The Cool Justice Report

U.S. Senate Candidate Peter Schiff @ Litchfield Inn May 6

POSTER: Rotary Hosts Candidate Schiff 5-6-10, Litchfield Inn

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ON
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Schiff Website

Poets and writers appearing at The Hartford Club Jan. 15, 2010:

Thursday, April 29, 2010

A COP IS A WRITER: NO ONE IS SAFE

Announcement
2 folo
for June 3, 2010 event
----------------------

wtic 1080 Podcast - Sammy Vega, Bob Leuci Talk About Triple KO Event

-- BOB LEUCI @ THE HARTFORD CLUB, 1-15-10
photo by Bob Thiesfield

VIDEO: We Know How You Guys Become Judges

RegCit: Litchfield County Champions & Finalists Arts Section Cover

YOUNG WRITERS 2010 ANNUAL CELEBRATION
DRAFT
INVITATION
Seating Limited

You are cordially invited to attend the

13TH Annual CT Young Writers
Statewide Ceremony &Dinner

CHOICES
Frenched Chicken Breast
Wild Mushroom Port Sauce
Grilled Salmon Filet
Lemon Caper Sauce
Vegetarian Entree

Thursday, June 3, 2010
The Hartford Club

4 p.m. Workshops
5-6:15 p.m. Reception
6:30 p.m. Dinner

Special Guests

Lauren Hefferon, 2003 State Prose Champion,
Yale, 2010; Chase Collegiate School, 2006
Robert Leuci, novelist, URI English Prof,
Author of memoir, All The Centurions

Introduction of Robert Leuci by James O'Neil,
Former Rhode Island Attorney General

Co-Masters of Ceremonies
Rand Richards Cooper, Author,
Bon Appétit travel writer
Diane Smith, Author,
CPTV Producer/Host of Positively CT

Reception Entertainment
Cosmic Jibaros, Latin Rock

Dinner
$50 per person

Dinner Music by The Jen Allen Big Band With Vocalists
RSVP by May 28, 2010

ANDY THIBAULT
CT Young Writers Trust
231 Beach St.
Litchfield, CT 06759

860-567-8865 or 860-690-0211
tntcomm82@cs.com
http://www.ct.edu/initiatives/ctyoungwriters/

Checks to CT Young Writers Trust
County Champions Complimentary, everyone else $50

---------------------------------
NOTE TO SPONSORS
TY 4 KEEPING THIS PROGRAM ALIVE
FOLLOWING THE DEATH
OF OUR FOUNDING / PRIMARY SPONSOR LAST FALL

-- 2010 PROGRAM SPONSORSHIPS R AVAIL AS FOLLOWS:

* biz card in program, $250

* county champion sponsor, $500

* state champion sponsor, $1,000

all donations greatly appreciated and publicly acknowledged

--------------plz send checks 2

CT YOUNG WRITERS TRUST
231 Beach St.
Litchfield, CT 06759

thank you thank you thank you

RegCit: Litchfield County Champions & Finalists Arts Section Cover

Young writers win accolades

Thursday, April 29, 2010
By KAITLYN YEAGER

Staff

LITCHFIELD - Two Litchfield County high school students have been named county winners in the 2010 Connecticut Young Writers Competition.

Carter Brown, a student at Litchfield High School, was selected as the Litchfield County Poetry Champion for his poem "ICARI."

Claire Burch, a student at New Milford High School, was chosen as the Litchfield County Prose Champion for her piece "The Neighborhood."

Both students were declared the county winners at an awards dinner on Tuesday evening at Western Connecticut State University.

Other finalists recognized at Tuesday's banquet were:

ECSU Photos / Background

WATERBURY PAPER NOTES LOCAL POETRY & PROSE CHAMPIONS

New London & Windham County Poetry & Prose Champions

PHOTOS
BY
JENNIFER SMITH,
ECSU student / staff photographer

-- ECSU President Elsa Nunez with Windham County Prose Champion Anna Nassiff

-- Windham County Poetry Champion Josh Bryer with ECSU Academic VP Rhona Free

-- New London County Prose Champion Gloria Creamer with ECSU Academic VP Rhona Free

CT Young Writers Competition

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. -- About 130 young poets and writers, teachers and family members cheered county finalists and champions during regional awards ceremonies Wednesday at Eastern Connecticut State University.

Festivities took place in the Student Center Theater. Young poets and writers heard encouraging words about their work and tales abou the writing life from Eastern President Elsa Nunez, Vice Chancellor Louise Feroe, Academic VP Rhona Free and English Professor Reginald Flood.

County champions as noted below each received $500 checks or will receive them via a teacher.

NEW LONDON COUNTY POETRY CHAMPION
Grace Beggins, 17,
"Cloud Grazing"
The Williams School, New London
TEACHER: John Becker

NEW LONDON COUNTY PROSE CHAMPION
Gloria Creamer, 16,
"Old Glory"
Montville High School
TEACHER: Ted Richmond

WINDHAM COUNTY POETRY CHAMPION
Josh Bryer, 17,
"A Number of Thoughts"
Kilingly High School
TEACHER: John Fulco

WINDHAM COUNTY PROSE CHAMPION
Anna Nassiff, 18,
"Mrs. Warren In Color"
Arts at The Capitol Theater, Willimantic
TEACHER: Barbara Greenbaum

They are now eligible for the state champion prizes, which include additional checks in the amount of $1,000.

State champions will be announced June 3 during the annual celebration at The Hartford Club.

