the man IS living in a fantasy world

really he is. he's, at this point, delusional

Sen. Lieberman talks about progress in Iraq

By Chief Political Correspondent Mark Davis
......................"To me there's some significant progress happening in Iraq militarily. Al-Qaeda is on the run, Sunni tribal leaders have become our allies, death caused by sectarian assassination in Baghdad has gone down more than 50 percent," Sen. Lieberman said.Lieberman says he's frustrated by the limited progress made by the Maliki government but does not favor pushing him out."It is a choice that we have now in Iraq between this elected government struggling to make its way forward on the one hand and Al-Qaeda and Iran on the other hand.Lieberman is suggesting the U.S. should push for new provincial elections instead of trying to oust the current Iraqi government."The Sunni's, who boycotted the last election, are ready to come out again. Let let democracy work," Sen. Lieberman said........

does he think THIS is progress: Plane Carrying 4 U.S. Lawmakers Is Fired On in Iraq

an apology

i was minding my own bid-nez as everyone who knows me knows i am want to do. (yeah right). i wanted to get some shots of my sunflower. every year i plant sunflowers at the half door. (i did miss last year but that was a fluke). anyway, after i planted them this year, a person who shall remain nameless (romo) covered the area in mulch. i was livid. only one flower came up. i planted all types, big, small, gigantic and tiny. only ONE came up, the GIGANTIC one. it slowly grew and grew (and i do mean slowly). it's well over 6' tall with a sturdy thick stalk. it does have a flower on the top, BUT it's not yet bloomed. i'll keep my eye on it

anyway, as i was saying..........i need to say i'm sorry............

i went back inside and was enjoying a lovely beverage when i turned around and saw THIS:

(i'm told it's now well over 255,000 safe man person hours. it's, i believe he said 500,000)

of course i couldn't resist gently sharing my thoughts on black and blue square with the two nice gentleman seated at the table in back of me. i let it all out. in my own defense i DID preface my tirade with 'i know YOU'RE not responsible for this travesty. i know YOU are just working and feeding your families'. i am certain they were becoming uneasy and wondering who this nutjob was. i was making my own self uneasy.....i shut up (which is a rarity) for a bit and sent them over a drink. they were both very good sports and i do apologize. working on a project and being responsible for the idea of the project (or the TOWN GIVING THE PROJECT 50 SOMETHING MILLION DOLLARS WITHOUT THE TOWNSPEOPLE'S PERMISSION) is a totally different thing.

this is rather surprising

not that i don't like senator dodd. i do. i wish he'd grow a bigger three piece set though AND get tougher with king george and his court. DEMAND they stop. i know the senate can't impeach unless congress starts impeachment proceedings first, BUT senator dodd could certainly bring charges of crimes against humanity............

Fire Fighters to back Dodd in surprise move

By Sam Youngman
International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) President Harold Schaitberger told The Hill Monday that Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) has won the union’s coveted endorsement.
In an exclusive interview with The Hill, Schaitberger said Dodd was the candidate who had “earned their support,” and that his long legislative record on labor’s behalf was the key to winning the endorsement.
Schaitberger declined to comment on why other candidates, particularly those considered to be frontrunners, came up short. He said the Democratic field was strong but added that Dodd separated himself from the others by going beyond support for their legislative agenda and being “the guy who really carries our water” dating back to 1976......

is this a possibility?

yes, of course it is. i don't think it has high odds of happening though. but one never knows, do one?

da liebs! i haven't done a posting on his highness (he IS a member of king george's court after all) in a while.

where's the barf bag when you REALLY need it?

Say It Ain't So! Is Lieberman In the Running for Attorney General?

Posted by GottaLaff

This post, written by GottaLaff, originally appeared on Cliff Schecter's Blog
That's what Marjorie Cohn is saying on The Thom Hartmann Show. The talk started a few hours ago, from what they're saying. (not that it didn't occur to any of us earlier, but it's going around now) Per Cohn:
* It would stop the Senate investigations dead in their tracks.
* It would guarantee a Senate confirmation.
* It would change the balance of power in the Senate, in favor of the Republicans.
* And it smells of Karl Rove.
Her advice? Barrage the Senate with calls. Make sure this doesn't happen. It would be an unmitigated disaster.
CLIFF NOTE: On the bright side, if I am correct in my understanding of CT law, if this were to occur the GOP Governor gets to put in a placeholder Republican until 2008. Then there is a special election, and no GOPer is winning in CT with one year as an incumbent (expecially considering their choices).
We will get a real progressive like, I don't know, some guy named Lamont. And the Senate organizing arrangement does not change, so the miscreants do not take over. And Lieberman is then irrelevant forever. Just food for thought. ..........

