Oké, Give Me The Whole Banana

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HARVES
vol. 48, no.1 • friday, december 15, 2006
Oké, Give Me The Whole Banana
BY BECKY KARUSH
Banana.
It's an off-color joke, a slapstick comedian's oldest gag. It's
Gwen Stefani's spelling bee, an old
folk song about a Greek grocer,
the monkey's best friend.
Most of all, it's the number one
fruit in the United States.
Americans consume around seven
billion pounds each year, 132
bananas for every person craving
a snack that's sweet, easy to eat,
and cheap.
The banana industry, on the
other hand, has a much less
appealing history, and that's
where Oké USA, a Fair Trade fruit
company based in Boston that
grows and imports bananas to
Western Massachusetts, Vermont,
and New Hampshire, comes in.
“Banana companies have been
accused of horrible abuses for
almost a century,” says Jonathan
Rosenthal, Oké USA co-founder
and president. These abuses range
from rainforest destruction in the
early 1900s, to failing protect
workers from pesticides that cause
reproductive cancers, infertility,
brain damage, and leukemia, to
near total destruction of Costa
Rican coral reefs due to pesticide
runoff.
While the largest U.S. banana
companies
-- Chiquita, Del
Monte, and Dole -- have made
public efforts in the last decade to
protect the environment and their
workers, wages for banana farmers remain extremely low.
In Ecuador, the world's largest
banana exporter, farmers are paid
$3.25 for each 40-pound box of
bananas, about 8 cents per pound.
It's this low price that, in part,
allows U.S. bananas to hoveraround 49 cents a pound.
But that price also translates
to almost no profit for the
farmer. If many small farms go
out of business, the low price
means dependence on large
banana companies for the only
available jobs. A country's
whole economy might then
balance on one product from
one company.
The idea of Fair Trade developed in the 1980s, as people in
Europe and the U.S. wanted to
pay a price that fairly compensated the farmers, and ensure
that the land and people in
these countries stopped being
destroyed.
Today, Fair Trade farmers
See larger
AD inside
at
Hinsdale Race Track 68 of paper
Sponsored by VFW POST 8497
receive $6.75 per forty-pound
box
of
regular
bananas, plus a one
dollar “social premium” that usually goes
to worker health care
and
education.
Organic bananas with a Fair
CONTINUED ON PAGE - 12
T BARN MIXES • ORNAMENTS • POINSETTIAS • CANDLES • GIFTS
Halladay’s
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Every Day
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Let us deliver the perfect gift or visit
in person or online at halladays.com Christmas Eve!
802-463-3331
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Your Community message
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sponsored by Cota & Cota
February 3 North Walpole Fire
Department is hosting a Ham &
Turkey Dinner at Bellows Falls
Moose family center.
Dinner served 5:00-7:30 pm
Live Band 7:30-11:00pm
Tickets are $10 at the door
Call Aaron 603-439-2037
February 3 North Walpole Fire
Department is hosting a Ham &
Turkey Dinner at Bellows Falls
Moose family center.
Dinner served 5:00-7:30 pm
Live Band 7:30-11:00pm
Tickets are $10 at the door
Call Aaron 603-439-2037
POSTAL CUSTOMER – LOCAL
Century 21 Thackston & Co.
Serving your Real Estate needs
in the CT River Valley
Steve Schoppmeyer
Seeking Buyers & Sellers
in both VT & NH
(802) 463-5121, Ext 621
61 The Square, Bellows Falls, VT
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Obit
Joanne "Jo," Holbrook, 75, of
Dunedin, died Wednesday, Nov.
15, 2006 at home. She was born in
Hanover, NH and came to
Dunedin in 1986 from Bellows
Falls. She worked 13 years as a
baker for Publix Supermarket in
Dunedin. Survivors include a son,
Michael Cozine, Nashville; a
brother, Lorenzo Brillant Jr.,
Alabaster, Ala; four sisters,
Jeanette Rumrill, Bellows Falls,
Rita Belisle, Saxton's River,VT,
Venise Cavlo, Alstead, N.H., and
Connie Dawson, Bradford, VT;
and three grandchildren.