DRAFT INVITATION
TO ANNUAL CELEBRATION
@
BOTTOM
OF THIS POST

Middlesex & New Haven Poetry & Prose Champions 2010: The Show Must Go On & It Did Despite Power Failure

BRISTOL PRESS FEATURES HARTFORD COUNTY POETRY CHAMPION MORGAN FINN

Young Writers 13th Year Judging Under Way; Year 14 Uncertain

Waterbury Republican-American

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

WATERBURY PAPER NOTES LOCAL POETRY & PROSE CHAMPIONS

Story, Page B2
Wed., 4-28-10

Litchfield, New Milford teens
Win writing competition

Litchfield and New Milford high school students won the prose and poetry contests for Litchfield County in the annual Connecticut Young Writers Competition Tuesday evening at ceremonies at Western Connecticut State University.

Carter Brown, 18, of Litchfield High School won for his poem “ICARI,” and Claire Burch, 16, of New Milford High School won for her story “The Neighborhood.”

A Westover School student, Mary Margaret Meehan, 17, of Redding, was named the New Haven County poetry champion the evening before for her poem “Equine.”

A record number of 795 entries were received in this 13th year of the competition, according to Andy Thibault, chairman of the Connecticut Young Writers Trust.

County winner will compete for selection as statewide champions in prose or poetry on June 3 in Hartford.

Complete Listing, Fairfield & Litchfield County Poetry & Prose Champions

BRISTOL PRESS FEATURES HARTFORD COUNTY POETRY CHAMPION MORGAN FINN

Young Writers 13th Year Judging Under Way; Year 14 Uncertain

Middlesex & New Haven Poetry & Prose Champions 2010: The Show Must Go On & It Did Despite Power Failure

Fairfield & Litchfield County Poetry & Prose Champions

CT Young Writers Competition

DANBURY, Conn. -- About 150 young poets and writers, teachers and family members cheered county finalists and champions during regional awards ceremonies Tuesday at Western Connecticut State University.

Festivities took place in the student center ballroom at the Westside Campus. Young poets and writers heard encouraging words about their work and tales about the writing life from Western President James Schmotter, Chancellor David Carter and Writing Professor Lynn Paris Purtle.

County champions as noted below each received $500 checks or will receive them via certified mail.

FAIRFIELD COUNTY POETRY CHAMPION
Julia Albano, 18,
"Red In The Shade Of Salsa Diane"
Danbury High School
TEACHER: Deborah Casey

FAIRFIELD COUNTY PROSE CHAMPION
Zeena Advani, 17,
"Universal Rhythms"
Westhill High School, Stamford
TEACHER: Robin Denninger

LITCHFIELD COUNTY POETRY CHAMPION
Carter Brown, 18,
"ICARI"
Litchfield High School
TEACHER: Deborah Dove

LITCHFIELD COUNTY PROSE CHAMPION
Claire Burch, 16,
"The Neighborhood"
New Milford High School
TEACHER: Cheryl Morosko

They are now eligible for the state champion prizes, which include additional checks in the amount of $1,000.

State champions will be announced June 3 during the annual celebration at The Hartford Club.

Regional ceremonies conclude this week:

* Wednesday, April 28, at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic, for New London and Windham counties.

BRISTOL PRESS FEATURES HARTFORD COUNTY POETRY CHAMPION MORGAN FINN

Young Writers 13th Year Judging Under Way; Year 14 Uncertain

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Remembering Malcolm X

REP-POSTED
FROM
FEB. 2010

Via
DemocracyNow!

AMY GOODMAN: We wrap up today’s show with the words of Malcolm X. Last Sunday marked the forty-fifth anniversary of his death. He was assassinated February 21st, 1965, as he spoke before a packed audience in Harlem’s Audubon Ballroom. He was just thirty-nine years old. This May 19th would have been his eighty-fifth birthday. This is an expert of a speech Malcolm X gave about [half a year] earlier. It’s called “By Any Means Necessary.”

Malcolm X, No Sellout

COINTELPRO & Malcolm X

Bob Thiesfield Rotary U.S. Senate Candidate Photo Collection, Litchfield Inn, 4-15-10

U.S. Senate Candidate Peter Schiff @ Litchfield Inn May 6

Next up at the Litchfield Inn: Republican U.S. Senate candidate Peter Schiff on May 6. Also, Democratic front-runner for U.S. Senate, state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, July 15.

EXCERPT FROM
Andrew Ross Sorkin's TOO BIG TO FAIL: The inside story of how Wall Street and Washington fought to save the financial system -- and themselves.

Page 35

Outside Lehman, however, skeptics were already voicing their concerns.

"I still don't believe any of these numbers because I still don't think there is proper accounting for the liabilities they have on their books," Peter Schiff, president and chief global strategist of Euro Pacific Capital, told the Washington Post. " People are going to find out that all these profits they made were phony."

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ON IMAGE
FOR BETTER VIEW

RSVP:
tntcomm82@cs.com

Litchfield-Morris Rotary Club

Twitter @ cooljustice

Monday, April 26, 2010

Middlesex & New Haven Poetry & Prose Champions 2010: The Show Must Go On & It Did Despite Power Failure

CT Young Writers Competition

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- About 75 young poets and writers, teachers and family members cheered county finalists and champions during regional awards ceremonies Monday at Southern Connecticut State University -- despite a power failure and police blockades.

Festivities took place on the first floor of the Adanti Student Center in the elegant hallway by the information center. Young poets and writers heard encouraging words about their work from Southern President Cheryl Norton, who posed for pictures with many county finalists. Ct Young Writers Trust Administrator Elaine Clarke handed out certificates.

Power Outage @ SCSU

County champions as noted below each received $500 checks or will receive them via teacher or certified mail.

