(my sunflowers at one week)

and at 4-5 weeks

and in my BEST seussian mode: a big bee and a wet tree

(at the half door saturday june 21 2008)

rainbow june 20th

west hartford late afternoon, early evening

wednesday morning

june 18th 5:00 am (ish)

this is one of THE best

stupid connecticut criminal busts i have read about. (hey beth-y, i sorta hope this one IS a relative of my boyfriend, your husband, "e")

man what i wouldn't have given to be there when this happened

Bridgeport man charged with threatening police with python

Bridgeport (AP) -- Bridgeport police say they arrested a city man after he ordered his pet to attack two officers. Lucky for them that 9-foot-long pythons aren't very obedient.

Police Lt. James Viadero says 21-year-old Victor Rodriguez was charged with threatening police and disorderly conduct after Monday's incident. No one was hurt.

Officers were called to Rodriguez's apartment on a report that he was threatening his girlfriend with the pet reptile.

Viadero says that when the building superintendent opened the apartment door for the officers, Rodriguez allegedly threatened them with the snake and told it to "Get them!"

Rodriguez and his pet were both taken away:......

rose after the rain

before the big storm yesterday

(saturday june 14th), i was mindin' my own bid-nez as i'm want to do. i was sitting on my father's stoop having a butt. i hear this odd noise far off in the distance. could it be? wait, really, could it be?

yes, IT WAS (a person playing a bagpipe). perhaps he was a rainmaker. sorry about the fuzzy pictures but he was a great deal off in the distance

saturday

my sunflowers at one week)





and on this page, here they are at 3-4 weeks. roses and flowers at the the half door

justice?

well it would seem like it's a first step. please stop by the cool justice report

and read

BREAKING NEWS: Niehoff Suspended Without Pay For 2 Days
But, Will She GetTo Speak At Graduation?
By ANDY THIBAULT
The Cool Justice Report
www.cooljustice.blogspot.com
June 13, 2008EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is available for reprint courtesy of The Cool Justice Report, http://cooljustice.blogspot.com

BURLINGTON – Embattled Principal Karissa Niehoff – a key figure in The Famous Douche Bag Case – was suspended for two days without pay after she violated the privacy rights of free speech freedom fighter Avery Doninger.
Responding to a May 30 article in The New York Post, Niehoff wrote to Midwestern educator Mike Morris about Doninger. Niehoff’s letter is loaded with unsubstantiated and undocumented allegations about Doninger, who will graduate from Lewis Mills High School next week................

and a special shout out to alan beitman

it's been a while, so now it's time dear readers

for another episode in STUPID CONNECTICUT CRIMINALS
Man Charged With Stealing School Bus
COLCHESTER, Conn. -- State troopers said an Enfield man is charged with stealing a school bus, telling officers he needed a ride home after a friend's arrest.
Peter Smario is due in Norwich Superior Court on June 19 on charges of larceny, drug possession, criminal trespass and possession of a weapon in a vehicle, police said.
Police said several drivers reported a yellow school bus driving erratically and hitting construction cones on Route 2 in Colchester. The vehicle had been taken from a nearby bus yard. Police said Smario was carrying heroin, a knife and a large amount of cash when they arrested him during the Thursday night incident. Troopers said the 28-year-old told them his friend had been arrested earlier that evening, leaving him without a ride home...................

yes, it's true. pigs are flying

and there are bombs in chickens
Police find pipe bomb stuffed inside chicken



Simsbury (AP) _ Police say whole raw roasting chicken was found by the side of a road this morning stuffed with a pipe bomb.
A motorist notice the chicken bomb on Powder Forest Drive at about 9 a.m. Police say it was large enough to cause harm to a person if it went off. ...........

does anyone know what these are?

we're callous savages

we just let this man lay in the street after being slammed with a car. what does the mayor have to say about THIS? of course after nick carbone got beaten to within an inch of his life all perez had to say was generally the crime stats in hartford were down. he didn't decry what happened.

to the family and friends of angel arce torres, i hope justice will be served.


