i just got the following email:

BurnBrite

All, My film, Crushing Pennies, will be shown at the Kent Film Festival this Saturday. We will be having another "official premiere" soon in the next few months if you cannot make it to Kent. Thanks, Ryan

Connecticut Independent film, Crushing Pennies to be Screened at the Kent Film Festival - March 28, 2009

FavoriteMedia and BurnBrite Promotions are proud to announce the debut of the independent film, Crushing Pennies, at the Kent Film Festival in Kent, CT, on Saturday, March 28, 2009.

Crushing Pennies is a 35-minute drama, shot entirely on location in Connecticut with a Connecticut cast and crew. Showcasing the delusional world of married couple, Irene (Leah Dashe) and Gabe (Jesse Murphy), Crushing Pennies explores the subconscious world created by the two main characters' mutually shared delusions. As Irene and Gabe sink deeper into this imaginary world, they find it difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion. Their quest for help from a professional marriage counselor leads them and the audience to a surprising conclusion to their problems. To view the trailer, visit YouTube here.

Ryan Casey, Director of FavoriteMedia and BurnBrite Promotions is a Connecticut filmmaker who wrote and directed Crushing Pennies.

Casey has his BA in Film Production from Keene State College and is currently attaining his Master's Degree at The University of Hartford. Casey is currently in pre-production of his feature film, Catching Sparks, which will also be shot in Connecticut.

Above: A scene from Crushing Pennies - Joe Medina (Left) watches Leah Dashe (Right) with intrigue.

Cinematography for Crushing Pennies was done by Dave Sikora. Sikora is a graduate of Full Sail University, located in Winter Park, Florida.

Crushing Pennies is the second short film by Casey. The first, The Icon of 2nd Street starred local Connecticut native, Troy Farrand with cinematography done by Jeff Hoyt of KJ Films.

Crushing Pennies and Casey will be featured at the Bristol Historical Society's Younger Artists Series in June. Check our blog for that (BurnBrite Blog) - information will be posted soon.

Connecticut-based FavoriteMedia provides turn-key solutions for independent filmmakers and local acting talent to produce quality original films that celebrate Connecticut locations.

BurnBrite Promotions brings these films to targeted audiences through independent film screenings and effective web-based promotional and distribution methods.

The Kent Film Festival screens films created by a richly diverse group of talent - students of film and independent filmmakers screen alongside well-seasoned film professionals. Tickets are available now for presale and web reserve via the festival website at: http://www.kentfilmfestival.org/.

Click here for the Crushing Pennies Facebook Page.

For more information, contact Ryan Casey at: favoritemediamail@yahoo.com.

a shout out to the police department

who stopped me this morning (for the SECOND time in a month and it's only the 19th). it was of course at 3:00 am. i always feel obliged to shout out (first thing) I'M ON MY WAY TO WORK (not to be confused with I'M EFFING DRUNK - I JUST GOT OUT OF A BAR)

i truly did NOT know my headlight was out. it wasn't yesterday. another shout out to brian. he installed the new one.

(note: no ticket either time but warnings)

i also want to give a shout out to the officer who upon seeing there was NO WAY i was going to be able to retrieve my registration offered to look it up for me (note: officer, I AM going to clean my car out this weekend)

you rock

i've written about this before

the avon mountain crash AND one of the people i know who was in this horror. my friend mark robinson is writing a book about this day. i have been privileged to read the first six chapters. mark also showed me some of the photographs he's using for the book. oh, the photos i saw were NOT of the crash at all (although i've seen many of those). these photos were new ones. the ones of the survivors AND their angels. stunning portraits. (mark told me this weekend he may be having his portrait taken along with HIS personal angel. i hope that comes to fruition. he was saved by a very young man who just happened to forget his own life was on the line and dug mark out of his twisted wreck of a car smashed by concrete slabs, while a huge bus was either going to soon catch fire OR come lurching at them. oh, this young man was NOT a firefighter or a police officer or an emt. he worked at avon old farms and just happened to run out when the accident occurred). i can tell you with all honesty what i read of the book was astounding. the amount of time and effort and research mark put in was phenomenal. i can also tell you with all my heart and soul, when this book comes out (this summer) every one of us MUST buy a copy of it. buy it you say? oh, did i mention THE PROCEEDS ARE GOING TO BENEFIT THE VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES?

mark also doesn't forget to mention david wilcox either. lots of exhaustive research went into that path too. wilcox will be (hopefully) sentenced this summer. mark hopes to have the book ready VERY shortly thereafter. mark has shared many stories with me (although he still doesn't remember the accident itself at all) from the lives saved and the lives lost that day, to what the familes and victims have gone through to meeting up with mr naafi's father last week when they were at the courthouse in hartford being informed wilcox was going to plead (instead of trial).

mark makes me cry a LOT by the way

so again, when this book SMOKE, FIRE & ANGELS comes out, i will be forcing everyone i know to buy a copy


Crash Survivor Hopes His Book Can Help Promote Healing
By SHAWN R. BEALS | The Hartford Courant
The heartbreaking saga of the 2005 Avon Mountain crash drew plenty of attention Monday after David Wilcox, 73, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and assault charges.

Behind the scenes, however, the story's human side is getting much more consideration.

The crash is the subject of a book by survivor Mark Robinson, a Canton resident who was severely injured in the crash. The book is called "Smoke, fire & angels," and he's hoping to have it completed in time for the fourth anniversary of the crash in July.

"I just may have a 175-page statement to put on Judge [David P.] Gold's desk in June," Robinson said.
Wilcox is scheduled to be sentenced June 24, and victims will have the opportunity to make a statement in court that day or submit one to the judge.

