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Friday, March 21, 2008

03/21/08 - “This is incredible,” Ms. Tamm said. “To see all these people come out in the pouring rain to say no to war and to hear all this honking me




Despite the pouring rain, a large group turned out to mark the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq War including, at front from left, Peter Berg, Susan Bernstein and Malcolm Decker.

— Ken Borsuk / Greenwich Post photos

Vigil participants mark war’s anniversary with call for peace

The five-year anniversary of the beginning of the United States-led invasion of Iraq was marked Wednesday evening by a vigil on Greenwich Avenue outside of the Post Office where close to 50 people turned out despite a pouring rain. Rain didn’t do anything to damper the resolve of those campaigning for peace, however, as people young and old held up signs urging the government to bring the troops home and asking passing drivers to honk for peace, which many enthusiastically did.

he loud and supportive response caused one participant to remark that when the peace vigils first began several years ago only drivers of hybrid vehicles would honk and now those in trucks and SUVs do too.

The peace vigil was organized by Samarpana Tamm, who said it was important to mark the anniversary of the war because it was no longer a topic in the front of everyone’s minds.

“People seem to have forgotten about the war and that’s a terrible thing,” Ms. Tamm said. “Veterans are coming home without limbs. They have post traumatic stress syndrome and no one’s paying attention to them. The soldiers are coming home asking why are we fighting and it’s so sad. We’re not taking care of our veterans and because of this war we’re not able to take care of our own country. We’ve spent $3 trillion and we don’t have enough money for health care and education in this country.”

Estimates have placed the cost for the war as high as $5 trillion. There have been close to 4,000 soldier deaths since the war began and an unknown number of Iraqi deaths. Ms. Tamm said she wishes the voices speaking out against the war had been heard and listened to in 2003 so it could have been prevented.

Ms. Tamm praised the efforts of American soldiers in Iraq, saying they were doing “a great job,” but she insisted war “is never the answer” and its continuation would only provoke more violence.

Ms. Tamm was just one of many who got soaked by the pouring rain on Wednesday. Many wondered how big the crowd would have been if the weather had been better and others thought the rain was appropriate for such a solemn anniversary.

“The rain is like tears from heaven for all the soldiers that have sacrificed their lives,” Patricia Eggert said. “And for what? It’s heartbreaking.”

Ms. Eggert, a British native, said she attended the vigil because she was ashamed both of how the American and British governments had behaved.

“We’ve had enough of lies and distrust and mistrust of our government,” Ms. Eggert said, later adding, “We’re all paying the costs of this war. Every single person is suffering from this and the impact it’s had on the economy.”

Regular vigils have been held weekly throughout Connecticut, including one on Saturday mornings in Stamford from 11:30 to 12:30 outside of the Ferguson Library. Greenwich resident Frank Scanlan, a former Marine, has been one of the regular attendees of the vigils and has seen how public opinion has shifted in five years to being strongly against the war and for withdrawing the troops.

“It’s so discouraging that we have to still be out here,” Mr. Scanlan said. “The attitude has changed considerably though. We get a lot more people honking their horns in support now. A few years ago we would get nothing and if anything they’d give us the bird. Now we have people honking their horns and giving us the V sign. It’s not getting through to Washington though and that’s the problem.”

Bob Flenner said the from the very beginning the war has been “an absolute blunder of historic proportions” that has created more terrorists and less safety in the world while damaging America’s standing in the world for at least a generation.

“We’ve lost too many people,” Mr. Flenner said. “There are hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who are dead and millions of people who have been rendered homeless.”

The people being honked at in support at the Post Office were branded anti-American at best five years ago, but John Howard said he didn’t want to dwell on the past. He said the important thing now is to look ahead and “stop the bleeding” by bringing the troops home and using the money spent on the war to restore the economy.

“We made a big mistake as a country and now we have to fix it,” Mr. Howard said. “That’s why I’m standing in the rain.”

