dominick dunne, native son, died yesterday as well

his sister-in-law joan didion is one of my favorite writers. i liked dominick as well. his style was different than joan's of course. the subject matter was different as well (although when you think about it, WAS it really????). this is a good write up. there are a few things in here i didn't know (stage manager for howdy doody?). and griffin's (his son) performance in after hours was nothing short of genius)


Writer Found Fame in Celebrity-Crime Tales

By Matt Schudel

Washington Post Staff Writer

Dominick Dunne, 83, a novelist and journalist who chronicled true-crime tales of the rich and infamous, including O.J. Simpson and Claus von Bulow, and in turn became a celebrity in his own right, died Aug. 26 at his home in New York City. He had bladder cancer.

As a reporter for Vanity Fair magazine, Mr. Dunne was perhaps the country's foremost chronicler of crimes among the privileged. He developed his journalistic specialty in a painfully personal way, when Tina Brown, the newly installed editor of the magazine, asked Mr. Dunne to cover the 1983 Los Angeles trial of a man charged with killing a promising young actress. The actress was Mr. Dunne's 22-year-old daughter, Dominique Dunne........

Celebrity Author And Hartford Native Dominick Dunne Dies At Age 83

By OWEN McNALLY Special to The Courant

Dominick Dunne, a celebrated chronicler of the crimes of the rich and famous and a best-selling novelist who skyrocketed to celebrity status through his vivid, caustic, openly partisan and dishy coverage of the infamous O.J. Simpson murder trial, died Wednesday at his home in Manhattan.

Dunne, who had been battling bladder cancer, was 83.

The Hartford native, who kept a home in Hadlyme, grew up in a large, prominent and wealthy Irish-Catholic family in West Hartford. He found success with such novels as "The Two Mrs. Grenvilles" and "A Season in Purgatory." But it was his brilliant, controversial, highly readable coverage of the Simpson "trial of the century" for Vanity Fair that transformed him in 1995 into a bona fide, red-hot celebrity.

His owlish, oval-framed glasses, shock of gray hair, diminutive stature (maybe not quite 5-foot-6 or so), feisty presence, often rumpled apparel and smart, razor-sharp commentary made Dunne a hot product on the cool medium of TV.........

pic: FILE - In this Sept. 23, 2008 file photo, celebrity crime writer Dominick Dunne, left, looks at his son Griffin Dunne during O.J. Simpson's trial in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, Pool) (Jae C. Hong - AP)

you know how i post about stupid connecticut crime

every once in a while? well i'm guessing it's against the law to shoot yourself with a flare gun in a hospital. so i'm guessing this is about a stupid crime

Woman Shoots Flare Gun In Hospital

NEW LONDON - Police are investigating a bizarre incident in which a woman shot herself with a flare gun inside Lawrence and Memorial Hospital.................

YOU (not me) elected him

and he really doesn't GIVE TWO SHITES ABOUT YOU. he's got insurance and you can bet your ass his family has insurance (the GOOD kind too. low if ANY deductables. low if any co-pays). HE JUST DOESN'T GET IT. yet another example of let them eat cake.


(an ap article so you must click the link. i'm personally NOT going to pay them a penny for printing FIVE or more words)
Lieberman says many health care changes can wait
By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL
The Associated Press

Lieberman: Recession no time to worry about health care reform

By David Edwards and Daniel Tencer
President Barack Obama should put off plans for a public health option until the recession is over, because there’s “no reason” to reform health care now, says Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman.

Lieberman, an independent who caucuses with congressional Democrats, told CNN’s John King on Sunday that “great changes often come in steps. The civil rights movement changes occurred in steps.”

And so it should be with health care, Lieberman argued.............

what is new park turning into a shooting gallery

geeze, a TON of people are in that area. there's a home depot there, the bjs, a furniture store and a market across the street. there is always a lot of traffic too. is it going to be too dangerous for me to buy nails and paint now?

Police Investigate Shooting In Parking Lot Of West Hartford BJ's



By DAVID OWENS The Hartford Courant

WEST HARTFORD - Police continue their investigation this morning into a shooting about 8 p.m. Thursday in the parking lot at BJ's Wholesale Club at 507 New Park Avenue.

A man in his 20s was shot from behind as he and his girlfriend walked into the store. The girlfriend was carrying a small child, police said. The victim suffered a non-life-threatening wound to the pelvic area. Police recovered a bullet from the store's nursery area and believe it may have been fired from a rifle, police said...........

more connecticut domestic violence

but this one rather takes the cake. unbelievable

(have to say 'allegedly' here) ALLEGEDLY - a man puts a mask on, beats up the woman he was going to marry IN FOUR DAYS, marries her, then he gets found out. well she suspected it all along she said. hmmmmmmmmmmm

anyway, seems like she gave him the boot AS SHE SHOULD HAVE. oh and he's an alderman for the town of ansonia.

hope the OTHER WOMAN (allegedly) LEAVES HIS ASS TOO

Masked Alderman Attacked Fiancee: Report

By LEANNE GENDREAU and DOUG GREENE

On July 1, a 32-year-old Ansonia woman came home to a nightmare, and police now say her husband -- an alderman who was up for re-election in November -- was behind her attack.

Keith Maynard, 42, resigned from his position on the Ansonia Board of Alderman on the eve of his arrest, according to the Valley Independent Sentinel.

The man inside knocked the woman to the ground, covered her with a blanket and hit her with a baseball bat, police said. She told police she did not recognize him. He was wearing a mask, the New Haven Register reports.

