always before christmas

they couldn't have done it a couple of months ago OR in another couple of months? it seems rather cruel but it always happens as such

Pratt & Whitney lays off
hundreds
* Jamie Muro
* Erin Cox

East Hartford (WTNH) - The holiday season for hundreds of now-former workers at Pratt and Whitney will be a tough one. The down economy hit home at the company today. Hundreds learned they had been laid off. In Connecticut, nearly 300 jobs are lost.

A Pratt spokesperson say the cuts will affect less than one percent of the company's work force numbering more than 38,000.

Never-the-less, tonight, 350 administrative assistants, engineers and accountants are all without a job.

For more than 60 years, "Augie and Rays" has been a hot spot for warm meals for Pratt and Whitney employees. Marva Timothy has made sure of that. But she doesn't serve as many Pratt customers as she'd like to anymore.

"Years ago, back in the 80's when I started here, this time of the afternoon, would be like lunchtime. Since then, this is what it has come too," Timothy said pointing to her dining room...........

Mystic Seaport lays off
23 employees
Mystic (WTNH) - There are tough times at Mystic Seaport. The maritime museum eliminated 23 full-time positions today..........

let's keep the 103rd

air control squadron in our thoughts and prayers (as we do ALL of our deployed troops EVERYWHERE)

The 103rd Air Control
Squadron deployed
Bob Wilson

(WTNH) - It is an emotional night for Connecticut members of the 103rd Air Control Squadron. For the fifth time since the terror attacks of September 11th, they are heading to Iraq knowing there is a war to fight and an administration back home that's about to change hands.

Many of these airmen have done this before. The send off ceremony has become routine. The 103rd Air Control Squadron has been mobilized five times in the last seven years. Many of the airmen haven't missed a single deployment.

"We have been deployed five times, I have been deployed five times," Lieutenant Col. Bill Neri, of the 103rd Air Control Squadron, said. "And there are a lot of us that have done that. Last year we were in Cutter, and we have a lot of people here that have been on these trips.".......

let's just put aside what i think about hunting

really, let's do that because i have NOT ONE GOOD THING to say about the barbaric activity. not one

so we've put that aside. the killing animals part.

now, let's think about hunting on land that is designated a hunting-free SAFE wildlife preserve. a place where kids come, where people walk their dogs. a place where people never in a million years think they could be shot at

well it appears they CAN be shot at

Claims of hunting in
wildlife preserve
Count on 8 Investigates

North Branford (WTNH) - It's an area of land in Branford designated for a handful of outdoor activities. Hunting is not one of them. But one woman thinks that's happening anyway and she's reaching out to News Channel 8 for information.

Lori Beadreau, of North Branford, takes her dog Nicholis for a walk in the Poska Brook Wild Life Preserve to meet her friend Michelle McAdam, also of North Branford. It's a sanctuary for wildlife.

She took us to where she found deer carcasses and hunting stands. Animal parts are spread around the woods of what's left after hunters gutted the deer. It's a place where they are supposed to be safe from hunters.

"This is a place where people should be able to bring their families and we are nervous and very scared that one of our dogs is going to get shot or hit," McAdam said...........

i was wondering

what the outcome of the julie amero trial was. unfortunately she has to give up her teacher's license. i believe with my heart and soul she's innocent. i sure do NOT believe she was sitting in her classroom intending to look at porn on the computer (in full view of the students). i believe with my heart and soul that computer was infected and ms amero paid the price. i'm glad it's over but i'm sorry for the outcome. i'm sorry the prosecution took the route they took.
Teacher must still surrender license in bizarre 'exposure to porn' suit
By Angela Gunn, BetaNews
A week after the close of the four-year case of Julie Amero, the Connecticut substitute teacher accused of exposing middle-students to online smut, Sunbelt Software CEO Alex Eckelberry doesn't see any real win in the settlement.