Local Notebook
Children’s Holiday
Decorations
Kids of all ages are invited to make
holiday decorations at the
Springfield
Town
Library
The ittle
6999
Smallest 3-channel
indoor RC helicopter!
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Control. 7” long. Ages
12 and up. Requires
9V and 6 “C”
Batteries. # 60-4438
While they laast!
Performance Kit. #604461, $9.99
Walpole Contra Dance
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$
rebate 1 =
$99.99
Exclusive RC
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Christmas Eve at The
Third Congregational
Church
The Sunday School of the Third
Congregational Church UCC,
Alstead, will present a Christmas
Emergency
Crank-Up
Radio
Reg. 119.99 - Starmate 4 with
$20 SIRUS
Car Kit
mail-in
$
Wednesday, Dec. 20, 3:30-4:30.
This program is free and open to
all. For more information call
885-3108.
On Saturday, Dec. 16, the Walpole
Contra Dance will feature music
by Rodney Miller (fiddle), Marko
Packard (guitar, flute, sax) and
Stuart Kenney (bass, banjo), with
Will Mentor calling. The dance
will take place in the Hastings
House, located on Union Street in
Walpole, NH. Mentor will teach a
beginners' dance workshop at 7:30
p.m., and the dance will run from
8 to 11:30 p.m. Admission is $8
($6 for students, seniors, and first
time dancers). For more information
or
directions,
visit
www.walpoledance.org, call 802257-9234
or
email
[email protected].
Pause, rewind and replay up to 44 minutes
of live SIRUS radio. Game Alert, #12-162
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SALE
Also Available:
GIFT CARDS for RadioShack, Borders,
BlockBuster, Itunes, Cabella, Timberland,
VISA, GiftFlicks & More
program on Sunday, Dec. 24, at
the regular church service that
begins at 10:30 a.m. All are welcome. Coffee hour is in the
Fireplace room directly after the
service. For information call 603835-6358.
Christmas Eve service will
begin at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec.
24, at the Third Congregational
Church, River Street, Alstead. All
are welcome. Rev. Janice V. Howe
will lead the service; Gaylie Blake
will be the organist. For information call 603-835-6358.
RadioShack will be open late
Friday and Saturday until 9PM
Springfield Plaza • 2 Chester Road, Suite 2 Springfield, VT • (802) 885-8100
(Enter via Pearl St.)
Hours: Mon. & Tues. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Wed., Fri., Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Thurs. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
USED GUITARS
382 West St., Keene
RETRO MUSIC
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We have lots of Electrics,
Acoustics, Basses, and
Amps in stock!
Mon., Tue., Thu. 10-6
Fri. 10-7, Sat. 10-5
Sun. 12-5, Closed Wed.
38 Washington St., Keene, NH
357-9732
603-357-0516
NO BULL!
Single Vision Eyeglasses
One Pair
$49.95
Complete
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Offer includes Frames & Lenses
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ALL OFFERS SOLD COMPLETE • INCLUDES
• Over 500 Frames • Scratch Resistant Plastic Lenses • Huge Selection
DARIEN EYEWEAR
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Hours: Tues-Fri. 10-5. Sat. 10-2, Closed Sun. & Mon.
-2
Bellows Falls Town Crier
Paul’s
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Two Pairs
(Same RX Only)
$89.95
rt h
It ’s WTori p !
The
YESTERDAY’S TECHNOLOGY TODAY!
• December 15, 2006
• Open 7 days
• We have over 110 tanks of freshwater &
saltwater fish!
• We offer a 2 for 1 fish sale every Sunday!
• We carry small animals, birds, reptiles and
a variety of supplies
Everything is TAX FREE!
