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The Times & Protest Groups Family Court Campaign, Starts To Pay Off!
Age of secrecy ends as family courts are opened to media scrutiny
A disturbing case in which a local authority failed to act to take a child into care was able to be revealed yesterday, after the groundbreaking decision to admit the media into the family courts came into effect.
The case, set against a background of alleged sex abuse, revealed how a family had managed to slip through the net of three London councils because they kept moving home and were not known to the social services.
The details are typical of the kind that would have remained unknown but for the opening of such hearings after decades of decisions being taken behind closed doors.
The historic opening up of the courts was taken by Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, after sustained pressure from families affected by the courts’ decisions and the media, led by The Times.
Under the reforms more than 200,000 hearings involving sensitive and traumatic cases, and with decisions that will have a huge impact on the lives of children and their families, will now be open to media scrutiny.
However, there is still confusion in the courts as to how this reform should operate, although The Times was admitted to most hearings at the six court centres it attended yesterday.
Strict reporting restrictions remain in force, which many â€" including judges â€" fear will undermine the reform and dilute its impact. There is also no automatic access to papers that have been laid before the court as evidence.
No identification of parties can take place and there was a mixed message over whether local authorities, often the butt of criticism in care cases, can be named.
The Times attended the above case, at the Barnet Civil and Family Court Centre, in which a council wants to remove a four-year-old child and baby into care.
The list on the notice board at Bath County Court said simply: “A Minorâ€. They were two short words that concealed a world of heartbreak.
Seated to one side of a horseshoe of tables in front of the judge’s desk was the mother of a six-year-old boy. At right angles to her, but never once catching her eye, sat her mother. The child’s father, separated from the mother but siding with her, appeared briefly but did not speak. All were accompanied by lawyers.
At issue was the grandmother’s belief that her daughter was not a fit parent. She wants the boy, who is living with her, to remain permanently. The question before the court was whether he should be allowed to stay with his mother on three weekends between now and the full hearing in June to determine his future home.
In the family court yesterday were district judge, six lawyers, two parents, a grandmother, a legally appointed guardian, hundreds of pages of testimony and experts’ reports and, for the first time, a reporter. The hearing was scheduled to last a full day.
In the past few weeks in the course of my duties for The Times I have been savaged by an Alsatian (I was allowed to wear a padded suit), been pursued by a herd of “Nazi†cattle and come face to sucker with a bathful of giant leeches. The prospect of facing a court room full of hostility was worse than any of them.
I need not have worried. The move towards greater openness was welcomed not only by most of the lawyers but also by the judge, Francis Goddard. Only the barrister representing the boy’s mother attempted to have the case heard in private on the ground that it was an exceptional case that involved allegations of abuse and the mother’s history of mental health problems.
Judge Goddard ran through the list of grounds for excluding the media under the new regulations, which include the possibility of disorder and the risk that it could endanger the safety of a witness, then said that he was happy as long as the case was “anonymised†and the boy could not be identified.
If judges and court staff were ready for what has been hailed as a revolution in the family courts, lawyers at Barnet’s Civil and Family Court Centre were slightly taken by surprise by the arrival of the media.
Two cases had to be adjourned while lawyers discussed whether to oppose the admittance of The Times, but both, in the end, agreed â€" realising that stringent reporting restrictions remain in place.
After decades of holding such hearings behind closed doors, no one quite knew what to do. One counsel for a local authority at least had on him the guidance on admitting the media just issued by Britain’s most senior judge. But he confessed to Judge Marcia Levy: “I don’t know what our position is . . . I simply don’t know. I was asking for ten minutes to take instructions from the team manager.â€
The judge, who was preparing to give an hour-long judgment in a case involving two young children, said that neither their names, nor those of other children involved, could be mentioned; nor those of the parents, nor schools, places or anyone else connected with them that would enable them to be identified.
Nonetheless, her detailed unravelling of the complex family circumstances of a young mother who faces losing her two children, one aged 4, the other a baby, cast light on the daily difficult balancing exercise that the courts face in such cases.
The mother, in her twenties, was the step-daughter of the man who had fathered her children. She had grown up with his four other children, and had helped to look after them. A relationship developed and two children resulted.
There were allegations of sex abuse (denied) between the father and one of his other children; of inappropriate sexual behaviour between those children; and evidence of his “unpredictable†personality, glue-sniffing, lack of ability or willingness to care for them in any appropriate way or put their needs first.
