anybody else read this in the hartford advocate this week?

why am i NOT surprised the school board in MY town, west hartford, had stuff to HIDE?
why am i NOT surprised our taxes are going through the roof and they ARE INDEED EATING CAKE?
is anyone else as disturbed as i am?

Let Them Eat Cake
How much tax money does West Hartford's Board of Education spend on catered meals for itself? They won't tell us.
By Jennifer Abel
The current West Hartford school budget is close to $118 million, about $11,670 per student. According to the CIA World Factbook, this is more than the per capita income of 141 of Earth's 230 nations.
According to the board of education it's still not enough to teach the kids, so they're requesting an extra $7.5 million next year.
There's already grumbling in town about how taxes, once again, are rising higher than inflation. And since the school budget is over 60 percent of the town's total, much of that grumbling's directed toward school spending. It's mostly off-the-record, though, because people who speak against school spending are branded as selfish.
The budget's not presented in a line-item form that lists individual expenses. So when we first heard complaints about the board allegedly having breakfasts and lunches catered to meetings on the taxpayers' dime, we didn't know if this was a big deal or not because we couldn't go to the budget and read "Refreshments: X dollars."
Are we talking "coffee and donuts" or "five-course banquets"? A woman at the Avon Board of Ed. said she usually makes coffee for meetings; Simsbury said they'll provide a meal if they are scheduled back-to-back during the dinner hour. This sounds reasonable; is that what West Hartford's doing?...............

i didn't know about this

and even if i did, i don't know that i could live on $3.00 to $4.00 of food a day. i spend that much on coffee. i'm not being flippant. one just doesn't realize people DO have to live on $4.00 worth of food a day. i will remember that

I'm One Of The Lucky – My Hunger Ends Tuesday
Susan Campbell
Hartford's monthlong Food Stamp Project ends Tuesday, and that can't come too soon for me.For a few days or all month, project participants agree to live on $3 to $4 of food a day, roughly what a food-stamp recipient can expect these days. This is the second year for the Charter Oak Cultural Center exercise. Rabbi Donna Berman, executive director, dreamed it up as a way to make hunger more real to citizens of one of the country's richest states. Yes, people go hungry here. All around the state, clergy urged their congregations to participate, a couple of high school classes signed on, as did the entire staff at End Hunger CT — all without registering formally. "I think," said Berman, "this is bigger than we know." Last year, word spread, and all over the country, people participated, including the governor of Oregon and several members of Congress.This year, the center partnered with regional anti-hunger organizations such as Foodshare Inc., End Hunger CT as well as their recipient charity, Hands On Hartford, the former Center City Churches...........

thanks to the day

for not only realizing they made a horrible error, but for SAYING they did

Connecticut Paper Hits Joe Lieberman -- Sorry for Endorsement?
By E&P Staff
NEW YORK When he ran for re-election in 2006, Sen. Joe Lieberman on Connecticut was defeated in the Democratic primary by a little-known antiwar candidate, Ned Lamont. So he ran as an independent, and won in a three-way race.Since then he has embraced President Bush's stand on Iraq and seems intent on being John McCain's running mate, or at least chief adviser. This was too much for The Day newspaper, which carried an apologetic editorial today noting that it had backed Lieberman then but thought "it was supporting a candidate who demonstrated a history of pragmatic leadership and a willingness to seek bipartisan solutions.We wonder what happened to that senator."Sen. Lieberman's open-ended commitment to military involvement in Iraq comes as no surprise. The senator made it clear when running for re-election that was his position. Sen. Lieberman wants the United States military to remain in Iraq until the war is won, whatever that means. It conflicts with this newspaper's position that the time has come for a gradual withdrawal of U.S. forces."Despite that difference of opinion, The Day editorially backed the senator because of his experience, his willingness to put principle above politics, as demonstrated by his condemnation of former President Clinton following the Monica Lewinsky scandal, and his even-handed political approach.........

