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Sunday, September 7, 2008

09/07/08 Riverside resident Victoria Quatrone said her 5-year-old grandson Daniel Loperena has always been fascinated with butterflies


Butterflies get human help
at Greenwich museum

Associated Press

GREENWICH, Conn. - Traipsing through the butterfly garden at Greenwich Point, Pavel Bure, 12, armed with a net, was hot on the trail of a monarch butterfly

"They are a lot harder to catch," he said.Bure was one of more than 20 people who came out recently to participate in the Bruce Museum's first ever monarch butterfly tagging program.

People scoured the park for the species to place a small tag on their wing, then release them to track the insect's migratory patterns.....

....Sara Thornton, 10, said she learned a lot about butterflies, including the differences between monarchs and other species as well as how to tag them."I love butterflies," she said. "I think it's cool that we got to see a live species and see the tags go on one them.\

"This is the first year that Bruce Museum educators have offered it as a public program, said Carolyn Rebbert, curator of science.

"I saw another organization doing it and thought that this would be something easy for the Bruce to put on, and it's an attractive program of citizen science," she said.

The Bruce Museum will be hosting another butterfly tagging event later in September.
Full Story: Hartford Courant


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09/07/08 This Just In From The Photo Journalist Of Greenwich: Tropical storm hanna pictures around town







Every good parent takes their kids to the ocean for a hurricane, until the police boat shows up at the beach.

Plus look all the other pictures !!!!!!
Quote:
"You'd never know we had a hurricane yesterday because it is so beautiful", said Lauren AKA "The Blonde Excuse".

The Blonde Excuse took many of pictures around Old Greenwich and Riverside yesterday during the storm.

Do you think they might have a little bit of a flooding problem in Riverside and old Greenwich.

http://blondeexcuse.pixxiestails.com/archives/2008/09/hurricane_hanna_hits_greenwich.html

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09/07/08 You wont Read These News Stories In The Greenwich Citizen Or The Greenwich Post, Because They Have Not Updated Their Websites For A While


The Raw Greenwich News Feed....



A Charity Fails Families Of Fallen Firefighters After 9/11


Hartford Courant


On a mild day in late November 2001, Stephen Careaga stood under the brick facade of a storied New York fire station, an unlikely benefactor from the Pacific Northwest who traveled to Manhattan with a cashier's check for nearly $4 million.


Three miles downtown, workers were still recovering the bodies of firefighters entombed in the twisted wreckage of the World Trade Center, and the New York Fire Department's hastily assembled funeral desk was scheduling the last few dozen memorials for the 343 firefighters killed on 9/11.


Careaga, a one-time volunteer firefighter and reserve police officer, had been trying to make money selling computer software to rural fire departments in Washington state. To get a foot in the door, he created a tiny nonprofit called FireDonations, with a website that would-be customers could use to collect online donations for fallen firefighters.


That was in August 2001.


A month later, when jumbo jets plowed into the World Trade Center towers and hundreds of firefighters trudged up the stairs to their deaths, Fire-Donations was the only fire-services charity on the Internet equipped to take online contributions for the cause.


Boosted by links on Yahoo and other national websites, money poured in from around the globe, peaking at a rate of $250,000 an hour. The nonprofit, hastily registered with the IRS and renamed Firefighters National Trust, collected $4 million in a week's time, and $6 million by the end of September.


In all, donors contributed $11 million to Firefighters National Trust, which promised that the money would go "directly to the spouses and children of the New York Firefighters and Rescue workers who lost their lives in the World Trade Center tragedy."


... show. In the charity's final act, Careaga transferred the $2 million still in the bank to a psychologist in Greenwich who had set up a nonprofit counseling service after a federal fraud case cut off his access to lucrative Medicare reimbursements.


Soon afterward, tax records show, that Greenwich nonprofit paid $150,000 to a consulting company Careaga had set up out of his house. Careaga acknowledges being paid by the charity, but says he can't recall specifically what he did or for how long he worked....


