Tag Archives: United Nations

Roundup: Democratic Caucus, Venezuela, U Thant …

Posted on January 3, 2026 | 6 comments

The first step toward becoming a Democratic candidate — or helping to influence the party locally — begins January 13 (7:30 p.m., Town Hall).

That’s the biennial Democratic Town Committee Caucus — an election to the DTC. They’re the group that endorses candidates for local elections, and helps select statewide nominees.

All registered Democrats are eligible. Any voter who has changed registration from another party must have done so at least 90 days prior to January 13. Click here for the Westport Democratic Town Committee bylaws.

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Speaking of politics (sort of): The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has had a collateral effect on Westporters vacationing in the Caribean.

The closure of air space in the region caused airlines to cancel hundreds of flights.

One local family was scheduled to leave today from Trinidad & Tobago — 7 miles off the Venezuelan coast, but 350 miles from Caracas.

Another is in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands — hundreds of miles from Venezuela.

Airlines are swamped with calls from stranded travelers. They’re responding with variations of “We have no idea…”

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Verso Studios — the media arm of the Westport Library — has hosted headliners like Patti Smith and the Wallflowers. They’ve produced a vinyl album — the first ever by any library, anywhere.

What haven’t they done? A Battle of the Bands.

Until now.

Next Saturday (January 10, 7 p.m.), 4 high-energy local bands take the Trefz Forum stage. The crowd will decide the winner. Prizes are $500 for first place, $250 for second.

The college and teen groups are the Breakers, Clockwork, Caravan and MOSS.

Tickets are $10 for students, $20 general admission. Click here to purchase, and for more information. 

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Many Westporters know and love Abby LaBanca, longtime Spotted Horse bartender.

They may not know that her father Jim is terminally ill with cancer. A strong and selfless man, he continues to give back — including as chair of the Sunshine Kids Cancer Foundation, dedicating time and energy to helping children and families facing the same battle he now wages.

Along with the emotional weight of their impending loss, Jim’s family faces unexpected financial hardship.

A GoFundMe page has been organized to help the LaBancas focus on spending their final days together, without added stress. Click here to donate, and for more information. (Hat tip: Andrew Colabella)

Jim LaBanca

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Thant Myint-U grew up in Riverdale, New York — when his grandfather, U Thant, was the third secretary-general of the United Nations — and then in Bangkok, when his father was with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

But his mother Aye-Aye Thant — U Thant’s daughter — was a longtime Westporter.

Her son has just published a book about his grandfather.

According to PassBlue — an independent, women-led nonprofit news company that covers the US-UN relationship, women’s issues, human rights, peacekeeping and other global matters — “Peacemaker: U Thant and the Forgotten Quest for a Just World” “reveals rich layers of history during the 1960s, taking readers back to key moments in his maternal grandfather’s role in world history, from the Congo crisis to the Cuban missile crisis, from Vietnam to the Six-Day War in the Mideast.

“The author, who worked for a while in the UN and has produced several history books, has now written a book drawing on his family’s legacy. He says it was an accident that he stumbled upon archival material about his grandfather and the UN, which led him to work on this biography.”

Aye Aye and her husband lived in Westport from 2000 to 2022 (except for 2011 through 2014, when they renovated her former home in Yongon, Myanmar, as the U Thant House Museum. It is still in operation; her son is the chairman.

Aye Aye moved from Westport to Boston in 2022, to be closer to her daugthers.

Click here to read more, including a Q-and-A with Aye Aye Thant’s son. (NOTE: “06880” rules limit comments to the relevant topic at hand.  All comments on this item should pertain to the Thant family. General posts about the UN today will be deleted.)

U Thant

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Dana Kuyper snapped a nice “Westport … Naturally” image of the view from Longshore, across Gray’s Creek to Owenoke.

Well, it was a nice view — except for the large trash bin that someone dumped sometime, somewhere, and which managed to get stuck in the winter mud.

(Photo/Dana Kuyper)

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And finally … in honor of the Gray’s Creek photo above, lets hear from this musician:

(Where else but “06880” will you find U Thant and Muddy Waters together? That’s the way we roll. If you appreciate this blog — where Westport meets the world — please click here to support us. Thanks!)

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Posted in Entertainment, Library, Local politics, Politics, Restaurants

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[OPINION] UN Is Guided By Principles, Ideals

Posted on October 31, 2025 | 42 comments

Bill Hass is president of the United Nations Association of Southwestern Connecticut.

Today, he responds to an “06880” Opinion piece posted last Friday by Bob Neumann, headlined “Why We Protested The UN Yesterday.”

Bill writes:

I sympathize with the deep concerns of our Jewish community and many others about rising antisemitism and the threat of neo-Nazism, and I condemn it unequivocally.

At the same time, I cannot agree with the assertion by Mr. Robert Neumann, who protested our event at the Westport Library celebrating the 80th anniversary of the United Nations on October 23, claiming that “the United Nations is a deeply antisemitic organization.”