Rather than worry about his children, the judge, noted, his main concern was for himself.
The action was brought by one London council but three others were mentioned and one, Judge Levy noted, had been criticised by the “guardian†(the social worker for the children) for failing to take action over the elder child at least three years ago.
The rudimentary “Press†sign, stuck with Blu-Tack on the door of what moments before was an interview room, indicated that the officials at Ipswich County Court were not used to such intrusions. One looked shocked when told that The Times had entered the building, and security guards insisted that the press keep identification cards visible at all times and await court hearings in segregation from the various parties.
The establishment recovered quickly, however. Within 45 minutes the flimsy “Press†sign had been replaced with a smarter, laminated version, and The Times was granted access to a care order hearing without any disruptions or objections from the various legal parties.
It was only at the lunchtime recess that Judge Peter Thompson acknowledged the press in the courtroom â€" two journalists from The Times and one from the local newspaper, the Ipswich Evening Star. He emphasised that the normal reporting restrictions applying to the anonymity of children in the case still stood, but said nothing further about the new legislation and imposed no further restrictions.
The Times was thus afforded access to Day One of the hearing in its entirety â€" care proceedings initiated by a council in relation to a ten-month-old girl. An interim care order, under which the child was placed with a guardian last October, was being contested by both parents.
It was an illuminating glimpse into the workings of the court. Psychological experts altered their conclusions as they were being questioned on the stand, and complained on numerous occasions that they had not been given enough information about the case to make satisfactory conclusions.
National Anti Forced Adoption Week; 9th November 2009 until 15th November 2009, Anti Forced Adoption Week
Anti Forced Adoption Week 9th - 15th November 2009. BAAF working to find A way to split families up, so children can be stolen all year round. Every November they draw the nation's attention in stealing more children. Each year they Campaign to steal more children. Read and listen to people who have been affected by Forced Adoption. The adoptive parents and adopted people are fooled in to the corruption with deception. If you feel ready to make the next step towards becoming an Abductor parent, we'll help guide you to the next steps. Stealing Children is open to more people than you think. BAAF, Social Services, Solicitors, Judges, The Government All Steal Your Children From You. There are opportunities to Email Your Local Social Services to Tell Them About Your Own Account Of How They Steal Children. In aspects of forced-adoption. Just Contact Your Local Authority, I'm Sure They Would Be Able To Steal A Child For You.
Of the 66 hearings listed for the Principal Registry of the Family Division in Central London yesterday, 11 were already marked “Not open to the mediaâ€.
In those cases, Her Majesty’s Courts Service said, the press were automatically barred, and so the hearings were not covered by the new regulations.
Of those hearings to which the press was allowed to try to gain access, many were harrowing residency cases involving children, or divorcing couples arguing over dwindling assets. But in nearly all, the press was allowed to report only the “workings†of the court, to avoid identifying the children involved.
In some cases, barristers had been employed by local authorities or children’s charities seeking judicial approval about the best way to return youngsters to parents who now appeared fit enough to look after their offspring.
On the first day that reporters were allowed into the imposing seven-floor building just off Chancery Lane, The Times was granted access to sit in a hearing involving a celebrity who was trying to gain the right for his child to live with him.
However, the press’s presence in the case, which already has a series of strict reporting restrictions placed on it, led Her Honour Judge Vera Mayer to transfer it to High Court to establish exactly what journalists could report, if anything.
Referring to the new regulations allowing journalists to attend such sensitive cases, she said: “I think this is a new field and none of us has any proper guidelines. It has come at a speed that none of us anticipated.
“And a case of this nature has issues very specific to it; a foreign element and many other specific concerns. It could either be a case making bad law or an error which if it happened could not be rectified.â€
The case was adjourned and the celebrity left court. One divorced couple who had probably not exchanged a civil word in months, paused as the immaculately dressed man walked passed them in the corridor, before one nudged the other and said: “Isn’t that, you know?â€
The Times arrived at Cardiff civil justice centre yesterday on the first morning of a fact-finding hearing relating to a child.
After alerting the clerk to my presence before the case started, I was allowed to take a seat at the side of a small, brightly lit family proceedings courtroom on the third floor.
