plan b at one way fare (simsbury) CONTINUED - OPENING TODAY!!!

plan b at one way fare (in simsbury) will open today!!!

last night it opened for the friends and family gathering. plan b in west hartford also (almost EXACTLY one year to the day) had the day before 'friends and family'. i don't do people well (as my friend joe says, there will be people there, so a rose is a rose will NOT be there) so i decided NOT to attend. what i DID do though, is stop by in the afternoon. shawn, jen, al, ryan, joe, paul and a BUNCH of other people were putting the finishing touches on. i was literally AMAZED. what they did was astounding. they kept ALL of the charm of one way fare (i know EVERYONE was so very worried about losing that historic place) BUT made it PERFECT. i tell you it's perfect.

now remember, they were putting the finishing touches on BEFORE friends and family night.

(i am SO impressed you guys-a most OUTSTANDING job you ALL did!!!)

from the cool justice report

Making Perverts Pay

Megan Kanka and Jessica Lunsford:Battling Sexual Predators
By RICHARD MEEHAN
The Cool Justice Reportwww.cooljustice.blogspot.com
July 11, 2007
EDITOR'S NOTE: This column is available for reprint courtesy of The Cool Justice Report, http://cooljustice.blogspot.com

The tortured and ravaged death of a child has once again defined the law in Connecticut. In 1994 seven-year-old Megan Kanka was raped and murdered by a convicted sex offender who had moved into her New Jersey neighborhood. No one knew that a sexual predator named Jesse Timmendequas lived only doors down from Megan’s home. He lured her inside with a promise to see a puppy. He had two prior convictions for the sexual assault of very young children.Megan’s death became the catalyst for the establishment of sex offender registration programs through out the country. Profiles and locations of registered sex offenders are now available online in Connecticut at www.ct.gov/dps/cwp.


In 2005, 10-year-old Jessica Lunsford was abducted, raped and murdered by another convicted sex offender. Following her death Jessica’s dad, Mark Lunsford, crystallized efforts for more stringent controls of sex offenders and greater prison sentences. Ironically Jessica’s older brother was later arrested for unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.As we have adopted a version of Megan’s Law, Connecticut has now adopted a version of Jessica’s Law. Jessica’s Law, Public Act 07-143, effective July 1, 2007. The purpose of the Act was to create mandatory minimum sentences for sex offenses against minors under the age of 13. Here are some of the highlights of the law:Section 3 of Jessica’s Law creates a new offense of aggravated sexual assault on a child under age 13, which now becomes a Class A felony with a penalty of a 25-year minimum mandatory sentence for a first conviction, and 50-year minimum mandatory sentence for a second offense;......................

a big fat shout out to justin goodman!

from what i know about justin, he really is a special person



(a caveat to this is, i personally do NOT support everything peta does. i used to be a member, but i no longer am. i DO support SOME of their activities though)


Creature Discomforts
Justin Goodman Fights For Humane Treatment For Animals, Including Pigs





By KATHLEEN MEGAN The Hartford Courant





Justin Goodman came to Connecticut three years ago to finish his undergraduate degree and pursue graduate work in sociology at the University of Connecticut, but there's little doubt he's most known here for his work protecting laboratory animals.Recently, Goodman, who is 27 and lives in Vernon, received PETA's Nanci Alexander Award - a national award given to the activist of the year - for his success in exposing experiments on monkeys' brains at the University of Connecticut Health Center. Last year, the research - which PETA called "cruel and deadly" - was shut down..........

picture: HOLLY BEAL / PETA, July 12, 2007
Goodman with, from left, actress Pamela Anderson, PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk, and Nanci Alexander, a Florida activist, during an awards ceremony in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

every once in a while i'll post a STUPID connecticut criminal

well today it's NEW HAMPSHIRE that has the honors





Robber disguised as tree hits N.H. bank

MANCHESTER, N.H. --Leaf it to New Hampshire, where a bank branch was held up by a man disguised as a tree.
Just as the Citizen Bank branch opened Saturday morning, a man walked in with leafy boughs duct-taped to his head and torso, and robbed the place.
"He really went out on a limb," police Sgt. Ernie Goodno said Sunday.
Police said the leafy man didn't saying anything about having a weapon, just demanded cash, and was given an undisclosed amount.
Although the branches and leaves obscured much of the man's face, someone who saw images from the bank's security camera recognized the robber and called police..........

This security camera photo provided by the police shows a bank robber, left, wearing a disguise of leaves duct taped to his head and torso in the Citizens Bank, in Manchester, N.H. Saturday, July 7, 2007. (AP Photo)

(note: he DOES get a few points back for using duct tape though)

if you want to read about ANOTHER kind of bank robber, stop by cv rick's and get the scoop on one he knew

this is a billboard up by fenway

which would make it a bit more enjoyable on the mass pike!

(the even better part about it is the boston police and lt governor and the state police all welcome it!)

