they're getting bigger every day

my sunflowers at one week

and here they are at 6 to 7 weeks! soon we'll see the flowers and i can't wait.

hmmmmmmmmm 35 burglaries in the past 4 months

and we're hearing about it now? what up? i'm not the most well informed person out there, so this info MAY have been released prior to now. but i sure didn't hear or read about it until today

the picture looks like it's from the apartments on the corner of farmington and quaker.

Police: West Hartford Apartments Target Of Burglars

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. -- West Hartford police, investigating a rash of at least 35 burglaries in apartment buildings over the last four months, said Wednesday residents should take precautions, stay alert, and report any suspicious activity.
"They should lock their apartment doors, keep valuables out of sight, if you see someone suspicious, immediately call the police department," Sgt. Jeff Rose said. "Sometimes with apartments, if you don't know your neighbors that well, get to know them."
Many of the thefts -- in which jewelry, computers, even large televisions have been pilfered -- have occurred during the day when the residents are not at home, police said.,,,,,,,,,,,,

ferns

taken yesterday at work

it's been a while

but i'm glad to know they are STILL out there......

(the none-too-bright connecticut criminal that is)

Man robbed buying drugs calls cops, is arrested

HARTFORD, Conn.—Prosecutors have dropped charges filed against an East Hartford man who called police to report he had been robbed during a drug deal.

Max Minnefield called police Monday to report that he had paid a man and a woman $8 for some crack cocaine that he never received.

Police charged him with criminal attempt to commit possession of narcotics.

During his arraignment Tuesday, Judge Bradford Ward asked Minnefield, "Did you really think the police were going to go after the people?" He added that his question was rhetorical.........

a story about an old war

that could be a story about THIS war. i post this here at the nutmeg grater (i'll also link on ravings of a semi-sane madwoman) because the story takes place in connecticut. this story DID take place everywhere though. while i'm not quite as old as mr lndorff, i'm in the ballpark. in my younger days i spoke out against a war i knew was wrong. just as i speak out NOW about this immoral, unjust and illegal war.

it DOES take courage to stand up to something you know in your heart is WRONG WRONG WRONG

Dave Lindorff: Nobody's Hero: My War Story

by Dave Lindorff

I'm certainly no hero, but since some readers of my last post have reacted by attacking my courage and integrity on the grounds that I "never served," I want to at least set the record straight on my youthful response to war.

In 1967, when I was a senior in high school in Storrs, CT., I faced a momentous decision. In April, I would turn 18, and would have to register for the draft. The Vietnam War was by then in full swing. A year or two earlier, I'd been an avid fan of military aviation magazines, and bought into the whole anti-Communist Cold War thing. But by '67, I had seen enough of the violence being done in Vietnam against a desperately poor peasant population -- the napalm attacks on civilians, the burned babies, etc.- -- that I had done a 180-degree turn. I wanted nothing to do with war and killing. So like many young men of my generation I made a decision: I would fill out my registration at the draft board, and I'd get my draft card, but I would not let myself be inducted into the military.

When I told my parents, who still supported the war, of my plan, they were of course upset but supportive. My dad was an engineer and a former Marine and my mother a Navy WAVE in WWII. My paternal grandfather had earned a silver star in WWI and my maternal grandfather had had his lungs permanently scarred by mustard gas in the same conflict. A history teacher, Bernie Marlin, referred me to a junior high teacher in the school who had been a conscientious objector during the Korean War. I talked with him, a Mr. Storrs, at length, and was very impressed with his story, but I soon realized that I didn't really think I was CO material. I did feel war could be justified sometimes-for example if America were attacked. At any rate, in early April of '67, I went ahead and filled out my draft registration form. .............

hey da liebs - you're a steamin' pile

i've said it before and i'll say it again. i can't wait until we become smart enough to kick this piece OUT of office and elect someone honorable AND LOYAL

and because things are going SWIMMINGLY in iraq now:

Lieberman: Al Qaeda, Iran would control Iraq under Obama plan

........Lieberman said, “If we had done what Senator Obama asked us to do, for the last couple of years, today Iran and Al Qaeda would be in control of Iraq.”.........

(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. ..........