603-357-0610
The Center of Keene, Keene NH
Don’t forgot to check out our monthly specials online at:
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PRESENTING THE MOST COLORFUL
UNFINISHED FURNITURE YOU CAN IMAGINE!
Unfinished furniture is
a great way to brighten your
home with color.
RT.9, SPOFFORD, NH • (603) 363-4100
Just 8 Miles East of Exit 3 I-91 & 5 Miles West of Monadnock Marketplace
OPEN: 10-6, SUNDAY 12-5, CLOSED TUESDAY
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Local Notebook
Too Much Water, Too
Much Rain To Be
Discussed
Village Square Booksellers welcomes the members of the Alstead
Historical Society who will be discussing their new book, Too Much
Water Too Much Rain, The Story
of The Alstead Flood, on Fri Dec
15 at 6pm during the 3rd Friday
Art Walk.
The Cold River Flood of 2005
was perhaps the greatest natural
disaster ever to affect the town of
Alstead, NH in all its 242 year history. Everyone, it seems, has a
story to tell about the event and
how it affected them. The tragedy
created heroes and changed the
lives of all who witnessed it. In the
days following the flood, members
of the Alstead Historical Society
recognized that the town had
undergone a traumatic event that
would have a lasting effect on the
way residents viewed the Cold
River. They believed that future
generations would want to know
what the flood was like, what it did
to the town, and how people
responded. The flood needed to
be documented.
Thanks to a Save Our History
grant from The History Channel,
the society was able to partner
with the local school in creating a
book that not only documented
the flood through photographs
and personal narratives, but
www.thetowncriers.com
enabled students to learn about
their local history as well as the
book publishing process. The
Town of Alstead will never be the
same after the flood of October
2005. But thanks to this chronicle
of events, everyone who was there
can derive comfort from reading
about the outpouring of community support and the individual
acts of courage that only an horrific event can inspire. Book &
event reservations can be made by
calling 802-463-9404 or by visiting the store at 32 The Square in
Bellow Falls, VT
Bellows Falls Elks To
Host Local Hoop Shoot
The Bellows Falls Elks Club will
host the annual free throw shoot
out on Saturday, Dec. 16 at
Bellows Falls Union High School
at 10 a.m..
Boy and Girl divisions in ages
8-9, 10-11, and 12-13 will compete for the gold and the right to
move on to the Southern District
contest also at BFUHS on Jan. 21.
District winners earn the right to
vie for the state title in Barre.
Ages are determined as how
old the shooter will be on April 1,
2007 shooting will begin as soon
as signup's are completed. You do
not have to be a member of the
elks to compete. Good Luck!
For any questions or information, call Brian Haskell at 802463-4643.
December 15, 2006 • Bellows Falls Town Crier P a g e -3
Local Notebook
Al Campbell has joined
the sales staff at
Fairfield's
A Keene native, Campbell recently
returned to the area to care for his
parents. He is a 1973 graduate of
Keene High School and is a former fire chief for the town of
Marlow. He also served as a volunteer fireman in Keene and
Spofford. He resides in Keene with
his wife, Marie. Campbell specializes in Cadillac Buick and Pontiac
sales and can be reached at 3527700. Fairfield's is located at 434
Winchester St. in Keene.
Bikers Ball Toy Drive
Dec 16th at the Royal
Flush
On Saturday Dec. 16 there will be
a Bikers Ball Toy drive at the
Royal Flush in Springfield,
Vermont. The River Valley Ridge
Riders, the Royal Diner & Flush,
and Springfield’s Santa’s Helpers
SIMPLY POOL TABLES
Bought • Sold • Refelted
Authorized Dealer of
Elephant Balls and Tables
have this added help to there
annual toy drive.
Third Rail is a local classic rock
band that also joined in this worthy cause. Many of the band
members are Bikers and they are
sure to rock the house. They have
just added a new drummer Kyle
Skrocki. Jason Pulcinski and Cris
Carlson are the guitar players
Jason Abare is the bass player and
Cris Potter is the singer. They play
a variety of covers including:
Ozzy, AC/DC, Pearl Jam, and
Hendrix.