In evaluating UN performance, it is advisable to consider the statements of the current Secretary General regarding the UN’s actions, goals and policy recommendations. One must also carefully evaluate and verify the accuracy and sources of information relied upon, especially those received via social media.

Following World War II, the most destructive global conflict in human history, the UN was founded with the mission of promoting global cooperation to safeguard international peace and security, ensure basic human rights and promote economic and social progress for all people. The UN recognized the state of Israel in 1948, well ahead of many other nations.

Under the direction of the Secretary-General, the UN operates in accordance with the principles contained in the UN Charter. Among the most important principles and ideals guiding the work of the UN are the inadmissibility of acquisition of territory by use of force, and the right of people to self-determination.

As a forum for debate, the UN provides a unique platform for its 193 member nations who express a large variety of opinions and policy positions that are occasionally controversial and even counterproductive. Nonetheless, knowing another’s point of view, however disagreeable, is better than not knowing and can be a first step towards understanding.

Questions about motives or potential bias concerning UN voting behavior should be addressed to the governments concerned. Governments, not UN officials, determine the content of UN resolutions. Governments also choose the leadership of various intergovernmental bodies in the United Nations.

Less visible is the UN’s capacity for quiet diplomacy through the promotion of dialogue and communication between governments behind the scenes that can diffuse a crisis or promote progress towards a resolution of differences.

U Thant of Burma was the 3rd Secretary-General of the UN. His daughter Aye Aye is a longtime Westport resident.

There are numerous successful examples of these efforts, most notably during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, when Secretary-General U Thant helped secure an agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as the government of Cuba, that averted nuclear war and global catastrophe.

Since 1965, Westport has celebrated the United Nations through its annual jUNe Day event on the last Saturday of June, in observance of the signing of the UN Charter on June 26, 1945.

This initiative was established by our founder, the late Ruth Steinkraus Cohen, in cooperation with the town of Westport. Ruth had been Eleanor Roosevelt’s personal secretary, and was so moved by Eleanor’s commitment to peace and the UN that Ruth devoted her energies to promoting the UN’s mission.

In creating the United Nations Association of Southwestern Connecticut, she sought to build international friendship and understanding. Following her example, Westport has been proud to organize hospitality for UN staff and delegates based in New York City. In addition, for many years our town has celebrated United Nations Day, October 24, the date the UN was founded in 1945.

These have been occasions to learn more about the complexity of the world and the possibilities for peaceful global cooperation. Let us never forget that we are all together sharing this one planet. Learning about one another and cooperating with one another is not a pipe dream but an urgent necessity to assure the flourishing of humanity.

I hope that some of my thoughts have promoted a better understanding of the United Nations and its work.

(“06880″‘s Opinion page is open to all. Please send submissions to 06880blog@gmail.com)

Flags of many nations fly every jUNe Day on the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge. (Photo/Jeff Simon)

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[OPINION] Why We Protested The UN Yesterday

Posted on October 24, 2025 | 72 comments

“06880” reader Bob Neumann writes:

Last night, 60 Westporters protested the United Nations’ appearance in town in the person of Undersecretary-General Christian Saunders.

It was the third time in 2 years that we have protested the UN’s appearance, and it’s important that the town understand why we do it.

Whatever good work the UN does in attacking poverty and providing elegant meeting rooms for debate, it is also a deeply anti-Semitic organization, and it has been at least since 1975, when it declared Zionism is racism — when it declared that the world’s one Jewish nation, built from the ashes of the Holocaust, had no right to exist as a Jewish state.

These photos are from last night’s protest at the Imperial Avenue parking lot, near the Westport Library. 

The UN, its agencies and courts, demonize Israel. They have attempted to isolate it, to strangle it, to boycott it, to force it into actions they dictate. And they might well have succeeded without US vetoes.

More recently, through the actions of UNRWA, the UN bears some direct responsibility for the butchery of October 7. (Mr. Saunders, it must be noted, was Acting Commissioner of UNRWA in 2020.)

UNRWA encouraged the self-destructive beliefs of Gazans that they were still refugees who would eventually return to live inside Israel, and educated its young with textbooks that demonized Israel and Jews. The result has been a generation of radicalized young Gazans intent not on building their own country but on destroying their neighbor — Israel.

Further, by pouring money and aid into Gaza, UNRWA in effect left Hamas to build tunnels and buy weapons to further its murderous aims. Hamas leaders are actually on record saying it is not their job to protect Gazans — it is the job of the UN.

UNRWA and the UN also turned a blind eye for weeks or months to the savagery of October 7 and particularly the violence done to women. (Mr. Saunders is currently special coordinator on improving the United Nations response to sexual exploitation and abuse).

We ask Westporters to see the UN for what it is. The UN (as per UN Watch) passed 140 resolutions against Israel in the 7 years before October 7, and only 68 condemning other nations in total — including Russia, China, Iran, North Korea and other such states. The town would never invite an institution that similarly demonized any other group for racial, ethnic, gender preference or identity — so it must not invite the UN.


