BlogNetNews.com » Connecticut

CAPITOL WATCH: Chris Dodd: "We're going to stay here as long as it takes"

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:38:20 -0500

Harry Reid isn't the only senator pressing for extra hours to get a health care bill passed (subscription required.)
Chris Dodd said he's prepared "to stay here as long as it takes, as many days as it takes, to complete this,'' according to a story in the Huffington'" [...]

Connecticut Commentary: McMahon And The La La Bloggers

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:13:00 -0500

Progressives in the Democratic Party – there are progressives in the Republican Party as well, but the brigades are marching in opposite directions -- have for two decades been braiding the rope they plan to use to hang the rich, while leveling down the mini-millionaire peaks so that everyone in [...]

CT Blue: Thought for the Day

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:23:15 -0500

Would you buy a used war from these men?

[...]

Middletown Eye: Much To Do on 12/05

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:06:00 -0500

There is so much to do in Middletown this coming Saturday that it really is mind-boggling. Want classical music? The Russell Library presents the Janaki Trio in the Hubbard Room at 3 p.m. (and it's free!) How about Gypsy-Jazz? No sweat, because, at 8 p.m. The Buttonwood Tree hosts Ameranouche, [...]

Swick Speak: Stop This Mindless Economic Endless War...

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:45:00 -0500

Number of comments: 1
I always get a laugh driving by a car that has the anti-Bush "Stop This Endless War" bumper sticker on it. I have always thought of printing up one that states, "Stop This Mindless Economic Endless War..." I feel like rolling down the window and yelling at the person driving, [...]

Colin McEnroe: Speaking of interviews ...

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:43:38 -0500

...ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Mike Daisey. [...]

Connecticut Bob: Save the Nurses!!!

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:10:00 -0500

I am so furious I had to wait a day to post on the most egregious move of Jodi Rell's yet. Yesterday, she announced she was single-handedly closing the program through the vocational-technical schools that produce the highest number of licensed practical nurses in the state. This is so outrageous, [...]

Colin McEnroe: Bishop Peter

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:44:52 -0500

Every so often you get to be pleased. (I think.) Months ago, I suggested to Auxiliary Bishop Peter Rosazza that he and I do a full-show interview. My idea was to focus the conversation on his person experience of faith and mysticism. Today was the day, and I confess [...]

Connecticut Bob: Everyone with an "R" after their name is running next year!

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:44:00 -0500

(photo credit Ken Krayeske)Holy crap! Apparently every single registered Republican in Connecticut is running for something in 2010. Every one of 'em!Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele announced for governor today, and now Tom Foley is gonna throw his chapeau into the ring tomorrow, I guess that senate thing isn't working out [...]

ctnewsjunkie.com: 12-Member Panel On Town Aid Meets Thursday

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:40:30 -0500

Chief elected officials from 10 cities and towns will meet for the first time Thursday morning to talk about how to cut $84 million in municipal aid. [...]

Rick Green | CT Confidential: We wish you a gambling Christmas ...: Rick Green | CT Confidential

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:49:06 -0500

We're hearing an awful lot about the troubles of the Connecticut casinos, yet they still rake in millions of dollars a day.

Then there's the Connecticut Lottery, which tells us the holiday season is the perfect' [...]

CAPITOL WATCH: Family Institute of Connecticut celebrates two decades tonight

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:46:47 -0500

They first met in 1989 in the meeting room of a Windsor Locks church. "It was a small group,'' recalled Richard Kendall of Stratford. "We were struggling.''

Over the course of two decades, that small circle of Christians loosely affiliated with James Dobson's Focus on Family grew into one of the most prominent [...]

CAPITOL WATCH: Former Banking Commissioner, Jack Burke, Dies At 78

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:44:42 -0500

The state's former banking commissioner, Jack Burke, has died.

Burke kept a low profile throughout his entire tenure under then-Gov. John G. Rowland and Gov. M. Jodi Rell.

Longtime Hartford Courant banking reporter Ken Gosselin has the details at [www.courant.com]

[...]

Real Hartford: Crude

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:02:43 -0500

Crude, a documentary, will finish its run at Real Art Ways tomorrow evening. It’s worth seeing, if for no other reason than that it does not fixate on Iraq, hybrid cars, or George W. Bush. The film documents the long, arduous, and frustrating class action lawsuit against Chevron-Texaco [...]

Middletown Eye: Dem Registrar Says Zimmitti Replacement to be Announced in January

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:56:00 -0500

Number of comments: 2
In a phone interview today, Democratic Registrar of Voters confirmed that Assistant Registrar Maria Zimmitti was told she would not be reappointed in her position."It's a political appointment," Faraci said. "Maria always knew that this was a possibility."Faraci said she didn't expect to appoint a new assistant until January. She' [...]

