Olivia Hull
Though the Island’s religious leaders have often engaged in interfaith dialogue before and collaborated to lead interfaith services, it’s rare that Islanders and visitors get to hear the perspective of a Muslim leader. On Wednesday, August 29, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, founder and leader of the Cordoba Initiative in New York city, will speak with Rabbi Caryn Broitman before an audience at the Hebrew Center in Vineyard Haven.
The Island has the second lowest seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate in the state, according to recent data released by the state’s executive office of labor and workforce development. The office reports that the Tisbury labor market area, which includes all six Island towns, had a seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate of 3.8 per cent in July, while the state average was 6.6 per cent. Statewide, Nantucket had the lowest unemployment rate for July, calculated to be 2.9 per cent.
Angela Davis is no stranger to injustice. She grew up in Birmingham, Ala. in the era of segregation, was acquitted after being wrongfully imprisoned for 16 months on murder charges, and has, throughout her life, spoken out against all forms of oppression. When she travelled in June of 2011 to Palestine with a delegation of indigenous women and women of color, she felt she was travelling in regrettably familiar territory. What she observed was even more dire than what she had anticipated, she said.
The Guinness Book of World Records has a category called biggest zit, and one for the most people blowing their nose at the same time. But while a category exists for largest temporary maze, and largest permanent maze, there is no category for a portable maze — yet. That day may come, though, if you ask Sean O’Malley, Ryan O’Malley, Jared Koster or Perry Bliss. These enterprising 12 year-olds make up the board of the Giant Maze Project, and they’ve got a maze they think would easily dominate the portable maze category for a long time.
With the presidential election only months away, activists throughout the country are joining forces to fight recent voter identification laws that they say threaten voting access.
On Thursday at around 7 p.m., Marques Rivers was seen fiddling with something in his pocket. He stood beside his girlfriend of almost five years, Sarah Neubert, waiting to board the Ferris wheel at the Agricultural Fair. It was their annual “date ride” they said, the one they always take the first day of the fair. Ms. Neubert, who is mildly afraid of heights, was nervous, but not nearly as nervous as Mr. Rivers. Minutes later, just as she had summoned the courage to look up from her hands and take in the view from atop the wheel, the ride stopped.