jackie mclean has left us

jazz great and hartford resident jackie mclean has passed. he will be missed

Jazz alto saxophonist Jackie McLean dies at 73
By Stephanie Reitz, Associated Press Writer March 31, 2006
HARTFORD, Connecticut --Jazz alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, a performer and educator who played with legendary musicians including Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins, died Friday. He was 73.
McLean, a contemporary of some of the 20th century's most famed jazz musicians, died at his Hartford home after a long illness, family members told The Hartford Courant.
McLean was founder and artistic director of the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the University of Hartford's Hartt School. He and his wife, actress Dollie McLean, also founded the Artists Collective, a community center and fine arts school in Hartford's inner city primarily serving troubled youth.
University of Hartford President Walter Harrison said Dollie McLean called him Friday with news of her husband's death.
Harrison said that despite his many musical accomplishments, McLean was a modest man whose connections with his students lasted for decades after they left his classroom.
"He fully understood the way that jazz as an art should be passed down to students," Harrison said. "He saw his role as bringing jazz from the 1950s and '60s and handing it down to artists of today."
McLean, a native of Harlem in New York City, grew up in a musical family, his father playing guitar in Tiny Bradshaw's band. McLean took up the soprano saxophone as a teen and quickly switched to the alto saxophone, inspired by his godfather's performances in a church choir, he told WBGO-FM in Newark, New Jersey, in an interview in 2004.
McLean went on to play with his friend Rollins from 1948-49 in a Harlem neighborhood band under the tutelage of pianist Bud Powell. Through Powell, McLean met bebop pioneer Charlie "Bird" Parker, who became a major influence on the young alto saxophonist.............

and stan simpson's column from the hartford courant

Sax Master Never Lost His Passion
April 1, 2006
I was always fond of telling folks that the great Jackie McLean - Hartford guy and jazz legend - is recognized as the greatest living alto saxophone player in the world.I was talking about the future of Hartford Thursday to political science professor Darryl McMiller's class at the University of Hartford. I reminded the students that McLean, director of UHart's Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz, was one of the campus' premiere assets.He brought the university cultural cachet and worldwide jazz credibility in his three decades there. At the same time, McLean and wife, Dollie, became Hartford's first couple of the arts. They founded the Artists Collective, and opened a sterling building on Albany Avenue, a few blocks from campus. Hundreds of city and suburban children are trained there each year.................

roryshock: Billy Ray: A Chimp Accused -- Part 2

rory has part ii of billy ray's story up (he also re-posted part i). i highly recommend it

roryshock: Billy Ray: A Chimp Accused -- Part 2

i wasn't going to post anything on this story

the story of the farmington teenagers drinking at the home of dawn and paul bracone. however, i had NO idea the parents of some of the kids at the party were stonewalling the police. what a bunch of asswipes. if it were MY parents they would make me take my lumps. if i DID it, I'D HAVE TO OWN UP TO IT. they taught me not only manners but they TAUGHT ME HOW TO BE AN HONORABLE PERSON. because one is rich (devonwood has homes that are BEYOND HUGE) doesn't make one above the law. (i was NO angel when i was younger [well i'm still not come to think of it] but as i said, i was and am honorable. i drank well before the legal age and i did OTHER things too that perhaps i shouldn't have done. if i effed up, i OWNED up-and i still do)


here is a column from rick green in today's courant

Parents Go Silent On Tipsy Kids
Rick Green
March 31 2006
When he first heard about the now infamous high school beer blast in the ritzy Devonwood subdivision - with boozy photos of teenagers posted on the Internet - Farmington Police Chief James V. Rio figured he had a slam dunk.Here was a chance for the whole community, and not just the cops, to send a clear message that parents have no business hosting parties serving liquor to minors, especially young people who aren't their children.Not so fast, chief.It seems preventing the next drunken tragedy might not be as important as some privileged parents' desire to keep their kids' records spotless.During the weeks after the Devonwood debacle, when police started contacting parents of students identified as party-goers at the home of Paul and Dawn Bracone on Jan. 13, they were stonewalled.Silence, in a town still grieving over its last teenage drunken-driving fatality two years ago."Three or four weeks into this, my guys are striking out. We are getting the runaround," Rio said. "I'm like, what's going on? This shouldn't be."No, it shouldn't, particularly since Farmington FOCUS, a coalition of community leaders and parents, has been working to promote more discussion about teenagers and alcohol."Kids are not naive," Farmington Superintendent of Schools Robert Villanova told me. "The danger is that kids get the message that even bad choices can be fixed by influential and assertive parents."Despite the obstacles, Farmington police pushed to investigate a weeks-old beer party, one where nobody ended up dead because they drank too much and tried to drive."Some of the people [we] really thought would come forward, didn't," Rio said. One parent even told police that "my kid isn't going to talk unless you give him immunity."Some parents "are teaching their kids the wrong message. It is not supporting any of the efforts in town to reduce this," Rio said. "They feel as long as they've emphasized safe rides and don't overdo it, to use moderation and `call me if you get too drunk' - they feel comfortable with that."Rio doesn't. In a town full of influential and assertive parents, he's pushing back........

