Category Archives: Health & Wellness

Health related news stories

Bricklyn’s “Great Donut Debate” Heads to the Federal Council

Bricklyn Eagle masthead

January 31, 2023

by Mark Tiler Richmond, Bricklyn Eagle Politics & Law Correspondent

Summary of Article ➤ “The Great Donut Debate” heads to the Federal Council for action as partisans line up on both sides of the issue.

Federal Chancellor Malter Thurnbrick outside Federal Council chambers.

Federal Chancellor Malter Thurnbrick has announced that the Federal Council at its February 8th meeting will take up the increasingly contentious “great donut debate,” as it considers whether to ban  the consumption of donuts, a position advocated by a growing number of Bricklynites.

For several years Bricklyn has prided itself on being “The Donut Capital of America.” Donuts have become a staple of many Bricklynites’ daily diet.

Homer Simpson being taken in for booking at police station.

However, as we have previously reported, a surge in crime has been largely attributed to donut theft. This crime wave has rocked Bricklyn’s previously tranquil streets. Indeed, Mr. Homer Simpson was recently booked for this heinous activity (see photo on left).

Concern over donut overconsumption has also been taken up as a rallying cry by Preacher Johnny Plater Kahn and his adherents, who blame donuts for the wrath of God being wreaked on Bricklyn through thunderous booms filling the skies almost every day.

Pastor Kahn and his followers rail against donut over-consumption.

But Kahn is not alone in casting aspersions on donuts, as many others have blamed donuts, if not for being the cause of divine punishment, then at least for adding unhealthy pounds to Bricklynites’ waistlines.

Donut deniers have coalesced, and are seeking to ban the sale of donuts. According to Henry Brickbelly, leader of the newly formed advocacy group, “NoDos,” “we’re going to our Federal Councilors, the people we’ve elected, to tell them we no longer want donuts in Bricklyn.” As Brickbelly added, “it’s time to look for something else to have with coffee.”

Le Bricklyn Hotel

With the opening of Le Bricklyn Hotel, the Realm’s first French hotel, members of the influential Bricklyn Chapter of the Alliance Française are in sync with Brickbelly’s suggestion, as they are advocating for a switch to croissants, offering as a solution the conversion of Bricklyn’s donut shops into patisseries. As Alliance Board member Bill Tiler French put it, “Les Bricklynites vont rapidement développer un amour pour les croissants!”

Donut proponents, however, are also raising their voices. Tom Brickorti, President of the Bricklyn Chamber of Commerce, told us, “donuts are critical to our Realm’s tourist economy,” noting that “the boom in donut shops resulting from the Simpson family’s relocation to Bricklyn in December 2019, has led to a significant increase in tourism.”

Tom Brickorti of the Bricklyn Chamber of Commerce
Tom Brickorti of the Bricklyn Chamber of Commerce.

Brickorti reports that Simpson fans from both Outland and Inland cities “want to eat in the same donut shops where Homer Simpson eats, and perhaps even catch sight of the celebrity.”

The Bricklyn Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (BPBA) has also taken a stand in favor of donuts. As part of their 2022 contract negotiations with the City of Bricklyn, the BPBA even demanded the opening of a donut shop inside the main station house. The City agreed not only to this, but also to providing a per diem of a half dozen donuts per officer.

Donuts in their right hands, CuDo coins in their left hands. Will the Federal Council end everyday Bricklyn scenes like this?

What’s more, Bricklyn traditionalists have pointed to Bricklyn’s very currency, the CopperDonut or CuDo, as symbolic of the longstanding love affair Bricklynites have with donuts. “Will the banning of donuts,” Brickorti asked, “mean we will have to replace our cherished CuDos with dollars and cents? I certainly hope not!” ✥

The Bricklyn Eagle will be covering the Federal Council’s February 8th meeting, to be held in the Federal Building’s Dunk the Donut meeting room.

Where do you stand on the Great Donut Debate? As a Friend of Bricklyn, your reaction is valued. Send your comments or questions to Bricklyn Eagle Editor Walt Brickman: bricklynvt@gmail.com

Reader Questions & Comments on “Head Pop-Offs” and “The Great Donut Debate”

Bricklyn train collides with pedestrian

Railroad Crossing Accidents & Head Pop-Offs

ALERT: TO THOSE QUEASY ABOUT SEEING A PHOTO OF A HEAD POP-OFF, PLEASE STOP HERE AND DO NOT VIEW THE REST OF THIS POST!

