Saturday, January 20, 2007

my favorite musician in the entire universe is

van morrison

here is a link to him performing
g l o r i a. two links. one, early van the other van and john lee hooker

thanks to my friend shawn, i got to see mr morrision a couple of years back. i cannot even describe the experience. i was literally mesmerized


a very scary story indeed

even with firewalls and anti-virus protection one is NEVER safe.

now i don't know if ms amero is innocent or not, but i'm tending to think she is. i have personally seen many a computer that is infected. not necessarily with pornography but infected none the less

Questionable Conviction of Connecticut Teacher in Pop-up Porn Case

By Lindsay Beyerstein, AlterNetPosted on January 19, 2007, Printed on January 20, 2007http://www.alternet.org/story/46925/
Julie Amero, a 40-year-old substitute teacher from Connecticut is facing up to 40 years in prison for exposing her seventh grade class to a cascade of pornographic imagery. Amero maintains that she is a victim of a malicious software infestation that caused her computer to spawn porn uncontrollably.
Adware, spyware and other infectious software are known hazards to security and privacy -- and when lax cybersecurity meets anti-porn hysteria, a mailware infection can even land you in jail. Malicious coders are getting more sophisticated all the time, but law enforcement and the criminal justice system aren't keeping up. A criminal conviction can hang on the difference between a deliberate mouse click and an involuntary redirect on an infested computer. Too often, even so-called experts can't tell the difference.
On the morning of Oct. 19, 2004, Julie Amero's life changed forever when pornographic ads flooded her web browser during a class. According to the prosecuting attorney, David Smith, Amero's computer began displaying images of naked men and women, couples performing sexual acts, and "bodily fluids."
Chances are, these kids had seen porn pop-ups before. Family Safe Media estimates that boys 12 to 17 consume more internet porn than any other group. The adults at Kelly Middle School, however, were shocked and scandalized. The next week, the school sent home a notice telling parents why Amero would never teach in the district again. She was arrested shortly thereafter and charged with multiple felonies.
At trial, six of Amero's former students testified that they saw pornographic images on her monitor, either from their seats, or when they came up to her desk. One student told the court that Amero pushed his face away from the screen when she saw him looking at the racy ads.
Millions of PCs worldwide are infected with some form of malicious software. An internal Microsoft report found that four million Windows machines were infected with some form of malicious software ("malware") in mid-2006........


women and physics?

DAMN STRAIGHT!!!

Yale Names First Woman To Lead Physics Department

The Associated Press January 19 2007, 4:32 PM EST Yale University announced Friday the appointment of the first woman to lead the Department of Physics.Yale President Richard C. Levin said C. Megan Urry, Israel Munson Professor of Physics and Astronomy, will serve as chairwoman of the Department of Physics for three years, effective July 1.Urry has earned renown for her research on super-massive black holes and for her efforts to increase the number of women and minorities in the physical sciences, Yale officials said."Meg Urry embodies the best in research, in teaching and in championing the value and wonder of the physical sciences," Levin said in a statement.When Urry arrived at Yale in 2001, she was the first female tenured faculty member in the history of the Department of Physics. She developed two large collaborative research projects with Chilean astronomers and designed new courses to introduce undergraduates to the physical sciences..............

i wonder how that investigation is coming along

the one governor rell (and of course mayor perez had to jump on the band wagon once he saw it would bring him more publicity) says she's start...

the one where it appears hartford police, the connecticut state police and connecticut homeland security has pictures, fliers and folders on connecticut 'TERRORISTS'. you know the terrorists who ride their bikes at parades and report news on their blogs and protest when they think they've been slighted and take photographs at PUBLIC events of SMILING GOVERNORS who don't seem to be the least bit threatened. you know...

Police Printed Flier Warning Of Activist

By JON LENDER And EDMUND H. MAHONY Courant Staff Writers January 19 2007

Hours before the controversial arrest of political blogger Kenneth Krayeske at Gov. M. Jodi Rell's Jan. 3 inaugural parade, state police distributed copies of a full-color, two-page document describing Krayeske as an activist who had invited people to join him in a protest outside Rell's inaugural ball that night.The document, containing color prints of Krayeske's current and past driver's license photos, made it seem as if "Ken Krayeske was public enemy No. 1," said Rep. Michael P. Lawlor, a state legislative leader whose committee now plans to investigate.Although the slightly built Krayeske had engaged only in nonviolent protest and activism, he was "lumped in with people who were actual physical threats" - and that is why the General Assembly must consider passing new laws this year to curb police excesses in a post-9/11 era of intensified security, said Lawlor, a Democrat and co-chairman of the legislative judiciary committee.The security flier, Lawlor said, apparently led to an "overreaction" by Hartford police, who received the document at a pre-parade security briefing for police. Recognizing Krayeske from the photos, a Hartford officer arrested him at 1:20 p.m. as he photographed Rell along the parade route, said Lawlor, who was shown the flier by a police official.Both the state and Hartford police have refused requests by The Courant to see the two-page Krayeske profile and other documents concerning individuals identified as potential threats............