Some, such as the International Hospitality Committee, also known as the United Nations Association, Southwest CT Chapter, who bring the UN to Westport twice each year, argue that the institution is simply a forum that should not be blamed for the actions of its member states.

Do they really mean to tell us that the UN, meant to stand for a better, inclusive future, should not be blamed for both failing and for intensifying the abuses heaped on Israel? Who would ever make excuses for, say, a PTA whose member parents demanded use of racist textbooks?

To ask the question is to laugh without reply. The UN, more than a forum, is the world’s largest hotbed of antisemitic, anti-Israel, and anti-Zionist rhetoric.

A video preceding Mr. Saunders’ speech illustrated some of the good work the UN does in impoverished regions. We demand that the respect and dignity the UN accords others must be given Israel.

Inside the Westport Library. (All photos courtesy of #EndJewHatred)

If the UN can’t pass that very low bar of decency, it must not be welcomed here. It shouldn’t be welcome anywhere, really, but especially not in a town where so many know firsthand from their families of the abuse Jewish people have faced in many corners of the world.

Please note that we do not seek to squelch legitimate criticism of the policies of Israel’s government. Israelis do it themselves — it’s practically a national sport.

People are entitled to their opinions. But the UN, an international forum, is not entitled to repeatedly denounce Israel alone in a world filled with nations that richly do deserve a denunciation they never receive.

The UN demonizes Israel. Unless and until it finds a way to reform itself, to rid itself of its antisemitic poison, the town of Westport and its people should not welcome it back. Surely we can find other ways to celebrate international community without inviting an organization who raises its voice loudly day after day in denunciation of the world’s one Jewish State.

We were respectfully silent yesterday in our protest, but I’m going to end with a shout to the United Nations: Treat Israel and world Jewry with the respect and dignity you treat everyone else. If you can’t bring yourself to do that — we don’t want you here. Stay home.

(The “06880” opinion pages are open to all. Please send submissions to 06880blog@gmail.com)

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Posted in Library, Politics

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jUNe Day Protest: UN Association Official Responds

Posted on July 10, 2024 | 20 comments

Every June since the 1950s — just a few years after the United Nations moved into its New York headquarters, and spurred by the work of UN advocate/ secretary to Eleanor Roosevelt/Westport resident Ruth Steinkraus Cohen — we have welcomed ambassadors, government officials and staff members to town.

On a (hopefully beautiful) early summer Saturday, we offer hospitality and friendship. There’s a breakfast and low-key greeting ceremony. Then our guests, their families and volunteer hosts spend the day in a variety of ways: at the beach, Earthplace or Wakeman Town Farm; playing golf, tennis or soccer; shopping, dining and relaxing.

Through the Cold War, the Vietnam War, the end of colonialism and the rise of new global powers, the tradition has endured.

It’s one of those things that makes our suburban community different from many others.

jUNe Day flags fly on the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge. It’s named for the founder of the annual Westport event.

This year, jUNe Day was different.

Over 100 people protested, on Jesup Green.

They were fully respectful. They were totally silent.

But their t-shirts, signs and flyers sent a message. They were angry about the UN’s “egregious bias against Israel, and the fact that our tax dollars are being used to host representatives of the United Nations, particularly this year, after the horrific events of October 7, and the consistently glaring antisemitic/anti-Israel efforts to delegitimize the only Jewish state.”

They cited many other reasons why they believe they UN has become “a highly politically divisive organization.” Inviting employees here, they said, “is simply no longer acceptable to us….We are all for international hospitality, but we should be hosting an organization that stands for universal equality for all.”

jUNe Day protestors, on Jesup Green. (Photo/Dan Woog)

Bill Hass disagrees.

As president of the United Nations Association of Southwestern Connecticut — the organizer, with Westport officials and volunteers, of jUNe Day — he firmly believes in the organization’s mission.

And he wants our town’s tradition to continue.

Hass told “06880”: “For nearly 60 years, Westport has supported jUNe Day as an opportunity for Westporters to offer hospitality and friendship to UN staff and delegates.

“This derives from a recognition that the United Nations is the only organization created to maintain global peace and security in which nearly all the countries of the world are represented. In a world of deeply divergent interests, it is essential that lines of communication be kept open concerning current conflicts and other global challenges. And, in this age of nuclear weapons, global peace is not only a lofty ideal, it is critical for the survival of the human race.

“Westport is a welcoming and diverse community with many residents also having lived and worked abroad. Many here realize that what affects those halfway around the world can also impact us.

Bill Hass speaks at this year’s jUNe Day welcoming ceremony. First Selectwoman Jen Tooker is seated at left. (Photo/Dan Woog)

“In 1962, the world came very close to experiencing the terror of nuclear war during the Cuban missile crisis. At that time, the UN Security Council and Secretary-General U Thant provided a breathing space that made it possible for the Soviet Union and the United States to step back from the brink of disaster and allow back channel and other quiet diplomacy to resolve the crisis.”