MIDDLESEX COUNTY POETRY CHAMPION
Olivia DelGiudice, 17,
Old Saybrook High School
"Recovery"
TEACHER: Susan Murphy

MIDDLESEX COUNTY PROSE CHAMPION
Chelsea Melanson, 17,
The Morgan School, Clinton
"Come Home"
TEACHER: Leslie Chausse

NEW HAVEN COUNTY POETRY CHAMPION
Mary Margaret Meehan, 17,
[Redding resident]
Westover School, Middlebury
"Equine"
TEACHER: Bruce Coffin

NEW HAVEN COUNTY PROSE CHAMPION
Noah Perito, 15,
Branford High School
"Dead Card Players Tell No Tales"
TEACHER: Wendy Grehl

They are now eligible for the state champion prizes, which include additional checks in the amount of $1,000.

State champions will be announced June 3 during the annual celebration at The Hartford Club.

Regional ceremonies continue this week:

* Tuesday, April 27, at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, for Fairfield and Litchfield counties; and

* Wednesday, April 28, at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic, for New London and Windham counties.

Hartford & Tolland County Poetry & Prose Champions 2010

BRISTOL PRESS FEATURES HARTFORD COUNTY POETRY CHAMPION MORGAN FINN

Young Writers 13th Year Judging Under Way; Year 14 Uncertain

Follow Andy Borowitz on Twitter.

The Shocking Truth About Somali Pirates

Somali Pirates Say They Are
Subsidiary of Goldman Sachs
Could Make Prosecution Difficult, Experts Say

“We were functioning as investment bankers, only every day was casual Friday ... ”

By ANDY BOROWITZ
www.borowitzreport.com

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA (The Borowitz Report ) – Eleven indicted Somali pirates dropped a bombshell in a U.S. court today, revealing that their entire piracy operation is a subsidiary of banking giant Goldman Sachs.

There was an audible gasp in the courtroom when the leader of the pirates announced, “We are doing God’s work. We work for Lloyd Blankfein.”

The pirate, who said he earned a bonus of $48 million in dubloons last year, elaborated on the nature of the Somalis’ work for Goldman, explaining that the pirates forcibly attacked ships that Goldman had already shorted.

“We were functioning as investment bankers, only every day was casual Friday,” the pirate said.

The pirate acknowledged that they merged their operations with Goldman in late 2008 to take advantage of the more relaxed regulations governing bankers as opposed to pirates, “plus to get our share of the bailout money.”

In the aftermath of the shocking revelations, government prosecutors were scrambling to see if they still had a case against the Somali pirates, who would now be treated as bankers in the eyes of the law.

“There are lots of laws that could bring these guys down if they were, in fact, pirates,” one government source said. “But if they’re bankers, our hands are tied.” More here.

The Los Angeles Times says Andy Borowitz has “one of the funniest Twitter feeds around.”

Andy Borowitz's Books at Amazon.com

TONIGHT: Young Writers Regional Finals @ SCSU

7pm SCSU
Michael J. Adanti Student Center Ballroom,
Third Floor
* Monday, April 26, at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, for Middlesex and New Haven counties;

BRISTOL PRESS FEATURES HARTFORD COUNTY POETRY CHAMPION MORGAN FINN

AND

More To Come ....

* Tuesday, April 27, at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, for Fairfield and Litchfield counties; and

* Wednesday, April 28, at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic, for New London and Windham counties.

Young Writers 13th Year Judging Under Way; Year 14 Uncertain

MANFREDO & REMILLARD TITLE BOUTS May 22 Mohegan Sun

Matt, Addy, Chip & Co. @ Mohegan Sun May 22

Via NH Reg / Yale Law School

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Driving Brown In East Haven, CT- The Report

The Priest Who Stood Up For People In East Haven, CT

Young Writers Trust Website

Find the Book:
Law & Justice In Everyday Life by Andy Thibault at Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

Friday, April 23, 2010

BRISTOL PRESS FEATURES HARTFORD COUNTY POETRY CHAMPION MORGAN FINN

[click on text images
for better view]

Life
Poem about city
wins BCHS student a top prize

Thursday, April 22, 2010 9:38 PM EDT

By FREESIA SINGNGAM

Bristol Press

STAFF WRITER

NEW BRITAIN — Morgan Finn has been writing since she was in kindergarten.

Her mother said she’s always impressed her teachers.

Finn’s talent also impressed the judges for the Connecticut Young Writer’s Competition, earning her first place for Hartford County.

“It was completely unexpected,” said Finn, a sophomore at Bristol Central High School.

Her poem, “Where I Come From,” was an English class assignment. In it, she mentions Rockwell Park and childhood memories. Her colorful words draw readers in with her “starched uniforms,” “frozen fingertips,” and “smacking bubblegum.”

“I wrote it because it was the way I translate everything,” she said.

Finn received $500 at a regional ceremony at Central Connecticut State University Wednesday night, and she now has a chance at winning the state prize of $1,000 at a dinner June 3.

“I love writing,” she said. In the future, she wants to write or act, or both.

Finn’s entire family attended the event to support her.

Her mother, Christa Finn, said every teacher has asked her where she learned to write like that.

“She writes every day,” her father, Martin Finn said.

Her grandparents, Charles and Janice Paparello, said Finn has been writing since she was very young and said she even recited a poem she wrote at her eighth-grade graduation.

Andy Thibault, chairman of the Impac-Connecticut State University Young Writers Trust that runs this competition, said Finn is the first student from a Bristol high school to win since the contest’s inception in 1998.

Thibault said by June 3, when the state winners are announced, the trust will have awarded more than $192,000 to young writers.

“Our main purpose is to remind the young poets and writers that they’re indeed young poets and writers,” he said.

Almost 800 students entered the competition this year, Thibault said. In the CCSU ceremony, finalists from Hartford and Tolland counties were presented with their certificates.

