i don't want to mention his 'church' either.
i believe in free speech. i don't like laws that limit it either. HOWEVER, i would make an exception in each and every case involving 'these people'. i have to watch what i say because a lot of them are lawyers (which is hard to believe, but apparently true). they don't belong out in the world anywhere.
let our soldiers rest in peace. once again to the family and friends of 1st lt keith heidtman, my heart goes out to you. my thoughts and prayers are with you.
Conn. fast-tracks protest law in advance of soldier's service
By Susan Haigh, Associated Press Writer
HARTFORD, Conn. --State legislators and Gov. M. Jodi Rell worked together Tuesday to fast-track legislation that limits protests at funerals before members of a radical Kansas church appear at a Norwich soldier's funeral Friday.
The Senate and House approved a measure Tuesday night and immediately sent it to Rell, who was expected to sign the bill as soon as possible, said spokesman Rich Harris.
The legislature already passed such a bill earlier in the session, but the law wouldn't have taken effect until Oct. 1. This new law takes effect immediately.
The Westboro Baptist Church of Kansas has announced plans to picket Friday's funeral of Army 1st Lt. Keith Heidtman, 24. Heidtman was co-piloting a military helicopter that was shot down in Iraq on May 28.
The same group protested at an East Lyme military funeral last December. The group held signs that read "Thank God for IEDs (improvised explosive devices), and "God is America's Terror." They claim that the deaths of soldiers are punishment from God for the country's tolerance of homosexuals.
"We take this immediate action so that no more families of our fallen heroes suffer the additional trauma of a protest at the funeral of their loved one," Rell said in a written statement.
Rep. Melissa Olson, D-Norwich, called Heidtman "a son of Norwich" who graduated with honors from Norwich Free Academy and later from the University of Connecticut in 2005.
"We owe his family the dignity, the respect as well as a debt of gratitude," Olson said.............
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
who needs the sopranos?
we have mark colella! who, if you read the article is quite a piece of work (or a piece of steamin' you know what)
i wasn't going to post anything about deluca but this really isn't about him, it's about colella.
one always has to watch what one says, so i better stop now
Guilty Plea From DeLuca Senator Gets Suspended Sentence; In-Law Was Target Of Planned Threat
By EDMUND H. MAHONY And MARK PAZNIOKAS, Courant Staff Writers
WATERBURY -- Chastened state Senate Minority Leader Louis DeLuca pleaded guilty to threatening Monday and was given a suspended sentenced after apologizing for asking an alleged mob associate to intervene in what DeLuca has called an abusive relationship between his granddaughter and her husband.Unexpectedly, the husband himself, Mark Colella, appeared minutes later and convened a bizarre press conference on the sidewalk outside. The 40-year-old Colella announced that he is "100 percent Sicilian" and not afraid of anyone, including Danbury garbage executive James Galante, who allegedly offered to have Colella slapped around to stop any abuse.
"Do I look like I'm afraid of anyone?" the 5-foot-5 Colella asked, sounding as tough as is perhaps possible when surrounded by news microphones. "It would have been a mistake if anyone ever came to my house. As far as anyone going to see me - Mr. Galante or anyone else - just make sure they bring a lot of bullets."........
don't YOU just want to bitch slap him?
i have a gut feeling though, we may not have to worry about that.........
i wasn't going to post anything about deluca but this really isn't about him, it's about colella.
one always has to watch what one says, so i better stop now
Guilty Plea From DeLuca Senator Gets Suspended Sentence; In-Law Was Target Of Planned Threat
By EDMUND H. MAHONY And MARK PAZNIOKAS, Courant Staff Writers
WATERBURY -- Chastened state Senate Minority Leader Louis DeLuca pleaded guilty to threatening Monday and was given a suspended sentenced after apologizing for asking an alleged mob associate to intervene in what DeLuca has called an abusive relationship between his granddaughter and her husband.Unexpectedly, the husband himself, Mark Colella, appeared minutes later and convened a bizarre press conference on the sidewalk outside. The 40-year-old Colella announced that he is "100 percent Sicilian" and not afraid of anyone, including Danbury garbage executive James Galante, who allegedly offered to have Colella slapped around to stop any abuse.
"Do I look like I'm afraid of anyone?" the 5-foot-5 Colella asked, sounding as tough as is perhaps possible when surrounded by news microphones. "It would have been a mistake if anyone ever came to my house. As far as anyone going to see me - Mr. Galante or anyone else - just make sure they bring a lot of bullets."........
don't YOU just want to bitch slap him?
i have a gut feeling though, we may not have to worry about that.........
i WAS going to participate in this
then i got to thinking. do the russian government or russian 'authorities' own stoli? no, they don't. why would boycotting stoli help gays in russia then?
it would be like foreign nations boycotting spam because they don't like the us presence in iraq. IT WOULDN'T MATTER
(horrible analogy i know stoli to spam)
i just can't see any connection between stoli and the treatment of gay people in russia.
i want to post this story anyway. i want the injustices to stop. not just in russia but everywhere.
Gays Launch Stoli Boycott over Russian Homophobic Violence
(New York, NY and San Francisco, CA) - Gay equality advocates in two American cities upset over the denial of full respect for the human rights of LGBT people in Russia, and the bloody confrontation on May 27 in Moscow as gays attempted to peacefully march, today announced they are launching a boycott of Stolichnaya vodka.
Vigils will be held at two Russian consulates, where gays will pour Stolichnaya vodka in the gutter.
The date for launching the Stoli boycott and vigils is Tuesday, June 5............
Vodka Wars Spill into U.S.
it would be like foreign nations boycotting spam because they don't like the us presence in iraq. IT WOULDN'T MATTER
(horrible analogy i know stoli to spam)
i just can't see any connection between stoli and the treatment of gay people in russia.
i want to post this story anyway. i want the injustices to stop. not just in russia but everywhere.
Gays Launch Stoli Boycott over Russian Homophobic Violence
(New York, NY and San Francisco, CA) - Gay equality advocates in two American cities upset over the denial of full respect for the human rights of LGBT people in Russia, and the bloody confrontation on May 27 in Moscow as gays attempted to peacefully march, today announced they are launching a boycott of Stolichnaya vodka.
Vigils will be held at two Russian consulates, where gays will pour Stolichnaya vodka in the gutter.
The date for launching the Stoli boycott and vigils is Tuesday, June 5............
Vodka Wars Spill into U.S.
i was listening to the news on the radio
on my way home from work yesterday. i THOUGHT i heard, new haven wants to issue id cards to illegal aliens. i use the word THOUGHT because surely this could NOT possibly be true
if someone is an ILLEGAL resident of the united states that means they are under the radar. they don't want to be counted among us
how the HELL is the city of new haven going to MAKE illegal aliens register and sign up for id cards?
the angle is (allegedly) a good one. if one has an id card one can qualify for certain benefits and open bank accounts and on an on. well i'm thinking it's the old bait and switch. get an id card, GET HERDED UP AND GET KICKED OUT (migra migra migra)
if i was here illegally i sure as shite would NOT be standing in line to get my picture taken but hey, that's just moi
ID cards for illegal immigrants approved by New Haven Board of Aldermen
by News Channel 8's Annie Rourke
(New Haven-WTNH) _ New Haven's aldermen voted 25-1 in favor of a city issued identification card for illegal immigrants.
Your picture, your name and vital statistics. The new ID card is quite simple, but so very significant. New Haven is the first place in the nation where an illegal immigrant can get a legal identification card. The card will provide access to all public services, but more importantly will allow people to open bank accounts.
It is an idea that is not without detractors. Barbara Keidel's parents immigrated to this country legally.
"I feel that the people that break our laws, that come over here illegally, are taking from us and exploiting us as citizens," said Barbara.
But the voices of the opponents were drowned out by the passion and purpose of other protestors on the steps of City Hall. It was a show of strength for those who live in the shadows of our society. They say they are here because they want to work, because they have no choice and they deserve to be recognized. It is estimated that between 10 to 15-thousand undocumented workers live in New Haven. ..........
if someone is an ILLEGAL resident of the united states that means they are under the radar. they don't want to be counted among us
how the HELL is the city of new haven going to MAKE illegal aliens register and sign up for id cards?
the angle is (allegedly) a good one. if one has an id card one can qualify for certain benefits and open bank accounts and on an on. well i'm thinking it's the old bait and switch. get an id card, GET HERDED UP AND GET KICKED OUT (migra migra migra)
if i was here illegally i sure as shite would NOT be standing in line to get my picture taken but hey, that's just moi
ID cards for illegal immigrants approved by New Haven Board of Aldermen
by News Channel 8's Annie Rourke
(New Haven-WTNH) _ New Haven's aldermen voted 25-1 in favor of a city issued identification card for illegal immigrants.
Your picture, your name and vital statistics. The new ID card is quite simple, but so very significant. New Haven is the first place in the nation where an illegal immigrant can get a legal identification card. The card will provide access to all public services, but more importantly will allow people to open bank accounts.
It is an idea that is not without detractors. Barbara Keidel's parents immigrated to this country legally.
"I feel that the people that break our laws, that come over here illegally, are taking from us and exploiting us as citizens," said Barbara.
But the voices of the opponents were drowned out by the passion and purpose of other protestors on the steps of City Hall. It was a show of strength for those who live in the shadows of our society. They say they are here because they want to work, because they have no choice and they deserve to be recognized. It is estimated that between 10 to 15-thousand undocumented workers live in New Haven. ..........
Friday, June 01, 2007
da liebs sho nuff do get around i must say!
da liebs dans new haven (from from tparty at my left nutmeg
who was inspired by.......
watertiger at atrios / eschaton
da liebs dans philly!
who was inspired by.......watertiger at atrios / eschaton
da liebs dans philly!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
PEACOCK!
(and as a little aside, yet ANOTHER bear spotting in my hood, west hartford, yesterday)
i sure do hope mr peacock stays safe and sound.
Errant peacock nests in Seymour
MATTHEW HIGBEE mhigbee@ctpost.com
SEYMOUR — He might have been abandoned. Perhaps he went looking for love and got lost along the way. Or maybe, after a career in a traveling exotic animal show, he simply wanted to retire.
Whatever the reason, a male peacock has decided to take up residence at the Meadow Brook Estates, an active adult community on Great Hill Road.
While no one knows where the peacock came from, he has made himself at home behind a cul-de-sac overlooking the Naugatuck River Valley.
"He picked the best spot with the best view," said Kathy Ekstrom, project executive for Meadow Brook Estates.
Deer, turkeys, coyotes and the occasional bald eagle have all been spotted in the 77 acres of open space next to the new homes. The most exotic animal sighting by far, the peacock showed up about a week ago and has since ingratiated itself to a group of neighbors who give it food and water.
A stray peacock walks away from the camera after being disturbed nesting behind a home on Eastwood Drive in Oxford.The peacock has taken up residence in the neighborhod where neighbors have been feeding it. (Phil Noel/Connecticut Post)
i sure do hope mr peacock stays safe and sound.
Errant peacock nests in Seymour
MATTHEW HIGBEE mhigbee@ctpost.com
SEYMOUR — He might have been abandoned. Perhaps he went looking for love and got lost along the way. Or maybe, after a career in a traveling exotic animal show, he simply wanted to retire.
Whatever the reason, a male peacock has decided to take up residence at the Meadow Brook Estates, an active adult community on Great Hill Road.
While no one knows where the peacock came from, he has made himself at home behind a cul-de-sac overlooking the Naugatuck River Valley.
"He picked the best spot with the best view," said Kathy Ekstrom, project executive for Meadow Brook Estates.
Deer, turkeys, coyotes and the occasional bald eagle have all been spotted in the 77 acres of open space next to the new homes. The most exotic animal sighting by far, the peacock showed up about a week ago and has since ingratiated itself to a group of neighbors who give it food and water.
A stray peacock walks away from the camera after being disturbed nesting behind a home on Eastwood Drive in Oxford.The peacock has taken up residence in the neighborhod where neighbors have been feeding it. (Phil Noel/Connecticut Post)
da liebs says things are going well
and of course he should know. he has his finger on the PULSE my dears
(don't we have enough pain and bad news WITHOUT him spouting this garbage, this pack of LIES?)
