as i've mentioned before, my pops lives in the asylum avenue hood

i travel the road daily as do hundreds if not thousands of others. i've ranted and railed about the traffic islands. they're dangerous and unnecessary and cost the fair citizens of west hartfordmucho bucks. i didn't see the accident. i saw the aftermath, i witnessed the ambulances and police cars and other emergency vehicles attempting to traverse down asylum. it was clogged with traffic as it is EVERY day in the morning rush and evening rush. one lane each way. the ambulances were driving on the wrong side of the road because they couldn't get through on the (correct) right side. those islands. now, i don't know if they had anything to do with the horrific accident and death of robert j. sivage. i don't know what happened at all. only that mr sivage was struck in the road, and later died. my thoughts and most sincere sympathy go out to his friends and family. he was far from home too.

the construction on asylum continues. there are many police officers now. cars with flashing lights at either end of the construction zone. there is also an orange vested worker whose sole job (as it appears to me) is to stand there and hold a sign saying 'slow'.

this SHOULD have happened from the get go. the street is horrid and as i said quite dangerous NOW THAT THE NEW SAFETY TRAFFIC ISLANDS ARE HERE.

so if you're on asylum DRIVE SAFELY AND SLOWLY. i am going to be watching and i will either stop you myself or report you

i saw this sign and the flowers yesterday. i didn't know what it was all about. now i do

oh and a shout out to paul garavel. he did the RIGHT thing

Family, Strangers Pay Tribute To Man Fatally Injured By SUV

By DAVID OWENS
WEST HARTFORD — - As police continue their investigation into the accident that claimed the life of a construction worker on Asylum Avenue, a reminder of the life lost sits on a lawn near the spot where Robert J. Sivage was fatally injured.

There's a small bench, six pots of mums and a photograph of Sivage, the construction worker from Austin, Texas, who died after being struck by an SUV just as he and his co-workers were getting ready to leave the work site.

His family gathered at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center to be with him when life support was withdrawn on Oct. 28, the day after the accident. Sivage's heart, lungs and kidneys were harvested to give life to three other people.

Later, Sivage's family gathered near where he was injured to remember him and to erect a small memorial.

Paul Garavel saw the family and wanted to talk to them. He'd heard the accident — a sickening thump, but no sounds of hard braking or a skid — then looked out his kitchen window. "I saw that poor guy lying there," Garavel recalled.

"They had it across the street, over there on the tree, just some balloons and flowers," Garavel said. "Don't leave it over there," he told them. "Put it on my front lawn. It will be more prominent and I'll take care of it."...........

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i would welcome ned lamont

as the governor of our fair state of connecticut. if he decides to run, as of right now, he has my support. JODI MUST GO

plus ned beat da liebs fair and square

Democrat Ned Lamont Exploring A Run For Governor; Shakes Up Democratic Field Vs. Gov. M. Jodi Rell
By

Christopher Keating

In a move that sharply changes the dynamics of the governor's race, Greenwich entrepreneur Ned Lamont announced Wednesday that he is opening an exploratory committee for governor.

Lamont, who spent about $16 million of his own money to run for the U.S. Senate against Joseph I. Lieberman in 2006, would clearly be the wealthiest candidate in the race. The other Democrats have started down the path of seeking public financing and would be limited to $1 million in public funds for an August 2010 primary. The winner of a potential six-way primary would then receive $3 million in public money for the general election.

If Lamont spent only half of what he spent in 2006, he would clearly outspend all other candidates in the race.

Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell has not made any formal announcements, but she has formed an exploratory committee that is raising small amounts of money under the public-financing guidelines. With far higher name recognition than the pre-Lamont Democratic candidates, Rell has had the luxury of delaying any official announcements. Her supporters concede that her name recognition has given her a multi-million-dollar advantage over the Democrats who have been in the race so far.................

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in a few days

we're all going to have to use ALL TEN DIGITS to dial connecticut phone numbers. yes, even if it's to your next door neighbor

Nine Days To 10-Digit Dialing
The Hartford Courant

Your fingers are about to work a little harder.

Starting Nov. 14, all telephone calls made in Connecticut will need an area code -- even to your next-door neighbor, even to your spouse upstairs. Cellphone calls are no exception. Calls outside the local calling area will still need a 1 before the area code, while local calls will require 10-digit dialing, without the 1.