Madeleine Morrin, a student at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts who lives in Berlin, has been a finalist for the last two years. This year it was in prose for her piece, “Regarding Mice, Sex and the Monopoly Shovel.”

“It’s just really awesome,” she said about being a finalist. “It feels really good.”

Other local finalists include Jason Myers, a home-schooled student from Plantsville, who entered a prose piece titled “The Diaper Man,” and Farah Kader, a student at Berlin High School, who entered a prose piece titled “Breaking Glass.”

This week, Thibault said, the county winners are being announced at the Connecticut State Universities at separate ceremonies.

Heather Urbanski, an assistant professor of English at CCSU, served as keynote speaker for the awards ceremony.

She talked about her switch from working in finance to going back to graduate school to become a writer. She told the young writers to keep writing if that’s what they like to do.

“Write everyday — the topic doesn’t matter,” she said. “Be prepared when opportunity comes around.”

Finn and the other winners will now go onto the annual Connecticut Young Writers Trust celebration at the Hartford Club.

“It’s like a sports banquet,” Thibault said.

From there, a panel of judges will chose two state winners — one for poetry and one for prose — and those winners will receive $1,000.

They will also have a chance to be published in CT Review, and their work will be featured on the Connecticut State University System Web site.

Freesia Singngam can be reached at fsingngam@centralctcommunications.com or 860-584-0501, ext. 7259.

Regional Finals Being Held in Annual Connecticut Young Writers Competition

Post @ Hartford Courant Refugees Site

NEW: Colin Voodoo Political Analysis

Variety Of Perspectives On Headless Chicken Dance

Recent Incident In Bridgeport

BRIDGEPORT -- In the latest of several incidents of apparent occult practice in the city, police are investigating what they believe was a Santeria curse against a Derby man -- in the form of dead, headless roosters and other animal parts.

Cool Justice
A Curse Removed, A Demon Slain
By ANDY THIBAULT, Columnist
Law Tribune Newspapers
August 2, 2004

The names in this story have been changed to protect the politically incorrect, the guilty and those with creative talent. This story, underneath it all, is about community policing. It reveals tactics not taught in any training manual. The tactics helped make Hartford a safer place, long ago, when there were regular beat patrols in the neighborhoods.

The issue of regular neighborhood beats is now in the forefront again, a year after two undercover cops were shot and other cops escaped injury from gunfire and a pipe bomb.

Our major character - a serious drug dealer, call him Julio Corvette -- had good mojo. He roamed the area of Hartford's Park Street unscathed. Julio Corvette owned property in West Hartford and Puerto Rico. He sent his kids to private schools. His wife was a high-class beauty queen. His girlfriends weren't too bad, either.

Then, something happened. Julio began to lose money. He started to look like a junkie. He would occasionally get arrested. His change in fortune came after one girlfriend, a fiery Cuban, found out about Julio's wife and other girlfriends. Her friends kidnapped Julio and took him to New Jersey. They were associated with devotees of a violent cult, Palo Mayombe, that believes in spells and animal sacrifices. They put a curse on Julio.

Palo Mayombe hit the national consciousness about 15 years ago when a college student from Texas was kidnapped and dismembered by a cult over the border in Matamoros, Mexico. The cult, heavily populated with drug dealers, believed that human sacrifices gave them a protective shield of spirits to ward off police. Ritual bloodletting, they thought, could make them invisible and invulnerable.

Authorities found more than a dozen corpses in the cult's hideout. Some had their hearts ripped out. Most were mutilated. Nearby was a cauldron filled with dried blood, a charred human brain and a roasted turtle. Other elements of the witch's brew included human hair, a goat's head and chicken parts.

Enter veteran Hartford police detective Ricardo Jiminez, a light-skinned Hispanic with some European lineage. He had seen a similar kettle of blood and gore in an apartment on East Street in Hartford. By that time, some Hartford cops already believed they had been cursed. They didn't want anything to do with the cauldron.

Jiminez put out the word he was trained as a European witch. Cursed and wracked with despair, Julio Corvette approached detective Ricardo Jiminez. Jiminez had tried for years to cultivate Corvette as a snitch.

"Help me," Corvette pleaded.

"This isn't going to be for free," Jiminez responded. "You're going to have to pay with information. And you can never do drugs again."

Jiminez allowed Corvette into his makeshift office. Jiminez cracked an egg over Corvette's head and set a photo of a goat's head on fire as the evil spirits were extracted into what Corvette believed was an aura above him. Jiminez took three pieces of Corvette's hair and chanted in Latin and German -- with a little Native American mixed in -- as he danced and hollered, throwing a pail of water on Corvette's head. He smacked Corvette in the face. Corvette looked at him, seeming to say, "Why did you do that?" And Jiminez smacked him again.

"You're cured!" Jiminez exclaimed.

"I'm cured! I can't believe it!" Julio Corvette shouted in gratitude. "Thank you, you have made a difference in my life."

From then on, Julio Corvette was drug free to this very day. He gave up several dealers. The neighborhood was a safer place, until the city cut back on regular patrols.

Three Former Federal Prosecutors -- Including A Judge -- Stand Up For Chatigny

Find the Book:
Law & Justice In Everyday Life by Andy Thibault at Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

Thursday, April 22, 2010

What Chatigny Really Did In The Ross Case

Another View From Norm Pattis

Cool Justice
Chatigny: Profile In Courage

The big story revealed by Chatigny's intervention has little to do with Ross. Rather, the big story is a tale of sensory deprivation, behavior modification, mind control, learned helplessness and psychological torture in a state-sanctioned factory for insanity. Northern should be the site of an international sadist's convention. Maybe it already is.

