By David Fortier
Come Sunday morning, most of the snow from last weekend’s storm will have disappeared, the winds will have kicked up and, looking ahead, there may or may not be snow Tuesday. The temperature is forecast to go from a high on Saturday of 57 to the low teens during the week.
It’s New England, right. When things slow down and there is not much to talk about, we have the weather.
***
As far as news, this week the city council took one more step closer to allowing the sale and consumption of alcohol at the Rockwell Theater. On Tuesday, the council passed a revision to an ordinance setting the stage–yes, pun intended–for the Board of Education to look at its policies and practices before going all in–or not. There is much more to what is happening, here, than meets the eye, apparently. It seems that this is all much more complicated than it needs to be.
On a different note, Bristol has been getting coverage on the statewide level recently. The Bakery on Maple and the possibility that it might close was the subject of a Hartford Courant report and this weekend, if it hasn’t already aired, a Ch. 3 news report.
On Saturday, The Hartford Courant carried another story, this time, about the Rockwell Theater.
It may be self-serving, but we here at TBE are thinking that our regular reporting has played a role. These stories are being followed by news outlets, who follow up with stories of their own. This is how news works, local news operations get the ball rolling and the others decide whether those stories are big enough for their venues.
Good local coverage lends itself to statewide and regional coverage and possibly national coverage–steady coverage makes a difference, and stories that the others consider well-reported are considered good sources.
We are glad to be doing what we can to cover what is happening locally, and grateful for those who support our efforts. As we attract more supporters, we will be covering more of the city–and developing a corps of reporters who we can pay for their services. We want to encourage young people from our community, who have an interest in telling Bristol stories and improving their skills to do this. If you are one of these people, or know of one, please contact dfortier@bristoledition.org.
***
Reading and listening this week begins with several podcasts, one that is extremely long and very complicated–“#404 – Lee Cronin: Controversial Nature Paper on the Evolution of Life and the Universe” on the Lex Fridman podcast–and the other that is shorter and less complicated–“How psychedelics can reinvent learning” on The Gray Area.
On the Gray Area podcast, neuroscientist Gul Dolen joins host Sean Illing to talk about advances with the use of MDMA and other psychedelics that allow the brain to return to states of receptivity that are associated with early learning. For instance, in their conversation Dolen discusses how stroke victims might benefit. Click here.
Cronin, a chemist who wrote a scientific paper that went viral, spends over three hours with Fridman covering a lot of ground, much of which I did not comprehend, and yet, was able to take away enough to think about to make it all worthwhile. For instance, a segment of the talk covered whether or not human beings have free will and how time plays into that formulation. Cronin is a free will person. I listened in three separate sittings. Click here.
For reading, I am finishing “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” by Yuval Noah Harari. At the same time, I am catching up on David Attenborough’s last film, “A Life on This Planet.” Taken in small bits, and together, the viewing and the reading inform each other, making for a very different understanding of how time and our planet and even “homo sapiens,” including each of us, have developed through the ages.
If you have read something lately that struck a nerve, send along an email with the title of the work and what it was that got your attention–and held it. I will share it with our readers. Email dfortier@bristoledition.org.
Come Monday morning, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the local NAACP will be holding its annual scholarship breakfast at Bristol Easten High School, beginning at 8 a.m. Tickets: adults, $20, children 10 and under, $10.
***
TBE is the website of our nonprofit, The Central Connecticut Online Journalism Project, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization. One-time donations and regular recurring monthly donations from our members are welcomed and encouraged.
***
Have a great week! And watch the temperature!
“Come Sunday morning” is intended to be a weekly review, a recounting of the past week and an anticipation of week to come. Among its features will be reviews of old and new books, sharing of favorite podcasts, some family news, Bristol events and happenings and issues surrounding education, work and community journalism. He can be reached at dfortier@bristoledition.org.
All TBE readers, supporters and donors
The Bristol Edition will be limiting the number of stories non-members and free readers may access each week. This decision is based on our financial projections and, most certainly, to remind people that TBE is serious about providing accurate, timely and thorough reporting for Bristol. To do this we have devised a financial support structure that makes unlimited access extremely affordable, beginning with a $6 monthly donation.
- Non-members will be able to access four (4) articles per week.
- Free readers and people who have subscribed by email will be able to access four (4) articles per week.
- Donors and financial supporters will have unlimited access as long as they log in.
Note: Donors may have to contact TBE if they find they are being limited, since we will need to set up a membership account for you. Email editor@bristoledition.org for instructions. Sorry for any inconvenience. People with financial difficulties may write editor@bristoledition.org to be considered for free access.