Freshman Eddie Fiske battles under the net to make his shot in Thursday night’s second round Division V game against Grasso Tech. Fiske ended up top scorer in the Wildcats’ hard-fought victory. All photos by A. Hine.
OLD LYME—The Wildcats advanced to the CIAC Division V quarter-finals last night with a 53-44 win over the Grasso Tech Eagles—but it did not come easily.
To quote from rookie coach Dylan Sheffield’s words in his post-game interview, the team was “grinding” as it clawed out the unexpectedly tough victory..
Senior Charlie Sahadi looks to pass as he brings the ball up the court.
The Eagles drew up to just one point away from Old Lyme in the fourth quarter while the ‘Cats missed shot after shot from both the court and foul line but finally, Old Lyme found its rhythm again and pulled away to clinch the win.
Freshman Eddie Fiske was a major contributor to the Wildcat’s score with a game-high 20 points. He was joined by senior Leland Hine:, who notched a solid 14 points.
Taking a shot.
Nick Stavesky: scored 17 points for Grasso-Tech.
Old Lyme will host the Somers Spartans in Monday’s quarterfinal to be played in the Lyme-Old Lyme High School gym.
It’s not every day when a movie about a child’s toy touches the souls of its audience and brings awareness to social issues. Then again, we are living in extraordinary times we never anticipated (the Red Sox and Cubs both have World Series championships, and American politics resembles trashy reality TV).
In fact, perhaps it is an even more fertile era to bring all the inequalities of society to the masses?
When Barbie (Margot Robbie) suddenly thinks about death in the matriarchal utopia of Barbieland, she is instructed by the wise, but incredibly battered, Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) to venture to the Real World and find the girl, who is playing with her, and resolve whatever distress she is experiencing. As she makes her way through the Real World, she discovers life is, in fact, not as perfect as she and the other Barbies and Kens have trusted it to be.
While accompanying his girlfriend in her quest, unappreciated “Just” Ken (Ryan Gosling) discovers Patriarchy, which he intends to introduce to the rest of the Kens in Barbieland.
With elaborate colorful sets (there have been rumors that this caused a shortage in supplies of pink paint) reminiscent of the golden and silver era of Hollywood, accomplished director Greta Gerwig throws in familiar storytelling themes about consciousness, ranging from the creation and fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. This is in addition to cinematic references dealing with similar themes, particularly the opening scene parodying 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The characters and audience must wrestle with the discrepancies between the hopes and ideals of Barbieland, where young girls can pretend they have successful careers filled with proper recognition and achievement, and the bitter reality of the Real World in which women still struggle for equality and are held to different standards (and sometimes are even blamed for men’s failures).
This is all perfectly summarized in a rant that my mother still raves about, delivered perfectly to the national treasure that is America Ferrera.
Photo by Sandra Gabriel on Unsplash.
Patriarchy still exists, one man assures Ken, it is just better hidden now. Throw in the charming and silly humor peppered throughout the movie (particularly the performances of Ryan Gosling and Will Ferrell as antagonists we actually want to see more of), and simple-yet-extravagant special effects, and we have ourselves a film that will be immortalized as a classic.
Having spent much of my formative years in an all-guys environment (thank you, Xavier High School), Barbie exposed me to the daily frustrations experienced by women across the globe from dealing with benign assumptions to malicious violations of human rights.
And having not been Mattel’s target market for Barbie while growing up, the movie introduced me to the expanded universe of Malibu Barbie and her friends (who would have expected Michael Cera to steal a scene as Alan?).
As Award Season is set to conclude with the Oscars on March 10, we cannot help but observe the irony that Ryan Gosling was given a nomination for Supporting Actor as Ken, while star Margot Robbie, who took us through a transformative experience, got nothing for her performance. Like Ken in his new enthusiasm for Patriarchy, Gosling was given the glory for Barbie’s own movie, which even he lamented.
When we learn that nominations for the awards take place akin to political lobbying, should it be a surprise that such omissions happen? Have we learned nothing after all these years that once people find an easier route that compromises morals, they will exploit it?
Barbie is, without question, one of the best movies of the year. I do not see it taking home the prize of Best Picture, I believe it will go to Oppenheimer (see the review here).
But even if Barbie wins it all, I do not believe Margot Robbie will always remember and be proud of this movie because of the Oscar in her house, but rather the countless women who have spoken to her since its release about how it touched their souls, and recognized them and their own personal struggles wrestling with patriarchy.
About the Author: Though no longer a resident of Lyme, Kevin knows he can never sever his roots to the tree of his identity. When not attending to his job in Boston, he is committed to ensuring a better grasp of current (and past) releases of cinema to his home community as he strives to leave his own mark in the same field that has always been his guide to understanding life. If you enjoy his published reviews here on LymeLine.com, follow him on his website at ‘The City of Cinema‘ and read more of his unique insights into entertainment.