What a coincidence. Two years after Cheney said the insurgency was in its last throes, Joe Lieberman made essentially the same prediction.CNN reports that Lieberman is on an unannounced "surprise" visit to Baghdad. Paula Hancocks followed Lieberman around. She talked to Lieberman and reported, "He said he was happy with the progress. He was devastated by the fact that May was turning in to the deadliest month since November 2004. But he said he did believe that this surge eventually would pay off and it would start to break the insurgency."Meanwhile, in the real world, the evidence is to the contrary:
U.S. officials have warned that the strategy of putting more American troops on the streets and in small combat outposts, part of a security plan launched in February, would lead to higher U.S. casualties. But Tuesday's carnage suggested that the effort had not created a safer security environment..........
U.S. officials have warned that the strategy of putting more American troops on the streets and in small combat outposts, part of a security plan launched in February, would lead to higher U.S. casualties. But Tuesday's carnage suggested that the effort had not created a safer security environment..........
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
i built my father a little rock garden
for father's day. it's not done yet. i'd like to put a few more plants in. and of course i have to weed a bit - although i do like the greenery in there.
i used hearty succulants and alpine plants. we'll see how it grows
dragon's blood (sedum)
in one of the dishs other sedum and sempervivums
laurentia
armeria
bellis
carex
lindernia
raoulia
whew! not to worry, they found ana
the story has an even better ending. ana is going to live in a place where she'll feel more at home
Anaconda Found Alive In Basement Of Owner's Apartment Building
TORRINGTON, Conn. -- A 10-foot-long yellow anaconda that escaped from its owner's apartment more than a week ago didn't get too far.The snake, named Ana, was found alive in the basement of the apartment building on Birge Street Saturday by a state Department of Environmental Protection conservation officer. It had been missing since May 15................
Anaconda Found Alive In Basement Of Owner's Apartment Building
TORRINGTON, Conn. -- A 10-foot-long yellow anaconda that escaped from its owner's apartment more than a week ago didn't get too far.The snake, named Ana, was found alive in the basement of the apartment building on Birge Street Saturday by a state Department of Environmental Protection conservation officer. It had been missing since May 15................
to the friends and family of first lieutenant keith heidtman
my most heartfelt sympathy goes out to you. my thoughts and prayers are with you. i am so very sorry for your loss
by News Channel 8's Sara Welch
Norwich-WTNH) _ A Norwich soldier was killed in action in Iraq on Memorial Day, about six months after he was deployed.
Twenty-four year old First Lieutenant Keith Heidtman died in a helicopter crash, and as America remembered its fallen heroes, a Norwich family would learn of their own personal loss.
"It's a tough time and a shock to all of us. We've worried about him everyday since he's been there," said Keith's uncle Chris Heidtman.
At Norwich Free Academy, where Heidtman excelled in academics and athletics, former mentor Hugh Campbell remembered an outstanding young man.
"It's like losing one of your own," said Campbell. "Keith exemplified everything that is good about young people."..........
Twenty-four year old First Lieutenant Keith Heidtman died in a helicopter crash, and as America remembered its fallen heroes, a Norwich family would learn of their own personal loss.
"It's a tough time and a shock to all of us. We've worried about him everyday since he's been there," said Keith's uncle Chris Heidtman.
At Norwich Free Academy, where Heidtman excelled in academics and athletics, former mentor Hugh Campbell remembered an outstanding young man.
"It's like losing one of your own," said Campbell. "Keith exemplified everything that is good about young people."..........
NORWICH, Conn. -- A helicopter crash in Iraq on Memorial Day claimed the life of a Norwich soldier, the governor's office said Tuesday.
Army 1st Lt. Keith Heidtman, 24, was the 37th military member with Connecticut ties to die since the war began in 2002. Two Connecticut civilians have also been killed. Gov. M. Jodi Rell ordered all state and U.S. flags lowered to half staff in Heidtman's honor.
"Lt. Heidtman made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us, and he did so to protect the freedom that we so often take for granted," Rell said in a statement. "To have given his life on Memorial Day is especially poignant."...........
Army 1st Lt. Keith Heidtman, 24, was the 37th military member with Connecticut ties to die since the war began in 2002. Two Connecticut civilians have also been killed. Gov. M. Jodi Rell ordered all state and U.S. flags lowered to half staff in Heidtman's honor.
"Lt. Heidtman made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us, and he did so to protect the freedom that we so often take for granted," Rell said in a statement. "To have given his life on Memorial Day is especially poignant."...........
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
don't dream it's over
There is freedom within, there is freedom without
Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup
There's a battle ahead, many battles are lost
But you'll never see the end of the road
While you're traveling with me
Hey now, hey now
Hey now, hey now
Don't dream it's over
Hey now, hey now
When the world comes in
They come, they come
To build a wall between us
We know they won't win.....
(neil finn)
guess what? crowded house is coming to the calvin theater! wicked cool (the above is one of my all time favorite songs - yes - in the ENTIRE universe)
(oh, ok, it's NO havin' my baby)
Crowded House with special guest Liam Finn
Live at the Calvin Theatre in Northampton, MA Saturday, August 4th • 8:00 PM Doors open at 7:00 pm
To the delight of fans worldwide, Austalia's Crowded House have announced a reunion tour & new album. The current line-up features Neil Finn, Nick Seymour, Mark Hart, & new member Matt Sherrod, who subs for the late Paul Hester on drums. Leader Neil Finn's carefully crafted songs, meticulous eye for lyrical detail, & gift for melody are the basis of hit songs "Don't Dream It's Over," "Better Be Home," "Weather With You," and "Something So Strong." The band's fifth album "Time On Earth", is their first since 1993's "Together Alone." ........
Live at the Calvin Theatre in Northampton, MA Saturday, August 4th • 8:00 PM Doors open at 7:00 pm
To the delight of fans worldwide, Austalia's Crowded House have announced a reunion tour & new album. The current line-up features Neil Finn, Nick Seymour, Mark Hart, & new member Matt Sherrod, who subs for the late Paul Hester on drums. Leader Neil Finn's carefully crafted songs, meticulous eye for lyrical detail, & gift for melody are the basis of hit songs "Don't Dream It's Over," "Better Be Home," "Weather With You," and "Something So Strong." The band's fifth album "Time On Earth", is their first since 1993's "Together Alone." ........
Monday, May 28, 2007
just a tiny little tale: my new best friend is a stripper
well ok, she's NOT my BEST friend but she is an acquaintance. i met her a few times before. we have a mutual friend acquaintance in common. i met her through him.
so yesterday, i was minding my own bid-nez as i am KNOWN for doing. i stopped by my favorite pub for brunch. i was chatting with the bartender (i always sit at the bar) who happens to be a dear friend of mine. she is having a rather rough time of late and i just wanted to listen and support her. after a while the stripper (whom i shall call ms s) comes in. i know she is a stipper because the last time i saw her i asked what she did for a living and she told me.
we nodded hello to each other. she sat a few seats down the bar and there were people in between us. after a bit, i went out to have a butt and as i passed her she asked if our mutual acquaintance had been in. i told her no, not that day. i thought he may have been at work. (he works some weekends). when i came back in i saw her on the phone. turns out it was the bartenders phone. ms s was using it because she went to some brazilian party (there is more of a story here but to tell you the truth, i never did get the whole gist of it) and somehow her phone got lost or misplaced or stolen. the bartender's phone was losing it's juice so i offered ms s the use of my phone. i had just charged it earlier that morning. since i rarely use it, i knew i had a lot of minutes left. plus it was the weekend and you get extra minutes anyway, PLUS i have carryover minutes which i'll never use. all she was doing was trying to track down HER phone. nothing untoward. ms s decided to come sit next to me. i always put my 'stuff' (i travel with a LOT of stuff. one never knows, does one???) on the chair next to me so no assholes have a chance of getting in my personal zone (it doesn't always work though. i attract 'em like flies to shite. if they can't sit NEXT to me they stand next to me, they stand in back of me, they lean over me, they breathe MY air). anyway, in a friendly gesture (which was sincere i might add), i removed my 'stuff' from the chair and i made it available to ms s. she plopped her moneymaker right on down. she was using the phone and every time she put it down, it would ring. she'd ask me if it was ok if she answered (i liked that she was polite enough to ask. manners mean a GREAT deal to me) each time. she made and received TONS of calls. i can't wait until some of those people start calling ME, perhaps thinking it was HER phone number. we'll see. could make for some classic moments in a rose is a rose's history.
ms s had on one clingy stretchy halter top showing the big tattoo on her lower back. the ONLY reason i did notice that was it is the part of her i saw each time i got up to have a butt and each time i came back in to my seat. i think she had shorts on but i can't be certain. i will say ms s has beautiful exotic eyes. i never really checked out her whole body though.
from my perspective the prior few times i had seen her, it looked to me like she was ALL OVER our mutual acquaintance. i thought she was hot for him. he is an attractive man. i don't know too much about him. i've known him for a while but we don't hang in the same circles. when i DO run into him, he's always decent to me so i've always been decent to him. he has issues (one of them is he can be VERY loud and rather frightening but if you tell him to knock it off, he will IMMEDIATELY stop) but then again we ALL have issues. my curiousity got the better of me (aw c'mon we all know it ALWAYS does. the mindin' my own bid-nez is just a load o' crap. i NEVER mind my OWN bid-nez) and i asked ms s what the deal was between her and our mutual acquaintaince. she asked me if i really wanted to know - OF COURSE I REALLY WANT TO KNOW, dang. so then she told me something that knocked me back. holy shite, i never saw it coming a mile away. it's nothing bad, it was just that i can ususally discern this about a person and i sure had NOT about him. that is if ms s was telling me the truth. i don't know, i don't know, i don't know. i'm still pondering it. in the same breath she also told me our mutual acquaintance wanted her to be his grrrlfren'. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm (that is NOT exactly the message i got from him the last time i saw him but he never came right on out and said anything one way or another)
anyway, i hope ms s tracks her phone down
i hope i get more scoop on ms s and the mutual acquainance
i hope i get some amusing phone calls today
so yesterday, i was minding my own bid-nez as i am KNOWN for doing. i stopped by my favorite pub for brunch. i was chatting with the bartender (i always sit at the bar) who happens to be a dear friend of mine. she is having a rather rough time of late and i just wanted to listen and support her. after a while the stripper (whom i shall call ms s) comes in. i know she is a stipper because the last time i saw her i asked what she did for a living and she told me.
we nodded hello to each other. she sat a few seats down the bar and there were people in between us. after a bit, i went out to have a butt and as i passed her she asked if our mutual acquaintance had been in. i told her no, not that day. i thought he may have been at work. (he works some weekends). when i came back in i saw her on the phone. turns out it was the bartenders phone. ms s was using it because she went to some brazilian party (there is more of a story here but to tell you the truth, i never did get the whole gist of it) and somehow her phone got lost or misplaced or stolen. the bartender's phone was losing it's juice so i offered ms s the use of my phone. i had just charged it earlier that morning. since i rarely use it, i knew i had a lot of minutes left. plus it was the weekend and you get extra minutes anyway, PLUS i have carryover minutes which i'll never use. all she was doing was trying to track down HER phone. nothing untoward. ms s decided to come sit next to me. i always put my 'stuff' (i travel with a LOT of stuff. one never knows, does one???) on the chair next to me so no assholes have a chance of getting in my personal zone (it doesn't always work though. i attract 'em like flies to shite. if they can't sit NEXT to me they stand next to me, they stand in back of me, they lean over me, they breathe MY air). anyway, in a friendly gesture (which was sincere i might add), i removed my 'stuff' from the chair and i made it available to ms s. she plopped her moneymaker right on down. she was using the phone and every time she put it down, it would ring. she'd ask me if it was ok if she answered (i liked that she was polite enough to ask. manners mean a GREAT deal to me) each time. she made and received TONS of calls. i can't wait until some of those people start calling ME, perhaps thinking it was HER phone number. we'll see. could make for some classic moments in a rose is a rose's history.
ms s had on one clingy stretchy halter top showing the big tattoo on her lower back. the ONLY reason i did notice that was it is the part of her i saw each time i got up to have a butt and each time i came back in to my seat. i think she had shorts on but i can't be certain. i will say ms s has beautiful exotic eyes. i never really checked out her whole body though.
from my perspective the prior few times i had seen her, it looked to me like she was ALL OVER our mutual acquaintance. i thought she was hot for him. he is an attractive man. i don't know too much about him. i've known him for a while but we don't hang in the same circles. when i DO run into him, he's always decent to me so i've always been decent to him. he has issues (one of them is he can be VERY loud and rather frightening but if you tell him to knock it off, he will IMMEDIATELY stop) but then again we ALL have issues. my curiousity got the better of me (aw c'mon we all know it ALWAYS does. the mindin' my own bid-nez is just a load o' crap. i NEVER mind my OWN bid-nez) and i asked ms s what the deal was between her and our mutual acquaintaince. she asked me if i really wanted to know - OF COURSE I REALLY WANT TO KNOW, dang. so then she told me something that knocked me back. holy shite, i never saw it coming a mile away. it's nothing bad, it was just that i can ususally discern this about a person and i sure had NOT about him. that is if ms s was telling me the truth. i don't know, i don't know, i don't know. i'm still pondering it. in the same breath she also told me our mutual acquaintance wanted her to be his grrrlfren'. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm (that is NOT exactly the message i got from him the last time i saw him but he never came right on out and said anything one way or another)
anyway, i hope ms s tracks her phone down
i hope i get more scoop on ms s and the mutual acquainance
i hope i get some amusing phone calls today
Friday, May 25, 2007
thanks senator dodd!
