Archive for the ‘Support Groups’ Category
Shays says Senate needs a New England centrist
Sunday, March 25th, 2012BOLTON — In his bid for a political comeback, Republican Senate candidate Christopher Shays of Connecticut is hoping voters will support a dying breed in Washington, D.C. — a fiscally conservative, socially moderate, so-called “New England Republican.”
Despite the recently announced retirement of moderate Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine and her expressed frustrations over partisan gridlock, Shays is not deterred. He’s been making the pitch to Republican activists that Washington still needs a centrist to work with both parties to balance the federal budget, improve the economy, and not spend valuable time on hot-button social issues.
“My sense is that there are a number of members on both sides of the aisle that just need to see a few other people show some courage,” Shays told The Associated Press in an interview last week, following an appearance before the Bolton Republican Town Committee “Some of them want to be there for the next 12, 18 years. I’m not looking to do that. I’m looking for one truly effective six-year term.”
The term New England Republican has typically meant a Republican who is socially tolerant and opposed to government intervention in issues such as abortion, yet is fiscally conservative. Some critics over the years, however, have questioned their level of fiscal restraint and called them Republicans in Name Only, or RINOs.
When Snowe announced in February that she would not seek a fourth term, she defended being a centrist, saying there’s “a vital need for the political center in order for our democracy to flourish and to find solutions that unite rather than divide us.”
With her exit, the Republican ranks in the six-state region, especially those considered moderates, are dwindling.
Of New England’s 12 senators, six are Democrats, two are independents who caucus with the Democrats, and four are Republicans. Both Snowe and Sen. Susan Collins, also of Maine, are considered moderate.
When Shays lost to Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Himes in 2008, he was the last Republican member of the House from New England. Today, only two of the 22 New England House members are Republicans. Both are from New Hampshire.
Since his loss, Shays has served as co-chairman of a federal commission studying waste, fraud and abuse in wartime contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Shays supports abortion rights and stem cell research and estimates he voted with the GOP leadership nearly 75 percent of the time when he was in Congress. He claims his centrist approach and years of experience in Congress make him more electable in a general election than Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who’s his chief rival for the Republican endorsement and the party’s failed nominee in 2010.
He has picked up support from some fellow moderates and worked to convince the rest of the GOP that he can appeal to unaffiliated voters — the state’s largest voting bloc.
McMahon, who also supports abortion rights, doesn’t want to be referred to as a moderate.
“I’m not going to give myself a label, except to say I’m very fiscally conservative,” she told the AP, adding how she also plans to work with Democratic colleagues on issues and vote her conscience.
Shays left a positive impression with Bolton’s Republican faithful last week, said state Rep. Pamela Sawyer, a Republican who represents the town and has yet to endorse a candidate in Connecticut’s Senate race.
“It’s a very different platform than Linda’s and different from what hers was two years ago also,” said Sawyer, adding how Republican delegates to the May 18 state convention will have a real choice when it comes to endorsing a candidate. No matter who wins the party’s backing, an Aug. 14 primary is still expected.
Sawyer said she believes moderate Republicans like herself stand a good chance of getting elected in many parts of Connecticut because of the state’s large number of unaffiliated voters.
“The vast majority of voters who are (unaffiliated) choose to be and will look at both candidates, Rs and Ds. And in this case, R to R,” she said, referring to Shays and McMahon. Several other lesser-known candidates are also running.
A Quinnipiac University Poll released Thursday shows that while Shays trails McMahon by nine percentage points among Republican primary voters, he runs better than her against three possible Democratic candidates. He nearly ties the Democratic front-runner, U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy, with Shays winning 40 percent of the vote compared to Murphy’s 41 percent.
The survey of 1,622 registered voters has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points.
Voters appear divided on whether they want to send a moderate Republican to Washington, who would be the first GOP senator from Connecticut since Lowell P. Weicker Jr. from 1971 to 1988, said Poll Director Douglas Schwartz.
“It’s not like he wins the election, he’s in a tie with the two Democrats,” Schwartz said. “But if you think about the fact that Connecticut is a blue state, that’s a pretty good showing for an open seat.”
Police seek donations for girls whose mother was found walking in the nude
Friday, March 23rd, 2012NORWALK — Police are collecting clothing and school supplies for the children of a woman who is currently incarcerated for walking around naked on Manresa Island.
