a dios

LA PALOMA SABANERA

it closes tomorrow. i didn't know about that until i read this story. i SHOULD have seen it coming.

my office was just down the street from la paloma. however, we moved from hartford to windsor and i've not been in the old hood in a bit.

if you can, why don't you stop and say goodbye (AND more importantly THANK YOU)

A Place For Everyone
La Paloma Sabanera Will Be Missed

By SUSAN CAMPBELL Courant Staff Writer

La Paloma Sabanera, which closes Friday, was a lot of things, but it was never your regular coffeehouse/bookstore.It wasn't that the staff — led by affable co-owner Luis Edgardo Cotto — knew your favorite coffee. Nor was it the public art that decorated the walls inside and out, or the jazz concerts, movie nights, poetry readings and open mikes.La Paloma — ironically, named for an endangered pigeon found in Puerto Rico — was one of the few places in Hartford — maybe in all of Connecticut — where the clientele was mixed. Opened in mid-2004 by the Cottos — Luis and his sisters, Carmen, Cinthia, Leticia and Melanie — the small shop was home to neighborhood children doing homework in the lending library upstairs, city activists intent on changing the status quo, city politicos intent on preserving it, and a rabble of others who found the Yauco Selecto coffee strong, the music bracing and the company challenging.....

picture: LA PALOMA SABANERA owner Luis Cotto (center, in T-shirt), says goodbye to, from left, Glenn Geathers, state Rep. Kevin Roldan and Jose Rodriguez. (SHANA SURECK / December 24, 2007)

merry christmas

i collect ornaments. i love ornaments. here are some of them. lots are blown glass and wonderfully tacky - take for example the christmas mermaid (you can't see her tail from the angle but she's the pink and green one)! i had a blue space man that was my favorite but he's not on the tree this year (my sister decorated and i didn't feel like going to find him). the one with the carrot and moon also has the little bell in the picture. that bell ornament is as old as i am. it's beat up but it's special. my grinch (glass) and my ostrich and my purple moon pictures didn't come out. perhaps next year.

anyway, please have a merry christmas, joyous holiday season and safe and prosperous upcoming new year

it's the headline alone

that got to me. who needs to read the rest of the article?
(it's actually a GOOD story)
Nuns leave their brains to science

By Stephanie Reitz
WILTON, Conn.—When Sister Kathleen Treanor's soul ascends to heaven, her brain will go to a less ethereal realm: a medical lab in Kentucky. Two decades ago, Sister Treanor and 677 other members of the School Sisters of Notre Dame granted a young researcher's request to test them each year in order to track the progression of Alzheimer's disease and other age-related brain disorders.
more stories like this
The 61 surviving nuns recently completed their last round of intellectual and physical tests for the Nun Study, one of the world's most comprehensive neurological research projects.
One final sacrifice remains: When they die, their brains will be taken for further study, joining a collection of hundreds of other brains donated by the the nuns who died before them.
Sister Treanor, a 93-year-old former school principal who is one of the last of the volunteers at a Wilton convent, looks at her participation as service, not sacrifice...........

i had surgery a few years back

it was a five hour procedure (give or take) and it was on (well in) my neck. my surgeon said i would be in the hospital overnight. he wanted me there to monitor me. my insurer said NO, i wasn't to stay overnight. THEY reviewed my case and THEY decided i DID NOT have to stay overnight. so my surgeon said he wanted me there, THEY said no. my surgeon DID come up with a plan to keep me overnight (he'd just leave me in 'recovery' overnight) so all was well (my surgery was at 6 am and i ended up leaving the same night at about 7 pm. MY decision and i cleared it with my doc and he thought it was fine as long as someone was with me for that night and the next day). i cannot imagine needing a liver and being told NO. it's one thing to be booted out of the hospital for one night, another thing to be denied an ORGAN
Teen Dies; CIGNA Blamed
Refusal To Fund Transplant Debated
By MOLLY HENNESSY-FISKE Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES - — The case of a Los Angeles teenager taken off life support just as her insurance company reversed itself and agreed to pay for a liver transplant is highlighting tensions among physicians, patients and insurers over the definition of "experimental" procedures.Nataline Sarkisyan's family blames their insurance company, Bloomfield, Conn.-based CIGNA HealthCare, for the teenager's death Thursday. A leukemia patient, Nataline, 17, had been in intensive care at UCLA Medical Center about three weeks after complications set in following a successful bone marrow transplant Nov. 21, relatives said. She was covered under the policy of her mother, a real estate agent.Doctors treating Nataline told the family and CIGNA in a letter that patients in similar situations have a 65 percent chance of living six months if they receive a liver transplant.................

(i didn't name the insurer who denied me an overnight stay because i have forgotten who my carrier was that year. i'm just not sure, otherwise i WOULD have named them. i DO work in the insurance/financial industry but my company does NOT do medical)

what the hell is going on at ccsu?

first a 'satirical' piece on rape being fun (especially if you're ugly), then a 'cartoon' featuring a 14 year old grrrl LOCKED IN A CLOSET and urinated on (well they talked about urinating on her) and now this? is everyone going to say this is a harmless joke too, just like the other two 'jokes'?
Black Stick Figure Draws CCSU Campus Fury
While students at Central Connecticut State University headed home for winter break, campus police hoped they could catch a break and find the person or persons responsible for a hate crime.
It was in a bathroom at Barrows Hall where someone found a drawing clearly depicting a black stick figure being hanged. There is no tolerance at CCSU for such a blatant act of racism.
"I don't believe in it myself but we have 10,000 students here. There would have to be some of which are racist,"Rob Lamere, CCSU junior, said...........

now THIS is wicked cool

check out the video at the link. it makes sense, looks like it is much less of a burden than regular shoveling.