(Thant’s daughter Aye-Aye is a longtime Westport resident.)

“We sometimes hear that the UN is doing nothing, but the Secretary-General’s use of quiet diplomacy is an essential tool for helping to resolve difficult situations and crises.

“Earlier in the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the Secretary-General quietly negotiated an agreement to permit the export of Ukrainian grain to countries in desperate need. Also, a multitude of UN agencies maintain peace in areas attempting to recover from conflict, provide disaster relief, and address key global issues such as climate change, immigration and the plight of refugees.

“Expenses for jUNe Day are borne by the United Nations Association of Southwestern Connecticut, the UN Staff Union and modest reservation fees. We are very grateful to the town for opening many of our recreational facilities to UN guests as well as the Wakeman Town Farm, and for the warm welcome extended by our First Selectwoman. Earthplace is also much appreciated as a favorite destination of our guests.

“Our jUNe volunteers observed that UN guests who represented so many member states deeply appreciated Westport’s hospitality, and noted the right of people to protest peacefully.

Enjoying jUNe Day at Jesup Green, not far from the protest. (Photo/Dan Woog)

“It is important to acknowledge the concerns of those who protested on jUNe Day. Some even may have relatives or friends who were killed or injured on October 7, or at other times in Israel’s history.

“On October 7, 2023, in response to the attack by Hamas on Israel, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned ‘in the strongest terms the attack by Hamas against Israeli towns.’ He also extended his ‘deepest condolences to the families of the victims” and called for “the immediate release of all the abducted persons.’ Finally, he stressed that ‘violence cannot provide a solution to the conflict, and that only through negotiations leading to a two-State solution can peace be achieved.'”

“Some Westport protestors alleged bias by the UN against Israel.  It is important to distinguish between the UN organization and the position of some of its member countries.

“The Secretary-General and the staff are required by the principles of the UN Charter to treat Israel and, indeed all UN member countries, with dignity and respect and without discrimination. There exists honest disagreement on many issues related to this conflict. It is a disservice to the UN to construe its disagreement with some of the policy choices of the government of Israel as antisemitic.”

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Silent Protest Greets jUNe Day Guests

Posted on June 29, 2024 | 63 comments

jUNe Day in Westport is a decades-long tradition.

A couple of hundred United Nations employees — staff members and their families (with an occasional ambassador) — come from New York, by train or bus.

jUNe Day guests, enjoying a Jesup Green Breakfast.

They’re welcomed at a brief breakfast, by town officials. A message from the Secretary-General is read.

1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker (seated, left) waits to give jUNe Day greetings. At the podium is Bill Hass, United Nations Association Southwest Connecticut chapter president.

Then they head out, with local volunteers, to experience a summer day in the suburbs. They’re invited to Longshore, Compo, Earthplace and Wakeman Town Farm. They swim, play tennis and golf and soccer, shop and eat.

It’s a well-oiled machine.

Today, for perhaps the first time ever, a bit of politics intruded.

Over 150 residents partnered with the Connecticut chapter of #EndJewHatred to organize a protest.

It was silent, out of respect for the town and Great Duck Race activities, going on simultaneously.

Part of this morning’s crowd at Jesup Green.

The event began at the Westport Woman’s Club parking lot, with prayers for the hostages and Israeli Defense Forces.

Holding signs and wearing t-shirts, protestors then walked a short distance to Jesup Green.

Organizers told “06880”: “We are Westporters. We are Westport neighbors who support the town’s economy.

“We are Jews.  Maybe some of us are non-Jews.

“We are Zionists.

“We are parents. Maybe some of us have college students who face extreme antisemitism on their campuses.

“We are angry about the UN’s egregious bias against Israel, and the fact that our tax dollars are being used to host representatives of the United Nations, particularly this year, after the horrific events of October 7, and the consistently glaring antisemitic/anti-Israel efforts to delegitimize the only Jewish state.”

Celia Kaner Offir (left) and Elise Meyer. In Israel, Celia met the father of the 2 kidnapped brothers, whose faces are on her poster.

They said that the UN has “done nothing to release the remaining 116 hostages, representing 54 different countries— not just Israel — over the last 9 months.

“The UN was silent on the rape and sexual violence used against Israeli women on October 7 for months.

“Staffers of the UN agency of UNRWA were directly involved in the October 7 Hamas attack and subsequent murder and kidnapping of Israelis.

“The UN will still not condemn Hamas using its name.

“The UN singles out Israel with resolution after resolution while countries like North Korea and Iran are barely sanctioned.”

“The preposterous false charges of genocide against Israel are meritless, counterproductive and hypocritical.”

(All photos/Dan Woog)

Organizers added, “we understand that jUNe day has gone on here for 50-plus years.

“We understand that in its inception, it was not meant to be a political statement or event. However, today, the UN is a highly politically divisive organization, and inviting their employees to our town for a day in the sun is simply no longer acceptable to us. 

“Sometimes the status quo needs to change. Just because we’ve operated one way for 50 years, doesn’t mean it’s appropriate going forward.