i want to do

THIS

i just sent my boss and his boss the link

i really can't think of a BETTER team building exercise!

pizza on the grill

(tofu pizza top, cheese pizza bottom)

Pizza or bread dough (it was way too hot to make dough this weekend so I bought some. It really WAS the first time I bought it. You know what, it wasn’t bad AT ALL – got it at Whole Foods)
Tomatoes (I used heirloom and a variety of grape and cherry tomatoes. Purple, red, orange, yellow, green) - washed
Olive oil
Sea salt
Pepper
Herbs of your choice
Cheese of your choice (I used parm and gouda and muenster for my pop’s pizza) and I used
TOFU (for my pizza)
Mushrooms (I bought a pack of variety mushrooms. Oyster, shiitake, etc) -- cleaned
Artichoke hearts (I used canned and didn’t cook them with the tomatoes. If you used frozen, I would cook them)
Onions (I used a Vidalia)
Corn meal (all I had some some polenta and I used that)
Spray oil for the grill grates

I made little rounds (well none of them actually turned out ROUND) of dough and placed them in some corn meal. I let them rise a bit. (be sure you put a tiny bit of olive oil on BOTH sides of the dough BEFORE you place one side down in the cornmeal. This will also help prevent sticking on the grill)

In the meantime, line a baking sheet or cookie sheet with foil. Place some sliced tomatoes and grape/cherry tomatoes (if the cherry tomatoes were larger, I cut them in half. If they were small, I left them whole) on the sheet. Slice up some onion and place it on the sheet too along with the cleaned mushrooms. If you have any other vegetables lying around, throw them on the sheet too. Sprinkle liberally with sea salt (really go out and make the investment. Table salt WILL NOT do. It won’t) and pepper. Use any herbs that strike your fancy as well. Drizzle some (GOOD) olive oil (it’s up to you how much) over vegetables. Place under broiler for about 5 to 8 minutes. Turn or stir the vegetables once or twice so nothing gets burned. Let cool a bit then pour into a large bowl and stir.

Toss the little dough rounds onto your grill (I have a charcoal one, not gas. So I let the coals – I ONLY use lump/hardwood charcoal- burn down and get white hot. Remember to oil those grates!!!) CORN MEAL SIDE UP. Cook for a few minutes until you have some char marks – BUT DO NOT burn. Really they shouldn’t be on there MORE than five minutes. I also put them around the edges of the grill – in the indirect heat. Take them inside (unless you have a work surface outside). Place corn meal side down and on the side you cooked a bit which is UP now), place a tiny bit of parm (if you are using cheese). Then liberally place your tomato mixture. Top with some shredded cheese of your choice OR tofu (I freeze it for a couple of weeks, then defrost it. It takes on a chewy consistency). Bring back out to the grill and place corn meal side down. Cover grill and let cook for about five minutes (don’t try to move them before five minutes because they’ll stick. After about five minutes check the doneness. If they need more time, let them sit there. If not REMOVE AND ENJOY!

i'm old

i remember patrick as a VERY young kid. almost a baby. (he's STILL a young kid of course but i mean a little boy) i knew his father back (we worked together for more years than lots of people have been married) in the day but i didn't become friends with him until a bit later. when patrick was a boy. even though i don't see patrick's parents very often, they still have a very large part of my heart. they're dear, caring people.

i'm excited for him. i wonder how patrick will feel inking a friend of his pops?????

