireland and elsewhere are also cherished. In related news:

"With enough butter, anything is good." Nora Ephron Talks About The Joy of Butter. No Michael Jackson Sculpture in Butter at the Iowa Fair.

Is there no problem the internet can't solve - Flickr finds only known photo of Phineas Gage

jessamyn — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:43:41 -0800

While many quirky news buffs may be aware of the story of Phineas Gage -- the Vermont railroad foreman who had a three foot iron rod penetrate his skull as the result of an explosion and lived to tell about it -- fewer know that the only known photograph of him was recently discovered. Fewer still know that the identification of that photograph happened via a Flickr comment. (no thanks to you LA Times, previously) - More on Gage from the owners of the photograph - other interesting pictures from their collection - Wikipedia article on Gage - "The American Crowbar Case and nineteenth century theories of cerebral localization" - More stories like this over at Flickr Discoveries - Other cool stuff over at the Harvard Medical School's Warren Museum - obligatory slideshare deck (actually pretty interesting)

IHOP Serves Real Maple Syrup -- Only in Vermont

ericb — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:54:17 -0800

In the past many folk rightfully pointed out that IHOP (International House of Pancakes) didn't have a restaurant in Vermont. Times have been a changin.' Last month, Vermont became the 50^th and final state to welcome an IHOP. And, being in Vermont, "old fashioned corn syrup," masquerading as true maple syrup didn't make the grade. "The IHOP here is the only one of about 1,400 in the United States, Canada and Mexico to serve real maple syrup." The managers got permission from the company "with a special dispensation" to serve the real stuff.

"The 'real stuff' comes in a container on the side and costs diners an extra 99 cents. The restaurant buys it from Sugarman of Vermont, a confectionery in Hardwick, and sells about 180 containers a week. It is not yet listed on the menu, but news has spread by word of mouth."

Vermont legalizes same sex marriage

booksherpa — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 09:18:02 -0800

Today, the Vermont Legislature voted to override Gov. Jim Douglas' veto of a bill allowing same sex marriage, making Vermont the 4th state in the nation (and the second state this week) to legalize same sex marriage. Vermont is the first state to do it legislatively; it happened in the other three states via court ruling.

The sap is flowing

longsleeves — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 03:32:55 -0800

Up in Maple country The season is right for making maple syrup. Grades a,b,d; colors are factors. The international market is a factor. Visit lovely Cape Breton. Make pancakes with blueberries. Some more syrup people.

Helter Skelter Vermont Style

Xurando — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 05:10:50 -0800

Charlotte Dennett who read for the bar in Vermont, is now running for Vermont Attorney General on the Progressive Party ticket. Her platform: Prosecute George Bush for murder. Her choice for chief prosecutor: Vincent Bugliosi. When not running for office, Ms. Dennett is busy trying to get the CIA to release documents related to her father's disappearance.

Mmmmm. Maple Syrup in Pancakes.

ericb — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 15:50:04 -0800

"The sweet aroma of sap permeating the air, still harkens the arrival of Spring"^* in New England, Canada and other U.S. states. The Eastern Woodland Indians discovered that maple sap cooked over an open fire produces a sweet sugar [video], resulting in maple syrup. Many associate the syrup with Quebec (which produces most of the world's supply) and Vermont where about "one of every four trees...is a maple."^* Vermont even has a "maple cop." He enforces "Vermont's maple regulations for the state Agency of Agriculture, which strictly regulates how Vermont's most famous export is made, marketed and sold."^* Always fun this time of year is to visit a sap house, sugar shack, sugar house, sugar shanty or "cabane à sucre" to watch the process of making the confection and to enjoy not only the syrup, but also maple taffy/taffee, maple sugar, maple cream and maple butter. How To Guide to Tapping Maple Trees and Making Maple Syrup [PDF] Maple Sugaring in Your Backyard [PDF] Making Maple Syrup [video].

Johnny Reb Among Us

spaltavian — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 14:33:05 -0800

The Union is Dissolved! Or, at least it will be, if these unusual allies have their way. While waiting for the results of the Second North American Separatist Convention, you can read up on the separatist groups who attended the first convention last fall.

James Kochalka's American Elf daily comic

Kattullus — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 20:39:05 -0800

American Elf is a daily diary comic by James Kochalka. The latest strip is always free but the archives are subscription only. He also a musician, his most famous song being Hockey Monkey, and he has number of songs up for free on his site. [via Eddie Campbell who says: "Beginning in 1998 Kochalka took the form of daily strip and imbued it with a life that has been missing from it for a long time. Since then he has made sure his daily round is not finished until a strip is done. Another thing I like about it is the way he carefully avoids any taint of 'continuity'. There is no story here, just the eternal incidentalness of life as it is lived."]

there's gold in them there barns!

jessamyn — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 03:56:46 -0800

The A.K. Miller Auction "This is one of those stories that begins at the end. This was the end of A.K. Miller’s Stutz collection." Miller was a reclusive eccentric living on a ramshackle farm in Vermont. When he and his wife died, his estate was prepared for a tax sale. Sheriffs found a treasure trove of old cars, some wrapped in burlap to avoid prying eyes, stashed in a collection of dilapidated outbuildings. The auction (pdf) was eventually handled by Christie's and netted over two million dollars. [via]

vermont secession movement

MNDZ — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 08:16:00 -0800

13% of Vermont wants to secede, up from 8% last year. Here is their manifesto. Also Texas, Alaska, South Carolina, Hawaii.