The toys gathered will be given
out on Dec. 20 by Santa at the
Royal Diner & Flush. There will
also be a free buffet consisting of
food that kids love. All local families are welcome to come out and
enjoy the free food, visit with
Santa and get a free toy. Don’t forget to bring your cameras! It’s all
free and sure to be fun.
For more information call the
Royal Diner in Springfield at 802886-1400.
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0001054395-01 kt
(802) 254-5514
have come together to gather toy
donations for local Children.
Third Rail will be performing at
the Bikers Ball Toy Drive and
Santa and his helpers will be at
the Royal Flush from 9pm till
closing. The toys gathered by the
toy drive will be given out by
Santa on December 20 at the
Royal Diner & Flush from 6 to 8
p.m.
People are asked to donate a
toy anytime during the month of
December at the Royal Diner &
Flush. The toy drive culminates on
Sat Dec. 16 with the Bikers Ball
starting at 9pm. Anyone making a
toy donation will get in free to the
Ball.
The River Valley Ridge Riders
are a local riding club that meets
once a month at the Royal Diner.
It has been a long standing tradition in the Biker community to
raise toys for children and the
Royal Diner & Flush have joined
in this worthy cause. Springfield’s
Santa’s Helpers were thankful to
(802) 365-7100
www.screenmobile.com
Church
Services
Holiday Open House
When:
Where:
When:
Saturday, December 16th
Boccaccio’s Salon, 56
Green Street,Bellows Falls
8 a.m. - 2 p.m.
First Congregational Church
Route 5, Westminster, VT
• Come in to register for a FREE MAKEOVER with stylist of choice! Includes everything you
need to achieve the look you pick out. Cut, color, perm, and/or highlight + a brow/lip
wax and makeup application! •
• Enjoy some great holiday SPECIALS:
~
BUY 2 PRODUCTS GET 1 FREE
(BIOLAGE/BIBO MAKEUP/PAUL
MITCHELL/BACK TO BASICS)
~ buy a $25.00 gift certificate for $20.00
~ buy a $50.00 gift certificate for $40.00
~ lots of great stocking stuffers and gifts
• Be ready for your holiday party!!
Have a professional makeup application
that day for $12.00.
(We use BIBO by Traham Webb)
(the stone church)
12 Church St., Bellows Falls
Sunday
Holy Eucharist 9:30 a.m.
The Rev. Margaret Crane
For more information call 463-3100
Christian Family Circle
Back Westminster Rd., Westminster, VT
Russ Allen, Pastor
Sunday School and
Church Services 10 a.m.
A non-affiliated Independent Bible Fellowship
8 School Street
Bellows Falls, VT 05101
802-463-4323
Sunday Worship 10 am
Rev. Kathryn A. Hult, Minister
Anglican Church of
the Good Shepherd
20 Summer St.
Charlestown, NH
Sunday Worship 9 a.m.
Wednesday 8:00 a.m. Morning Prayer
Traditional Liturgy
Rector: The Rev. Brian R. Marsh
Adv e r t ise
He re
Cal l
802 463-9591
0001057204-01 KT
• December 15, 2006
Immanuel Episcopal Church
Sunday School Available
000105837kc
Bellows Falls Town Crier
A warm and caring church seeking to
worship God joyfully and serve God gladly
Monday–Evening Prayer at 4:00 p.m.
We hope to see you there!
Happy Holidays & Thanks
to all of our wonderful customers!
-4
Pastor Karen Janus
Sunday Worship 10:00 a.m.
The United Church
www.thetowncriers.com
Quote of
the Week:
Real success is
finding your
lifework in the
work you love.
David McCullough
TownCrier
&
The Bellows Falls Town Crier is
published on Fridays and mailed to
households in Windham, Windsor,
Cheshire and Sullivan Counties.