"What can I say," he shrugged during a conversation with BetaNews earlier this week concerning the final decision. Ms. Amero, a substitute teacher prosecuted on felony charges after a malware-infected computer in her classroom began spewing ads for adult entertainment sites, agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge, pay a $100 fine, and surrender her credentials to teach in the state of Connecticut. "I'm disappointed it ever got this far." Eckelberry and a group of other computer professionals stepped in to aid Amero's defense team after prosecutors in Connecticut filed those charges. (PDF available here)

The incident occurred in October 2004. Parents of some students complained, and the school district contacted the police. To the dismay of forensics experts, the district was unable to provide firewall records or prove that any significant anti-malware protections were installed on Amero's machine, although she had been instructed never to shut it off. (A PDF is available describing the events in the classroom.)

Prosecutor David Smith and Norwich, Conn. police detective Mike Lounsbury ran a perfunctory test to see if the images in the pop-ups were cached in the computer, and promptly went to bat for conviction on risk of injury to a minor, or impairing the morals of a child. ........

YOU voted for him

(the steamin' pile that is known as da LIEbs), i did not. we have four more years (i believe it's four, i could be mistaken about that though) of this traitorous lying weasel (as i always say NO offense to weasels). we MUST kick him to the curb in four years. why wait though. we didn't promise our first borns to ANYONE. lets kick him out of his committee chairmanship(s). even though we (well you and i weren't part of the royal we) said he could stay, say WE LIED (just like HE did).

rip it out of his lyin' slimy snake hands NOW

Lieberman Contributed to GOP Senate, House Candidates

By Paul Kane

Here's a story of the Thanksgiving spirit, forgiving and forgetting senatorial style.

When Democrats gathered last week to decide the fate of Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), a pair of senators-elect, Tom Udall of New Mexico and Jeff Merkley of Oregon, stepped up to offer symbolically important speeches.

Having ridden the wave of support for President-elect Barack Obama, Udall and Merkley spoke out in favor of the spirit of reconciliation and moving on from the campaign, in which Lieberman was one of the highest profile supporters of the Republican presidential ticket.

But no one in the room knew, as Merkley spoke, that Lieberman had supported Merkley's opponent, Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.). Lieberman, through his Reuniting Our Country PAC, gave Smith's reelection bid $5,000 on Oct. 10, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Lieberman's support of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for the presidency was well known, punctuated by his nationally televised speech at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul criticizing Obama as not prepared to be president. His endorsement of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who has served as the top Republican beside him at the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, also was well known in Democratic circles...........


Sen. Joe Lieberman's (I-Conn.) support of John McCain's presidential campaign was well known. His contribution to Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) was not. (By Melina Mara -- The Washington Post Photo)

enjoy!

then swing on by here to hear the full version

then swing by here

“Alice's Restaurant isn't around anymore. But, as the song says, Alice didn't live in a restaurant. She lived in the church nearby the restaurant... And the old Trinity Church, where Alice once lived and where the saga began has become home to The Guthrie Center and The Guthrie Foundation.

Arlo Guthrie providing a place to bring together individuals for spiritual service, as well as cultural and educational exchange founded the Guthrie Center, an Interfaith Church, in 1991. The Trinity Church where the song The Alice's Restaurant Massacree began and where the movie Alice's Restaurant was filmed, continues to service the local and international community.

Originally built as the St. James Chapel in 1829, the structure was enlarged in 1866 and renamed Trinity Church. Ray and Alice Brock purchased the property in 1964 and made it their home. The building has had several owners since the early 1970s…”

Source: The Guthrie Center........... (pic from there too)

i don't give a flying

yoo hoo what the mayor, the town engineers or town council or whomever says

THOSE ISLANDS ON ASYLUM AVENUE BETWEEN TROUT BROOK AND STEELE ARE NOT ONLY UNNECESSARY THEY ARE DANGEROUS

not 10 minutes ago i left my father's house. i was parked on the street. not 5 minutes ago did someone hit one of the poles (light poles i think) AVOIDING the island.