The move is part of the state's evolution to two new area codes. Starting Dec. 12, new numbers given out in the 203 area code could carry an area code of 475. Sometime in 2010, new numbers in the 860 area could be assigned with a 959 area code...........

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oh my goddess, i'm going to wet my pants

THE funniest jokes i have EVER HEARD

please click the link and read them all. pee BEFORE you read them though

10 jokes about Joe Lieberman & his threat to filibuster any health care bill which includes a public option
by David Rees


via

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i HOPE this is good news

it sure SOUNDS like good news at the outset. it couldn't hurt either the fair citizens of new britain or connecticut. we'll have to watch and make sure there are no (more) job cuts either here OR there

Stanley to buy Black & Decker for $4.5 billion in stock

Stanley Works agreed to buy Black & Decker Corp. for $4.5 billion in stock, in a deal that will enable the companies — household names in the U.S. tools industry — to cut costs and exert more influence on pricing. (Wall Street Journal)

Both companies have felt the pressures of the recession, particularly given their close links with the housing industry. The companies expect the combination, which has been approved by both companies’ boards, will result in savings of $350 million a year and to add to earnings by the third year.

The transaction would represent “a landmark move in the tools industry” and one that makes strong sense as the housing market resumes some growth and raw materials prices rebound, said Brian Sozzi, retail analyst at Wall Street Strategies. Together the companies have greater purchasing power.j........................

Stanley Works Shares Rise After Purchase Of Black & Decker

By ERIC GERSHON The Hartford Courant
Wall Street cheered The Stanley Works' purchase of Black & Decker Corp. today, sending shares of Stanley up strongly after executives made their case for the creation of a merged tools giant with large cost savings.

Stanley shares closed at $49.61 on the New York Stock Exchange, up $4.46, or 9.9 percent from Monday's close on a flat day for the Dow – indicating that investors believe the acquisition will boost Stanley's per-share performance. Shares of the companies making large acquisitions often slump immediately after an announcement.

Shares of Towson, Maryland-based Black & Decker closed at $62, up a whopping 31 percent.

The companies said late Monday they had agreed to combine, forming Stanley Black & Decker, with headquarters in New Britain and Stanley's top executives running the company. Black & Decker shareholders would receive 1.275 shares of Stanley stock for each of their old shares. At Monday's close, that would have been a 22 percent premium for Black & Decker shareholders.

In a conference call with analysts early in the day, Stanley CEO John Lundgren and Black & Decker CEO Nolan Archibald said the first order of business would be the integration of the businesses -- a task Lundgren called "a huge challenge," given their scale...........

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this is sort of a big deal.

if you live or work or hang in the enfield area, be aware there were FOUR CASES OF RABIES found there recently. that's a LOT of rabies and remember, that's only what they've found.

in additon to HUMANS BEING CAREFUL, have your pets vaccinated against rabies. not as a favor to me, BUT BECAUSE IT'S THE LAW

Enfield Police Warn Residents of Rabid Animals

Four Wild Animals Test Positive For Rabies

By BEN SOSENKO

Raccoons may look cute, but don't get too close. A young girl in Enfield learned the hard way. She bent over to take a picture of the furry fellow, and was scratched. It turns out the raccoon tested positive for rabies.

That wasn't the only case of rabies. In fact, four animals in Enfield have come back from the lab as rabid since September.

"Rabies can be a deadly disease," said Ashley McMann, an Enfield animal control officer. "Definitely people should be cautious."

McMann says people should stay away from not only wild animals, but any animal they are not familiar with. She said just because an animal looks nice, does not mean it's not dangerous. Also, animal control is saying that pet owners need to be aware as well.............

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blessed be

The Fairies

Up the airy mountain
Down the rushy glen,
We daren't go a-hunting,
For fear of little men;
Wee folk, good folk,
Trooping all together;
Green jacket, red cap,
And white owl's feather.
Down along the rocky shore
Some make their home,
They live on crispy pancakes
Of yellow tide-foam;
Some in the reeds
Of the black mountain-lake,
With frogs for their watch-dogs,
All night awake.

High on the hill-top
The old King sits;
He is now so old and gray
He's nigh lost his wits.
With a bridge of white mist
Columbkill he crosses,
On his stately journeys
From Slieveleague to Rosses;
Or going up with music,
On cold starry nights,
To sup with the Queen,
Of the gay Northern Lights.