OFFICE LOCATION:
24 Rockingham St., Bellows Falls, VT
MAILING ADDRESS:
P.O. Box 459,
Bellows Falls, VT
Observations
Observations
Santa in Speedo!
PHONE:
802-463-9591
FAX:
802-463-9818
Editorial Email:
[email protected]
and
[email protected]
Sales Email:
[email protected]
Publisher:
Bob Larson
Editor/layout: Cicely Eastman
Assistant Editors:
Becky Karush
Tracy Hagerman
Layout: Claudia Ricci
Becky Karush
Ad Design/Web Design:
Alexander Lawrence
Advertising Sales:
Christine Cheney, Tracy Hagerman
Circulation: Douglas O’Leary
802-254-2311 ext. 105
Advertising Deadlines:
Display: Monday 4PM
Classified: Monday 2 PM
Advertising:
Monday 5 p.m.
Editorial Deadlines:
Emails by Friday noon:
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or
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All others ten days prior
to publication.
MediaNews Group
Publication
The Bellows Falls Town Crier assumes
no financial responsibility for
typographical errors published,
but will print a correction.
W
ho would ever think
about Santa Claus
wearing Speedo?
Well, I’ve seen him not only
wearing it but lying down in a
hammock between two palm
trees with a beer bottle in his
hand. And I guarantee you he
had a really satisfied expression
on his face. That’s how I use to
see the jolly old man during
holidays back home, in Brazil.
So you guys better get lots of
cookies next to the chimney.
But aside from this Santa
vacation picture it gets really
interesting to see how they
brainwashed us with an image of a
cold and white Christmas. All my life in
Brazil I sent and received Christmas cards
with snow views and Santa delivering the
presents in his sleigh wearing a heavy warm
red outfit.
Never really asked myself how could
Santa deliver presents in a tropical country
using a sleigh. Therefore how could he get to
our homes if we don’t even have chimney?
Back home it was so nice to see the
Christmas lights wrapped on palm trees
with green grass as the background. And on
the table, during our Christmas dinner we
could see all sorts of fruits, from peaches
and grapes to plum and pineapple. My
mom used to cut melon and watermelon in
a half making zigzag shape at the border.
I never heard about eggnog before mov-
ing
here. And
I know many of you never heard about
Panettone - a delicious Italian fruit cake
made especially for the holidays. It is also
used as decoration for the dinner table.
Today you can even find the chocolate version of Panettone that is just as good.
When I was kid the real traditional
Christmas meal consisted of a whole roasted pig. We used go to a producer and pick
our own pig, the one he would kill to
become our dinner. Today they are still eating pig but come from the grocery store and
it isn’t the whole animal anymore but just
parts of it.
For the New Year’s Eve we usually eat
turkey! It is suppose to bring good luck for
the year because the bird scratches
back the dirt of the ground, leaving
the old behind.
After the meal we would celebrate
the beginning of the New Year with
lots of fireworks. It is very similar to
4th of July, except that they all start at
exactly the same time. We make the count
down, usually followed from TV. You can
watch it in many channels.
The most famous fireworks are in Rio
de Janeiro, by the beach (remember it is
summer during holidays in Brazil).
Tons of people gather at the shore to
watch the colorful show that can last
almost 30 minutes. But there are also
people who come just to offer goods
to Iemanja, also called the Sea’s
Queen by those ones who follow
Yoruba, an African religion brought to
Brazil by the slaves.
It is also traditional to wear white during
the year’s transition. It is suppose to bring
you peace.
Even though I miss the holidays in Brazil
it is always nice to see the real snowy
Christmas, that I used see only in pictures
and movies, right outside my window. And
I have to admit this New Year’s Eve I won’t
care about my outfit’s color since it keeps
me nice and warm.
Claudia Ricci
Div. of New England Newspapers
www.thetowncriers.com
December 15, 2006 • Bellows Falls Town Crier P a g e -5