i want those gone

PLUS i called the town weeks ago and my sister called as well. one of the street lights is out and it's STILL not replaced. 'it's on the list' is what they told my sister

well list this

those 9 cars and this car SHOULD SUE THE TOWN. i know if i was an actual homeowner on asylum i'd sure the hell look into suing.

this saturday

why don't you load up the car and take a leisurely ride to terryville (connecticut). there was a fire at the animal shelter the other day and the dogs and cats who were housed there need to be adopted out ASAP. come on now. you KNOW you want and need a dog or a cat. just take a ride out, you don't HAVE to take one............ (rain date SUNDAY)

Animal Shelter's Volunteers Vow To Find New Location
By MARK SPENCER | The Hartford Courant

PLYMOUTH - Volunteers at the Animal Rescue Foundation, condemned by building officials after a fire Sunday, are determined to find a new location, its president said.

The 25 cats and dogs that were at the shelter have been placed in temporary homes, Kathy Johnson, president of the 32-year-old organization, said earlier today.

The shelter takes in abandoned, abused and unwanted dogs and cats and houses them until they are adopted. Volunteers will be in the parking lot of their former rented facility at 366 Main St., Terryville, with animals up for adoption. The adoption event will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, with a rain date of 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday......

The shelter takes in abandoned, abused and unwanted dogs and cats and houses them until they are adopted. Volunteers will be in the parking lot of their former rented facility at 366 Main St., Terryville, with animals up for adoption. The adoption event will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, with a rain date of 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday.


Tax-deductible donations may be sent to Animal Rescue Foundation Inc., P.O. Box 538, Thomaston, CT 06787.

i dislike the steamin' pile o' shite

known as da LIEbs MORE and MORE with each passing second. what angers me the MOST though, is those that allowed him to keep his chairmanship. those that allowed him to continue as is.

da LIEbs is NOT sorry for one second. he's smug and self-assured. and YOU, YOU DEMOCRATS did it

Lieberman: No apology for attacks on Obama
David Edwards and Andrew McLemore
Although Sen. Joe Lieberman said he regretted some of his attacks on President-elect Barack Obama during the campaign, he declined to offer an apology when pressed by NBC's Tom Brokaw.

The senator said many unfair statements were made about both Obama and Sen. John McCain, and that he is only one of many people who feel regret for the tone of the election.

"I do regret as I said to the caucus and afterward publically, there were some things I said in the heat of the campaign that I wish I had said more clearly. Other things, frankly, I wish I hadn't said at all," Lieberman said. "That happens to all of us in the heat of it campaign but nonetheless, I regret it and I want to move forward."

Brokaw pressed Lieberman for an apology: "I heard word 'regret' but not the word 'apology.'"

"You can take from the word regret what you will," Lieberman said..........

virgin

NO, i mean as in EXTRA. i mean as in OLIVE OIL (a staple in MY home).

#1) i thought there WERE standards that had to be met
#2) who knew connecticut was so progressive olive oil-wise?
#3) come on now, a baby can tell if something is REAL olive oil or a mix.

Oil Vey: The State's First to Define 'Virgin' Olive Oil
State declares what's in a 'virgin' oil.

By Andrew Pergam
The International Olive Council -- yes, there is an Olive Council and it's based in Madrid -- has been pushing for this move for a while: Connecticut has become the first in the U.S. to set standards for that culinary staple.

Now, in a nutshell, olive oil can only be sold as "Extra Virgin" or "Virgin" if it contains no other substances, such as peanut oil.

The state Department of Consumer Protection began working on the issue two years ago, after a Norwalk importer complained............

Connecticut takes on slippery olive oil standards
By SUSAN HAIGH Associated Press Writer

Nov 21st, 2008 | HARTFORD, Conn. -- When food importer Luciano Sclafani spied a three-liter tin of extra virgin olive oil a couple of years ago selling for $9.99, he could tell without tasting a drop that it wasn't legitimate.