Senator Dodd Votes Against Iraq Supplemental, Rejects President's War Plan
(i sent a thank you to him through his website as well. wouldn't hurt if YOU did the same. after all he was only one of FOURTEEN that had the courage to stand up to his convictions)
(i sent a thank you to him through his website as well. wouldn't hurt if YOU did the same. after all he was only one of FOURTEEN that had the courage to stand up to his convictions)
justin, your protest worked (well it worked so far as being brought to peoples attention)
you got coverage in the courant
By WILLIAM HATHAWAY, And HILARY WALDMAN Courant Staff Writers
Surgical trainees at Hartford Hospital on Thursday took a course that called for them to plunge their hands into a gory mess on an operating table and try to repair injuries designed to simulate gunshot or stab wounds. Outside the hospital's front entrance, fewer than 10 protesters held placards assailing the damage inflicted upon the "patients" - five, anesthetized, 100-pound pigs used in the regularly scheduled training course."When we tell them they cut open and stab pigs, people gasp," said Justin Goodman, an animal-rights activist who organized Thursday's protest. "They ask for our literature."Although Goodman said his ultimate goal is to stop the use of all animals in research and medical education, the pig protest sheds light on a medical dilemma - how best to prepare doctors to deal with a situation few in the United States will ever face - the need to repair someone severely damaged by trauma..........
.....However, Dr. John J. Pippin, a Dallas cardiologist and research adviser for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, says the great majority of courses to train surgeons do not use live animals.Most surgical training programs, Pippin said, use a combination of simulators, closely supervised practice on human patients and practice on dead human bodies. "The momentum and the trend in modern medical education is not to use live animals because it is not necessary to do so," Pippin said.........
perhaps someday, when we all decide to not practice violence and torture each other we can decide at the VERY same time, to NOT practice violence or torture animals as well
By WILLIAM HATHAWAY, And HILARY WALDMAN Courant Staff Writers
Surgical trainees at Hartford Hospital on Thursday took a course that called for them to plunge their hands into a gory mess on an operating table and try to repair injuries designed to simulate gunshot or stab wounds. Outside the hospital's front entrance, fewer than 10 protesters held placards assailing the damage inflicted upon the "patients" - five, anesthetized, 100-pound pigs used in the regularly scheduled training course."When we tell them they cut open and stab pigs, people gasp," said Justin Goodman, an animal-rights activist who organized Thursday's protest. "They ask for our literature."Although Goodman said his ultimate goal is to stop the use of all animals in research and medical education, the pig protest sheds light on a medical dilemma - how best to prepare doctors to deal with a situation few in the United States will ever face - the need to repair someone severely damaged by trauma..........
.....However, Dr. John J. Pippin, a Dallas cardiologist and research adviser for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, says the great majority of courses to train surgeons do not use live animals.Most surgical training programs, Pippin said, use a combination of simulators, closely supervised practice on human patients and practice on dead human bodies. "The momentum and the trend in modern medical education is not to use live animals because it is not necessary to do so," Pippin said.........
from maura
at my left nutmeg
InauguRELLgate: Krayeske Files Lawsuit, Reveals Details on Bond
Ken Krayeske filed a lawsuit on Thursday in federal court against the Hartford Police Department, three named officers, and one unnamed officer.
The grounds of his lawsuit are "false arrest, unreasonable bond and the denial of rights to freedom of expression, freedom of the press and due process of law arising under the First, Fourth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution."
A few new details on the story are revealed in the text of the filing (pdf). Many of us here at MLN were as concerned about the outrageous $75,000 bond that appeared to have been used to unlawfully keep Ken in lockup so that he would be unable to attend Jodi Rell's inaugural ball. Ken had been tight-lipped about exactly what happened to him in custody, but his filing reveals some of the details that he had been unable to discuss earlier:
Prior to his arrest, Mr. Krayeske had written about the inauguration in an ironic tone, informing readers that "[T]ickets to see the Fairy Godmother turn herself into Cinderella are only $150." Mr. Krayeske expressed dissent about the governor's priorities......
..........And in a remarkably ironic and disturbing twist, Christine Stuart of CT News Junkie reports that Krayeske was hassled by law enforcement just this week when he came to the Capitol:...........
InauguRELLgate: Krayeske Files Lawsuit, Reveals Details on Bond
Ken Krayeske filed a lawsuit on Thursday in federal court against the Hartford Police Department, three named officers, and one unnamed officer.
The grounds of his lawsuit are "false arrest, unreasonable bond and the denial of rights to freedom of expression, freedom of the press and due process of law arising under the First, Fourth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution."
A few new details on the story are revealed in the text of the filing (pdf). Many of us here at MLN were as concerned about the outrageous $75,000 bond that appeared to have been used to unlawfully keep Ken in lockup so that he would be unable to attend Jodi Rell's inaugural ball. Ken had been tight-lipped about exactly what happened to him in custody, but his filing reveals some of the details that he had been unable to discuss earlier:
Prior to his arrest, Mr. Krayeske had written about the inauguration in an ironic tone, informing readers that "[T]ickets to see the Fairy Godmother turn herself into Cinderella are only $150." Mr. Krayeske expressed dissent about the governor's priorities......
..........And in a remarkably ironic and disturbing twist, Christine Stuart of CT News Junkie reports that Krayeske was hassled by law enforcement just this week when he came to the Capitol:...........
Thursday, May 24, 2007
yeah, watch your phone bills
i'm just saying - my phone bills (and my pops) have been a bit 'iffy' of late. there are always charges on there i don't understand (never big ones but a buck here and there) but of late, we've been getting TWO bills
FTC Warns Customers To Check Phone Bills For Cramming
There are complaints across the country and in Connecticut about a practice called cramming.
Customers are being charged on their phone bills for services they never wanted.
Jane Bolton noticed two company names she didn't recognize on her AT&T bill. One was Enhanced Services Billing Incorporated, or ESBI, and the other was Residential E-mail
She noticed they had been charging her $15.85 a month for six months but said she didn't know what for.
NBC 30 found out that ESBI is something called a billing aggregator that collects charges for other companies. In this case, it was for Residential E-mail, a company that offers online discounts if you pay for their email service.
Bolton said she never signed up for this service.
She called customer service and spoke to a representative, who told her that she requested it and had a three-month trial that she never canceled.
NBC 30 found out that the Federal Trade Commission accused ESBI of cramming in 2001, which is when companies illegally cram unauthorized charges onto a person's phone bill............
FTC Warns Customers To Check Phone Bills For Cramming
There are complaints across the country and in Connecticut about a practice called cramming.
Customers are being charged on their phone bills for services they never wanted.
Jane Bolton noticed two company names she didn't recognize on her AT&T bill. One was Enhanced Services Billing Incorporated, or ESBI, and the other was Residential E-mail
She noticed they had been charging her $15.85 a month for six months but said she didn't know what for.
NBC 30 found out that ESBI is something called a billing aggregator that collects charges for other companies. In this case, it was for Residential E-mail, a company that offers online discounts if you pay for their email service.
Bolton said she never signed up for this service.
She called customer service and spoke to a representative, who told her that she requested it and had a three-month trial that she never canceled.
NBC 30 found out that the Federal Trade Commission accused ESBI of cramming in 2001, which is when companies illegally cram unauthorized charges onto a person's phone bill............
i so think this is THE RIGHT thing to do
when one is going through something such as chemo. why the hell wouldn't it be ok to grow a plant or two? why not allow someone who is VERY ill to smoke a j instead of taking some sort of narcotic? just because one can write a prescription for the narcotic doesn't make it any safer or better than a splif.
i'm not talking legalizing marijuana for the masses here. i'm talking for the terminally ill or very heavy duty chronicly ill
State House Passes Medical Marijuana Bill
By COLIN POITRAS, The Hartford Courant
The state House of Representatives Wednesday passed a measure allowing seriously ill individuals to grow marijuana at home to ease their pain.The bill passed by a 89-58 bipartisan vote that was comprised of a unique coalition of supportive lawmakers, who appeared to be bonded by their own experiences with family members and friends suffering with chronic or terminal illnesses.
Bill opponents said it sends the wrong message to young people that it is OK to use illegal drugs and that illegal drugs can be good for you.But Rep. Russell Morin, D-Wethersfield and a father of three, spoke of another message he wanted to send to his children by passing the bill...........
i'm not talking legalizing marijuana for the masses here. i'm talking for the terminally ill or very heavy duty chronicly ill
State House Passes Medical Marijuana Bill
By COLIN POITRAS, The Hartford Courant
The state House of Representatives Wednesday passed a measure allowing seriously ill individuals to grow marijuana at home to ease their pain.The bill passed by a 89-58 bipartisan vote that was comprised of a unique coalition of supportive lawmakers, who appeared to be bonded by their own experiences with family members and friends suffering with chronic or terminal illnesses.
Bill opponents said it sends the wrong message to young people that it is OK to use illegal drugs and that illegal drugs can be good for you.But Rep. Russell Morin, D-Wethersfield and a father of three, spoke of another message he wanted to send to his children by passing the bill...........
king george says..........
President addresses Coast Guard Academy cadets
(New London-WTNH)_President Bush spoke to cadets at the Coast Guard Academy graduation ceremony in New London Wednesday, congratulating them on their achievement and making his case for continuing the war effort in Iraq. The commander in chief gave the commencement address for the second time in recent memory.
In addition to the cadets themselves the arrival of the keynote speaker was also greatly anticipated.
President Bush wasted no time in reaffirming the mission of the 228 graduates who will serve under the Department of Homeland Security...........
'Victory In Iraq Is Vital' Bush Speaks In New London
By JESSE HAMILTON, The Hartford Courant
NEW LONDON -- Much may have changed in the four years since he last delivered a graduation speech here, but in an address to today's U.S. Coast Guard Academy graduates, President George W. Bush again delivered his belief that progress is being made in the war against terrorism.In an effort to defend his war strategy, Bush on Tuesday declassified intelligence asserting that Osama bin Laden in 2005 ordered a top lieutenant to form a terrorist cell to conduct attacks outside Iraq, and said the U.S. should be a top target.
Today Bush, standing under a cloudless blue sky in front of the Thames River, spoke at length about al-Qaeda and said "We must defeat al-Qaeda in Iraq.""Victory in Iraq is important for Osama bin Laden, and victory in Iraq is vital for the United States of America," he said............
Bush Cites Report On Bin Laden During Coast Guard Graduation
NEW LONDON, Conn. -- President George W. Bush, stressing that Americans face an ongoing threat from terrorists, shared intelligence on Wednesday asserting that Osama bin Laden was working in 2005 to set up a unit inside Iraq to hit U.S. targets.
Much of the information Bush cited in a commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy described terrorism plots already revealed, but he fleshed out details and highlighted U.S. successes in foiling planned attacks.