Video shows bystanders ignoring hit-and-run victim
HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT - Police released chilling surveillance video of a hit-and-run accident in hopes of catching the unidientified driver who ran down a 78-year-old pedestrian, paralyzing him, and to show the callousness of bystanders who did nothing to help.
The gripping one-minute video shows the violent May 30 accident and bystanders' apparent lack of sympathy. No one rushes to Angel Arce Torres' aid, and no one bothers to stop traffic as Torres lays motionless in the street.
In the video, released by police Wednesday, Torres walks in the two-way street at 5:45 p.m. after buying milk at a local grocery. He is struck by a dark Honda that was chasing a tan Toyota. Both cars dart down a side street as Torres crumples to the pavement.
Several cars pass Torres as a few people stare from the sidewalk. Some approach Torres, but most stay put until a police cruiser responding to an unrelated call arrives on the scene...........

our next president talks to da liebs

he's a better human being than i. i would have SHUNNED DA LIEBS FOREVER.
and hey da liebs, YOU'RE AN AMERICAN NOT AN ISRAELI. AMERICA COMES FIRST ALWAYS. ALWAYS. ALWAYS
we do what is best for AMERICA

Obama In Heated Conversation With Lieberman
by Sam Stein
Update: Obama and Lieberman had a heated conversation on the floor of the Senate later today. Details below.
Senator Joe Lieberman, serving aptly as John McCain's foreign policy attack dog, jumped on a conference call with reporters on Wednesday to rip holes into Barack Obama's stance on Israel.
Playing off of Obama's address to the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, the Connecticut independent acknowledged that he hadn't heard the speech -- and urged for a "civil and constructive" presidential campaign -- before taking Obama to task for not being consistently tough on Iran.
"I appreciate many of the very good intentions to Israel and Israeli security that Senator Obama expressed today," said Lieberman. "I thought in the speech there was a disconnect between things Senator Obama said today, particularly in regard to Iran, and things he has said or done earlier either in the campaign or the Senate.".........

....................UPDATE: Roll Call reports:
Furthermore, during a Senate vote Wednesday, Obama dragged Lieberman by the hand to a far corner of the Senate chamber and engaged in what appeared to reporters in the gallery as an intense, three-minute conversation.
While it was unclear what the two were discussing, the body language suggested that Obama was trying to convince Lieberman of something and his stance appeared slightly intimidating.
Using forceful, but not angry, hand gestures, Obama literally backed up Lieberman against the wall, leaned in very close at times, and appeared to be trying to dominate the conversation, as the two talked over each other in a few instances.
Still, Obama and Lieberman seemed to be trying to keep the back-and-forth congenial as they both patted each other on the back during and after the exchange.
Afterwards, Obama smiled and pointed up at reporters peering over the edge of the press gallery for a better glimpse of their interaction.
Obama loyalists were quick to express their frustration with Lieberman's decision and warned that if he continues to take a lead role in attacking Obama it could complicate his professional relationship with the Caucus..............

do you know what i have to say to the town of west hartford?

luuuuuuuuuuuccccccccccccccccyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy you have some 'splainin' to do!!!

yesterday my sister pointed out to me some spray painted writing in the road. it was done either friday or yesterday morning. it says 'raised island' or something similar.

i phoned the town this morning and spoke to a VERY nice man. turns out they ARE going to put FOUR islands on asylum avenue between steele road and trout brook. i asked why. i was told it was for traffic ease. i am going to ask the town if i can see the traffic study on this. i drive on asylum EVERY day. not just five days a week EVERY day. between steele and trout brook. the ONLY thing that even resembled any kind of 'traffic study' was one of those light up signs that tells you how fast (i.e. how many miles OVER the speed limit) you're going. that was only there for a few days. i sure hope that wasn't their 'study'. there was NOTHING else. nada. zip. well nothing i'm aware of. that's why the town is getting ANOTHER call from me tomorrow. i'm going to ask to review that traffic study.