A CARTOON CLASS with Jon Squier of Collinsville when he was 8 influenced Patrick MacDonald's life. Meanwhile, the local artist, known for his ironic, humorous designs, developed an interest in tattooing. Now MacDonald is 22, and the two are opening a business together. A grand opening of the Main Street business is planned for Sept. 29. (RICK HARTFORD / August 22, 2007)

Boyhood Hero Is Tattoo Partner

By MARK SPENCER Courant Staff Writer CANTON - When Patrick MacDonald was in the fifth grade he wrote an essay about his hero, Jon Squier.He had met Squier, a local artist and gallery owner, when MacDonald was 8 and his mother had enrolled him a cartoon drawing class Squier taught.MacDonald took the class, which fed his love of drawing, again and again. By the time he was in fifth grade he realized how hard it was to make a living as an artist. Squier was actually doing it - "living the dream" as MacDonald puts it - and as far as he was concerned, Squier was the man

These days, Squier and MacDonald are still teacher and pupil, though the roles seem to switch back and forth effortlessly between the two as they work together at Jon Art Tattoo, which Squier recently opened at 100 Main St. in Collinsville.Squier, 50, grew up in Cheshire and spent a good part of the 1980s as a street artist in New York City. He moved to Canton in the early 1990s and opened Jon Art Gallery, also on Main Street in Collinsville, where he sold his own work and that of other artists.......

connecticut stop of the day

bloodroot restaurant

(and YES you can go if you are male and YES you can go even if you are a carnivore)

.....A NY Times article called Bloodroot "A Salon for Activists". Yes, lively political conversation is usually as close as the next table, posters for animal and women's rights are in clear view, but mostly people come from all around to eat our good food and enjoy a relaxing atmosphere.
There's no cash register and no waitressing. Place your order with a woman seated behind a desk after making your choice from the blackboard menu. Enjoy your food either in our comfortable dining room or on our patio in good weather, and bus your own table when you are through.
Things are a little different here. It's evident from the moment you step inside the door. This is a feminist vegetarian restaurant. ...

the road up mt equinox

Certain rows of dubious flapping tongues
Have questioned what is termed 'your happiness'
But I stand mute
For I see
You hold the gift of mirth
And that is worth more than
All the lines of tears
That can be licked from analytical lips

i believe that is how the poem went. i am certain i have a copy of it somewhere. perhaps in my parents attic. it was written for me while i was in high school by my best friend (at the time and for many many many years afterward. we haven't spoken though in well over ten years) phillip

(i had told him a story of how my parents brought me and my sistettes, while we were all little grrrls, on a road trip to mt equinox. it was NOT a pleasant trip)

super

chick sisters

(a game on the peta website. pam anderson goes after kfc and frees a bunch o' boids in the process)

whew!

pilar maria aureliana buendias can rest easy now! (well at least where the appellate court of connecticut is concerned)
awwwwwww poor poor downey. it was a 'difficult time' for him (i do NOT blame his family though. the sins of the father are NOT my sins and all. so i DO have sympathy for them)



Rell Pulls Judge's Name
Downey Opts Out Of Appellate Bid



By MARK PAZNIOKAS And CHRISTOPHER KEATING Courant Staff Writers



Gov. M. Jodi Rell withdrew her nomination of Judge John R. Downey to the Appellate Court on Wednesday, one day after Downey's views on illegal immigrants roiled his confirmation hearing.Downey asked Rell to withdraw his name in the face of a legislative inquiry about his statements in Superior Court that undocumented immigrants had no right to the state's civil courts."I respect Judge Downey's decision," Rell said in a terse statement released shortly before 6 p.m. "I'm sure it was a difficult one for him and his family."...........

so does this mean if my name was pilar maria aureliana buendias

i would have to have PROOF of american citizenship BEFORE judge john downey would hear my case?

would he demand proof of my american citizenship BEFORE hearing my case if my name was suzie phelps?

i think we ALL know the answer
what i don't understand is WHY is he still being questioned. obviously he is NOT a fit for the position

Confirmation hearing continued for controversial judge

by Chief Capitol Correspondent Mark DavisPosted Aug. 21, 2007
Hartford (WTNH) _ The nominee for the state Appellate Court fielded questions this afternoon from state lawmakers during his confirmation hearing, but will be continued as lawmakers review new information.
Judge John Downey, 56, has been on the Superior Court bench for over six years and the things he has said on and off the bench are coming back to haunt him.......
....But Downey has bigger problems. In a court transcript of a wrongful death case from last year, Downey questions a lawyer:
DOWNEY: What was the person's name?LAWYER: Juan Ricardo Brito was the full name. DOWNEY: I presume he had all his documentation as to his being legal here in the U.S.?LAWYER: I believe so. That hasn't been raised as an issue by anyone. DOWNEY: Well, it might be an issue in Judge Downey's court because I believe that no one has a right to sue in the State of Connecticut court system unless they're authorized to sue. .............
..........Under questioning today, Downey said he was aware of the Supreme Court ruling and was just playing verbal intellectual tennis with the lawyer.
"It was just an intellectual position I took with another bright, able attorney to see what his response would be before we launched into the rest of the case.
But lawmakers on the committee say they have other transcripts from other trials. One divorce case Downey refused to hear because the couple did not have documentation of citizenship. ..........

he's trying to dance but guess what? downey NEVER paid the piper!