Robinson was waiting at a traffic light on his way to work in Hartford when the dump truck owned by Wilcox and his company, American Crushing & Recycling, slammed into traffic after its brakes failed as it traveled westbound down the hill......

happy birthday beth-y

funny (and i'm being sarcastic here)

why this appeared on the front page of the wapo (web edition) and yet i didn't see it on the front page of the courant. the MEN are all over the place, but the women weren't to be found (easily that is).

thanks to wapo though. THEY mentioned (in a place easy to find) the unconn women (i'm NOT a college basketball fan, but i'm making a point). congratulations to uconn women (and sure the men as well but MOSTLY the women).

uconn. where men are men and WOMEN ARE CHAMPIONS!!!

U-Conn. Earns No.1 Overall Seed for Women's Tournament
By DOUG FEINBERG
The Associated Press
Connecticut's quest for the fifth perfect season in NCAA history will begin at home.
The undefeated Huskies earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA women's basketball tournament Monday night and will open against Vermont at Storrs.

Nine teams have entered the NCAA tournament unbeaten; only four have emerged unscathed. UConn and coach Geno Auriemma were the last in 2002.

Auriemma said he's not worried about the bulls-eye on his team's back.......

reminder: tomorrow is the hartford st patrick's day parade

the half door will be open at 8:00 am with a limited brunch menu (full brunch menu commences at their usual weekend brunch open time of 11:00 am). so stop on down BEFORE, AFTER OR DURING the parade!

is this april fool's day?

mmmmmmmmmmm no. not quite yet. well if it's NOT, then wat up wit dis?

ah, could da LIEbs be worried about what's going to happen in two years? hmmmm methinks, yes, he IS worried. tough shite da LIEbs. you're OUT on your bony ass (did anyon think da LIEbs had this many stones? i know i didn't. rather surprising)

Conn. senator Lieberman an Obama supporter
WASHINGTON—Sen. Joe Lieberman has changed his tune on President Barack Obama.

After campaigning across the country for Republican Sen. John McCain in 2008 and attacking Obama as naive, untested and unwilling to take on powerful special interests, Lieberman now showers praise on the popular new Democratic president.

"He's shown real leadership," Lieberman told The Associated Press in an interview. "Bottom line: I think Barack Obama, president of the United States, is off to a very good start."

The Connecticut independent, who faces re-election in 2012 in a state where Obama is popular, is eager to mend fences with Democrats still fuming over his criticism of Obama during the general election campaign.

Lieberman has applauded Obama's national security team. He gushed over Obama's "inspirational and unifying" inaugural. Lieberman even played a key role helping Obama win Senate passage of the economic stimulus plan.........

crushing pennies

is an independent film written and directed by (LOCAL) ryan casey. i think it's IMPORTANT to support local artists!

here's the facebook page for crushing pennies. why not become a fan?

it's been a while

since we've had a stupid connecticut (alleged) criminal posting. well this sure will make up for it!

Conn. man accused of
stealing gum
Fairfield (AP) - Fairfield police have arrested a man on theft charges who they say is apparently obsessed with stealing Orbit gum.

Kenneth McManus, 21, of Stratford, has been charged with stealing hundreds of packs of the chewing gum.

Police say McManus turned himself in Thursday and is facing larceny charges for similar thefts in Bridgeport and Stratford.

McManus is accused of stealing 175 packs of gum worth more than $500 from a Shaw's supermarket in Fairfield in January.............

whole foods at bishops corner

(where i shop by the way. it's far less intrusive and abusive than the west hartford center store. i'm talking CUSTOMERS here. i have no issues with the staff of either store) will be no more

Whole Foods Ordered To Sell West Hartford Store
The Hartford Courant
Whole Foods will have to sell its Bishop's Corner supermarket in West Hartford as part of a federal antitrust settlement announced today.

The store, one of two Whole Foods locations in West Hartford, had been a Wild Oats store until Whole FoodsMarket Inc. bought Wild Oats Markets Inc. in 2007. It is one of 13 stores -- 12 former Wild Oats locations and one that was a Whole Foods before the merger -- that Whole Foods must sell within six months, under the company's settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.

Separately, Whole Foods has agreed to sell the Wild Oats trademarks and other non-tangible assets connected with Wild Oats, including the leases of 19 former Wild Oats stores that were closed.................

ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: my state capital

ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: my state capital

please do stop by

andy thibault's blog; the cool justice report for an update on the billy smolinski case. it really IS just getting weirder and weirder. i think of billy's family and my heart goes out to them. NO closure. well, not just that but bungling and ineptness everywhere. let's hope they get answers SOON

More Bizarre Twists & Leads In Smolinski Case

Why Do-Nothing Cops
Must Be Held Accountable
And Ordered To Do Their Jobs,
Especially When They Drop The Ball
On Missing Persons Reports

Some Details Related
To The Trail
Of Dead Bodies

A TIME FOR GOOD COPS TO STAND UP

This Is The Backdrop For CT Legislative Hearing Tuesday

Legislative Hearing Tuesday On Bill Resulting From Smolinski Case.......

Support Courageous State Rep. Vickie Nardello,
Who Is Standing Up For Missing Persons
And Their Loved Ones Everywhere

By ANDY THIBAULT
The Cool Justice Report
www.cooljustice.blogspot.com
March 2, 2009

EDITOR'S NOTE: This column is available for reprint courtesy of The Cool Justice Report, http://cooljustice.blogspot.com

Billy Smolinski -- the missing man forsaken by management of the Waterbury, CT Police Department and presumed murdered - could have a legacy that will help save the lives of other missing persons.