...........Lawlor said he is troubled that a citizen can get onto a printed security alert - and be arrested and held for 12 hours - for exercising what he considers no more than nonviolent political speech and never threatening anyone.Lawlor said his own research indicates that Krayeske may have been the only person pictured in color in security materials, which may have made him stand out as more of a potential problem than others...............

as i have said in the past

IF men could get pregnant, birth control and now plan b would be available at EVERY SINGLE street corner in the entire universe.

(once again i really do have to say, plan b does NOT cause an abortion. it PREVENTS conception)

when a woman is assaulted, she doesn't need to be mistreated once again by those 'treating' her


Hospitals Still Reluctant To Offer Plan B Pill

By HILARY WALDMAN Courant Staff Writer January 19 2007
Even as the Plan B emergency birth control pill was heading toward more widespread availability at pharmacy counters, 40 percent of rape victims who sought care at Connecticut hospitals in the first half of 2006 were not offered the medication or were sent home without the full dose of the drug needed to prevent pregnancy, rape counselors say.The continuing reluctance of hospitals - both Catholic and secular - to dispense the pills has prompted women's advocates to once again push the legislature to pass a law requiring all hospitals to provide the pill as a routine part of rape examinations.Last year, a similar measure died in the final days of the legislative session amid strong opposition from the Catholic Church.But rape counselors say that the problem is not limited to Catholic hospitals. Since the controversy erupted last year, rape crisis counselors have been documenting hospital practices in dispensing Plan B to rape victims, said Laura Cordes, director of policy and advocacy for Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services, an umbrella group representing rape crisis counselors.....

site of the day

widgetbox

(stuff for your blog)

hope i don't go TOO crazy


found it through this nyt article

Friday, January 19, 2007

they have witnesses

EYE witnesses. two of whom are (former) cops and both of whom are lawyers. WHAT THE HELL IS THE HOLD UP???? this is UNeffingBELIEVABLE. there is NO NEED for anyone from san fran to fly to connecticut to interview the choir. they should have done that while the choir was still in california. they (allegedly) had four of the perps ALREADY in custody but didn't make the arrest then. AM I MISSING SOMETHING HERE?

San Francisco PD may continue Baker's Dozen assault investigation here in Conn

San Franciso-KGOTV) _ The district attorney in San Francisco has decided not to take action until there is more information available in the Baker's Dozen case.
Several members of the Baker's Dozen, a renowned Yale choir, were attacked outside of a New Year's Eve party in San Francisco. One student had to get reconstructive surgery to repair his jaw.



Members of the San Francisco police department will reportedly be flying to Connecticut to conduct interviews with the choir.
So far, no arrests have been made.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

two very different stories

i can see why lt col franzis' students like him so much

he sent me a lovely email on my posting the other day (wishing him well while in iraq - heck while he's anywhere for that matter)

and this story (which in my personal opinion, DOES have a happy ending for now) Iraq Veteran Gets A Year's Reprieve


no matter what your politics are or how you feel about our presence in the middle east, think about 'adopting' a deployed service member. i can personally recommend soldiers' angels. not only can you adopt a deployed service member BUT i believe there is a link to 'adopt' a wounded service member who is now home/hospitalized. i also think there is another link to help service member's families too. at any rate, check out the site!

connecticut stop of the day


the children's garbage museum in stratford!!!

a place that's right up MY alley

how fortuitous

how many eight year olds wear their hair in a bun? i would venture to say NOT many!

well, my little does and so do i!

unfortunately, two of her friends have been in the program for a couple of years and the three of them hung out. i didn't get any one on one time. i told my little NEXT WEEK i was going to keep her all to myself. i asked if she wanted to learn how to knit in the future and she did seem very excited about that. we'll see.

what BEAUTIFUL children they all were, especially the three muskateers i was hanging out with. 8 and 9 going on 30!!! how bright and funny and ACTIVE they are. dang


i had a friend whose name was carmen. the three grrrls put together reminded me so much of her. it was nice to see her in those kids. carmen passed a few years ago but now i know she will live on