Nominee In Doubt
Apparent Discrepancy Stalls Downey's Confirmation

By MARK PAZNIOKAS Courant Staff Writer
The nomination of Judge John R. Downey to the Appellate Court stalled after legislators questioned whether Downey had misled them earlier Tuesday by downplaying a suggestion he made last year that illegal immigrants had no right to use the courts.The legislature's judiciary committee postponed action on Downey's confirmation after obtaining two transcripts in which the judge, in 2002, emphatically stated that illegal immigrants have no right to the state's civil courts. Legislators say he ignored case law and the state constitution.The transcripts raise questions about his truthfulness and his command of the constitution and the law, said the committee's Democratic co-chairmen, Sen. Andrew McDonald of Stamford and Rep. Michael P. Lawlor of East Haven............

this to me is not only unbelievable

but UNACCEPTABLE

four teenagers SHOOTING BB GUNS at passing cars - hitting a police car AND jeff hawke IN THE EYE (blinding him in that eye, perhaps temporarily perhaps for good) AND three of them GET PROBATION AND HAVE TO WRITE AN ESSAY? (the fourth is yet to come before the judge). i wish they published the judge's name in this story. i sure would have liked to put it in this post. she or he made one hell of a LOUSY DECISION here.

and parents, why the f**k are you buying your kids bb guns in the first place? there is NO reason on this goddess' earth a kid or a teenager should HAVE a bb gun. NONE
(oh and mr hawke i'm very sorry this happened to you. both the shooting AND the guilty parties NOT being properly punished. shite, at the VERY LEAST the judge SHOULD HAVE sentenced ALL OF THEM to do things for you. wash your car, mow your lawn, do chores FOR A VERY LONG TIME. but nope, AN ESSAY)

Man shot in the eye expected harsher punishment for suspects

by News Channel 8's Jamie Muro
New Haven(WTNH) _ A Guilford man shot in the eye with a BB was ready to turn the other cheek until the punishment for the culprits came down. Jeff Hawke of Guilford was expecting a harsh punishment, but now he says he would at least like to sit down with the teenagers and ask them why they felt they needed to shoot at passing cars. Meanwhile, he continues to wonder if his left eye will ever get back to the way it once was.
"My vision is still blurry, I'm having a tough time driving," says Hawke.
Hawke never thought it would be driving that would lead to so many problems with his sight. Last month, North Branford Police arrested four teenagers atop a hill on Foxon Road who had opened fire on passing cars with automatic BB guns. ....

i KNOW we all have at the very LEAST

some USED DVDs we can spare FOR OUR TROOPS!

Operation DVD of Connecticut

In an effort to further support our troops, AMVETS Department of Connecticut is joining with AMVETS across the nation in launching Operation DVD to provide a safe form of entertainment and distraction for our troops overseas. Safe entertainment is a concept that is difficult at best for our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even baseball and softball games are no longer possible because of snipers, mines, bombs and other terrorist activities. Through Operation DVD, AMVETS has a goal of collecting 1 million new and used DVDs for our troops. If you have not heard of the program, please take a few minutes to check it out at www.OperationDVD-ct.us .

les fleur du mal

i think these are morning glories but i don't know for sure. they did close up by about 11:00 am. taken sunday morning august 19th 2007

(note: looks like they ARE morning glories and their name is "milky way")

seven families, seven stories

including one from connecticut

this is from 2005, but it could very well be from TODAY. we must remember those lost (not just in this war but all wars before) and we MUST demand an end to this insanity