The level of police ineptitude and callousness in the Smolinski case was so startling that politicians are actually doing something about it........
justice 4 billy
(please click the more bizarre link above for the full story at andy's blog)

the headline says it ALL

"Jerry Springer" Among Three Talk Shows NBC May Move To Stamford
By ERIC GERSHON | The Hartford Courant

'i've never withheld anything'

stop on by my left nutmeg

Video: Governor Rell's Budget Gameshow

by: hardcoreD

i guess my head was in the sand once again

i had not heard one PEEP about this until i stopped by the cool justice report. andy had a great posting on it and a ton of links (and how cool is it andy was mentioned in the ny times

here's the start of andy's posting. click the link to read the WHOLE thing. i do think everyone is missing the greatest point here. NO ONE and i mean NO ONE says ANYTHING bad about uconn SACRED basketball (p.s. i don't think it's sacred. ALMOST EVERYONE else in this state sure does. it's not like they're the SOX or anything)

CALHOUN NUMBERS SHOCKER

Fuzzy Math 101
By ANDY THIBAULT
The Cool Justice Report
www.cooljustice.blogspot.com
Feb. 23, 2009

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is available for reprint courtesy of The Cool Justice Report, http://cooljustice.blogspot.com

First, thanks to Cool Justice readers for all the great tips.

Maybe UConn basketball coach Jim Calhoun wasn't thinking straight when he tried to shout down reporter Ken Krayeske and talk about facts at the same time.

Practice what you scream, coach.

It certainly looks like men's basketball brought in only $7.33 million instead of the $12 million Calhoun claimed........

i guess stupid (alleged) west hartford criminals do NOT read my blog

because if they DID, they would have seen THIS AND NOT (allegedly) try to do any drug deals in the kane street area

Three Arrested In West Hartford Drug Bust

Three men were arrested on drug charges Monday after one hit a West Hartford police cruiser that was trying to box in his car.

Acting on a tip, officers on the Community Interaction Team had staked out the parking lot at the Prospect Plaza shopping center. Police said two cars they believed had cocaine in them started to leave the lot at about 4:50 p.m.

Police tried to box in the cars at a red light at the intersection of Prospect Avenue and Kane Street, but one of the cars swerved into the oncoming lane, hit a cruiser, ran a red light and headed south on Prospect Avenue.

Police stopped the car a short time later. A total of three people were arrested and more than an ounce of cocaine was recovered, police said.
.................

so let me get this straight,

the town (which is going broke) builds all sorts of 'traffic calming' islands (the ones on the VERY NARROW) asylum are my personal favorites. you can see my previous postings here and here and here. not only were they a GIANT waste of money, they are useless AND DANGEROUS

anyway, i did a posting not too long ago about all of the traffic cameras and new lights i saw going in around town. i tried to find it just now but can't (could it have been a figment of my fertile imagination? perhaps).

we're spending THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON TRAFFIC CAMERAS THAT ONLY SEND OUT WARNING MESSAGES? wtf?????????????? IF and i do mean IF they are going to save lives, FINE. but the corner of boulevard and whiting lane? no effing way. during SOME heavily trafficked times there is a school crossing guard there ANYWAY. i can think of 20 other places in west hartford that need that camera MORE than boulevard and whiting lane. is it because the houses in that area are bigger than the houses in OTHER areas? i sure don't know. but come on. THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS and not one legit traffic ticket to offset those cameras?
the following courant article lists some accident data from west hartford AND the particular corner in question. i personally would like to see that data and/or do a bit more investigating on my own. sure boulevard can be a speedway, but isn't that what we have the police for? well one of the reasons.

Camera To Keep An Eye On Speeders In West Hartford
By JOSH KOVNER | The Hartford Courant
WEST HARTFORD — - Speeders beware — you are being watched.

But the speed-detection camera installed this week at Boulevard and Whiting Lane is a kind of compassionate Big Brother that just wants to slow down drivers. Those photographed traveling 45 mph or faster at this 30-mph location will get a photo with a warning letter.

The legislature prohibits using these radar cameras for enforcement purposes, so the joint effort by police, the engineering office and the public works department amounts to a public awareness campaign.

And make no mistake, the public could stand to be more aware. There were 2,626 crashes in town last year, 426 with injuries, and two fatalities.

Assistant Police Chief Robert McCue said excessive speed was a factor in most of the accidents.

The intersection of Boulevard and Whiting Lane — the first in a series of locations for the camera over the next year — has a "moderate" accident history but a high injury rate, said Lt. David Dubiel, head of the traffic division. Eight people were injured in the 11 crashes there in 2008, Dubiel said.........

i did MY part yesterday

my friends and i doing our part on valentine's day for a consortium of pub-going, loose and forward women
cashy, lk, maria, juan, ty, andy, tim
the facebook group

the pink chaddi campaign blog

of course this was at the half door

the headline of this article

makes me feel all warm and toasty inside!

i think da LIEbs knows he doesn';t have a prayer. not in any way, shape or form.

ba-bye

Poll: Lieberman would 'get crushed' by Connecticut AG
Ron Brynaert
A new poll shows that Independent Senator Joe Lieberman, who left the Democratic Party after losing the Senate primary to businessman Ned Lamont in 2006, would "get crushed" if challenged by Connecticut's State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal in 2012.

"If Joe Lieberman decides to run for a fifth term in 2012, a new Quinnipiac poll suggests that it may be a lost cause," Eric Kleefeld writes at Talking Points Memo.

According to the Quinnipiac poll, "By a narrow 48 - 45 percent margin, voters disapprove of the job Sen. Joseph Lieberman is doing and give him a negative 43 - 49 percent favorability. Republicans approve 75 - 20 percent. Democrats disapprove 70 - 21 percent and independent voters split 48 - 46 percent."............

on saturday, valentine's day

i want every women in the state to go to a pub and have a beverage of some sort. the beverage can be a water or a tea or a soda. it doesn't have to be alcoholic. we have to show our support to our sisters in india.