By ANDY THIBAULT, Columnist
Law Tribune Newspapers
February 7, 2005

My friend is generally mild-mannered, occasionally ebullient. He has helped me navigate the thicket of criminal prosecution and politics many times. In 25 years, he has yelled at me only once: when I wrote something sharply critical about Robert Chatigny.

Before Chatigny became a federal judge, his clients included Woody Allen. Allen was being investigated for the alleged sexual assault of his lover's daughter. Around this time, Chatigny also sat on the state's Judicial Selection Commission. The prosecutor pursuing Allen, Frank Maco, was a candidate for a state judgeship.

Allen spent huge amounts of money hiring many private investigators to dig up dirt on the prosecution team, including state police detectives. Allen had his lawyers file a grievance against Maco after the prosecutor announced that although there was probable cause to arrest Allen, he would not proceed with a trial because of the harm it would cause the young girl.

"Chatigny is looking at Maco's shorts for a judgeship, and now Woody has this grievance," was the way a state investigator assessed the situation.

I didn't think this was fair or right. Somehow the U.S. Senate didn't follow my editorial advice, and Chatigny was confirmed as a judge. Maco was ultimately exonerated - though criticized - by the Statewide Grievance Committee. He retired as a prosecutor.

Certainly this colors my view of Chatigny. But, I respect some of his friends. They always tell he how Chatigny is such a sharp and ethical guy. After 10 years, their views began to dent my head a little bit.

My perspective broadened upon reading the transcript of Chatigny reaming T.R. Paulding for what can be characterized fairly as incompetence in Paulding's representation of serial killer Michael Ross. The supporting documents for this interchange on Jan. 28 reveal the so-called Northern Correctional Institution to be Connecticut's version of a modern-day concentration camp in which no one - inmate or staff member - stands much of a chance of remaining sane.

The big story revealed by Chatigny's intervention has little to do with Ross. Rather, the big story is a tale of sensory deprivation, behavior modification, mind control, learned helplessness and psychological torture in a state-sanctioned factory for insanity. Northern should be the site of an international sadist's convention. Maybe it already is.

As former Deputy Correction Commissioner John Tokarz put it in an affidavit presented to Chatigny: "I can best describe Northern as living in a submarine or a cave. On many occasions it was suggested that Department staff assigned to Northern should be rotated every two years because of the [effect] the conditions at Northern could have on their mental health … It would not surprise me if an inmate subject to such conditions long-term would prefer execution over life at Northern's death row."

Chatigny confronted Paulding with his failure to investigate allegations of brainwashing at Northern. "My investigation in a typical run-of-the-mill injury case would be more comprehensive than your investigation of this," the judge told Paulding.

Chatigny was right. His intervention was proper, and certainly within his discretion regarding the matter before him.

Justice should take its course, and include a full investigation - by an outside party, not the state -- of the structure and conditions at Northern.

Those who favor executing Ross should know it is not Chatigny's fault they didn't get their wish right away. It's the fault of those who designed, built and administer Northern -- and all of us who let it continue to operate.

Three Former Federal Prosecutors -- Including A Judge -- Stand Up For Chatigny

Another View From Norm Pattis

Young Writers Trust Website

Find the Book:
Law & Justice In Everyday Life by Andy Thibault at Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Hartford & Tolland County Poetry & Prose Champions 2010

CT Young Writers Competition

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. --About 200 young poets and writers, teachers and family members cheered county finalists and champions during regional awards ceremonies Wednesday at Central Connecticut State University.

County champions as noted below each received $500 checks.

HARTFORD COUNTY POETRY CHAMPION
Morgan Finn, 16,
Bristol Central HS
"Where I Come From"
TEACHER: Sophia Gintoff

HARTFORD COUNTY PROSE CHAMPION
Sheldon Gaskell, 16,
[Suffield resident]
Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts
"Kineo"
TEACHER: Maureen O'Brien

TOLLAND COUNTY POETRY CHAMPION
Timothy West, 18,
Rockville High School
"In Homage To M.C. Escher"
TEACHER: Victoria Nordlund

TOLLAND COUNTY PROSE CHAMPION
Kyle Kneeland, 17,
Rockville High School
"Colors Of A Dream"
TEACHER: Victoria Nordlund

Finn, Gaskell, West and Kneeland are now eligible for the state champion prizes, which include additional checks in the amount of $1,000.

State champions will be announced June 3 during the annual celebration at The Hartford Club.

Regional ceremonies continue next week for the six other counties in Connecticut.

At CCSU Wednesday, Assistant Professor of English Heather Urbanski served as the keynote speaker. CSU System Chancellor David Carter and Central President Jack Miller handed out the awards. Associate Professor of English Susan Gilmore served as MC.

Regional Finals Being Held in Annual Connecticut Young Writers Competition

Post @ Hartford Courant Refugees Site

Cool Justice Stories Named Finalists For Awards By Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists

Cool justice stories including breaking news, features and a column have been announced as finalists by the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists.

They are:

Thibault Andy Breaking News Coverage Calhoun numbers shocker

Complete Article as published in The Hartford Club's Prospect Magazine

Thibault Andy Feature Punch drunk poetry

Thibault Andy First Amendment Where it's OK to steal an election and ban free-speech t-shirts

Complete Article as published in The Litchfield County Times and dailies

Background: DON'T EAT THE BROWN ACID

Thibault Andy Online Feature Frog mating season: An under-reported phenomenon

Complete Article as published in The Litchfield County Times and dailies

Thibault Andy Op-Ed Column Where it's OK to steal an election and ban free-speech t-shirts

Background: DON'T EAT THE BROWN ACID

Thibault Andy Sports Feature Punch drunk poetry

Complete Article as published in The Hartford Club's Prospect Magazine

Winners will be announced at the annual awards dinner at Fantasia in North Haven which begins at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday May 27, 2010.

