Monthly Archives: September 2022

NYT Science Columnist Carl Zimmer to Speak on Science and Research During the Pandemic, Tonight

Posted on by
Reply

OLD LYME, CT – The Southeast Connecticut World Affairs Council (SECWAC) opens the 2022-2023 speakers’ series on Wednesday, Sept. 21, with an informative talk about the coronavirus pandemic and its global implications.

The featured speaker will be award-winning science writer Carl Zimmer (pictured at left) presenting “Science and Research During the Pandemic: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” The talk will take place at 6 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme.

Attendees will also be able to join us via Zoom. Learn more and register at secwac.org.

A columnist for The New York Times and the author of 14 books and countless magazine articles for publications such as National Geographic, The Atlantic, and Discover, Zimmer earned a B.A. in English from Yale, where he currently serves as an adjunct professor in the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and teaches writing.

The recipient of the 2016 Stephen Jay Gould Prize, awarded for the Study of Evolution, Zimmer has also won awards from the National Academy of Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

His 2018 book, She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity (the subject of a fascinating SECWAC talk a few years ago), was named a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times Book Review and the best science book of 2018 by The Guardian.

Zimmer’s presentation on Sept. 21 will explore lessons from the influenza of 1918. What did we learn a century ago and what has science and research in the age of coronavirus taught us about controlling the spread, testing, and reporting of disease? What have we learned about the role of multinational cooperation in stemming the spread of a disease that recognizes no borders? How can those lessons prepare us for future pandemics in our interconnected world?  

For more than 20 years, SECWAC has been inviting leading global voices to our region to foster a deeper understanding of the world, our country’s international role and diplomatic history, and the policies and actions that impact individuals and communities at home and abroad.

A nonprofit dedicated to discussing issues of global importance, SECWAC presents up to a dozen speakers each year. Events are free for members, students, and educators and $20 for non-members.

Visit secwac.org for registration and membership details and to learn about other upcoming speakers.

A la Carte: Chicken Provencal is One of Lee’s ‘Favorite Dishes’

Posted on by
Reply

Editor’s Note: While Lee White is taking a short break, we are republishing some of her previous columns. This one is from September 2021.

Lee White

By the time you read this, I will have flown home from La Mirada, California, having visited with my Darcy, her husband and their greyhound, Whitney.

Darcy was planning many of her meals ahead of time: I was to arrive at Long Beach airport, in mid-afternoon on Sept. 2.

She had hoped we could drive to Palm Springs, but I reminded her it would be Labor Day weekend and driving in Los Angeles that weekend could be more annoying than doing the same on Labor Day weekend on the Connecticut shoreline.

Instead, she will probably have other plans for us, although I mostly love running on the wave pool at the local community center. I have also added three novels on my Kindle in case the weather is uncooperative. She also plans we will watch the Anthony Bourdain documentary.

This will be the first plane travel I will have done since before the pandemic. Darcy reminded me to bring extra masks, although she is not sure if masks are mandated indoors in California. In any case, I have had my third vaccine and feel fairly safe.

And I am to eat in someone else’s house for the first time after almost 18 months — I’m especially happy that it’s Darcy’s house.

On the other hand, I am thinking what my first dinner home will be. I looked in the freezer. Lots of chicken. All I have to buy is mushrooms. And this is one of my favorite dishes. 

Chicken Provencal
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma catalog, June, 2002
Serves 4

1 chicken, 3-4 pounds, cut up into 8 pieces (I used skinless boneless since that was all in had)
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
½ pound cremini mushrooms, quartered (I used a lot more)
2 cups white wine
1 ½ tablespoons chicken demiglace (More Than Bouillon is my favorite)
3 fresh thyme sprigs
½ pound Yukon gold potatoes, cut into ½ -inch pieces (I used more)
1 pint cherry tomatoes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put flour onto a flat plate, add salt and pepper, and mix.  Add chicken and toss to coat evenly.

In a large stock pot (I use a Le Creuset Dutch oven), add oil and warm  over medium high heat.

Working in batches, brown chicken 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Transfer to a large plate.

Add onion and mushrooms to pan; cook until just golden and mushrooms start to brown, about 4 to 8 minutes. Off the heat, add wine and demiglace; set pan over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to get the brown bits (fond) into the braising liquid, about 5 minutes. 

Return chicken to pan, add thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook 2 minutes.

Transfer pan to preheated oven and bake 25 minutes. Add potatoes to pan and stir to combine.

I then covered the pan, Continue baking until chicken is falling off the bone, about 35 minutes more.