here's my original posting from this morning


and please join the facebook group a consortium of pub-going, loose and forward women (i sure as shite did). why? well BECAUSE I DON'T THINK IT'S ACCEPTABLE FOR INSANE MEN TO BEAT THE SHITE OUT OF WOMEN SIMPLY FOR BEING IN A PUB (or for ANY reason). that's why

i'm also going to be sending in some pink chaddis to oppose the Sri Ram Sena. they won't be there in time for valentine's day, but baby, they'll BE there eventually (the gift that just keeps on giving - those pink chaddis). so please do join me for a drink on saturday. y'all know where i hang

the pink chaddi campaign

a shout out to jumoke academy school

the website for jumoke academy isn't functioning yet. check back soon and see if it's up and running
for now, here's a little blurb

as you know, it's black history month. one of the events at work to celebrate and bring awareness to our 'campus' (i hate using corporate words but hey, that's how it is) was bringing some of the jumoke kids in. they have a flag parade (i believe they said they've had it for 8 years, but i could be mistaken). they also brought one of their choirs who sang two songs. the school is for k-8 and it looked like there was quite a mix of all of those ages. they had several flags from south africa to jamaica to ethiopia to puerto rico to portugal (i think there were 27 flags. somewhere around there). they had one flag bearer per flag and one speaker per flag. the speaker told us what their particular flags (colors and/or symbols usually) stood for. i'll tell you they did a GREAT job. i sure as heck couldn't memorize what those kids did. even the tiny ones kicked some serious butt.

thank you students at jumoke academy! i LOVED it

i hope we get to fry (figuratively) her!

wouldn't that be grand? yup, it sure would be!

she IS one of the vilest most evil hate filled people in the entire universe.


Connecticut now investigating Coulter for voter fraud
Ann Coulter is now the subject of a formal probe by Connecticut’s Elections Enforcement Commission, moving her closer to being charged with fraud.

The commission is now conducting a "thorough investigation" of whether the prolific conservative pundit broke the law earlier this decade by voting in Connecticut while living in New York City, a spokeswoman for the commission told the New York Daily News.

The media-centric publishing powerhouse voted in Connecticut in 2002 and 2004, even though she was living in New York City. In fact, Coulter bought a posh $1.49 million condo on the Upper East Side during that period, according to the Daily News.
......................

funny thing happened on my way home from work today

i just have a regular old car radio/cd player. i don't subscribe to any satellite music channels. HOWEVER, when i was seeking channels i heard arte lange's voice. i stopped and yup, it was him. i then heard a few other of howard's pals (not howard). all of a sudden, i hear the "f" word left and right. "f" this and "f" that and mother "f" er and on and on. i definitely was receiving sirius radio signals. it lasted about 5 or 10 minutes. then it got all static again. it was around the college channels. around 88 or 89 point something.

well it was just ODD

i love crows and ravens

ravens are VERY intelligent. i don't say that lightly either.

i do see them in giant flocks (or murders) especially later in the afternoon, just before the sun goes down. i see them in west hartford and hartford. flying. hanging out in trees. calling out to each other.

Capitol Crows
Abandoning Flatbush For More Regal Roost, Do Black Birds Bode Ill For Budget?

By STEVE GRANT | The Hartford Courant
Those thousands of crows that roost in Hartford's West End trees on winter nights?

They've moved again — almost downtown.

After spending several years roosting near Flatbush Avenue by I-84, a colony of crows that sometimes numbers 15,000 or more birds has moved east, spending some nights in trees on the grounds of the State Capitol and of the Supreme Court and State Library complex across the street.

"They've been bopping around to different locations in Hartford," said Sylvia L. Halkin, a biology professor at Central Connecticut State University. Other nights they have been seen near Trinity College or the Mark Twain House or Putnam Street.
........................


picture: Thousands of crows gather near Riverside Park at dusk in a communal roosting habit. The crows have been gathering in various locations around Hartford during the winter for years. (BOB MACDONNELL / HARTFORD COURANT / January 29, 2009)

dick, i'd vote for you

in a hot minute. i'd vote for almost anyone EXCEPT for da liebs as it so happens.

however, i do like many of the things richard blumenthal has done for our fair state (of course i don't like ALL of the things he's done).

i hope da LIEbs is shaking in his shoes

Connecticut attorney general eyes Lieberman challenge
By Reid Wilson
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who announced Monday he will seek a sixth term, is mulling a challenge against Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) in 2012.

Multiple Connecticut Democrats, speaking on condition of anonymity, say Blumenthal has begun informing influential members of the state's political class that he will prepare for a run against Lieberman............

hey you asses

it's HEAVILY SNOWING OUT. turn your effing headlights on. it's not only a law, IT MAKES SENSE AND IS INFINITELY SAFER (for me and all of the others that can't see you assholes driving down the street)

i met paul a LONGGGGGGGGGGG time ago

and haven't seen him in forever. i used to hang in bushnell park for the 'be ins' and the fiddle contest/festival. i loved the peace train. paul was special to hartford. he will be misse
thank you paul for the good times you gave me and THOUSANDS of others

Fiddle Contest Organizer Paul LeMay Dies
By WILLIAM WEIR | The Hartford Courant
With little more than charisma and force of will, Paul LeMay managed to turn an improbable idea into a Hartford phenomenon, bringing tens of thousands to the city for an annual fiddle contest.

LeMay died Friday of heart failure from complications of other illnesses. He was 65.

He started the New England Fiddle Contest in 1974, the same year he founded the grassroots arts organization, Peace Train Foundation. The first year featured a few dozen amateur fiddlers at Bushnell Park and an audience of about 1,000. Within a few years, the event would attract tens of thousands to the city; at the height of its popularity, 70,000 came for the fiddle contest.

"He really wanted Hartford to be a viable and happy place to be," said Cheryl Daniels, his partner of 30 years. "People would be able to see each other and be with each other and he would bring people together."..........

picture 2)Paul LeMay is photographed at the Riverfront Plaza dock, site of the 2002 New England Fiddle Contest. LeMay is the founder of the Peace Train Foundation and is the integral leader in bringing the fiddle contest to Hartford. (THOMAS CORDY / HARTFORD COURANT / August 13, 2002)

picture 1) Paul LeMay
(COURANT FILE PHOTO / May 13, 1974)
Paul LeMay of South Windsor stands by his renovated bus called "Peacetrain" in 1974.

hey rosa delauro

gets to watch the stupid superbowl with president obama! cool rosa! (cool except for the part where you actually have to watch a football game. well i AM a steelers fan BUT i HATE football. they're my favorite team, then the saints then the giants. that's in case you were wondering)


Obama hosts bipartisan Super Bowl party
..........