Lab tests proved him right. The oil, which should have sold for $25 or $30, was a cheap knockoff, 90 percent soybean oil and 10 percent pomace, the oil that's collected from the ground flesh and pits after pressing.

"Olive oil is the closest thing to my heart that I sell," said Sclafani, president of his family's 97-year-old food-importing and distribution business in Norwalk, Conn.

His revelation helped lead to Friday's announcement by Connecticut consumer protection officials that Connecticut is now the first in the nation to set quality standards for olive oil.........

AP – Luciano Sclafani shows some of the extra virgin olive oil that he sells, at his company's warehouse in …

giant f**kwad

smug son of a thousand bitches. look at his face! he is NOT sorry for one second. do i blame him? HELL NO, i blame the DEMOCRATS for that piece o' steamin' shite that is known as da LIEbs

#1 ) i am shocked

that i didn't hear about this until NOW (the avon cop's emails and barack obama)

like i commented on andy's blog; the cool justice report i worked in avon for more than 1/2 of my life. i saw what i saw when i worked there (meaning i saw who got stopped and who didn't).

how can ANYONE with half a brain pass misinformation on (of the sort that was happening with barack obama). i saw people (on videos, i never saw one in person) foaming at the mouth to get a noose out (and i'm NOT exaggerating either). i saw certain other people (one of whom was sareveil) egg these neo-facist neo-nazis on.

do people REALLY think barack obama is the devil? i don't know. i KNOW SOME PEOPLE THINK I AM (really they do. i'm not just saying that to make a point for this story. i've written that about me before)

Court Documents: Schwapp v. Town of Avon

Avon Cops Forwarded An Obama Smear Before The Election

School To Jail Tracking System For People Of Color In Connecticut

Failing to obey the posted limit (colin's original posting)

if this is true, it's a sad day indeed

my heart just sank and i feel sick to my stomach. as i've said before i could have forgiven da liebs if he would have supported mccain BUT DIDN'T SPEW HIS FILTH AGAINST OBAMA. nope, da liebs let fly with ALL SORTS OF SHITE about obama. now, we're letting him stay? NO NO AND NO. da liebs MUST GO

and i know it's a while away, but the good people of connecticut MUST KICK DA LIEBS TO the curb next time he comes up for re-election. he's scum of the lowest variety

i don't have it within me to forgive sarevil (she was responsible for stirring up the prejudical pot of fear) nor will i forgive da liebs
Democrats Showing Leniency With Lieberman, Source Says
By JESSE HAMILTON | The Hartford Courant




WASHINGTON - Sen. Joe Lieberman may get away with a minor punishment Tuesday morning when the Democratic caucus considers his case -- keeping his most prominent Senate position as chairman of the homeland security and governmental affairs committee, but potentially being stripped of a lesser role, according to a congressional source.

One of his two subcommittee chairmanships -- one with oversight over the Environmental Protection Agency and aspects of global warming -- is on the chopping block, the source said, adding that the negotiations concluded with "a general spirit of reconciliation."

That outcome is far less than some of the most angry Democrats called for, but it fits with the tone of satisfied dominance in this post-election Democratic Party -- including the leniency called for by President-elect Barack Obama.

When Lieberman stood on a Republican National Convention stage in September and told the nation that Obama wasn't ready to be president, Lieberman was going against the party that had granted him the chairmanships of one powerful committee and two subcommittees.........

he's NOT going to apologize

and even if he does - KICK HIS ASS TO THE CURB. i mean it. he went beyond simply backing mccain. he made unacceptable comments about barack obama. it's NOT like he was sarevil or anything......


Rachel Maddow Talks Tough About Lieberman With Sen. Bayh
Posted by Ben Armbruster, Think Progress

Riding the wave of electoral victories on Nov. 4, some Senate Democrats began hinting that they might remove Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) from his post as Homeland Security Committee chairman in part because of ad hominem attacks he levied at Barack Obama during the presidential campaign in support of John McCain.