As in previous years, winners will be announced at the dinner and are expected to be moved on the Connecticut AP wire after 9 p.m.

Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists

Kevin Rennie Daily Runction Post

Find the Book:
Law & Justice In Everyday Life by Andy Thibault at Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

Who Said There's Something Wrong With Connecticut's Judicial Selection Process?

Cool Justice Editor's Note: Hartford Courant columnist Kevin Rennie, a lawyer and former state senator, recently sunk the nomination of a flawed state prosecutor to become a judge. Rennie exposed a fundamental, deeply-rooted flaw in the operations of the so-called Judicial Selection Commission. Some candidates get a real due-diligence 'check out their shorts' review. Others skate. This judge wannabe wasn't necessarily worse than many who wear the robe. Arrogance, stupidity, delusions, narcissism and incompetence rarely are barriers to the bench. Links to Rennie's column and documentation follow. Also, see reprise of one of a few Cool Justice columns that upset Connecticut's robes.

Also see recent Norm Pattis column:

Sadistic Blockhead Judge In Botched Connecticut Psychodrama

How Connecticut REALLY Picks Its Judges

Cool Justice
All Rise For Judge Bobby Knight
By ANDY THIBAULT, Columnist
Law Tribune Newspapers
October 2, 2000

Also published
in
Law & Justice In Everyday Life,
Chapter Four
The Politics Of Justice
page 23

Bobby Knight needed a job.

Knight, recently ousted from his post as coach of the University of Indiana basketball team, wanted a spot where he might only have to murmur, " Show me some respect." He had grown tired of throwing potted plants at framed pictures. He wanted a place where manners and civility really counted.

Of course, if Knight wanted to enforce his own "zero-tolerance" policy, it would be good to have his own Praetorian Guard carry out the mission. Guy and gal weightlifters and maybe a few good old boys would be nice.

That's when Knight heard there were openings for Superior Court judges in Connecticut. He prepared carefully and sent his application to the Judicial Selection Commission. Here's what happened.

Patience was in order. It couldn't happen right away. Knight learned this after just a little bit of research. He found that in some states the voters elect judges, but in Connecticut, three or four votes make all the difference in the world. The votes that really count include the chairman of the Judicial Selection Commission, one or two political leaders who
might or might not be on the commission, and the governor.

Knight didn't want to serve 10 or 15 years in the Legislature making nice to other judges. None of his college roommates or home-town pals were among the real voters. So he visited a few judicial districts to discover the best route.

First stop was chambers of a judge affectionately known as "Melon Head."

"They said I couldn't make it 30 days on my own, but I showed 'em," Melon Head told Knight. "I called Lew Rome's office three times a week for three years begging to get a robe. Finally, Rome got sick of me, palmed me off on Tulisano, and here I am!"

Knight learned that Melon Head had a pretty good situation. Most lawyers were afraid to try cases in front of Melon Head. Melon Head didn't want to try cases unless he absolutely had to. The settlement statistics for Melon
Head's court were very impressive.

"This is looking better all the time," Knight thought.

Next stop, the Public Defender's office.

"I was almost indicted for disappearing with a state car," Slick told Knight. "They say I can't walk down the hall without bumping my head on the floor. Now I tell those other lawyers what it really means to administer justice."

Knight reflected before going on to his last stop.

"This is just like coaching basketball in Indiana," the coach thought. "If fear and greed rule the marketplace, the courthouse is just like the basketball court: fear and power are the two driving forces."

Maximum Bill's chambers was the final destination before Operation Judge Knight got off the ground.

"Even when I don't know what I'm doing, which is a lot of the time, it's not really a problem," Maximum Bill told Knight. "I just ask the lawyers how to proceed, right in open court. If I get flustered, I just bang the gavel and yell 35 years. Doesn't even matter what the crime is!"

Turns out some of the powerhouse law firms were fans of Knight. They made the right phone calls and the right donations. Knight passed muster at Judicial Selection and sailed through confirmation. He became the latest gift to the judiciary from the The Big Guys.

Once on the bench, Knight didn't even have to threaten to throw chairs. Once, however, a lawyer dared to object to a ruling. "I don't care what the ruling of the Supreme Court is," Knight said, "this is my ruling. Objection overruled. And next time, call me Mr. Judge Knight."

The Judges
Took This Like Big Boys And Girls ...

JUDGE TAKES ISSUE WITH LAW TRIBUNE
By LYNNE TUOHY, Courant Staff Writer
THE HARTFORD COURANT
October 16, 2000

Maybe it was the column earlier this month suggesting that deposed University of Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight would feel right at home among Connecticut's judiciary. Or the column last week opining that the entire bench needs a course in civility.

Or it might have been the editorial Oct. 2 describing the Judicial Review Council as an "arrogant protection agency" for the very judges whose conduct it is supposed to scrutinize. Judge Robert C. Leuba, chief court administrator for the judicial branch, didn't want to talk specifics Friday. But he also made no apologies for canceling the branch's subscriptions to the Connecticut Law Tribune because he doesn't like "the attitude that's crept in" to its commentaries.

And when Leuba says "cancel my subscription," he's talking about $16,000 worth of business for the weekly legal publication -- 26 subscriptions to the $365-a-year weekly, plus a dozen books the company also publishes. The subscriptions go to law libraries in courthouses statewide, and to a handful of judges.

Connecticut Law Tribune Publisher and Editor Vincent Valvo said Friday the cancellations don't put a significant dent in his paper's circulation or finances. But, he allowed, "We are not happy that the judiciary as a branch of government has decided to boycott us."