Snow removal is just wovel-ly

ROB VARNON rvarnon@ctpost.com

BRIDGEPORT — A crew of utility workers took a break from replacing a street light Friday to gawk as Greenwich resident Hank Pohl cleared some sidewalks of snow with his Wovel.
Pohl wasn't on some sort of court-ordered clean up. He's the vice president of marketing and one of the owners of New Canaan-based Structured Solutions II, the maker of the Wovel (wheeled shovel). The Wovel does warrant a double take. It looks like some sort of antique iron snow shovel attached to a wheel. Some have compared it to antique bicycles, but it also looks like the wheels on old sewing machines. Despite the look the Wovel is pretty light; the wheel is made of space-age plastic and rubber and the handle is steel. It weighs about 26 pounds. "Am I going ............

picture: Vice President of Structured Solutions II, and maker of the Wovel, "the snow shovel on a wheel," Hank Pohl, demonstrates how the invention works in Bridgeport on Friday as he puts on the wheel. (Whitney Kidder-Alvarez/Connecticut Post)

ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: we have two senators in connecticut

ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: we have two senators in connecticut

da liebs

lyin' weasel? well we'll just have to wait until later this morning

Lieberman's New Kiss of Death


Sun Dec 16, 7:05 PM ET
The Nation -- Senator Joe Lieberman will finally come clean on Monday, unleashing his inner-Republican to endorse the struggling campaign of Senator John McCain, according to several news reports. It is a bittersweet alliance for both men. Lieberman's move confirms his critics' longtime argument that he is a "Democrat in Name Only," while McCain looks desperate by leaning on backers beyond the G.O.P. base in the homestretch of a partisan primary. ..........

During his 2006 reelection campaign, Lieberman emphasized that he would support Democratic candidates in 2008. "I want Democrats to be back in the majority in Washington and elect a Democratic president in 2008," he said during a televised debate in July. Lieberman promptly backtracked after his reelection, announcing this January that he was "open" to supporting a Republican or Democrat for president, depending "on a whole range of issues." By not even waiting to see who the Democrats nominate, now Lieberman is revealing that the issues aren't important to him, either.

thank you for serving Sgt. Brian Johnston

and thank you

homes for our troops

Soldier gets a home for the holidays
by News Channel 8's Crystal Haynes
Coventry (WTNH) _ A Connecticut soldier got the keys to his dream house today and it's all due to the kindness of strangers and one non-profit group.
Last summer this construction project was barely house for wounded Marine Sgt. Brian Johnston.
Today, it's not only a house, built by hundreds of homes for our troops volunteers; it's a home just in time for the holidays.
"I knew it was going to be a surprise. I just didn't know what I was going to be surprised with," said veteran Sgt. Johnston.
To help him move in, his mother Vera Herron-Morrey flew in from Utah, a surprise courtesy of volunteers Sharon and Pete Robbins.
"I just cried. I don't get to see him very often and I'm just so proud of him," said Herron-Morrey..........

snow

shout out to todd m. myers

west hartford cop, simsbury volunteer firefighter AND HERO

as i've mentioned before, i have a friend who was in the horrific avon mountain accident. mark was injured so badly, he was lifestar-ed out. he's writing a book (i was privileged enough to be allowed to read the first four AMAZING chapters) about it. oh, and he's NOT writing it for profit (for himself that is). a shout out to mark as well! mark told me a few things about officer myers that were never mentioned in any of the articles written about him. let's just say he MORE than deserves this national honor. congratulations to you officer myers

President Bush Honors West Hartford Officer
Man Risked Life At Crash Scene
By FULVIO CATIVO Courant Staff Writer

President Bush honored West Hartford police officer and Simsbury resident Todd M. Myers Wednesday for risking his life to rescue victims of the horrific July 2005 crash at the foot of Avon Mountain.At an Oval Office ceremony Wednesday, Bush described as "heroic" the efforts of Myers and the four other recipients of the 2005-06 Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor. The four other honorees — two firefighters, a police officer and a highway patrolman — hail from Virginia and California."They will tell you they were just doing their job; I'm telling you they did their job with extraordinary courage," Bush said. "And so it's been an honor to award them this precious medal. And I want to thank you all very much for joining us. Proud to call you fellow citizens."..........

picture: President Bush and U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey pose for photos with recipients of the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007, in the Oval Office. From left are: Officer Kevin Howland of Sacramento; Officer Todd Myers of West Hartford, Conn.; Attorney General Mukasey; President Bush, Sgt. Kirk Van Orsdel of Hemet, Calif., and David Loving, a firefighter from Richmond, Va.

if you're in the new haven area tomorrow

from: justin goodman
Foxes in the Henhouse: Animals, Agribusiness, and the Law
Thursday, December 13, 6:10 PM , Room 122, Yale Law School , 127 Wall St .
Free and open to all. Refreshments will be served.
David Wolfson will present a lecture on the state of legal protection for farmed animals in the United States . Most state anti-cruelty laws exempt "customary farming practices." Wolfson will examine how these exemptions made it into the statutes and the dampening effect they have on courts' ability to hear even cases of egregious animal cruelty.
Wolfson is a partner in the Global Corporate Group at Milbank, Tweed , Hadley & McCloy LLP. He teaches animal law at Columbia Law School and NYU Law School , where he is currently an adjunct professor. He has represented several animal protection organizations—including the Humane Society of the United States , Farm Sanctuary, and the Animal Legal Defense Fund—and has written extensively in the area. Recent works include a chapter in Animal Rights (edited by Martha Nussbaum and Cass Sunstein) and a forthcoming article in Law and Contemporary Problems.