Last week, however, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) sang a more forgiving tune. "[W]e should have a spirit of forgiveness with regard to Joe Lieberman and reconcile and move forward," Bayh said, suggesting that Lieberman apologize and "let bygones be bygones." Last night on MSNBC, Bayh said Lieberman should be stripped of his chairmanship unless he offers a "sincere apology" for his "unacceptable" rhetoric during the campaign:

BAYH:[Y]ou got to, you know, expect an apology -- a sincere apology -- and you got to keep tell him, "Look, we're going to give you a chance here. But if you don`t do the right thing as chairman, if, you know, we see any continuation with this kind of behavior," well then at that point, you know, the game is up at that point.

MADDOW: And -- but the game would be up in the sense that he would get stripped of his leadership positions?............

mazel tov and cin cin!!!

i've said it all before. there is no reason two consenting adults shouldn't be allowed to marry. are the mormons jealous because their men can only have ONE wife (on earth)? tis ok, y'all can have your multiple wives while you're the god of your own planet (they believe that happens when they die. i'm not making it up). focus on the family? shite, a family means many different things to many people. if there is love and caring and respect and understanding, that just about does it for me. i ask over and over and over - why? why the fear of gay marriage? hell, why the fear of gays? thank you connecticut (although i'm not going to marry anyone of either gender)

top pic:

Shana Sureck for The New York Times

Barbara and Robin Levine-Ritterman left New Haven City Hall with the first marriage license issued to a same-sex couple in Connecticut on Wednesday. Robin is holding the license.

bottom pic: Cheering Crowd

(BOB CHILD / AP / October 10, 2008)

The audience cheers at a rally at the State Capitol in Hartford held to celebrate a ruling by the Connecticut Supreme Court to allow same-sex weddings.

Judge Clears Way For Same-Sex Marriages
BY DANIELA ALTIMARI |The Hartford Courant
NEW HAVEN - A 4-year legal battle for same-sex marriage in Connecticut came to an end this morning in a New Haven courtroom when Superior Court Judge Jonathan E. Silbert signed an order paving the way to couples to get their licenses.

Less than 30 minutes later, at West Hartford Town Hall, state Rep. Beth Bye and her partner, Tracey Wilson, became the first legally married same-sex couple in the state. The experience "took my breath away,'' Bye said.

In New Haven, Jennifer Vickery and Peg Oliveira repeated their wedding vows before a bronze statue depicting the leader of the Amistad revolt. With friends watching and their 3-month-old daughter, Willow, tucked in a carriage nearby, they exchanged rings and pledged to share their lives "in good times and in hard."

The state Supreme Court last month, in a 4-3 decision, ruled that preventing gay and lesbian couples from marrying violates the state constitution. Today's brief hearing was a formality that was needed before gay couples could start receiving marriage licenses. Connecticut has now joined the tiny circle of places where gay men and lesbians can legally wed. For national gay rights activists, the state is a bright spot in the wake of stinging, Election Day loses in Arizona, Florida and, especially, California..........

Gay Marriages Begin in Connecticut
By LISA W. FODERARO
NEW HAVEN — Bunches of white balloons and giant sprays of long-stemmed red roses festooned City Hall here Wednesday morning, as one of the eight couples who successfully sued the state to allow same-sex marriage became the first to obtain a marriage license as the law took effect.
The couple, Barbara and Robin Levine-Ritterman, filled out the paperwork and waited about 10 minutes for it to be processed, but they said they would not marry today because they were still working out their wedding plan. “We’re thinking about doing it May,” said Robin Levine-Ritterman, who was holding a bouquet of roses. “We really wanted to be part of this historic first.”.............

see there ARE things i disagree with obama on

and this is one of them. da liebs is a traitor. i've said it before, i would have forgiven him if he simply backed mccain and kept his mouth shut. he did NOT do that. not only did he back mccain but he said ugly and vile things about obama. i don't care if da liebs gets made a gop martyr or not. i don't want him in MY party. kick him to the curb NOW

Analyst: Obama fears punishing Lieberman would make him a GOP hero
Filed by David Edwards and Muriel Kane
In the wake of the presidential election, one of the most vexing problems for Senate Democrats is how to deal with Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT), who not only supported the candidacy of John McCain but broke earlier promises by engaging in negative campaigning against Barack Obama.