and now for the editorial itself

We Don't Know This Sen. Joe
Sen. Lieberman has been too busy burning bridges to build any.
When The Day endorsed Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman for re-election in November 2006 it was supporting a candidate who demonstrated a history of pragmatic leadership and a willingness to seek bipartisan solutions.
We wonder what happened to that senator.
Sen. Lieberman's open-ended commitment to military involvement in Iraq comes as no surprise. The senator made it clear when running for re-election that was his position. Sen. Lieberman wants the United States military to remain in Iraq until the war is won, whatever that means. It conflicts with this newspaper's position that the time has come for a gradual withdrawal of U.S. forces.
Despite that difference of opinion, The Day editorially backed the senator because of his experience, his willingness to put principle above politics, as demonstrated by his condemnation of former President Clinton following the Monica Lewinsky scandal, and his even-handed political approach.
But while Sen. Lieberman remains experienced, he is no longer even-handedly principled.........

welcome back!

to 6th Motor Transport Battallion. thank you for serving but boy oh boy, we're ALL glad you're home

Marines come home in time for Easter
New Haven(WTNH) _ Twenty-six members of the 6th Motor Transport Battallion returned to New Haven today after spending about seven months in Iraq.
They were given a warm welcome home Saturday. The reservists were escorted back into the Elm City by the Patriot Guard and a sea motorcycles. Flags, friends and former Marine News Channel 8's Gil Simmons were there to say 'thank you.' "How does it feel to be back?""Best feeling in the world, put a lot of hard work in a lot of build up, got the mission accomplished can't tell you how good it feels, proud to be doing this for my country, my family, my unit here," Marine Reservist L. Cpl. Andrew Plante."Just happy to be home my family is here everyone I just want to go home and spent time with them." L. Cpl. Plante says the first thing he wanted to do was take a nap well deserved rest. ........

to the family, friends and fellow brothers and sisters

of officer Matthew Morelli, my thoughts and prayers go out to you

Norwalk officer fatally shot
By John Nickerson
NORWALK - City police, the FBI and the state police Major Crime Squad spent the day trying to figure out how city police Officer Matthew Morelli, 38, was shot and killed in a church parking lot in South Norwalk early yesterday morning.For more than 13 hours, state police investigated the parking lot off Lubrano Place and the surrounding area before taking Morelli's body to state chief medical examiner's office in Farmington. Police and city officials said a rifle, described either as an AK-47 or older, military-style rifle, was found immediately next to, or under, Morelli's body when police found him lying in the Calvary Reformed Church parking lot.Chief Harry Rilling said the 11-year department veteran, who served four years in the Marines before joining the department in 1996, called headquarters at 12:26 a.m. to say he was checking suspicious activity in the lot and stepped out of his vehicle............

of course there's a correlation

between people who abuse animals and people who abuse people

BOTH must stop
Animal Cruelty task force
By News Channel 8's Bob Wilson
(WTNH) _ Cruelty to animals may lead to violent behavior against humans. A new state task force will be looking into the correlation and what can be done.
Could an abused dog or cat be one of the first signs that someone else other than the family pet is being abused? Lawmakers announced the formation of the task force on animal cruelty and the circle of violence to look into just that."We know that when an animal is being abused, more than likely the children in the house hold are being abused," Diana Urbana, of North Stonington, said. So, while the task force will study the circle of violence -- pet professionals like animal control officers and workers at the Connecticut Humane Society in Newington -- are keeping their eyes open for abused animals.
"If we do find that and we do have the name, telephone number and address of the individual at that point we would call the police in that town and make a report," Alicia Wright, of the Connecticut Humane Society, said..............

if i make it to 80

i hope i can be as conscientious as jim barron and caroline bridgeman-rees. of course, there were all ages present at the protest. of course i shouldn't wait until i'm 80 to be conscientious, moral and patriotic.

Protesters gather for fifth anniversary of Iraq war
By DAVE COLLINS
Five people were arrested Wednesday for blocking the front door of a federal courthouse during a protest to mark the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.Among the five were Jim Barron, 80, of New Haven and his minister, the Rev. Kathleen McTigue. Also arrested were Caroline Bridgeman-Rees, 80, of Hamden and father and daughter Mark and Keely Colville of New Haven. Police charged the five with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct. They were led to police cruisers amid applause from about 100 other protesters gathered on the sidewalk.Barron has participated in protests for decades, but never risked a trip to jail. He opposed the war from the beginning and has written letters of protest to Congress, but his feelings intensified while hearing the names of the war dead read each week in his church.The final straw, he said, was reading an article about U.S. soldiers who suffered permanent brain damage in Iraq.........

