Latest News
In Gaza, what have we become?
Israel has decided to starve to death an entire population of more than two million people, half of whom are children, allegedly because they say that it is the way to bring back the remaining 59 hostages taken by Hamas.Now they don’t even try to hide the main reason, which is to displace to other countries an entire indigenous people, or preferably exterminate them as Hitler perpetrated on many of their ancestors.The Israels are preventing everything from entering Gaza — water, food, medicine, fuel.Everything.It’s war crime pure and simple, and there is no moral or ethical excuse for it.
What happens when you starve?First the body burns through its fat.Then, you feel cold, even in the sun.You’re tired.Dizzy.Too nauseous to eat even if food arrives, but it doesn’t.Then your body starts eating itself.You lose strength.Your vital organs – liver, lungs kidneys – they shrink.Your belly swells.The pain doesn’t stop.There’s no nearby hospital, since Israel destroyed them all.There’s no medicine either, because Israel doesn’t let any in.Your heart starts breaking down.Your heartbeat slows.Blood pressure drops.You faint.You can’t walk.You can barely move.And while Israel is still dropping bombs on you, death is all around you.
Starvation is quiet.It makes no noise.No smoke.No headlines.It’s not just cruelty.It’s strategy.A slow genocide carried out by Israel and backed by the U.S. and all those complicit in silence, including neighbors in my community.
Some people are simply ignorant about what’s going on.Others have drunk the Kool-Aid from the Israel lobby that poor Israel is a perpetual victim, and to not support them is antisemitic — the usual ‘go to’ means to shame people from speaking out. And still others know better.You know who you are.What have you become?And what have we become as a society?
Lloyd Baroody
Lakeville
Where have all the roses gone in Falls Village
Where have all the roses gone? I have lived in Amesville, across from Falls Village, for 57 years and have witnessed many changes in the town. One of the delightful ones was the planting of beautiful hardy pink roses along the small park near the Inn, welcoming visitors, bees and butterflies! I heard someone didn’t like them and they were ripped out, to be replaced with grass. I have no standing in Falls Village but have done many paintings of the town and the roses added so much! I’m sad and will miss them!
Marilyn Hardy
Amesville
Why so unhappy given election outcome?
Mr Godburn: I appreciated your letter to the editor. We agree on some issues and disagree on others.My observation is that you have what you wished for in that the president is to your liking and both houses are in his hands as is the Supreme Court.This should be the best of times for you and others who embrace your views.My question after reading your letter is: Why is your tone so angry when you should be so happy?
Philip Oppenheimer
Lakeville
With Trump’s tack, we’re all losers
As to the letter from Mr. Godburn from May 8: of course Democrats and surely many Republicans too were stunned and speechless by what happened in the last three months. If you equate success with change, then the fastest way to success is to be a hyperactive destroyer.It’s hard to create something with a chainsaw. Grifter that he is, Trump has never built up anything of value for anybody, except himself. His favourite business ventures were casinos, where the house supposedly always wins, but where he four times had to declare bankruptcy. A bank always rescued him, such a bad gambler! And now the White House is his last casino with trillions of chips, and he plays poker against the rest of the world. He shamelessly monetizes the presidency, selling the country and himself to his billionaire buddies while fleecing his base supporters with sleazy meme coins and other cheap paraphernalia. Corruption and intimidation are his method, People’s lives mean nothing. He seems to have neither friends nor foes, only himself. We are all losers, and even his supporters and loyalty oath sycophants, eventually — they don’t know it yet — will be losers too.
Fritz Mueller
Sharon
Trumpi$m
There once was a fellow named Trump,
Who told us that crypto was bunk.
Then he saw a way
To make it pay
By selling a crypto called $TRUMP.
Lyn Mattoon
Sharon
Turning Back the Pages
125 years ago — May 1900
Steeple Jack has painted the smoke stack at the Morse-Keefer Co.’s factory. The stack is 72 feet in height.
SHARON — Mr. and Mrs. George S. Kirby returned home from their bridal tour Wednesday evening.