Police investigated. They were told a man was seen running from the house soon after assaulting the victim but police could not find him. The woman was taken to Griffin Hospital to be treated for minor injuries...............

say WHAT???????????????

i'm telling you the courant better hold on tight to hele ubinas. she's one HELL of a reporter or columnist

A Blight On Housing Director's Record
Helen Ubiñas
City officials have offered lots of reasons why they can't seem to get a longtime housing official I've written about to fix up her neglected property and pay hundreds of dollars in outstanding fines and penalties.

Weak blight laws. Weaker enforcement. Just plain arrogance.

Well, here's another: It's sort of hard to come down on delinquent property owners when Hartford's housing director owns a blighted house.That's right — turns out Yasha Escalera, one-time deputy commissioner of the state's former housing department and now Hartford's $103,000-a-year director of housing and property management, owns his very own eyesore at 39 Allen Place.

Not two years after the city pretty much gave the property to Dresca Construction, of which Escalera is part owner, the city was back putting a lien against it and billing him more than $3,600 for emergency rubbish and debris cleanup.

Over the years, a number of departments have cited the property, and in 2007, the Department of Development Services, the very department for which Escalera now works, sent him a notice of violation for the property, calling it a "menace to the public health" that is "seriously depreciating property values in the neighborhood."............

why am i not surprised he's linked to the fbi?

he's a white supremacist AND a snitch (i could see being an informant and infiltrating white supremacists organizations to rid the earth of their filth BUT to be a judas - the proverbial pieces of silver or gold....) NO

i can see the fbi wanting to infiltrate organizations of domestic terrorists and those they SUSPECT of domestic terrorism (NOT however, the quakers or catholic workers or organizations who c'mon now are NOT terrorists), but to PAY SOMEONE LIKE TURNER, A REAL RACIST is beyond the pale (so to speak)

at any rate, however you look at it, hal turner IS SCREWED

FBI trained white supremacist to incite others: lawyer
Nearly a month after revealing that white supremacist radio host Hal Turner was an FBI informant, his lawyer claimed that the "New Jersey blogger facing charges in two states for allegedly making threats against lawmakers and judges was trained by the FBI on how to be deliberately provocative," the Associated Press reports.

Turner was arrested on June 24 for allegedly calling for the murder of three judges who supported the Chicago gun ban. The confession by his attorney came at a bond hearing last month.

"Attorney Michael Orozco [...] said his client gave authorities information about a plot to assassinate President Barack Obama," reported the Associated Press in July.

His recent arrest came after a complaint about an overt call for the murder of three judges............

Defense attorney: FBI had trained NJ blogger how to incite others when he was an informant

KATIE NELSON

Lawyer Invokes First Amendment
Calls Blogger's Remarks Protected Free Speech

By DAVID OWENS

HARTFORD — - A lawyer for Harold "Hal" Turner, the blogger and Internet radio host accused of encouraging people to "take up arms" against two Connecticut legislators and a state ethics official, said Tuesday that the comments are protected by the First Amendment.

Turner knew just where the line was between protected political speech and criminal conduct because the FBI taught him when the agency used him as an informant, his attorney, Michael A. Orozco of Newark, N.J., said outside a Hartford courtroom.

"Mr. Turner was trained by the FBI," Orozco said. "He was told where the line was — what he could say." Turner, of New Jersey, worked as an "agent provocateur" for the FBI from roughly 2002 to 2007, Orozco said...........

my sunflower

is HUGE still no bloom yet. it's there, but it will be a week or two before it actually opens. only ONE sunflower made it this year but it's the biggest one i've EVER seen. i planted seeds from the sunflowers i grew last year (also record breakers). i grow them at the half door

just got this email right now

SOUNDS WONDERFUL!!!

Tales of witchcraft and tombstones

Wethersfield’s Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum to give special tours
focusing on witchcraft and the Ancient Burying Ground during October

WETHERSFIELD, Conn. (August 19, 2009) – Everyone knows about the witchcraft trials that took place in Salem, Mass. but we hardly ever hear about what occurred right here in Connecticut. Alse Young of Windsor, the first person executed for witchcraft in New England, was sent to the gallows in Hartford, Conn. in 1647. There were many others executed in Connecticut including three from Wethersfield.

To give visitors a taste of Connecticut’s witchcraft history, The Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum will be giving Tales of Witchcraft and Tombstones tours on October 10, 17, 24, and 31 at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

The tours will begin in the Buttolph-Williams House, which was home to the characters that were portrayed in the book The Witch of Blackbird Pond, which Elizabeth George Spear, a Newbery-award winning author, wrote while living in Wethersfield.

Differences and similarities with the Salem Witch accusations will be discussed during the tours. Guides will also explore the lives of the women and men who were convicted of witchcraft and what life was like for them and their neighbors.

Following the tour at Buttolph-Williams, visitors will enter the Ancient Burying Ground where the headstones will tell many tales. Different types of headstones and beliefs of the times will be examined. Participants will also learn about some of the more interesting residents of the Ancient Burying Ground.

Each tour is limited to 16 people. Tours cost $8 for adults, $7 for seniors over 60, AAA members and those active in the military, $4 for students and children ages 5 to 18, and $20 per family (two adults and children). For more information or to reserve a space, contact Tari-Lynn Joyce at (860) 529-0612 ext. 12 or at tjoyce@webb-deane-stevens.org. Walk-up registration is also permitted if space allows. Groups will meet in the gift shop at the Webb House at 211 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT 06109.

About the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum

Located in the heart of Connecticut’s largest historic district, the museum, which consists of three authentically restored 18th-century homes, brings Wethersfield’s rich history to life, from the American Revolution to the early 20th century. The museum includes the 1752 Joseph Webb House, which served as George Washington’s Revolutionary War headquarters in May 1781, the circa 1770 Silas Deane House, built for America’s first Revolutionary War diplomat to France; and the 1789 Isaac Stevens House, which depicts life in the 18th and 19th centuries through original family objects and includes a new children’s toy display.

The Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, located at 211 Main St., Wethersfield, is open daily – with the exception of Tuesday – from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., May through October, and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., November and April. Please call or check our website for special December hours. Three-house tours cost $8 for adults and $4 for students and children ages 5 to 18. For information about current exhibits, upcoming events or Museum School classes, call (860) 529-0612 or visit www.webb-deane-stevens.org.

and if you're interested here's more info on

alse young
more alse young
and i did a lil' posting on alse in january of 2006

FavoriteMedia LLC is having an OPEN CASTING CALL

IN MIDDLETOWN THIS SUNDAY:

FILM CASTING EVENT August 23rd, 1 pm - 7 pm @ the SHADOW ROOM CAFE/LOUNGE - 170 Main St. Middletown, CT.

Top CT-based filmmakers uniting to seek out local talent for upcoming feature film projects featuring...

Casting for Director Alessandro Signore's Sensory Perception, a sci-fi drama (with existential/human condition story).

The film will be shot in P2 HD with 35mm adaptors and an impressive array of premium lenses, in the Waterbury/Cheshire/Middletown area, in October 2009...AND ...

Several other projects casting, including the Untitled Kurtis Spieler film, as well as a new feature film from Synthetic Cinema International.

Accomplished industry professionals in attendance will include:

David Gere - Producer/Actor (Gossip Girl, Rocky Balboa, Pistol Whipped, Circulation)

Andrew Gernhard - Producer Synthetic Cinema International (Opponent, Sasquatch Assault, Banshee!!!)

Alessandro Signore - Writer/Director (Sensory Perception)

Ryan Casey - Producer/Director/Writer (Crushing Pennies, The Icon of 2nd St.)

Gary Fierro - Writer/Director (Pickman's Model, Ditch)

Kurtis Spieler - Writer/Director (No Remorse For Bloodshed, Circulation)

Leigh Radziwan - Acclaimed Special F/X Artist (Invasive Image)

*We encourage all talent from the NY/CT/MA area to audition. Please bring headshot and resume if you have one. All types and levels of experience considered as we will also be casting extras, and smaller roles. Experience preferred, but not necessary.

For more information, contact: casting@palenail.com

About Us

FavoriteMedia LLC is a promotional video services production company in central Connecticut which focuses on film and on-line video production services.

FavoriteMedia creates a variety of media from high-end commercial ads to corporate video with emphasis on web marketing solutions.

We also provide film production services for clients and FM's own projects.

Sincerely,

Ryan Casey

Director/Producer, FavoriteMedia

www.roadworkpictures.com

once again, WAY TOO LITTLE, WAY TOO LATE

i am never going to stay in a marriott and i'm begging you all to find alternatives as well. there is NO doubt in my mind they would have gone through with this EXCEPT for all the negative publicity. you know that and i know that. they also revealed the identity of the rape victim by CALLING HER CHILDREN'S BABY SITTER AS AN EFFING WITNESS (witness to what i'd like to know. the baby sitter didn't see, hear or know the woman was going to be raped.). they were going to call SEVERAL people as witnesses including her fitness instructor. why? well could it be for intimidation purposes? don't know, you tell me.....



here's a petition you can sign from moms rising

Marriott Withdraws Claim In Rape Case


prior posting #1

prior posting #2

and here's a WHOLE lot of info on who OWNS the marriotts and all sorts of OTHER info (lots and lots of it)

the courant does a story on domestic violence

we have a VERY small state. VERY small. here are some figures from 2007. remember THESE ARE ONLY THE ONES THAT WERE ACTUALLY REPORTED

we cannot remain silent. we must speak out. we must protect our sisters (yes, and in some cases our brothers) and our children (and animals). an abuser won't stop with his (or her) partner. they'll go on to the kids or animals if they haven't already. speak out. don't be afraid. if you see something or hear something that isn't right, CALL THE POLICE. don't ignore it. DON'T

'in 2007, slightly more than 20,000 incidents in Connecticut were classified by police as family violence cases — crimes involving a spouse, a former spouse, a relative, a boyfriend or girlfriend, a live-in companion or the mother or father of the victim's child. Included in that number are these:

•22 family violence homicides.

•6,543 assaults.

•107 sexual assaults.

•17 kidnappings.

•149 instances of risk of injury to children.

•6,691 cases of disorderly conduct.

•4,212 breach of peace cases.

•2,013 violations of court orders.

•288 instances of criminal mischief.

Those numbers include scores of women who have been victimized more than once.'


High-Profile Cases Put Spotlight On Domestic Abuse

By JOSH KOVNER And ALAINE GRIFFIN The Hartford Courant

Ken Edwards shakes his head in disbelief when he thinks about his first domestic violence training session as a rookie cop in New London in 1981.

The instructor encouraged the young officers to keep family violence a private matter and told them an arrest "is absolutely your last option," Edwards recalled. "Otherwise, see if you can get the guy to take a walk ... down to the corner bar."

That approach is all but extinct today.

The "Tracey Thurman Law" in 1986 made arrests mandatory if there's evidence of an offense. Law enforcement training now delves into the complexity of family violence, and the attitudes of the police, the public, prosecutors and judges have broadened.

