The Traprock Blog
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- From Global to Local: Vietnam 50 Years Later, Part 1by Traprock Web Manager“This year 2025 is the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Vietnam from the “American War.” The war officially ended in 1973 but the remaining Americans fled South Vietnam in chaotic air and sea lifts two years later as North Vietnam forces invaded to unite their country. Vietnam then became the Socialist Republic of Vietnam… Read more: From Global to Local: Vietnam 50 Years Later, Part 1
- From Global to Local: The deadly sins of patriarchyby Traprock Web ManagerPat Hynes, Greenfield Recorder, October 3, 2025 https://recorder.com/2025/10/02/from-global-to-local-the-deadly-sins-of-patriarchy/ “How much are women and girls–half of humanity–valued? When men violate us for sex in prostitution. When nearly 1 in 3 of us worldwide are violated physically or sexually in our lifetime. When, despite having equal intellectual abilities and more developed social and emotional intelligence, we lack… Read more: From Global to Local: The deadly sins of patriarchy
- Envisioning a World Without Nuclear Weaponsby Traprock Web ManagerHere is Traprock’s testimony to the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee on S.1649 September 8, 2025 As of late 2024/2025, 94 countries have signed the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, a global lifeboat for the world. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2026 budget request for nuclear weapons’ upgrade is more… Read more: Envisioning a World Without Nuclear Weapons
- 23 years standing for peaceby Traprock Web ManagerOn Saturday, Sept. 27, like most Saturdays, I’ll be at the Greenfield weekly peace vigil on the Greenfield Common from 11 a.m. to noon to mark the 23rd anniversary of the vigil which four of us started in September 2002. In 2002, Susan Dorazio (from Montague) and I (from Conway) were attending the weekly Sunday… Read more: 23 years standing for peace
- From Global to Local: ‘There’s no such thing as someone else’s children’by Traprock Web Managerby H. Patricia Hynes September 1, 2025 Medford, a city of 60,000 people in Massachusetts, voted to pass an historic ordinance to divest from weapons companies that contribute to human rights violations. Their vote included Israel’s ongoing genocide, starvation and destruction of everything that makes life in Gaza possible. The Medford City Council passed the lofty Values-Aligned Local… Read more: From Global to Local: ‘There’s no such thing as someone else’s children’
- Gratitude to the James A. Babson Foundationby Traprock Web ManagerWe honor Jamie Babson (1954- 2022) who was an early adopter of socially responsible investing. Jamie was deeply involved with peace activism and supported Traprock and the work of director Randy Kehler starting in the 1980’s. He was a founding member of the Threshold Foundation who served on the boards of the Massachusetts Peace Action and the Veterans Education Project. We send gratitude… Read more: Gratitude to the James A. Babson Foundation
- Every meal is an opportunityby Traprock Web ManagerCOLUMN, Pat Hynes Nuclear physicist Edward Teller predicted in 1959 that the risks of burning fossil fuels, by increasing carbon dioxide (C02) in the atmosphere, may be sufficient in time to melt polar icecaps and submerge all coastal cities. These predictions, which are proving accurate so far, were buried by the fossil fuel industry and… Read more: Every meal is an opportunity
- Code Pink founder says US support for Israel no longer reflects public opinionby Traprock Web ManagerMedea Benjamin, co-founder of Code Pink, the feminist grassroots organization working to end U.S. wars and militarism, speaks last week in the Northampton Friends Meetinghouse. STAFF PHOTO/SAMUEL GELINAS By SAMUEL GELINAS– Staff Writer NORTHAMPTON — Times are changing and so are sentiments around the conflict in Gaza, according to two front-line experts who gave a… Read more: Code Pink founder says US support for Israel no longer reflects public opinion
- Keeping culture alive: Annual Pocumtuck Homelands Festival returns with peace walk, tree dedicationby Traprock Web ManagerBy ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN, Staff Writer, Greenfield Recorder, August 4, 2025 TURNERS FALLS — Clear blue skies and mild temperatures set the scene Friday for an afternoon of reflection and healing along the banks of the Connecticut River. Before the Pocumtuck Homelands Festival began in 2012, the 2004 Reconciliation Ceremony was held in Unity Park to recognize… Read more: Keeping culture alive: Annual Pocumtuck Homelands Festival returns with peace walk, tree dedication
- Our human-made problems can and must be unmadeby Traprock Web ManagerCOLUMN, Greenfield Recorder, July 7, 2025 In the summer of 2023, researchers “binge-watched 250 of the most-rated movies” of the past 10 years for climate research purposes. A mere 13 percent of films made mention of climate- related disasters, some more seriously and others “offhandedly” in dialogue. In contrast, since the rise of Hollywood as the center… Read more: Our human-made problems can and must be unmade