About Bricklyn

January 15, 2023

From Bricklyn Eagle Editor Walt Brickman:

One Vermont Friend of Bricklyn by the name of Nancy asked the following:

Your hi- speed / donut free rail is great but it looks from the photo [reprinted below] it is a bicyclist(s)  killer. Any deceased cyclists or protests or bike bridges created as a result?” 

Brickstar rail service connects downtown Bricklyn and South Bricklyn.
New Brickstar train enroute from Bricklyn’s North Station to South Bricklyn. Bicyclists and pedestrians visible on bike-ped path paralleling, and also crossing, the tracks.

Nancy’s question about bike fatalities raises a point that visitors to Bricklyn are rarely aware of.

Being smashed by a high speed locomotive might, at worst, cause a slight chip to a Bricklynite’s “skin” or a “head pop-off.” However, these injuries, especially a head pop-off, can be remedied if addressed within several hours of the pop-off. In going through our newspaper’s archives, we found a series of photos documenting a 2018 collision between a Bricktrak train and a Bricklynite pedestrian who failed to respect the crossing gates as the train was approaching. The photos will help illustrate what is almost a monthly happening in Bricklyn — and lay readers’ concerns to rest..

Above left: The Bricklyn Eagle’s photographer caught this Bricklynite apparently oblivious to both the crossing gates and the oncoming Bricktrak train. Above right: Photo taken immediately after impact, with head pop-off clearly visible.

As you can see, the poor fellow suffered a head pop-off — but it was quickly addressed by the 24/7 Red Team emergency crew, including the Head Chief. As is the norm, this Bricklynite’s head was pushed back in place by the Head Chief, with only a mild headache resulting.

Top row left: the Bricklyn emergency crew springs into action. Top row right: Head Chief Duke B. Santé firmly pushes the popped-off head back into place. Lower left: Santé makes final adjustments to the fellow’s head. Lower right: Thanks expressed to the Head Chief. But to Santé, it’s all in a day’s work.

The only “injury” to this man was to his wallet, since he received a hefty 750 CuDo bill for the cost of the emergency services and for the delay to Bricktrak service while his body and head were removed from the tracks.

➤ Note: rail crossing gates have been installed at almost all locations where rail lines cross the bike-ped pathway system. Bricklyn officials have determined that elevated crossings are not generally needed, though one has been installed over the heavily used Bricklyn railyard.

While it can be shocking to some Outlanders visiting Bricklyn who happen to witness a head pop-off incident (almost a monthly occurrence), no serious injuries to Bricklynites have resulted from run ins with Bricktrak trains over the past ten years.  

Reader Questions & Comments on “Head Pop-Offs” and “The Great Donut Debate”

Bricklyn's new mediation and meditation tents

Meditation & Mediation Tents Open!

Bricklyn Eagle masthead

July 16, 2021

by Samantha B. Fortune, Bricklyn Eagle Health & Science correspondent, with a postscript to the article by Duane Sandville, Outland Affairs Correspondent

Summary of article: Residents of Bricklyn are invited to use the just opened Meditation and Mediation (M&M) tents. Learn why there’s an increased interest in both meditation and mediation, and how the two are linked.

Residents of the Realm of Bricklyn can now use the just-opened “M&M” tents — currently located by Lake Bricklyn. Reservations can be made through the Bricklyn Parks & Recreation Department.

There is no fee for use of the tents, but since demand is expected to be high, advance bookings are required.

The colorful red and blue tents link meditation and mediation in an exciting way. Use the blue tent for meditation, and the red tent for mediation.

“Opening day” for both the red mediation and the blue meditation tents. Medieval Tents MOC designed by Huebre.

The Use of Mediation in Bricklyn

It is traditional in Bricklyn to start all mediation sessions by sharing donuts. At the conclusion of the session another round of donuts is also shared. Some attribute the popularity of mediation to this practice! But, after all, Bricklyn is known as the Donut Capital of America. Mediator Alice Tiler Johansson in middle. You probably know the two parties to the mediation!