Bush said that intelligence showed that in January 2005, bin Laden tasked Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, his senior operative in Iraq, to set up the cell to use Iraq as a staging ground for attacks in the United States. Al-Zarqawi was killed in Iraq in June 2006 by a U.S. airstrike......
his 'intelligence'? do you think i for ONE SECOND believe his 'intelligence' (yeah, it could have more than one meaning)? did king george get his 'intelligence' about osama from the same peeps he got the weapons of mass destruction 'intelligence' from? we ALL know saddam (who was wickedly evil and was soul-less) was NEVER going to allow osama (who is also wickedly evil and soul-less) in his country. they were certainly never buds. yes there ARE terrorists out there. many in iraq now. there WERE VERY FEW (if any) TERRORISTS in iraq BEFORE WE ATTACKED AND INVADED THEIR COUNTRY. WE are responsible for creating whatever happens in THAT country now and forever and ever.
(New London-WTNH)_President Bush spoke to cadets at the Coast Guard Academy graduation ceremony in New London Wednesday, congratulating them on their achievement and making his case for continuing the war effort in Iraq. The commander in chief gave the commencement address for the second time in recent memory.
In addition to the cadets themselves the arrival of the keynote speaker was also greatly anticipated.
President Bush wasted no time in reaffirming the mission of the 228 graduates who will serve under the Department of Homeland Security...........
'Victory In Iraq Is Vital' Bush Speaks In New London
By JESSE HAMILTON, The Hartford Courant
NEW LONDON -- Much may have changed in the four years since he last delivered a graduation speech here, but in an address to today's U.S. Coast Guard Academy graduates, President George W. Bush again delivered his belief that progress is being made in the war against terrorism.In an effort to defend his war strategy, Bush on Tuesday declassified intelligence asserting that Osama bin Laden in 2005 ordered a top lieutenant to form a terrorist cell to conduct attacks outside Iraq, and said the U.S. should be a top target.
Today Bush, standing under a cloudless blue sky in front of the Thames River, spoke at length about al-Qaeda and said "We must defeat al-Qaeda in Iraq.""Victory in Iraq is important for Osama bin Laden, and victory in Iraq is vital for the United States of America," he said............
Bush Cites Report On Bin Laden During Coast Guard Graduation
NEW LONDON, Conn. -- President George W. Bush, stressing that Americans face an ongoing threat from terrorists, shared intelligence on Wednesday asserting that Osama bin Laden was working in 2005 to set up a unit inside Iraq to hit U.S. targets.
Much of the information Bush cited in a commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy described terrorism plots already revealed, but he fleshed out details and highlighted U.S. successes in foiling planned attacks.
Bush said that intelligence showed that in January 2005, bin Laden tasked Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, his senior operative in Iraq, to set up the cell to use Iraq as a staging ground for attacks in the United States. Al-Zarqawi was killed in Iraq in June 2006 by a U.S. airstrike......
his 'intelligence'? do you think i for ONE SECOND believe his 'intelligence' (yeah, it could have more than one meaning)? did king george get his 'intelligence' about osama from the same peeps he got the weapons of mass destruction 'intelligence' from? we ALL know saddam (who was wickedly evil and was soul-less) was NEVER going to allow osama (who is also wickedly evil and soul-less) in his country. they were certainly never buds. yes there ARE terrorists out there. many in iraq now. there WERE VERY FEW (if any) TERRORISTS in iraq BEFORE WE ATTACKED AND INVADED THEIR COUNTRY. WE are responsible for creating whatever happens in THAT country now and forever and ever.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
hartford hospital thursday 5/24 4:15 to 6:15
Medical professionals, activists decry live animal trauma lab at Hartford Hospital
Hartford – Local animal rights campaigners will lead a demonstration at Hartford Hospital on Thursday afternoon to denounce the use of live pigs in surgical training exercises.
Date: Thursday, May 24, 2007
Time: 4:15-6:15pm
Place: Main entrance to Hartford Hospital, 80 Seymour Street, Hartford, CT
Hartford Hospital, in concert with the UConn School of Medicine, administers a monthly program called the Advanced Trauma Operative Management course (ATOM). ATOM includes a 3-hour lab session during which surgery trainees and practitioners pay $1,500 each to manage fourteen different traumatic injuries that are intentionally inflicted in live adult pigs. The animals must suffer through penetrating injuries such as stab wounds to numerous organs in the abdomen and chest, including the kidney, pancreas, stomach, diaphragm, and heart.
Hartford Hospital uses five pigs per month in this series of highly invasive surgical procedures. Those pigs who survive the traumas and surgeries are killed at the end of the exercises. According to documents obtained from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the facility regularly confines over 100 pigs for use in this program.
Justin Goodman, a local animal rights campaigner, stated, "Pigs are highly intelligent, sensitive individuals who are very easily stressed. Studies at US and UK universities show pigs to be more intelligent than three-year-old children. And confining, mutilating and killing them for these kinds of exercises is not only morally wrong, but scientifically unjustifiable. We want these exercises ended immediately."
He continued, "Regardless of how many pigs these doctors operate on, some human patient in the ER is still going to have to be their first. Why waste the state's resources and the lives of these animals training surgeons on anatomically incorrect models, especially when there are so many promising ethical alternatives that could be used instead?"
Added John Pippin, M.D., Senior Medical and Research Adviser for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine: "The surgery training paradigm has moved beyond the use of live animals. More than 95 percent of American medical schools have eliminated the use of animals to teach surgery skills, the majority of Advanced Trauma Life Support courses do not use animals, and the American College of Surgeons no longer uses animals in its own courses or in its revised surgery curriculum."
Goodman added, “An overwhelming majority of trauma surgeons worldwide have never conducted such barbaric exercises on nonhuman animals of any kind and the available research suggests that surgical knowledge and competency are not improved by doing so. In the interest of upholding their duty to practice ethical medicine, these doctors and researchers should be abandoning these superfluous animal studies in favor of pursuing human-relevant, humane alternatives," Goodman said.
Hartford – Local animal rights campaigners will lead a demonstration at Hartford Hospital on Thursday afternoon to denounce the use of live pigs in surgical training exercises.
Date: Thursday, May 24, 2007
Time: 4:15-6:15pm
Place: Main entrance to Hartford Hospital, 80 Seymour Street, Hartford, CT
Hartford Hospital, in concert with the UConn School of Medicine, administers a monthly program called the Advanced Trauma Operative Management course (ATOM). ATOM includes a 3-hour lab session during which surgery trainees and practitioners pay $1,500 each to manage fourteen different traumatic injuries that are intentionally inflicted in live adult pigs. The animals must suffer through penetrating injuries such as stab wounds to numerous organs in the abdomen and chest, including the kidney, pancreas, stomach, diaphragm, and heart.
Hartford Hospital uses five pigs per month in this series of highly invasive surgical procedures. Those pigs who survive the traumas and surgeries are killed at the end of the exercises. According to documents obtained from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the facility regularly confines over 100 pigs for use in this program.
Justin Goodman, a local animal rights campaigner, stated, "Pigs are highly intelligent, sensitive individuals who are very easily stressed. Studies at US and UK universities show pigs to be more intelligent than three-year-old children. And confining, mutilating and killing them for these kinds of exercises is not only morally wrong, but scientifically unjustifiable. We want these exercises ended immediately."
He continued, "Regardless of how many pigs these doctors operate on, some human patient in the ER is still going to have to be their first. Why waste the state's resources and the lives of these animals training surgeons on anatomically incorrect models, especially when there are so many promising ethical alternatives that could be used instead?"
Added John Pippin, M.D., Senior Medical and Research Adviser for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine: "The surgery training paradigm has moved beyond the use of live animals. More than 95 percent of American medical schools have eliminated the use of animals to teach surgery skills, the majority of Advanced Trauma Life Support courses do not use animals, and the American College of Surgeons no longer uses animals in its own courses or in its revised surgery curriculum."
Goodman added, “An overwhelming majority of trauma surgeons worldwide have never conducted such barbaric exercises on nonhuman animals of any kind and the available research suggests that surgical knowledge and competency are not improved by doing so. In the interest of upholding their duty to practice ethical medicine, these doctors and researchers should be abandoning these superfluous animal studies in favor of pursuing human-relevant, humane alternatives," Goodman said.
a shout out to dr mohammad dbeisi
a waterbury doctor home from iraq
Casualties of war
by News Channel 8's Annie Rourke
Waterbury-WTNH) _ An army reservist doctor recently home from Iraq, shared his experience with other doctors at Waterbury Hospital Tuesday night.
The army is in need of surgeons in Iraq and one doctor from Waterbury comes from a long line of soldiers. Dr. Mohammad Dbeisi's father and uncles all served and he figured it was a good fit for him, so he headed to Iraq with the Army National Guard.
"Being out there with the guys and looking at the IED's and the bombs going off, it really hits home," said Dr. Dbeisi.
And the injuries suffered as a result are absolutely devastating, but with limited supplies, the job is tough...............
Casualties of war
by News Channel 8's Annie Rourke
Waterbury-WTNH) _ An army reservist doctor recently home from Iraq, shared his experience with other doctors at Waterbury Hospital Tuesday night.
The army is in need of surgeons in Iraq and one doctor from Waterbury comes from a long line of soldiers. Dr. Mohammad Dbeisi's father and uncles all served and he figured it was a good fit for him, so he headed to Iraq with the Army National Guard.
"Being out there with the guys and looking at the IED's and the bombs going off, it really hits home," said Dr. Dbeisi.
And the injuries suffered as a result are absolutely devastating, but with limited supplies, the job is tough...............
i got my new car registration
i wasn't expecting a sticker that goes on the INSIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD. i've been trying to peel off the old emissions sticker that was ALREADY on my windshield, for days. no go. so now when someone wants to steal your registration instead of cutting out the sticker on your license plate, they'll just BREAK YOUR WINDOWS
DMV changes sticker rules
Priya Raman
To combat an increase in the theft of registration stickers from automobiles, the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles will begin requiring the stickers to be placed on the inside of windshields next month, following an initiative first proposed by city officials in New Haven.The new registration stickers, commissioned by Gov. M. Jodi Rell, will be placed inside the front windshield of vehicles rather than on license plates. The new regulations were initially proposed by New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and New Haven Police Chief Francisco Ortiz last January as a way to reduce sticker theft -- also known as insert theft -- DeStefano spokesman Derek Slap said................
DMV changes sticker rules
Priya Raman
To combat an increase in the theft of registration stickers from automobiles, the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles will begin requiring the stickers to be placed on the inside of windshields next month, following an initiative first proposed by city officials in New Haven.The new registration stickers, commissioned by Gov. M. Jodi Rell, will be placed inside the front windshield of vehicles rather than on license plates. The new regulations were initially proposed by New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and New Haven Police Chief Francisco Ortiz last January as a way to reduce sticker theft -- also known as insert theft -- DeStefano spokesman Derek Slap said................
Monday, May 21, 2007
the king is giving the commencement address
at the coast guard academy
seems like he may run into one or two protesters
Presidential visit a magnet for demonstrators
NEW LONDON, Conn. --National peace groups and those supporting the president's policies in Iraq are planning to converge on New London Wednesday to demonstrate as President Bush delivers his commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
The peace groups, organized by sponsors Veterans for Peace and Act Now to Stop War & End Racism (A.N.S.W.E.R.), plan an all-night vigil Tuesday at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument downtown.
The groups then plan to march from downtown to a rally at the academy gates Wednesday that is expected to include speeches by parents who have lost children in Iraq.
They will be joined by scientists from colleges in Connecticut, who plan to wear academic robes and carry signs protesting the Bush Administration's science policies.
The Raging Grannies and Code Pink, women war protesters known for their pink feather boas, also plan to demonstrate.
A national pro-war group, Gathering of Eagles, also plans a demonstration.............
(a PRO war group? who is PRO war? think about it)
seems like he may run into one or two protesters
Presidential visit a magnet for demonstrators
NEW LONDON, Conn. --National peace groups and those supporting the president's policies in Iraq are planning to converge on New London Wednesday to demonstrate as President Bush delivers his commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
The peace groups, organized by sponsors Veterans for Peace and Act Now to Stop War & End Racism (A.N.S.W.E.R.), plan an all-night vigil Tuesday at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument downtown.
The groups then plan to march from downtown to a rally at the academy gates Wednesday that is expected to include speeches by parents who have lost children in Iraq.
They will be joined by scientists from colleges in Connecticut, who plan to wear academic robes and carry signs protesting the Bush Administration's science policies.
The Raging Grannies and Code Pink, women war protesters known for their pink feather boas, also plan to demonstrate.