CONNECTICUT FOR ANIMALS
connecticut for animals

www.uchckillsmonkeys.com

some incredibly disturbing news

from the brass file by john murry (who did a great reporting job on this)
(via andy thibault the cool justice report who has written many great articles on this)

(to the smolinskis, i am constantly keeping you in my thoughts and prayers, i am speechless. i am greatly disturbed about this. i am in disbelief about this. i am wondering what sort of attorney took her case? i am wondering how these people sleep at night. i had better stop now )
December 2007 - A Punch In The Face
In A Bizarre Twist, Billy Smolinski's ex-girlfriend, Madeleine Gleason, sues the Smolinski family, and The Waterbury ObserverColumn By John Murray
How much abuse can Janice and Bill Smolinski take?The Waterbury Police Department failed them, the political process is messing with their heads, and now they find themselves trapped in a lawsuit filed by their son’s ex-girlfriend that amounts to legalized extortion. This extraordinary story began three years ago when Janice and Bill’s 31-year-old son disappeared in Waterbury. The Smolinskis were unable to get local authorities to treat the situation seriously, and their own efforts to find Billy have been thwarted by sloppy police work, bungled science, and a national missing person network with holes large enough for a herd of elephants to stampede through.Everywhere they turned for help they crashed into a wall of incompetence. Their faith in the system is shattered.“ Everything that could go wrong in this case has gone wrong,” Janice Smolinski said. “Everything.”..........

hey st. francis, 'prompt and fair'

would have been to actually DO SOMETHING (other than slap his wrist) YEARS ago when you were FIRST AWARE of the inner workings of reardon. you (st. francis) are personally VERY LUCKY i was not a victim of reardon's at the hospital. if i was, i would do everything in my power to make you pay

(i wouldn't have been angry at the hospital if they didn't know. really, i wouldn't have. but after the complaints started coming in, ALL they did was dismiss him. they also DISCOURAGED a further investigation into reardon by the authorities)

St. Francis Places Ad Regarding Child Pornography Case
St. Francis Hospital placed a full-page ad in a newspaper offering a phone number for victims in a West Hartford child pornography case.
A few weeks ago, more than 50,000 images of child pornography were found in a prominent doctor’s former home.................
.................In the ad, St. Francis said they have created a dedicated, confidential phone number for individuals and families who felt like they were victims of Reardon’s behavior. That number is 877-288-5774.
They also said in the ad, “We will be exploring alternatives to resolving this matter in a way that will be prompt and fair to all parties and consistent with our mission of providing superior care that is always above ethical reproach.” ..........

my other postings on reardon/st. francis
more on the monster
i lived rather close to griswold drive

to the families and friends of

Zachoriah Williams and Michael Zebrowski i am very sorry for your loss. what a tragic loss of two lives.

EH National Guardsman died trying to help fellow serviceman on highway
By:Jenna N. Carlesso, Journal Inquirer
Two servicemen, one from East Hartford, were killed Sunday during the ice storm in a multi-vehicle accident on Interstate 84 in Hartford after one got out of his car to help the other.
Zachoriah Williams, 21, of East Hartford, a National Guardsman, lost his life after he pulled over to help the other motorist, a young serviceman like himself who would die with him. ......

if anyone has seen this 8 week old pup

please call Puppy Patch 860-417-6018 or 203-768-2481.

Puppy Stolen From Watertown Store

ice

because the world does NOT need another

cheesecake factory OR golf course, thank goddess for the little north american bog turtle

(i don't know turtles well, but i could swear the turtles i've seen in avon were bog turtles. i won't say WHERE i saw them tough. on my grandparents land, which is long gone, in south glastonbury, there were TONS of snappers. those i know!)

Turtle In The Road
A Dwindling Species Could Halt A Golf Course Project

By RINKER BUCK Courant Staff Writer

NORTH CANAAN - New York developer Roland W. Betts has encountered many obstacles during his five-year quest to build a golf course in the Litchfield Hills, from well-organized neighborhood opponents to regulators skeptical about his plans to use 300,000 gallons of groundwater a day to keep his fairways green.But now one of Connecticut's smallest and most mysterious of creatures — the North American bog turtle — could derail Betts' dream of building on the scenic high meadows of Yale Farm.The bog turtle, at just 4 inches long, is America's smallest turtle, but the species packs a mighty punch among the scientists and environmental regulators charged with protecting endangered species.........

Bog turtle (Clemmys muhlenbergii), United States. (Photograph by Joe Boris)

more on the monster

that was dr reardon. more on the pain he caused. the parents who didn't believe their children because doctors were gods. yet you will never know what it feels like to be those boys and girls. what it's like to have and keep those memories. they never go away.
The Reardon Case: For Alleged Victims, Little Solace
Unshakable Memories
By HILARY WALDMAN And DANIEL P. JONES Courant Staff Writers
He says he can still see the huge Cadillac DeVille that slid up to his childhood home around lunchtime that Sunday 40 years ago.In his memory, he is 12 years old again and can feel the terror as he climbs into the front seat next to Dr. George Reardon for a drive to St. Francis Hospital in Hartford.Reardon's hair is slicked back, and he smells of smoke from the cigarettes that seem almost constantly pursed between his lips........

.............But both also said that Reardon's eventual resignation in disgrace, his death from heart and lung disease in 1998 and finally the proof that everything they remembered was true would not be enough to salve their pain. What they want — and fear they may never get — is acknowledgment from their parents that the doctor harmed them and that the children were not to blame."He was a person of authority, my parents treated him as a god," said Dr. C., who like several other alleged victims described his upbringing in a devout Catholic household. "My parents' philosophy was if something bad happened it was because God was punishing you."...............

a shout out to the builders association of eastern connecticut

for helping cpl chris strickland come to a real HOME
Volunteers renovating home for injured Waterford Soldier
by News Channel 8's Crystal Haynes
Waterford (WTNH) _ A project is underway to help make life better for a soldier in Waterford who was injured in Iraq. Army Cpl. Chris Strickland's home is being retro fitted, so he can continue his recovery at home. Every cut, screw and plank in place on the new deck is bringing Cpl. Strickland closer to coming home to his family. He's spent the last year recovering at Walter reed medical center after being injured in Iraq.
"I went through 30 surgeries and then my hand still didn't work so I had to amputate it. And for the past seven or eight months I've been trying to adapt to having just one hand," said Cpl. Strickland. "Probably the hardest thing I ever went through. You don't realize how much having both hands really helps until you don't have one."
Cpl. Strickland also sustained serious injury to his legs and has lost sight in his right eye. Before he can come home, his house needs modifications including a deck, ramp and fencing in the yard for a new guide dog.
That's where the Builders Association of Eastern Connecticut comes in, they are renovating Strickland's home for free with materials donated by local businesses.
"He's over there doing this stuff for our safety and our freedom and I thin it's the least that we can do to help and give back to him," said volunteer, Tim Applegate........