Five Arrested In Iraq War Protest
By HILDA MUÑOZ And NOMAAN MERCHANT Courant Staff Reporters
A protest Wednesday by roughly 200 clergy members, religious activists and citizens marking the five-year anniversary of the United States invasion of Iraq started with prayer and song and ended with the arrest of five protesters in Hartford.

The protesters had blocked an entrance to the federal building in Hartford.

Keeley Colville, 17, her father Mark Colville, James Barron, 80, Caroline Bridgman-Rees, 85, and Rev. Kathleen McTigue were taken into custody. Bridgman-Rees and Barron were released on a promise to appear. Keeley Colville was issued a $500 bond. Her father and McTigue were each issued a $1,000 bond............


ON THE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE START OF THE IRAQ WAR, an interfaith coalition gathered to oppose the war in Hartford. The rally, organized by the New Haven-based group Reclaiming the Prophetic Voice, ended at the Federal Building, where five people were arrested on trespassing charges for blocking the entrance to the building in protest. Hartford police help up 85-year-old Caroline Bridgeman-Reese before arresting her. At right is Jim Barron, who was also arrested. (SHANA SURECK / March 19, 2008)

Raymond Bechard, connecticut cool person of the week

thank you for founding ahava kids and thank you for caring

............Child Trafficking is the second largest and fastest growing crime in the world for organized crime syndicates. It is also the most profitable crime simply because a child can be sold for sex multiple times every day for many years. Along with the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC), young people are also used for forced labor (cocoa, coffee, diamonds, rugs, silk, etc.), illegal activities (begging, selling drugs), child soldiers, forced marriage, illegal adoption, and in the international trade of organ harvesting. Domestically, child trafficking occurs in every community in America. The FBI has determined that 300,000 young people are trafficked within the United States each year and that the average age for females entering prostitution in America is 13. Young victims are usually runaways or otherwise disenfranchised youth who are then recruited in malls, bus stations, shelters and online........

A mission to save the children of Iraq
Old Saybrook (WTNH) _ In a matter of weeks, an Old Saybrook man will be embedded with U.S. soldiers in Iraq on a mission of his own.
Raymond Bechard founded Ahava Kids in 2003. He will be the first person to investigate the condition of children in Iraq and says human trafficking is often seen where there is war, poverty and economic chaos.
"Iraq has all three," Bechard said. "What we look for are children who look desperate."
Bechard says you do not have to look far and wide to find human trafficking or prostitution. More than 400 women and girls in Eastern Connecticut alone can be found with a click of the mouse on your computer. Bechard's group offers anonymity and a safe place to stay for those who want to leave that life and the people who profit from them. .....

did you know we had 11,000 returning troops

in our state (from the war)? i didn't. that's a HUGE number. did you know that at the VERY LEAST 1/4 of them have symptoms for ptsd? i didn't.

Many Returning Troops Struggle To Reconnect
By LISA CHEDEKEL Courant Staff Writer
From a distance, the more than 11,000 state residents who have returned from war in the past five years have disappeared seamlessly into the Connecticut landscape — back to colleges, spouses, civilian or military jobs.But up close, the transition has not been so smooth.A first-ever survey of returning state troops shows that at least one-quarter of them meet the diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder, while many cite problems with a spouse or partner and difficulties "connecting emotionally with family" as major concerns. A state mental health hot line has fielded more than 300 calls for assistance from Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their family members in the past nine months. Recently, the state veterans' affairs commissioner has begun working with the courts to ensure that increasing numbers of recently returned troops who are arrested for domestic violence, drunken driving or other offenses are flagged and referred to counseling programs."There's a lot of real high risks here — not only for the military members themselves, but for their families," said Linda Schwartz, commissioner of the state Department of Veterans' Affairs. "We have people in almost every town in our state who have served deployments, and the VA is just not going to be able to get to them all. We have to do more to reach out to them … to catch them when they fall."............