LIME ROCK — We were in error last week relative to Mr. Fred Judd possessing twins. It is one boy. That is one better.
SHARON — Our High School students are wearing a new school pin of very neat and attractive design.
SHARON — Mrs. Jane Jackson a lady of 82 years, has during the past three weeks pieced and presented to a lady in the village, a handsome bed quilt.
A. Martin on Tuesday took a large smoke-stack from Irondale to Winsted by team. The stack will be used in a large lumber and coal yard in that place. Mr. Martin made the return the next day.
A Poughkeepsie paper “has it on excellent authority” that an automobile line between that city and Millerton is assured within a month. The auto-stage will carry six passengers, or eight if a trailer is used. The fare will be one dollar for the round trip. The rate of speed will be 14 miles per hour.
The cold wet weather of the past week, while very disagreeable has been just the thing for the grass which now looks strong and thrifty.
Dr. Heath, the Winsted veterinary, died last Saturday after an illness of several months. His case was a peculiar one. He was State Inspector of cattle, and it is said that he contracted tuberculosis from the cattle he tested and treated. He was one of the most successful veterinaries in these parts. The funeral was largely attended at his late home on Tuesday.
A new $20 counterfeit is reported, said to be the “most dangerous that has appeared in a long time.” There lots of us, however, who will not lose many hours scrutinizing bills of this denomination for fear of being imposed upon.
100 years ago — May 1925
LIME ROCK — Eugene Eggleston has resigned his position in New York and is home for the summer to help on the farm.
The fine weather last Sunday caused a tremendous amount of auto traffic. As one driver expressed it, “There is now little pleasure in Sunday driving. It is like driving in a procession and many of the drivers are more or less full of booze and it’s getting to be a hazardous occupation.”
Tomorrow marks the official opening of the straw hat season.
M.G. Fenn is enjoying a week’s vacation from his duties as telephone trouble “shooter” and is putting in the time fishing.
50 years ago — May 1975
It is not often when anyone celebrates a 100th birthday, and when a person does, the occasion is usually a time for a very special celebration. Such was the case Sunday in Kent when family and friends attended a special birthday party for Theresa Klebes, a resident in Sharon Valley for many years, who celebrated her 100th birthday with a dinner, cake and glass of sherry. She was born May 12, 1875. Mrs. Klebes’ family includes one daughter, three grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren.
The Canaan plant of Becton, Dickinson and Company will furlough approximately 400 employees, the bulk of its work force, for the week of June 9. Daniel O’Donnell, plant manager, made the announcement Wednesday. The plant, largest manufacturing employer in the Tri-State area, will be closed during the week, he said.
In a complicated series of courtroom maneuvers, defense attorneys for Peter Reilly have agreed to file a new petition for a new trial in Reilly’s 1974 first-degree manslaughter conviction. The hearing was requested by Attorney T.F. Gilroy Daly.
The Bargain Box and the Bargain Barn in Sharon turned over to the Sharon Hospital Auxiliary $6,000 in the first quarter of 1975, bringing total contributions from these two sources to $211,650.
Canaan residents unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday night opposing the abandonment of rail service to the community. The resolution further empoweredthe North Canaan Board of Selectmen to cooperate with various organizations working against the abandonment. In the resolution it was noted that Canaan has long been a railroad landmark and that local businesses and industry rely heavily on the service of the railroads.
English Shell Service Inc. of Winsted has added a 25-ton heavy duty wrecker to its fleet of service vehicles. The 1974 wrecker was recently obtained in New Jersey and was driven back to Winsted by Joseph English, accompanied by his wife, Stasia English, the proprietors of the station at 161 Main St. English said the wrecker is the only one of its kind in this section of the state.
Work started late last week on the former Lawrence Playground, only hours after Canaan received the deed to half of the former civic center. Heavy equipment was moved in to start grading operations needed to prepare the land for use as a recreation area.
The Lakeville Journal office in Canaan and State’s Attorney John F. Bianchi are two of the latest victims of thieves in Canaan. The Journal office lost all of its office equipment while Mr. Bianchi’s home was robbed of silver flatware and credit cards. Both thefts apparently took place Friday.