A national pro-war group, Gathering of Eagles, also plans a demonstration.............
(a PRO war group? who is PRO war? think about it)
Saturday, May 19, 2007
plan b at one way fare
UPDATE (click link to the right for pictures) - july 13 2007 : opening july 13 2007
i never stop talking about the half door. i even have a permanent link in my sidebar. i love that joint. there is only one day a year i wouldn't even consider going in. that's st patrick's day. WAY too crowded for me. as of yesterday, i just added another day (i've been through the day multiple times, it just slips my mind). it's the uconn law school end of the year (the last tests) day. i believe it's always on a friday but i could be wrong there. they crowd the half door. most are inconsiderate, RUDE, obnoxious, ill mannered asses. i look at them and shake my head. if this is who we have becomming our lawyers and politicians we're in a more sorry state than ever i imagined. i'd tell some stories but i don't want to involve any innocents. so now, it's TWO days of the year to stay away.
al and shawn own the half door. they also own tisane a block and half down farmington avenue. the food is good but it's just too TRENDY for me in there. the latest venture is plan b on park road in west hartford. they (al and shaw did LOTS of the work themselves mind you along with k c the chef) worked very hard to get that in the shape they wanted it. if you had ever been to the old cypress arms you'd never recognize it now. i like the food and i'm friends with some of the staff. i just don't like to hang there either BECAUSE IT'S TRENDY.
now shawn and al have bought the old one way fare in simsbury (i knew the previous owner paula THAT'S PAULA the courant article called her paul. i worked with her for many years). they're again doing a lot of the work themselves. i've not stopped down yet but i plan on doing so before they open. i want to see what they've done. they take pride in their establishments.
i remember how i felt when i first walked in the half door. i felt at home. the MOST impressive part? i remembered HOW CLEAN the bathroom was. it's a small bar, it's an OLD bar but it was CLEAN. that means the world to me. shawn can't ever just sit. he's washing windows or straightening something or my favorite, he mops a portion of the floor. i've rarely ever seen him NOT do it if he's in the half door. the day of their christmas party (way AFTER christmas mind you) we all met there on a sunday afternoon to drive over to dinner at peppercorn's grill downtown (once again thanks shawn and jen and al). we were ALL dressed up. what does shawn do while we're waiting to leave? gets out a mop and starts doing the floor!
anyway, here's some words from the courant
New Owners Offer Blended Plan B
By LORETTA WALDMAN, Courant Staff Writer
SIMSBURY -- Creating a new restaurant in what used to be One-Way Fare is a lot like turning a church into a house. Anyone attempting either project knows they are treading on sacred ground. And so it is with that sense of reverence that Shawn Skehan and Al Gamble are approaching the transformation of a beloved eatery that, after 32 years, had become an institution in town. The two restaurateurs - owners of Hartford's Half Door and Tisane and Plan B in West Hartford - say their latest venture will be modeled after Plan B but will feature elements of the old One-Way Fare that folks know and love. Even the name of the new restaurant - Plan B at One-Way Fare - melds the two. "We're walking a fine line between the modern and old," Skehan explained. "We want to see if we can blend the two and have some fun with it." The new restaurant is slated to open in early June. Skehan and Gamble have been hard at work re-creating the interior of the old Pennsylvania Rail Road depot, which was first turned into a restaurant in 1976.....................
i never stop talking about the half door. i even have a permanent link in my sidebar. i love that joint. there is only one day a year i wouldn't even consider going in. that's st patrick's day. WAY too crowded for me. as of yesterday, i just added another day (i've been through the day multiple times, it just slips my mind). it's the uconn law school end of the year (the last tests) day. i believe it's always on a friday but i could be wrong there. they crowd the half door. most are inconsiderate, RUDE, obnoxious, ill mannered asses. i look at them and shake my head. if this is who we have becomming our lawyers and politicians we're in a more sorry state than ever i imagined. i'd tell some stories but i don't want to involve any innocents. so now, it's TWO days of the year to stay away.
al and shawn own the half door. they also own tisane a block and half down farmington avenue. the food is good but it's just too TRENDY for me in there. the latest venture is plan b on park road in west hartford. they (al and shaw did LOTS of the work themselves mind you along with k c the chef) worked very hard to get that in the shape they wanted it. if you had ever been to the old cypress arms you'd never recognize it now. i like the food and i'm friends with some of the staff. i just don't like to hang there either BECAUSE IT'S TRENDY.
now shawn and al have bought the old one way fare in simsbury (i knew the previous owner paula THAT'S PAULA the courant article called her paul. i worked with her for many years). they're again doing a lot of the work themselves. i've not stopped down yet but i plan on doing so before they open. i want to see what they've done. they take pride in their establishments.
i remember how i felt when i first walked in the half door. i felt at home. the MOST impressive part? i remembered HOW CLEAN the bathroom was. it's a small bar, it's an OLD bar but it was CLEAN. that means the world to me. shawn can't ever just sit. he's washing windows or straightening something or my favorite, he mops a portion of the floor. i've rarely ever seen him NOT do it if he's in the half door. the day of their christmas party (way AFTER christmas mind you) we all met there on a sunday afternoon to drive over to dinner at peppercorn's grill downtown (once again thanks shawn and jen and al). we were ALL dressed up. what does shawn do while we're waiting to leave? gets out a mop and starts doing the floor!
anyway, here's some words from the courant
New Owners Offer Blended Plan B
By LORETTA WALDMAN, Courant Staff Writer
SIMSBURY -- Creating a new restaurant in what used to be One-Way Fare is a lot like turning a church into a house. Anyone attempting either project knows they are treading on sacred ground. And so it is with that sense of reverence that Shawn Skehan and Al Gamble are approaching the transformation of a beloved eatery that, after 32 years, had become an institution in town. The two restaurateurs - owners of Hartford's Half Door and Tisane and Plan B in West Hartford - say their latest venture will be modeled after Plan B but will feature elements of the old One-Way Fare that folks know and love. Even the name of the new restaurant - Plan B at One-Way Fare - melds the two. "We're walking a fine line between the modern and old," Skehan explained. "We want to see if we can blend the two and have some fun with it." The new restaurant is slated to open in early June. Skehan and Gamble have been hard at work re-creating the interior of the old Pennsylvania Rail Road depot, which was first turned into a restaurant in 1976.....................
Friday, May 18, 2007
yet another stupid
connecticut (alleged) criminal
Conn. Woman Tried To Rob Bank In Limo
The Associated Press PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Evonne D. Maurice apparently wanted to get away in style.The Connecticut woman pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to trying to rob a bank at a drive-up window while traveling in a hired limousine.The attempted robbery occurred Dec. 1, 2005, at a Citizens Bank branch in Cranston. Prosecutors said Maurice, 22, had a limousine take her to the bank, told the driver she needed to withdraw cash to pay for the ride, then walked up to the window and handed the teller an envelope with a note demanding money and saying there were two bombs in the bank.The teller triggered an alarm, and Maurice got back in the limo and was driven away. The driver was unaware of the robbery attempt, prosecutors said...................
Conn. Woman Tried To Rob Bank In Limo
The Associated Press PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Evonne D. Maurice apparently wanted to get away in style.The Connecticut woman pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to trying to rob a bank at a drive-up window while traveling in a hired limousine.The attempted robbery occurred Dec. 1, 2005, at a Citizens Bank branch in Cranston. Prosecutors said Maurice, 22, had a limousine take her to the bank, told the driver she needed to withdraw cash to pay for the ride, then walked up to the window and handed the teller an envelope with a note demanding money and saying there were two bombs in the bank.The teller triggered an alarm, and Maurice got back in the limo and was driven away. The driver was unaware of the robbery attempt, prosecutors said...................
Thursday, May 17, 2007
is anyone else getting two phone bills
only one more step
the governor has to approve it and it PASSES!
House approves bill on helping pets in family violence cases
(Hartford-AP)_A bill that would protect pets in family violence cases has cleared the state House of Representatives and now moves to Governor Rell for final approval. The proposed law would allow a judge to issue protective and restraining orders for animals owned or kept by victims of domestic violence, stalking and harassment. North Stonington Representative Diana Urban told fellow lawmakers about an abused woman who went to a safe house to escape her abuser. While she was there, the abuser cut off the ears of the woman's dog and mailed them to her family...............
House approves bill on helping pets in family violence cases
(Hartford-AP)_A bill that would protect pets in family violence cases has cleared the state House of Representatives and now moves to Governor Rell for final approval. The proposed law would allow a judge to issue protective and restraining orders for animals owned or kept by victims of domestic violence, stalking and harassment. North Stonington Representative Diana Urban told fellow lawmakers about an abused woman who went to a safe house to escape her abuser. While she was there, the abuser cut off the ears of the woman's dog and mailed them to her family...............
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
YOU elected him
now you have to live with not only him, BUT his choices as well. i can live with him fundraising for a republican MORE than i can live with him sending our men and women into an unjust, illegal AND immoral war
Lieberman Helps Collect Cash for Collins
Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) is never going to win any popularity contests among his party's liberal base -- a fact he seems decidedly unconcerned about despite his 2006 Democratic primary loss to Ned Lamont.
Not only has Lieberman endorsed Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine.) -- one of Democrats' biggest targets in the 2008 cycle -- but he's planning to co-host a fundraiser for her on June 21 in Washington, D.C..............
Lieberman Helps Collect Cash for Collins
Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) is never going to win any popularity contests among his party's liberal base -- a fact he seems decidedly unconcerned about despite his 2006 Democratic primary loss to Ned Lamont.
Not only has Lieberman endorsed Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine.) -- one of Democrats' biggest targets in the 2008 cycle -- but he's planning to co-host a fundraiser for her on June 21 in Washington, D.C..............
Monday, May 14, 2007
there HAS to be a better way
this sub human (who had claimed his wife was killed in iraq) pleaded guilty to assaulting a 13 year old girl. he most likely will get PROBATION for THAT offense (he got actual time for the lie about his wife being killed in iraq). i understand not wanting the girl to testify because it will cause her pain. i really DO understand that. but to let this piece of steamin' you know what slide is just NOT right. we have to come up with a BETTER way to protect our children yet punish the guilty
Man who claimed wife died in Iraq pleads to sex assault
WATERBURY, Conn. --A 46-year-old man, already serving time for telling police that his wife had died in Iraq, has pleaded guilty to charges that he sexually abused a 13-year-old girl.
Edward Valentin had faced sexual assault charges, but under a deal with prosecutors, pleaded guilty Friday to risk of injury to a minor. He is expected to be sentence to probation.
Assistant State's Attorney Gail Hardy said she agreed to the deal because she believed that testifying during the trial would have been detrimental to the mental health of the girl, who is now 17.
"The victim was actually happy she doesn't have to go through the exercise of testifying," Hardy said. "But she was willing to do it if she needed to."
Valentin is currently serving an 87-day sentence for fabricating a story in 2004 that his then-wife, U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. Betsy Heelan, had been killed in Iraq.
Valentin received national attention in February 2004 when he claimed he received a phone call from the U.S. Department of Defense informing him that his wife had been among 101 soldiers killed in an explosion in Baghdad.
After it became clear the Army did not call him, Valentin claimed to be the victim of a cruel hoax. He later admitted he made up the story and said it was because he thought it would get his wife home.
Prosecutors said he made up the story because he was wanted to date a woman who had told him she did not want to get involved with a married man..............
Man who claimed wife died in Iraq pleads to sex assault
WATERBURY, Conn. --A 46-year-old man, already serving time for telling police that his wife had died in Iraq, has pleaded guilty to charges that he sexually abused a 13-year-old girl.
Edward Valentin had faced sexual assault charges, but under a deal with prosecutors, pleaded guilty Friday to risk of injury to a minor. He is expected to be sentence to probation.
Assistant State's Attorney Gail Hardy said she agreed to the deal because she believed that testifying during the trial would have been detrimental to the mental health of the girl, who is now 17.
"The victim was actually happy she doesn't have to go through the exercise of testifying," Hardy said. "But she was willing to do it if she needed to."
Valentin is currently serving an 87-day sentence for fabricating a story in 2004 that his then-wife, U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. Betsy Heelan, had been killed in Iraq.
Valentin received national attention in February 2004 when he claimed he received a phone call from the U.S. Department of Defense informing him that his wife had been among 101 soldiers killed in an explosion in Baghdad.