Sgt. Lisa Cotto said the girls — an 11-year-old and a 7-year-old — are being relocated with family members in New York, and when she reached out to the family, she was told that the girls “have nothing.”
The girls were turned over to the custody of their family members after Norwalk Police caught their mother — Renee Blaise — walking around naked on Manresa Island with them in tow on March 7 at 9:46 p.m., according to police.
When officers arrived, they observed Blaise walking around in the nude, looking up at the sky and “rambling incoherently” with two young girls gripping her from behind, police said. Blaise kept repeating “please forgive me” in between her rambles, police said.
The girls were barely clothed, and they were shivering and crying due to the 46-degree weather, according to police.
Officers gave clothing to both of the children.
Police learned that Blaise and her children had attended a service at St. Paul’s Church of God, 7 Raymond St., about an hour prior to the incident and on the way home, she had made her children sing spiritual songs. The family walked up South Main Street to Woodward Avenue and when they reached the fence to Manresa Island, she hopped the fence and told her daughters to follow her, police said.
The children slipped under the fence, and Blaise told them they needed to “show we are not afraid,” police said. She then stripped naked and told her daughters to do the same, police said. She told her daughters that they were going to fast and “drink the Lord’s water,” according to police.
Blaise was taken to Norwalk Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, and the two children were turned over to the custody of their father, who lives in New York, police said.
Blaise was arrested on a warrant after being released from Norwalk Hospital on March 13. She is currently being held on ,000 bond for two counts of risk of injury to a minor and criminal trespass.
Cotto said she called the girls’ family out of concern to see if they were in need of anything. She said the girls need school supplies, church clothing, pants and shirts.
The girls’ pants sizes are 14 slim and 8 slim. Their shirt sizes are 12 and eight.
Police are also taking gift card donations for the children.
Donations can be dropped off at police headquarters, 1 Monroe St., day or night. For additional information, call Officer Carleton Giles at (203)854-3097.
Worry about Chinese demand drives US stocks lower
Wednesday, March 21st, 2012Associated Press
Stocks closed lower Tuesday for only the second time in two weeks after two reports suggested an economic slowdown in China, where blistering growth over the past three years has helped sustain the global economic recovery.
Home prices dropped in 45 Chinese cities last month, a result of government policies designed to reduce property speculation. And BHP Billiton, a mining company, predicted that China will not use much more iron ore in 2020 than it does today.
In the United States, stocks recovered some of their early loss but still closed lower. The Dow Jones industrial average declined 68.94 points to 13,170.19. It had been down as much as 116 points.
The Standard & Poor’s 500 index closed down 4.23 points at 1,405.52. The Nasdaq composite index dropped 4.17 points to 3,074.15.
Brian Gendreau, a market strategist at the brokerage Cetera Financial Group, said traders were concerned about slower growth in India and Brazil as well. That could rein in a rally that has driven the S&P up almost 12 percent this year.
“If there were skeptics out there that the market might have gotten a little ahead of itself, this was all the news they needed,” Gendreau said.
Mining companies, which rely on rising demand from the developing world, plunged. Peabody Energy fell 5.4 percent, Cliffs Natural Resources 2.4 percent and U.S. Steel 0.9 percent. Energy stocks were the worst-performing group in the S&P 500.
Caterpillar, the maker of heavy equipment, led the Dow lower and slid 2.6 percent after it said global sales are growing more slowly.
Mitzvah – Kimcha d’pischa – Help widows and orphans in Israel before Pesach
Wednesday, March 21st, 2012
Every year hundreds of families of widows and orphans look to Chesed & Shalva to help them taste the light of freedom from despair in their homes during Pesach. These are the poorest of families who struggle to have food in the home every day. These are the most vulnerable of families who have exhausted all governmental social networks and who have no one else to help them. Please fulfill the mitzvah of kimcha d'pischa by joining Chesed & Shalva, a charity helping widows and orphans in Israel for over 18 years. 100 percent of all donations go directly to the widow or orphan and their family. There are no paid staff. Please do not delay. There is only a short time left before the holiday of our redemption. Donations can be made on line by going to www.charityfriend.org.il or, for American tax credit, donations can be mailed to: Matthew S. Finberg, esq. 2425 Canyon Blvd. Ste 110, Boulder, CO 80302. Please make checks payable to Mountain Hai and mark for Kimcha d'pischa- Chesed & Shalva. For more information please contact Dvorah Rut Weidner, cs-chesed@012.net.il. |
Highlights in history on this date:
Sunday, March 18th, 2012Today is Saturday, March 17, the 77th day of 2012. There are 289 days left in the year.