They stole little Bridget
For seven years long;
When she came down again
Her friends were all gone.
They took her lightly back
Between the night and morrow;
They thought she was fast asleep,
But she was dead with sorrow.
They have kept her ever since
Deep within the lake,
On a bed of flag leaves,
Watching till she wake.

By the craggy hill-side,
Through the mosses bare,
They have planted thorn trees
For pleasure here and there.
Is any man so daring
As dig them up in spite?
He shall find the thornies set
In his bed at night.

Up the airy mountain
Down the rushy glen,
We daren't go a-hunting,
For fear of little men;
Wee folk, good folk,
Trooping all together;
Green jacket, red cap,
And white owl's feather.

 -- William Allingham

i hope this IS nothing

there's absolutely NO news on this other than the tiny bit below

Suspicious Package Closes Streets Around Hospital

Hartford police and the bomb squad are investigating after a suspicious package was found outside an obstetrician and gynecology office in Hartford on Thursday morning.

The office is located at Jefferson and Main streets and police closed streets surrounding Hartford Hospital and the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. The area has been evacuated, but the Barney building at Hartford Hospital is the only one affected, Hartford Hospital spokeswoman Lee Monroe said. Four people were working in that building................

no need for me to comment

robert scheer has said it all

oh, ok. ONE comment. as always, i think da liebs is a GIANT PILE O' STEAMIN' SHITE

Lieberman Twists the Knife

by Robert Scheer

Is there a more hypocritical figure in American politics than Joe Lieberman? The Connecticut senator declared Tuesday that he would support a filibuster of any health care reform bill that has a public option—even the version with the “trigger” compromise accepted by Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe—because it might cost money.

“I think that a lot of people may think that the public option is free,” said Lieberman, one of the Senate’s big spenders, in a suddenly frugal mood. “It’s not. It’s going to cost the taxpayers and people that have health insurance now, and if it doesn’t, it’s going to add terribly to our national debt.”

This from a senator who, as much as anyone, helped run up the national debt since 9/11 by pushing to raise the military budget to its highest level since World War II. It is a budget inflated by enormous expenditures on high-tech weaponry irrelevant to combating terror, such as the $2-billion-a-piece submarines—produced in his home state of Connecticut—that he claimed were needed to combat al-Qaida, a landlocked enemy holed up in caves. The same week that he and others in Congress passed a $680-billion defense bill larded with pork of the sort he has always supported, Lieberman is worried about the impact of a very limited public option on the debt....

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asylum avenue

in west hartford is closed. it appears it's closed somewhere between trout brook and ballard or griswold. so find an alternate route

i can't find anything online, but on the news, they said a construction worker was hurt quite badly last night. he was struck by a car. i'll keep him in my thoughts.

those wild and wacky connecticut repugs

get 33 bogus accounts tossed (or tos'd as in terms of service) from twitter. i for one couldn't be happier.

however, they (the repugs) have several websites in the NAME OF DEMOCRATS which they refuse to take down. goddess only knows what types of shite they're printing. is this junior high school?

i have always had issues with politicians pointing fingers and saying he did or she did or she did not or he did not. i want to know what the eff YOU are doing or not doing, NOT what the other person is doing or not doing. STAND ON YOUR OWN MERITS (and that isn't peculiar to repugs, i know)

this is just downright distasteful. then again, when you're sinking you reach for ANYTHING

hey chris healy GROW THE HELL UP (is it REALLY free speech if i opened a chris healy, republican web site and acted like i was you....and printed all sorts of stuff i made up? how would YOU feel? would you try to stop me? would you call the authorities on me? OR, would you allow me to say all sorts of shite as i pretended to be you ALL IN THE NAME OF FREE SPEECH??? well chris, that sounds sort of like a plan. i'm actually going to mull it over. careful what you wish for)


uh oh chris, i don't EVEN have to pretend to be you and make shite up! you are doing a GREAT JOB of shitting in your OWN pants

BREAKING: State GOP Chair Chris Healy Arrested for DUI note: that's from 2007

Republicans Overtweet
Twitter shuts down 33 fake accounts created by state Republicans in an attempt to lambast Dems
By Gregory B. Hladky

Barack Obama's victory last year left many Republicans bemoaning their party's ineptitude when it came to political exploitation of the Web. Democrats, they admitted, were far ahead in the art of using the Internet to seduce voters.