After it became clear the Army did not call him, Valentin claimed to be the victim of a cruel hoax. He later admitted he made up the story and said it was because he thought it would get his wife home.
Prosecutors said he made up the story because he was wanted to date a woman who had told him she did not want to get involved with a married man..............
Friday, May 11, 2007
perhaps da liebs
can backfill (with the cost coming out of his OWN pockets) connecticut with:
more than two-hundred high-mobility multipurpose vehicles, a Chinook CH-47D cargo helicopter, fifteen-hundred pairs of night-vision goggles and twenty-one large support vehicles such as tankers, wreckers and heavy cargo vehicles.
cause that's what we're missing (due to king george, his court and da liebs insistance to send our men and women into harm's way in an illegal, unjust and immoral war)
Governors worry about depleted National Guard with equipment left in Iraq and Afghanistan
(Hartford-AP)_Some governors are questioning whether they will be able to handle the next hurricane, wildfire or terrorist attack at home. That's because repeated deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan are leaving state National Guards without nearly half of their required equipment. Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius complained this week that shortages of equipment and well-trained personnel slowed Guard response to the killer tornadoes that ravaged her state. .............
..............The Pentagon acknowledged this week that Army National Guard units had only 56 percent of their required equipment, the lowest levels since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. ...............
more than two-hundred high-mobility multipurpose vehicles, a Chinook CH-47D cargo helicopter, fifteen-hundred pairs of night-vision goggles and twenty-one large support vehicles such as tankers, wreckers and heavy cargo vehicles.
cause that's what we're missing (due to king george, his court and da liebs insistance to send our men and women into harm's way in an illegal, unjust and immoral war)
Governors worry about depleted National Guard with equipment left in Iraq and Afghanistan
(Hartford-AP)_Some governors are questioning whether they will be able to handle the next hurricane, wildfire or terrorist attack at home. That's because repeated deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan are leaving state National Guards without nearly half of their required equipment. Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius complained this week that shortages of equipment and well-trained personnel slowed Guard response to the killer tornadoes that ravaged her state. .............
..............The Pentagon acknowledged this week that Army National Guard units had only 56 percent of their required equipment, the lowest levels since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. ...............
Thursday, May 10, 2007
the last of the 102nd are home
and i welcome you and i thank you (we all do)
National Guard members return to Connecticut
(Windsor Locks-WTNH)_It was a third and final homecoming today for the New Haven based 102nd Infantry Battalion. Fifty unit members arrived at Bradley International Airport this afternoon to the loving arms of wives, husbands, children and parents.
After a year in Afghanistan and almost a year and a half away from home, the members of the 102nd were recognized while they were in Afghanistan for holding off Taliban forces, so that Afghan security forces could arrive. During their stay, they participated in search and seizure operations, working with the Afghan security forces and the Afghan National Army. They spent the past month taking warrior leader courses at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, but today it was all about just being with family.
Jessica Koeler of Meriden said her husband has been away since January of last year. .............
National Guard members return to Connecticut
(Windsor Locks-WTNH)_It was a third and final homecoming today for the New Haven based 102nd Infantry Battalion. Fifty unit members arrived at Bradley International Airport this afternoon to the loving arms of wives, husbands, children and parents.
After a year in Afghanistan and almost a year and a half away from home, the members of the 102nd were recognized while they were in Afghanistan for holding off Taliban forces, so that Afghan security forces could arrive. During their stay, they participated in search and seizure operations, working with the Afghan security forces and the Afghan National Army. They spent the past month taking warrior leader courses at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, but today it was all about just being with family.
Jessica Koeler of Meriden said her husband has been away since January of last year. .............
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
the start of my
chevron scarf from last minute knitted gifts
tweedy cotton classic #476 (the pinkish purplish yarn)
cotton classic color #109 (the blue/green/purple)
both by tahki-stacy charles
(from sit-n-knit in west hartford center)
Monday, May 07, 2007
i'm not one to go to concerts (any more)
i don't like large venues (although i DID enjoy the allman brothers at whatever it's called now. before it was called what it is now mind you, the dodge theater or ford or yugo)
i DID see many a fine act at toad's though and i sure do hope to see many in the future (anyone remember the sting in new britain? i enjoyed the hell out of THAT place too. while we're at it, and i'm dating myself. how about the shaboo??? damn some GOOD GOOD GOOD times)
Famous night club ordered closed for three months
NEW HAVEN, Conn. --There will be no beers poured, no dancing, no screaming guitars, no gigs at Toad's Place for the next three months.
The famous nightclub, where stars from Count Basie to the Rolling Stones and Johnny Cash to U2 have all performed, shut its doors Friday for three months by order of the state Liquor Control Division.
Liquor control agents and police officers raided Toad's Place in November 2005 as the club was holding a "College Night."
The club was charged with selling of alcohol to minors and negotiated a settlement with the state. It agreed to close its doors for 90 days and pay a $90,000 fine. None of the underage drinkers was arrested.
"What's done is done," Toads General Manager Ed Dingus of Hamden told the New Haven Register. "We've got to play by the rules."..............
i DID see many a fine act at toad's though and i sure do hope to see many in the future (anyone remember the sting in new britain? i enjoyed the hell out of THAT place too. while we're at it, and i'm dating myself. how about the shaboo??? damn some GOOD GOOD GOOD times)
Famous night club ordered closed for three months
NEW HAVEN, Conn. --There will be no beers poured, no dancing, no screaming guitars, no gigs at Toad's Place for the next three months.
The famous nightclub, where stars from Count Basie to the Rolling Stones and Johnny Cash to U2 have all performed, shut its doors Friday for three months by order of the state Liquor Control Division.
Liquor control agents and police officers raided Toad's Place in November 2005 as the club was holding a "College Night."
The club was charged with selling of alcohol to minors and negotiated a settlement with the state. It agreed to close its doors for 90 days and pay a $90,000 fine. None of the underage drinkers was arrested.
"What's done is done," Toads General Manager Ed Dingus of Hamden told the New Haven Register. "We've got to play by the rules."..............
please say a few kind words or a prayer or two for the 405th
combat support hospital. they're out of my hood, west hartford, but are from all over the northeast. let's all keep a good thought out for them
Medical unit deploys to Iraq
by News Channel 8's Jamie Muro
(West Hartford-WTNH) _ It was a special send-off Sunday in West Hartford for 95-men and women of the 405th Combat Support Hospital.
The unit is stationed in West Hartford, but these medical professionals bound for Iraq came from all over the northeast. Some family members and friends traveled great lengths to see off their loved ones from the United States Armed Forces Reserve Center.
Doctors, nurses and dentists make up this group of people who are often unseen in the media spotlight of this war, but some say their contribution is immeasurable. .........
Back To The Desert For New Face Of War Reservists Making Second Trip Over
By JESSE HAMILTON, Courant Staff Writer
For the first time in the Iraq war, one of Connecticut's units of Army reservists is returning for a second lengthy deployment to the Middle East. It's just the first of what will likely be a series of local units sent back to the war, military officials say. The 405th Combat Support Hospital, a U.S. Army Reserve unit based in West Hartford, had already served in Kuwait in the buildup to the Iraq War, and about a hundred of its members will return soon to a very different situation....
..............The 405th had deployed to Kuwait in 2002, as U.S. forces were readying for a possible military confrontation with Iraq. They staffed a combat hospital for several months, but it had few trauma patients. An October 2002 attack on some Marines in Kuwait provided their main experience with combat wounds and with a dead American. But the 405th came home before the real shooting war began in March 2003............
Medical unit deploys to Iraq
by News Channel 8's Jamie Muro
(West Hartford-WTNH) _ It was a special send-off Sunday in West Hartford for 95-men and women of the 405th Combat Support Hospital.
The unit is stationed in West Hartford, but these medical professionals bound for Iraq came from all over the northeast. Some family members and friends traveled great lengths to see off their loved ones from the United States Armed Forces Reserve Center.
Doctors, nurses and dentists make up this group of people who are often unseen in the media spotlight of this war, but some say their contribution is immeasurable. .........
Back To The Desert For New Face Of War Reservists Making Second Trip Over
By JESSE HAMILTON, Courant Staff Writer
For the first time in the Iraq war, one of Connecticut's units of Army reservists is returning for a second lengthy deployment to the Middle East. It's just the first of what will likely be a series of local units sent back to the war, military officials say. The 405th Combat Support Hospital, a U.S. Army Reserve unit based in West Hartford, had already served in Kuwait in the buildup to the Iraq War, and about a hundred of its members will return soon to a very different situation....
..............The 405th had deployed to Kuwait in 2002, as U.S. forces were readying for a possible military confrontation with Iraq. They staffed a combat hospital for several months, but it had few trauma patients. An October 2002 attack on some Marines in Kuwait provided their main experience with combat wounds and with a dead American. But the 405th came home before the real shooting war began in March 2003............
Sunday, May 06, 2007
the west end
i spend a lot of time in the west end. it's a great area. diverse, lovely, wonderful restaurants, bodegas, shops (try De Vars-Phillips Florist out. they have great gifts too, not just flowers) all sorts of people from college kids to elderly (there is an elderly housing complex on sisson by the fire house). oxford street is full of big beautiful homes (as are a lot of other streets in that hood. many historic buildings not just the mark twain home and harriet beecher stowe's house). of course my beloved half door is in the hood too. that doesn't hurt
CHRISTIAN AND KATE WINKLEY play with their daughter, Anna, outside their home on Oxford Street in Hartford, their first of several renovation projects on the block in the West End. They live on the first floor of the house above and rent out the other two floors. (ROSS TAYLOR)
Young City Homeowners Make Modern History
By NANCY SCHOEFFLER, At Home Editor
The house had asbestos siding, and all the architectural details were covered up. The porch was rotted, and the ceiling was caving in.But, says Kate Winkley, "the bones were there Christian and Kate Winkley transformed their three-family home on Oxford Street in Hartford's West End, and then they started to transform the neighborhood: They now own three other houses on the block and another just around the corner, all renovated or in the works."Multifamily houses are so often neglected; often they're non-owner-occupied," says Christian Winkley, noting that all but one of the houses on the block are multifamily dwellings. "This was a perfect block to bring back," Winkley says. "It just needed a little TLC," adds his wife.................
CHRISTIAN AND KATE WINKLEY play with their daughter, Anna, outside their home on Oxford Street in Hartford, their first of several renovation projects on the block in the West End. They live on the first floor of the house above and rent out the other two floors. (ROSS TAYLOR)
Young City Homeowners Make Modern History
By NANCY SCHOEFFLER, At Home Editor
The house had asbestos siding, and all the architectural details were covered up. The porch was rotted, and the ceiling was caving in.But, says Kate Winkley, "the bones were there Christian and Kate Winkley transformed their three-family home on Oxford Street in Hartford's West End, and then they started to transform the neighborhood: They now own three other houses on the block and another just around the corner, all renovated or in the works."Multifamily houses are so often neglected; often they're non-owner-occupied," says Christian Winkley, noting that all but one of the houses on the block are multifamily dwellings. "This was a perfect block to bring back," Winkley says. "It just needed a little TLC," adds his wife.................
Saturday, May 05, 2007
is anyone taking a look at the waterbury police department?
i have been following the billy smolinski case (thanks to andy thibault at the cool justice report). seems the waterbury police department* ROYALLY screwed things up. seems like the did it on PURPOSE, not as an oversight. seems like they were protecting people they should have been investigating.
to the smolinskis, i really do hope you find the answers you seek. i'm sorry for your loss and your pain. i'm sorry the people who were supposed to help, serve and protect (as in the waterbury police department) DID NOT do so.
thanks to the cool justice report for forwarding this article to me
oh and a shout out to all of the OTHER journalists who have not let the smolinski case fade away. the family deserves the truth
Buried Secrets
By John Murray
She couldn't go.
Janice Smolinski knew that if she drove to Shelton she'd be on her knees clawing at the earth to uncover Billy. No, she couldn't go, Janice and her husband Bill had to first process the devastating information they had just read in the Waterbury police report. After three years of searching for their 31 year old son, the Smolinskis now believed they knew what happened to Billy when he vanished from his life in August 2004. The moment that Bill and Janice Smolinski had long sought was here, but it wasn't playing out the way they'd imagined..........