Obama’s list of invited guests is as follows:

Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA)
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA)

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD)
Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL)
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA)
Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA)
Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ)
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
Rep. Paul Hodes (D-NH)
Rep. Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-DC)
Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA)
Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI)..............

andy thibault

at the cool justice report has done numerous postings on avery doninger. more than anyone else (probably more than EVERYONE else put together).

the rulings in that case were insane. they were unjust. they were WRONG

this too is VERY wrong (and i'll tell you this much, if one of those boys was MY son, i'd be out for someone's heart on a stick - and i'm NOT a violent woman. NO ONE, NO ONE in a school, makes a child STRIP for ANY reason, unless it's life and death. oh and one more thing. i don't even like kids that much. i just think kids have rights and protections. oh, if they're assholes and troublemakers sure, punish them BUT DON'T STRIP SEARCH THEM UNLESS YOU ARE ALMOST 100% CERTAIN THEY HAVE A WEAPON ON THEM)

Police: school strip searches not criminal
Compiled from news service reports

Shelton police and state prosecutors say no crime was committed when teachers at the Pine Academy school strip-searched four students. A lawyer for the teens, Robert Berke, says he won’t challenge the findings, but plans to sue, alleging an unreasonable search. Berke says Principal Patricia Nicolari ordered the searches Dec. 2 after a teacher reported $70 missing. He says two male teachers searched the students, making them strip down to their underwear, but the cash wasn’t found. The principal and two teachers were put on administrative leave afterward. It’s unclear if they’re back on the job.

i begged y'all to come breed with me

here

i am known as 'rose bush' so look for me
or breed with me on facebook (same handle)
and i'm still begging you. i DID reach my goal state. i got assigned a NEW goal state now though. some COME BREED WITH ME

via the routes game
here's some info from the site (see it's NOT about sex at all, it's about genetics and dna and the like)
..............

Genetic testing scans DNA for genetic variants related to, eg, disease, ancestry and looks. The decision to be tested is a biggie. Could you take being told you have an above average chance of, say, getting Alzheimer’s or going blind?

It’s thought that Melanoma skin cancer is caused by an inherited faulty gene in only a few cases. But still you’re more likely to contract it if, like Katherine, you have the genetic trait of pale skin that burns easily.

Lupus is an incurable disease where the immune system attacks normal tissue. You’re up to 12% more likely to get it if there’s a family history, so Katherine might carry an inherited ‘Lupus gene’.

Cancer may run in your family if, eg, there are several cancers of the same type or several cases of rare cancers. But don't panic: only 5-10 percent of cancers are thought to be caused by faulty inherited genes.

Genetics Development December 2008: Britain’s first baby screened to be ‘breast cancer gene’-free is due.

Genetics Development June 08: Scientists find evidence of an association between Lupus and certain gene mutations.

Katherine Ryan: who she? She's an award winning comedian. If only she had some kind of, y'know, website. Hang on a minute................

this happened in springfield in november

i didn't hear or read about it until right now. it's VERY disturbing in more ways than one.

the first of course being these men (allegedly) burned a predominantly african american church to the ground INJURING FIREFIGHTERS for good measure

the second is they are out on 100,000 bail. that seems VERYYYYYYYYYYYYY low to me., there was over 2,000,000 in damages done

the third being - the MAXIMUM they could get (if found guilty of course) is 10 years. that's the MAX. it is rare for anyone to get maximum sentences especially if you're a whiteboy

all because they were afraid when barack obama got elected to be OUR president. cowards. they are cowards

Three men indicted for burning black church on election night
Jeremy Gantz
Just hours after Barack Obama was elected president last November, three men set ablaze a predominantly African-American church in Massachusetts to "interfere" with the civil rights of its congregants, the U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday.

Benjamin Haskell, 22, Michael Jacques, 24, and Thomas Gleason, 21, all of Springfield, Mass., burned Macedonia Church of God in Christ to the ground in the early hours of Nov. 5th as payback for the election of the country’s first African-American president, the department's indictment alleges.

The three men were released Monday on $100,000 bail each, the Springfield Republican reported, after spending 11 days in federal custody..........

the following article IS from november...
Black church in Springfield burns
Fire began hours after vote, prompting fears it was arson
By Milton J. Valencia
Globe Staf
A predominantly black church under construction in Springfield was destroyed by fire early yesterday, just hours after Barack Obama's landmark victory, triggering concerns that the building was purposely set ablaze in a possible hate crime. The blaze started at Macedonia Church of God in Christ at 3:10 and caused an estimated $2 million in damage.

Church officials pledged to rebuild, but the concerns that their building was targeted dampened a mood that had been so uplifted in the night of Obama's historic win to become the nation's first black president-elect.

"This was a special time in our nation's history, but I also know not everybody was happy and celebrating," said Bishop Bryant J. Robinson Jr., head of the church. "After 71 years of being an African-American, you know these things happen."

Located on King Street, the church was moving to the site at 215 Tinkham Road, where the fire occurred..........

pic: Firefighters worked to prevent the blaze in Springfield from spreading to houses. (Mark M. Murray/Springfield Republican)

stupid west hartford criminals

hint to all the criminals committing (or thinking about committing a crime in west hartford) DO NOT, i repeat DO NOT do it in the kane street or elmwood area. shite, even i know (and i'm not a criminal) the police are ALWAYS busting people in those areas. read the papers, that's where a TON of busts in west hartford occur. mostly drugs. some weapsons too.

i do go to kane street every once in a while when i go to stop and shop and that's the route i take. i love stupid connecticut criminals. they're great!