Middletown Eye: Conversations on Health 12/02

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:52:00 -0500

Number of comments: 0
Live today at 4:40 PM, WESU 88.1 FM (wesufm.org) [...]

Woodstock Cafe: More Evidence that Chlesterol-Lowering Statins Block the Lethal Effects of Influenza

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:47:11 -0500

This paper was published on October 8th:

“Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of a statin/caffeine combination against H5N1, H3N2 and H1N1 virus infection in BALB/c mice”

by Liu, Zeyu et al.

European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 38:215-223, 2009

“The development of novel antiviral drugs is necessary for the prevention and treatment [...]

ctnewsjunkie.com: Lieberman Seeks 'Withdrawal' Wiggle Room

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:37:10 -0500

Washington, D.C. -- At the dawn of a ramped-up war in Afghanistan, Joe Lieberman used a moment in the spotlight Wednesday to try to define the mission -- as lasting well beyond mid-2011. Lieberman's moment lasted seven minutes, actually. That was the Connecticut senator's time to [...]

Middletown Eye: Oddfellows Playhouse Plans 35th Birthday Benefit

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:35:00 -0500

Number of comments: 0
Save the date! Oddfellows Playhouse, Connecticut’s oldest and largest youth theater, will mark a major milestone in its history, its 35th birthday, with a gala celebration and fundraiser on Thursday, June 17 at St. Clement’s Castle in Portland. This benefit for Oddfellows will feature the presentation of Oddfellows’ 1st Distinguished [...]

ConnPolitics News: Lieberman on Obama's Afghan decision

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:30:34 -0500

Number of comments: 4

(WTNH) – (WTNH) - Members of the Obama cabinet went before the Senate Armed Services Committee today to answer questions on the war in Afghanistan. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) sits on that committee and he talked exclusively with Chief Political Correspondent Mark Davis after the hearing.

Original [...]

CAPITOL WATCH: Frank McCourt, author and philanthropist, honored by the U.S. House of Representatives

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:24:47 -0500

The Courant's Rinker Buck reports the following:

Irish-American writer Frank McCourt was revered around the world for his epic tales of growing up poor in Limerick and then emigrating to America in such memories as "Angela's Ashes" and "'Tis."

But less well known was McCourt's local role in promoting the arts' [...]

The Cool Justice Report: Howard Zinn's THE PEOPLE SPEAK On The History Channel Dec. 13

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:22:00 -0500

Democracy is not a spectator sport.

Using dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries and speeches of everyday Americans, THE PEOPLE SPEAK gives voice to those who spoke up for social change throughout U.S. history, forging a nation from [...]

CAPITOL WATCH: Same-sex marriage bill goes down to defeat in NY

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:13:58 -0500

For opponents, the decisive, 38 to 24 vote in the N.Y. state Senate is another big win in a Northeastern state, coming on the heels of last month's referendum in Maine.

For gay rights activists, it's a stinging defeat in a state they had hoped would follow Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and New [...]

Middletown Eye: Vocal Chords Concert on Sunday

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:00:00 -0500

Number of comments: 0
[...]

CAPITOL WATCH: U.S. Education Secretary Duncan set to visit the state on Friday

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:49:24 -0500

He'll make stops in New Haven, Norwich and Hartford and he'll be joined by U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Duncan has conducted similar "listening and learning sessions" around the nation.

We'll post more details about the specifics of the trip as they' [...]

ConnPolitics News: States: Federal toxics laws too weak

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:47:43 -0500

Number of comments: 2

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) – Environmental officials in Maine and a dozen other states say federal laws to protect the public from toxic chemicals are too weak and states instead are leading the way.

Original post blogged on b2evolution.

[...]

ConnPolitics News: NY rejects gay marriage bill

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:43:46 -0500

Number of comments: 4

Albany, NY (AP) – New York lawmakers have rejected a bill to legalize gay marriage.

Original post blogged on b2evolution.

[...]

CAPITOL WATCH: Lt. Gov. Mike Fedele Formally Announces Race For Governor; Cites Business Background And Anti-Tax Agenda

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:34:36 -0500

CROMWELL - With an anti-tax, pro-business message, Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele formally announced his candidacy for governor Wednesday by saying he would create jobs for the state in the same way he did it for his own small business.

Fedele made the announcement before about 100 manufacturing executives at a forum [...]

CAPITOL WATCH: Ex-Wrestler Jesse Ventura on Kelo Supreme Court Decision; Criticizes Professional Wrestling For Being Non-Union Shop

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:06:34 -0500

Former wrestler Jesse "The Body'' Ventura criticized professional wrestling the other day, but he actually talked about a whole series of other topics.

One of them was the infamous Kelo case from New London, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a highly controversial, much-debated decision that a government entity could take" [...]

My Left Nutmeg: Did Tom Foley ruin Mike Fedele's day?

