The Love List

I'm loving...

These oh-so-French decals from MIMI'lou:



Canvases from pi'lo



Wreaths by KnockKnocking



All so happy and sweet.

Former candidate for treasurer launches immigration blog

With health care reform closer to becoming reality, in 2010, Congress will finally be in a position to tackle immigration reform.

Focusing on informing the public about the immigration law as well as issues that are driving the immigration debate, immigration attorney and 2007 Democratic candidate for Treasurer Brian Cotter jumped into the world of blogging.

I'm a big fan of Cotter's site and I encourage you to take a look at his blog...as well as bookmark it!

IRRESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT: News-Times picks up on Jeffery Court fiasco

The News-Times picks up on the BRT/Jeffery Court development case on Hospital Ave and sheds more light on the situation.

When the Kaidy brothers first subdivided a peach farm off Hospital Avenue in the early 1900s into small lots, their hope was to create a neighborhood of family housing.

"It was supposed to be a nice family community for people with moderate incomes," said Charlotte Barrows, whose uncle and father, George and Kahan Kaidy, subdivided the 58-acre property in the early 1900s.

Barrows said her uncle and father put the deed restrictions in place to protect the area's character. The restrictions allow only single family homes to be built on the properties.

[...]

BRT, a development firm in Danbury, is in the process of building three townhouses each on four separate lots on Hospital Avenue.

John Noone, who lives across the street from the new development that's been dubbed Jeffrey Court, said that while he believes the deed restriction is binding and enforceable, the city refused to recognize it.

"The restriction was placed there by the original owners so the area wouldn't get overcrowded," he said. "A lot of the neighbors would like to fight this, but we don't have money to hire a lawyer."

So lets recap:

• The section of Hospital Ave where the infamous BRT is building there irresponsible complex is well-known for its traffic concerns


• There are DEED RESTRICTIONS on the property that clearly state that multi-family complexes were not to be allowed


• Property owners have fought BRT from developing a larger complex on that property when the developer came in front of the planning commission


• The Planning Commission denied BRT's previous proposal for that location


• BRT took the City of Danbury to court over the Planning Commission ruling and LOST the case (as well as the appeal to the case)

Simply put, the city dropped the ball in this case. Clearly, the land should NEVER be developed and instead of using the open space bond for silly things such as saving a so-called "farm" that looks more like a junk yard or land that will only benefit the Charles Ives Authority, with his "connections" with BRT, Mayor Boughton should had made a deal with one of his biggest campaign contributor Dan Bertram and purchased the land.

This brings back memories of the Cotswald case...except in this case, the neighbors are losing the battle (for now).

The Art of Framing Art

When we were emptying Mama HandyLuster's home to prepare for her move, we uncovered a set of wonderful old photographs. The photos were taken by Wallace Macaskill, a great Canadian Maritime photographer renowned for his photos of the Bluenose schooner (one of which was used for the Canadian 10-cent piece, where it appears to this day). Mama HandyLuster had been given three of these prints as a gift, and had found two others at a garage sale. When I saw them, I knew I wanted to display them in our home. I loved their worn vintage quality and since HandyMan loves to sail, they would feel very personal.

Mama never had the photos framed and given their size and the fact there were five of them, I knew it would be a bit pricey to do so. Luckily, Michaels offers 60% off custom framing every few months so I waited for the sale. Now here's where a lack of forethought ended up costing me a few $$. I have never had anything custom framed before (Ikea has served me well to this point!) and thought it couldn't be too difficult - just pick a frame and a mat, right? Wrong. Do you know how many different frames and mats Michaels offers?? There are 15 variations of white alone! But I had a squirming baby on my hip and had driven 1/2 hour to get to the nearest store so there was no way I was leaving without placing my order. Really.Bad.Idea.

The framing people were helpful but let's just say they weren't really versed in more contemporary styles and like everything matchy-matchy. So while in my head I was thinking of something more like this:

I ended up ordering something more like this:


Huh. Yeah, what just happened there? I don't know. After I got home, I thought more about it and realized I needed to order a more neutral mat. And on closer look, I also realized the mat width the Michaels' framer specified wasn't as large as a thought it was (only 1.5") and would look really skimpy. So, the next day I packed up the kiddo again, made the trek to Markham, and picked out what I should have picked out the first time: French White mat, 3.5" border.


Some of the photos were vertically oriented while some were horizontal; some were sepia toned while others were more black and white. Because I wanted to display them all together, to make them more cohesive I had them matted so that their exterior dimensions were all the same.