............The Observer visited Waterbury Police Chief Neil O'Leary's office and he was direct in saying he suspected foul play. O'Leary was not involved with the investigation and hooked the Observer up with deputy chief Jimmy Egan and told him to share information with the newspaper. Egan began by calling Billy Smolinski a mixed up kid who is probably in Europe having a cold beer. Egan challenged the credibility of Janice Smolinski by inferring she was a bit daffy because she had talked with psychics. After several minutes of smearing the Smolinskis, Egan asked if we had any other questions. When we asked about the love triangle he began to squirm. When we specifically asked about Chris Sorensen the deputy chief asked if we were going to publish his name.
When we said we might, Egan said we'd ruin the guy's life. Egan paced back and forth across the room and appeared to be more concerned with protecting Sorensen and Gleason than finding out what happened to Billy Smolinski. A second meeting with Egan three days later was in stark contrast. He was subdued and concerned about the Smolinski family and their search for Billy. He stated he had lots of empathy for the Smolinskis and had never said a bad word about them.
That was a lie..............
ah, but that's NOT all. i happened to be watching nbc (dateline) the other day. to my amazement what do i see? a story about how the waterbury police department MESSED UP AGAIN (earlier, in 1993, but this along with the smolinski case certainly would be sending up red flags to me)
a woman was raped (her children sleeping in rooms next to her), reported it to the waterbury police department and they turn around and threaten HER with arrest because they didn't believe her????
Former ‘Jane Doe’ fights for other rape victims
Police ignored Donna Palomba's case, now she's helping others seek justice
By John Springer
TODAYShow.com contributor
Updated: 9:24 a.m. ET April 27, 2007
Donna Palomba was alone in bed on a September night in 1993, when she heard the distinct sound of footsteps approaching closer and closer.
Then she saw him. The man in the mask.
With her husband away on business and her children asleep down the hall, the Waterbury, Conn., woman was no match for the shadowy figure in her bedroom. Armed with a knife and a handgun, he cut Palomba's bed clothes and raped her.
When it was over, the man menaced Palomba with the gun and threatened to return and kill her if she told anyone about the assault. Although she did run to the home of a neighbor and called 911, for some time afterward Palomba wondered if calling police was a mistake.
They didn't believe her.
The lead investigator for the Waterbury Police Department accused Palomba of making up the story, and threatened to charge her with making a false police report...............
(*in all fairness chief neil o'leary appears to at the very least be willing to listen.)
to the smolinskis, i really do hope you find the answers you seek. i'm sorry for your loss and your pain. i'm sorry the people who were supposed to help, serve and protect (as in the waterbury police department) DID NOT do so.
thanks to the cool justice report for forwarding this article to me
oh and a shout out to all of the OTHER journalists who have not let the smolinski case fade away. the family deserves the truth
Buried Secrets
By John Murray
She couldn't go.
Janice Smolinski knew that if she drove to Shelton she'd be on her knees clawing at the earth to uncover Billy. No, she couldn't go, Janice and her husband Bill had to first process the devastating information they had just read in the Waterbury police report. After three years of searching for their 31 year old son, the Smolinskis now believed they knew what happened to Billy when he vanished from his life in August 2004. The moment that Bill and Janice Smolinski had long sought was here, but it wasn't playing out the way they'd imagined..........
............The Observer visited Waterbury Police Chief Neil O'Leary's office and he was direct in saying he suspected foul play. O'Leary was not involved with the investigation and hooked the Observer up with deputy chief Jimmy Egan and told him to share information with the newspaper. Egan began by calling Billy Smolinski a mixed up kid who is probably in Europe having a cold beer. Egan challenged the credibility of Janice Smolinski by inferring she was a bit daffy because she had talked with psychics. After several minutes of smearing the Smolinskis, Egan asked if we had any other questions. When we asked about the love triangle he began to squirm. When we specifically asked about Chris Sorensen the deputy chief asked if we were going to publish his name.
When we said we might, Egan said we'd ruin the guy's life. Egan paced back and forth across the room and appeared to be more concerned with protecting Sorensen and Gleason than finding out what happened to Billy Smolinski. A second meeting with Egan three days later was in stark contrast. He was subdued and concerned about the Smolinski family and their search for Billy. He stated he had lots of empathy for the Smolinskis and had never said a bad word about them.
That was a lie..............
ah, but that's NOT all. i happened to be watching nbc (dateline) the other day. to my amazement what do i see? a story about how the waterbury police department MESSED UP AGAIN (earlier, in 1993, but this along with the smolinski case certainly would be sending up red flags to me)
a woman was raped (her children sleeping in rooms next to her), reported it to the waterbury police department and they turn around and threaten HER with arrest because they didn't believe her????
Former ‘Jane Doe’ fights for other rape victims
Police ignored Donna Palomba's case, now she's helping others seek justice
By John Springer
TODAYShow.com contributor
Updated: 9:24 a.m. ET April 27, 2007
Donna Palomba was alone in bed on a September night in 1993, when she heard the distinct sound of footsteps approaching closer and closer.
Then she saw him. The man in the mask.
With her husband away on business and her children asleep down the hall, the Waterbury, Conn., woman was no match for the shadowy figure in her bedroom. Armed with a knife and a handgun, he cut Palomba's bed clothes and raped her.
When it was over, the man menaced Palomba with the gun and threatened to return and kill her if she told anyone about the assault. Although she did run to the home of a neighbor and called 911, for some time afterward Palomba wondered if calling police was a mistake.
They didn't believe her.
The lead investigator for the Waterbury Police Department accused Palomba of making up the story, and threatened to charge her with making a false police report...............
(*in all fairness chief neil o'leary appears to at the very least be willing to listen.)
Friday, May 04, 2007
update on ryan riddle
(and yet ANOTHER shout out to news channel 8)
a soldier SHOT in iraq and denied benefits here, given the run around yet one of the men responsible for the run around is given a $33,000 BONUS? shite, that just is NOT right
why did wtnh channel 8 have to go out to find proof ryan riddle was wounded in iraq? why didn't
ronald aument find proof? isn't that part of HIS job?
shouldn't our veterans, ESPECIALLY the wounded ones be taken care of?
Soldier denied benefits, cutting through the red tape
(Southington-WTNH)_An Iraq War veteran and Southington resident is a living example of the red tape that is bogging down the Veterans Administration.
While soldiers like Ryan Riddle struggle to get medical coverage for war wounds there is word that some VA officials in charge of their paperwork are getting huge cash performance bonuses. Team 8 Investigator Alan Cohn recently confronted, Ronald Aument, one of the bureaucrats who received one of those bonuses.
"The question is, how could a TV station from Connecticut reach out to people in Baghdad and confirm that this private was shot and the VA can't?""Frankly, I don't know the facts, but I'll be happy to look into it," Aument said............
a soldier SHOT in iraq and denied benefits here, given the run around yet one of the men responsible for the run around is given a $33,000 BONUS? shite, that just is NOT right
why did wtnh channel 8 have to go out to find proof ryan riddle was wounded in iraq? why didn't
ronald aument find proof? isn't that part of HIS job?
shouldn't our veterans, ESPECIALLY the wounded ones be taken care of?
Soldier denied benefits, cutting through the red tape
(Southington-WTNH)_An Iraq War veteran and Southington resident is a living example of the red tape that is bogging down the Veterans Administration.
While soldiers like Ryan Riddle struggle to get medical coverage for war wounds there is word that some VA officials in charge of their paperwork are getting huge cash performance bonuses. Team 8 Investigator Alan Cohn recently confronted, Ronald Aument, one of the bureaucrats who received one of those bonuses.
"The question is, how could a TV station from Connecticut reach out to people in Baghdad and confirm that this private was shot and the VA can't?""Frankly, I don't know the facts, but I'll be happy to look into it," Aument said............
Thursday, May 03, 2007
t.r. rowe (r-trumbull) you're WRONG
you CANNOT have love or compassion to or for a woman UNLESS you allow her the RIGHT to choose plan b IF she seeks medical treatment after a rape. once again, PLAN B DOES NOT CAUSE AN ABORTION. it is a contraceptive (yes, i know the catholic church prohibits the use of contraceptives. by the way almost every catholic i know of child bearing age USES CONTRACEPTION).
it is indeed a victory for connecticut and especially it's women
House Passes Bill Requiring Hospitals To Dispense Plan B
HARTFORD, Conn. -- The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Wednesday in favor of a bill that requires all hospitals in the state, including Catholic ones, to offer rape victims emergency contraception.
The bill passed on a 113-36 vote, following a three-hour debate.
The legislation, which passed the Senate last week, now moves to Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell's desk. The governor suggested she's inclined to sign the bill into law.......
............."I know I may be spitting against the wind here," said Rep. T.R. Rowe, R-Trumbull, a Catholic, pleading with his colleagues. "I ask each of you to think again before you cast your vote this afternoon. You can still have great love, care and compassion for victimized women. You can still do right by them and vote against the underlying bill."
The emergency contraception, known as Plan B, helps prevent a pregnancy when taken within 72 hours of sex.
Last year, Hartford Archbishop Henry J. Mansell directed Connecticut's four Catholic hospitals not to prescribe the drug if a rape victim is ovulating or an egg has been fertilized. Roman Catholics believe life begins at conception.
Barry Feldman, a lawyer for the Connecticut Catholic Hospitals Council, said Mansell is very disappointed. He said the state's bishops must now consider their options, including possible legal action.............
it is indeed a victory for connecticut and especially it's women
House Passes Bill Requiring Hospitals To Dispense Plan B
HARTFORD, Conn. -- The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Wednesday in favor of a bill that requires all hospitals in the state, including Catholic ones, to offer rape victims emergency contraception.
The bill passed on a 113-36 vote, following a three-hour debate.
The legislation, which passed the Senate last week, now moves to Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell's desk. The governor suggested she's inclined to sign the bill into law.......
............."I know I may be spitting against the wind here," said Rep. T.R. Rowe, R-Trumbull, a Catholic, pleading with his colleagues. "I ask each of you to think again before you cast your vote this afternoon. You can still have great love, care and compassion for victimized women. You can still do right by them and vote against the underlying bill."
The emergency contraception, known as Plan B, helps prevent a pregnancy when taken within 72 hours of sex.
Last year, Hartford Archbishop Henry J. Mansell directed Connecticut's four Catholic hospitals not to prescribe the drug if a rape victim is ovulating or an egg has been fertilized. Roman Catholics believe life begins at conception.
Barry Feldman, a lawyer for the Connecticut Catholic Hospitals Council, said Mansell is very disappointed. He said the state's bishops must now consider their options, including possible legal action.............
this is how we treat our war wounded: ryan riddle a connecticut horror story
they (the va) says there is NO proof of a wound? ryan riddle WAS SHOT in iraq (friendly fire, but shot none the less). why should he have to do a whole dog and pony show to get the benefits HE DESERVES?
and a GIANT shout out to wtnh, news channel 8 for attempting to do what SHOULD have been done all along.
this is bull shite
Injured Connecticut soldier denied service benefits
Southington-WTNH)_A presidential task force has announced new measures to improve what it describes as unacceptably poor coordination between the veterans administration and the defense department when it comes to helping wounded veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan prove their disability claims.
Just last week veterans affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson said "these heroes should not have to fight bureaucratic red tape for benefits earned by their courageous service." Ryan Riddle is a Connecticut veteran who has been fighting through that red tape ever since he was wounded in Iraq............
.............It was an accidental shooting which left very real scars from shrapnel wounds to Riddle's wrist and legs. Doctors were unable to remove part of the bullet in his leg because it was too close to an artery.
Riddle received a commendation for his service at the checkpoint; the soldier who shot him got a reprimand. Riddle was discharged and moved home to Southington. He filed for service related benefits for the gun shot wound, and doctors at the Newington Veterans hospital told him there is no proof of his injury..............
...........That was almost a month ago. News Channel 8 turned over a letter written on Army stationary by Riddle's sergeant who was with him when he was shot. We even offered to give the VA the x-rays that show the bullet lodged in his thigh, but as of right now, Riddle's claim is still denied.
The VA said the documents help but it is still trying to get a hold of the soldiers that we had no trouble contacting to corroborate their story.