Although they knew about the rule change, my arrival was a surprise to at least some. On his way in, one of the solicitors involved in the case spotted that I had a copy of the new regulations allowing me to be there, and asked if he could borrow them to take a look. The judge asked to see my press card, and then explained to the court that I was there in accordance with the new access regulations that came into force yesterday, and was subject to the reporting restrictions imposed by the 1989 Children’s Act and the 1960 Administration of Justice Act.
At one point in proceedings, the judge asked the pregnant mother before him whether she was in the habit of giving birth on the due delivery date. “Normally, on time,†she replied cheerily.
Judge Ian Hamilton, sitting at the Manchester Civil Justice Centre yesterday, was not being solicitous about her welfare. He was simply anxious to fix a date for a hearing to decide who will care for the unborn child and its two older brothers.
The parenting of the mother, a drug addict on a methadone programme, and her partner had given such cause for alarm that her eldest son was already being cared for by his paternal aunt.
Now aged 12, he was said to have suffered a neglectful childhood and been so emotionally traumatised that he lived in fear and had withdrawn into a shell, spending many hours in his bedroom playing computer games.
It was clear that Judge Hamilton was growing exasperated at the lack of progress of what had become a long-running case. It did not help that counsel for the local authority had not turned up on time, and then appeared to have no plan of action to push the matter forward.
You Can Get A Lot Of AP Reports For 75 Cents At The Greenwich Time
Let's Rip And Read From The Greenwich Time's AP News Wire.....
What you need to know about swine flu WASHINGTON (AP) — A never-before-seen strain of swine flu has turned killer in Mexico and is causing milder illness in the United States and elsewhere. While authorities say it's not time to panic.....LAURAN NEERGAARD Associated Press
Labor unions to dedicate memorial to workers who die on the job WASHINGTON -- Labor leaders are dedicating a national memorial to honor the more than 5,000 workers who lose their lives on the job each year. The National Workers Memorial will be located on ...... By Sam Hananel Associated Press
CDC: Confirmed swine flu cases in US jumps to 64 ATLANTA -- Health officials say the number of confirmed swine flu cases in the United States has jumped to 64. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Tuesday that the new count ...... By Mike Stobbe The Associated Press
Consumer confidence soars in April NEW YORK -- Hopeful signs that the worst may be over for the economy boosted Americans' moods in April, sending a closely watched barometer of sentiment to the highest level since November. The New ........ By Anne Innocenzio The Associated Press
AP sources: Gov't, Chrysler lenders reach deal WASHINGTON -- The Treasury Department has reached a tentative agreement with four of Chrysler's major debt holders in a bid to keep the automaker out of bankruptcy protection, two people familiar ...... By Stephen Manning The Associated Press
Slideshow: Obama names Greenwich educator teacher of the year (73%)04/28/2009 - WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama has announced that a former New York police officer is the nation's top teacher. Obama on Tuesday said special education teacher Anthony Mullen of Greenwich ........Wire Report The Associated Press
Building permits in state plummet HARTFORD -- State economic officials report that the number of housing permits issued in the first three months of the year is down by more than 50 percent. The state Department of Economic and ........By ASSOCIATED PRESS
State company making flu vaccine MERIDEN -- A state company says it is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in preparing a swine flu vaccine. The chief executive officer of Protein Sciences here says it ....... By ASSOCIATED PRESS
World Bank says poor countries risk calamity WASHINGTON -- The global financial crisis could become "a human and development calamity" for many poor countries, the World Bank said, urging donor nations to speed delivery of money they have ........By Harry Dunphy The Associated Press
Chrysler reaches labor deals in fight for survival DETROIT -- It looks like scrappy little Chrysler LLC might yet escape the auctioneer's gavel. The smallest U.S.-based automaker cleared two major hurdles on Sunday in its quest for survival ........By Tom Krisher The Associated Press
Swine flu puts governments on high alert WASHINGTON -- The world's governments raced to avoid both a pandemic and global hysteria Sunday as more possible swine flu cases surfaced from Canada to New Zealand and the United States declared a ........By Lauran Neergaard Associated Press
US joins world in battling flu WASHINGTON -- Amid surging worries about a global pandemic today, the United States launched border screening for swine flu exposure, the European Union advised against nonessential travel, many ........ By ASSOCIATED PRESS
In recession, some child's play is still free Grandparents are often known to say that in their day, kids didn't need paid entertainment; play was free. Play is still free -- if you know where to look. Parks, nature centers and other outdoor ....... By Anne Wallace Allen For The Associated Press