“We are all for international hospitality, but we should be hosting an organization that stands for universal equality for all.”

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Photo Challenge #462

Posted on November 5, 2023 | 11 comments

last week’s Photo Challenge was posted 2 days before UN Day.

The image showed United Nations headquarters, taken decades ago. (Click here to see.)

That was easy. The hard part was figuring out where in Westport it hangs.

I did not give credit to the reader who sent it in: Lisa Wexler.

That might have given the answer away. She’s Westport and Weston’s probate judge. She’s also host of a popular daily interview show on WICC.

You can see the UN photo not in her radio studio. But it is very visible to anyone entering Room 102 at Town Hall: The Probate Court hearing room.

Susan Iseman knew exactly where. Barbara Sherburne guessed “somewhere in Town Hall.”

I also noted that the photo was personally autographed. Susan nailed it: U Thant,

The third secretary-general of the United Nations signed it on June 28, 1969, in honor of jUNe Day. It was a gift to the town of Westport.

We’re back to 2023 for this week’s Photo Challenge. If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.

(Photo/Ellen Wentworth)

(Thanks for playing our weekly Photo Challenge. To help support this, and every other “06880” feature, please consider a tax-deductible contribution. Click here — and thank you!)

 

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Aye Aye Thant’s UN Day Message

Posted on October 24, 2023 | 8 comments

Aye Aye Thant was a longtime Westporter, and the daughter of U Thant — the 3rd secretary-general of the United Nations (1961-71). 

In 2011 Aye Aye Thant spoke at Westport’s UN Day ceremony.

Today is UN Day. In honor of the organization’s founding 78 years ago, she writes:

On October 24, as we celebrate the birth of the UN “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,” I reflect on my father’s ideals and his belief in the role of the UN as a means towards lasting peace.

He stated:

“The principle of non-violence is also a basic concept of the UN Charter. One of the most fundamental principles to which member states have committed themselves is to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force.

“History teaches us that no durable solution can be found for any human problem except by persuasion and by common consent. The use of violence is double-edged, as violence is bound by the doctrine of reciprocal action, to provoke violence in turn. Before long, we find that the rule of law has given place to the rule of the jungle.

We have therefore to go back to first principles and to observe the Charter commitment regarding the non-use of violence or the threat of violence in international relations. In modern war there is no such thing as victor and vanquished. There is only a loser, and the loser is mankind.”

It has been  a  source of great hope to witness convoys of trucks carrying the UN flag bringing in urgently needed food, water, and medicine to those in a desperate situation in Gaza.

This mobilization — which engages the entire UN system for a humanitarian effort — embodies human solidarity which, my father said, reflects the fundamental  moral values of the United Nations.

Happy United Nations Day!

Peace!

U Thant

 

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Roundup: Patagonia, Police Scam, Heat Pumps …

Posted on September 16, 2023 | 9 comments

One of Westport’s most iconic locations will soon have a new tenant.

A “For Lease” sign on Patagonia leads to this listing for 87 Post Road East — the 1909 Westport Bank & Trust building that’s now home to the clothing chain:

Located at the intersection of Westport’s busiest retail corridor of Main St, Post Rd and Church Lane, this landmark building is a standout location visible from all points that vehicle and pedestrian traffic enter the downtown. Located adjacent to Urban Outfitters and across from Anthropologie and Barnes & Noble. Space consists of 6,200 SF on grade on Post Rd, with and additional 1,650 SF of retail on lower level, accessed internally from selling floor. Historic charm abounds with high ceilings, and 10′ Palladian windows!

It’s a 5-year lease. Rental rate and type are negotiable.

(Photo and hat tip/Eric Grossberg)

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Several residents got phone calls yesterday from 203-341-6000: the Westport Police Department non-emergency number.

Someone claiming to be from the WPD told whoever answered that they were being called on a recorded line, and had missed a court subpoena.  The citizens recognized the calls as scams, and contacted the department.

The Police say, “We believe the end goal of these calls was to have the recipient send money or gift card information as payment for a fine or to avoid arrest. The Westport Police Department does not accept payment for any services, fees, etc. over the phone.

“Residents should hang up and contact our non-emergency number if they ever have a question regarding the legitimacy of a call from someone identifying themselves as a member of the Westport Police Department.”

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Sustainable Westport is launching a 3-part energy learning series. The programs will bring together experts with Westport residents who have upgraded their homes with heat pumps/solar/geothermal.

The sessions (reception at 6:30 p.m.; presentation and Q-and-A, 7 p.m.) include:

  • All About Heat Pumps: October 3 (Click here to register)
  • Everything Solar: November 7
  • Going Geothermal: December 5

 

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A ground-breaking exhibit at United Nations headquarters, featuring Miggs Burroughs’ “Signs of Compassion” — 30 lenticular photos, showing local residents using sign language to recite Emily Dickinson’s poem of the same name, and Yurkiw’s accompanying Braille “prayer wheel” mantra, based on those he saw in Bhutan (including a wheelchair-accessible element) — opens next month.

