http://valleyfutures.net Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:47:36 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Writer's note: Grace Potter grew up in the Mad River Valley. First, the bad news. I missed the New Year’s Eve Higher Ground show, in which the Nocturnals vamped as the Royal Tenenbaums. See photo. The good news? I caught Grace Potter and the Nocturnals’ (GPN) December 29 Higher Ground show, two days before, and ... http://valleyfutures.net/2009/01/05/music-review-grace-potter-and-the-nocturnals-establishing-%e2%80%9chigher-ground%e2%80%9d/ It is always appropriate, in my mind at least, to write one’s last media column of the year about the most interesting media text one has discovered over the past year. For me, that media text would have to be Secession. Charlotte, Vermont’s Thomas Naylor is a former international businessman, professor emeritus ... http://valleyfutures.net/2008/12/30/book-review-secession-how-vermont-and-all-the-other-states-can-save-themselves-from-the-empire/ In honor of Waitsfield Elementary School’s Scholastic-Free book fair going on over this next week, in which parents and teachers bypass the corporate commercial marketers to deliver books of their own selection to our school for affordable purchase by students and families, let’s cut to the chase. The 21st century United ... http://valleyfutures.net/2008/12/11/film-review-branded-new-world-%e2%80%9cconsuming-kids%e2%80%9d-goes-inside-the-twisted-world-of-21st-century-children%e2%80%99s-marketing/ Onion River Exchange, Central Vermont's bustling local currency system, is hosting a New Member Orientation on Thursday, Dec. 11 from 6:30 to 8:00 in Montpelier City Hall. Explore the ORE website (http://www.orexchange.org/)or attend the informational meeting if you are interested in sharing services such as transportation, tutoring, cooking, sewing, yard ... http://valleyfutures.net/2008/12/10/learn-more-about-onion-river-exchange-dec-11th/ If you'd like to learn more about local currencies, please read the VT Commons article by Amy Kirschner of VT Sustainable Exchange here. Enjoy~ Kate http://valleyfutures.net/2008/11/25/a-primer-on-local-currencies/ VFN generously supported the Onion River Exchange Harvest Party on 11.08.08, at the Moretown Town Hall.  It was a lovely, friendly event, with delicious potluck food, and a fun, family-oriented contra dance with music by Knotty Pine, along with a silent auction and raffle.  The turnout was lower than we'd hoped, probably ... http://valleyfutures.net/2008/11/25/local-currency-update-thanksgiving-edition/ And a few MRVers were there (that I recognized, at least)--I spied Dennis Derryberry, Ben Falk, and Stan (the guy from Mass who will be here soon) in the crowd.  The church sanctuary was filled, for a presentation by Naresh Giangrande, a New Jersey native who's lived in the UK ... http://valleyfutures.net/2008/11/25/transition-town-montpelier-makes-its-public-debut/ If you haven’t immersed yourself in the “Madagascar” experience, you may be missing one of the most entertaining animated treats of the past decade. And the good news here is that the new sequel is on par with the 2005 original. Be forewarned – if you are planning to bring “the littles” ... http://valleyfutures.net/2008/11/24/film-review-madagascar-escape-2-africa/ Sorry Fellow Valley Futurers for the long post but this is annoying. There should be a Special Place in Hell for Multi-Level Marketers and Those Who Falsely Paint Themselves Green   By Bob Ferris   It is a sad fact of life that charlatans prey on those that need to believe most and are least ... http://valleyfutures.net/2008/11/24/consummer-alert-on-hydro-4000/ Author and analyst Michael Shuman gave a provocative talk on relocalizing businesses at the Vermont Statehouse on Tuesday, November 18. His lecture is full of useful ideas - follow the link below to the whole talk. http://valleyfutures.net/2008/11/20/small-mart-at-the-statehouse-how-vermonts-economy-can-prosper/