So Connecticut Republicans decided it was time to boldly forge into the 21st century, only to stumble when one of their decidedly deceptive experiments ran into trouble last week.

Twitter, Inc., shut down 33 fake Twitter accounts created by Republicans using the names of Democratic state representatives. The Republican scheme was to send out posts under the Democrats' names mocking the liberal tax-and-spend bastards.

"That's unfortunate," was state Republican Chairman Chris Healy's response when told of Twitter, Inc.'s decision. "I'm not quite sure what the issue is, other than that the Democrats were successful in stopping free speech."................

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i was going to write about the

gangs in hartford schools disaster (i don't mean the gangs i mean the lies spewing forth regarding them). i don't have to because helen
ubinas did it. the comments on her article however, are shocking to
me. some of them think helen had ulterior motives. some of them
claimed helen was a hack.

well i don't personally KNOW helen, but i don't think she has any
other motive other than to tell a story the way she sees it

it has been PROVEN (by proven, the parties involved ADMITTED they
didn't 'tell the entire truth' and/or, they said they were
'misunderstood' (i.e. COVERUP).

sorry if the truth hurts BUT IT DOES

AS ANYONE WITH A BRAIN KNOWS (especially the parents of the students
of the hartford school system) THERE ARE GANGS NOT ONLY IN HARTFORD
BUT IN THE SCHOOLS

'not meeting the federal definition of gangs' my big fat ass

king eddie HAS GOT TO GO (he's not the only one at fault BUT after all
he IS king)


Hartford School Superintendent Gave Parents A Show Of Arrogance, Disrespect
Helen Ubiñas
If I hadn't witnessed Hartford School Superintendent Steven Adamowski
berating parents for having the nerve to press for a public discussion
about gangs in city schools, I'd never have truly appreciated how deep
his disrespect runs.

He scolded Milly Arciniegas for allowing the press to attend the
meeting in a tone better reserved for a student than an involved
parent who also happens to be the president of the Hartford Parent
Organization Council.

He accused her of trying to call attention to her candidacy for the
school board.

And then he sniffed at the handful of parents in attendance; as if
such a small group wasn't worth his time.

"I'm very disappointed," he said.

"Wow," one of the other mothers mouthed.

Wow indeed. ........

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et tu van?

$353.00?????????? no way. and at a casino????????????????// no way.


van morrison is my favorite in the entire universe. i love him. i had never seen him until just a few years ago. someone i insulted (because i believed he insulted me first. he claims he didn't but i know he did. i can be BRUTAL and of course i was. i ended up apologizing. as it turned out he had some connections) gave a friend of mine (for me) 2 tickets to go see van. i didn't get them until a few days after the incident. as i said, it was a surprise. i cried when i got them. i cried when i saw van morrison too.

solomon burke was his opening act. he blew me away. by the time van came on i was beside myself. i was absolutely silent and still and in awe for the WHOLE concert (there was a point for just a few seconds i had to direct my attention to someone sitting right in front of me. again, as i said, i can be brutal and THAT incident ended immediately).

there was no small talk. there was no chatting to the audience. there was just raw, beautiful, powerful soul and music. that said, you can see how much i love him. but i would NOT pay $353.00 to see him

van, i still love you the best and i always will. you ARE the best. i'll follow you into the mystic

Van Morrison Doing 'Astral Weeks' In Waterbury, At Foxwoods

By ERIC DANTON The Hartford Courant

These days, an artist who released an album as poorly received as "Astral Weeks" was upon its debut in 1968 would find himself dropped in no time.

Instead, Van Morrison kept making records, and "Astral Weeks" grew in reputation like some half-forgotten secret, gathering word-of-mouth momentum until it was viewed as a landmark album — not only Morrison's best but one of the best of all time.

At once intimate and inscrutable, the album is an experimental masterpiece contrasting simple acoustic guitar with complicated percussion and lush string arrangements on eight songs mixing folk, soul and jazz. It's a powerful collection that has resonated deeply enough with fans over the years to land at No. 19 on Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the 500 best albums of all time.