oh bama dammit

rising star or not, how CAN you back the liebs? just because someone SAYS they're a democrat, doesn't make it so

Obama rallies state Democrats, throws support behind Lieberman
By Stephanie Reitz, Associated Press Writer March 31, 2006

HARTFORD, Conn. --U.S. Sen. Barack Obama rallied Connecticut Democrats at their annual dinner Thursday night, throwing his support behind mentor and Senate colleague Joe Lieberman.
Obama, an Illinois Democrat who is considered a rising star in the party, was the keynote speaker at the annual Jefferson Jackson Bailey Dinner.
Lieberman, Connecticut's junior senator, is under fire from some liberal Democrats for his support of the Iraq War. He was key in booking Obama, who routinely receives more than 200 speaking invitations each week.
Some at Thursday's dinner said that while they were pleased with Lieberman's success in bringing Obama to Connecticut, they still consider Lieberman uncomfortably tolerant of the Bush administration..........

and here's a link to skippy the bush kangaroo (one of my FAVORITE BLOGS) regarding the very same subject!

props to serra borawski

i'm going to do this too EVENTUALLY. i'm just not quite ready to cut it yet. it's harder than you think it is, to cut one's hair when it's VERY long. i think serra is one special person!


Teen's haircut helping others
By: Bill Doak
An East Hartford teen has a much shorter hairstyle - 30 inches shorter, in fact - thanks to her penchant for helping others. After hairstylist Andrea Grondin at Shampoo One made the big cut March 2, Serra Borawski, 14, mailed her hair to Locks of Love, an orgaization that provides wigs to poor kids."I was getting tired of my hair. It was extremely long," said Borawski. "I never wanted to cut it before."Looking on was Serra's mom, Lisa Whatmore, and her best friend, Rebecca Puretz, 14. Her brother, who thought it was "cool" recorded the haircut on a videotape.Borawski, a student at East Hartford High School also studies creative writing, poetry and fiction writing at the Academy of the Arts in Hartford. It's a long day for the high school freshman who gets out of school at 4:15 p.m. most days. ...............

sorry liebs your PRO WAR stance has negated ANYTHING good you've done

you are NOT getting MY vote. PERIOD

ned lamont will

News and notes from the Conn. campaign trail

March 28, 2006
HARTFORD, Conn. --U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman is taking his re-election campaign to the radio airwaves, unveiling his first advertisement in this year's election.
The spot touts the veteran Democrat's environmental record and his efforts to protect Long Island Sound and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
"We have a great story and we're going to tell it," said Lieberman's campaign manager, Sean Smith. "This is just the beginning of reminding people of a guy who has fought and delivered for the people of Connecticut."
Lieberman is facing his first Democratic challenge as a senator. Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont has vowed to take the race to a primary if he does not win the party nomination on May 20. Paul Streitz, a 63-year-old Darien resident, is seeking the Republican nomination.......

picture from an article in the hartford advocate

crocus

from my popi's back yard
march 28, 2006

lewis got a restraining order slapped on him!

well, it WOULD be lifted if he took prozac BUT lewis REFUSED!