...Careaga took a $125,000 salary, while his No. 2 official received $100,000 a year. The charity also ran up large legal bills -- nearly all of which went to the Otto Law Group, led by the charity's secretary, David M. Otto, who was also the lawyer for Civil Communications.


Overall, Firefighters National Trust paid Otto's firm $400,000.There were laptops and BlackBerrys and airport lounge memberships for the charity's officers. In time, there were $10,000-a-month marketing deals ....


...There also were allegations of misspending, including airline tickets, expensive meals and other perks for the spouses of charity officials. Eighteen days after the terrorist attacks, according to a lawsuit filed by a former employee, charity funds were used to pay a $695 bill at Le Salon Paul Morey Spa in Seattle for Careaga's wife and the wives of two associates...


ONE LAST DONATION


...the beginning of 2005, the fundraising was over and Careaga made plans to shut down the charity and transfer all remaining funds -- more than $1.9 million -- to Life Matters, a Greenwich charity run by husband-and-wife psychologists Michael Lonski and Evelyn Llewellyn that provided psychological counseling to firefighters.But the money flowed both ways.


While Careaga was working to send the leftover cash to Life Matters, he was also negotiating to have the charity hire a company he had recently created out of his home, called CDF Consulting. Within the year, Life Matters sent $150,000 to CDF Consulting.Careaga defended the payment.


"There was a significant amount of knowledge that needed to be transferred, and Life Matters felt it was in their best interest to get that knowledge and to have some assistance setting up some programs, so that's what I did," he said in a recent interview.


Careaga initially said he helped develop a counseling program, a post-traumatic stress program and scholarship programs, though he later acknowledged that LifeMatters has no scholarship program.


"You might want to talk to them specifically about the programs," he said, "because it's been quite a few years and I don't really recall off the top of my head what the programs were."


Peter Chavkin, a lawyer speaking for Life Matters and Lonski, said Careaga was not hired to help the charity develop counseling programs, but rather to help find new sources of funding, as well as identify additional firehouses and other sites that might benefit from Life Matters' services.


He said Life Matters retained Careaga's company for two years, but terminated the arrangement after a year because it was dissatisfied with Careaga's work......


...... suggest exploring the possibility that any individuals currently associated with the Firefighters National Trust may personally benefit from a transfer to Life Matters," Jeffrey T. Even, an assistant attorney general, wrote in a January 2005 letter to Tracy Shier, one of the lawyers in Otto's law firm.


Shier, who was later disbarred in an unrelated matter, assured regulators that the transfer was clean, and Even sent another letter approving the plan "based on your representations that the distribution of assets is not conditioned upon any agreement to provide employment or any other financial arrangements to benefit any officer or director" of Firefighters National Trust....


...Chavkin, the lawyer for Life Matters, said the paperwork committing the $1.9 million from Firefighters National Trust was completed before Life Matters had finalized its consulting deal with Careaga."


My clear impression from Mike [Lonski] and from the lawyer that handled this is that on Mike and Life Matters' side of things, there was no link between the distribution of moneys and the ultimate retention for one year of CDF," Chavkin said. "And Mike had been told that the attorney general's concern was only that the two not be linked as a quid pro quo."


Lonski and Llewellyn created Life Matters in April 2002, at the same time federal investigators were probing millions in questionable Medicare claims made by Lonski and his private practice, L & L Psychological Services. In October 2002, Lonski and L&L agreed to pay $4 million to settle allegations that they had bilked the federal government by filing false claims in the 1990s.


According to a civil complaint filed by the Justice Department, Lonski submitted bills to Medicare for as many as 106 diagnostic exams for the same patient, and for performing as many as 67 diagnostic exams in a single day. The complaint also alleged that Lonski charged Medicare for services provided to relatives, claimed movie screenings as "group therapy" and then billed the government for as many as 75 clients who watched the movies, and charged for specialized psychological services that were never delivered.