my thoughts and prayers go out to

the friends and family of u.s. army ranger Gabrielle Costello

Stamford soldier killed in Iraq
STAMFORD, Conn.—Stamford officials say a 26-year-old U.S. Army Ranger from the city has been killed in Iraq.
more stories like this
Fire Lieutenant Troy Jones told The Advocate of Stamford that Gabrielle Costello was killed in action Sunday. He says Costello's mother called the Glenbrook firehouse Thursday morning to tell people about her son's death.
Costello was a volunteer for the Glenbrook department. Jones says firefighters are stunned and are trying to absorb the news.
The Department of Defense has not announced Costello's death. Jones says Costello went into the Army in October 2004.
Costello is believed to be the first military member from Stamford to die in the war on terror. City native Barbara Heald was killed in Baghdad in 2005 while working a civilian job for the Army.................

this is odd odd odd indeed: i just read this (7:13 pm on 11/30)
Death Of Stamford Soldier A Possible Hoax
STAMFORD - The U.S. Army is trying to determine whether a report of a Stamford man killed in Iraq was a hoax.

Glenbrook Fire Department officials on Thursday said Gabrielle Costello, 26, a U.S. Army Ranger and member of the volunteer department, was killed in action in Iraq. The story was reported in The Advocate and other area news organizations.

There is no report of a U.S. Army Ranger killed in Iraq last weekend or any record of Gabrielle Costello -- or anyone with a similar name -- serving in the Army, said Shari Lawrence, deputy public affairs officer for the U.S. Army's Human Resources Command.
.................

i lived rather close to griswold drive

if the doctor abused some neighborhood kids (in the 60s and 70s) i am certain i may know some. this happens all of the time and i know many times children are NOT believed. as it turns out this was the case here. oh the doctor had his hand slapped all right but NO punishment. and let's see here. saint francis hospital bitches and moans about dispensing birth control AND the morning after pill (let's say for a RAPE) YET THEY TRIED (AND I BELIEVE SUCCEEDED) to have a further delving into the doctor (by the feds) stopped. what the f**k is wrong with this country? we protect a tiny little cell but we don't protect a full formed ACTUAL HUMAN CHILD? wth

to those that were molested by dr reardon (or anyone else), you are no longer victims, you are survivors.
Victims Come Forward After 50,000 Child Pornography Slides Found
At least 10 victims have come forward to police after more than 50,000 slides of child pornography were found in a West Hartford home that once belonged to a prominent doctor.
Police are now working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to identify the victims in the images.
Police said evidence shows that the slides belonged to Dr. George Reardon, who practiced medicine at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center for over 30 years, serving as Chief of Endocrinology. Reardon died in 1998.
The slides were found when the new owners of Reardon’s home on Griswold Drive began renovating the basement and removing paneling. Reardon had lived in the Griswold Drive home for roughly 20 years. The family currently living in the home is the second owner since Reardon lived there.
A secret storage area was found filled with slides and video of child pornography.
Police said there were about 50,000 35 mm slides. There were also more than 100 8 mm video reels. Police said these were photos Reardon is believed to have taken..........

Police: Former Doctor Had Child Porn Stash
By DANIEL P. JONES AND HILDA MUÑOZ The Hartford Courant
................Reardon practiced medicine at St. Francis for 30 years. He resigned in 1993 after accusations that he had taken advantage of youngsters in his care since he was a medical student in the 1950s.The first two complaints to the state medical board were filed in 1987, but the state brought no charges against him until 1993, when the number of complaints had climbed to four. During the intervening years, neither the state nor the hospital moved to restrict his practice or to take precautions to protect young patients.................

why bother?

being an honest cop or a whistle blower that is. trying to do the right thing. seems like both governor jodi rell AND her lil' public 'safety' commissioner john a. danaher iii, are doing NOTHING to protect troopers who have been threatened and harrassed. from what the following article says, public 'safety' commissioner john a. danaher iii should HIMSELF be investigated and governor rell booted out of office. i, as a connecticut resident and YOU as connecticut residents should NOT accept this bullshite public 'safety' commissioner john a. danaher iii AND jodi rell are spouting.

i wish i could say i have your back (physicially) troopers matthews and pagoni but you work there and i work here. i DO have your back in spirit though. i'm also going to write a letter to both governor rell AND public 'safety' commissioner danaher. it appears the way you've been treated is a travesty. i'm also well aware of the story of the person in the aviation unit that's briefly mentioned in the following article. he's been written about before. if what has been reported is true, why he's still a trooper is beyond me

Officers Claim Retaliation
State Police Whistle-Blowers Allege Harassment; Attorney General Expresses Concern

By TRACY GORDON FOX Courant Staff Writer
Two of the principal whistle-blowers in a highly publicized investigation of the state police internal affairs unit are claiming that they are targets of retaliation for making complaints and that the attorney general's office is not adequately protecting them.The complaints of Sgt. Andrew Matthews helped trigger the investigation late last year that found, among other things, that internal affairs officers failed to address the misconduct of some troopers.......