Last year, 40 years after the release of "Astral Weeks," Morrison revived the album for a handful of performances in Los Angeles and New York, marking the first time he had ever performed many of the songs in concert. He reprises "Astral Weeks" at shows Saturday in Waterbury and Wednesday at MGM Grand at Foxwoods...........

caravan from the last waltz (with the band backing him up)

van morrison 5 part interview with the cbc

it's not what it seems




if you can shake your ass, i guess it must be all right


holy shite, van yucking it up with regis and kelly????????????


pic: Van Morrison sings in concert at the Tower Theater July 10, 2008 in Upper Darby, Penn. (TOM GRALISH, MCT / July 10, 2008)

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..................

i'm afraid of ALL bugs (even ants)

EXCEPT for lady bugs. we had tons of them on our windows at work yesterday (and i work on the fourth floor). they WERE swarming all about. it was kinda cool actually

(and for the record i'm not afraid of snakes or rats or the like. JUST BUGS)

When Ladybugs Attack

By LEANNE GENDREAU and BEN SOSENKO

If you’ve seen ladybugs crawling all over the place today, you’re not alone.

The little crawlers -- also called Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle -- are out in force because the Nor’easter forced them, like the rest of us, indoors, according to the state entomologist.

Then, the suns came, and the bugs came out, looking for a place to winter. Miami, anyone?

In the meantime, they are apparently popping up everywhere, especially light-colored houses, the entomologist said. Not that Google and Twitter are scientific tools, but people from all over are posting about swarms and infestations of the bugs, so it seems Connecticut is not the only ladybug-central Tuesday.......

pic: Getty Images

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an update on the death of jasper howard

Lawyer says an arrest imminent in death of UConn player

By Pat Eaton-Robb Associated Press


Attorney: Police Questioning Bloomfield Man In UConn Stabbing
By DAVE ALTIMARI, DAVID OWENS and CHRISTINE DEMPSEY The Hartford Courant

STORRS - Police have questioned -- but not arrested -- a Bloomfield man about his possible role in the stabbing death of a University of Connecticut football player over the weekend, a Hartford attorney said.

Deron Freeman said he represents a man who was questioned Sunday in connection with the killing of Jasper Howard. He declined to identify his client, but did say he is one of four men UConn police view as "main suspects."

Pictures: UConn Mourns Death Of Jasper Howard

UConn police arrived at the man's home Sunday and asked him to follow them back to Storrs for questioning, Freeman said Monday night. "He voluntarily submitted himself to questioning," the lawyer said.

The man's family contacted Freeman on Sunday because "police were questioning him for quite some time," Freeman said. He contacted police, told them he represented the man and told them to stop questioning him..........

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what?

how could this happen? (well how could any violence happen). how could this happen on school grounds? what is inside of someone's mind allowing them to be able to stab (or shoot) another person?

i can get very angry indeed. i have never wanted to kill someone. EVER

jasper howard was 20. he was going to be a father. to his family, his friends, his teammates, my thoughts and prayers are with you

to whoever did this, you too are in my thoughts but for a totally different reason

UConn Football Player Killed In Campus Stabbing
By DESMOND CONNER The Hartford Courant
STORRS - About nine hours after his Huskies walked off Rentschler Field with a victory over Louisville, after a press conference filled with smiles and platitudes, UConn football coach Randy Edsall's phone rang. When the phone rings at that hour, Edsall said, it's never good.

Edsall would have to go to St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford to identify a body.

Pictures: Jasper Howard's Career At UConn

Jasper Howard, a 5-foot-9, 174-pound junior cornerback for the Huskies, was dead after an on-campus stabbing early Sunday.

Howard, 20, who was soon to become a father, was stabbed near the Student Union. Police also said a second stabbing victim, a male who was with Howard, is not being identified but was treated and released from the hospital.

After he identified the body, Edsall broke the news to Howard's family and to the UConn players.

"There's nothing written in the manual in how to deal with these situations," Edsall said at an emotional press conference. "But I know this — this is a strong team, with strong leadership, and we'll get through it."....

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read this story and if your jaw doesn't drop

like mine did, there is something wrong with you

a psychologist uses info from a patient he was treating to have an affair with the patient's wife. that's NOT the jaw dropping part. people are human. some are good and some are evil flaming assholes (i'm not pointing fingers in this story, i'm just saying some people are ok and some aren't). the jaw dropping point is

THE STATE Board of Examiners of Psychologists put the creature (the therapist) on probation for two years ALLOWING HIM TO CONTINUE TO PRACTICE. i hope every single person in connecticut reads this story. they can then make up their OWN minds if they would wish to be treated by a therapist who did such a thing. and i think you all know what i'm saying here.........