The plan is to display them in the dining room but we haven't yet decided on the layout. So for now, I have them propped up in various spots around the house.


After the framing fiasco, I'm not quite ready to commit and drive some nails into our pretty wallpaper! Baby steps here folks, baby steps.

Happy Thanksgiving

Enjoy...


Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:


Part 4:

Seriously, he was a candidate for mayor

As the court case against John McGowan gains more national attention, I've received several emails from people across the country who don't believe that the co-founder of Elise Marciano's anti-immigrant hate group was a candidate for mayor.

Because of the inquiries, I dug into my archive and put together a little video about McGowan that should end all discussion on the matter.

Enjoy.



NOTE: McGowan's next court appearance in Litchfield will be on December 15 at 2PM.

LOCAL ACCESS VIDEO: Spotlight On 11.24.09 broadcast

Ignoring anti-immigrant xenophobia: The last honest man edition

Due to demand, this post is bumped to the top


Hear no racism, see no racism, refuse to acknowledge racism

Over the last couple months, people who desire that the topic of immigration would go away are trying to claim that Danbury doesn't have a racial intolerance problem or that the problem has "toned down".

As indicated by the most recent “reported” hate-crime that made front page news last week, nothing could be further from the truth. Rather, the “reported” crime only vindicates those in the community who have long stated that racial hatred directed at the immigrant community is, for the most part, being ignored by elected-officials who refuse to acknowledge that the problem exist.

And when it comes to ignoring anti-immigrant xenophobia in the city, no one does it better than Danbury's last honest man who occupies the corner office on the third floor of city hall.

As someone who has followed the assault on the immigrant community from its beginnings, Mayor Mark Boughton's refusal to properly address the ever rising level of racism in the city (under his watch) has been well documented over the years.

One of the mayor's most "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" moments happened at a forum on immigration that was held at the library back in February 2006.



In the following video clip, Boughton is confronted by a parent who was alarmed with the racial hatred and xenophobia she and her child experienced in their short time in the city. Boughton's initial response to the mother’s concern spoke volumes that night and has served as a template for the way the mayor has addressed the topic of racism in his city ever since.

As a side note, look at the flippant reaction from anti-immigrant / hate-group leader Elise Marciano and her ilk (a.k.a., the people most responsible for xenophobia in the area that the parent is talking about). They're marked in blue in the photo above...

PARENT: I'm a newcomer to the community and I moved here because of its diversity. I don't want to raise my son in a racist community, and I'm deeply concerned at how this immigration debate has this racist overtones. I have worked for 10 years in many different diverse communities; all of them had similar demographics to Danbury. This is the first time I've ever encountered such racist remarks towards me and I think you can't ignore this issue in your community. I think there needs to be some kind of procedure in place to address the racism that's associated with this debate.

BOUGHTON: Let me thank you for the courage to make those comments, but there is a procedure, if someone makes hateful comments to you, we have hate-crime laws on the books that are clear, you can file a complaint with the police department, we certainly don't condone that type of activity, but what you're suggesting I disagree with in the sense of this. You're suggesting that we can't have this discussion because it just becomes racist.

PARENT: No I'm not sugg...

BOUGHTON: Okay, so if we start with that premise and say this discussion is not about racism, it's not about ethnicity, it's not about the way somebody looks, but it's about a failed policy that does not work, then we should be able to, a progressive community, a rationale community, and a compassionate community, should be able to have this discussion.

PARENT: That's what I'm concerned about. Of course you should be able to have a discussion on immigration, what I am concerned about is that the discussion on immigration has led to racist overtones in the community.

Instead of addressing the parent's concern regarding the racial acts of intimidation she and her child experienced in their brief stay in Danbury, Boughton opts to ignore the point the parent raised as if the problem doesn't exist.

As you saw in that video clip, the issue the parent raised had nothing to do with illegal immigration (which, the last time I checked, was FEDERAL problem) but rather the increased instances of racism members of the immigrant population are experiencing.

The mayor's response to the parent's concern speaks for itself and is just one example of people who would rather turn a blind eye and ignore the real problem of racial hatred towards the immigrant population in Danbury...or even worse, claim that the problem doesn't exist.

From the most recent hate-crime committed in the city, and the lack of leadership in the days after the racist email scandal, to the quickly forgotten suggestion that a committee be established, which would examine racial tensions in the community (similar to what was done after the race riots in the 1970s), the problem, which Boughton and his political party routinely fail to acknowledge, is the rise in xenophobia among a segment of the population who are openly hostile towards the immigrant community.