In search of safe, but sane, parenting: Free-range mom discusses her new book NEW YORK -- Writer Lenore Skenazy could have slinked off to mommyland, stripped of her self-esteem and parenting confidence after her public stoning for letting her 9-year-old son ride home alone on ........ By Leanne Italie Associated Press
New Met exhibit traces a decade of change NEW YORK -- In the 1970s, the art world was enmeshed in a vast series of lines, dots and amorphous figures: The conceptual had taken over. Gone were clear representations with clear meaning, and for ....... By SARA ROSE Associated Press
Kilauea volcano is a hot spot for visitors to see Hawaii's growing island HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, Hawaii -- The largest and southernmost of the Hawaiian islands is shaking, spitting and stretching as it slowly expands into the ocean. You'll see and feel reminders ....... By Audrey McAvoy Associated Press
A rafting adventure on India's remote frontier ON THE KAMENG RIVER, India -- The e-mail from an old friend who runs a white water rafting company was too enticing to resist: We're running a new river in India's remote east, he said. Join us. It ...... By Arthur Max Associated Press
Online map radius tools help vacationers find new destinations NEW YORK -- Remember the old song "500 Miles Away From Home"? Think of it as a challenge instead of a lament and you could come up with some good ideas for a road trip. You can do it the ........ By Beth J. Harpaz Associated Press
First-time author scores unexpected best seller JACKSON, Miss. -- Good thing Octavia Spencer is an actress. She needed all her stagecraft to hide a horrified look when her friend, Kathryn Stockett, asked her to read her new novel, "The Help." ....... By CHRIS TALBOTTAssociated Press
FAA: bird strikes more than double at big airports (62%)04/24/2009 - WASHINGTON -- Airplane collisions with birds have more than doubled at 13 major U.S. airports since 2000, according to Federal Aviation Administration data released for the first time Friday. Eleven ....... By Michael J. Sniffen The Associated Press
Undercover PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Kevin Roose managed to blend in during his single semester at Liberty University, attending lectures on the myth of evolution and the sin of homosexuality, and joining fellow ....... By Eric Tucker Associated Press
Cross-town rivals, Time Warner, Frontier go their own ways on fees Time Warner Cable Inc., long based in Stamford, is testing a new way of charging for Internet use -- by the amount of traffic rather than solely based on download speed. But now that it's expanding ....... By Peter Svensson Associated Press
Xerox 1Q earnings meet revised outlook (62%)04/24/2009 - NEW YORK -- Xerox Corp. posted a profit in the first quarter that met its revised guidance, which the company slashed last month due to restructuring costs and declining technology spending. Xerox ...... Wire Report The Associated Press
Norwalk survivor of "miracle on the Hudson" in SC wildfires MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - A man who was aboard the plane that made a splash landing in the Hudson River has found himself at the site of another crisis: wildfires near Myrtle Beach, S.C. Jeff Kolodjay of ...... Wire Report The Associated Press
Global economy is expected to shrink this year WASHINGTON -- The world economy is likely to shrink this year for the first time in six decades. The International Monetary Fund projected the 1.3 percent drop in a dour forecast released ....... By Jeannine Aversa The Associated Press
Booking air fare on a budget is easy with the right strategy NEW YORK -- If you're on a budget but you'd like to fly somewhere for your next vacation, there's good news. "Domestic fares are down 9 percent over a year ago and summer fares to Europe are down 19 .......By Beth J. Harpaz Associated Press
Frank Lloyd Wright home, Taliesin, sees jump in visitors MILWAUKEE -- Taliesin opened for the season this month, and officials there are expecting big crowds, despite the recession. Or maybe because of the recession. The number of visitors to Frank Lloyd ...... By Carrie Antlfinger Associated Press
The Rose City: Have a blast on a budget in Portland PORTLAND, Ore. -- Portland is not A-listed among the glamor cities, and Portlanders tend not to care if other cities have taller buildings or a bigger this or that. Over time, the city has followed ........ By Joseph B. Frazier Associated Press
New York's new ballparks are also a destination for serious eats NEW YORK -- Hundreds of fans were lined up for a taste of the fancy eats in the food court behind the behemoth of a center-field scoreboard at the Mets' sparkling new ballpark when Carlos Beltran ...... By Howie Rumberg Associated Press
A Swedish heiress has sued Proskauer Rose for nearly $9 million, accusing the firm of manipulating its billing practices to overcharge her by millions. In a separate malpractice claim, she alleges that the firm mishandled her suit against the jet-setting art buyer who purchased an Andy Warhol silkscreen that had been stolen from her, court records show.