Obama himself reportedly has told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid he would like to see Lieberman remain within the Democratic caucus. Political analyst Howard Fineman explained to MSNBC's Keith Olbermann on Monday why he believes Obama's position makes sense..........

i think we have to start thinking of

kicking harry reid to the curb as well as da liebs.

what sort of pictures does da liebs have on these peeps that they won't do the right and JUST thing by dumping da liebs WITHOUT looking back?

he didn't just endorse mccain (which i could forgive) he said and did things against barack obama. that's inexcusable. we don't want him. he should be punished for his deeds. first by yanking his committee chairpersonships then by the good people of connecticut NOT re-electing him.


Anti-Choice Harry Reid Thinks Lieberman is Progressive
By: Teddy Partridge Sunday November 9, 2008 1:53 pm
....... "Joe Lieberman is not some right-wing nutcase," he said. "Joe Lieberman is one of the most progressive people ever to come from the state of Connecticut."

Progressive Democrats didn't support John McCain for President.

Progressive Democrats didn't undermine our party's nominee by agreeing that it was a good question to ask whether he was a socialist.

Progressive Democrats didn't campaign for downticket Republicans -- Joe Lieberman wrote an op-ed for Norm Coleman! He raised money for Susan Collins! Joe Lieberman took affirmative steps to increase the size of the Republican Senate caucus.

What more evidence is needed to oust Lieberman?

These are not the words of a progressive Democrat:

"Sen. Obama is a gifted and eloquent young man who can do great things for our country in the years ahead. But, my friends, eloquence is no substitute for a record," Lieberman said at the Republican convention in early September.

Lieberman charged that Obama had not reached across party lines to "get anything significant done" and said that the McCain-Palin ticket was "the real ticket for change."

From where Harry Reid sits, as an anti-choice Democrat, every single member of the Democratic caucus looks like a progressive. That doesn't make Joe Lieberman a progressive. It doesn't make him a Democrat, either.............

it's a new day

improper?

no. improper is swearing in front of children. improper is being too lazy to get out of the pool to pee. improper is yelling out 'whipping post' at a diana ross concert. improper is clipping your nails at work.

what da liebs did was NOT improper. it was despicable. it was nasty. it was vile. it was low and dirty. it was vicious. it was unforgivable.

he all but called president elect barack obama a traitorous evil terroist israel hater.

harry reid GROW A SET AND KICK DA LIEB'S ASS TO THE CURB NOW!

Reid: Lieberman did something 'improper'

(CNN) — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made clear Friday he's not happy with Joe Lieberman over the onetime Democrat's avid support of John McCain's White House bid, but told CNN the Connecticut independent has a strong record of voting with the Democrats.

"Joe Lieberman has done something that I think was improper, wrong, and I'd like if we weren't on television, I'd use a stronger word of describing what he did," Reid told CNN's John King. "But Joe Lieberman votes with me a lot more than a lot of my senators. He didn't support us on military stuff and he didn't support us on Iraq stuff. You look at his record, it's pretty good."..........

Lieberman and Reid at a Standoff?

Joe Lieberman Resists Call to Take Lesser Role Among Democrats, Sources Say

By JONATHAN KARL
By all accounts, the meeting today between Joseph Lieberman, the independent senator from Connecticut, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., was a cordial, even friendly, one. But Lieberman made a hard push to remain chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, suggesting he may leave the Democratic caucus if he is demoted, ABC News has learned. For Democrats, this is payback time. They want to punish Lieberman for his high-profile support of John McCain's failed presidential bid, observers say. Democrats were especially infuriated by Lieberman's attacks on Barack Obama during his primetime speech at the Republican National Convention in September........

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