Wednesday, January 17, 2007

why in the HELL was this man

free on a WRITTEN PROMISE (ONLY) for the FIRST (alleged) rape? a WRITTEN PROMISE?

once again, women are second class citizens. the first (alleged) rape was perpetrated against a mentally challenged woman. does she not count? i guess not

Man freed pending rape charges faces new allegations

MANCHESTER, Conn. --An East Hartford man who was free on a promise to appear in court on Wednesday on a rape charge faces new accusations in an alleged rape and attempted murder.
Michael Quiles, 20, was held on $5 million bail Tuesday after he was arraigned in Manchester Superior Court on the new charges.
Judge Raymond Norko, reading the affidavit on Quiles' arrest over the weekend and referring to a separate rape case pending, called the matter shocking. The judge said he will transfer the new case to Superior Court in Hartford where more serious cases are tried.
Quiles was arrested Saturday night, charged with raping a woman who lives in his apartment building, police said.
The woman told police that she struggled and cried during the attack and that Quiles warned her to not tell anyone, police said.
Police say Quiles grabbed the woman's head and tried to snap her neck, twisting her head back and forth. She pleaded for her life and promised to not tell anyone when Quiles suddenly released her, police said.
The woman called police, who arrested Quiles on charges of attempt to commit felony murder, first-degree sexual assault, third-degree sexual assault, threatening, unlawful restraint and first-degree reckless endangerment.
At the time of the attack, Quiles was free on a written promise to appear in court for proceedings in a separate case involving the rape of a young mentally retarded woman on Dec. 9, 2005, in East Hartford..........

just what the HELL was the judge in the FIRST case thinking? i guess she may not have been thinking at all....

she released him on the condition he 'get treatment'. TREATMENT my big fat ass

yipeeeeeeeeeeeee

i'm so wicked excited today

a while ago, i signed up to be a big (sister. that is what we're called by the way, bigs. the little brothers and little sisters are called littles). through work, we have a program with big brothers, big sisters. so, i had to be interviewed, a background check done (i would assume) and my references checked (i know they did that part). i'm happy they check by the way. and YES, believe it or not, I PASSED INSPECTION. but i never got a little. i guess it was rather difficult to get a parental permission slip signed or something or other. i DID have my fingers crossed. yesterday, they told me i'd FINALLY get my little today!!!

so i ran right out after work yesterday and bought some giant knitting needles and some chunky yarn (of course i have to give a shout out to all my buds at sit-n-knit in west hartford center. they are all so very nice, helpful AND funny. oh, and they're opening a new store in comstock ferry too. watch for it). if my little would like, i am going to teach her to knit. if not, that's cool too. i have other activities up my veritable sleeve.

any way, if you have a spare hour or two or three each week. think about volunteering for something - ANYTHING. it really IS painless after the first time. i remember how nervous i was before the first time i worked at a 'soup kitchen' a long time ago. i wasn't nervous about what you'd expect. i was nervous because i thought i'd end up being too sad and upset. well i wasn't. it was and is always such a positive experience. a lot of families, a lot of kids, laughter, talking. yeah there are homeless, there are hookers, there are crack addicts BUT there are WORKING FAMILIES also. people who just need a little bit of a break. people who can't quite make ends meet.

you know YOU really CAN make a difference. maybe not in the whole wide world, BUT maybe in ONE life and ONE is a damn fine start

nutmeg big brothers big sisters

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

vegan stew

Everything but the kitchen sink roasted vegetable and tempeh stew

( you can use extra firm tofu instead. I freeze mine first for at least a week, and then defrost it. it changes the consistency to chewy. I happened to use tempeh which I don’t like. I buy it on occasion just to see if it will grow on me. it still has NOT. this time I used wild rice tempeh. The stew came out kick ass though)


1 pack of tempeh (or tofu)
Vegetable stock or vegetable 3 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 pack baby bella mushrooms (or any of your choice)
2 cups baby carrots
1 ½ large sweet onions
2 tomatoes (or a small can or box of tomatoes)
1 apple
4 potatoes
½ cup corn
½ cup peas
(hot) red pepper flakes
Fresh ginger
Curry powder
2 teaspoons kudzu or cornstarch
2 Tbs olive oil

Cut washed/cleaned vegetables (except peas and corn which you should put aside) and apple into bite sized pieces, not too very small though. throw a hunk of fresh ginger into the vegetables. mix with the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of water. put on lightly greased cookie sheet with sides (or even better one lined with foil) and bake in a 350 oven for at least one hour. Stir every 15 or 20 minutes or so.

Cube the tempeh and simmer for 10 minutes in 1 cup of vegetable stock (or 1 c water and 1 bouillon cube) along with a little hunk of ginger. Set aside.