.............A report released by Blumenthal in May found that Matthews was harassed, retaliated against and ostracized by high-ranking managers because of his claims against the agency. Blumenthal's investigation found that Matthews was not only subjected to a hostile work environment, but was punitively transferred around the agency, including to Brainard Airport in Hartford, which "posed a safety risk to Matthews" because some of the officers he had reported on work there.Matthews was again transferred to Brainard Airport on Nov. 1.Matthews' attorneys said sending him to Brainard is "an extremely hostile, possibly dangerous environment for him to be in," adding that there is still an active internal investigation at the airport "where a trooper in the aviation division threatened to shoot fellow officers and civilians."Blumenthal, after hearing that Matthews was transferred to an office at Brainard, which he had specificallyopposed, wrote a letter Nov. 1 to Danaher and Gov. M. Jodi Rell, urging them to re-evaluate the assignment. "My office lacks the legal authority under the whistle-blower statute to order state agencies to assign or reassign personnel," he said.Danaher replied on Nov. 6 that he had "never received any specific information that anyone has made any threat against Sgt. Matthews," but that he has attempted to address the officer's safety concerns. He said Brainard has keycard access and an office for Matthews with a separate lock and that any problems involving Matthews should be reported directly to him...........

operation elf

please think about donating (gift cards, grocery cards, pre-paid phone cards, toys, etc) to our deployed service members and their families. it's a way to give back to them

Governor Rell Kicks Off Operation E.L.F.
Governor M. Jodi Rell and the Connecticut National Guard today kicked-off this year’s special effort – Operation E.L.F. (Embracing Lonely Families) to help Connecticut servicemembers and their families during the holiday season.

“The holidays are usually a time for festive family get-togethers and celebrations. This year, many military families will spend the holidays worrying about and missing their loved ones who are on active duty,” said Governor Rell. “Many of our Connecticut servicemembers, in turn, are worried about their families back home........

Donations may be dropped off at the following armories beginning Monday, November 26, 2007 through Wednesday, December 12, 2007 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. -

Army Aviation Support Facility Hartford State Armory
Bradley International Airport 360 Broad Street
Route 75 Hartford, CT 06105
Windsor Locks, CT 06096

Waterbury Armory New London Armory
64 Field Street 249 Bayonet Street
Waterbury, CT 06702 New London, CT 06320


Stratford Armory Manchester Armory
63 Armory Road 330 Main Street
Stratford, CT 06614 Manchester, CT 06040


Norwich Armory
38 Stott Avenue
Norwich, CT 06360

i personally am ALL FOR

quieting down both horns and music. let's say i'm at the half door let's say i'm outside. let's say that light (sisson and farmington avenues) is a mess. hey peeps if you get off 84 (exit 46) DON'T take a right to sisson and farmington. go down capital OR boulevard. IT'S QUICKER. i swear to you. if you don't heed my sage advice and take a right onto sisson DO NOT EFFING BEEP AT THE LIGHT AT THE CORNER OF SISSON AND FARMINGTON. IT'S A SHORT LIGHT. IT'S A BAD INTERSECTION. i don't want to hear you. KNOCK IT THE HELL OFF. let's say ALL sorts of honking goes on AND all sorts of HORRID LOUD MUSIC (what the hell are people thinking? i sure don't want to listen to their shite. i have my own BUT i'm courteous. i don't blare. how DARE they take up MY space with their bass speakers. it's so invasive and so rude.

Trying to keep the noise down in Hartford
by News Channel 8's Bob Wilson
Hartford (WTNH) _ Honking cars and loud music are just some of the sounds heard in the city of Hartford and tonight a public hearing was attended by residents begging for reprieve against the constant barrage of noise.
It was standing room only at Hartford City Hall as folks got their chance to sound off about the noise. Hyaciath Yennie says she has called the police more times than she can remember to complain.
"We are well into triple digits," Yennie said.
The City Council is looking to make a change to the current noise ordinance. Right now when officers are called to a noise complaint they have to measure the decibel level 100-feet away from the source using a noise meter. ......

person of the day

dave rozza, volunteering for food not bombs

you don't have to spend fifty hours a week volunteering. one hour, two hours DO make a difference. help feed people, help people learn to read, clean a school yard, help build a house, spend time talking to the elderly at a nursing home...do SOMETHING for your fellow humans (or animals - they need help too)

Food Soldiers
A Young Father Helps Volunteers Feed The City's Hungry

By JOANN KLIMKIEWICZ Courant Staff Writer

Whether you're just passing through or in it for the long haul, you've heard by now the rap on Hartford. There's no sense of place here, no unifying character. In a supposed "Rising Star" straining to be an urban center. You're hard-pressed to find real vibrancy and community.But let's stop to consider: Is that hype true, or is it a convenient myth we've bought into? We're on a hunt to find out, through the city's nooks and crannies, meeting the people who haven't given up on Hartford and who aren't looking to politicians and public figures to make this star rise. They're the names and faces who don't get much news ink but who probably should. They're the people you probably see about town but whose stories you don't know. They're the folks building community, as they define it and on their own terms — artists, activists, movers and shakers. In this space on the next 10 Thursdays, we'll introduce you to 10 faces of Hartford that we think you should know more about........

picture: DAVE ROZZA, 29, grew up in Hartford but now lives in West Hartford. Rozza sticks close to his Hartford roots. He works part time at the Charter Oak Cultural Center during the week. On weekends, he volunteers for Food Not Bombs, a worldwide volunteer movement dedicated to ending hunger. Rozza helps prepare vegetarian meals and distributes them at Bushnell Park Saturday and Sunday afternoons at 3. (PATRICK RAYCRAFT / November 17, 2007)

whew, he's free!!!