• i asked WHO was going to pay for these traffic islands since the town is on a budget. well i guess it's in the budget. who knows? i didn't get a real answer. that was NOT the fault of the person i spoke to mind you. he was as helpful as he could be. nice too. how the heck are we going to fund these traffic islands (which NO ONE i talked to who lives in the area is aware of. they were actually SHOCKED about it) when we're on a WICKED TIGHT BUDGET. taxes are up and the citizenry is up in arms over that. (well not the taxes so much as the assessments. it all boils down to we're getting our asses nailed)
• they did mail letters out (smartly so i think. they knew EXACTLY what they were doing) telling us the gas company was going to be doing some road construction. what they forgot to add was, THEY WERE GOING TO BE DOING SOME CONSTRUCTING OF THEIR OWN ONCE CNG WAS DONE. so west hartford, you weren't going to TELL US about the islands? we were supposed to wake up one morning and see them? hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
  

there is NO NEED for those traffic islands on asylum between trout brook and steele road. the construction done a couple of years ago (adding those two lanes on either side of the street. for parking and what not) did the trick. not much speeding (unless it's 2 am - then everything goes). it does get rather congested in the evening rush hour though. how would traffic islands ALLEVIATE THAT? (answer=they wouldn't)

expect my call in the morning

the rumors of demise.......the nutmeg grater: no#links#links

the nutmeg grater: no#links#links

we CANNOT let this close. we CANNOT let this fall into disrepair. we just can't. there HAS to be a corporation out there that can and will help

This Time, Rumors of Demise May Be True

By ALISON LEIGH COWAN

HARTFORD — It was here in the third-floor billiard room where America’s greatest humorist used to hole up when the bustle of his house, and the nursery one flight below, became too great, leaving strict orders not to be disturbed.

Seated at a desk tucked behind the billiards table, he wrote and rewrote in longhand such masterpieces as “Huckleberry Finn,” often beseeching his editors to stop cleaning up his language and restore the earthier vernacular he preferred.
But now the fanciful, three-story confection that was built by Mark Twain in 1874 at the height of his success may be forced to close because it is running out of money.
In a reversal of fortune that seems ripped from the pages of Twain’s classic “The Prince and the Pauper,” the nonprofit organization that has long run the 14,000-square-foot house as a museum told its trustees last month that it was “facing significant challenges” that could force it to shut down............

Janet Durrans for The New York Times

Twain built the fanciful house at 351 Farmington Avenue in Hartford at the height of his success. It cost $40,000.

to the family and friends of Christian Cotner

i am so very sorry for your loss. my heart (and soul) goes out to you

State Marine Dies In Iraq
Waterbury Man Remembered For Positive Attitude

DAVE ALTIMARI And SHAWN R. BEALS Courant Staff Writers
WATERBURY — - A former Wilby High School student who talked about going into the Marines all through high school died in his first tour of duty in Iraq.The military notified 21-year-old Christian Cotner's family on Friday that he had died. Details about how he died have not been released, and the military has not publicly announced his death.Cotner is the 42nd person with ties to Connecticut to die in either Afghanistan or Iraq.The news of his death came the same day U.S. officials announced that the number of military deaths had plunged in May to the lowest monthly level in more than four years. U.S. officials said 21 American service members were killed in May, one more than the lowest monthly figure for the war set in February 2004............

saturday brunch at

the half door

the sunflower seeds i planted sprouting up..

tim

tyshawn

flowers

guinness (no, he's not in jail. he and his dad were on the patio having brunch)

jeff, lisa and mike

christina

dottie and brendon

dottie and maria

eddie

the.......reformed....... pirate: didn't even know there WAS an art center in guilford

the.......reformed....... pirate: didn't even know there WAS an art center in guilford

narl pro-choice connecticut

is hosting a cocktail party in new haven on june 12th. if you're in the area, stop on by!