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:54:12 -0500

Rick Green thinks so...
Can't these Republicans show a little respect for each other? Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele is making his long-awaited announcement this morning that he will run for governor. What does job-shopping Tom Foley do? He announces this morning that tomorrow will be his big day.
The' [...]

ctnewsjunkie.com: Fedele Formally Announces Run For Governor

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:15:58 -0500

Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele, the man who has been Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell's sidekick for the past three years formally announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for governor Wednesday. The announcement came Wednesday at a Connecticut Business and Industry Association meeting [...]

Rick Green | CT Confidential: McMahon ad hands Simmons a conservative club : Rick Green | CT Confidential

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:49:49 -0500

The $50 Million Woman's latest ad is giving Rob Simmons, ex-CIA and ex-U.S. Rep., some red meat to throw to the far right fringe he is courting.

The new McMahon ad trumpets job creation and what seems like her opposition to the stimulus package. That's the same one that economists generally agree has prevented a [...]

Connecticut Local Politics: Foley makes up his mind in time to upstage Fedele

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:54:49 -0500

Poor Lt. Gov Mike Fedele can’t get no respect. He was endorsed by Jodi Rell but then he kinda wasn’t, exactly. And now that he’s finally making his official announcement today, guess who’s raining on his parade?

Another one of those darn “Greenwich millionaires”! The Courant’s Rick Green that [...]

Middletown Eye: Farmers Market Today

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:28:00 -0500

Number of comments: 0
From Wesleying:-------It’s officially the holiday season, sooooCome celebrate fresh food and local farmers in Beckham Hall (Wyllys Avenue) TODAY for the last Farmers’ Market of the semester. Besides the great food, there will be live music and cozy corners to cuddle with friends.All your favorite local vendors are coming. Beltane [...]

Corner Report: Interview with PA dissident: "I cannot just stay silent"

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:20:00 -0500

Abdel Sattar Qassem outside his home in Nablus. (Marcy Newman)

By Marcy Newman, The Electronic Intifada, 27 November 2009

Abdel Sattar Qassem, a professor and author of numerous publications on Palestinian history and Islamic thought, is well-known for his pungent critiques of Israel and the Palestinian Authority [...]

Rick Green | CT Confidential: Tom Foley ruins Mike Fedele's big day: Rick Green | CT Confidential

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:19:50 -0500

Can't these Republicans show a little respect for each other? Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele is making his long-awaited announcement this morning that he will run for governor. What does job-shopping Tom Foley do? He announces this morning that tomorrow will be his big day.' [...]

Corner Report: Zionist Israeli PM Vows More Settlements after Brief Freeze

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:12:00 -0500

12 December 2009

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the regime will return to settlement construction after a "temporary" moratorium on new construction in the occupied West Bank.

Netanyahu said on Tuesday that a 10-month settlement freeze he had earlier announced was only a "one-time, temporary" move, [...]

Corner Report: Expulsion of Palestinians at Record High

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:07:00 -0500

The number of Arab residents of East Jerusalem Al-Quds stripped of their residency rights by the Israeli Interior Ministry strikes an all-time record.

Last year, the ministry revoked the residency of 4,577 Palestinian residents of the illegally annexed neighborhood, the Israeli daily Haaretz said on Wednesday, compared with the [...]

Corner Report: Zionist Israel's Russian "Foreign Minister": Palestinian Concerns of Least Importance

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:05:00 -0500

Israel says the Palestinian dismay at the partial halt of settlement expansions should be the last issue of concern.

Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has said that Israel disregards Palestinians' opposition to its offer for a partial freeze on its settlement activity.

"The last thing that should interest us'" [...]

Rick Green | CT Confidential: Who ya gonna Call? It's Willie Dow to avoid jailtime.: Rick Green | CT Confidential

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:01:24 -0500

Cigar-chomping New Haven rainmaker Willie Dow again proves he's the Connecticut lawyer to call when you are looking at jail time. My colleague David Owens reports that Dow's arguments helped to convince Superior Court Judge William H. Bright to sentence former UConn [...]

Brainflation: Connecticut DPUC investigating fitness of East Hartford Community Television

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:49:57 -0500

There has been a DPUC investigation brewing for quite a while now of our own East Hartford Community Television after it was revealed that EHCT had been falsely claiming it was a non-profit for some 20 years and had managed to squirrel away almost a million dollars in cash and [...]

ctnewsjunkie.com: Call Dodd An Afghanistan 'Skeptic'

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:44:41 -0500

Washington, D.C. -- That's what Connecticut's senior senator labeled himself as his ally in the White House embarked on a newly ramped-up war. U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd questioned how successfully the U.S. can achieve its goals in Afghanistan -- and whether the Afghans even want us to help. Click here [...]