Rep. John Larson, (D, who has been following the case said it's ridiculous.........
and a GIANT shout out to wtnh, news channel 8 for attempting to do what SHOULD have been done all along.
this is bull shite
Injured Connecticut soldier denied service benefits
Southington-WTNH)_A presidential task force has announced new measures to improve what it describes as unacceptably poor coordination between the veterans administration and the defense department when it comes to helping wounded veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan prove their disability claims.
Just last week veterans affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson said "these heroes should not have to fight bureaucratic red tape for benefits earned by their courageous service." Ryan Riddle is a Connecticut veteran who has been fighting through that red tape ever since he was wounded in Iraq............
.............It was an accidental shooting which left very real scars from shrapnel wounds to Riddle's wrist and legs. Doctors were unable to remove part of the bullet in his leg because it was too close to an artery.
Riddle received a commendation for his service at the checkpoint; the soldier who shot him got a reprimand. Riddle was discharged and moved home to Southington. He filed for service related benefits for the gun shot wound, and doctors at the Newington Veterans hospital told him there is no proof of his injury..............
...........That was almost a month ago. News Channel 8 turned over a letter written on Army stationary by Riddle's sergeant who was with him when he was shot. We even offered to give the VA the x-rays that show the bullet lodged in his thigh, but as of right now, Riddle's claim is still denied.
The VA said the documents help but it is still trying to get a hold of the soldiers that we had no trouble contacting to corroborate their story.
Rep. John Larson, (D, who has been following the case said it's ridiculous.........
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
princess was eighteen years old - and she was found stuffed in a box
naked, bleach poured all over her and beaten so badly they didn't know what gender she was at first.
she was found on laurel street. i work VERY near laurel street. who knows, i may have passed her or one of the four who are accused of murdering her.
the following isn't a story about her death - it's a story of her tragic life. someone (colin poitras) took the time to find out
(it ain't easy being mentally ill)
It Was `Chaos All The Time' Slain `Princess' Often Rebelled Against Treatment, Ran Away
By COLIN POITRAS, Courant Staff Writer
When state officials sent Alexandria Clouse-Desmond to a special school in Bennington, Vt., last year, she jumped out of a window and ran away, only to be found hours later lying face down in a ditch on the side of the road.When Clouse-Desmond was receiving treatment at the state-run Riverview psychiatric hospital for children in Middletown the year before that, she ran from staff and plunged into the nearby Connecticut River in an apparent drowning attempt.
Last May, while again at Riverview, Clouse-Desmond was among a trio of young women who ran away during an outing to the movies. The girls were later found, all claiming to have been raped while they were out on the streets of Hartford.........
she was found on laurel street. i work VERY near laurel street. who knows, i may have passed her or one of the four who are accused of murdering her.
the following isn't a story about her death - it's a story of her tragic life. someone (colin poitras) took the time to find out
(it ain't easy being mentally ill)
It Was `Chaos All The Time' Slain `Princess' Often Rebelled Against Treatment, Ran Away
By COLIN POITRAS, Courant Staff Writer
When state officials sent Alexandria Clouse-Desmond to a special school in Bennington, Vt., last year, she jumped out of a window and ran away, only to be found hours later lying face down in a ditch on the side of the road.When Clouse-Desmond was receiving treatment at the state-run Riverview psychiatric hospital for children in Middletown the year before that, she ran from staff and plunged into the nearby Connecticut River in an apparent drowning attempt.
Last May, while again at Riverview, Clouse-Desmond was among a trio of young women who ran away during an outing to the movies. The girls were later found, all claiming to have been raped while they were out on the streets of Hartford.........
i'm glad the judge in this case is taking time to think
BEFORE sentencing.
and once again i'd like to take the opportunity to apologize to mr hoy (whom i never outright said was guilty but i did say IF he did this............. i jumped the gun. now i'm going to say i hope yajaira and jose, who DID commit this heinous crime DO PAY and pay dearly). so i'm praying judge miano thinks long and hard and gives these two exactly what they deserve (of course he really can't do that - BUT he can give them what they deserve INSIDE of the law)
Sentencing postponed after judge sees victim's pictures
(Hartford-AP) _ Photos of a young victim of child abuse have prompted a Hartford judge to put off sentencing of her mother and the mother's boyfriend.
The judge says he wants to think about the lower sentences he planned. His decision came yesterday after seeing, for the first time, pictures of the six-year-old girl who had been beaten so badly, her arm had to be amputated.
Judge Thomas Miano halted the sentencing after viewing the photos and hearing child welfare officials describe what they called the "torture" of Natasha Santiago......
Judge Rethinks Sentence For Abuse He Delays Ruling After Seeing Photos Of Child
By TINA A. BROWN, Courant Staff Writer
A judge in Hartford was prepared to send an abusive mother and her boyfriend to prison Monday for beating her handicapped daughter so badly that the girl's arm had to be amputated.But in a rare move, Superior Court Judge Thomas Miano halted the sentencing after viewing gruesome photographs of the battered girl's injuries for the first time and hearing child welfare officials describe the "torture" of 6-year-old Natasha Santiago.Miano had been prepared to sentence Yajaira Rodriguez of Hartford to 10 years in prison and her boyfriend, Jose Graciani of New Britain, to 12 years behind bars. But after seeing and hearing more evidence, he postponed the sentencings to next week, he said, so that he had time "to think."..........
...........But the photographs - a significant record of the child's injuries - offered a more gruesome perspective than the mountains of paperwork that doctors from Connecticut Children's Medical Center and Yale-New Haven Hospital had forwarded to the prosecution and the defense.They showed Natasha sitting in a car seat. She had a black and blue knot on her head. Her legs and back had older wounds. But those injuries paled compared with her left arm, which was burned, swollen and purple. Doctors later amputated it..............
Mom, Friend Convicted Of Child Abuse 6-Year-Old Lost Her Arm, Had Many Broken Bones
By TINA A. BROWN, Courant Staff Writer
A Hartford mother and her boyfriend pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges stemming from the severe beating of her disabled, 6-year-old daughter that resulted in amputation of the girl's left arm.Though Yajaira Rodriguez, 25, of Hartford, and Jose Graciani, 24, of New Britain, pleaded guilty to assault and risk of injury charges at separate hearings in Superior Court in Hartford, neither openly admitted inflicting the injuries sustained by Natasha Santiago in December 2005.
Initially, Rodriguez had blamed the girl's injuries on a former boyfriend.At their combined sentencing on Monday, Rodriguez will receive a 20-year-prison term, suspended after she serves 10 years in prison and five years of probation. Graciani will receive a 20-year-prison term, suspended after he serves 12 years in prison and five years of probation, said Judge Thomas Miano...........
apologies to mr hoy
and once again i'd like to take the opportunity to apologize to mr hoy (whom i never outright said was guilty but i did say IF he did this............. i jumped the gun. now i'm going to say i hope yajaira and jose, who DID commit this heinous crime DO PAY and pay dearly). so i'm praying judge miano thinks long and hard and gives these two exactly what they deserve (of course he really can't do that - BUT he can give them what they deserve INSIDE of the law)
Sentencing postponed after judge sees victim's pictures
(Hartford-AP) _ Photos of a young victim of child abuse have prompted a Hartford judge to put off sentencing of her mother and the mother's boyfriend.
The judge says he wants to think about the lower sentences he planned. His decision came yesterday after seeing, for the first time, pictures of the six-year-old girl who had been beaten so badly, her arm had to be amputated.
Judge Thomas Miano halted the sentencing after viewing the photos and hearing child welfare officials describe what they called the "torture" of Natasha Santiago......
Judge Rethinks Sentence For Abuse He Delays Ruling After Seeing Photos Of Child
By TINA A. BROWN, Courant Staff Writer
A judge in Hartford was prepared to send an abusive mother and her boyfriend to prison Monday for beating her handicapped daughter so badly that the girl's arm had to be amputated.But in a rare move, Superior Court Judge Thomas Miano halted the sentencing after viewing gruesome photographs of the battered girl's injuries for the first time and hearing child welfare officials describe the "torture" of 6-year-old Natasha Santiago.Miano had been prepared to sentence Yajaira Rodriguez of Hartford to 10 years in prison and her boyfriend, Jose Graciani of New Britain, to 12 years behind bars. But after seeing and hearing more evidence, he postponed the sentencings to next week, he said, so that he had time "to think."..........
...........But the photographs - a significant record of the child's injuries - offered a more gruesome perspective than the mountains of paperwork that doctors from Connecticut Children's Medical Center and Yale-New Haven Hospital had forwarded to the prosecution and the defense.They showed Natasha sitting in a car seat. She had a black and blue knot on her head. Her legs and back had older wounds. But those injuries paled compared with her left arm, which was burned, swollen and purple. Doctors later amputated it..............
Mom, Friend Convicted Of Child Abuse 6-Year-Old Lost Her Arm, Had Many Broken Bones
By TINA A. BROWN, Courant Staff Writer
A Hartford mother and her boyfriend pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges stemming from the severe beating of her disabled, 6-year-old daughter that resulted in amputation of the girl's left arm.Though Yajaira Rodriguez, 25, of Hartford, and Jose Graciani, 24, of New Britain, pleaded guilty to assault and risk of injury charges at separate hearings in Superior Court in Hartford, neither openly admitted inflicting the injuries sustained by Natasha Santiago in December 2005.
Initially, Rodriguez had blamed the girl's injuries on a former boyfriend.At their combined sentencing on Monday, Rodriguez will receive a 20-year-prison term, suspended after she serves 10 years in prison and five years of probation. Graciani will receive a 20-year-prison term, suspended after he serves 12 years in prison and five years of probation, said Judge Thomas Miano...........
apologies to mr hoy
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
a shout out to mary ann klecker
THIS is supporting us troops. NOT sending them into harm's way OVER lies
Helping injured soldiers
by News Channel 8's Sara Welch
WTNH) _ A Milford woman has made it her mission to help injured service members and their families.
Inside a Florida motel, Mary Ann Klecker runs Haley House, a place for families to stay while their loved ones undergo rehabilitation at the James Haley VA Hospital in Tampa.
For one family, Iraq changed everything. Three months ago, Sergeant John Jones a 16-year Army veteran, was hit by an improvised explosive device. The blast shattered part of his skull causing a traumatic brain injury.
"He's my world and just to touch him and know that he's going to be OK is wonderful," said his wife Laura.
"They were there the whole time, first thing when I woke up I remember seeing my family and my wife," said John..................
Helping injured soldiers
by News Channel 8's Sara Welch
WTNH) _ A Milford woman has made it her mission to help injured service members and their families.
Inside a Florida motel, Mary Ann Klecker runs Haley House, a place for families to stay while their loved ones undergo rehabilitation at the James Haley VA Hospital in Tampa.
For one family, Iraq changed everything. Three months ago, Sergeant John Jones a 16-year Army veteran, was hit by an improvised explosive device. The blast shattered part of his skull causing a traumatic brain injury.
"He's my world and just to touch him and know that he's going to be OK is wonderful," said his wife Laura.
"They were there the whole time, first thing when I woke up I remember seeing my family and my wife," said John..................
da liebs...methinks thou doth protest TOO MUCH
no interest in running indeed!!!
well da liebs, not to worry. you ain't runnin' but i ain't votin' for yee
Lieberman: 'No-party' fastest growing political movement
Nick Juliano
Warning the two major parties to "watch out" for a third-party presidential candidate to storm into the 2008 presidential race, Sen. Joe Lieberman said Monday that independent voters were the most explosive force in American politics.
"The fastest-growing political party in America today is no party," Lieberman, I-Conn., told a panel discussion sponsored by the American Enterprise Institute.
The discussion, where Lieberman appeared alongside House Minority Leader John Boehner, stressed the importance of civility in what is becoming an increasing hostile partisan environment within the Capitol...................
well da liebs, not to worry. you ain't runnin' but i ain't votin' for yee
Lieberman: 'No-party' fastest growing political movement
Nick Juliano
Warning the two major parties to "watch out" for a third-party presidential candidate to storm into the 2008 presidential race, Sen. Joe Lieberman said Monday that independent voters were the most explosive force in American politics.
"The fastest-growing political party in America today is no party," Lieberman, I-Conn., told a panel discussion sponsored by the American Enterprise Institute.
The discussion, where Lieberman appeared alongside House Minority Leader John Boehner, stressed the importance of civility in what is becoming an increasing hostile partisan environment within the Capitol...................
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