Ya, I know. That was two links.

about_time — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 20:26:49 -0800

If the NYTs can publish a one-link "post" to a YouTube video, so can I.

All dogs go to Heaven. Well, unless they're Jewish. Or Muslim. Or whatever.

miss lynnster — Tue, 29 May 2007 16:29:29 -0800

"All Creeds. All Breeds. No Dogmas Allowed." Whether you are a dog person or not, you have probably seen Stephen Huneck's woodcut illustrations, sculptures, furn iture or children's books. The man clearly likes his canines. About eight years ago, a wild idea came to him shortly after he returned home with his wife and three dogs following a near-fatal illness that left him in a coma for two months. He was inspired to build a non-denominational chapel on his 400-acre mountain-top farm in St. Johnsbury (named "Dog Mountain," naturally), and to style it in the manner of a small village church built in Vermont around 1820. He then opened Dog Chapel to the public. "I look at this chapel as the largest artwork of my life, and my most personal." he says. It looks cool. Woof.

I Love Vermont

james_cpi — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 12:16:05 -0800

I Love Vermont

Toxic Time Capsule

whatstoxic — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 20:30:18 -0800

Interactive Toxic Town from Natl Library Medicine This NLM link shows relatively small everyday sources of toxics around town. Most worry over envirodisasters like Love Canal and Libby Montana but toxics in homes, schools, and small biz can add up to a bigger dose for most of us. The toxic town thread from June 2nd shows the incredible scale of industrial negligance at the nasty sites. Time capsules are neat when you stumble into something gramps left in the attic to remember his hey day. But hazwaste sites are time capsules of a different sort, left behind by industries escaping their environmental liabilities. These sites tell the story of utter disregard for the environment and community as hazwaste was poured down floor drains, dumped into soil and unlined lagoons, or directed into nearby streams. Most of us live far enough away from these chemical bullseyes to not be directly affected. But even more unbelieveably, sometimes the industry was able to pawn off its waste as "clean fill", getting rid of the stuff and spreading it all over town. Prime examples: Grand Junction CO and Stratford CT. But you don't need that for your street to harbor toxic waste - there are thousands of small waste sites in various stages of discovery or cleanup embedded in every state, rural/suburban/urban towns alike. Leaking tanks beneath gas pumps, dry cleaners, small industry, farms, nurseries,and even some homes can be toxics hot spots. Vermont's statewide hazwaste site list broken down by town is an example - it would be smart to find the list for your town.

The Curtain Rises on Vermont

grapefruitmoon — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 13:21:44 -0800

Vermont's Painted Theatre Curtains were made between 1880 and 1940 and are on display thanks in part to The Vermont Museum and Gallery Alliance and a grant from the NEA. [more inside]

Friends & Foes of The International Northeast Economic Region

boost ventilator — Sun, 11 Jun 2006 14:26:17 -0800

Start or stop Atlantica. [via CBC]

Gay Divorce?

grapefruitmoon — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 05:13:51 -0800

Custody After Civil Union Pits States Against Judges (NYT) - This may be the most signficant custody battle to ensue following the collapse of a Civil Union. Are there any laws in place to allow the non-biological mother visitation rights over the three year old child born during this union? Vermont says yes, Virginia says no. Final verdict? Jury's still out, this one may go all the way to the Supreme Court.

Jeffords to retire

C17H19NO3 — Mon, 09 May 2005 14:53:23 -0800

Senator James Jeffords (I-VT) has decided not to run for re-election in 2006 and Bernie Sanders will run for the Senate seat. Major General Martha Rainville (adjutant general of the Vermont Army National Guard) is thinking of making a run as a Republican.

Out of left feild

Jon-o — Wed, 27 Apr 2005 21:44:51 -0800

I ran into this article on the The Progressive website. Upon reading it, I said, "Who is this guy and why haven't I heard of him?" You Vermonters know him. He's your congressman, Bernie Sanders. Does anyone else (besides the Vermonters, of course) think this guy's got the right ideas?

Ewe England Cheese Farmers

onlyconnect — Wed, 23 Jun 2004 13:22:56 -0800

"We wanted to retire to something we knew nothing about, something we would find intellectually, physically and spiritually daunting." ~~ "I like goats. They're funny." ~~ "Our animals are vegetarians and don't do drugs." ~~"I can sort of get inside the head of the bacteria," she said. "I read about cheese in bed." ~~ "Oh, Lily," she said matter-of-factly. "Things didn't work out. We ate her." via NortonDC.

Phish calls it quits?

methree — Tue, 25 May 2004 13:58:57 -0800

An announcement from Trey: "So Coventry will be the final Phish show...For the sake of clarity, I should say that this is not like the hiatus, which was our last attempt to revitalize ourselves. We're done. It's been an amazing and incredible journey."