When the vegetables are almost done, turn the stove on again and put the pot with the tempeh on the burner. Add another cup (or so) of stock and or water and bouillon cube. Toss in the peas and corn and simmer for five minutes. Take ginger out of both the tempeh broth and the roasted vegetables. Take a few tablespoons of hot broth out and mix the kudzu or cornstarch with it until it has no lumps. Add it to the tempeh and stock. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the rest of the roasted vegetables and stir. I tossed in some red pepper flakes and curry power when I added the cornstarch.

You can also add any vegetables you have laying around or beans for that matter. Fava beans and sweet potatoes would be nice. You can also stir in a tablespoon or two of peanut butter (first dissolved in a few tablespoons of the hot broth). I would have added fresh chili peppers too, but I didn’t have any.

let's all wish

lieutenant colonel richard franzis well

Westport assistant principal heads off to war


by News Channel 8's Darren Duarte Posted Jan. 15, 20075:00 PM
(Westport-WTNH) _ An educator is preparing to take on a new assignment that will take him all the way to Iraq. The assistant principal at Staples High School in Westport is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army reserve.
This is the first time Army reservist Richard Franzis has packed up and left his family for war.
"All of us who wear the uniform in a post 9/11 world are expecting that call," said Franzis. "It's a very difficult time for my family, obviously as it is for the families of the 150,000 other families that are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan."
The Lt. Colonel spends at least a year in Iraq as an intelligence officer. He will advise troops who drive military supplies on where and when the next enemy explosive may be found................

who knew?

this was in the courant a little over a week ago. i am just getting around to posting it.

i am indeed a fan of hawaiian music. i tend to lean more to the slack guitar side though. making ukes in connecticut is rather unusual and rather cool though


The Uke Movement However Unlikely, Connecticut Becomes A Center In The Ukulele's Resurgence

By WILLIAM WEIR Courant Staff Writer January 10 2007
To stand in the Clinton home of Jim and Liz Beloff is to find yourself in an unofficial Ukulele Information Center.The husband-and-wife team, both in their 50s, have carved out a rather singular niche for themselves as experts on all things to do with the plucky four-string instrument. They're widely credited within the ukulele community (indeed, there is one) for the recent resurgence in uke activity.Their ascent to uke gurus started in 1992, when Jim Beloff, then working at Billboard magazine, came across a ukulele at the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena, Calif. He gave it a few strums and loved it."I couldn't understand why it had fallen off the pop-culture radar," he says. If other people knew how fun and easy it was, he figured, they would also want one. The Beloffs soon decided that their future was in ukuleles and started Flea Market Music Inc."In 1998, we quit our real jobs and went into the ukulele business full time," he says.And they seem to be having a blast doing it. "We made our own reality. It's much more fun," says Liz Beloff.Jim Beloff has written songbooks, released instructional DVDs and written a history of the ukulele. Liz, who previously worked on graphics for movie trailers, is in charge of design. And they both perform and record ukulele music. Asked for a succinct job description, they offer "ukulele popularizers."Hawaii, no surprise, is still the hub of uke activity. But when the Beloffs moved from Los Angeles last year to Connecticut ("That's the great tropical state of Connecticut," Nutmegger ukuleleists are wont to say), they greatly ratcheted up our state's uke cachet to a close second...........

flea market music


Monday, January 15, 2007

damn good column by helen ubinas in yesterday's

courant

So Quickly A Promise Is Forgotten January 14, 2007
I try not to revisit the same folks in the same week for this column; a little of me goes a long way. But after Tom and Sandy Stough shared their disgust with President Bush's proposed troop increase, I just had to check back in when our very own veteran senator got a national shout out from the prez."Acting on the good advice of Sen. Joe Lieberman and other key members of Congress," President Bush said, "we will form a new, bipartisan working group that will help us come together across party lines to win the war on terror."Once my internal groan-a-meter quieted down, all I could think about was the Stoughs.........

i guess i like this idea

as long as the parents are the ones who decide to put the child's contact numbers and email addresses on the list that is. i do NOT like the idea if it becomes a law that ALL children MUST BE registered whether there is parental knowledge/permission or not