West Hartford Police Street Crime Unit Looking For Trouble

By JOSH KOVNER |The Hartford Courant
WEST HARTFORD - In mid-sentence, Sgt. Jeremy Clark swings his unmarked cruiser into the rear lot of the Burger King at Kane Street and Prospect Avenue.

Fifteen seconds earlier, he was talking about what he learns from the people he arrests. Now he's rolling past a nondescript blue Nissan parked a short distance from a smattering of other cars, facing a stockade fence. He taps the license number into the computer, checks the information on the screen and looks back at the Nissan.

A visitor, sitting in the passenger seat of the cruiser, is only just now realizing Clark is keyed in on the Nissan. The visitor has no idea why.

It's late on a December morning. The sun is bright but offers little warmth. In the Elmwood section of West Hartford, a checkerboard of shopping plazas and industrial buildings, traffic is already thick, relentless............

the cool justice report

hooks us up with some avery doninger video from fox & friends (yeah, i know, of ALL the networks, but it's a start)

andy also has a bunch of other avery links too. check it out, he's done some exhaustive reporting on this

please come breed with me

via routes game
discover the secrets in YOUR genes
(and i'm telling you breeding is addicting)

my breeder is at the bottom of this web page OR you can befriend me on facebook (i'm actually trying to get MORE friends than stink bomb who is a stuffed animal i might add) where i am known as rose bush (yes, i am)

found via wonderland

here's the press release

Routes is an eight week cross-platform game that debuts online from Channel 4 Education. Routes, produced in partnership with the Wellcome Trust, takes players on an immersive journey into the world of genetics, evolution and the human genome, in a bid to find out what makes us human.

Embedded in the game, award-winning comedian Katherine Ryan explores her own genetic make-up, and tests her DNA to find out whether it is her genes or her environment that define who she is. Can genes make you fat? Do they hide critical information about disease? Can Katherine blame her genetic make-up for the fact that she gets drunk on two beers?

As players delve deeper they are forced to explore these questions by solving puzzles, playing mini games, trading tips and collaborating on challenges, and as the broader game unravels the players will uncover a compelling mystery that lies at the heart of Routes itself. Who owns your genes? What are the pros and cons of exploring your genetic make-up? Do your genes determine who you are, or does our environment play a greater role?

The Routes website goes live in January 2009 at www.routesgame.com

a shout out to

the goshen volunteer fire department AND dr katherine skiff kane!

Harrowing Horse Rescue
By LAUREN PETTY
Kim Garcia snuggles the horse she used to call Smoky. Now she's nicknamed him Frosty, after a nearly fatal fall through the ice.
"I could just see his nose and eyes," her husband, Bob Garcia said.

It was Bob who found the horse Tuesday night nearly submerged in a pond on their property. The horse had fallen through a beaver hole. "I just ran over and grabbed him and started screaming for my wife," Garcia said.

Kim called 911 and Bob held on until Goshen Volunteer Firefighters arrived and helped pull the horse out of the water.

They put the 450-pound horse on a big red tarp and dragged the horse 150 yards to the barn.
"My wife and firefighters started rubbing him down with dry comforters off the beds in the houses," Garcia said.

The rescuers tried to warm the horse by covering him with blankets until the veterinarian, Dr. Katherine Skiff Kane, arrived. ...........











picture:

Goshen Fire Department
A six-month-old horse, pictured here, was rescued from an icy pond in Goshen on Tuesday.

it's blog for choice day

it's also the anniversary of roe v wade.

the topic this year is:
What is your top pro-choice hope for President Obama and/or the new Congress?

i'll tell you what mine is, if you tell me what yours is!

first off, i'm going to start by saying (as i always start off by saying.....) i am NOT pro-abortion. what i AM is; PRO-CHOICE. my body and my sisters' bodies are our own. it's OUR decision.

as we used to say back in the day, KEEP YOUR LAWS OFF OF MY BODY

here we go

my hope for president obama and the congress (and everyone else) is: (and this is THE most important thing regarding choice. when one is WELL informed and WELL education about ALL OF THE CHOICES, one can make THE BEST decision possible)

STOP WASTING MONEY ON ABSTINENCE ONLY EDUCATION. not only does it NOT work (how many times do studies have to prove that i ask you?) it also stops our children and our teens from learning about birth control and safer sex practices. both are absolutely essential for a healthy society and culture. since abstinence does NOT work, would you rather have your sons and daughters practicing birth control and safer sex than getting pregnant and/or contracting stds? i know what my choice is: teach our children well. teach our children thoroughly. teach our children ALL of the options NOT just the ONE THAT DOESN'T WORK.

comprehensive sex education for all (and yes, this includes all the nations we help with this. hiv/aids funding. when we dish out that dough we make ABSTINENCE ONLY preaching a condition. that is RIDICULOUS)

blog for choice 2009
pro choice america

aha!

thanks to truthout we have another copy! yeahhhhhhhhhhhhh

wow

i can't IMAGINE sending home a permission slip on this one.

like helen outlines, we used to watch that crappy tv that was rolled into our classroom(s) for important events. space launches, perhaps an important figure coming to america and absolutely FOR SURE A PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION. this IS america NO? (this is america YES). what bullshite about some religions don't 'believe' in elections. fine don't vote BUT AS A STUDENT IN AN AMERICAN SCHOOL ONE MUST LEARN ABOUT OUR GOVERNMENTAL PROCESSES. of course i'm NOT buying the religions reason 'excuse' by one bit. i'm also with helen on this one, even if it was ANOTHER bush in the white house, it is IMPERATIVE our children watch the inauguration. period

don't they have civics? hmmmmmmm
do we need permission slips to teach our children american history? wtf??????????????

Schools Don't Need Permission To Let Kids Witness History
Helen Ubiñas
Erin Scafe has signed so many permission slips for her kids it's become almost automatic. Yes, they can go on that field trip. How much? Sure, they're in for a bag lunch.

But the slip she recently got from Windsor's Clover Street School was different.

