By David Fortier
Come Sunday morning, Mary and I will be easing our way back from Thanksgiving Day, which really was nice. Uncle Charlie and Auntie Ann joined us. The second oldest and her tribe did as well — having two grandkids running around is a treat and exhausting and exhilarating and just fun. And the youngest and beaux completed the guest list.
Pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie, vanilla caramel swirl ice cream, fresh whipped cream for dessert. And for the main course, roasted turkey with chestnut sausage stuffing, mash potatoes, candied yams, creamy butternut squash casserole, green bean casserole (a staple) and three different types of rolls, along with beaux’s stuffed shells. ‘
And we pared things down, attempting to keep things simple, and they were simple–making it easy to fill up the plate more than once.
It was a good day, and there is plenty to be thankful for — need I say more. I hope all yours were as pleasant and fun.
***
The night before Thanksgiving, the annual Bristol lnterfaith Coalition service, this year at St. Joseph Church, drew over a hundred people for an evening of song and prayer. Bristol is a diverse place, just consider the variety of faiths represented at the service–Baha’i, Roman Catholic, Muslim, Baptist, Jewish and spiritualist. And I am sure I missed one, for which I apologize.
The night after Thanksgiving the Bristol Historical Society hosted a presentation by C.T. O’Brien, who introduced his interactive approach to Bristol history, with a mystery to be solved over the next six months or so. Everyone in Bristol is welcome to join at the Brxstol website, where there will be regular podcasts featuring history and hints to help participants solve the mystery.
O’Brien, Bristol native, has an engaging story to capture the imagination and a captivating storytelling style that not only captures the listener and viewer but also carries them along as participants in the adventure. I am looking forward to the first installment of the podcast, which was recorded on Friday evening, and all those to follow.
Of course, on Thanksgiving Day was the traditional clash between crosstown rival football teams, Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern, where Bristol Central, acting as spoiler, since Bristol Eastern with a win would have qualified for state playoffs, defeated the Lancers in a tight contest, 14-7.
***
AT TBE, we continue to attract one-time donors and those who sign up with recurring monthly donations, who then qualify for unlimited views. The hope is that we will continue to attract financial supporters who will provide enough revenue to support our operation.
There are plenty of people in Bristol who remember what community journalism looks like and who remember that it costs money to provide quality coverage. That’s us, the Bristol Edition, covering Bristol with Bristol people, keeping government accountable and writing about our businesses and neighbors.
Put us to work for you, providing quality reporting and supporting the people behind the journalism. It’s a good reminder of how things work — financial support across the city, from a critical mass of contributors, makes the burden light and the journalism lively.
With paid staff, from freelancers to employees, along with our volunteers, and we have something that few if any communities across the state, and increasingly the country, can boast about. Please consider donating today. Click here.
Housekeeping: If you have donated and are having issues logging in, first, make sure you are logged in, and second, drop an email to editor@bristoledition.org if you get shut out of unlimited views. We are keeping track of these incidents and working with our software provider to make sure these incidents are few and far between. We aren’t perfect, that is certain, but we promise to keep improving on what we have.
This year we intend to extend our reporting to topics where people are working to make Bristol better. If you have suggestions for coverage along these lines, it’s called solutions journalism projects, please send these along to editor@bristoledition.org as well.
Solutions journalism, again, rather than simply reporting on a subject on a day-to-day, incident by incident basis, takes on an area where people are working on solutions to real problems and providing reports that allow readers to follow their progress, as well as participate if they so desire.
***
And reading and listening this week starts off with listening. Once again, it’s the Gray Area podcast with “The case against free will.” This one made my ears perk up because if anyone is a free will person, I am — and yet guest Robert Sapolsky, professor of biology and neurology at Stanford University and the author of the new book, “Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will,” has me taking a step back to consider that, maybe, just maybe, I have missed something in this important conversation. Click here.
James McBride’s memoir, “The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother,” is riveting and a joy to read–even the most difficult parts. Broken into alternating chapters, one his mother’s side of the story and the other his, the work is deceptive in that it deals so “easily” and “accessibly” with a most personal subject–that of parent and child under the weight of cultural and racial challenges.
And I am not finished with it just yet.
From the New Yorker, there is “Why the Godfather of A.I. Fears What He’s Built.” It’s a chilling tale from the person behind the neural networking science that A.I. draws on. But I am not so sure that what we call A.I. is intelligence at all–despite its grip on the media. An earlier article from the New Yorker, “There is No A.I.,” helps by providing a different slant.
Both are worth a trip to the library. The former is in the Nov. 13 issue. The latter, in the April 20 issue.
***
Enjoy!
“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.