State agency seeks legislation establishing e-mail registry

By Susan Haigh, Associated Press Writer January 15, 2007
HARTFORD, Conn. A state agency report has recommended that lawmakers create a registry to shield youngsters from the marketing of illegal or illicit products, despite a constitutional challenge to a similar Utah database.
The Department of Consumer Protection said a registry of "contact points" used by children -- such as e-mail addresses, cell phone, pager and fax numbers -- would help prevent illicit or illegal products and services from being marketed to minors.
If the report's recommendations become law, Connecticut will be the third state to establish a registry for parents and legal guardians to place their child's cell phone number or e-mail address on a "Do Not Call" list. Michigan, in addition to Utah, has such a registry.
Rep. Michael Lawlor, D-East Haven, co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said he is uncertain if such a registry is possible. It sounds good in theory, but could have numerous practical problems, he said.
"If it's not actually going to work very well, what would be the point of doing it?" he asked.
The Free Speech Coalition, a trade association for the adult entertainment industry, is challenging the constitutionality of the Utah registry.....

and oh, EFF the adult entertainment industry on this one. blocking a child from 'adult entertainment' is a GOOD thing


Sunday, January 14, 2007

do you know where the pups are?


the picture had no caption so i don't know if this is moms or pops

Puppies Fathered By Dog-Show Winner Stolen From Bridgeport Home

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- Bridgeport police are investigating the theft of four English bulldog puppies fathered by a best-of-breed winner in last year's Westminster Dog Show.
The puppies’ owner, Henry Valer, told police they were stolen from his Sylvan Avenue apartment on Thursday.
Valer told the Connecticut Post that the five-week-old puppies are the offspring of Cherokee Legend Rock, the best-of-breed winner for bulldogs in the 2006 show. Their mother is La Bella, an offspring of another award-winning bulldog........


...........He asked anyone with information on the puppies to call him at 914-830-1790..........

more on the baker's dozen attack in san franciso

still NO arrests even though several witnesses have identified their attackers. un effing believable

Bay Area attack echoes on TV, online

It began as a New Year's Eve assault on a Yale choral group, allegedly at the hands of rich, young San Franciscans with ties to a prominent city prep school.
Now, as police sort out the details, the incident has exploded into a cause cA©lA bre, complete with allegations of anti-patriotism, gay-bashing and police errors.
Outraged that the assault occurred after the group sang 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' conservative pundits are skewering the city as unpatriotic, and a popular Fox News Channel host is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to arrests.
And some gay-rights activists, responding to reports that anti-gay slurs were uttered at the singers, are blogging about the city's perceived intolerance.
An attorney for the choral group -- including 18-year-old Sharyar Aziz, who needed a three-hour surgery to repair his broken jaw -- dismisses what he calls the political posturing of TV pundits and bloggers. He says he and the families of the victims just want speedier justice.
'What you have is senseless violence,' by assailants still at large, said attorney Whitman Leigh, a law partner of Mayor Gavin Newsom's former political rival, Matt Gonzalez. 'A lot of people are shocked in the Bay Area. This is not the way we feel visitors should be treated.'
All of which has San Franciscans, including Newsom, concerned about how the city's image is being maligned around the globe.............


he vowed to investigate the catastrophe that was katrina

now, he ain't doin' a thing on that subject. it's like he never said it and katrina never happened. i cannot believe he was elected. i also cannot believe we are ALL (of course some of us are) not raising our voices and letting da liebs know we are NOT happy with this performance
hey liebs I'M NOT HAPPY WITH YOUR PERFORMANCE

Lieberman has the Dems by the cojones

By Evan DerkaczPosted on January 12, 2007, Printed on January 13, 2007http://www.alternet.org/bloggers/evan/46645/
This guest post was written by Barbara O'Brien of Mahablog.
Let's face it -- Senator Joe Lieberman has the Dems by the cojones. As long as he caucuses with the Dems, they keep their one-seat Senate majority. And to keep him happy, Joe gets to be chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. But his increasing coziness with the Republicans and the Bush Administration must have some Dems wondering if Joe's so-called loyalty is worth it.
Lieberman's support for Bush's troop escalation in Iraq has made him the President's favorite Democratic butt cover. And a couple of news items today make me wonder how cozy Joe is getting with the security industry.
Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball of Newsweek write that Senator Joe Lieberman has "quietly" decided to give President Bush a pass on Katrina...
Sen. Joe Lieberman, the only Democrat to endorse President Bush's new plan for Iraq, has quietly backed away from his pre-election demands that the White House turn over potentially embarrassing documents relating to its handling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans. …
… Last year, when he was running for re-election in Connecticut, Lieberman was a vocal critic of the administration's handling of Katrina. He was especially dismayed by its failure to turn over key records that could have shed light on internal White House deliberations about the hurricane, including those involving President Bush.
Asserting that there were "too many important questions that cannot be answered," Lieberman and other committee Democrats complained in a statement last year that the panel "did not receive information or documents showing what actually was going on in the White House." …......