cool connecticut find

Couple stumbles upon fossil

by News Channel 8's Darren Duarte

(Berlin-WTNH) _ The Berlin couple was walking the grounds of Hungerford Park in Kensington when they found a dinosaur track 250 million years old.
"He brought it up. He was like you guys have to take care of this you know, this is important, I found this," said Adam Marzi who works at Hungerford Park.
The couple handed the fossil over to Adam Marzi who is an educator at the New Britain Youth Museum at Hungerford Park. ..........

Tech Tags: hungerford+park kensington dinosaur+tracks fossils ornithopod

careful with your o-bombs

these drinks ARE popular; o-bombs, jaguer bombs and red bull and vodka.

if you have ever partaken of a COUPLE of these, chances are you may feel a few palpatations. just be careful

Mixing energy drinks and alcohol

by News Channel 8's Annie Rourke

New Haven-WTNH) _ Alcohol and energy drinks are a cocktail combination that is gaining in popularity, but it is also a potentially dangerous drink. Some Connecticut bars are now taking action to keep the cocktails out of the hands of customers.
The drinks are marketed primarily to the under-30 crowd, but the trend appears to be growing. New Haven firefighters enjoying a Friday night at Bar on Crown street partake in their drink of choice, Red Bull and vodka......

........Studies have shown what they don't know, can hurt them. Researchers at Ball State University in Indiana report this high-octane combination cause cardiopulmonary failures. Hospital of St. Raphael's doctors tell News Channel 8 the reason is, alcohol is a depressant and these energy drinks are a heavy stimulant. Mixing them could be a lethal cocktail. Now some hot spots, like Kudeta in New Haven, are refusing to sell them all together...

Tech Tags: o+bombs red+bull jaguer+bombs energy+drinks

bundle up today

it's supposed to be minus degrees out there (with the wind chill factor)

today i'll be wearing tights, big fuzzy socks, jeans, a turtle neck, an overshirt (kinda fancy), my hoodie, my big winter coat (i haven't worn it yet this year. it really is BIG. it wraps around me AND it goes all the way to my ankles), my gloves. i don't wear hats usually because i wear my hair in a bun. i'll just put my hoodie up AND my big coat has a hood on it too.

i think i'm going to look like one of those kids in a snow suit. you know the kind that can barely walk, they waddle because they have so many clothes on....

website of the day

where the hell is matt

WATCH THE VIDEO

and yeah, he's a connecticutter

my thoughts and prayers go out

to the family and friends of sgt russell borea

Connecticut born soldier dies in Iraq

(WTNH) _ A Connecticut born soldier has been killed in action in Iraq.
Army Sergeant Russell Borea died Friday in Mosul when a bomb exploded during combat. The 38-year old was born in Connecticut but was recently living in Tucson, Arizona with his wife and 10-year old daughter.
Borea had been in Iraq since November.

the above article says he lived in tucson, but i also read somewhere he lived in el paso. makes no difference, i'm sorry he lost his life

Tech Tags: russell+borea iraq

this woman HIT, no RAN OVER

a city official with her car (allegedly of course)

and yet, her bail was LESS than ken krayeske's bail

you tell me what's wrong with this picture


really now

Woman makes bail after striking tax collector with her car

..........Alston is being held on $65,000 bond..........

Ken Krayeske Arrest: The Police Report and Provable Reality are at Odds


The Hartford Police Department has holding cells, but not a jail, so the original bail was set ($75,000) at the police department by a Marshall and the delay was caused by the wait for a regularly scheduled shuttle to the jail.

Tech Tags: ken+krayeske ridiculous+bail hartford+police connecticut+police

please stop by marcie's blog

and wish her and her husband well

acinetobacter baumannii

The Battle over multiple drug resistant microbes: MRSA, Acinetobacter, C. Difficile, etc. "Irresponsible medicine" Early this year an outbreak of MDR Acinetobacter Baumannii swept over Arizona, 236 cases in just two months. It was reported by the state disease monitoring systems, but ignored on the national level.Now dubbed "Supergerms", they spread without warning and seemingly without official notices since they are infections instead of diseases. The government is taking advantage of this technicality. .........
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Tech Tags: acinetobacter+baumannii acinetobacter mrsa

i don't know if PETAs claims are true or not

BUT an investigation into the goings on at ANY pet store is ALWAYS welcome in my book.

PETA Says Animals Mistreated At Store Complaint Follows Three-Month Probe By Undercover Employee At PetSmart

By REGINE LABOSSIERE Courant Staff Writer January 23 2007 MANCHESTER -- A national animal rights organization is alleging that animals in the local PetSmart store are not properly cared for and often languish and die.People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals submitted a complaint Monday with the office of State's Attorney James E. Thomas asking for an investigation into PetSmart's treatment of animals. A member of Thomas' staff said the office received the complaint but that Thomas was out of the office and unavailable for comment.PETA also is requesting that the state's attorney move for a preliminary injunction that would prevent the local PetSmart from getting more animals if animal cruelty charges are filed, and that the animals currently in the store be rescued.According to the complaint, "severely ill animals at the store often languished in cages for days, were denied professional veterinary care and, in some cases, were instead amateurishly (and falsely) diagnosed and treated by unqualified PetSmart `pet care specialists,' who often had no prior experience with animals or the care that they require."The store's manager said Monday that the allegations are false...........