The 2 works will be displayed on and next to a 102-foot curved wall.

Ever since the United Nations moved into its Manhattan headquarters in 1951, the lobby’s rotating art exhibit has been sponsored by member nations. For what is believed to be the first time, the featured works are offered by individual artists.

This is also the first time that Connecticut artists are featured at the UN.

The exhibit was made possible by individual donors. “06880” helped raise $18,000 fpr producing, printing and mounting the 30 large lenticular images; materials for the “prayer wheel” sculpture, and security for the reception (a UN requirement).

It is open to the public from October 10 to November 20, weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Miggs Burroughs’ lenticular images on the , and Mark Yurkiw’s Braille wheel (right).

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The other day, the  Greens Farms Garden Club celebrated their third fruitful Growing for Good Project.

Thirteen harvests from Wakeman Town Farm and Prospect Gardens were delivered to Mercy Learning Center. The first was 17 pounds in June; by this month, the harvest was 75 pounds.

Members fought pests, protected their crops, fertilized vegetables, and plowed through the hot summer to produce the produce.

From left: Greens Farm Garden Club  member Chen Yang, president Maybette Waldron, Prospect Gardens landscape designer Cindy Shumate, 1st Selectwoman Jennifer Growing for Good chair Jacque O’Brien.

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This is the 29th year for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Fairfield County.

At least one participant has been involved with every one.

Denise Lucarelli says: “29 years ago, I was assisting at the front desk when the phone rang. The young lady began to explain that she was from the American Cancer Society, and they were sponsoring a new walk in Westport.

“I stopped her and said we would be glad to participate, since we are a radiology practice and early detection does save lives. She was amazed, and thought it would be much harder to convince me.

“We both laughed. Since that cold call, Advanced Radiology’s physicians, staff and family members have attended this vital and awesome walk every year.”

The walk draw approximately 5,000 walkers annually to Sherwood Island State Park in October (Breast Cancer Awareness Month). Participants include healthcare systems, youth organizations, local and national businesses, and community teams (often honoring or memorializing survivors).

This year’s event is on Sunday, October 15 (9 a.m.). Click here to register, and for more information.

The American Cancer Society also sponsors a Men Wear Pink campaign. Participants are asked to raise at least $2,500; wear pink every day in October, and raise awareness through social networks. Click here for more information.

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The Smart Walk for Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities is a family event celebrating the strengths of children with learning and attention differences.

This year’s walk — the 4th annual — will include volunteers tossing colored powder as participants stroll by.

It’s set for October 1 (noon to 3 p.m., Sherwood Island State Park).

Children will also enjoy critters from Stamford Museum & Nature Center, bridge building with 3DuxDesign’s Team STEAM, Sasco River Center sensory stations, glitter tattoos, crafts, photo booth, lawn games, refreshments, ice cream and more.

Parents and caregivers will learn about resources, and experience community.

Children’s author Sivan Hong will read from her “Super Fun Day” books. Also planned: a youth chorus performance and youth speaker.

Participants walk the 2-mile route along Long Island Sound at their own pace. Registration fees are $15; $10 for children ages 6 -12; free for 5 and under. Strollers are welcome. For information and registration, click here. 

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Westport Tilt Parenting is a support group for parents of neurodivergent children.

They’ve partnered with the Westport Library to host Debbie Reber. The educator, author and advocate for understanding and embracing neurodivergent youngsters will speak at the Library on November 28 (7 p.m.).

Her topic: “Understanding and Embracing Differently Wired Kids.”

Westport Tilt Parenting says that at least 1 in 5 youths are in some way neurodivergent (ADHD, learning disabilities, autism spectrum, gifted, sensory issues, anxiety and more).

However, they are often misunderstood. Current support strategies may be misguided; their strengths and gifts can be overlooked.

All parents of neurodiverse and neurotypical children are invited, as are teachers, administrators and interested others. Click here for more information. To learn more about Westport Tilt Parenting, email  alexandre.acupuncture@gmail.com.

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Comic art, deconstructed case-bound book boards, and visual mixed media all grace the walls of The Westport Library gallery spaces this fall. Local featured artists include Marc Zaref, Niki Ketchman, Rowan MacColl and Connor McCann.

Coinciding with the Neil Gaiman StoryFest keynote conversation (Friday, October 20) is the visual companion in the Sheffer Gallery, “Panels & Gutters: The Comic Art of Rowan MacColl and Connor McCann.”

The exhibition celebrates the form storytelling in comic art featuring MacColl’s and McCann’s illustrations with added panels demonstrating their conceptual and technical process. The graduates of Staples High School and Rhode Island School of Design are navigating the art scene with great success.

The opening reception and artist talk (Thursday, October 19; reception 6 p.m.; artist talk, 7 p.m.) will reunite MacColl and McCann reuniting their former art teacher, Katherine Ross.

“Cascade 2023,” by multidisciplinary artist Zaref, features an installation of recycled, deconstructed case-bound book boards.