Young humpback whale rescued off Rhode Island

The Associated Press
WESTERLY, R.I. -- Rescuers on Monday freed a juvenile humpback whale that had been stranded off the Rhode Island coast over the weekend after it became tangled in what appeared to be fishing gear.
The nine-metre whale managed to squirm free of the tangled lines and swim back out to sea, said Janelle Schuh, the stranding co-ordinator at the Mystic Aquarium in nearby Mystic, Connecticut. ......

picture: mark bullinger/mystic aquarium

a shout out to wesleyan

and it's benefactors. i'm glad they're doing this. i hope ten veterans DO take advantage of this wonderful opportunity
Wesleyan to offer scholarships to military vets
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- Wesleyan University, a liberal arts school known for its liberal student body, plans to offer up to 10 new scholarships to military veterans.There are perhaps two students in the 2,900-member student body who have a military background, the school said.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

a plea

does anyone in the greater hartford area know how to spin on a drop spindle OR support spindle (i have a drop AND just got the spindolyn which by the way is BEAUTIFUL)? i really need help.................i've looked at spinning videos a million times and i just can't 'GET IT'. HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLP

spindolyn from knitting any way

an experiment in avocado art

sounds kind of cool to me. we'll see........
Finding Art In Avocados
Hartford Artist Invites Help To Create A Living Sculpture From A Forest Of Plants
By JOANN KLIMKIEWICZ Courant Staff Writer
In the midst of the downtown dinner rush, the man stood in the candlelit dimness of the Mexican restaurant last week with a white plastic bucket and this unorthodox request: Can I have your avocado pits?On the spectrum of donation requests asked of Hartford's Agave Grill, Victor Pacheco's plea for pits had to be among the most unusual. Food platters. Monetary contributions. Restaurant manager Jonathan Sablon was accustomed to those kinds of community inquiries. Trash-bound avocado seeds, naked of their soft green flesh? That was a first."We go through so many avocados in a day. Well over 100," says Sablon. "We figured it's not that hard to save them for him. So we thought we'd help him out."..........
.............To find out more about the Avocado Tree Project, or to volunteer to grow a plant, visit the artist's website: www.webspawner.com/users/vpacheco/index.html. Or contact him at vpacheco62@hotmail.com.......................

should you happen to read this before going to work this morning

farmington avenue from sisson to sigourney is CLOSED. it happened yesterday. traffic was nasty on the surrounding streets AND it was rainy out. buses had to be diverted to side streets that really were NOT meant for buses. anyway, should be open some time AFTER rush hour this morning
Water main break closes major Hartford thoroughfare
Hartford (WTNH) _ Hartford Police closed Farmington Avenue between Sigourney Street and Sisson Avenue as over half a million gallons of water poured into the streets. The road will be closed through rush hour tomorrow morning.
Crews are now digging up Farmington Avenue, trying to find the leak. The broken pipe is sandwiched between gas and electrical lines, making the job that more tedious. ..........

tim nast and philllip titolo - TWO COOL DUDES

with a cool cause!

(if you're from town, i wonder if you ever noticed this - i sure did a while back - you either KNOW someone on maplewood, KNEW someone on maplewood OR YOU lived or live on maplewood. it's just that kind o' street). shout out to you both! it always makes my heart sing to hear stories like this, especially involving younger people (AND especially involving uconn LAW. i've not had pleasant experiences with most of the students i've come across)

Books For The World

By FULVIO CATIVO Courant Staff Writer

WEST HARTFORD - Phillip Titolo and Tim Nast's Maplewood Avenue apartment is a temporary home for a lot of books.Piles of books wait to be sorted. Boxes of books await shipping. The hundreds of volumes headed out the door are going overseas.Titolo and Nast - roommates, fellow Boston College grads and first year-students at the University of Connecticut School of Law in Hartford - want to help spread literacy in Africa. So this fall the duo built on their passion for reading and community service and launched an organization, Maplewood Books for Humanity, to provide tools to people learning to read in some of the world's most disadvantaged communities..........

maplewood books for humanity

photo: TIM NAST, left, and Phillip Titolo, first-year law students at UConn, have organized Maplewood Books for Humanity, collecting hundreds of books and paying to send them to schools in English-speaking African nations. They work with nonprofit groups, such as Minnesota's Books for Africa, to get the books to those who need them. They are actively seeking more books that meet their criteria for usefulness, as well as school supplies. (SHANA SURECK / November 2, 2007)

a new veterans advocacy unit

has been formed by richard blumenthal (due to channel 8's reporting on ryan riddle). it's about time! we MUST take care of our veterans.

Blumenthal launches new unit to help veterans
by News Channel 8's Alan Cohn
New Haven (WTNH) _ A Team 8 investigation has resulted in the creation of a new department at the Connecticut attorney general's office.
Richard Blumenthal says he created the new unit after watching News Channel 8 report the difficulties Southington veteran Ryan Riddle faced after he was injured in the Iraq War.
Riddle was shot in Baghdad and still has a bullet lodged in his thigh. He was repeatedly denied combat related benefits because his medical records were lost.
Team 8 obtained statements from Riddle's comrades in Baghdad who were with him when he was shot. After months of pressuring the VA, the department finally reversed its decision and gave Riddle the benefits he deserves.
Blumenthal says he created the new office to help other veterans. ......

(my last posting on ryan riddle which includes links to other ryan riddle postings) and of course a wicked LOUD shout out to channel 8 wtnh

an interview with justin goodman

in

herbivore magazine

By Josh Hooten
I saw Justin Goodman speak at the Becoming the Change conference in Durham, N.C. at the beginning of October. Justin is a Research Associate in the Vivisection Department at PETA. His talk about primates in labs and the campaign he waged against his alma mater, the University of Connecticut were riveting and left me with much needed facts about this subject. It also left me with lots of questions, as animal testing is one of the trickier issue we animal rights advocates have to deal with. Knowing how to speak about this very emotional issue (”but what if it cures cancer? what if it saves lives?”) with facts and clarity is vital if we want to change minds on this. I hit Justin up with some of the questions I had, his answers are below...........