Tech Tags: peta petsmart animal+abuse

did you REALLY think the police were going to admit wrong doing

in the case of mr krayeske? i'm NOT a police-basher. never have been, never will be. however, they ARE AND WERE wrong here. the arrest was unwarranted, the BAIL was excessive, THE fact they kept mr krayeske for TWELVE HOURS is unacceptable. oh, and the little fact flyers were printed with his picture on them prior to the parade, well THAT my dears is BEYOND FREEDOM AND DIGNITY

at the VERY least i want someone to get a SLAP ON THE WRIST FOR THIS ONE AND i want SOMEONE ANYONE to ADMIT WRONGDOING

mr krayeske IS NOT osama. we all know that including governor rell

Hartford police chief defends arrest at inaugural parade

by Chief Capitol Correspondent Mark Davis Posted Jan. 23, 2007 Updated 6:19 PM
(Hartford-WTNH) _ Top law enforcement was summoned to the state capitol Tuesday to explain the arrest of a political blogger at the governor's inaugural parade. State lawmakers and the governor want to know if the arrest was an over-reaction.
Commissioner of Public Safety Leonard Boyle and Hartford Police Chief Daryl Roberts got called on the carpet about this incident with an eye toward potential changes in state law over how to protect the state's leaders.
It was just before Gov. Rell passed the Soldiers and Sailors Arch on January 3rd that Hartford police arrested 34-year-old Ken Krayeske as he approached her with a camera. He's a law student and political blogger and Green Party activist.
He was arrested once in his life at a protest in Eastern Connecticut. But this time he was held for nearly 12 hours and had bail set at $75,000.
On the day of the inauguration state police had circulated a two page document with his picture because a detective had seen an entry on his blog calling for a protest that evening at the governor's Inaugural Ball............

Tech Tags: ken+krayeske inaugural+parade connecticut+police hartford leonard+boyle daryl+roberts

i'm outraged as well

this woman (she's not been to trial yet, so i must say, 'if guilty') really SHOULD be charged with attempted MURDER. evading responsibility? assault? NO attempted MURDER

Woman charged with striking tax collector with car


by News Channel 8's Erin Cox Posted Jan. 23, 2007 Updated 5:43 PM
(New Haven-WTNH) _ A New Haven woman surrendered Tuesday to face charges in connection with the hit and run of a city tax collector. The man who was struck is home recovering and trying to make sense of why someone would be so reckless instead of responsible.
"I recall just shaking uncontrollably," tax collector C.J. Cuticello said in a telephone interview with News Channel 8.
The driver behind the wheel, 26-year-old Kim Alston, is charged with evading responsibility, reckless endangerment and assault in the third degree.
Major John DeStefano is outraged by what happened. "I find this citizen's behavior outrageous and unacceptable and not to be tolerated," he said.
Cuticello was overseeing the Bootfinder Program, patrolling streets and towing cars found to owe back taxes. In this case over $500 was due on the vehicle parked on Orange and Crown.....

Tech Tags: new+haven bootfinder+program mayor+destefano cj+cuticello kim+alston

blog for choice - today is the 34th anniversary of roe vs wade

the request was a simple one.

why am i pro-choice

i am pro choice for many reasons. the first and foremost is, THIS IS MY BODY. i have a mind and a heart and i believe i also have a soul. i believe i can make sound rational decisions. i believe MOST women can also make sound rational decisions about their OWN bodies. i believe a bunch of good old white boys had NO RIGHT to pass laws ON MY BODY. i believe a bunch of good old white boys should NEVER have been allowed to make or pass ANY laws regarding women's bodies and reproductive rights. times are changing and now there are also some good old white 'grrrls' making and passing laws too. some are just as bad as the white boy network. the good news is SOME men and women who are lawmakers (these days) DO believe women should have the right to decide if they should have a child or if they should not. i believe i don't EVER want to go back to the time when a friend of mine had to travel clear across the country (2,500 miles give or take) to have an abortion in secret because it was illegal or at least it was in connecticut. she told me years later, but i knew at the time. i just never said anything. i SHOULD have. i SHOULD have told her i understood. it was HER body and SHE had the right to decide. i was very young though (as was she). i don't want to worry about our daughters and their daughters having to go to secret dirty rooms to have coat hanger abortions by men with dirty finger nails. a close relative of mine told me recently she had an abortion MANY years ago. it shocked me because i just never suspected. she told me she just wasn't ready. she KNEW she wasn't ready. she KNEW she would NOT have been a good mother at that point in her life. when she WAS ready, she did have children and is an exceptional mother. i believe we should support SOUND SCIENTIFIC birth control education in our schools. (ABSTINENCE DOES NOT WORK IT WILL NEVER WORK) i believe no one who has an abortion is going to hell (for the abortion at least. then again, i don't believe in hell at all but i'm making a point here). i believe no one should feel shame for making a decision to have an abortion. i believe no woman or no GIRL (there are states where they would want to force a 12 year old who was incestuously raped to have that child) should be FORCED to bear a child. that is barbaric. i believe if you don't want an abortion DON'T EFFING HAVE AN ABORTION. i believe my body is mine and if i want one IT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS nor is it the business of any one other than the medical staff performing it and anyone else I CHOOSE TO TELL

bush vs choice

Tech Tags: blog+for+choice

please check out

net rights advocates AND their special section on protecting kids on the net (i agree, the frontline IS indeed the parents)

i did say welcome home the other day

but you can NEVER say welcome home enough to someone in the armed services who is returning.