Both M&M practices have long been popular in Bricklyn. For any disputes involving less than 7,500 CuDos 🍩 (approximately $5,625 U.S. dollars) mediation must be used before filing in Court.

Mediation is also in keeping with the long-time emphasis among nearly all Inland communities to look for consensus in resolving disagreements.📍

📍This is part of the Danish inheritance shared by Inland communities. In Denmark, consensus building has long been a favored practice, in politics and in governance, including at the neighborhood level.

➤ Perhaps Bricklynites have also taken to heart the words of the late 18th Hasidic master and storyteller Reb Nachman of Bratslov:

“The whole world is full of quarrels: among the nations, in every city, in every home, among neighbors, in the workplace. … How does one find time to waste on quarrels? Therefore, everyone should take this to heart and learn patience and not waste one’s days in quarrels, large or small. One should restrain one’s emotions and anger and live in peace with all.” Quoted in Siddur Lev Shalem (The Rabbinical Assembly, 2016), p. 299.

For more words by Rabbi Nachman of value when mediating.

Just What Is Mediation?

Land use attorney Edith Netter discussed mediation in an article in the Planning Commissioners Journal. As she explained:

“Mediation is a voluntary, informal process of dispute resolution. A person who is not a party to a dispute and is neutral in relation to it, assists two or more parties in settling a dispute.

The mediator’s role is to establish, with input from the parties, the negotiation process, and to assist the parties in resolving the substance of their dispute.

The mediator does not function as a judge or arbitrator, and does not render decisions or make recommendations. It’s a ‘bottoms up” process, not top down.

A ‘successful’ mediation is one where all of the parties believe that they have negotiated a result that is better than that which they could otherwise have obtained. Successful mediation processes often result in settlements or recommendations that include solutions which are different from those that were proposed by either party.”📍

📍From Edith Netter, Esq., “Mediation: A New Way to Resolve Land Use Conflicts,” Planning Commissioners Journal (March 1992). Use the link to read the full article.

Bricklynites’ Growing Interest in Meditation

Community volunteers at work last month constructing the blue meditation tent.

In addition to their longstanding use of mediation, Bricklynites have shown a growing interest in meditation, as a way of both calming and focusing themselves. In fact, use of meditation has soared in recent months due to the daily “unexplained” thunderous booms that have been shattering the peace and calm of the Realm.

The Bricklyn Eagle has a team of reporters working on an investigative report on these ear-piercing, body-shaking, heart-pounding booms. While many Bricklynites attribute them to “anger from the Gods,” we are looking into other, more scientifically-based explanations.

Linking Meditation and Mediation

Kenneth Cloke, Director of the Center for Dispute Resolution, has written that: “There is a natural affinity between mediation and meditation,” noting that “both recognize the simultaneity of unity and opposition; both acknowledge the presence of diverse and multiple truths; both seek a middle way; and both encourage us to have a complete experience of our conflicts, allowing us to evolve and leave them behind.”

Trained as a mediator and arbitrator, Cloke says that meditation is especially useful for mediators themselves, as it improves their “ability to remain calm and balanced in the presence of conflict and intense emotions,” while also encouraging a “greater willingness to move beyond superficiality in conversation and move into the heart of whatever is not working effectively.” What’s more, Cloke has found that mediation, improves mediators’ “creative problem solving skills, and ability to invent or discover imaginative solutions.”📍

📍Kenneth Cloke, “Mediation And Meditation: The Deeper Middle Way” (2019). Retrieved July 16, 2021. See also “Meditation and Mediation,” Family Court Review, Volume 43, Issue 2 (April 2005). Retrieved July 16, 2021.

With this background, the Bricklyn Department of Parks & Recreation invites all citizens of the Realm to make use of the new Meditation & Mediation tents!

On right: An aerial view of the new M&M tents, located close to Lake Bricklyn. The train will make a flag stop to let you off and pick you up. Crossing gates to allow access to the Lake will be installed next week.

➤ Tents or other small structures for meditation are not uncommon, and can even be found in LEGO Inland Communities across the globe. Take a look, for example, at this short video of one such calming place of meditation.

Video of LEGO Meditation Place, by MARKLEGOBOY

Continue to Duane Sandville’s postscript, Miniature Festival Tent on Display in Manhattan