The South Gallery hosts Ketchman’s “Resinations,” with mixed media resin visual works.

Rounding out the Library’s art activity is the Westport Artists Collective Affordable Art Trunk Show and Sale. It’s Sunday, October 1 (11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Library lower parking lot).

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Forty Collective members will display their work out of their car trunks. All art is for sale, at affordable prices. ‘

A new family planning book by Westporter Dr. Mark Leondires goes on sale November 14.

“Building Your Family: The Complete Guide to Donor Conception” covers the complex medical and emotional considerations of becoming a parent, from choices (egg, sperm or embryo donation), through selecting a donor, through dealing with the ethical and practical dilemmas of parenthood.

Leondires is the founder and medical director of Illume Fertility. For more information and to pre-order, click here.

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Butterflies are free.

And at Burying Hill Beach, they don’t have to worry about fences.

Johanna Keyser Rossi spotted this monarch flitting about yesterday. It did not land, but she “captured” it for posterity — or at least, for our daily “Westport … Naturally” feature.

(Photo/Johanna Keyser Rossi)

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And finally … his name was not well known, but he “entertained” millions of music fans.

Bobby Schiffman, who led Harlem’s Apollo Theater in the 1960s and early ’70s, when it became a storied venue — died last week in Florida. He was 94. Click here for a full (and fascinating) obituary.

And — though after Schiffman’s time — here is Weston’s own Keith Richards, playing at the Apollo too:

(“06880” is truly “Where Westport (and Weston) meet the world.” Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

 

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“Signs Of Compassion”: Westport Artists In Historic UN Exhibition

Posted on August 29, 2023 | 4 comments

Ever since the United Nations moved into its Manhattan headquarters in 1951, the lobby’s rotating art exhibit has been sponsored by member nations.

In October, for what is believed to be the first time, the featured works will be offered by 2 individual artists.

And both are from Westport.

The historic event is the culmination of a multi-year project by Miggs Burroughs and Mark Yurkiw.

Burroughs’ “Signs of Compassion” — 30 lenticular photos, showing local residents using sign language to recite Emily Dickinson’s poem of the same name, and Yurkiw’s accompanying Braille “prayer wheel” mantra, based on those he saw in Bhutan (including a wheelchair-accessible element) — will be displayed on a 102-foot curved wall.

Artist’s rendering of the UN exhibit, including Miggs’ Burroughs’ lenticular photos, and Mark Yurkiw’s Braille prayer wheel (right).

An opening exhibit is set for October 17 (6 p.m.).

Now all that’s left is the fundraising. It’s a great opportunity for “06880” readers to score an invitation to the historic reception.

The $18,000 cost includes producing, printing and mounting the 30 large lenticular images; materials for the “prayer wheel” sculpture, and security for the reception (a UN requirement).

So far, there are $1,000 pledges from former 1st Selectman Jim Marpe (one of the ASL signing models) and his wife Mary Ellen; Bud and Roz Siegel; Christian Trefz; Ann Sheffer and Bill Scheffler; Mike Tewey, and the Westport Library’s restricted artist-in-residence fund (where Burroughs began the project).

All that’s needed is another $12,000. The top 10 donors will be invited to the opening event. (Donation information is at the end of this story.)

Jeanine Esposito signed “without.” She’s one of 30 Westport models in Miggs Burroughs’ “Signs of Compassion.”

The route for the artwork from Westport to the UN was not direct. Yurkiw admired Burroughs’ “signs,” and wanted the organization to showcase it. (Click here for details on that unique piece.)

It took years to find the right people at the UN to help. Then came a search for a letter from a government official. A serendipitous meeting with Congressman Jim Himes’ wife Mary led to a glowing endorsement from Senator Chris Murphy.

More red tape ensued. This will be the first time without sponsorship from a member nation; eventually, UN committees on disabilities and humanitarianism stepped up.

Mark Yurkiw (center, white shirt) meets with UN officials to discuss the upcoming exhibit.

The United Nations works slowly. Yet this fall — at one of its most public places — delegates, staffers and visitors will see Miggs Burroughs and Mark Yurkiw’s stunning art, on full display.

That might not be the end. Yurkiw has visions of taking his and Burroughs’ show on the road: to UN offices in Geneva, the Vatican, perhaps Kyiv.

“Signs of Compassion” will truly be — to use the “06880” tagline — “Where Westport meets the world.”

($12,000 is needed to bring Burroughs and Yurkiw’s exhibition to the UN. Click here to make a tax-deductible contributions can through the project’s partner, the Artists Collective of Westport. When asked “What is this for?,” type “UN Exhibit.”)

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Roundup: Flags, Trash, Blood …

Posted on June 27, 2022 | 12 comments

Westport just celebrated our annual, wonderful. warm and welcoming jUNe Day.

So let’s start the week with a jUNe Day complaint.

A reader sends this photo —

— and writes:

“I noticed that the Russian flag is flying on the bridge — next to the American flag.