and a special thank you to staff sgt mark tripp. your service is most appreciated

Getting A Salute For Their Service Guard Members Spent 18 Months In Iraq

By MONICA POLANCO Courant Staff Writer January 21 2007
WINDSOR LOCKS -- Staff Sgt. Mark Tripp was in the middle of a sentence, trying to sum up his second deployment in Iraq, when a soldier walked over and extended his hand."Better late than never," the man said, never breaking his stride.That sentiment was expressed more than once Saturday at the Army Aviation Support Facility in Windsor Locks during an official welcome-home ceremony for more than 30 soldiers in the Connecticut National Guard's 126th Aviation Regiment. The soldiers spent 18 months in Iraq, and returned in September.Nine soldiers, including Tripp, volunteered for more than one deployment and will receive a freedom ring, a new token of appreciation for soldiers who volunteer to return to Iraq. Welcoming ceremonies are postponed for at least 90 days after soldiers arrive from deployments."Coming off the plane or bus, the last thing they want to do is stand in formation," said Lt. Col. John Whitford, a spokesman for the Connecticut National Guard, which includes 5,000 soldiers.After the event, Whitford said he expects about six more welcome-home ceremonies this year. He also said fewer Connecticut National Guard troops are expected to be deployed to Iraq this year, but he declined to elaborate, saying it was too soon to know for sure."The numbers that we're looking at right now are less than what we had deployed in '06," he said..........

Tech Tags: 126th+aviation connecticut+guard iraq mark+tripp company+g

some good news for the greater hartford area

i didn't even know the university of hartford was planning an arts center. what a wonderful location too! the old thomas cadillac sight. it's close to the university and it will bring a much needed artistic jolt into the hartford area.

every sunday, we used to go to my noni's in south glastonbury for the italian sunday dinner (oh man but that woman could cook AND she taught me!). we used to drive by thomas cadillac and stop at mayron's bakery to pick up some pasteries or cakes to bring. so of course i have fond memories of the area

Arts Center Funds Pledged Rell Says University Will Get $4 Million

By JEFFREY B. COHEN Courant Staff Writer January 21 2007

The last promised piece of the funding puzzle needed to turn the old Thomas Cadillac site into the new University of Hartford Performing Arts Center has been put in place."This was the last big piece we needed," university President Walter Harrison said after learning that Gov. M. Jodi Rell plans a $4 million state contribution. "The exciting part of this project is that it combines a very important need that the university has with a very important need that the Hartford community has. It provides a really important spark to the North End of Hartford and its community."Rell announced Friday that the State Bond Commission is likely to approve the $4 million at its meeting later this month. In a press release, she called the site a "major community resource.""It will draw people to the neighborhood and will serve as an important catalyst for economic development," Rell said.The first phase of the approximately $30 million arts center project is a $21.5 million conversion of the former car dealership near the city's Upper Albany and Blue Hills neighborhoods.The remaining $17.5 million for the first phase has been raised from public, private and university contributions, Harrison said........

Tech Tags: university+of+hartford arts+center albany+avenue blue+hills

Hightower Download: BUSH'S BACKFIRE

da liebs, da lack of concern for da lives (of our men and women)

his views on our presence in the middle east are NOT those of his constituants. BRING OUR MEN AND WOMEN HOME and DO IT NOW.

write him and call him and email him. chances are he won't answer but do it anyway. he was elected (NOT BY ME MIND YOU) to REPRESENT THE PEOPLE

not his ulterior motives

Lieberman supports escalation in Iraq, might filibuster anyone trying to rein Bush in

by John in DC - 1/20/2007 03:18:00 PM
Many of us have been saying for a while now that Joe Lieberman is not a moderate Democrat. He's not even a moderate Republican. He's a conservative Republican when it comes to the Iraq war. He holds the same position as John McCain. And John McCain holds the same position as George Bush. They are a very small minority who believe that the Iraq war is going well, and that we need to send lots more troops into Iraq in order to escalate the war even further. Lieberman is even now talking about filibustering any Democratic attempt put a check on George Bush's never-ending, and ill-considered, attempts to make matters even worse in Iraq........

welcome home!!!

to the members of company g, 126th aviation regiment of windsor locks

we're happy to have you back and we thank you for serving

Conn. soldiers return home

(Windsor Locks-WTNH) _ It was an official heroes welcome for 40 Connecticut soldiers who were deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Members of Company G, 126th Aviation Regiment of Windsor Locks were honored Saturday afternoon with a formal welcome home ceremony.

Tech Tags: connecticut+soldiers 126th+aviation+regiment