Gun control message is put across

listen to andy and colin

plan a poety gathering while they were on the air yesterday

go here for the podcast link

andy's blog the cool justice report

colin's blog to wit

black and blue (square) and the 'sterilazation' and death of west hartford center as we KNEW AND LOVED IT

i don't want black and blue square in my town. i'm shite out of luck on that one though 'cause it's there and i can't do a thing about it. west hartford center will now be a breeding ground for suvs and designer outfits (well it HAS been that for a while now but it will be WORSE) and martini drinking 'i want the world to see how cool i am' asses.

i'm in mourning

i want the acorn shop back
i want hilliards (sp) back
i want the lasalle shop back
i want teh central to be back
i want dunns to be back

Rents Rise, Some Worry
Longtime Businesses In West Hartford's Prime Shopping District Have Seen Lots Of Changes

By EZRA R. SILK Courant Staff Writer

WEST HARTFORD - Pfau's, an old-fashioned hardware store with tin ceilings where a homeowner can buy a single set screw and still get solid advice on house repairs, is a retail throwback in the glitzy regional shopping area that is downtown West Hartford.So is the Family Hair Care shop on LaSalle Road. The barbershop, which Tom Reddin opened 49 years ago, doesn't look like it's changed much. It has turn of the century barber chairs, a life-size pirate in the front window and hundreds of Elvis pictures and memorabilia.Reddin, 70, sports Elvis sideburns and slicked-back hair, both a testament to the King..........

.......................Now the center is a gleaming consumer bauble, soon to be enhanced by the $159 million Blue Back Square complex, complete with big-name anchor stores.............

.........Reddin is more blunt about the changes he's seen in West Hartford's retail heart: "The center has been sterilized."He remembers Hillyer's Candy Store, the LaSalle Restaurant deli, the recently shuttered War and Pieces hobby store and other evaporated retail haunts.To Reddin, high prices borne out of high rents have driven out some with smaller pockets, such as teenagers.............

and another goodbye to Spc. Andre Craig, Jr

my thoughts and prayers are with your family and friends

New Haven Soldier Laid To Rest

Bob Child, Associated Press( July 6, 2007)
A U.S. Army honor guard puts Andre Craig Jr.'s casket into a hearse as Craig's family waits inside the doorway of Immanuel Missionary Baptist Church in New Haven.

my thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and family of petty officer 1st class jason dale lewis

Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Jason D. Lewis



i am so very sorry for your loss. my thoughts and prayers are with all of you and with all of the men and women so far from home.


of course my thoughts and prayers for the families and friends of petty officer 1st class Robert Richard McRill and petty officer first class Steven Phillip Daugherty as well

Brookfield Navy SEAL killed in Iraq

(Brookfield-WTNH) _ Petty Officer First Class Jason Dale Lewis, 30, died Friday in Iraq while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The Navy says Lewis died when an improvised explosive device detonated under the Humvee in which he was riding. Robert Richard McRill, 42, and Steven Phillip Daugherty, 28, also died in the IED blast.
The Brookfield native joined the Navy in 1996. He lived in Virginia Beach with his wife and three children.
Governor Rell has ordered all state and U.S. flags be flown at half-staff in honor of Lewis........

Brookfield Native Dies In Iraq

By DAVE ALTIMARI Courant Staff Writer

A 30-year-old Navy SEAL who was a Brookfield native was killed Friday by an improvised explosive device during a combat mission in Baghdad, military officials confirmed on Saturday.Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Jason D. Lewis was one of three sailors killed by the bomb. Naval officials would not release any more details on how or where Lewis was killed or what the sailors were doing when the bomb exploded, citing security concerns.Lewis is survived by his wife, Donna, and three children who live in Virginia Beach, Va. Donna Lewis is also from Brookfield.................

we STILL don't have our tax bills yet in west hartford

of course taxes were due july 1st. when i called the town last week they confirmed they were NOT mailed yet and there would be an extension. i forgot if she said until august 1st or the END of august. that's neither here nor there, we're all going to be paying taxes OUT our ASSES

black and blue square was supposed to STOP that from happening. of course not only hasn't it stopped it, so far (and it's not even opened yet), it's MUCH MUCH MUCH WORSE.

it's a horror show driving ANYWHERE near the center. i'll only stop now to run into sit-n-knit. and then only in a yarn emergency.

farmington avenue is a mess, trout brook is a mess and please don't even get me started on main street AND park road (especially by the highway exit).

speaking of black and blue here is an article listing more of the stores and whatever else that's going in there

Retail space is filling up at Blue Back Square

Heavy construction continues at Blue Back Square in West Hartford Center, in anticipation of a November 2007 opening. An update was released this week from the developers, reflecting a significant step forward in the number of retail tenants signing rental leases. The retail spac, as expected, is filling up.