Coming Home: Seven Families Lay Their Fallen Soldiers to Rest. A Photo Essay

Anthony Swofford

For a moment, imagine the coffins empty, the burial grounds free of people, free of despair. Imagine the young men and their young bodies doing the work of youth. Imagine the parents watching a television drama or chatting on the porch with their neighbors. Pretend the death-folded flags are stacked on a sergeant’s supply shelf, gathering dust rather than grief.This is, of course, a foolish and dangerous game. It’s the game the Bush administration would prefer we play, but more corpses are en route, and more broken bodies, shattered psyches, damaged souls.My combat death fantasies began before I joined the Marine Corps. They started with Platoon, and the not-so-friendly-fire casualty of Sergeant Elias, his arms outstretched in martyrdom and splendor. Willem Dafoe’s character had fought both the Viet Cong and the Army’s own demons with veracity and courage. Good men die tragically, and the best die in combat. I’d grown up around the military, and, without being aware of it, internalized the military’s obscene power and culture. I had pallets full of honor and sacrifice waiting on the docks, manifested for shipment to lands foreign, dangerous, and strange. My father had survived combat in Vietnam, but I might go fight for my country and die, tragically and heroically—I’d die in the storied bloody fields of American history where my father had not.By the time I arrived in Saudi Arabia to fight in the 1991 Gulf War, my fantasies had been replaced by the very real facts that surrounded me, in the buildup of troops and the matériel carried on my body: rifle, pistol, grenades, a radio with which I might call in 500-pound bombs. I was here to kill, and people on the other side of that sand berm wanted to kill me. The romance of a combat death evaporates when combat arrives.......

cockfighting in bloomfield

thank the goddess animal control officer christine sparks HEARD the sounds of roosters crowing and investigated.

i'm only sorry this story does NOT have the name of the man who has the warrant out on him. i'd like to know it AND publish it. perhaps if this scum had part of his anatamy surgically removed and fake ones attached he'd learn his lesson

Police Raid Alleged Cockfighting Operation

By CAROLYN MOREAU The Hartford Courant
BLOOMFIELD - Police broke up what they described as a well-organized cockfighting operation in Bloomfield early Thursday morning, seizing 14 roosters and 17 hens.Some of the roosters had had their spurs surgically removed, their combs cut away, and feathers on their legs, rear ends and backs were shaved. Police said that fighting birds regularly have their spurs removed so that artificial metal spurs can be attached. Metal spurs cause more severe injuries in a cockfight and these injuries are more visible to spectators if the lower feathers are removed.Some of the roosters carried scars typically seen in fighting cocks, police said. Police entered the home at 10 Sandra Drive shortly after 6 a.m.. They'd obtained a search warrant after Bloomfield Animal Control Officer Christine Sparks heard the sound of roosters crowing while investigating an unrelated animal control problem on Sandra Drive...........

FINALLY

ryan riddle gets his benefits. WHICH of course are due him. being SHOT in iraq and all....

Southington vet to receive benefits

by News Channel 8's Alan Cohn

Southington (WTNH) _ The Veteran's Administration has reversed its initial decision to deny benefits to a soldier injured in Iraq.
For months, the VA stubbornly stuck to its decision that it could not find any evidence that Ryan Riddle was shot in Baghdad and deserved combat-related benefits.
Riddle received the call from VA's Director of Benefits and he could not be more relieved saying, "I thought it was about time. Thank God everything has been made right. It's a big relief off my shoulder, like someone came and picked up that boulder off my shoulder."
Riddle's military records were lost after he was discharged from the Army, and when he first applied for combat-related benefits, the VA told him for all they knew he was "shot on the streets of Hartford."................

please understand. i do NOT condone

THIS

as a matter of fact, a person would be taking their life in their hands by attempting this with any kitty i personally know.

i just HAD to share though

welcome home to

the 143rd Combat Support Battalion!!!

thank you for serving but we sure are wicked happy you're home now (and we pray here to STAY)

Waterbury guard unit returns from Iraq

by News Channel 8's Tricia Taskey

Waterbury (WTNH) _ It was a happy homecoming Wednesday for dozens of members of a National Guard Unit out of Waterbury.
Seventy soldiers from the 143rd Combat Support Battalion arrived home Wednesday morning after a year of deployment in Iraq.
Mothers, fathers, wives, husbands and children waited as the bus holding their loved ones finally arrived.
"Nobody knows what parents go through when they have a child in the service. People talk about the war, but nobody knows what goes on until you have your own child is there," said Lucy Cruz, mother of soldier.
"You're being thrust from a 2-person household to a single parent. You're a mom and a dad, doing everything. Get this one to baseball practice, this one to dance. Don't forget cough medicine on the way home so you're not going out in the middle of the night to get it," said Melissa Couture, wife of soldier........

and here's a video of some of the homecoming