Raya Ariella, Climate USA Coordinator for Climate Crisis Coalition, will speak at the Berkshire Museum in Downtown Pittsfield on Saturday, December 8 at 3:30 p.m. Her topic will be “Grease Cars: Alternative Transportation in the 21st Century. Ariella will discuss her own journey to fueling her car with peanut oil.
Visitors will learn how to make the switch to “grease cars†themselves, as well as simple ways to lessen their impact on the earth. Preceding the lecture, the Berkshire Museum Shop will offer a booksigning event with A. Leo Nash, author and photographer of Burning Man: Art in the Desert, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. The program is presented in connection with the Festival of Trees On the Move and is free with Festival admission.
Raya Ariella grew up in North Egremont on a small farm and has worked locally on environmental issues and projects, including the Art of Recycling project in Great Barrington. She now works at the Climate Crisis Coalition in South Lee where she helps people to understand and act on the urgency of climate change. Raya still lives in North Egremont where she raised her son, grows much of her own food, and drives a car that runs on recycled fryer oil.
Leo Nash is a writer and photographer who lives in Oakland, Calif. A regular creative participant in Nevada’s famed Burning Man Festival, Nash documented the event in words and photographs in his new book, Burning Man: Art in the Desert, published by Harry N. Abrams ($29.95). In his San Francisco Chronicle review critic Kenneth Baker wrote, “Nash’s moody pictures, all in black-and-white, evoke the sort of creative madness that he and others say propels them into the desert.†Nash will sign copies of the book, available for sale in the Berkshire Museum Shop next door to the museum at 31 South Street.
The lecture is offered in conjunction with the 23rd Annual Festival of Trees on view through December 31, 2007. 200 decorated trees celebrate this year's theme "On the Move" as tree designers look to planes, trains, and automobiles for inspiration. Highlights of the 2007 Festival include displays of vintage wind-up toys from the private collection of Victor Reiling, model trains, and antique skis, skates, and sleds from the Berkshire Museum’s collection. The Festival of Trees is sponsored by Legacy Banks Foundation.
The Berkshire Museum is located at 39 South Street on Route 7 in Downtown Pittsfield. The galleries are open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays noon to 5 p.m. The Berkshire Museum Shop is located at 31 South Street in Downtown Pittsfield, and is open during Berkshire Museum hours. The Berkshire Museum will be closed for construction from January 1 through late March, 2008. For more information, contact the Berkshire Museum at (413) 443-7171, ext. 10, or visit www.berkshiremuseum.org
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Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that an out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in Boston and Westborough earlier this month was diagnosed with measles and was present in a number of locations.
This could have resulted in other people being exposed to measles virus.
The visitor arrived at Logan International Airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. They stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Westborough in Westborough and departed the state on Dec. 12 via Logan at 9:19 p.m. on JetBlue flight 117 to Las Vegas.
DPH is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to measles from this individual.
"Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease," said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. "This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities. While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, 2025 saw the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade — nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, and sadly, three deaths.
"Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk. Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever — they are safe, effective, and lifesaving."
Measles is very contagious. However, the risk to most people in Massachusetts is low because the vaccination rate in the state is high. People who are not immune and visited any of the locations on the following dates and times may be at risk for developing measles.
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