Dear Reader

Dear Reader,

Where Only the “h” Is Silent
We’re wondering if anyone noticed that there was not a single opinion piece in last week’s Indy. No letters, no op/eds, no public comments. We’re not sure how that happened as there is plenty going on in town and the world beyond that invites commentary. We believe that this is the first time that this has happened in our five plus years of existence; an odd occurrence in the town where only the “h” is silent. But never fear, the opinion section is once again bursting with urgent and insightful commentary.

Photo of the Week and Upcoming Photo of the Week Galleries
Northern Lights – It appears that Maura and I may be the only people in the Valley who did not photograph the Northern Nights last night (10/10). Local folks posted some pretty spectacular pictures on social media today and we are inviting everyone to send us their favorite photos of the Aurora and if you do, we’ll post a gallery of your Northern Lights photos next week. Deadline is Noon on Friday October 18. Please indicate who should ge credit for the photo and if you can, let us know where the photo was taken.

Fall Foliage – We’ll run our annual fall foliage gallery the following week. Send us your favorite fall foliage photos, indicating who gets credit and where the photo was taken. Deadline is Noon on Friday, October 25.

But don’t wait until the deadline. We’ll be delighted to see your photos right now.

Photos can be sent to us at amherstindy@gmail.com

Feinberg Lecture Series
We want to give a shout out to the Feinberg Family Distinguished Lecture Series sponsored by the Department of History at UMass. The series focuses on “big issues” at the intersection of history and social and economic justice. This year’s theme, “What Are Universities For: Struggles for the Soul of Higher Education” is especially timely as many universities around the country are adopting draconian restrictions on free speech, the likes of which have not been seen since the free speech movement of the 60’s, while at the same time the Republican candidate for Vice President is suggesting that he wants to close public universities, appropriate their endowments, and sell off their land. It is indeed a good time to be talking about the role that universities play in our society and the Feinberg series always delivers thought provoking lectures and lively discussions. The events are free and open to all. Next up on Tuesday October 22, is a panel discussion on “The Attack on Honest History,” with social educator Jesse Hagopian and historians Paul Ortiz and Ellen Schrecker. Check it out. View the full schedule here.

Thanks for reading the Indy and best wishes,

Art

Art Keene
Managing Editor