CONNECTICUT FOR ANIMALS
connecticut for animals
uchkillsmonkeys

i DO think a public park is an acceptable place for this

mr walton. what's political about writing the NUMBER OF AMERICAN LIVES LOST and the NUMBER OF IRAQI lives lost each month this war has lasted? do you want us all NOT to know how many lives were lost? do you want to gloss it over? whether someone is "for" this war or not "for" this war (how the hell COULD anyone be FOR THIS war? iraq NEVER touched us NOR were they EVER any THREAT to us........but i digress) do you not want to remember those who served? THOSE WHO DIED so the imminent threat of saddam invading new haven would be stopped dead (so to speak) in it's tracks?
An unconventional protest of the Iraq War
by News Channel 8's Annie Rourke
New Haven (WTNH) _ A new Iraq War memorial is about to be unveiled in New Haven and it may stir up more than emotion.
Reclaiming the Prophetic Voice is an activist group made up primarily of clergy from all different religions. The group was created in response to the Iraq War and last September they stood on the New Haven Green and read aloud all the names of the American service people who have died in the war.
But the group has decided to do something more concrete and now their new Iraq War memorial will be erected in the Broadway Park.
"We had come up with an idea of marking it physically by having a cairn of stones, each one representing a month of the war so far," said Stephen Kobasa. .........

..............Approval for the display was granted by the New Haven Board of Parks Commission last month. Kevin Walton, the New Haven Parks commissioner, was the only dissenting vote. He says, it's not appropriate in a public park. ........

da liebs delcares

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lieberman says 'tide has turned in Iraq'

By: Adam Wittenberg, Record-Journal staff

WALLINGFORD -- Speaking before an audience of 350 Brad Davis listeners Monday at Zandri's Stillwood Inn, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman felt right at home.

The mostly white-haired crowd met the independent Democrat's remarks with warm applause, particularly when he spoke on combating illegal immigration and furthering the war on Islamic terrorism."I'm proud to say that the tide has turned in Iraq and we're winning that war," Lieberman said. "And if we don't let down our troops, they're going to bring home a victory that will protect us here at home from today's threat -- totalitarian terrorist Islamism that's trying to take our liberty from us."The senator, who won his fourth term last November as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to political newcomer Ned Lamont, decried partisan politics in Washington, especially among the Democrats........

yet another

STUPID connecticut crime (i know other states have stupid crimes too, but for a small state, we sure seem to have MORE than our share)

Police: Man Arrested After Calling 911 For More Beer
A Hebron man was arrested Sunday after police said he called 911 several times, asking police to bring him beer.
Brian Poulin, 35, of 450 Church St., was charged with disorderly conduct.
Police said he called 911 numerous times and told police he was out of beer and asked them to pick up more for him..............

another update on ryan riddle

and it's GOOD news
(oh and thanks for serving ryan and the VERY BEST to you)

Southington veteran returns to 'normal' life
by Team 8 Investigator Alan Cohn
New Britain (WTNH) _ News Channel 8 has been following the struggles of a Southington veteran since last spring as he fought to get the disability benefits that he deserves.
At this time last year, Ryan Riddle was waging a very frustrating and lonely battle. Today, he is just like any other student on the campus of Central Connecticut State University.
But there is a huge difference between this 25-year old Iraq War veteran and his classmates, including the battles he has waged to get to the New Britain campus.
"It feels like a big boulder, a big weight, has been lifted off my shoulder. Things are starting to look positive. I can begin to start doing great things with my life now," Riddle said.
A year ago, Riddle found himself lost in the sea of bureaucratic red tape. His military medical records were lost when he was discharged from the Army. He was shot at a checkpoint in Baghdad and x-rays showed a bullet still lodged in his thigh. But every time he applied for service related benefits, he was denied. ...........

previous postings: finally

update

this is how we treat our war wounded

rick green writes a pretty decent

column about black and blue square. of course i was wickedly opposed to black and blue (and still am). mr green mentions a couple of times people walking more. so does that mean i am NOT going to be seeing all of those GIANT SUVs all over town taking up my parking spots? i doubt that. they (the they are the hep and happenin' west hartford, avon, simsbury in the center to see and be seen types and the like) are NOT going to WALK to the center. THEY will drive their horrid gas guzzling giant monstrosities (which they don't need because they either only have one or two children or one or two children and a dog) into town, park THEN walk into a few stores. several quotes on west hartford becoming urban in the story! urban??????????????? HARDLY. it will NEVER happen.



sit-n-knit is in the center. i'll continue to go there but attempt to go FIRST thing in the morning (when i have a day off that is). i just don't want to deal



again, i did think mr green's editorial was good. hit the nail on the head a FEW times.



In A Blue Back Minute
Like It Or Not, West Hartford Is The New Urban

Rick Green
November 4, 2007
I was there at the precious moment West Hartford became a city.It might have been in the town hall auditorium Thursday night. The connected and affluent raised their blue martinis, balancing small plates of apricot-glazed corned beef and sushi, in a self-confident celebration of the opening of West Hartford's trendy tableau of shopping and public life: Blue Back Square.Or was it Friday, when I bumped into a woman walking out of that large, new home furnishings store?
"I'm lost in West Hartford," she told me enthusiastically, standing at the busy new cobblestone corner of Isham and Memorial roads. She pulled a handful of movie tickets out of her pocket and informed me she was walking off to the new cinema with her kids...............

...................Blue Back's opening is a portentous snapshot in the history of West Hartford, perhaps the most self-analyzed, self-absorbed and over-debated suburb in Connecticut...................

..........Still, as I strolled back to Blue Back to meet my wife for her lunch break, I recalled the words of Rhea M. Lettiere. She looked at the new streetscape and proclaimed, "Gone is the dignity!"................