House arrestfor attack cat
Fairfield neighbors terrorized by Lewis
DANIEL TEPFER dtepfer@ctpost.com Connecticut Post Online
A ferocious feline terrorized a quiet Fairfield neighborhood, to the point that residents are seeking help from the law to stop the so-called "Terrorist of Sunset Circle."
Lewis, a 5-year-old, black-and-white longhaired cat, attacked at least a half-dozen people on the cul-de-sac and even took on the local Avon lady, neighbors say.
"He looks like Felix the Cat and has six toes on each foot each with a long claw," Sunset Circle resident Janet Kettman said. "They are formidable weapons."
Kettman said Lewis attacked her twice.
"I was walking along the sidewalk when he sprang at me. I never saw it coming, but that's how it often is. He comes at you from behind, springs and wraps himself around your legs, biting and scratching," she said. "The last time I had three bites and eight scratches and I ended up at the walk-in clinic.
"The Avon lady was getting out of her car when Lewis attacked her from behind," Kettman said. "She ended up going to the hospital."...

....I've tried to tell them to just stay away from Lewis and he will stay away from you; this has caused complete havoc for me," said Cisero, who has applied to the court for accelerated rehabilitation — for the cat...........

......
But Bachtig sees a more sinister side to the feline.
"The neighborhood is afraid of this cat," Bachtig said. "Lewis will stare you down, and you never know how he will react." ....

news on ned

we MUST defeat liebs. WE MUST

Lamont to pull out all stops in 'grassroots' campaign for Senate


By Don Michak , Journal Inquirer
Edward "Ned" Lamont, the Greenwich cable executive challenging three-term U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, says he is pursuing a two-pronged "grassroots" strategy to secure a place on the Democratic primary ballot. In a Journal Inquirer interview, Lamont said Friday that he not only would seek the support of 15 percent of the delegates at his party's state convention in May, but also attempt to petition his way onto the primary ballot by gathering the signatures of least 15,000 Democrats.
A wealthy man whose great-grandfather was chairman of the J.P. Morgan investment bank, Lamont estimated that his Senate bid could end up costing $10 million or more and said he was prepared to "put some money on the table now" to prime the campaign cash pump.He declined to say exactly how much of his own fortune he was prepared to expend, but emphasized that he would spend whatever it cost so that he, rather than Lieberman, would define his candidacy from the start."I'm no Jon Corzine," Lamont said, referring to the New Jersey governor and former U.S. senator who spent millions of dollars he earned as chairman of the Goldman Sachs investment firm on his and other political campaigns. "But I'm going to do enough to get this off to a really good start and we're going to defend ourselves."Lamont said he already was weary of being described simply as a "Greenwich millionaire" or single-issue candidate concerned only with opposing the war in Iraq.He said that after appearing before several Democratic town committees across the state, "people aren't asking me about the details of an exit strategy for Iraq anymore," but rather about health care and the problem-plagued Medicare prescription drug benefit in particular..........

wild turkey (the BIRD not the booze)

i JUST took these right now at work. the turkey was on one of the roofs at work. i work in HARTFORD. how she got there i don't know! (yeah, i know the pictures are crappy)

good news and bad news from the liebs

the good news is he grew some and came out and SAID he thought bushwhacked done did wrong by wiretapping WITHOUT a warrant

the BAD NEWS IS he done don't want to do a DAMN THAING about it

surprise surprise

Lieberman says Bush wiretapping 'outside the law'

HARTFORD, Conn. --President Bush's authorization of warrantless wiretapping as part of the war on terrorism was "outside the law," Sen. Joe Lieberman said Sunday.
Lieberman, D-Conn., also said he opposes a move by a Democratic Senate colleague to censure Bush over accusations that the president unlawfully authorized wiretaps without obtaining court orders.
"As I read the law I think the president's tapping or surveillance without a warrant was wrong," Lieberman said on "Face the State" on WFSB-TV. "It was outside the law."...

.........My own opinion, and it seems to be shared by most Democratic senators, is that it would be an unproductive use of our time," Lieberman said. "Again, it's looking backward. It would be divisive...........

you know what? 11 years and an apology somehow doesn't seem enough to me

for paralyzing someone from the neck down. i'm sure she won't even DO the 11 years

Woman sentenced to 11 years in attack that left boyfriend paralyzed
Litchfield-AP, Mar. 25, 2006 3:30 PM) _ A 43-year-old Torrington woman was sentenced to 11 years in prison for an attack that left her boyfriend paralyzed.
Kelly Donnelly pleaded guilty to first-degree assault in January.
Police say she beat Richard Regis in November, 2004 because he was dancing with another woman at a party. .........

jealousy is an EVIL emotion