Highlights in history on this date:
1229 – Holy Roman Emperor Fredrick II, at the head of the Sixth Crusade, enters Jerusalem after gaining the city from the Muslims by treaty.
1328 – Scotland wins its independence from England.
1526 – France’s King Francis I is released from Spanish captivity.
1649 – England’s Parliament abolishes House of Lords.
1813 – Prussia’s Frederick William III declares war on France.
1848 – Revolution under Daniele Manin begins in Venice, Italy.
1860 – Second Maori War breaks out in New Zealand.
1861 – The Kingdom of Italy is proclaimed by a parliament assembled in Turin, but Venice and Rome remain outside the power of King Victor Emmanuel.
1888 – Britain establishes protectorate over Sarawak on Borneo.
1921 – Poland’s Constitution is established.
1942 – Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrives in Australia to become supreme commander of Allied forces in the southwest Pacific theater during World War II.
1948 – Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg sign Brussels Treaty for 50-year alliance against armed attack in Europe, and economic, social and military cooperation.
1962 – Soviet Union accuses United States of fighting “undeclared war” in Vietnam and demands removal of American military forces there.
1969 – Golda Meir becomes prime minister of Israel.
1973 – Cambodian Air Force officer steals plane and bombs presidential palace in Phnom Penh, missing President Lon Nol but killing at least 20 people.
1977 – Angolan troops invading Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) take important copper mining center of Kolwezi.
1990 – Lithuania rejects a Soviet deadline to renounce its independence and calls on the Western powers to support it.
1991 – Majority of Soviet voters favor preserving the union, according to referendum.
1992 – White voters in referendum overwhelmingly support reforms toward ending apartheid in South Africa.
1993 – Hundreds of police in Assiut, Egypt, storm two buildings where bomb-throwing extremists are holed up. At least 11 people are killed.
1994 – Serbs and Muslims sign an agreement to ease the stranglehold on Bosnian capital of Sarajevo.
1995 – The Azerbaijani army smashes a two-day rebellion by mutinous police in a fierce battle in Northern Baku.
1997 – The Italian coast guard rescues 900 Albanians from a sinking gunboat off Brindisi, Italy.
1998 – Catholics hold the first St. Patrick’s Day in the religously-divided city of Belfast.
1999 – In an unprecedented purge, the International Olympic Committee expels six members for taking cash, travel and lavish gifts from the winning Utah bidders for the 2002 Winter Games.
2000 – Some 500 members of a doomsday cult die in a church fire in a remote part of southwestern Uganda. After the inferno, mass graves containing 400 more corpses are discovered around cult leaders homes.
2001 – Explosions at four workers’ dormitories kill 108 in Shijiazhuang, China. The bomber plus three others charged with supplying explosives and detonators are sentenced to death.
2002 – A grenade attack at a Protestant church near the U.S. Embassy in the heavily guarded diplomatic enclave in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, kills five worshippers and wounds 40.
2004 – A car bomb shatters a five-story hotel housing foreigners in central Baghdad, killing 27 people and leaving a jagged, 20-foot-(6-meter-)wide crater just days before the anniversary of the start of the Iraq war.
2005 – Under pressure from Egypt and the Palestinian leadership, the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad agree for the first time to halt attacks against Israel.
2006 – A roadside bomb kills five policemen as they travel in a convoy transporting four bodies believed to be Macedonian workers kidnapped in southern Afghanistan the previous week.
2007 – Three suicide bombers driving chlorine-laden trucks strike targets in Iraq’s Anbar province, spreading panic and exposing 350 Iraqi civilians and six U.S. troops to the poisonous gas.
2008 – U.N. police storm a courthouse in northern Kosovo to remove Serb protesters occupying the building, setting off clashes that injure dozens of international peacekeepers and demonstrators.
2009 – Pope Benedict XVI says condoms are not the answer to the AIDS epidemic in Africa and can make the problem worse, setting off criticism as he begins a week-long trip to the continent where some 22 million people are living with HIV.
2010 – A Pakistani court charges five young Americans with planning terrorist attacks in the South Asian country and conspiring to wage war against nations allied with Pakistan. They plead not guilty.