Columnist Andy Thibault wrote the Bobby Knight column, which Valvo characterized as "a parody, and certainly a pointed barb at the judiciary." Valvo said such columns jibe with his commitment to publish diverse viewpoints. He noted that few lawyers are willing to publicly criticize the judiciary, and we have to give that point of view a voice somewhere."

Leuba said it's not his intent to stifle the paper's opinions.

"He can publish whatever he wants to publish, but I'm also free to purchase whatever I want to purchase," Leuba said. "I told [Valvo] I'd be the first one to defend his right to publish anything he wants. But in terms of what we buy and distribute in the judicial branch, we have a choice, and right now we're not buying the Law Tribune.

"There are some attitudes being used editorially which are not helpful to improving communications among the legal community, of which we are a part," Leuba said. Asked if his concerns centered on columns by Thibault and New Haven Attorney Norman Pattis, Leuba declined to name names, citing again the paper's "attitude."

Valvo said Leuba's cancellation was not received in time to halt distribution of today's issue, or include mention of it in the Tribune. However, Pattis already has written a column about the cancellation for the Oct. 23 issue. And Leuba doesn't have to worry about missing that one: Pattis bought him a gift subscription.

Find the Book:
Law & Justice In Everyday Life by Andy Thibault at Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Regional Finals Being Held in Annual Connecticut Young Writers Competition

Young Writers 13th Year Judging Under Way; Year 14 Uncertain

Prose & Poetry Champions Selected
From Record- Setting Number of Entries

N E W S R E L E A S E
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2010

Champions in CT's Eight Counties to be Named
at Central, Eastern, Southern & Western Events

Judges will select 16 students during the next week -- a prose and poetry winner from each of Connecticut's eight counties -- to compete in the statewide finals of the 2010 Connecticut Young Writers Competition, for students ages 13-18. The county champions are to be selected from more than a dozen county finalists in each category in each county, at events being held across the Connecticut State University System beginning Wednesday and continuing next week.

A record number of Connecticut students have submitted entries in the 13th year of the annual contest which highlights works of poetry and prose submitted by teenagers from throughout the state. There were 795 entries received, an increase of 36 percent from a year ago, and surpassing the previous record of 647 in 2000. The contest is a project of the Connecticut State University System (CSUS) and the Connecticut Young Writers Trust.

The regional ceremonies will be held:

* Wednesday, April 21, at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, for Hartford and Tolland counties;

* Monday, April 26, at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, for Middlesex and New Haven counties;

* Tuesday, April 27, at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, for Fairfield and Litchfield counties; and

* Wednesday, April 28, at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic, for New London and Windham counties.

"The talent and creativity of a new generation of Connecticut writers is clearly evident, and we look forward to recognizing their excellent prose and poetry," said David G. Carter, Chancellor of the Connecticut State University System. "This initiative is another example of the many ways in which CSUS is a catalyst for Connecticut, engaging our young people in academic pursuits that encourage their dedication and inspire all of us."

The county champions will be vying for selection as the statewide champion in prose or poetry, to be awarded at an annual ceremony to be held on Thursday, June 3, 2010 at the Hartford Club in Hartford. The statewide winners qualify to have their writings published in Connecticut Review, the literary journal of the Connecticut State University System.

For more information, visit www.ct.edu/ctyoungwriters
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Andy Thibault, Connecticut Young Writers Trust, tntcomm82@cs.com, 860-690-0211
Terri Raimondi, CSUS Public Relations, raimondit@ct.edu, 860-493-0040
------------------------------------------

NOTE TO SPONSORS
TY 4 KEEPING THIS PROGRAM ALIVE
FOLLOWING THE DEATH
OF OUR FOUNDING / PRIMARY SPONSOR LAST FALL

-- 2010 PROGRAM SPONSORSHIPS R AVAIL AS FOLLOWS:

* biz card in program, $250

* county champion sponsor, $500

* state champion sponsor, $1,000

all donations greatly appreciated and publicly acknowledged

--------------plz send checks 2

CT YOUNG WRITERS TRUST
231 Beach St.
Litchfield, CT 06759

thank you thank you thank you

-- Andy Thibault, Connecticut Young Writers Trust,
tntcomm82@cs.com
860-690-0211

Goldman CEO to Perform Community Service - -

-- as Treasury Secretary

‘Will Do Less Harm’ in New Post, Says Treasury Spokesperson

“Lloyd Blankfein’s years of marketing worthless securities have prepared him for the important task of selling Treasuries to the Chinese.”

By ANDY BOROWITZ

NEW YORK (The Borowitz Report ) – In a settlement of the government’s securities fraud case against Goldman Sachs, the bank’s CEO, Lloyd Blankfein, has agreed to perform two years of community service as Treasury Secretary of the United States.

At a press conference in New York, Mr. Blankfein said that as Treasury Secretary he would “continue to do God’s work as I did at Goldman, but at a significant pay cut.”

A Treasury Dept. spokesperson said that by performing community service as Treasury Secretary, Mr. Blankfein will be able to do less harm to the economy because he will have significantly less power than he had as Chairman of Goldman.

His experience at Goldman, however, will be “invaluable” in his new role as Treasury Secretary, the spokesperson said: “Lloyd Blankfein’s years of marketing worthless securities have prepared him for the important task of selling Treasuries to the Chinese.”

Mr. Blankfein is the latest in a long line of Goldman chairmen to serve as Treasury Secretary, although he is believed to be the first to do so while wearing an electronic ankle bracelet.

Andy Borowitz's Books at Amazon.com

* Note To Community Newspapers: Advertisers have never needed you more ...

Should Newspapers Have Content?

If It's Important To You,
It's Important To Us

... We were terrific with the big stuff but we did a poor job of covering everyday community activities ...