Domestic violence, victim advocates say, is finally being seen for what it is: a crime.........

hey marriott, TOO FUCKING LITTLE TOO FUCKING LATE

UPDATE from 8/18

OH NO, I PERSONALLY AM NOT LETTING YOU OFF THE HOOK. the ONLY thing you're sorry about is that you got caught being beyond uncaring. you got caught BLAMING A VICTIM OF RAPE FOR HER OWN RAPE (at gunpoint in front of her kids. the rapist had a GUN on her kids and threatened one of the kids with rape as well). oh marriott, you made one hell of a giant mistake and i personally hope people hold you accountable (by taking their business elsewhere).

so people of the WORLD I AM BEGGING YOU - DO NOT STAY IN A MARRIOTT. DON'T. they KNEW what they were doing and saying when they had their lawyers say the woman who was raped was at fault BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T TAKE ENOUGH CARE (by the way, she was strapping her kids into the back of her van when the rapist approached her IN THE MARRIOTT PARKING GARAGE). oh, and the marriott said THEY were NOT at fault because they could NOT FORESEE this occurring (but she fucking COULD?????????????????). so marriott FUCK YOU. i do NOT accept your apology NOR SHOULD ANYONE ELSE

DO NOT STAY IN A MARRIOTT

it's an ap article so i'm not printing one WORD of it. i'll print the following link to it though
Hotel Now Expresses Sympathy For Rape Victim Suing It

i remember the first time i tasted a david glass cake

i thought i was in heaven. yes, it was THAT good. i can't even describe it so i'm not even going to try.

i've since become vegan so his cakes are no longer an option. however, i am ever so saddened by this news. it just should NOT be. if you WERE going to buy a cheesecake, you SHOULD have spent the money on HIS. i don't even like cheesecake and yet, i had an orgasmic experience

(i think the first time i had a piece of his cake he ONLY made cheesecakes. now i think he has a few more types)


desserts by david glass

Legendary Cake Maker, David Glass, Closing Shop

David Glass cakes have graced stomachs from Connecticut to the White House

By LEANNE GENDREAU

Just the mention of a David Glass cake makes mouths water, but the legendary maker of high-end desserts is going out of business.

Desserts by David Glass, a high-end Bloomfield cakery, will close after 28 years, reeling from losing a big wholesale customer, recession and debt, the Hartford Courant reports........

Desserts By David Glass Going Out Of Business
By KENNETH R. GOSSELIN The Hartford Courant

Savor a slice of David Glass cake, and they say you'll never forget the taste.

Now, all that will be left is that memory.

Desserts by David Glass, the iconic, high-end Bloomfield cake purveyor, is going out of business after 28 years, succumbing to the loss of one of its biggest wholesale customers, a recession that crimped spending, and debt that the company could not repay.

The decision to close is a wrenching one for Glass, who started the company in a house on Sargeant Street in Hartford and for years operated under the Blue Onion dome at the Colt Building. He made a name for himself with his signature "Ultimate Chocolate Truffle Cake" and gained rave reviews in New York, launching a brand that became sought after well beyond Connecticut.
....................

pic of david glass: DAVID GLASS, owner of Desserts by David Glass, will be shutting down his Bloomfield-based company after 28 years in business. The company's most famous cake was the "Ultimate Chocolate Truffle Cake." (MARK MIRKO/THE HARTFORD COURANT. / September 11, 2008)

pic of white chocolate cake from nbc 30

No more

David Glass cakes! He's closing up shop

i'm NEVER going to stay in a marriott EVER

update from 8/18

and i'm going to ask you to do the same if at all possible. if i'm reading this story correctly

#1) the marriott is blaming a woman for her OWN rape. the rape happened in a marriott garage.

#2) the marriott is claiming the woman was careless yet says it is NOT at fault because "the ACTS were beyond their control" (but apparently NOT beyond control of the women who was raped)

#3) the marriott called a BUNCH of witnesses who were friends, family or otherwise knew the woman. these 'witnesses' had NO KNOWLEDGE OF HER ASSAULT AND THERE WAS NO REASON FOR THEM TO BE CALLED OTHER THAN TO a) identify the victim whose identify of course was not SUPPOSED TO BE revealed TO ANY EFFING ONE and b) intimidate her

again, if i'm reading this correctly and it's all true, eff the marriott. every single person in the world should be OUTRAGED at the marriott's conduct

(by the way, i am in no way saying the marriott was GUILTY of neglect in the rape. i don't know if they were or not. that's not the point. the point is it appears they are fighting dirty.
oh did i mention the woman was raped in front of her two childen aged 3 and 5? did i also mention the rapist gary fricker had a gun on her children the WHOLE time and threatened their lives if the woman didn't comply?


Stamford Marriott claims woman was negligent in her own rape

By Monica Potts
Staff Writer

STAMFORD -- A downtown hotel being sued by a woman raped at gunpoint in its parking garage is claiming she was careless, negligent and "failed to exercise due care for her own safety and the safety of her children and proper use of her senses and facilities," according to court documents.

The victim's attorneys also argue the hotel has inadvertently identified her to acquaintances by asking them to testify.

The Stamford Marriott Hotel & Spa, along with the firms in charge of managing the hotel and its parking garage, made the claim as part of a list of special defenses filed in state Superior Court in Stamford last month. Such defenses allow defendants in civil suits to argue they are not responsible for damages even if the plaintiff's story is true.

The special defenses, and the plaintiff's argument against them, are a few of the documents filed in a series of arguments and counterarguments as the case heads for trial, scheduled for April.

The woman filed the lawsuit in May 2008, six months after Danbury native Gary Fricker, 56, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after a plea deal in the case.

