Greetings Griffin

Erin Tiernan and John Tiernan of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a son, Griffin Edward Tiernan, born on Jan. 20, 2011, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Griffin weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces at birth.

Hello, Jade

Kelly Berninger and Michael Berninger of Edgartown announce the birth of a daughter, Jade Mikaela Berninger, born on Jan. 19, 2011, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Jade weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces at birth.

Announcing Violette

Melissa Harding and Travis Larsen of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a daughter, Violette Mackenzie Larsen, born on Jan. 20, 2011, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Violette weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces at birth.

Mrs. Baker, played by the irrepressible 10-year-old local pop diva Samantha Cassidy, wants a baby and Mr. Baker, the similarly pre-teened Oliver Carson, does not. (On alternate days last weekend these characters were performed by Danielle Hopkins and Jesse Dawson.) Mr. Baker wants a big fat, gingerbread cookie to eat. They fight/sing about it: “Food feeds all your problems unless your problems are food.”

Reading Like a Writer

Night falls early. Stores and shops have mostly shuttered for the winter. The mercury in the thermometer can barely get out of bed it’s so cold outside. To fight, or maybe perhaps to embrace, the quiet, the solititude, the blues, you know what you’ve been doing. You’ve been writing. But you’ve been keeping it a secret for too long. Time to let your light shine.

Health Insurance

Massachusetts law limits when state residents can buy health insurance. The law applies to individuals and families buying health insurance on their own, outside of an employer’s plan or government-subsidized program. People in this group will have two opportunities to buy health insurance in 2011: Jan. 1 to Feb. 15, and July 1 to August 15. People who are uninsured and need health insurance now are advised to act soon in order to meet the Feb. 15 deadline.

Colony Collapse Disorder: Although not a household name yet, it is a phenomenom affecting the way we live and eat.

Honeybees, an essential link via pollination in the survival chain of hundreds of species of fruits and vegetables, are disappearing all across the planet.

On Sunday, Feb. 13, at the Chilmark Community Center, Slow Food MV will present a screening of The Vanishing of the Bees which documents this mysterious and potentially devastating epidemic. The movie is part of their Bee My Honey Brunch which runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Never mind the current cold snap, we’re about to get hit with some warm, melodic, honey-hued breezes this Friday, when Hawaiian music great John Cruz brings his soulful blues to the Island. But for now, it’s still freezing. And on Monday afternoon, when the beloved bluesman called from Northhampton, Mass., where he’s writing his third record, it was really, really cold. “This morning had to be in the one-digits,” he groaned. “It’s brutal here.”

Cultural Luncheon

The Martha’s Vineyard Center for Living is hosting a cultural luncheon from noon until 2 p.m. at the Grill on Main street in Edgartown on Saturday, Jan 29.

The topic for this lunch is the influence and contributions of African Americans on Martha’s Vineyard.

Speakers include Carrie Tankard, Elaine Weintraub and Tom Dresser, author of African Americans on Martha’s Vineyard from Enslavement to Presidential Visit.

Yoga for Arthritis

A yoga for arthritis class begins on Monday, Jan. 31 and continues on Mondays and Fridays for four weeks.

The class is designed to help one move more freely, improve balance and increase range of motion with simple yoga alignment techniques. This yoga practice is suitable for anyone and can even be done while seated.

Classes will be taught by Jane Norton and held at the Yoga Collective at Island Cohousing Complex at 11 Rock Pond Road in West Tisbury.