Rick Green | CT Confidential: Tow truck stick-up: Rick Green | CT Confidential

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:34:01 -0500

Gombo has the story.

[...]

Connecticut Local Politics: Best Headline of the Day

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:17:01 -0500

Number of comments: 5

The award goes to Daniela Altimari at Capitol Watch:

If Obama’s a socialist, his comrades aren’t happy

The post covers the response from the Socialist Party of Connecticut to President Obama’s plan to increase the number of American troops in Afghanistan:

We hope that the disenchanted popular movement that brought this administration [...]

The Cool Justice Report: Get Ready To Rumble With Binnie Klein

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:11:00 -0500

Binnie Klein is many things: a psychotherapist, a lecturer at Yale University's Department of Psychiatry, and even the host of a popular weekly music and interview program on WPKN radio. She's also an avid boxer.

Complete Posting From SUNY Press, [...]

Caterwauled: Must be

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:56:00 -0500

Christmas at Dylan's house. [...]

Middletown Eye: Weekly Eater: O'Rourke's Diner

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:55:00 -0500

Number of comments: 2
Is O’s Middletown’s Best Restaurant? You say diner, I say dinner! Old-timers, those from before The Fire, from before Brian took over, before steamed-cheeseburger meant anything to anyone, remember a [...]

yourCT.com: The SoNo Block Party December 10th

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:53:28 -0500

Number of comments: 1
[ December 10, 2009; 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm. ] If you have any creative economy vibe going on, be sure to check out the SoNo Block party on December 10th. Norwalk creative economy engines Palace Digital, creativeplacement and fiZz Agency are hosting a soiree filled with the young urban [...]

yourCT.com: Norwalk Tree Lighting Tonight 7 PM

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:41:08 -0500

[ December 2, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. ] Norwalk has like a gajillion tree lightings this time of year, which means on your average political flunkie calendar it reads like tree lighting ceremony a night. They could event make it an Advent calendar. But tonight's lighting is the [...]

ctnewsjunkie.com: Huffington Calls Murdoch's Bluff

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:17:50 -0500

Washington, D.C. -- Is Rupert Murdoch really taking on Google and launching Web War I? Or is he "whining" for show -- while imitating news aggregators and positioning for a better deal? Click here to continue reading Paul's report from Washington. [...]

ctnewsjunkie.com: Figueroa Resets Decision Date

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:13:24 -0500

A leading state health-care reformer decided Tuesday not to decide yet whether to run for governor. Juan Figueroa, a prime mover as chief of the Universal Health Care Foundation behind the passage of a health reform law called SustiNet, originally set a Dec. 1 [...]

Middletown Eye: Help Save the Trees at Melilli Plaza Parking Lot!

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:11:00 -0500

Number of comments: 3
The costly $1.2 million plan to improve Melilli Plaza parking lot behind Main Street Market will result in the loss of many large shade trees. Not only that, but dirty storm water will also be piped directly into the Connecticut River without treatment. Last week a group representing diverse business [...]

Consent Of The Governed: The Judge Opines On Military Tribunals

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:00:00 -0500

Number of comments: 1

"It's a violation of the Constitution to use the panels without a declaration of war -- and just calling it a 'war' on terror doesn't count." - Judge Andrew Napolitano

Great piece by Judge Napolitano in the LA Times.
In the uproar caused' [...]

CAPITOL WATCH: Green Party Holding Health Care Forum Wednesday

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:59:56 -0500

The Green Party is hosting a panel discussion Wednesday at Wesleyan University on solving the health care crisis through a single-payer system.

The forum will focus on the weaknesses in the bill that was passed along party lines by the U.S. House of Representatives, known as HR 3962, the Affordable Health Care For [...]

ConnPolitics News: Obama skims over some Afghan realities

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:55:42 -0500

Number of comments: 8

By ROBERT BURNS and CALVIN WOODWARD
Associated Press Writers

WASHINGTON (AP) – Can more U.S. troops in Afghanistan really convert Afghans into an effective fighting force? Will allies answer the call to do more? Is Pakistan truly prepared to take on the extremists who pose the greatest threat?

Consent Of The Governed: Boston Tea Party 2009

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:32:00 -0500

Number of comments: 0

The Modern Tea Party movement was actually started with the Boston Tea Party 2008. Committees of Safety and Walter Reddy, held a Boston Tea Party on December 14, 2008, at Faneuil Hall in Boston to highlight freedom and liberty and sound money - [...]

Middletown Eye: Driver Collides With Unmarked Police Car

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:49:00 -0500

Number of comments: 0
From the Middletown Police DepartmentOn December 1, 2009 at approximately 1245pm, a passenger car collided with an unmarked police car on Randolph Road at the entrance to Xavier High School.The investigation indicates that a 1991 Ford Mustang, traveling westbound on Randolph Road crossed the centerline and sideswiped the police car, [...]