J anuary is a time for post-holiday diets and economic panics, and this year we all face an uncertain future. The new year resolutions we make give us all time to reflect on the choices we make and, with our fingers crossed, we begin the great adventure of another year.
Most of us have been plagued by the “origin sin” of racism, which has been a burden on our conscience since before our nation was formed. Throughout our history this disease of racial prejudice has cursed our nation and prevented us from reaching the lofty ideals of human equality on which America was founded. This sin compromised the Declaration of Independence and almost divided the nation in 1776.
Temperature: Precip. Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
Dec. 31 41 29 .00
Jan. 1 34 8 .48
Jan. 2 25 10 .00
Jan. 3 41 24 .00
Jan. 4 35 24 .00
Jan. 5 40 23 Trace
Jan. 6 44 28 .00
Jan. 7 37 29 .79
Jan. 8 50 36 .63
Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 41º F.
One summer, I lived in a little house off Vineyard avenue in Oak Bluffs. Away from the sea breezes with no air conditioning in the house, I took up walking each evening after work. I told myself it was to drive less, but really it was out of sheer excitement and curiosity. For an up-Island girl, the downtown novelty of Oak Bluffs never wore off. So I walked down June avenue to the Lagoon. I strolled up School street (which no longer houses a school), to get a new book at the library, or just to see who was out and about.
Holy Real Estate
Many Island churches were founded, built and filled to the rafters more than a hundred years ago, when mainline religion held a central place in contemporary affairs. The prevailing culture on the Vineyard these days centers on real estate. More people are interested in the rock (or sand) on which the church was built than in the church message itself, it seems.
Stealth Lawsuit
When they made a conscious decision to stay quiet about the lawsuit against Ralph Packer and Tisbury Towing and Transportation last October, senior managers at the Steamship Authority may have forgotten for a moment that they work for a public agency. They didn’t hide the lawsuit, but they also didn’t say anything about it.
The apparent rationale was that by keeping things quiet they could negotiate with Mr. Packer and reach a quick settlement.
Computer Class
Computer troubles? Consider Making Friends with Your Computer, a free introductory computer classes at the West Tisbury Free Public Library on Thursday mornings all this month, at 9 a.m. The course will cover basic introduction to PCs, including setting up e-mail accounts, searching the Internet and using Windows. Class size is limited. Please call 508-693-3366 to reserve a space.
The Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank Charitable Fund awarded more than $76,000 in grants to local nonprofit organizations and community groups in the past year. With support for programs in the arts, education, community affairs, health care, youth and senior programs, the fund’s grants benefited 45 organizations that contribute to a better quality of life on the Island.