Threat Of Discipline Hangs Over Psychologist Accused Of Violating Patient Confidentiality
By ARIELLE LEVIN BECKER The Hartford Courant
A North Stonington psychologist is accused of having an inappropriate affair with the wife of one patient and of violating confidentiality rules with another.

Rick Blinderman was having trouble with his marriage, so he turned to therapy.

He started sessions with Reuben Spitz, a North Stonington psychologist.

It didn't turn out the way Blinderman had hoped.

He stopped the therapy in 2004, after less than a year. Months later, the therapist began having an affair with Blinderman's wife, Lori. And, court records say, Spitz used confidential details he learned in his therapy sessions with Rick Blinderman to convince Lori Blinderman to leave her husband.

The state Board of Examiners of Psychologists ruled that Spitz's affair with Lori Blinderman violated ethical standards and it put his license on probation for two years, allowing him to continue practicing with supervision. Spitz admitted to the affair but denied that it violated professional standards because he never treated her. He has appealed the board's ruling.........

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ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: now wait a minute..............

ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: now wait a minute..............

see amy and molly, this was NOT me

yet another nunchuck wavin' ninja wantin' to beat on da liebs. but it's NOT me. even though i really really really do NOT like da liebs, i don't want to beat him up (or anyone else). i'm a nonviolent ninja

Vernon "Ninja" Who Wanted To Beat Up Lieberman Arrested
By REGINE LABOSSIERE The Hartford Courant

VERNON - A man dressed as a ninja waving nunchucks on a street corner this morning was arrested and charged with breach of peace, police said......... ............Police said Garland Eastman, 30, of 335 Center Road, was yelling about wanting to beat up U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, among other diatribes, but he became polite and cooperative after officers started pulling out their bean bags and taser guns. He was released to Rockville General Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation................

pic: chocosho plushies

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this is shocking and unbelievable

what? that domestic violence happens? HELL NO. it happens in poor homes, in rich homes. in amish homes, in hindu homes, in white homes, in asian homes, in homes where there are kids and homes where there are no kids. most of the time it happens to women, but it does happen to men as well. it happens MOST of the time behind closed doors although sometimes right out in the open. so why am i shocked? this article states THERE IS AN AVERAGE OF A 20% CONVICTION RATE. what? 20% conviction rate? that is sick-making. that is a crime in itself.

are we not worth protecting? are we not taking domestic violence seriously? (the answers to those two questions is no and no obviously)

it's a crime stemming from insecurity. the abusers want POWER and CONTROL. a 2 day stay in the slammer isn't going to 'cure' that (and neither is a forced enrollment in some half-assed class by the way).

how many murders or near murders stemming from domestic violence have happened in connecticut of late? think about it


Courts In Connecticut Vary Widely On Handling Increasing Number Of Domestic Violence Cases

By JOSH KOVNER The Hartford Courant
BRIDGEPORT — - Jaime Acosta, with a two-year jail term hanging over his head for a domestic violence offense, squirms as he stands before Judge Maria Kahn in Superior Court.

He's in the crowded family violence courtroom for a progress report, and the judge has just reminded him he's got a choice: Finish an intensive batterers-intervention program and see the prison sentence and his guilty plea erased, or go to jail. Acosta opts for the program.

"Oh, and he's still having the jealousy issues," prosecutor Judy Stevens says of the 48-year-old Acosta. "I'll ask the program to address that in the classes," Stevens tells the judge, nodding at Roseanne Esposito, who is sitting a few feet away with a notebook on her lap. Esposito's agency runs the batterers' program.

Sounds simple, but this example of the teamwork in Bridgeport, and the fact that specially assigned prosecutors, public defenders, family-relations staffers and a judge handle every domestic violence case that comes into the courthouse, sets Bridgeport apart from many of the other courts in Connecticut.

Despite an increasing family violence caseload statewide, there remains a wide disparity in the way state courts handle these cases, from pushing defendants to go through intense programs under the threat of jail to going little beyond the standard prosecution..................