...Careaga said he was introduced to Lonski by New York firefighters who had high regard for the Greenwich couple's programs. In late 2003, Firefighters National Trust began sending money to Life Matters to pay for grief counseling and training, and grants to the Greenwich charity topped $700,000 by the end of 2004 -- accounting for nearly half of Life Matters' income.


Bolstered by the funding, Lonski and Llewellyn paid themselves more than $480,000 in 2004, and an average of about $360,000 in the following two years. Lonski is still paying off his debt to the federal government -- and still counseling those affected by 9/11; on Friday, Chavkin said, Lonski was working at the World Trade Center site....


By Matthew Kauffman at mkauffman@courant.com





FIREFIGHTERS AND OTHER DISGUSTED

INDIVIDUALS MAY USE THESE CONTACTS

FOR MORE INFORMATION:



Dr. Michael Lonski,

Co-Founder, Director of Training and Program Development
Life Matters, Inc.
112 Shore Road, Old Greenwich, CT 06870

203.912.5547 Fax 203.698.3339
http://www.lifemattersinc.org/

Or


Michael Lonski
51 Forest Ave

Old Greenwich, Connecticut, ct

(203) 698-0725


Or



And Remember Your Help Is Appreciated


Life Matters isregistered in NY and CT, if you are from these states, you may contribute to our mission by completing a simple form and sending this along with payment to:
Life Matters, Inc.3 New York Plaza, Suite 1401New York, NY 10004-2442

If you are from other regions and wish to learn more about us, please contact us.


Life Matters is a 501(c)(3) organization and contributions are tax-deductible as directed by law. A copy of Life Matters' latest annual report may be obtained upon request from the organization or from the New York State Attorney General's Charities Bureau, Attn: FOIL Officer, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271 or State of CT, Department of Consumer Protection, Public Charities Unit, c/o Office of the Attorney General, 55 Elm Street, P.O. Box 120, Hartford, CT 06141-0120.


While You Are At It:




From The Good Folks At Life Matters


MORE OF THE RAW GREENWICH NEWS FEED:





Courier News Online


DRUNKEN DRIVING


10:02 p.m. Aug. 30: Police said they arrested David Encisoruizdiaz, 24, of Greenwich, Conn., and charged him with drunken driving after a traffic stop in front of Chili's Grill & Bar on Route 202. Encisoruizdiaz was ...


No room in N.J. for scare tactics


Daily Record


To the Editor:


What a joke. Letter writer Joe Crouch obviously knows little to nothing about black bears, although he claims to be an "active participant in 'true' wildlife management ."


We are talking about black bears, not brown bears!


Story after story and numerous videos on YouTube all attest to the fact that the "dangerous bear population" is anything but; tiny dogs, cats and even kittens can frighten bears and/or chase them up trees. So-called serious encounters include countless reports of police shooting bears indiscriminately, even when residents were in no immediate danger.


New Jersey residents can do without your "expert" scare tactics, Mr. Crouch!


NATALIE JARNSTEDT



Connecticut Post


... honorees will be recognized at the fourth annual Sports Night awards dinner 6 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich. Sports Night also features the Hall of Fame ceremonies inducting six prominent county sports legends. The Sports Persons of ...

09/07/08 Multi-Million-Dollar School Administration Failures Have Now Caused Town Cut Backs


Greenwich Residents Will Get Less Town Services For Their Tax Dollars, Because Of Costy Over Runs At Hamilton School


TOP STORY:


HEADLINES:

First Selectman Peter Tesei is calling on municipal department heads and school officials to rein in spending

Cost overruns at Hamilton Avenue School and bills from hiring outside legal counsel are cutting into the bottom line.

Finance officials dipped into last year's $7.5 million contingency fund for $2.4 million to pay for a combination of expenses that included legal bills from outside lawyers hired by the town, cost overruns in the Hamilton Avenue School renovation and other activities like busing little children all over town.