When completed, Blue Back Square will have a total of 600,000 square feet of space that will include condominiums, apartments, medical offices, a Healthtrax fitness center, professional offices (non-medical), a movie theater, restaurants, and the retail stores. Ed Pilkington, executive director of the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce, sees Blue Back Square solidifying West Hartford Center's regional attraction. "On behalf of the Chamber, I am very excited about the diversity of retail options," said Pilkington. "These tenants are great additions to Blue Back Square and they will contribute to West Hartford remaining the premier shopping destination in the region."Retail tenants include a 1,988-square-foot Lucy Activewear, a 4,163-square-foot National Jean Company, a 3,100-square-foot Homeward Bound, and a 1,201-square- foot JD's Cosmetic Essentials. Robert Wienner is a partner in Blue Back Square/JDA Development. "I am thrilled with the amount of response that we have had to leasing retail space at Blue Back Square as we move toward grand opening this fall," Wienner said in a prepared statement. "We are currently over 85 percent leased and have continued progress and interest from many different retailers, restaurants and service oriented merchants."....

NOTE: i had not heard of most of these stores before so i looked them up. lucy activewear looks like a medium priced clothing store for 'hip YOUNG teenaged typed babes'. national jean company sells different brands of jeans to 'hip YOUNG teenaged typed babes'. homeward bound is a connecticut based store focusing on the greening of the earth (i'm guessing they are higher end. how else could they afford the black & blue rent??? any way seems they sell furniture and the like). jd cosmetics sells a few (very few from what i could tell) higher end cosmetics for the 'hip YOUNG teenaged typed babes' to look AS BEAUTIFUL AS THEY CAN. janie and jack sell baby clothes (i'm sure nothing i'd ever put a kid into. oh shoot, i take that back, i WOULD put a kid into that beret!). there are other stores named in the article and a movie theater and a restaurant that serves big hunks o' dead cow.

beret picture: janie & jack

more plan b at one way fare news

UPDATE (click link to the right for pictures) - july 13 2007 : opening july 13 2007

during the late afternoon on the fourth of july - i ran into shawn and jen and al. where were they all morning and afternoon? WORKING ON PLAN B AT ONE WAY FARE! dedication i must say

at any rate, shawn assures me it will be open NEXT weekend (no, not THIS weekend). it will be exactly a year from the opening of plan b in west hartford.

how fortuitous!

i can't wait to go see it. they really have been working so damn hard on it.

(p.s. shawn, thanks for the stoli elite!)

look out for this GIANT tag sale

to assist with aids patient housing

the tag sale is on park road in west hartford on july 13th and 14th. just a stone's throw away.

stop on by, i'm sure you'll find at least a LITTLE something to your liking



Jumbo Tag Sale To Help Home For AIDS Patients

By JOANN KLIMKIEWICZ
Hartford Courant

Black-tie benefits, with their posh guest lists and steep ticket prices, do a nice job of pulling in charitable donations. This Loretta Dyson knew.
'But they're a little bit pricey for plain folks like me,' says Dyson. 'I thought, `How about something that would appeal to just about anybody and everybody?'' She thought about it and thought some more. And then it came to her.
A good bargain. Who doesn't love a good bargain? And so was born the Tabor House Tag Sale, a massive annual event Dyson helped launch 13 years ago to raise funds for local men and women living with HIV/AIDS. From the first tag sale's $2,000 profit to last year's record $10,000, every dollar and dime has gone straight to Tabor House, one of the state's first AIDS residences. Proceeds from this year's event, scheduled July 13 and 14 at the convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph at 27 Park Road in West Hartford, will also benefit AIDS Project Hartford.....

this tracking sounds like a GOOD idea to me

as long as it's not abused, i think it's a grand idea. the MORE we can do for our veterans the better!
Tracking Wounded Veterans
State Seeks Notification When Troops Come Home So It Can Offer Services

By JESSE HAMILTON | Courant Staff Writer

NORWICH - Connecticut political leaders have taken the lead in trying to establish a simple paperwork procedure that may help save wounded war veterans from bureaucratic limbo.

Right now, when a member of the military who has been wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan is discharged from active duty and returns to his or her home state, the state is not told by the Department of Defense.

Though those veterans may be eligible for state services, the state has no way of knowing they are back.
So U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, said Tuesday that he will introduce a stand-alone bill next week that would direct the Department of Defense to tell states the names and contact information of all servicemen and women discharged from the military, to help them get the services they're entitled to.
...........

it's about darn time!!!

i think this is a MOST welcome idea!!!

State to offer online vehicle registrations

WETHERSFIELD, Conn. -- The state will try out a new program allowing some vehicle owners to renew their registrations online, Gov. M. Jodi Rell said Tuesday.Registrations are currently renewed through mail or by visiting a Department of Motor Vehicles branch office.
"This is a long-overdue but fantastic start for making DMV transactions accessible online to those who want this convenience rather than going to a DMV office or using the mail," Rell said. "Other kinds of the upgrades in technology now occurring in the agency will help DMV bring online more services to benefit residents."............