The vigil attracted people of all ages to call for an end of the war, from veterans to teenagers, including 16-year-old Liana Mehring and her 14-year-old sister Devon, who came with their father, Edmund. Both said they wanted to see more teens step forward to oppose the war’s continuation....

03/21/08 - "Greenwich is a waterfront community - from Byram to Old Greenwich," said First Selectman Peter Tesei,


Coming into Greenwich Harbor

Greenwich News Reports:

The Greenwich Citizen Updates Website

Greenwich Takes Up Challenge of Managing Harbors
Greenwich Citizen - Greenwich,CT
By Anne W. Semmes

There is a new spotlight on the Greenwich waterfront and new efforts to address the complex issues of safety and management of the Town's ...

A Step Forward for GHS Auditorium Project
Greenwich Citizen - Greenwich,CT
By PATRICIA McCORMACK

The Board of Selectmen Wednesday nominated a Blue Ribbon Building Committee for the Greenwich High Music/Auditorium project -- paving ...

Time to Put the Winter Sports Season on Ice
Greenwich Citizen - Greenwich,CT


It's time to put the finishing touches on an exciting winter sports season in Greenwich. As an outsider embarking on the challenge of learning about ...


Please send comments to
GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

"The greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticism."

Wole SOYINKA
Nigerian playwright, poet, novelist, and political activist (1934-)


03/21/08 - To donate blood and platelets through the American Red Cross, people must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds.


Greenwich News Report:

Greenwich Chapter Of Red Cross

Greenwich chapter of Red Cross to hold April blood drives
Greenwich Post - Greenwich,CT,USA


Monday, April 14, at Greenwich Hospital between 7:30 am and 12:30 pm Greenwich Hospital is located at 5 Perryridge Road. To donate blood and platelets ...


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"The essential support and encouragement comes from within, arising out of the mad notion that your society needs to know what only you can tell it."

John UPDIKE
American author and poet (1932- )

03/21/08 - Your representation that I stated or implied this situation was due to any design or construction flaw is 100 percent false.



To the editor:

The Modular Building Institute requests a correction to the errors and misstated comments in the article "Modular flaws went undetected," appearing in the March 17 issue of Greenwich Time. As the spokesman for the industry, I provided impartial facts concerning the "process" regarding approval of modular classrooms, but did not make any specific comments regarding the Connecticut school situation. To prevent my comments from being misrepresented again, I'd like to offer the following:

Mold does not discriminate regarding which type of classroom it chooses to grow in. It can and does occur in traditional classrooms as well as modular classrooms. In fact, the reason temporary classrooms were placed in this school district in the first place was due to mold found in the original school building.

Your representation that I stated or implied this situation was due to any design or construction flaw is 100 percent false and has been printed despite my objections.

We have stated on the record that there are many parties involved in the classroom construction process, from architects to engineers to inspectors to maintenance personnel. All the facts must be obtained before any conclusions are drawn in this situation.

In short, the entire article is misleading and inaccurate. When your writer contacted me with quotes she planned to use for this story, I replied to her in writing that same day that the "quotes" were misleading and that I had no knowledge of the specifics of this situation and couldn't comment on it. She chose to ignore my concerns and build her entire story around misrepresentations. The managing editor told me himself today that he supports the writer's "rephrasing" of my comments. In my opinion, this is a really sad commentary on the state of journalism.

How can a newspaper stand behind an article taken primarily from one source when that source notifies you ahead of time that what is going to press is inaccurate? Your readers should know the full story.

Our non-profit association will continue to provide schools and parents with information they can use to ensure that their children are in safe, comfortable learning environments, and we ask that your readers visit our Web site to get accurate and complete information.

Tom Hardiman

Charlottesville, Va.

The writer is executive director of the Modular Building Institute.

(Editor's note: Greenwich Time stands behind the accuracy of the story.)

See Also:

03/17/08 - "It's not just one classroom, it's the whole school," Tom Hardman of the Modular Building Institute said, "It's a bad situation all around.