...more to come.

---

RELATED POSTS:

Hate-crime filed in assault case

Planning Commissioner Joel Urice stands behind racist emails, refuses to apologize, criticize those who made his emails public

Where's the leadership?

NAACP keynote speaker comments on racist emails

Mark Boughton for governor?

Well, I guess when Gary Goncalves asked Mark Boughton whether or not he would serve his entire term as mayor and not run for Congress, he forgot to ask the last honest man in Danbury if he would consider running for governor (if Rell didn't seek re-election) also.

The big story of the week centers around the speculation that Mayor Boughton is seriously considering setting up an exploratory committee for governor. Seeing that he's not even sworn in for his next term, I'd be hard press to believe that Boughton would make such an announcement so soon but I wouldn't be surprised if he made his intentions known sometime after the state of the city address next month.

Stay tuned...

UPDATE: The News-Times just did a write-up on the matter.

BETHEL: Transfer Station expansion sparks controversy

The final meeting of the board of selectmen in Bethel was amassed in controversy surrounding First Selectman Bob Burke's effort to expand the town's transfer station.

First Selectman Robert Burke has a mission he wants to complete in the few weeks he has left in office, but he'll face obstacles if critics persist.

Burke said he'll do what it takes to pass a proposal so the town's transfer station can accept 450 tons of construction and demolition debris and change its deficit operation into an income producer.

"I fully intend to move forward with this. I have three weeks of service left," Burke said during a Board of Selectmen's meeting last Tuesday night. "It's very important that we consider this and send it to the people who have the ultimate authority.''

[...]

The plan would be for a company to lease the station, expand it and collect construction debris. Even if it collected 200 of the 450 tons permitted under the proposed agreement, the town could make about $104,000 a year.

Critics said Burke held the plans too close to the vest all summer and there wouldn't be enough time to make such a big decision, especially without knowing facts about issues like increased truck traffic.

Critics of First Selectman Burke are upset over the timing of his proposal and let their feelings known to the media.

Selectmen Kevin Cleary and Paul Szatkowski had received no information on the plan.

"It's the responsibility for all of us to understand what it is," Cleary said last Tuesday night. "There is a lot here to rush it in three weeks."

Burke said he would call a special meeting and have the town attorney explain the proposals if needed.

Szatkowski said he thinks it is essential the town reverse its deficit at the transfer station, but he was upset Burke did not share the proposals with selectmen before sending them to attorney Lee Hoffman of the law firm Pullman and Comley for review.

Szatkowski has a lot of questions and wouldn't rush a decision so close to a change in the administration.

"The concept is right, but disregarding the future administration is wrong,'' he said. "I'm not opposed to it, but you can't accomplish something like this in three weeks."

Incoming First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker said he was concerned that the proposals were received in May, the attorney sent back a review of them in June, but it's only now, after the election, that Burke is unveiling a plan.

"It was done behind closed doors, without the other selectmen,'' Knickerbocker said. "We need to slow this down until the new administration takes office and look at all the options. There could be other alternatives. We owe it to the voters to explore them before we privatize the place."

With Burke's tenure as First Selectman coming to an end in a couple of weeks, and facing opposition, it remains to be seen if he has the time to make transfer station proposal to become a reality.

Last night's edition of Bethel Watch centered on the Selectmen meeting where the topic of the transfer station came up. You can watch the meeting below:

Thankful

In it's listing of things they're thankful for, The Fairfield Weekly gives a nod to HatCityBLOG's coverage of the John McGowan rape trial.

We are thankful Danbury area anti-immigration whack job John McGowan is making his downfall so entertaining. McGowan is known for his stone-faced support for the mass shooting of illegal immigrants on Comcast public access and was recently arrested for allegedly putting his girlfriend in a headlock and raping her up the behind. Neither of those are funny. What's hilarious is McGowan's repeated insistence to a Litchfield Superior Court judge that the court has no jurisdiction over him as a "natural man." Apparently, McGowan is the one who isn't a U.S. citizen now that he's looking at 20 years. Read a few courtroom dispatches at HatCityBLOG (which is something else we're thankful for).

I'll be thankful once this xenophobic piece of shit is found guilty and finally placed behind bars...