It's All
About Content

By John C. Peterson

The Peterson Group

As a young editor I was constantly torn by what I called the "them and us" dilemma, them being the readers and us being the staff of the newspaper.

It's a twilight zone of priorities, generally driven by what's fun and interesting versus the mundane. We loved breaking news and writing investigative pieces and we were very good at it.

We did things like send two guys to Florida for a week to develop a series around a former resident who had just been arrested as a serial rapist and murderer. Another series made it to Washington where President Jimmy Carter was asked to comment on safety concerns we raised about the federal prison system. We'd consistently break state-wide stories. Big stuff.

It was my first editorial management job at a 35,000 daily and Sunday in Norwich, Conn. In three years we had been nominated for two Pulitizers, finalists for the Associated Press Managing Editors' Association public service award two years in a row, consistent first place winners in the annual National Newspaper Association contest and if we didn't come home with at least a dozen New England Press Association awards each year, I was disappointed. The big kick was having other papers pick up our copyrighted stories and hearing the paper quoted as a source on New York City radio stations.

Oh the glory.

I can remember my first Associated Press Managing Editors' convention. That year we were a finalist for the public service award and won a citation for our many contributions to the AP news report which meant I wore two different badges noting the recognition. Well, I'll tell you what ... editors I had only read about were starting conversations with me. I even had a drink on a Mississippi riverboat with Abe Rosenthal who was then the managing editor of The New York Times. This was the big time.

Meeting news and town hall briefs, well... what can I say?

I don't remember the epiphany, but at some point I began to reflect on what we were doing. We were terrific with the big stuff but we did a poor job of covering everyday community activities. We had 28 communities in our circulation area, some of them with populations of 2-3,000. If something happened or there was a meeting, we had it, but our news report lacked dimension. At times we could go several days without a story from even our medium sized towns. The paper was more about us (the staff) and less about our readers' needs.

I won't waste a lot of time on the myriad of excuses I heard, but I eliminated the one about not enough space by zoning the paper. That made sense on a couple of fronts. First it gave us the space, but secondly it allowed us to personalize the paper by regions. To me, making a reader plow through the news of towns they cared nothing about was like static on the radio. It interfered with the reading experience, it got in the way.

I insisted that every town we covered have at least one good news story and briefs every day because I never wanted any reader to ever pick up the paper and not find something about their community. The first casualty of this edict was the guy who sent down the school lunch menus with a double deck 36 point head with a note to the copy desk that this was his main story for that edition.

The more we investigated the more we realized what the space problem had done to us. Some of the bureaus had stopped sending items because they never got in and many of those that were sent were heavily edited or cut. We were getting some youth news in the paper, but it was used as filler. Often only an inch or two of that galley from a Boy Scout court of honor with 50 or more names made it into the paper, and you know what happens when you leave 40 names out.

We were wholesaling discontent and missing a great opportunity at the same time. Parents didn't really care when it was in the paper, they would be happy to just see it in the paper, whenever we could get to it. This is the stuff that scrapbooks are made of and they wanted no name left behind.

So we created a showcase for youth news in the Sunday edition because we could always find space there. It wasn't long before we were swamped with even more submissions. I considered it a victory because I considered every name in every press release a vote of confidence that our paper was the place to be. My strategy was to create a cradle to grave readership relationship and if I could get seven and eight year-old kids to be looking at the paper I was well on my way to harvesting our next generation of readers.

Mindful, this was way back in the old days when we used these things called typewriters and every desk had a glue pot, but the lessons still stand. Content is everything and if it's important to readers, it should be important to the newspaper.

People pick up a newspaper or visit a web site for one reason, information. The more of it you have, the more relevant it is and the easier it is to read, the better. The best designed newspaper and the slickest and neatest website are useless unless they hold people's interest and bring them back for more.

Content is everything.

John C. Peterson is principal of The Peterson Group, a media and marketing consulting company founded in 1995, specializing in community publications. He is the former president of Capital Cities/ABC’s New England Newspaper Group, which published 75 newspapers and shoppers in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. He began his career as a reporter and has been a managing editor, sales director and publisher. His newspapers have won numerous regional and national awards for investigative reporting and general excellence.

The Peterson Group

recent hype via Fightnews.com

Monday, April 19, 2010

* MANFREDO & REMILLARD TITLE BOUTS May 22 Mohegan Sun

MATT REMILLARD LANDS LEFT
-- photo by Bob Thiesfield

PRE-FIGHT PRESS CONFERENCE
11:30 a.m. THIS WED., APRIL 21, 2010
IN HARTFORD
MAYOR MIKES', 283 Asylum Street

[annoucement via Iceman John Scully]

... Wednesday, April 21, at MAYOR MIKE'S, 283 Asylum Street, Hartford, Connecticut BOXING PRESS CONFERENCE @ 11:30 a.m. FEATURING local boxers scheduled to fight on the big May 22 show at The Mohegan Sun ...

... featuring Contender Season 1 Star Peter Manfredo Jr. in the Main Event (going against Angel Hernandez for the IBO Middleweight Championship) ...

Unbeaten featherweight Matt "Sharpshooter" Remillard [co-feature] of Manchester, 3-0 Super Featherweight Joey "Chip" Perez of East Hartford, lightweight Addy Irizzary of Hartford and 2009 New England Golden Gloves Champion Ron Scott of Waterbury (175 pounds) all will be boxing on the Manfredo [card] and all will be in attendance at this press conference to speak and give interviews.

CHIP PEREZ IN MOTION
-- photo by Bob Thiesfield

Matt, Chip, Addy ... Mohegan Sun 1-29;10 / Cooljustice coverage

Iceman John Scully