The heiress of a Swedish building fortune, Kerstin Lindholm of Greenwich, Conn., retained Proskauer in March 2002 to pursue claims against Peter Brant, the media mogul and Warhol enthusiast who purchased "Red Elvis" for $2.9 million in 2000 while it was on loan to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, court records show. Brant bought the painting--worth at least $12 million in 2003--from a crooked Swedish art dealer who sold it out from under Lindholm, according to court records and this New York Times story. The dealer eventually served prison time for the theft, but Lindholm never got the painting back.
A Connecticut judge ruled in favor of Brant in 2005.
Now Lindholm and Proskauer are involved in an ugly dispute over fees that peaked earlier this month, when Lindholm sued the firm in state court in Connecticut. And her legal team at Bello, Lapine & Cassone in Stamford, Conn. has included something of a smoking gun as an exhibit in their complaint--an internal Proskauer memo written on letterhead bearing the name of a Proskauer associate who appears to have reviewed the firm's Lindholm file at some point. (The note is undated.) In the handwritten note, the associate writes that descriptions of the firm's work "may suggest double billing for same work," that "rates are quite high," and that there was an "overall excessive handling of every item in the case."
Through a spokesman, Proskauer called Lindholm's allegations "entirely without merit." The associate who wrote the note, Mara Lainie Taylor, did not return a message seeking comment. Lawrence Weinstein, the lead Proskauer attorney on the Brant litigation, did not return a call seeking comment.
....Lindholm claims she has paid more than $1 million to Proskauer in legal bills so far, and the breach of fiduciary duty count in her suit seeks $850,000--the difference between Proskauer's original estimate and the amount she has paid.
The larger malpractice count seeks $8 million and accuses the firm of failing to pursue a claim against the Guggenheim. Lindholm believes she has a course of action because the museum should have notified her immediately when Brant asserted a claim of ownership to "Red Elvis" over the phone in 2000, according to the complaint. Had the museum done so, the suit claims, Lindholm could have stopped delivery of the painting to an address in Denmark, where the dealer arranged for its sale to Brant.
Lindholm's agent suggested Proskauer sue the museum, but the firm concluded she had no claim against the Guggenheim. Lindholm also pushed for a jury trial, but the firm waived her right to a jury trial and argued the Brant case before a judge instead. The suit claims Proskauer did so because Lindholm wasn't paying her bills and the firm wanted to finish the case quickly.
================================================================= Please send your comments, newstips and press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com
You clearly do not understand what the people of New York went through on September 11th, 2001. For you and your self centered minions to send Air Force One with fighter jets in tow over the Manhattan skyline for a photo op without any warning shows a clear disconnect. In your arrogance you frightened thousands of people who had witnessed the unspeakable, forcing them to relive that infamous day.
What genius came up with this plan? Will someone be punished? Who was on board? Doesn't the White House have anything better to do?
What did this cost?
What were you thinking?!
My guess is we will never know....
THE RAW GREENWICH BLOG AND RSS FEED CONTINUES.......
The Daily Spurgeon Loving the brethren - Where the Spirit of God is there must be love, and if I have once known and recognized any man to be my brother in Christ Jesus, the love of Christ const...
The paper's daily print circulation, a measure of people paying for the newspaper, dropped 8.9 percent to 99,111 compared with a year ago. Total Sunday print circulation, which is typically the most profitable day for newspaper advertising, dropped 7.2 percent to 130,693.
The company attributed the drop to higher subscription rates and newsstand prices.Print circulation is the traditional measure for newspapers, and print readers remain the most profitable in terms of drawing advertising revenue.
But the Audit Bureau of Circulations in 2007 began measuring online readership as well to respond to the changing ways readers access news. Combining both print and Web readership helps gauge a news organization's overall reach.....
......Other newspapers with strong print and Web readership growth areGreenwichTime inConnecticut, which grew its audience by 30.7 percent, and the Birmingham News in Alabama, which increased its combined audience by 11.9 percent, according to the ABC.
.....Newspaper circulation dropped sharply nationwide. Of the top 10 newspapers in the country, only News Corp.'s Wall Street Journal increased circulation, by 0.6 percent. Gannett Co.'s USA Today, the largest U.S. newspaper, lost 7.5 percent, and the New York Post had the biggest slump with 21 percent......