We are reaching out to you in the hopes of gaining support in convincing our town boards and commissions to enforce and amend the regulations regarding the complete disregard of any environmental protections at the gravel pit along the Three-Mile River located at 308-1 Mile Creak Road, Old Lyme. The gravel pit operation is a grandfathered entity located on the bank of the river bog, and surrounded by residential homes. The permit to operate has been simply rubber-stamped without review or regulation for a number of years partly due to limited activity, but that activity escalated in 2020, when the operation expanded to the very edge of the river and it is once again expanding beyond their own scope of operation, which they submitted to the town.
They are presently under a stop work order due to the Town’s Zoning Enforcement Officer witnessing a worker dumping a tri-axel load of material over the bank to the river’s edge. It was the 4th that I witnessed that day—there are absolutely no erosion controls in place whatsoever. They have also lowered the outflow culvert, which has dropped the water level in the entire river bog by 12” to 16”, likely killing off all the invertebrates and amphibians that have been winter-hibernating in that layer.
Additionally, the pit operator intends to begin using a rock crusher, in the middle of residential area, surrounded by homes, several within a few hundred feet of the crusher’s location—all of the herons, geese, and numinous duck species, and migrating birds that use this river as a rookery will disappear. There won’t be a living creature within a mile of that machine, except for the families and children that call this place home.
We are hopeful that the Zoning Board will treat this issue with the same importance as the noise issue from the pickle ball court on McCurdy Road. This is not the first time this operation has come before zoning enforcement. It has been mentioned at commission meetings that there have been “numerous complaints and infractions connected to this operation from its beginning”, Yet the regulations have not been amended, The damage to the wetlands continues as if it were the Florida swamps in the 1960’s.
The [Old Lyme] Inland Wetlands Commission will be discussing this operation at their 6pm, [Thursday] March 7th meeting to address reparations to the site and the stop work order issued by the town.
The permit renewal is supposed to come before the [Old Lyme] Zoning Commission in May, and we hope to have the input and support of as many affected neighbors, and environmentally-concerned people and groups in time to bring these concerns to the board prior to this renewal.
If you can’t make it to a meeting, please send an Email expressing your support to the attention of.. > Old Lyme Inland Wetlands Commission / Old Lyme Zoning Board at eknapp@oldlyme-ct.gov or cbonatti@oldlyme-ct.gov > Old Lyme Selectwoman’s office.at mshoemaker@oldlyme-ct.gov or a letter to the Town of Old Lyme, 52 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT 06371 for the attention of the appropriate commission. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Peter and Millie Caron, Old Lyme.
Editor’s Note: The author submitted the following photos to support the case he makes in the letter above.:
Aerial view taken in 2019 of the gravel pit alongside the Three Mile River located at 308-1 Mile Creak Rd. in Old Lyme. Photo taken from Old Lyme’s GIS mapping.
This aerial photo taken Feb. 25, 2024 shows the same area as the photo above, but some five years later.
The Wildcats will hopefully be leaping as high as possible tomorrow in a determined effort to defeat Grasso Tech in the second round of the state Class V tournament. File photo by A. Hine.
OLD LYME—UPDATE 8:12pm: Old Lyme defeated Grasso Tech 53-44 in tonight’s game. Tonight, Thursday March 7, at 6:30 p.m., third-ranked Old Lyme will host #14 Grasso Tech in a second round match-up in the CIAC Division V tournament. The Wildcats secured a bye in the first round.
The game will be played in the Lyme-Old Lyme High School gym.
All are welcome to come on down and support our boys. Note that attendees must purchase their tickets to tonight’s game online in advance as no tickets can be purchased with cash at the entrance.
OLD LYME—Bruce David Baratz, of Old Lyme, passed away in Middletown Feb. 26, 2024. He was born in New London, Nov. 8, 1943, to the late Wilbur and Frances (Sears) Baratz.
… Bruce was active in the New London Rotary Club and various conservation efforts in Old Lyme.
Bruce is survived by his brothers, Robert Baratz (Robin) of Newton, Mass., and James Baratz (Donna Zaremba) of Boston, Mass.; nieces and nephews, … and grandnephews and grandnieces …
Private services will be held with family members. Memorial contributions in Bruce’s memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association Connecticut Chapter, 200 Executive Boulevard, Suite 4B, Southington, CT 06489-1058. To share memories or send condolences to the family, please visit www.doolittlefuneralservice.com.
Editor’s Note: Visit this link to read the full obituary published by The Day on Mar. 5, 2024.