......The state's mental health hot line for military members who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan and their family members is 866-251-2913................

this story takes place in maryland

but it's the same in connecticut. my 82 year old father got an oil (heating) bill for $728.00. how are people (working families and like my father, the elderly and retired) supposed to pay that? his electric bill went way up as well.

how can we all afford 300, 400, 500, 600, 700 utility bills? how much longer do you think this is going to go on? i mean how much longer before we all STOP paying our bills because we CANNOT.

(king george has to pay his bills for the crawford ranch, no? doesn't he see we're all f**ked?)

The Power Drain
THE PINCH AT HOME Many Residents Stung By High Cost of Utilities

By Kirstin Downey Washington Post Staff Writer

George Mann, an $18-an-hour grocery store clerk in Waldorf, found himself trembling last month as he wrote the check to pay his $644 electricity bill. Still financially recovering from a $549 electricity bill in January, Mann said he noticed he was "shaking" as he paid the bill, full of anxiety about how he would find the money to pay other household expenses for the three-bedroom rambler where he lives with his wife and four children.
"When they deregulated the market, there was supposed to be competition and prices were supposed to go down," he said. "But why did the bills go in the opposite direction?"
That is a question being echoed in households across the region, particularly as heating bills rise in the coldest months of the year. .............

i guess he ain't so 'MAGNIFICANT' any more

is 23 years (i'm sure WAY less than that with parole) enough for someone who is guilty of forcing a TWELVE YEAR OLD GIRL into prostitution? my answer is HELL NO

and if you don't think this kind of thing goes on ALL of the time, think again

NY man convicted in human trafficking ring
Associated Press
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- A New York man pleaded guilty Friday in New Haven federal court for his role in a human trafficking ring that forced adolescent and teenage girls to work as prostitutes and dancers.Corey "Magnificent" Davis, 36, of Queens, pleaded admitted to one count of sex trafficking of a minor before U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall. Davis was arrested in December 2006 on several charges including sex trafficking, forced labor and transportation of a minor for immoral purposes. His trial was scheduled to begin on Monday. He has been detained since his arrest.As a result of the guilty plea, Davis agreed to a prison term of 23 years when he is sentenced on June 2. Federal prosecutors said a victims' fund also has been created from profits of the criminal enterprise........

i'm excited

i go to my first drop spindle lesson today! i can't wait. i have tried to learn on my own, but i just cannot.

the spindles, roving and niddy pictures are from the wheel thing (a connecticut company!). i've bought drop spindles a niddy and roving from them. the service is wonderful, the products and selections are wonderful. check them out

jim hightower is coming to west hartford center

THIS friday 5 to 6:30 at town hall. i post his comments on occasion on my other blog. he's funny, he's wise and he knows king george and his court are destroying our country

click the link below for more info
Meet Jim Hightower!
.........Tickets are just $10, and proceeds benefit Connecticut Common Cause’s work to make government more accountable. Don’t miss it! For more information, contact Andy Sauer at (860) 549-1220.............

the other day i posted a link to

divine treasures chocolates in manchester

they make VEGAN organic NON-WHITE SUGAR (i no longer eat white sugar) chocolates. i had not tried them when i posted the link. well, i tried them yesterday. they are THE BEST. they are WONDERFUL. they are mouth wateringly delicious.

i'm not the biggest chocolate lover in the world. sure i like it, but i like other things better. i'm telling you, GO OUT AND GET SOME divine treasures. i got mine at whole foods in west hartford center (i don't the the whole foods at bishops corner has them).

this is from oklahoma state rep sally kern

it's effing sick-making.

post it. let EVERYONE listen.
hat tip to naamah darling for the link

stop by and say hola to

the cut mag. looks cool

i absolutely TOLD you this story was true

and peshaw, you didn't believe me THEN - here's my ORIGINAL noah webster finger posting. now the courant backs me up

(told ya those west hartford matrons are NOTHIN' to be messin' wit)

Statues Of Limitations
Erecting Memorials To Public Figures Becoming A Thing Of The Past?