On Oct. 10, 2006, Fricker stuck a handgun in the back of the then 40-year-old woman and forced her and her children, then 3 and 5, into their minivan as they left the hotel, according to court documents...............

update: video from the courant but it's really a faux 61 vid

shout out to northwest park

in windsor. we just had our department picnic there. of course it was raining BUT we had a pavilion (well they called it the 'warming shed'). according to their website there's a picnic pavilion as well. i know they have an animal barn and a nature center and a pond and trails and a butterfly garden and a maple sugar house and a tobacco museum (it's WINDSOR y'all. HOME of connecticut tobacco). it's open to the public for use from dawn to dusk. i HIGHLY recommend it, especially if you have kids but it's fun for all ages. it's over 470 acres. it's a town park that is VERY well maintained.

yes, you can even grill (you have to bring it though). i believe you must reserve one of the picnic areas to grill though.


i had a blast. we played BINGO - using a real bingo set generously loaned to us by the half door

it stopped raining long enough for us to throw a football and play a bit of badminton and take a short walk here and there.

as if

there was EVER any REAL DANGER of the post office in the center closing. HELL NO. it's WEST EFFING HARTFORD. they'd NEVER close the center p.o.
Two Hartford-Area Post Offices No Longer Being Considered For Closure
Bill Leukhardt
WEST HARTFORD - The post office branch on LaSalle Road here and one in East Hartford are no longer in danger of being closed by the postal service as a way to trim costs.

Pauline Dean, the president of the Hartford postal workers union, called West Hartford Mayor Scott Slifka Tuesday to say that the two branches are no longer on the list of facilities statewide being reviewed by postal officials.............

saw this at pam's house blend yesterday

and i wanted to link to it

Help Needed in Urging Connecticut AG Blumenthal to Join Massachusetts in DOMA Challenge

by: JohnVisser

(I wanted to hold off promoting this until Monday so more people would see this diary. - promoted by Pam Spaulding)

Paul Sousa, of EqualRep.com, has started a campaign to urge Connecticut's Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal, to join Massachusetts in their lawsuit challenging section 3 of DOMA.

AG Blumenthal has a long history of support for the LGBT community but he needs some pushing from his "monitoring" of the situation to taking action.

Here is the campaign site: http://defendthelaw.org/

And here is the facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=113191475142

Paul is asking us to call, fax, e-mail, write and visit AG Blumenthal next week, August 10th through August 14th.

I will be visting his office next week and would like to find other Connecticut residents who would like to go with me. If interested, please contact me at johnvisser66@gmail.com. My time is flexible so I can arrange the visit around your schedule.

Below the fold is the letter I mailed today. Please write your own or feel free to copy mine..............................

something to be proud of?????

please note the question marks in the title of this posting

ah and more to come. steve and maury are going to film in our fair state as well.

why not letterman or dick cavett i ask? why not the cream instead of the crap?

Jerry Springer Show Debuts In Connecticut
By ERIC GERSHON The Hartford Courant
STAMFORD - Audience members crowded to the Rich Forum in Stamford Monday morning for the first day of taping of The Jerry Springer Show in Connecticut. Starting this week, the converted stage theater is being used by NBC Universal to tape the talk show of the provocative talk show host, as well as The Steve Wilkos Show and "Maury," with Maury Povich.

The scene Monday was orderly, as many people who had arranged for tickets months in advance to be part of the first Springer show studio audience of about 175 people got their first glimpse at the theater. The Springer show, scheduled to tape three episodes today, is in its 19th season. Production moved from Chicago to Connecticut, lured by the state's 30 percent film and TV production credits.
.......

is there enough to

FIX THE DAMN STREET LIGHT THAT'S BEEN OUT FOR WELL OVER TWO YEARS???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

by the way, there are a TON of lights out in town. i go to work VERY early in the morning and i know for a fact.

West Hartford Tax Collections Exceed Expectations
By BILL LEUKHARDT The Hartford Courant

WEST HARTFORD — - The harsh recession that began throttling the economy last fall did not have the anticipated negative effect on town tax collections in the 2008-09 fiscal year, interim Town Manager Ronald Van Winkle said Friday.

The town collected 99.1 percent of taxes for that year, better than the conservative 98.9 percent collection rate expected. That's about $700,000 more than the $177.6 million budgeted, he said.............

big breaking west hartford leaf collection news

head 'em up bag 'em up and move 'em out!

now if only they could FIX THE STREET LIGHT THAT'S BEEN OUT FOR WELL OVER TWO YEARS

New Policy For West Hartford Leaf Collection This Fall
By BILL LEUKHARDT The Hartford Courant
WEST HARTFORD — - The new policy on autumn leaf collection includes weekly pickup of bags of leaves at curbside from October to mid-December, the public works department said.

The town eliminated curbside leaf vacuuming to save $383,000 this fiscal year, so residents must now bag leaves in 30-gallon biodegradable paper bags...............

these four headlines are on the front page

of the courant's website

wtf????????????????????

Man Shot, Wounded In West Hartford

Updated: 11:57 p.m.

16-Year-Old Boy Shot In Hartford

Police Investigate Street Robbery In Hartford

Updated: 10:35 p.m.

Store Clerk Struck With Pistol During Robbery

catch my friend mark robinson

being interviewed by diane smith this morning.

it's about his book smoke fire and angels (all of the proceeds are going to the victims and their families) and experiences of/with/at/during the horrific avon mountain crash


image from here

once again, thank the goddess for the

connecticut innocence project. i cannot even imagine being behind bars for 21 years for a rape and murder YOU DID NOT COMMIT

(i can't imagine convicting, even partically based on the testimony of one witness who had a stake in protecting someone ELSE who was a suspect, either)

DNA Tests Clear Man Jailed Since Late 1980s Of Homicide
By HILDA MUÑOZ The Hartford Courant

NEW HAVEN — - A man serving a 50-year prison sentence in the rape and homicide of a Wallingford woman more than two decades ago was granted a new trial Wednesday after recent DNA tests showed someone else committed the crimes.

Kenneth Ireland, 39, was ordered released without bail by Judge Richard Damiani and is with his family, 21 years after he was taken into custody, said Karen Goodrow, director of the Connecticut Innocence Project, which took Ireland's case two years ago.

"It's really exhilarating," she said. "He's just doing really well."
..................