2011 — The U.N. Security Council approves a resolution to impose a no-fly zone over Libya and authorize “all necessary measures” to protect civilians from attacks by Moammar Gadhafi’s forces. The vote was 10-0 with five abstentions, including Russia and China.
Today’s Birthdays:
Madame Roland, French author-revolutionary politician (1754-1793); Edmund Kean, British actor (1787-1833); Kate Greenaway, English illustrator (1846-1901); Rudolf Nureyev, Russian dancer (1938-1993); Bakili Muluzi, former president of Malawi (1943–); Kurt Russell, U.S. actor (1951–); Gary Sinise, U.S. actor (1955–); Billy Corgan, U.S. musician (1967–).
Thought For Today:
It is my rule never to lose me temper till it would be detrimental to keep it — Sean O’Casey, Irish playwright (1880-1964).
Converting Blood Sugar Readings
Saturday, March 17th, 2012Our readings are going to be in milligrams not millimols. Confused? Try this link : Converter
Nailsea Backwell & District Diabetic Support Group
El Rancho de Pancho brings the hacienda to Norwalk
Saturday, March 17th, 2012NORWALK –From wine dinners featuring specialties such as salmon with tequila and jalapenos to a thriving herb garden just outside the kitchen, Norwalk’s El Rancho de Pancho is reinventing the classic Mexican restaurant.
“We take the ancient dishes — mole poblano, tortillas, sopas — and make them modern. I make a great Spanish paella and add Mexican chorizo, we invent dishes and mix ingredients,” Wilson Rodriguez, co-owner of El Rancho de Pancho, said. “It’s all fresh, I hate to use anything from a can.”
Growing up in Riobamba, Ecuador, Rodriguez always had an eye for fresh, seasonal ingredients and a love for good food. From the age of 12, he would go out to buy the vegetables and visit the butcher to choose the meat.
“My mother would ask ‘What are you going to make today?’ and I’d say “I’ll see,’” Rodriguez laughed. “I’ve been in the restaurant business all my life.”
Today, Wilson and his two brothers are taking the Norwalk restaurant scene by storm. Jose Rodriguez owns Bella Pasta, a Mediterranean restaurant in South Norwalk, while Wilson and his brother Marcello Rodriguez opened El Rancho de Pancho last June at 120 New Canaan Ave.
The restaurant business may very well be in their blood as their grandfather was a chef who moved to Ecuador from Spain at the turn of the twentieth century. Their sister runs a gourmet Italian restaurant in Ecuador.
“When I go back to visit my parents, I can’t wait to go out to my father’s garden and see what’s growing, pick what I want, and cook,” Rodriguez said. “You can buy food, but it’s not the same as cooking and knowing what’s gone into it.”
The Rodriguez brothers carefully studied the local restaurant industry before opening their restaurant last summer — research that has paid off with a successful first eight months.
“I don’t think there’s competition for us,” Rodriguez said. “This is different, fresher ingredients, bright, clean, and best of all, there’s plenty of parking.”
The interior of El Rancho de Pancho is meticulously planned, designed to capture that feeling of family coming together around the meal.
“There’s always a wall in the family room filled with relics, people might take down a plate or a bowl, but it’s always out on display,” Rodriguez explained. “I wanted people to feel like they were stepping into an old hacienda.”
Later this spring, El Rancho de Pancho will begin to offer a Sunday brunch. They also plan to continue their wine dinners every other month. And, of course, plans are already in the works for a Cinco de Mayo celebration at the restaurant.
“I hope we can become a family place – already there are people we see every week, some two or three times a week coming in with their families,” Rodriguez said. “It’s great to hear ‘The food was amazing, I love it, and I’ll be back.”
El Rancho de Pancho may be reached at (203) 295-8054.
Purim: The Meaning of the Jewish identity
Friday, March 16th, 2012Shalom v'chag Purim sameach. We comment on Purim as part of the legacy
of the Jewish identity…
May the blessing of this joyous occasion fill your heart,
Ariel
NCAA Women’s Tournament — Pioneers have gone on a Sacred journey
Friday, March 16th, 2012FAIRFIELD — A first-round upset will be on the minds of the Sacred Heart Pioneers women’s basketball team this weekend when they travel to Chapel Hill, N.C, to take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the NCAA Tournament Sunday afternoon.