By WILLIAM WEIR Courant Staff Writer

Since late last year, the statue of Noah Webster in West Hartford has returned to its perch in front of the town library, overlooking South Main Street.Newly lit, on a pedestal, and with a new forefinger where once there was a stump, it's a new start for Noah. Like a lot of public art, the memorial to the pioneer lexicographer and West Hartford native has had an unusual relationship with his community. For one reason or another, monuments can elicit an odd mix of reactions from the public.It was tough from the beginning in Noah's case, and we can trace his troubles back to sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski. Unknown at the time, the young artist moved to town from Boston and volunteered his services in the 1930s to build the statue after reading of Webster's work on the American dictionary. The town didn't have much to offer Ziolkowski, but officials agreed to pay for the expense of the limestone monument.From the get-go, things were a little shaky. Arguments erupted over whether Noah should sit or stand. Construction added to the rancor, because of the all-day noise of drills and hammers. Ziolkowski's working on Sundays didn't go over well, either.The completed work didn't end the Webster memorial's troubles. Specifically, there was his pointing forefinger. Considered vaguely phallic by many, some thought it was Ziolkowski's attempt to get the last laugh on the town. In any case, it was all but an invitation for pranks..............

picture: NOAH WEBSTER'S FICKLE FINGER may have a better fate now that it’s been reconstructed on the native son’s memorial in West Hartford's Blue Back Square. But already word is that the formidable finger is attracting a new generation of pranksters who dress it up with condoms. (PATRICK RAYCRAFT / March 5, 2008)

monday was the christmas party

for the half door. this year they combined all of the joints. they all closed and employees (and a few SELECT friends) of tisane, plan b in west hartford and plan b at one way fare in simsbury went to the cadillac ranch in southington

shawn and al got two school buses (i was dubious but i actually got on!), we all left from plan b in west hartford. i can personally say a good time WAS HAD BY ALL. here are a few pictures. i apologize, i missed getting shots of at LEAST 1/2 of the people (maybe more). next year!

justin goodman of connecticut for animals and uchc kills monkeys has sent along a note about chocolate. did you know, right here in manchester, we have a VEGAN chocolatier? well we DO!

divine treasures

Almond Toffee Crunch:Our Number One Seller! Fall in love with the classic blend of crunchy toffee, powdery-soft ground almonds and the most luscious, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate that you will ever experience.

Ingredients: Organic Dark Belgian Chocolate, Non GMO Soy Nuts, Almonds, Gluten-Free/Vegan Natural Flavoring.

Divine Treasures - Parkade Plaza - Middle Turnpike West, Unit 404 - Manchester, CT 06040 - 860-643-2552

this is the comment i made on the article

i am praying....... please tell me this is 'satire'. PLEASE
(that's all i wrote THERE)
and here i am writing:
i am incensed. i'm a woman. i would NEVER vote for hillary in a million years. i don't read 'the star' and i don't effing 'NEED TO BE PLACATED' by the likes of joel stein (or anyone else for that matter). 'a pick of young chicks' indeed. if he's being 'funny' that's one thing. if he's serious he damn well has a f**king LOT TO LEARN. put down the porn joel and open your listening ears.

How To Placate Women If Clinton Loses
JOEL STEIN
You know how ladies, when they don't get what they want, can go a little crazy? Am I right, fellas? Right now, they're pretty upset about losing their first chance at a female president. This would have empowered little girls, shattered sexist beliefs about female incompetence and forced men around the world to view a woman as an agent of power instead of a sex object — all of which, it turns out, are important to women even though they buy Star magazine. Ladies are complicated.Because women do most of the voting, and the shopping and the TV watching and the book reading — porn really must take up a lot of men's time — they need to be placated. Which shouldn't be hard. You know how when your dog dies, your wife wants to get a puppy right away? That's what America has to do. We need a replacement Hillary.Because while women are sad that Hillary Clinton seems poised to lose the Democratic nomination, they're even more dejected that there appear to be no women with enough political stature to run for president next time. That's why Barack Obama and John McCain need to pick female running mates. Either that or we're going to have to find some money in the federal budget for 150 million flower bouquets...........