After some information about Tuesday's bag lunches, there was a question about fourth- and fifth-graders watching the presidential inauguration.

The school offered two options: I give my child permission. I don't.
Scafe was confused. Permission?

Shouldn't children be expected to be interested in American politics?

She scribbled her disappointment on the slip and suggested that it was a horrible mistake and very disturbing. It's not that she thinks it's racially or politically motivated, she later told me. She just can't imagine what the motivation could be. It's not a districtwide policy or anything.

"This is not a choice. This is what I expect from my educators. This is a public school."

Scafe's an unabashed Obama supporter. But, she said, she would have expected her children to watch the inauguration at school even if John McCain had won.

After we spoke, I was equally puzzled. Have we gotten so PC or partisan that we've completely lost our perspective?...........

i've seen the promised land

MLK: Why I Cannot Be Silent

I come to this magnificent house of worship tonight because my conscience leaves me no other choice. I join with you in this meeting because I am in deepest agreement with the aims and work of the organization which has brought us together: Clergy and Laymen Concerned about Vietnam. The recent statement of your executive committee are the sentiments of my own heart and I found myself in full accord when I read its opening lines: "A time comes when silence is betrayal." That time has come for us in relation to Vietnam.

The truth of these words is beyond doubt but the mission to which they call us is a most difficult one. Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, men do not easily assume the task of opposing their government's policy, especially in time of war. Nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty against all the apathy of conformist thought within one's own bosom and in the surrounding world. Moreover when the issues at hand seem as perplexed as they often do in the case of this dreadful conflict we are always on the verge of being mesmerized by uncertainty; but we must move on.

Some of us who have already begun to break the silence of the night have found that the calling to speak is often a vocation of agony, but we must speak. We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we must speak. And we must rejoice as well, for surely this is the first time in our nation's history that a significant number of its religious leaders have chosen to move beyond the prophesying of smooth patriotism to the high grounds of a firm dissent based upon the mandates of conscience and the reading of history. Perhaps a new spirit is rising among us. If it is, let us trace its movement well and pray that our own inner being may be sensitive to its guidance, for we are deeply in need of a new way beyond the darkness that seems so close around us............

ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: some GOOD news???????????

ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: some GOOD news???????????

i'm posting this because it's interesting

not because i agree with it. i'm of the belief a dog (or cat) should sleep INSIDE with the family. i'm not a believer in keeping dogs outside in doghouses. it is not within me to do such a thing.


it's a tough call though. i know these types of dogs LOVE the snow. i don't know if they love to pull sleds or not, but i'm guessing they do. i just don't know if they love to pull them for 100 miles or so.

but like i said, it's an interesting story

A Rare Connecticut Musher Marshals the Dogs

By GAIL BRACCIDIFERRO
AS she begins her fifth season of competitive sled dog racing, Kathy Lesinski said her family has finally accepted that mushing is her prime pursuit.

Not that she can blame them for not taking her racing of Siberian huskies seriously at first — it’s hardly a burgeoning occupation in Connecticut, where dense development and a dearth of snow pose major training challenges.

She and her husband, Bill, have found ways to overcome those challenges — hustling their 15 dogs out for 3 a.m. training sessions when the weather will be too warm for the thick-coated dogs during the day, using an all-terrain vehicle instead of a sled when there is no snow and heading to New Hampshire for long periods during the racing season from November through March to find colder temperatures and more predictable snowfalls for 30-mile training runs...........

picture: Three Pairs Photography/Barry Millman

GO! Kathy Lesinski and some of her huskies in a 60-mile race last year in New Hampshire. She placed first.

here is some feedback i just left

nbc connecticut's website (formerly nbc30)

why do we need hef's 'smoking hot' girlfriend on the first page of your website? i really want to know
really

(the following was NOT a part of my feedback)

talk about objectifying women...........

also, tell me HOW this is news?

if i wanted this crap, i'd go to the playboy website OR tmz OR entertainment weekly OR some other site. really now

let's keep our fingers crossed

this looks good for now! i like what mr schroeder had to say (in larger type below)

'Savior' of Connecticut Papers Says Local Control Will Succeed


By Joe Strupp
NEW YORK Michael E. Schroeder, the incoming owner of two Journal Register dailies in Connecticut that were facing closure, says he can make them succeed by being a local operator.

Schroeder, whose background includes 15 years at Newsday and a stint running a failed Boston free weekly last year, plans to move from his Huntington, N.Y., home to an apartment near The Bristol (Ct.) Press and The Herald of New Britain by the end of the month.

"I am looking forward to being part of the community and rebuilding these newspapers," said Schroeder, 50, whose intent to purchase those two dailies was announced Wednesday. "I believe you have to be part of the community you are serving. You can't phone it in."......

New deal set to save Bristol Press
By JAMES CRAVEN
Press staff
NEW BRITAIN — With less than two weeks before staff at The Bristol Press and The Herald of New Britain were scheduled to cover their keyboards and lock the doors for the final time, a last-minute buyer has appeared to save the newspapers.

Publisher Edward Gunderson announced Tuesday that Michael E. Schroeder, owner of Central Connecticut Communications, has entered into a letter of intent to buy the two daily papers. The sale, which should be complete within two weeks, includes three weeklies: the Wethersfield Post, the Newington Town Crier and the Rocky Hill Post.

“We look forward to building upon the rich history of these properties as local businesspeople,” Schroeder said. “We plan to work with current staff, readers and advertisers to produce papers, Web sites and other media that successfully educate, inform and entertain the communities they serve.”.......

stupid connecticut (alleged) criminals

there it is again, the 'alleged' word. one MUST use it if the person one is talking about has NOT been convicted.

however, it pains me to do so in this case.

if in fact ms earley was DRUNK she deserves to have her child taken away from her IMMEDIATELY (and in my most humble opinion FOREVER)

if ms earley was indeed imbibing at a bar WITH A THREE WEEK OLD BABY (as i understand it, ms earley didn't 'allegedly breastfeed her baby until AFTER she left the bar) and walked out of the bar (allegedly) in a stupor, the bartender should be fired. if someone of management level was in the bar at the time of ms earley's alleged throwdown (of demon rum) the bar should be closed and shuttered forever.

if you read a rose is a rose from time to time you'll know a couple of things about me
1) i encourage and support breastfeeding anytime and anywhere*
2) i personally love to drink (i mention the half door VERY often. it's my home away from home. no, hell, it IS my home)

BUT to breastfeed while drunk that is entirely a different story. it is one of THE most outrageous, stupid, selfish, neglectful acts i have EVER heard of.