Thursday, June 12
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

116 Crown
116 Crown Street
New Haven, CT

Free Hors d’oeuvres & Cash Bar

For more information or to confirm your attendance, contact Jillian at
860-524-1086 or info@pro-choicect.org.

avery doninger updates

from the cool justice report

a very very very bad decision

just because someone is less than 18 years old, doesn't mean the constitution doesn't pertain to THEM too
NY court finds speech made outside of school can be punished
By Larry Neumeister
Associated Press Writer / May 29, 2008
NEW YORK—A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that a high school was within its rights to punish a student for writing critical comments about school administrators on the Internet.
more stories like this
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Lewis Mills High School in Burlington, Conn., has a responsibility like any school to teach students the boundaries of socially appropriate behavior.
"Vulgar or offensive speech -- speech that an adult making a political point might have a constitutional right to employ -- may legitimately give rise to disciplinary action by a school," the court said.
Avery Doninger was disciplined after she used derogatory language to describe the administrators in a blog entry she made outside of school in April 2007.
Doninger's mother filed a lawsuit against the school, claiming her daughter's freedom of speech rights had been compromised. A lower court judge ruled that the school acted appropriately in disqualifying her from running for senior class secretary..........

i'm part of a team presenting a proposal

to allow us (on a regular basis that is) to wfh (work from home) or telecommute at least one day a week. actually, my boss is very flexible on this to begin with. always has been, even prior to this absurdity. i work lots of fridays at home (i AM going in to the office today though). perhaps i'll post my part of the proposal. it's the figures part. a colleague also designed a gas/money savings/earth savings calculator. i'm also taking a picture of the same three gas stations each day to compare prices. i have only been doing this two days. wednesday one station was 4.15, the next was 4.19 and the other was 4.25 (the 4.19 and 4.25 are right across the street from each other. why would someone go to the 4.25 one?????????????). thursday they were, 4.19, 4.25 and 4.32. i haven't gone by them today yet. and of course you realize connecticut has THE highest gas prices out there..

Workers shifting to 4-day week to save gasoline
Andrea HopkinsReuters US Online Report Top News
CINCINNATI (Reuters) - When Ohio's Kent State University offered custodial staff the option of working four days a week instead of five to cut commuting costs, most jumped at the chance, part of a U.S. trend aimed at combating soaring gasoline prices. "We offered it to 94 employees and 78 have taken us up on it," said university spokesman Scott Rainone.
The reason is simple: rising gas prices and a desire to retain good workers. And while so far only the university's custodians are eligible, Rainone hopes the option will be offered to all departments -- including his own.
"In our office, we have people who travel anywhere from five or six miles to a couple who are on the road 45 to 50 minutes," Rainone said. "As the price of gas rises, the level of grumbling rises."
Regular gasoline averages $3.94 a gallon in the United States, up 33 cents in the past month and 88 cents since the beginning of the year, the Energy Information Administration said this week.
The federal government has offered four-day workweeks to eligible employees for years as part of a flexible work program that also includes telecommuting........

boycott dunkin' donuts ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: my third posting on this shite#links#links

ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: my third posting on this shite#links#links

i'm going to try to post

pictures of the cost of gas on a daily basis. i'll attempt to get the SAME stations.

here are two examples of what i found yesterday at bishop's corner. i know there are cheaper stations and i'll try to get one of those as well.

connecticut has THE highest gas prices by the way

Connecticut Has Priciest Gas In U.S.

da liebs

at it AGAIN. honoring a man who spouts evil. spouts fear. spouts HATE.

instead of denouncing the lunacy, da liebs is embracing it
(when will they realize these types of 'christians' are praying for the day ALL of the jews are WIPED OUT and they (the 'christians') are left with the 'promised land'? they don't give two flying yoo hoos about jews. they just think god will wipe them (the jews) out along with all of the other infidels and they (the 'christians') will be left with ALL OF THE BOOTY including israel.
when will peeps (like da liebs) realize peeps (like hagee) want all jews dead?