03/20/08 - Why Won't Betty "You Can Trust Me" Sternberg Let Hamilton Avenue Parents Independently Test The Contaminated Modular Classrooms?


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"Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game. Free speech is life itself."

Salman RUSHDIE
Indian-born British novelist (1947-)

03/21/08 - What I'm saying to these parents is: Don't give up, stand tall and fight for the stable education your children should be getting .....



To the editor:

As a graduate of Hamilton Avenue School in 1954, I can fully feel the heartaches the school children and parents are going through. Life wasn't any different than it is now.

We were from Chickahominy, or as it was called West Belle Haven. You never met any prouder people than those who were born and raised in Chickahominy. We were never affected by the mural that hung in the gym. Or by being considered "stepchildren."

What that did for us was make us a great community to grow up in, where everyone knew your name. We respected one another, and to this day, anyone who came from Chickahominy still has great camaraderie with others. It made us stronger.

We turned out great carpenters, plumbers, electricians, refuse men, lawyers, doctors and morticians, and that is why Chickahominy is so great -- we were very diverse.

Our parents were not white-collar workers. They just worked hard so their children would have a great education and go on to college or be what they wanted to be, just like the parents now fighting for Hamilton Avenue School want for their children. We grew up with all nationalities and colors -- that's why we thought everyone was equal. And we fought for everything we had.

What I'm saying to these parents is: Don't give up, stand tall and fight for the stable education your children should be getting instead of being moved around. The children will be OK. It will make them strong and want to do their best just to show this town in years to come that they made it despite the obstacles they have faced. There are many people in this town who will stand behind all of you to help correct this large problem, myself included.

Dodi (Fallanca) McCollem

Riverside

The writer is a member of the Representative Town Meeting from District 12.

Please Read....

03/19/08 - May God Bless The Children Of Hamilton Avenue School Who Never Get To Compete On A Level Playing Field.

03/20/08 - Why Won't Betty "You Can Trust Me" Sternberg Let Hamilton Avenue Parents Independently Test The Contaminated Modular Classrooms?

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"What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist."

Salman RUSHDIE
Indian-born British novelist (1947-)

03/21/08 - Kim Marie Evans From The Greenwich Alliance For Education Struts Her Stuff

Event Chair Kim Marie Evans and members of the Greenwich High School cheerleading squad.

Queen for a day

Pep Rally 'Queen' Leslie Breck was among the many members of the Greenwich Alliance for Education and guests who attended a recent Pep Rally at the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich to raise money for the alliance. Click here for more photos.

Via The Greenwich Post

More School News Here.....

03/20/08 - Why Won't Betty "You Can Trust Me" Sternberg Let Hamilton Avenue Parents Independently Test The Contaminated Modular Classrooms?

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"Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties."

John MILTON
Areopagitica
English poet (1608-1674)


03/21/08 - Opinion - Congress should pass a federal shield law and guarantee protections for a journalist's sources



The Constitution ought to be enough. The guarantee of a free press enumerated in the Bill of Rights should be sufficient to protect journalists from government interference. Too often, it's not.

Congress has the power to pass a federal shield law that would increase protections for reporters. In the face of an increasingly hostile judicial climate, it's the right move. A free press is too important to this country to take lightly.

Confidentiality is often a necessity for potential whistleblowers. If a person's anonymity will not be protected, putting jobs and livelihoods at stake, there is little incentive for people with valuable information to come forward. When insiders with knowledge of malfeasance -- corporate, government or otherwise -- want to tell their stories, they must be promised protections. When the government chips away at those protections, the nation suffers. Imprisoning journalists for failing to disclose sources, forcing such reporters to pay contempt fees in an effort to bankrupt them into speaking -- these are actions that undermine a free press.....

Via Greenwich Time

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"If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear."

Eric Arthur Blair or George ORWELL
British novelist and essayist (1903-1950)

03/20/08 - "I just feel it's an important issue to bring forward again," First Selectman Peter Tesei said


Mary Ann Morrison, the CEO and president of the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce, said the proposal was a reasonable compromise.