Mother Accused of DWB - Drinking With Baby

By Kyle Reyes

NBCConnecticut.com
Middletown police have accused a Durham mom of bringing her infant daughter to a bar, drinking and then later breast feeding while she drank more booze.

Allanah Earley, 36, took her 3-week-old daughter to a bar, got drunk, then started stumbling around Middletown in the cold with the child, police said.

She made it to a friend's house, where she kept drinking and began breast feeding the baby, police said.

Earley couldn't stand up straight as police interviewed her, police said. Her speech was slurred and her eyes were bloodshot, police said.
....................

*in sobriety of course

i'm linking to this wapo article

for a reason. it's too far away for us to drive on over to the dc area to do our grocery shopping BUT if you're in the greater hartford area it's NOT too far to drive to the shield street plaza and do a little shopping at a dong (one of THE best, and might i add BIGGEST asian markets in the area). in my neighborhood alone (well within a couple of mile radius), there are a few smaller asian groceries (not to mention indian, thai, japanese, vietnamese, laotian, korean, greek/middle eastern and chinese restaurants)

A Dong Supermarket
160 Shield Street (off New Britain Avenue), West Hartford
860-953-8903

(oh and while you're at it DO NOT FORGET cosmos international. indian grocery store on farmington avenue. Cosmos International
770 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford
203-232-6600)

if you want to buy something like spices WHICH COST A FORTUNE - go to cosmos. they have GREAT spices for GREAT prices (granted, you're not going to get them in those pretty little glass bottles.)

oh just stop in one of the stores one day. you won't be sorry. you'll have trouble identifying SOME of the items, but hell, you'll be able to find what you're looking for! just do it

A World of Bargains
Asian Supermarkets Attract Chefs and the Budget-Minded

By Melissa McCart

Special to The Washington Post
It's a busy Saturday morning at the Super H Mart in Fairfax City, where scores of people navigate carts down aisles, stocking up on the week's groceries. In the center of the seafood section, Yoon-Hee Heather Choi, a native of Seoul and a Fairfax resident since 1993, holds court as she leans over ice-filled bins showcasing the day's catch: silver mackerel, shimmery saury and whole squid, eyes aligned like dominoes.

"That squid looks great for calamari," says a man next to her.

"No," she says, then points to the fish counter behind her. "Go to the fishmonger and ask for small ones. They're sweeter." Whole squids slightly longer than a man's hand sell for $2.99 a pound, while smaller calamari the length of a finger cost $1.99, either size a fraction of the price at a Whole Foods Market ($5.99 a pound) or Giant ($8.99 for a frozen 13-ounce box)..........

it IS from the connecticut forum after all

(hat tip: boing boing)

bye mayor mike

i knew him. not well, but i did know him. i NEVER saw mike without a smile on his face. i never saw him NOT say hello to people. the man was one of THE BEST schmoozers i have ever seen in my entire life. you could just tell how much he enjoyed being out and about. greeting people, talking, telling jokes.

i never heard him quiet either. the man COULD and DID tell a mean tale. he once told me his mother (or his mother's family. not sure it was long ago) had something to do with opening the first and last tavern. don't know if it is true or not, but hell, when he told it, it sounded good to me!

MIKE PETERS, 1948-2009

'Mayor Mike' Peters Dies At 60; Struggled With Liver Damage
By EDMUND MAHONY The Hartford Courant

Mike Peters, the wise-cracking fireman who, over four terms as mayor, helped lift Hartford from a political, financial and crime-ridden funk, died just before 8 p.m. Sunday following a struggle with liver failure, family members said. He was 60.Peters had undergone a nearly eight-hour surgery last October to remove his cirrhosis-damaged liver and replace it with a healthy one. He had done well with the new liver, but developed complications with his kidneys. By Nov. 20, he was back in intensive care, and his doctors were considering a kidney transplant once he regained strength.During his time in office, from 1993 to 2001, Peters repeatedly was elected to serve as Hartford's last weak, or ceremonial, mayor. Armed with a revision to the city charter, his successor, Eddie Perez, would eventually gethat Peters always wanted but never had: Strong mayoral authority to shape the city's agenda.But powerless or not, Peters had limitless enthusiasm and he hurled it at his ceremonial office with great effect. Armed with only his personality, a not inconsequential weapon, he reinvigorated a city that, during the 1980s, seemed perched endlessly on the dismal brink of yet another failure................

Timeline: Important Dates In Peters' Life

The Hartford Courant

picture: In this 1998 photo, Hartford Mayor Mike Peters makes a joke as he speaks at a news conference at the state Capitol in Hartford. At left, behind Peters, are M. Jodi Rell, then the lieutenant governor, and then-Gov. John Rowland. (BOB CHILD / AP / March 19, 1998)

if you owe back connecticut state tax

take note of this

State offering tax amnesty program
HARTFORD, Conn.—The Connecticut tax department is urging people who owe back state taxes to participate in an upcoming tax amnesty program.

State officials hope the amnesty will raise about $40 million and help close a projected state budget deficit that's in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

The amnesty will be offered from May 1 through June 25 to any taxpayer with back taxes owed as of Nov. 28, 2008. Eligible taxpayers will be able to pay off those taxes while avoiding penalties and criminal prosecution.

There will also be a small reduction in accrued interest...........