Joseph Lieberman To Headline Upcoming Pastor Hagee Summit
Max Blumenthal
Senator Joseph Lieberman is scheduled to headline Pastor John Hagee's 2008 Christians United For Israel Washington-Israel Summit this July 22. In accepting Hagee's invitation, Lieberman became the most senior elected representative confirmed to appear at the annual gala. Last year, when Lieberman spoke at Hagee's summit, he compared the Texas televangelist to the biblical prophet Moses, dubbing him "an Ish Elochim," or "a man of God." Unless he rescinds his pledge to appear at this year's summit, Lieberman can be expected to deliver another soul-stirring tribute.
Hagee's vitriolic condemnation of Catholicism, his jeremiad declaring Hurricane Katrina divine punishment for New Orleans' hosting of a "homosexual rally," and his generally disturbing apocalyptic theology became national news last February when John McCain accepted his endorsement in a widely publicized ceremony. ..........

hmmmm i didn't even know

he had a step-son.

Please wait, your request is processed...

Lieberman's Step-Son: I'm Voting For Obama

There's one less Democrat listening to Sen. Joe Lieberman. Rabbi Ethan Tucker, the senator's step son, offered up his opinion on the difficulties facing Obama in reaching out to the Jewish community:

Tucker, 32, the biological son of Lieberman's wife, Hadassah, opines that an age split is apparent within the Jewish community in attitudes about Obama (as has also been shown in the overall Democratic constituency). Tucker, as paraphrased by reporter Jodi Kantor, asserts that younger Jews "have grown up in diverse settings and are therefore less likely to be troubled by Mr. Obama's associations than their elders."..........

woo hoo!!!

of course this is bitter sweet and i'd rather a replacement DID NOT have to be found, but dang, could you possibly ask for ANYONE BETTER to substitute?
nope!

Wesleyan Scrambles To Ready Campus For Obama

By CHARLES PROCTOR |Courant Staff Writer
MIDDLETOWN - When Sen. Ted Kennedy's medical condition cast doubt this week on his plans to give the commencement address at Wesleyan University Sunday, some doubted the campus could field an equally prominent speaker on such short notice.

Then came Barack Obama.

The Illinois senator, presumptive Democratic nominee for president and possibly the hottest speaking ticket in the country right now, will give the commencement address Sunday in Kennedy's place, officials for the senators and the university said Thursday.

In a statement released by his campaign, Obama said Kennedy, who was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor this week, had talked to him earlier in the week about taking his place at Wesleyan.......

although i think he should have been tossed in the can

HERE first THEN deported, i'll settle for the deportation. i'm sorry he's not being punished. he very well COULD do the same thing (and probably will) in mexico

Plainville charged with drilling dog's head is deported

BRISTOL, Conn.—A prosecutor says a Plainville man accused of drilling several holes in a dog's head has been deported to Mexico.

Severino Cruz had claimed he attacked the pit bull at his home in January after the dog bit his 8-year-old son. The dog had to be euthanized because of its injuries.

The prosecutor says the 32-year-old Cruz, who pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty charges, was sent back to Mexico on May 15.

Cruz still faces two animal cruelty charges. A judge in Bristol Superior Court Thursday issued a warrant to re-arrest Cruz in case he returns to the United States and is stopped by police......

i've said it before and i'll say it again

don't mess with andy thibault!

the 'douchebag(s)' (i can say that because i don't go to school in douchebag land, i'm older than a teenager AND i'm not running for any school office in douchebag land) appear to be getting their hands slapped (at least their representation is)

from the cool justice report


Commission Orders Douche Bag Lawyer To Produce Billing Records

Chinni, Schwartz Broke FOI Law By Censoring & Withholding Public Documents School Bosses Escape Fines For Hiding Write-In Ballots In Stolen Election U.S. Second Circuit Ruling Way Overdue As School Term Concludes
By ANDY THIBAULT The Cool Justice Report http://www.cooljustice.blogspot.com/
May 22, 2008 EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is available for reprint courtesy of The Cool Justice Report, http://cooljustice.blogspot.com/


Will there be justice for free speech freedom fighter Avery Doninger and all the students who elected her Secretary of the Class of 2008 at Lewis Mills High School in Burlington, CT? How about the taxpayers footing the bill for an incompetent school board lawyer who runs up more and more fees every time she makes a mistake?Perhaps there will be a little justice. Certainly the truth will be told. And, in the course of learning about a welfare system for board of education lawyers in Connecticut, citizens might be moved to do something.The Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission issued a finding this week ordering attorney Christine Chinni to produce uncensored billing records for her "work" of behalf of now-retired School Superintendent Paula Schwartz and Lewis Mills Principal Karissa Niehoff. Those records were requested Aug. 1, 2007 and should have been produced then...........