..........A witness, Marilou Flaler, testified during the trial that Ireland and another man, Donald Glover, told her and her boyfriend that they had raped and killed Pelkey. A third man, Max Arizmendi, also was supposed to have been with them.

No one else was arrested in the case. Both Glover and Arizmendi are now dead.

Ireland's public defender, Donald Dakers, challenged Flaler's testimony, saying she gave police a statement a year after the homicide for a $20,000 reward and to protect her boyfriend's brother, John Card, who was a potential suspect.,,,,,,,,,,,,,

i grew up in the north end

well, we lived there until i was nine. it was the proverbial melting pot. there were italians, poles, jews, catholics, protestants, hispanics, blacks, asians. really, MANY religions, MANY nationalities. we lived on clark street in a six family home my grandparents (mother's parents) owned. my grandparents lived next door in a one family home. my grandfather had a grape arbor, rhurbarb around his garage, peach trees, cherry trees (sweet and sour), apple trees (green and red) and plums. there may have been more, but i can't recall. he also had a wonderful flower garden (as did my father's parents in glastonbury. they had apple trees too, but mostly had garden vegetables. lots and lots of beans. all sorts of italian beans of all sorts of colors. my favorites were the white and red striped ones). the north end was a beautiful place. a place of wonder. the house i grew up in isn't there any more. the school i went to, st. michael's is. not sure it's still st. michael's though. i think some catholic workers live there or around there, so it just might still be catholic

anyway, this column by helen ubinas reminded me of my childhood:


DISPATCHES FROM GARDEN STREET
Holding The Family Together

Helen Ubiñas

Mattie Laird bought her home at 643-645 Garden St. in 1968 — back when people could walk to nearby factory jobs, when rooted Jewish families still lived here and a home on the street went for just over $18 grand.

It was a fortune back then, of course.

But even after her husband left, Laird did whatever it took to hold onto the three-family home, juggling a job at the old Colt factory, another at a nursing home.

Always, two and three jobs to pay the bills and keep her children in the house that four generations still call home.

"Whatever I did, it was better than farm work in South Carolina," Laird said, laughing. "Now that was hard work."

Her daughter, Donna Yvette Jackman, still lives here.

As does her grandson, 19-year-old Clayton Jackman.

And her great-grandchildren, Chevaughn Robinson, 8, and Michael Robinson, 10.

pic: Four generations in the same house on Garden Street started with Mattie Laird, 71, center, when she bought her family home in 1968. With her are her daughter, Donna Yvette Jackman, at left, and her grandson, Clayton Jackman, right. Her two great-grandsons, who also live with her, are Chevaughn Robinson, 8, second from left, and Michael Robinson, 10, second from right. (RICK HARTFORD / HARTFORD COURANT / August 3, 2009)

two things

i never really thought this would happen in connecticut. i thought we were smarter and better than that (i thought wrong)
AND
what the f**k do they think is going to happen to our country if we don't do something NOW about health care (one among a TON of other things king george either IGNORED, SWEPT UNDER THE RUG OR LIED ABOUT)? really we're literally going to hell in a handbasket here. people are suffering and this is only the beginning. where were all these assholes when king george was introducting the country to the devil?

so go ahead. listen to lou and glenn and flush and bill and ann and sean. believe what they say. hide your head in the sand. i'm gonna walk all OVER your sticking up asses in that case

Protesters Disrupt U.S. Representative's Meeting At Simsbury Supermarket
By DANIELA ALTIMARI The Hartford Courant
SIMSBURY— - Chanting "Dump Chris Dodd" and "No national health care," scores of angry constituents confronted U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy at a meet-and-greet outside the Super Stop & Shop Wednesday afternoon.

Murphy, a Democrat who represents the 5th District, routinely holds informal office hours at supermarkets and strip malls, but such gatherings are generally uneventful. This time, many of the 150 or so attendees were so boisterous that Stop & Shop management called the police to ask that the crowd be moved from the store's entrance.

The scene in Simsbury is being replayed throughout the nation this week as congressional Democrats convene town hall forums and other public get-togethers to win support for the Obama administration's plan to overhaul the health care system.

One conservative group critical of the plan has put out a call to members, encouraging them to attend these gatherings and voice their opposition to the member of Congress hosting the event. U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd, a Democrat and a leading architect of the health care overhaul, has become a chief target........

ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: uh oh

ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: uh oh

blog this!

years and years and years ago, when i was in high school that is, i spent a LOT of time at the atheneum (and the library and the train station). i had enough credits to graduate (when i was a senior) but they wouldn't let me. they decided to torture me and make me take gym several times a day (something about me skipping gym in a prior life i think). anyway, i wasn't about to gym myself (and they made me do golfing shite during gym. that stopped right quick) to death. i used to grab some writing impliments and pads of paper and head off for the atheneum and the train station and the big hartford public library on main street. i'd sit and stare at the paintings or the people all day. i'd write and write and write. it helped to make me who i am today. it helped me appreciate art (although i would have anyway). i remember each and every painting and sculpture and artifact. i remember where they were and how they were set up. i remember the smells in each room (they were different). i rememeber being very happy indeed.

my favorite painting at the atheneum you ask? well i'll tell you: the vale of st. thomas, jamaica by frederic e church


the following is from the wadsworth atheneum:

The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art invites you to join us at our inaugural Blog This! event, on August 6, from 4:30 – 6:30 pm.

Blog This! will provide a forum for social media writers from throughout the state to connect with each other, while connecting with great art! We also hope to gain insights into how we can better work together to position both Hartford, and Connecticut, as a premier cultural destination (and not just someplace between New York and Boston!)

The agenda includes an update from the Director, Susan Talbott, an overview of The Amistad Center for Art & Culture by Director, Olivia White and a Docent led highlights tour of the museum’s permanent collection.