Local Non-Profit Organizations Receive $156,000 in Grants From Union Savings Bank Foundation

PHOTO CAPTION: Union Savings Bank President and CEO John Kline (far left) and Board of Trustees President Thomas Frizzell (far right) are the 2009-2010 USB Foundation grant recipients during the Foundation’s November 4th grant breakfast held at the Galleria atrium, 225 Main Street, Danbury

As we approach the holiday season, it's great to see my favorite bank stepping up and assisting non-profit agencies.

From the Union Savings Bank Press Release:

To help address some of the Greater Danbury community’s most pressing human service needs, the Union Savings Bank Foundation has distributed $156,000 to 21 local organizations which provide essential programs and services to benefit children, families and the elderly.

The Union Savings Bank Foundation Grants Committee placed special emphasis on funding services such as emergency shelter and food assistance this year, as many members of our communities have been adversely affected by the troubled economy. Youth education, job skills training, and low-cost health care programs were also given priority.

The foundation's 2009-2010 grants represent a 7% increase in dollars allocated (from $145,500 in 2008). Since the USB Foundation was created in 1999, it has provided 175 grants totaling $1,135,530 to more than 100 not-for-profit organizations.

At The Amos House in Danbury, a USB Foundation grant will help fund a transitional living program for homeless families and individuals. “For the past 20 years, The Amos House has helped families and individuals work toward and meet the goals to help them achieve self-sufficiency,” said Executive Director Gladys McFarland. “The Foundation’s grant will help us continue to offer these essential services in 2010.”

In Newtown, a grant will provide support to the free medical clinic at Kevin’s Community Center. At Kent Village Housing for the Elderly, three kitchens will be replaced at the Templeton Farm Apartments facility.

“The USB Foundation’s goal this year is to support those who have been most affected by our difficult economy,” said Union Savings Bank President and CEO John C. Kline. “The agencies and services that have received grants are helping re-train those who have lost their jobs, provide free or low cost health care, safe housing and shelter and support to parents and children. The Foundation’s distribution of $156,000 this year to 21 worthy organizations is in addition to the approximately $800,000 donated by the bank from earnings in 2009.”

Organizations interested in submitting proposals to the Union Savings Bank Foundation for consideration in the 2010-2011 grant process may download an application form at Union Savings.com , or obtain a form by contacting Maureen Powers at 203.830.4202. Applications for the USB Foundation’s next grant process will be accepted between June 1st and August 31st, 2010.

CT-05: Caligiuri withdraws senate bid, jumps into Congressional race against Murphy

GOP chairman Chris Healy's game of musical chairs continues as Sam Caligiuri drops out of the senate race in order to campaign for the 5th Congressional District Republican nomination.

CTNewsJunkie has the details:

As expected, state Senator Sam Caligiuri officially switched campaigns Tuesday afternoon and decided to drop his bid for the U.S. Senate and instead run against U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy in Connecticut’s Fifth Congressional District.

“I have been deeply humbled by the outpouring of people who have urged me to run for Congress in the Fifth District and for the many citizens throughout Connecticut who have encouraged me to run for Governor,” Caligiuri said in a statement.

No comment from the other Republicans in race as of yet...

Monday Funny

Designers, here's one for you! Ever dealt with a difficult, demanding client with ridiculous requests? Then you will enjoy reading Clients From Hell, a collection of anonymously contributed client horror stories from designers. Happy Monday.

Enter the Facebook

A few days ago, my wife and i had an almighty row about something i put on facebook.

now, before i begin, both of us don't particularly like facebook. i could have used hate, but we don't really hate it. we see it for its benefits, such as the ability to be in touch with people we have been far removed from in time, geography, culture and directions. we like that we can get connected to a virtual flowing river of thoughts, and responses, and so on and so forth.

but then again, facebook seems to get under our skins and freak the fuck out of us.
i get seriously disturbed by how people are so feverishly fervent in consuming such copious amounts of details about EVERYONE else's life. once i saw someone update their status as "just got back from dinner, loved for the yummy food" and about 12 people had 'liked' it. what is there to like, what is there to appreciate in such a banal statement? yet i don't judge it really, i get overwhelmed by it, that virtual river slamming down on me and pulverizing me into its bed.

as for my wife, she despises how people turn into vapid sheep blindly embracing the latest 'it' thing on facebook with over-exuberant, psychotic and hollow passion. to quote an example, remember when israel bitch-slapped gaza, and facebook was inundated with status updates 'donated' to the plight of the palestinians? these were the same people who had been under blockade for almost a year at that point, and yet it was only when the showbiz happened (the ka-booms and the bleeding children) when people suddenly became infatuated with fatah and hammy over hamas.
so this was her retort to them facebookers back then.
of course, it was only fitting that no sooner had she done that (the links are all to stories about swat which back then no one gave a fuck about) people began to be interested in her opinion as well, because facebook junkies love to follow anything and everything.