(you go andy!!!)

chris murphy gets it right (again)

how we can treat our service members and veterans the way we do AND sleep at night is beyond me. (the we ONLY refers to king george and his court in this instance. seems like MOST of us honor our troops. others of us send them off to die and be maimed in an UNJUST IMMORAL AND ILLEGAL WAR - then f**k them over IF they happen to return)

Conn. proposes updated G.I. Bill
By WTNH Chief Political Correspondent Mark Davis, on May 16, 2008
Southington (WTNH) _ Connecticut today is calling on President Bush to sign a new version of the G.I. Bill, but he’s threatening to veto the measure.
A big crowd turned out at the Aquaturf in Southington today for the annual Armed Services Day Luncheon. Connecticut’s two freshman members of congress used the day to call on President Bush to sign what’s being called the new G.I. Bill.
“The cost of the war must include the cost of taking care of our troops when they come back to the U.S. and that has to include educational benefits,” said 5th District Rep. Chris Murphy.Last night, Republicans joined with Democrats in the house to pass an updated version of the original G.I. Bill which was signed by President Franklin Roosevelt during World War II.
“This is a great program, I have troops that I supervise in the Air Force that would benefit greatly for this,” MSgt. Mark Czmyr of U.S.A.F. Reserve said............

let's give our veterans everything they deserve.

from my pop's yard

taken 3:00 pm thursday may 15th

i have posted about this (the msm coverage of the war)

many times on ravings of a semi-sane madwoman. i just posted this story on 4,500 lies (accepted by msm and consequently by the american public) yesterday.

here's a little somethin' somethin' i got in my email box yesterday. there is some information specific to connecticut at the end

from justin cole at media matters

As you may have already read, on April 20, The New York Times published an article by investigative reporter David Barstow that detailed the hidden connection between numerous media military analysts and the Pentagon and defense industries. Media Matters followed up with a review of how many times the military analysts named in the Times exposé appeared or were quoted on ABC, ABC News Now, CBS, CBS Radio Network, NBC, CNN, CNN Headline News, Fox News, MSNBC, CNBC, and NPR. The results: They appeared or were quoted as experts more than 4,500 times. Today, we started an action campaign urging people to sign a petition: “Viewers have the right to know if the expert analysis they're receiving is little more than Pentagon talking points; the war in Iraq, our national security, and our foreign policy are far too important.” Below is some information related to Connecticut you might find useful if you decide to blog on this story. Any help you can give to spread the word and join us in calling on the networks to be held accountable and report on this story would be much appreciated. If you have any questions at all, please let me know. Thank you, - Justin Justin J. Cole Deputy Director, Online Communications Media Matters for America jcole@mediamatters.org http://www.mediamatters.org/ Media Matters for America is a not-for-profit, progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media.

Local Congressional Action: Representative Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), New Haven Wrote letter to Networks that hosted military analysts questioned network policy changes into booking military analysts. (04/20/08) - http://www.house.gov/delauro/press/2008/April/Major_News_Networks_4_24_08.html Wrote letter to Inspector General Kicklighter asking for DoD investigation. (05/02/08) -http://www.house.gov/delauro/press/2008/May/Defense_IG_5_2_08.html Wrote a letter to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin with Rep. Rosa DeLauro questioning if the program violates sponsorship identification in the Communications Act of 1934 and the rules of the FCC. (05/06/08) - http://www.house.gov/delauro/press/2008/May/DeLauro_Dingell_5_6_08.html CT members of Congress who signed DeLauro’s letter to Department of Defense Inspector General Claude M. Kicklighter requesting investigation:o Rep. John Larson (CT-01)o Rep. Joe Courtney (CT-02)o Rep. Chris Murphy (CT-05) Useful Links:· NYT Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/washington/20generals.html· MMFA Item: http://mediamatters.org/items/200805130001 · MMFA Petition: http://mediamatters.org/action_center/military_analysts/