.... "Mr. Tesei still sees the value and importance of keeping the police officers at the three major intersections on Greenwich Avenue, and let's hope it stays that way."


Ave. traffic light plan revised



Greenwich Time - Staff Writer

After getting the red light from the Representative Town Meeting last year, a proposal to install traffic signals on Greenwich Avenue is back, this time with some changes.

The lights would be installed on Greenwich Avenue at Havemeyer Place, Elm and Lewis streets, and would sit atop antique-style lampposts similar to the existing streetlamps. Police officers would still direct traffic during the day, and the traffic lights would be used at night and on Sundays....

... "I don't want to lose Greenwich, what little is left of the old town," said Joan Caldwell, a lifelong resident who is moderator pro tempore of the RTM.

Caldwell said traffic lights would ruin the town's main street, "making Greenwich look like downtown White Plains."

"It is actually likely to make the town look more citified," Caldwell said.

Her colleague, Mary Pellegrino, a District 1/South Center RTM member who represents the downtown, was more direct. "I think that's rotten," Pellegrino said. "Come on, let's be practical. We're getting out of hand in this town."....

... Police Chief David Ridberg, who has long argued that having police officers direct traffic is not the best use of manpower and hurts morale....

... Selectman Peter Crumbine downplayed the change the lights might bring. "They should blend in all right," he said.

Tesei stressed that he has no intention of replacing the police officers altogether, but acknowledged he probably doesn't have much pull in the matter.

"It most likely will probably get voted down," Tesei said. "But I think it's important to have the conversation."

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"A people which is able to say everything becomes able to do everything."

NAPOLEON Bonaparte
French general and emperor of France (1769-1821)


03/21/08 - "I just think it is really kind of strange for these chickens to be left here. Somebody should come quickly to pick them up or bury them."




Headline:

Did A Bank Foreclose On A Crazied Voodoo Witch Doctor?

Quote:

"Children come to the bank with their mommies."
- David Tovar


Story:

Headless birds disturb bank customers

By Martin B. Cassidy

Six blood-spattered fowl with their heads cut off were found behind a Mason Street bank yesterday afternoon, disturbing customers and prompting calls to police.

Police said they didn't know anything about the decapitated birds, which appeared to be chickens, left strewn under a tall hedge along the parking lot of the Putnam Trust Bank. Calls to the town Animal Control Division were not returned yesterday....

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"Freedom of expression must be considered sacred and thought can only be corrected by counter thought."

Naguib MAHFOUZ
Egyptian novelist and screenwriter (1911-)


03/21/08- - Corporate Welfare? - The governor is asking the State Bond Commission, which meets March 28, to approve the loan for Blue Sky Studios.


Greenwich News Reports:

4,000 Families Lost There Homes In Conneticut In January.

"We need lowinterst loans for seniors and other single family home owners who are trying to stay in thier homes."

Animation company gets $8M state loan to move to Greenwich
Stamford Advocate - Stamford,CT
By Hoa Nguyen

A New York digital animator is set to receive an $8 million low-interest loan to help it relocate to northwest Greenwich, Gov. ...

More Corporate Welfare?

Governor Jody Rell Seems To Be Addicted To Corporate Welfare.

Greenwich Post says....

State likely to help UST move from Greenwich to Stamford


Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced Wednesday that a $3 million loan to help UST relocate its corporate headquarters from Greenwich to Stamford is expected to gain approval when the state Bond Commission meets March 28.

In other business news....

Tribune says former newspaper buildings will be sold separately
Stamford Advocate - Stamford,CT
By Peter Healy STAMFORD

The former owner of The Advocate and Greenwich Time said this week it wants to sell the newspaper buildings separately. ...

See Also:

03/20/08 - Greenwich News Wire

03/20/08 - Greenwich Newspaper Facilities For Sale


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GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

"Freedom to speak... can be maintained only by promoting debate."

Walter LIPPMANN
1955
American journalist (1889-1974)


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