Remove pan from oven, add tomatoes, stir gently and let stand 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately. This dish is even better on the second or third day. Always heat in a microwave so is doesn’t dry  m

About the author: Lee White has been writing about restaurants and cooking since 1976 and has been extensively published in the Worcester (Mass.) Magazine, The Day, Norwich Bulletin, and Hartford Courant. She currently writes Nibbles and a cooking column called A La Carte for LymeLine.com and the Shore Publishing and the Times newspapers, both of which are owned by The Day. She was a resident of Old Lyme for many years but now lives in Groton, Conn. Contact Lee at leeawhite@aol.com.

Old Lyme Girls Draw With Shoreline Rivals Old Saybrook

Posted on by
Reply

Sophomore goalie Olivia Kelly made five saves for the Wildcats in their game against Old Saybrook.

OLD LYME — Playing at home Monday and after a scoreless first half against Shoreline rivals Old Saybrook, Old Lyme finally took the lead with a Callie Bass goal in the third minute of the second half. Bass was assisted by Aggie Hunt.

But eight minutes later, Old Saybrook equalized with an unassisted goal by Breleigh Cooke. No further goals were scored and the game ended with a  final score of 1-1.
Sophomore Olivia Kelly made five saves for Old Lyme.

Fun, Food, Finds at Christ The King’s ‘Harvest Festival,’ This Morning

Posted on by
Reply

All the fun of the fair will be happening Saturday at Christ the King’s Harvest Fun Day.

OLD LYME — Volunteers at Christ the King Church in Old Lyme are gearing up for the return of the annual Harvest Festival, a family-friendly event offering something for everyone. This year’s festival continues on Sunday, Sept. 18, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Don’t be late! Bargain hunters have formed a line before the doors are even open in previous years.

What will you find at Christ the King’s Harvest Festival?

Find treasures galore at the King’s Rummage Sale.

Bargains and treasures at the huge King’s Rummage Sale; a great selection of fall plants and produce from Smith’s Acres; themed baskets, original artwork, and more in the Silent Auction; delicious homemade goodies in the Bake Sale; and an assortment of games and crafts to keep the kids entertained.

There will be a large selection of games at the Harvest Festival for children to enjoy.

Come hungry so you can enjoy lunch served up by the Men’s Club — and live entertainment from talented local musicians.

If you can’t get there Saturday, you can still check out the Plant Sale, Rummage Sale, and the Silent Auction on Sunday
morning, Sept. 18, with Rummage Sale items at half-price.

Terrific treasures can be found at the King’s Rummage Sale.

As always, admission to Christ the King’s Harvest Festival is free.

Christ The King’s Rummage Sale is always a great place to look for bargains.

Christ the King Church is located at 1 McCurdy Road in Old Lyme. Visit www.christthekingchurch.net for directions, and follow the church on Facebook (@christthekingchurcholdlyme) for updates.

For more information, visit www.christthekingchurch.net or call 860-434-1669.

Old Lyme Town Attorneys Issue Findings on Tantummaheag Dispute, Owners Describe Report as “Filled with Factual, Legal and Historic Errors

Posted on by
3

OLD LYME — The ongoing and protracted dispute about the Town of Old Lyme’s rights and legal interest in Tantummaheag Landing took a new turn Tuesday with the release by Old Lyme Town Attorneys Suisman Shapiro of the report they had solicited from Atty. Elton B. Harvey III of the Isaac Law Offices LLC regarding the matter.

This report, which was discussed Monday afternoon in Executive Session by the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen, concludes “… the road known as Tantummaheag Road running from Neck Road to the area commonly known as the “Town Landing” is a public road within the Town of Old Lyme.” Atty. Harvey III then proceeds to explain at considerable length why he has drawn that conclusion.

George Frampton and Carla Darista, the owners of 19 Tantummaheag Rd., responded to the report with a statement dated Sept. 13, 2022 delivered to the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen, in which they describe the conclusions of Atty. Harvey III’s report as both presenting, “… an entirely new and spurious theory,” and, “… filled with factual, legal and historic errors.”

Asked to respond to the conflicting information, Old Lyme First Selectman Timothy Griswold told LymeLine.com by email, “Obviously, the issues about Tantummaheag Road are complex and we have relied on the advice of our Town Counsel to guide us. As this matter is unresolved, I shall refer questions and comments to our Counsel, rather than respond directly.”

In response to a similar question posed by LymeLine.com, but asked prior to LymeLine.com receiving Griswold’s statement above, Town Attorneys Suisman Shapiro said they did not “… have any comment at this time on either Attorney Harvey’s report or Attorney Frampton’s response.”

Editor’s Note: i) Visit this link to read a Letter to the Editor published Feb. 10, 2022 from Rebecca Griffin and titled, ‘Update on Tantummaheag Town Landing Situation Overdue, Required So All Residents Can Understand Outcome.’

ii) George T. Frampton is a Distinguished Senior Fellow of The Atlantic Council of the United States and Director of the Transatlantic Climate Policy Program.