ironically, her rant brought little attention to swat, but a facebook viral video turned out to be the gamechanger in the whole politics of that region.
which proved the power, and emptiness of this whole facebook phenomenon.(on an aside, i love how the earliest status created responses absolutely unconnected to the content, as if the controversy of it had forced a response, but the addiction to banality did not allow any acknowledgment of it.)

now what both of us were fighting about was my decision to post my film on my profile page. she felt that i was whoring out because things that existed on facebook immediately lost all gravitas, all purpose, all integrity. she complained that i was denuding my work of art, robbing it of its purity. that which existed on facebook was meant to be consumed, like a can of pepsi or a box of detergent. it was consigned to be eventually relegated to the trash.
i argued that by being on facebook, i was creating buzz about myself as a film maker. in a country without a breathing institution of cinema, a new comer would need to have people know about him, to have seen his work, to have heard about his reputation in order to be convinced to go out and watch his work. facebook is where viral happens, especially in pakistan. by being there, i was reaching out to an audience i couldn't otherwise reach. my blog for example, generates hardly a pittance in terms of viewership, while my completely meaningless profile page gets a lot more. in essence, what i was arguing was that i needed to 'brand' myself as a film-maker, generate buzz about my brand, so that when my 'brand' offered new products, it would have loyal consumers already present to spread the gospel.
i can feel you cringing.

if you are at this blog, you are probably inclined to have a knee-jerk aversion to brands, and corporations, and marketing and all such concepts.

let me enlighten you.

your aversion is surface deep. you are already a brand.

no, i'm not getting all naomi klien on your ass. remember your university applications? remember how you wrote essays about what drives you as a person, and attached certificates of sporting and artistic achievements which provided proof that you were a well-rounded person, and recommendations from experts who attested to your qualities? that was you branding yourself.

in fact, it's not just university applicants. job applicants do the same. and so do rishta applicants.

it permeates even further than that. foucault had argued that modern society was one ruled by discipline. but one of his contemporaries, deluze, reasoned that modern society was not about discipline, but control.

it is a subtle distinction, but a poignant one. deluze felt the reason behind this was that the institutions which governed society, had in contemporary times become highly diffuse, in the form of corporations. hence instead of the omnipotent state you have the omnipresent corporations.and a society of corporations consists of brands.

you present one brand to your parents, another to your grandparents. another to your first cousin, a far more liberal one to your friends, a far more devious one to your lovers, a far more honest one to your siblings, a restricted and much convoluted one to your boss, a domineering one to your subordinates, a squeaky clean one when you are at a religious ceremony, an unabashed one at the party you were dying to get invited to and so on.
it is far more easier for girls in pakistan to relate to this, as their brands have to switch rapidly depending on who can see them or hear them, and they are constantly on display, within their homes, on the street, in their rooms, on their profile pages, and ultimately, alone in front of the mirror as well.

and so, you are left with the essential question at the heart of this debate - is there a stable core sense of self beneath these ever fluctuating identities, brands or masks that we present to the world? or is our sense of self really an amalgamation of the cluster of brands we are putting out there?

is it possible to know one self, or are there too many selves, each fighting for dominance, each arising when needed, discarded when out of fashion, or possibility of use?

to paraphrase pink floyd, is there anybody 'in' there?

LEAVE SANTA ALONE!

Lets make a deal...NO GROPING Santa at the mall (or any other place) this year!

Deal?

---

RELATED POSTS:

Police say woman groped Santa

Woman accused of Santa groping: 'I did not do anything wrong'

Update: Alleged Santa groper gets probation

Details, details

While HandyMan and I agree most of the time and share the same tastes, we differ quite a bit in how we approach a project or a space. I'm a big picture kind of gal - I can envision a space, see how a layout works, have an idea of how furnishings and materials work together - before there is anything in a room. HandyMan's forte is in the details, figuring out what step goes first, how things are made. He worries about measurements and fittings and pieces and sequences... and well, sometimes, I could care less. It works for us though because I can envision the plan and HandyMan figures out how to make it happen.