It will be the programs third ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, but for three members of the team, it will be their second.
Seniors Callan Taylor, Alexis Campbell and Kris Iovino all were freshman in 2009 when the Pioneers won the NEC Tournament and qualified for the NCAA Tournament before losing to Ohio State in the first round.
Sacred Heart head coach Ed Swanson is hoping their experience can potentially lead to an upset of the Yellow Jackets.
“This year I think with Callan, Alexis and Kris, who have had that experience before, we will go there with a purpose,” he said. “We’d like to be that team to get a signature win in the tournament.”
The Pioneers enter the tournament with a 25-7 record, and winners of the NEC Conference Tournament earning an bid into this year’s field of 64.
The Yellow Jackets have posted a 24-8 record, and lost to Maryland in the ACC Tournament final. They received an at-large bid into the tournament.
Taylor, the reigning NEC Player of the Year is the undoubted leader of the Pioneers.
This season she averaged 16.5 points per game and 9.8 rebounds.
A four-year starter, she currently leads all active NCAA players with 53 career double-doubles.
She puts up these numbers in spite of being the focus of opposing team’s defenses game in and game out.
Sophomore guard Ericka Norman had a breakout season and capped it off by being named NEC Conference Tournament MVP.
For the season she averaged 8.8 points per game, six assists and 3.2 steals.
Norman had a phenomenal conference championship game against Monmouth when she scored a game-high 18 points and recorded six steals.
“I felt my role on this team was to get assists, but it wasn’t,” Norman said. “I needed to step up. I can’t wait for Gabby (Washington) or Callan to score points and me just get assists. I know I have the ability to drive and get points. I’ve held myself back before. Today I felt like there was nothing to lose. I might as well leave it all out on the court.”
Fellow sophomore Enjoli Bland is the teams starting center and has been a force in the paint all season long, averaging five rebounds a game.
Campbell, is also a starter and is not much of a scorer, but has scored at key times this season, including her first two three-pointers of the season in the Pioneers’ quarterfinal game against Fairleigh Dickinson.
Her two three’s sparked Sacred Heart’s seven-point comeback with just over six minutes left in regulation.
Campbell’s defense and energy is what she is most known for.
“Alexis plays with so much energy on defense,” Swanson said. “She really gets after it. She always has a tough assignment and embraces it.”
NEC Rookie of the Year, guard Gabrielle Washington rounds out Sacred Heart’s starting-five.
She averaged 12.5 points per game this season, and is only of the few Pioneers who have the ability to create her own shot off the dribble.
Swanson primarily rotates three players in off the bench in freshman point guard Katie Shepard, junior forward Morgan Merriman and sophomore guard Blair Koniszewski.
Shepard, sees limited minutes, usually just to give Norman a breather, but she was forced to play extended minutes in Sunday’s championship game when Norman was in foul trouble in the first half.
She did a nice job in running the offense in Norman’s absence.
Merriman has seen plenty of minutes off the bench this season and has responded by being a force down-low, including scoring six critical points in the Pioneers’ 21-11 run to close out Sunday’s victory.
For the year she has averaged 7.3 points and close to four rebounds per game.
She also is a member of Sacred Heart’s lacrosse team.
Koniszewski can light it up from three-point range and that is her primary role for the team.
The sophomore averaged close to eight points per game, and two three-pointers per game as well.
Compared to 2009, this years’ team is younger so Swanson knows how big his seniors will need to be.
“This team is younger besides Callan and Alexis, with Ericka and Gabby,” he said. “She (Washington) just got out of high school less than a year ago. Their personalities will help, but we will lean on our seniors.”
Taylor, will have a different mind set in this year’s tournament and is hopeful the team can come through with a win.
“It is a little different feeling because freshman year I didn’t know what to expect,” Taylor said. “We gave Ohio State a good run my freshman year, so my mind set is a little different. There is a possibility we can win one of these games. We will have fun with it and try and come out with a win.”
Meeting March 14th: Reminder
Friday, March 16th, 2012Hopefully you can come to the next INFORMATION MEETING on the 14TH MARCH. 7.30 at the Tower House Medical Centre and hear this first hand. Our guest speaker will be Chris Baker from the Nailsea Disability Initiative, accompanied by his colleague Lin.The talk will be about the Iniative, the drop -in service they offer and the welfare benefits out there for [...]
Nailsea Backwell & District Diabetic Support Group