Come for the formal part – but stay for the fun part - join us from 6:30 – 8 pm for our First Thursday festivities which will include temporary tattoos, the opening of Skin!, an exhibition of photographs created by teens in The Amistad Center for Art & Culture’s Neighborhood Studio summer youth program, and original hip-hop beats performed by Connectbeats. Food and cocktails will also be available.

• Date: August 6, 2009
• Time: 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
• Location: Wadsworth Atheneum of ArtBlogger: the nutmeg grater - Create Post
600 Main St., Hartford, CT

For more information or to RSVP, please contact:
Kimberly Reynolds
(860) 838-4055
Kimberly.Reynolds@wadsworthatheneum.org.

and here's a lil' somethin' somethin' from the nyt:

In an Untamed Wilderness, Finding the Serene

By BENJAMIN GENOCCHIO

The upstairs galleries of the Beaux-Arts-style wing of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, completed in the early 20th century, have never been so appropriately adorned as they are now, with the paintings that make up "American Splendor: Hudson River School Masterworks" — a glorious, robust assemblage of 120 works by artists from a movement that defined 19th-century American landscape art. Those who follow American art will find few surprises here, but will be rewarded with excellent examples of every major artist's work, all drawn from the Wadsworth's permanent collection and recently returned to Hartford from a national tour, before heading to Germany next year. For others less well versed, the show offers a superb overview of the movement and includes wall labels that offer more than the usual information......


pic: Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826-1900), Vale of St. Thomas, Jamaica, 1867. Oil on canvas, 48-5/16 x 84-5/8 inches. Courtesy of Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Conn. Bequest of Elizabeth Hart Jarvis Colt.

we don't have a budget and 'SHE'

wants to pass a tax on a couple of items that make me happy

BEVERAGES and BUTTS

i don't know. i thought the lotto or lottery or whatever the hell it is we have and/or participate in was supposed to help us

dang, we all take road trips to mass as it is m jodi. want us all to MOVE there as well?

Connecticut targets drinkers' wallets

Bill Dowd

Go to Bill's Home Page

Connecticut is joining the parade of financially troubled state governments looking to raise revenues by raising taxes on drinkers.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell on Thursday unveiled a new two-year budget that would raise "sin taxes" such as those on alcoholic beverages and tobacco and corporation taxes by $391 million. Those, she says, are the only taxes she'll consider.

Meanwhile, the General Assembly's two Democratic-controlled budget committees passed a proposal calling for $1.8 billion in tax increases, including higher income tax rates for wealthier taxpayers.

Connecticut, Pennsylvania and North Carolina are the only states that have not yet passed a budget for the current fiscal year.

Senate President Pro Tempore Donald E. Williams Jr., D-Brooklyn, said Friday that the governor's proposal to raise the excise tax on beer, wine and distilled spirits by 10% to raise about $8.5 million over the two years "is taxing the six pack but not the six-figure salary. This is not shared sacrifice. This is Republican-style trickle down economics.".........

our friend andy thibault at the cool justice report

has an update on the douchebag case!
he has reported on this case extensively. man, a lot of work went into this. all links to all his stories are on his blog. do read him, it's well worth it. andy is my kind o' person. in a fight i sure as shite would want him on MY side! stop on over and say hola!

BULLETIN: Landmark Free Speech Case Back @ U.S. Second Circuit Court Of Appeals

Parental Rights,
Home Invasion By Douche Bag School Bosses
On The Docket Along With Seizure Of Free Speech T-Shirts

Judges Will Have To Review Punishment
For Seeking Redress Of Grievances

Travesty Kravitz's Efforts
To Contain Case, Avoid Accountability
Face Major Reversal

By ANDY THIBAULT
The Cool Justice Report
www.cooljustice.blogspot.com
July 30, 2009

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

DATELINE -
Douchebagville,
aka the intersection of
Burlington, CT
And New Haven U.S. District Courtroom Four
When Mark Kravitz Is On The Bench

Free Speech Freedom Fighter Avery Doninger will get a hearing to appeal her punishment for rallying citizens to support students in their quest to hold a concert that was cancelled by school officials in Regional District 10.

The U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York granted Doninger's request for a wide-ranging appeal on July 23. No schedule has been set for the appeal............

yet ANOTHER stupid connecticut criminal

do we breed them here or what?

Bumbling Crook Puts Down Gun, Loses The Loot
Bowtie Cinema employee's quick thinking prevented robbery

By MICHELLE DEVIVO

It could've been the scene from a movie, complete with a bumbling crook: The scene was the Bowtie Cinema in Hartford.

A suspect walked through the front door, entering the lobby with a handgun drawn, demanding money.

When one of the employees went to open the register, the suspect put the gun on the counter so he could grab the loot. That's when the employee grabbed the gun off the counter..........

a couple of pictures sent by ryan casey

pics of al signore

Ryan Casey is
Producer/Director, FavoriteMedia Productions / BurnBrite Promotions
CaseyPublisher@yahoo.com

Road Work / FavoriteMedia / BurnBrite (Film & Video Services) - Connect with Vision!

Road Work Website

FavoriteMedia Blog

BurnBrite Blog

Crushing Pennies Facebook Page


here's what i posted a couple of days ago under the header ryan casey is making another film

i posted about another of his movies, here. it's called crushing pennies



Here's some info on his newest venture (words from ryan himself):

Sensory Perception is a sci-fi drama about a "recovering" drug addict who has recurring visions of an apocalyptic future.

The inhabitants of Brass City wake up, sad and devastated, each and every morning. No one is sure why, and people won't talk about it, mostly because they don't know how to explain it.

Jeremy is fresh out of rehab, trying to put his life back together, but his thoughts are becoming distorted. He can't help but "see" more than he wants to, and a shadowy figure seems to be having the same problem. Cleaning up has never been so difficult, but it's never been so important, either.