Take this rad box. Looks simple enough right? I gave HandyMan a few parameters to work with - same shaker profile as the wainscotting, routered top to mimic the routered chair rail, same perforated panelling as the other rad boxes in the house, and it had to have open 'feet' so that it wouldn't look too heavy. HandyMan took care of the rest. Like figuring out how tall to make the box so that the top strip lined up perfectly with the wall panel, but leaving enough room for the box top to be easily removed. And working out the measurements on the front perforated panel so we wouldn't have any partially covered holes. And determining how to build a box with only two sides and a top (since the side nearest the curtain needed to remain open so we could access the valve).

I on the other hand wouldn't even think of these things... and even I did think of them, my brain would explode after a while because I hate thinking about finicky (but I know, necessary) details like that. Good thing HandyMan is the one doing the building though because we end up with quality detailed work like this. It matches the rad cover in Chloe's room nicely, don't you think? I wouldn't have thought of that ;)



And for those keeping score:
Time it would have taken us pre-baby to make this rad box - 1 weekend
Time it has taken us post-baby to make this rad box - 9 months!

LOCAL ACCESS VIDEO: Ideas at Work and Beyond 11.19.09 broadcast

GUEST: Keith Miller

LOCAL ACCESS VIDEO: Progresive Soup 11.18.09 broadcast

GUEST: Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy

LOCAL ACCESS VIDEO: Spotlight On 11.17.09 broadcast

LOCAL ACCESS VIDEO: Bethel Today 11.16.09 broadcast

Hate crime charge filed in assault case

Although very briefly reported in today's front page article, the hate crime charge filed against the four individuals who allegedly attacked two immigrants back in October is rather significant.

Here's a real brief recap of what happened:

City police arrested four suspects Tuesday morning for an alleged bias attack on two Mexican men last month that a witness videotaped on his iPhone.

Police said the four suspects, three of them brothers from Bethel and the fourth, a Danbury resident who cleans the city police station, shouted racial slurs as they beat and robbed the victims in a Balmforth Avenue parking lot in the early morning hours of Oct. 10.

Here's a copy of the charges filed (via the CT judicial website). The hate crime charge is highlighted in blue.



Here's a breakdown of the specific hate crime these guys are being charged with (CGS § 53a-181k).

SUMMARY

Connecticut has a number of statutes on hate crimes that protect a range of people, enhance penalties for bias crimes, and allow an injured person to sue for money damages. The primary criminal statutes are the intimidation based on bigotry or bias crimes. These statutes provide three degrees of penalties. They address certain actions that intimidate or harass another person because of his actual or perceived race, religion, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression.

[...]

Second-Degree

A person commits the second degree crime if he acts maliciously and intends to intimidate or harass someone because of his actual or perceived race, religion, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression by:

1. making physical contact with the victim;

2. damaging, destroying, or defacing property; or

3. threatening to do either of these things and the victim has reasonable cause to believe he will carry out the threat.

This is a class D felony, punishable by one to five years in prison, a fine of up to $ 5,000, or both (CGS § 53a-181k).

Phone Book, look!

My name is Wanderluster and I am addicted to my iPhone. There, I've said it. As a new mom, I wonder how I've managed to live without one for so long. Sure, its great for holding a million photos and videos of Chloe, but its even more awesome for storing my To Do lists (pregnancy brain lasts well after pregnancy, I'll tell you!), tracking all of our doctors appointments, playdates, and baby classes, and keeping me preoccupied when those breastfeeding sessions run a little long. And while I've come across some apps meant for little ones (like baby flash cards), I've never really been keen on exposing my little one to technology too early. But this, I think, is pretty ingenious and quite a clever use of the iPhone in a way that can actually benefit kids and enhance their learning:



The only problem will be figuring out how to get the phone away from the little one so I can actually make some phone calls!

State Rep Jason Bartlett arrested on motor vehicle charges

State Representative Jason Bartlett was arrested in Newtown on several motor vehicle charges stemming from the state lawmaker using a cell phone in his car without a hands free device.

From what I learned, after being pulled over for using his cell phone in his car, the police learned that Bartlett's license was suspended and his car registration had expired, at which point, the State Rep was arrested.

In a brief conversation I had with Rep. Bartlett, he stated that the incident was unfortunate and that he showed a poor lack of judgment. He also stated that paid the necessary fines..and bought a hands free device.

Moral of the story...don't use your cell phone without a hands-free device.

UPDATE: Rep. Bartlett's license was suspended due to his failure to pay a motor vehicle violation (use of a cell phone in a car without a hands-free device).

Here's the report from WTNH