'we're coming back with problems'

problems AT THE VERY LEAST. army specialist eric trinidad brought back some amazing video. video from the snipers themselves, attacking specialist trinidad's unit (no one got hurt from that attack. although their medic was hit, he was wearing protective gear and was able to get up. click the link below for the video

A soldier's story
by News Channel 8's Annie Rourke
(WTNH) _ One Connecticut veteran is finding that a return to civilian life can be hard when scenes from war leave emotional scars.
Soldiers in Iraq have to deal with a hidden enemy that can strike at any time. The trauma of war can have long lasting psychological effects. Now, one Connecticut soldier is speaking out about his experiences in Iraq and how it has not been easy to come home.
Army Specialist Eric Trinidad shared some video with News Channel 8 that shows a viewpoint you don't often see. It is a recruiting tape made by terrorists who are targeting American soldiers.
After 13 months in combat the West Haven native says, "Sometimes I get angry for no reason. I can't even explain why I get angry. I just have a sense that people have forgotten. We're still over there and coming back with problems that it's hard to re-adjust." ...........

video (if this link doesn't work, click on the one above - there's a link to the video right in the wtnh story

i'm on vacation this week

what did i do monday, tuesday and wednesday? i helped my friends renovate (a bit) the half door. i painted, moved stuff, made a 'deep' (home depot) run or two, made a run to the music store to drop off some amps (not sure what exactly they were but they are part of the music system). i can barely move i am SO sore AND tired. the half door was supposed to open yesterday evening, but it just wasn't ready. it WILL open today at about 4:00 pm.

evil rotten souls

that if there WAS a hell would be burning in it (i know that is not a correctly structured sentence. so? i'm on vacation what do you want? )
Fake CNN Website Tries to Frame Hispanic Group for Wildfires
Posted by Lindsay Beyerstein
.........This post, written by Lindsay Beyerstein, originally appeared on Majikthise
Speaking of fake news... Someone registered the domain name "cnnheadlienews" on Oct. 25 2007, to run a bogus news story alleging that Hispanic separatist group had claimed responsibility for setting the California wildfires.
The page is dummied up to look like a CNN web page. There's no other content on the site. A WHOIS search reveals that the page is registered to something called "Bleach Boy Manufacturing."........................

keep your fingers crossed

fender doesn't SCREW with ovation (or kaman music in general).
i've played ovations and they're LOVELY instruments.


and a special shout out to the kamans for being so involved (well i don't know about now, i'm guessing they still are, i know they USED to be) in the fidelco guide dog organization


Kaman Selling Music Division
Fender Instruments To Take Over Business


By ERIC GERSHON Courant Staff Writer


In the colorful annals of Kaman Corp., this will be remembered as the year the music stopped.The Bloomfield maker of aircraft parts and helicopters is selling its 40-year-old Kaman Music Corp. division to Fender Musical Instruments Corp. of Arizona - maker of the celebrated Stratocaster and Telecaster electric guitars - for about $117 million.For Kaman - and American industry - the deal will end a long-lived and quirky business combination, one that blended the stone-sober practicality of aerospace manufacturing and industrial supplies with the whimsy, levity and creativity of musical instrument innovation............

kaman music

another story keeping with the time of year

i DO hope they are resting in peace now. i can only imagine the pain they endured during their lives if people DID think they were vampires

Vampires in Eastern Connecticut
by News Channel 8's Tina Detelj
Griswold (WTNH) _ A small Connecticut town has a creepy history of blood-sucking ghouls.
Lemuel and Elisha Ray were brothers and vampires according to Griswold's town historian, Mary Deveau. Mary says the brothers reached from beyond the grave to feed on their dying brother Henry who had tuberculosis.
"They were the living dead," Mary said. "These two were dead and they were supposedly feeding on his flesh."
To save Henry, relatives gathered at their graves determined to stop the disease by stopping them.
"They came and dug them up and the quote is, 'burned them on the spot,' Mary said.
But it didn't work and that year, 1854, Henry died. ...........

jewitt city vampires

an interesting story

especially for this time of year........

boo! (which is what i say to people who stare at me. and yes, stare they do. well, that is until i shout BOO to them)

Stones raining on tavern set stage for Salem witchcraft hysteria
NEW CASTLE, N.H. -- A 2-foot-high rock wall borders the elementary school near the spot where a satanic spirit purportedly showered George and Alice Walton's home and tavern with stones 325 years ago. It set off a wave of hysteria that foreshadowed the Salem witch trials.Could some of the rocks now neatly arranged outside Mabel H. Trefethen School be among those that came crashing down on Walton's property on the night of June 11, 1682, creating the belief that a stone-throwing devil was on the loose?
"Who knows where (the rocks) came from? Your guess is as good as mine," says historian Emerson W. Baker, whose new book, "The Devil of Great Island," uses the historical footnote as an opening to explore witchcraft and devilry in the Colonial New England mind-set.The moon was full that Sunday night when stones rained onto George Walton and several companions as they headed toward the tavern, according to an eyewitness. The rocks, some as large as a man's fist, continued to fly even after those targeted by the barrage took shelter inside. Some of the rocks were hot, as if they had just been pulled from a fire.............

from salem state, lithobolia

i'm happy

Champs again! Red Sox sweep World Series







photo: Jonathan Papelbon celebrated on the field as the Red Sox won the World Series. (Getty Images Photo / Jamie Squire)

thanks to jeff for sending me the link to

the wounded warrior project

wounded warrior project videos

Our Mission
To raise the awareness and enlist the public's aid for the needs of severely injured service men and women, to help severely injured service members aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs.
Wounded Warrior Project is a non-profit organization

to my beloved red sox

kick the SHITE out of 'em! (praise the lord)

The Rockies Get Off Their Knees
Dave Zirin
Twenty-one wins in twenty-two games. An improbable run to the World Series. One of the hottest streaks to end a season in the history of the game. And not two pitchers the average fan could even name. Ladies and gents, your Colorado Rockies: a team performing what even an atheist could call a baseball miracle. And "miracle" is an appropriate term for a team that riled the baseball world last year by claiming that filling the dugout with Christian players would grease the skids to greatness. ;.............

hot babes

at the half door

(missing are the cathys, dottie, amy, allie)

erin, lk, katie, maryanne and cary