Information on the war:234 wounded soldiers from Connecticut, 29 deaths from Connecticut. (http://icasualties.org/)Connecticut’s share of the cost of the Iraq War in FY2007 is $3.4 billion. (http://www.nationalpriorities.org/)Hartford, CT passed anti-war resolution. (http://www.the40yearplan.com/)New Britain, CT passed anti-war resolution. (http://www.citiesforprogress.org/)New Haven, CT passed anti-war resolution. (http://www.citiesforprogress.org/) Press Coverage:Representative DeLauro on Connecticut Public Radio’s Where we Live (5/13/2008)Representative DeLauro on Air America’s The Lionel Show (Tentative 5/ 22/2008)

o b a m a

(shout out to at largely)

today at 3:00 at the (civic center) xl center

(what a stupid name by the way, the xl center) - a protest against animals in the circus will be going on. specifically ringling brothers circus. their show is packing up, it's their last day in hartford. i personally have NOT been to a circus with animals since i was a teenager. (and that was LONG ago)

the following is an email i received:

Animal Advocates HOLD SPECIAL MOTHER'S DAY PROTEST of Ringling Circus
Appeal asks families to boycott circus

HARTFORD— Activists from around Connecticut will converge in Hartford Sunday afternoon to protest the Ringling Brothers cruelty to animals and urge families to boycott the closing night of the circus.

WHEN: Sunday, May 11, 3 p.m.WHERE: The XL Center (formerly Hartford Civic Center) at Church St. Entrance, Hartford

Protestors will distribute special Mother's Day cards that read "What would you do if your child was taken away from you and you could never see her again?" referring to Ringling's practice of ripping baby elephants away from their mothers so that they can train them to perform.

Elephants naturally form strong family bonds. In the wild, female elephants stay with their families for life and males do not leave the herd until they are in their teens. The entire herd helps to love and nurture the babies.

Ringling is currently being sued in federal court by animal welfare groups for violating the Endangered Species Act with its routine mistreatment of elephants. The plaintiffs include former Ringling employee Tom Rider, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), The Fund for Animals, the Animal Welfare Institute, and the Animal Protection Institute.

This year, Ringling is bringing its Blue Unit to Hartford for the Mother's Day weekend. All of the circus's elephants were torn from their mothers as babies, whether they were wild-born in Asia or from circus breeding facilities in this country. Four of Ringling's baby elephants have died since 1998, and Ringling has been fined by the federal government for injuring babies in the process of separating them from their mothers .

Ringling's elephants crisscross the country on the circus's trains 11 months of the year, logging more than 25,000 miles. They travel in cramped cars without climate control, eating and sleeping in their own excrement;, when not performing, they are chained or in tiny pens. Circus trainers use bullhooks and electric shock to train them, and they perform out of fear that they will be subjected to more pain. The combination of boredom, confinement and extreme stress causes many of the Ringling elephants to develop disease and show signs of neurotic behavior, such as swaying and head-bobbing.

"The natural needs of wild animals cannot be met in traveling shows," said protest organizer Deb Robinson of West Hartford. "Circus elephants lead miserable lives of constant travel and abuse. It is important for people to understand that animals don't belong in circuses and that the price of their ticket funds this cruelty."

da liebs

is checking SOMEONE ELSE'S BEARINGS? kettle kettle kettle!!!


Lieberman: ‘I Personally Checked John McCain’s Bearings’
By: SilentPatriot
In an interview on CNN Thursday, Senator Obama said John McCain was “losing his bearings” after he repeatedly suggested that Hamas had endorsed his candidacy, even though their positions on the issue are nearly identical. Now, loyal Democrat (except on the small issue of “the war”) Joe Lieberman is coming to McCain’s defense after the presumptive GOP nominee accused Barack Obama of playing the “age card.”..........

i don't think we should wait

for THREE violations before pulling someone's hunting license. ONE STRIKE and YOU'RE OUT is my belief. i'm glad the punishment and fines are higher for illegal hunting, but of course i think they should be more severe.

