Editorial

There Is Goodness Afoot

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It’s sometimes hard to hear the good things happening around us, what with all the stories about continued gun violence, invasions of immigrants, hacking of voting places, media disparagement, name calling, and worries about health care, to name a few. It’s good, then, to reflect on some of the good that regular citizens do that make this country great. #1–According to CBS News, as thousands of people gathered to mourn the 11 Jewish souls murdered at the Tree of Life Synagogue, Wasi Mohamed, the executive director of the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh announced that the Muslim community had raised over $100,000 to pay for funeral and medical expenses of the victims. He also offered the protection of the Muslim community at Jewish services- literally offering to stand outside the synagogues—as well as to escort anyone there and back or even to a grocery store if they were scared. #2–The many national and local organizations and individuals who step up to donate money, but most especially time, whenever there is a disaster or crisis like hurricanes, tornados, fires, and shootings, should be noted. #3–We recognize those many random acts of kindness like police buying boots for a barefoot homeless man, getting a lost wallet/phone returned intact, meals for the homeless supported and served by many, many organizations, dry cleaners that clean an outfit for unemployed job interviewers, paying for the meal of the person behind you at McDonald’s (or wherever), standing up to bullies, helping to build/repair homes for veterans or the elderly, inviting lonely people into your circle, offering a kind word or gesture, showing respect for others in word and deed.

Editorial

Shakepeare’s Henry V

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Recently I attended a performance of Shakespeare’s Henry V at the Hartford Stage Company; I found it satisfactory though not exemplary. Because I had not read the play since college, I watched the rendition on DVD by Kenneth Branagh. It was bloodier than I had remembered, and modern movie techniques allowed for a great deal of violence and agony—enough, I thought, to almost overwhelm the beautiful language. A few days ago I watched the Laurence Olivier version, which was filmed in 1944, with the kinds of sets that reflected the war shortages experienced in England, and the kinds of somewhat melodramatic costumes and makeup that were more prevalent in that era. In fact, Olivier’s Henry V was one of the first to be recorded on film and the first, I believe, to be recorded in technicolor.

Editorial

Suffield: A Town of Farms

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If we were to list the many values of our beautiful town of Suffield, we could probably fill the pages of this newspaper. Our wonderful citizens, great schools, lovely buildings and churches, parks, local businesses and emergency services are all special. But the one thing that separates us from many other towns is the amount of open space, forest and farmland which is the envy of other municipalities. How did this happen? It was the combination of excellent legislation and the forward thinking of individuals, farmers and town leaders who took advantage of the opportunities available.

Editorial

Notes from the Chair

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The staff of the Observer was generally happy with the October issue. We thought it had a variety of interesting articles and some beautiful pictures. It also contained a slightly revised Voters Guide, published a month earlier than traditionally had been the case to give voters more time to reflect and with a revised format, designed to give the candidates greater latitude to describe their virtues. Unfortunately, as some of you may have noticed, it arrived several days later than our goal of town wide delivery on the first of the month. For that we apologize.

Editorial

A Gift from the Creator

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When the French Jesuit priests first saw the native people (in the area now Canada and upstate New York) playing a game using a stick with netting, they called it Lacrosse because it looked like the staff a Bishop carries in religious ceremonies.

Letter to the Editor

Capital Project Management

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I’m compelled to share frustration with the management of capital projects. We’re asked to approve an additional $1.5 million for our Library – it’s a must do.

Editorial

Whose Choice Is It, Anyway?

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It’s more than a little frustrating for supporters of a community center to see both the Town’s proposal for a new Town Hall, whose cost will most likely be well over the approved bond amount from the 2015 bonding vote, as well as a seemingly fast-track proposal to move the highway garage to a location on East Street where we would be leasing, not owning, the property, ignoring, again, the vote in 2015 approving the bonding for the renovation of Bridge Street School (BSS) as a community center.

Editorial

Aces High Owns the Sky

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The Suffield-Windsor Locks joint robotics team, known as Aces High or Team 176, had one of their best seasons this past school year. This year’s robotics competition revolved around placing cubes (sometimes 7 feet high) on a scale type contraption. This would give the team points for every second the scale was leaning in their direction. At the end the robots had to climb up a bar about 6 feet high, which was quite a sight to see. Aces High competed in two local competitions in Waterbury as well as Hartford.