25 years ago — May 2000
CANAAN — The Christmas wreath they hung by their Wangum Village apartment door last year stayed green well into spring and Rose and Bob Blass didn’t have the heart to take it down. This year’s wreath is still hanging. It’s dry and brown and well past its prime. It is also home to a family of baby birds. Mrs. Blass explained that she left the wreath up late, in the hope that the mother titmouse who built a nest and hatched five eggs there last year would return. She is sure the five babies who hatched last Friday or Saturday have the same mom. Last Monday, Mrs. Blass decided to climb a stepladder to get a better look at the little ones as they were curled up together for warmth. “Look at that, they think their mother is here to feed them,” Mrs. Blass said with delight. She expects they will only stay in the nest for the next week or two.
FALLS VILLAGE — For the Lee H. Kellogg School Science Fair last week, third-grader Amanda Anderson wanted to “find out if babies like to play with their new toys or their old ones.” The surprising result of her research is that they prefer their old ones.
CANAAN — Work neared completion this week on a four-story elevator shaft at the rear of the Canfield Building. Purchased last year by Considine Properties LLC, the historic Main Street building is undergoing extensive renovations to meet code and handicapped access requirements. Work on the exterior elevator shaft required that the wooden deck at the rear of the Whistle Stop Cafe be temporarily removed. Building owner John Considine explained that the shaft, once reinstalled, will abut the deck. Those who press the button for the second level will step out directly onto the deck.
Fed waits, market rises & trade talks
One country down, only 194 more to go. Last week, the announcement of a “framework” for President Trump’s first trade deal and the first high-level meeting between the U.S. and China encouraged investors.
Wall Street’s enthusiasm was somewhat tempered, given that the United Kingdom was an easy deal to make. The terms of trade have always favored the U.S., where we have run a capital trade surplus for years. On the China front, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent met with his counterpart in Switzerland last weekend; on Friday before, President Trump floated the idea of a possible decline in U.S. trade tariffs to 80%, which he said “seems right.” It was a clear message to the Chinese that he wanted to de-escalate his trade war.
[On Monday, the U.S. and China announced reduced tariffs for 90 days. Stocks soared.]
The administration is reportedly lining up deals with several other countries. India, South Korea, Japan, and Australia are in the queue, although the timing is still a question mark. India would have been first out of the box, but the government’s attention has been focused elsewhere over the past two weeks. The delay in an announcement is due to the present hostilities between India and its neighbor, Pakistan.
Given the news on tariffs, this month’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting came and went with hardly a blip. The Fed announced that they were going to sit on their hands for the foreseeable future. Chairman Jerome Powell made it clear just how uncertain the future was.
Few on Wall Street had expected anything more from the Fed than the word “uncertain” when describing Fed policy in the future. In the meantime, stocks climbed higher while precious metals, the dollar, and interest rates continued to be volatile. Gold traders were whipsawed as bullion prices have swung in $50-$100 increments daily this week. The U.S. dollar, which has been in freefall for a month, has also been erratic, while bond yields are in a trading range lately with no significant moves either way.
Both foreign and domestic traders believe the U.S. dollar will fall further. As such, they are looking at currency alternatives to place bets. Gold was the first go-to asset, but speculation has driven the price too far, too soon.
Recently I wrote, ‘For markets to continue their recovery, we need to see the following. A peace deal, the tariffs disappear, China and the U.S. come to a trade agreement, the Fed cut rates, and/or no recession.’ I forgot one more option: the successful passage of Trump’s tax bill, which could significantly impact the market dynamics.
Any two of the above will be enough to stave off a re-test of the lows. Thus far, we have made progress on the tariff front (UK, China, etc.). However, tariffs will not disappear altogether. It appears that no matter what, a 10% tariff on imports is here to stay.
I would guess the possibility of the passage of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” is high, given that the Republican Congress now functions as a rubber stamp on the wishes of the president.
Bill Schmick is a founding partner of Onota Partners, Inc., in the Berkshires.