House boosts illegal hunting penalties
HARTFORD, Conn.—State fines for illegal bear and moose hunting may soon be higher.
more stories like this
The House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that raises the fine from $200 and possible imprisonment up to 60 days to at least $500 and up to 90 days in prison or both. It the Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner to suspend a violator's hunting license for at least one year.
Repeat offenders face tougher fines of up to $1,000 and up to 180 days in prison. After a third conviction, a hunter's license would be revoked.
Rep. Craig Miner, R-Litchfield, said he proposed the legislation because some hunters have been willing to risk a $200 fine...........

taking the EASY way out

no, they should WAIT to deport him. they should make him do time THEN deport him. once again i ask you WHAT SORT OF 'HUMAN' CAN DRILL HOLES IN A (LIVING) DOG'S HEAD?
Deportation likely for dog death case
BRISTOL, Conn.—A man who allegedly drilled several holes in a dog's head plans to accept deportation rather than stand trial on animal cruelty charges.
more stories like this
Severino Cruz says he attacked the pit bull at his home in Plainville with a drill in January after the dog bit his 8-year-old son. The dog had to be euthanized because of its injuries.
The 32-year-old Cruz has pleaded not guilty to charges of cruelty to animals, as well as maliciously maiming or killing an animal............

it's not even

that da liebs got a cheap piece o' shite server for his website (that caused the crash). it's not even that he accused ned lamont (or his peeps) for the crash. it's not even the lack of msm coverage of the fbi findings on that (NO ONE DID IT. as i said, it was a cheap piece o' shite provider and the stupid thing crashed on it's own).

what IT IS, is, da liebs was RE ELECTED. even after knowing he would have our sons and daughters and mothers and fathers and friends and other family members in iraq (and elsewhere) until kingdom come (and i mean that literally).

from media matters
(i can't seem to get the hyperlink to the article itself to work -all the time, it works sometimes and not other times????-, so you'll have to cut and paste this: http://mediamatters.org/items/200804290009)

Media that reported Lieberman's hacking charge against Lamont supporters have yet to report FBI found "no evidence of (an) attack"

Despite having reported the August 2006 allegation by Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman's re-election campaign that supporters of Ned Lamont, then his rival in the Democratic Senate primary, had "hacked" Lieberman's campaign website, numerous media outlets -- including ABC, CNN, and CBS -- have yet to report that an FBI investigation reportedly concluded before the November 2006 general election that there was "no evidence of (an) attack." To the contrary, according to an April 9 article in The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, an October 25, 2006, FBI email indicated that the FBI had found Lieberman's website "crashed because Lieberman officials continually exceeded a configured limit of 100 e-mails per hour the night before the primary." Thus, despite coverage of the Lieberman campaign's allegations against the Lamont campaign, ABC, CNN, and CBS have yet to report that the FBI not only exonerated the Lamont campaign, but that it was reported this month that the FBI concluded the website crash was the fault of the Lieberman campaign itself...............

read this

Woman With A Disabled Husband And Two Disabled Children Fights Foreclosure

Story By HILARY WALDMAN And Photos By Shana Sureck The Hartford Courant
Janet Catucci never planned to build a house big enough for three wheelchairs.She never imagined that the ramp in front, built when her son grew too big to carry up and down the front steps, would also become a gangway for her daughter — and then her husband.But in a life that seems to have thrown Janet and Tony Catucci Jr. quite a bit more than their fair share of bad luck, the house — at least until now — has been a haven, providing a measure of comfort for the family even as the odds of anything resembling a "normal" existence continued to stack up against them.The couple's first child, Tony Catucci III, was born in 1984, deaf, blind, epileptic and mentally retarded, his body crippled by cerebral palsy — the result of what doctors assured the Catuccis was a rare genetic misfire. But two years later, Ashley arrived with the same problem, and it became clear that Janet and Tony would carry an unthinkably heavy load. .......