The film will be shot in P2 HD with 35mm adaptors and an impressive array of premium lenses, in the Waterbury/Cheshire area, in October 2009. Produced and Directed by Alessandro Signore for Pale Nail Productions.....

(I am also a Producer on this).

The crew is entirely from CT - and we've (The CT New Wave) banded together to start making films that actually say something here.

and:

here's casting call info. (i don't know if casting is still happening though)

some myspace info on sensory perception

here's favorite media's twitter feed

do stop by at one of these sites. do support local artists. it's IMPORTANT

thanks!

do i believe this?

sure i think it's possible. i think the fbi has all sorts of scum for informants. i think they have murderers and drug dealers and neo-nazis and all sorts of fanatics as well.

do i think they get valuable information from their informants? well sure, SOME of them SOME of the time. is it all worth it? i don't know. i tend to think they let a lot of people get away with a lot of crimes all in the name of 'protecting us' when in reality they're just listening to a bunch of criminal and/or insane stooges

hal turner? i am not quite certain he has all the watts needed to turn on his light bulb

Lawyer says blogger accused of threatening to kill Chicago-based judges was FBI informant
MIKE ROBINSON AP Legal Affairs Writer

CHICAGO (AP) — A New Jersey blogger accused of threatening to kill three federal judges has been an FBI informant and even told authorities about a potential plot to assassinate President Barack Obama, his lawyer said Tuesday.

Blogger Hal Turner pleaded not guilty earlier in the day to charges that he threatened to kill three Chicago-based federal appeals judges.

At his bond hearing, defense attorney Michael Orozco said the 47-year-old Turner of North Bergen, N.J., was not a danger to the community as federal prosecutors claim. Turner deserved to be released on bond, Orozco said, adding that he had served as an FBI confidential informant.

"He provided information about the potential assassination of President Obama," Orozco told U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin C. Ashman.

Orozco acknowledged that he had no independent confirmation concerning a potential assassination and had only the word of his client — a political extremist whose views the lawyer himself repeatedly described as "outlandish."......

White supremacist radio host Hal Turner was an FBI informant, as hackers claimed a year ago

Nation (below): Turner was Sean Hannity's 'soul mate of hate'

White supremacist radio host Hal Turner was an FBI informant, his lawyer revealed in court today. The announcement is a confirmation of what hackers claimed nearly a year ago after allegedly gaining access to his e-mails.

Turner was arrested on June 24 for allegedly calling for the murder of three judges who supported the Chicago gun ban. The confession by his attorney came at a bond hearing Tuesday.

"Attorney Michael Orozco [...] said his client gave authorities information about a plot to assassinate President Barack Obama," reported the Associated Press.

However, prosecutors said they had no information about the alleged plot, but did confirm Turner had a relationship with the bureau. Attorney William Hogan told the wire service that relationship had ended "some time ago."

His recent arrest came after a complaint about an overt call for the murder of three judges.......

...........

i don't know if there IS such a thing

and frankly i am a little bit dubious, but stranger (wayyyyyyyyyyy stranger) things have happened. if it IS true, they should throw the book at the people involved. i in no way shape or form think animal fighting should be legal. i think there is something WRONG with someone who doesn't think it's wrong too. and no, i'm not going to dance around this. you're effed up if you think it's ok for YOU to hurt an animal or think it's ok to watch an animal being hurt.

Police Bust Canary Fighting Ring In Shelton

Nick Caito
SHELTON - Multiple state law enforcement agencies busted up a bird fighting ring in the town of Shelton Sunday morning. However the birds involved are known more for their voice than violence. Police confiscated nearly 150 songbirds- canaries and saffron finches- from a home at 176 Ripton Road. Police say the birds were being prepared to fight. The raid was led by Shelton Police with help from the Department of Agriculture and officers from Bridgeport, Ansonia, Fairfield, and State Police departments. "They have a cage in the middle that's set up like a ring, where the two will go into one cage and fight." said Shelton Police Sergeant Robert Kozlowsky. "It's looking like animal cruelty and illegal gambling..........
pic: Police carry out cages of Canaries. (RYAN BERNAT / FOX61 / July 26, 2009)

ryan casey is making another film

i posted about another of his movies, here. it's called crushing pennies



Here's some info on his newest venture (words from ryan himself):

Sensory Perception is a sci-fi drama about a "recovering" drug addict who has recurring visions of an apocalyptic future.

The inhabitants of Brass City wake up, sad and devastated, each and every morning. No one is sure why, and people won't talk about it, mostly because they don't know how to explain it.

Jeremy is fresh out of rehab, trying to put his life back together, but his thoughts are becoming distorted. He can't help but "see" more than he wants to, and a shadowy figure seems to be having the same problem. Cleaning up has never been so difficult, but it's never been so important, either.

The film will be shot in P2 HD with 35mm adaptors and an impressive array of premium lenses, in the Waterbury/Cheshire area, in October 2009. Produced and Directed by Alessandro Signore for Pale Nail Productions.....

(I am also a Producer on this).

The crew is entirely from CT - and we've (The CT New Wave) banded together to start making films that actually say something here.

and:

here's casting call info. (i don't know if casting is still happening though)

some myspace info on sensory perception

here's favorite media's twitter feed

do stop by at one of these sites. do support local artists. it's IMPORTANT

thanks!

from the half door (where else???)

the bastard son of seamus el gordo

3 green eggs scrambled with diced tomato, diced red onion, diced chicken sausage, bacon & black olives. served over chipotle homefries, ina fried tortilla bowl, then topped with cheese sauce (and cooked in bacon fat)

(note: the one with the hole in the tortilla shell is actually a vegetarian version - NO NOT FOR ME, i'm vegan you silly!)