QUOTES:


"There's no question that we need to be proactive in managing our resources in light of the economic condition around the country," said First Selectman Peter Tesei, who met Tuesday with senior town managers to discuss belt-tightening measures. "Does the project have to be done in the year that it's being requested due to some federal or state mandate or is it something that is discretionary?" "Also, does the town have the ability to undertake the project in the year which the funds are budgeted. If not so, then don't ask me for the money."


"We're still dealing with an economy that is not as robust as we would like it, and, as a result, of this economic climate, we are going to have to make adjustments to the budget," Stephen Walko, chairman of the Board of Estimate and Taxation said. "Obviously, you plan ahead in the hope that can avoid having significant cuts or have services negatively impacted (next year) by taking prophylactic measures in the current fiscal year."


THE STORY:

Say good-bye to the days of generous budget surpluses and discretionary spending. Even Greenwich - the town with the largest tax base in the state and annual budget approaching $400 million - is starting to show signs that it isn't immune from the economic malaise....

...On the revenue side of the ledger, the town is expected to lose a combined $1.2 million in property tax revenues this year and next from all eight local private country clubs, which are getting credits on their bills as part of a settlement of a lawsuit over their assessments...

..."Until that project has all of its land use approvals, construction money should not be sought," Walko said.

The project requires at least three zoning variances for height, density and parking, officials said.

Tesei, the first selectman said, said he agreed with Walko on the matter and does not view it as a delay for project.

"If you don't have the approvals, then you don't need the appropriation at this time," Tesei said.
But What About This Extra $200,000 That Is On Top Of The $500,000 Request That Frank Mazza Is Going To Ask For On Monday????
More News Links From The Greenwich Time:

When the fall bowhunting season kicks off on Sept. 15, dozens of local sportsmen will return to their forest perches confident that they've helped take a huge dent out of the town's oversized deer population in recent years.




The annual scrimmage between Greenwich High School and Brunswick might not count in the standings, but as far as deciding town bragging rights, its as close to the real thing as these teams are going to get.




Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin hasn't made history yet. It was 24 years ago that the first woman won a major political party's vice presidential nomination.




To the editor:


John McCain, in his nomination acceptance speech, decried the incompetence of his own party over the past eight years.

The United States has 2% of the world's proven oil reserves but consumes one-quarter of global oil production. According to the Energy Information Administration, expanded offshore drilling would not have a "significant" impact on oil production for more than two decades. The EIA also predicts that drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve would reduce dependence on foreign oil - by 2030 and only "slightly."

News flash for John McCain and Sarah Palin: We aren't going to drill our way to energy independence.

According to three Nobel laureates in economics, McCain's proposed gas tax holiday would generate "major" profits for big oil while doing little to lower prices at the pump. Is that what McCain means by "fighting for you"?
We need an administration and Congress that will make policy decisions based on facts, not chants; an administration which defines "you" as average Americans, not large corporations. That's why I'm voting for Barack Obama for president and Jim Himes for Congress.

They have sensible, fact-based energy policies that will move us towards energy independence, create jobs and wean us off of environmentally harmful fossil fuels. And they will promote energy efficiency and conservation, concepts that McCain and Palin aggressively disdain.

Jonathan Perloe
Cos Cob
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09/07/08 Stolen Ferrari Won An Award In Greenwich


State Police say they recovered this stolen 1958 Ferrari 250 Series 1 PF from an unsuspecting collector in Sharon. The car was stolen in Spain in 1993 and is worth at least $2.5 million




Waterbury Republican American


A Web search also revealed that Hallingby won an award for "Most Oustanding Ferrari" with the car at the 2005 Greenwich Concours Europa, an annual luxury ...


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09/08/07 Children ages 3-12, accompanied by an adult, are welcome to visit the Teddy Bear Clinic. It's free




Fairfield County Online


Here's a great way to teach your kids about good healthy habits, and to put a friendly face on medical care. Greenwich Hospital's Teddy Bear Clinic, now in its 10th year, familiarizes children with hospital staff and procedures and might even inspire them to join the hospital's healthcare team some day! It's a fun afternoon of hands-on learning. ...
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