“Shouldn’t that flag come done while we are boycotting and protesting Russia’s invasion of sovereign Ukraine? Additionally, the Russian flag is right at the center of the bridge, next to the American flag — certainly a special spot. Can the town change the flags to reflect the current state of affairs?”

Well!

I’ve always been told the flags fly in alphabetical order. Right now, 193 countries are members of the UN. I did not count the flags this year. Besides, I’m no flags-of-the-world expert, so I can’t answer whether they are in alphabetical order or not.

(I would have contacted the Department of Public Works, which sets up and removes the flags each year, but they were closed for the weekend.)

My next thought: Maybe Russia still goes by its former name — the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. That would, amazingly, put it smack next to the United States.

I checked the UN website. Nope: It’s “Russian Federation.”

Then I wondered if the DPW simply uses the same list year after year. The wheels of municipal government grind slowly, but I can’t imagine they’d use a list from the last century without anyone noticing.

Finally, I wondered: What are those other flags next to Russia?

The one on its right seems to be Romania  — which, alphabetically, comes right before Russia.

The one on the left — interrupted by the US — appears to be Rwanda. Bingo!

Perhaps the American flag is placed smack in the middle of the bridge because, hey, this is our country — and Russia just happens, ironically, to be where it is by the luck of the alphabet.

At any rate, there’s no reason to remove the Russian flag, even if the country is an international pariah.

This was jUNe Day, after all.

хорошего дня!

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But wait!

The photo above was taken yesterday, during the reproductive rights rally.

The day before, Joel Treisman took a video of the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge. It showed a different arrangement of flags flanking ours:

What’s going on?

Sounds like a case for Interpol!

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A flag kerfuffle and looming constitutional crisis notwithstanding, this was a perfect weekend for a walk at the beach.

My path took me along Bradley Street. I spotted this subtle — but hopefully strong — reminder to dog owners: Their lawn is not a canine crapper.

(Photo/Dan Woog)

I also noticed an astonishing amount of trash left on the tables outside the Hook’d concession stand, under the brick pavilion roof, and on South Beach.

How difficult is it to take your trash 5 steps to the nearby receptacle?

Westporters love to say, “This is our beach.”

Let’s treat it that way!

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The need for blood is constant.

Kick off the holiday weekend by doing something for others. VFW Post 399 hosts its 24th straight monthly Red Cross blood drive this Friday (July 1, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 465 Riverside Avenue).

Click here for an appointment.

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“Cheese Fries & Froot Loops” — the true, moving and humorous one-man show written and performed by Weston native Chris Fuller about his attempt to make it to the PGA Tour while struggling with bipolar mental illness — debuted at Fairfield Theater Company last month.

It led to an invitation to perform at the United Solo Theater Festival in New York this fall.

First though, Fuller plans 2 shows here, to benefit the Artists Collective of Westport: July 23 and 24, 8 p.m. at the Westport Woman’s Club.

The suggestion donation is $15 a tickets, and includes complimentary wine and cheese.. Funds raised will help provide art supplies and activities to those in need. For reservations, email aspetuck@optonline.net or call 203-349-8786

Fuller — son of famed author John G. Fuller and playwright Elizabeth Fuller — will give away copies of his book “Goodnight, Golf!” after an on-stage putting contest during the show.

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Dennis Poster died at home, surrounded by his family. on Friday. He was 82.

The Syracuse native, and Syracuse University graduate ran specialist books on the New York Mercantile Exchange and American Stock Exchange. He later managed D.B. Poster Associates, working from Connecticut to be closer to his family.

He was on the Executive Committee of Weill Cornell Medicine’s Dean Council, was emeritus chair of the JHE Foundation, and served on the boards of The Hole in the Wall Gang Fund, Save our Strays and The Compass Fund. He was also a trustee for The Aronson Family Foundation, which supports education, the arts, healthcare, and animal rescue charities.

Dennis loved golf, Pepe’s Pizza, DQ Blizzards, blackjack, backgammon, Shark Tank, watching CNBC, his cat Shadow, feeding the surrounding wildlife by his home, and most importantly, his family.

He had a near 50-year Father’s Day tradition of mini-golfing with his daughters, and then his grandchildren. He played semi-pro golf, and often joined pro-am golf tournaments with friends. He once shot a 66 at Winged Foot.

Dennis had a big heart, a warm soul and was fiercely loyal to his family and friends. We will miss his contagious chuckle, generosity, sage advice and especially his love.

Dennis is survived by his wife, Joan of 57 years; daughters Meredith and Cindy (David) of Westport; grandchildren Hannah, Lillie, Matthew, Max, Jack and Sam; brother Greg and sister Wendy.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp and Let’s Win Pancreatic Cancer.

Dennis Poster

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It took 4 years of nursing — inside her house, and on her deck — but Wendy Levy finally got her passionflower to bloom.

What a colorful way to start our “Westport … Naturally” week!

(Photo/Wendy Levy)

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And finally … today is National Orange Blossom Day. How will you celebrate?

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