Rock Star Diary Pics from Connecticut - I went home to CT on Saturday to attend my beloved Grandfathers memorial service. I also got to spend time with the family and my cute niece & nephew. Here a...
Greenwich First Selectman Peter Tesei, like many other top officials in Fairfield County, are doing their best to combat the swine flu.
Tesei says that there are no documented cases of the flu in Greenwich. He is sharing suggestions for citizens to combat the virus that was issued in a new report by the town's director of public health.
It boils down to daily groomig basics: washing your hands often with alcohol based cleaners or anti-bacterial soap, covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze, avoiding sick people or wearing a mask if you are around someone who is and if you are sick, please avoid being around others and stay at home rather than go to your workplace.
Be sure to contact your medical practicioner for any questions and possible appointments.
=============================================================== Please send your comments, news tips and press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com
Author Visit & Book Signing TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 7:30 PM JEFFREY TOOBIN THE NINE: INSIDE THE SECRET WORLD OF THE SUPREME COURT A Just Books' Event at Arcadia Cafe 20 Arcadia Road, Old Greenwich, CT Free and Open to the Public; Reservations Recommended - 203-637-0707
Jeffrey Toobin, author and legal news analyst, will visit to sign copies of The Nine: inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court (Anchor Books,$15.95). Toobin is probably one of the most recognized and highly-regarded legal analysts today. A staff-writer at the New Yorker since 1993 and Senior Legal Analyst for CNN, Toobin has been a welcome asset, helping Americans decipher legal actions and events in this country for over two decades. The Nine, his most recent book which takes a look into the chambers of the Supreme Court, spent over four months on the New York Times Best-seller List, and the book was named one of the ten best books of the year by many publications including New York Times, Time, Newsweek, and The Economist. Toobin has written three other highly successful books, one on the controversial election of 2000, one on the OJ Simpson case and one on the sex scandal involving President Clinton. Toobin received his bachelor's degree at Harvard College and his law degree at Harvard University where he served on the Law Review. Before becoming a news analyst, Toobin worked as an Assistant US Attorney in Brooklyn. He currently lives in Manhattan.
_____________________________________________________ Author Visit & Book Signing SATURDAY, MAY 2, 10:00 AM MICHELLE MORFITT & CHRIS GORMAN OUR PLACE: GREENWICH
Just Books 28 Arcadia Road, Old Greenwich, CT Free and Open to the Public
Chris Gorman and Michelle Morfitt will read and sign copies of their delightful story for both kids and adults called Our Place Greenwich. Narrated by local resident Jack, a lovable Golden Retriever, Our Place Greenwich brings you fascinating facts about Greenwich through a beautifully illustrated tour of the town that is certain to elicit from you a raised eyebrow, "huh, I never knew that," at the end of at least one of the sentences! The cover was illustrated by Old Greenwich School's Kendall Gregory, age 9. A GREAT Mother's Day gift!A portion of the proceeds from every book sold to go to local organizations, such as the Greenwich Alliance for Education and The Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich.
Author Visit & Book Signing SATURDAY, MAY 2, 10:00 AM JERRY OPPENHEIMER TOY MONSTER: THE BIG, BAD WORLD OF MATTEL Just Books 28 Arcadia Road, Old Greenwich, CT Free and Open to the Public
Jerry Oppenheimer, best known for biographies like "Just Desserts" (about Martha Stewart) or "State of a Union" (Bill and Hillary Clinton's marriage), has now trained his sights on the world's biggest toy company, Mattel, in his new book Toy Monster: The Big, Bad World of Mattel (Wiley, $24.95). Oppenheimer exposes Mattel's egos, scandals and flawed products. In this toyland, nothing is cute or cuddly. Oppenheimer takes a tour of Mattel's seamier side, highlighting its corporate practices and interesting cast in this scathing portrait published to coincide with Barbie's 50th anniversary. Fast-paced and engaging, this exposé will absorb readers until the last page and will forever change the way they think about the giant toy company.
_____________________________________________________ AWARD WINNING JUST BOOKS VOTED BEST INDEPENDENT BOOK STORE IN FAIRFIELD COUNTY!!
Just Books would like to THANK the community for its continued support. The success of an independent neighborhood bookstore is dependent on its loyal customers.
-- Marion Holmes and the staff at Just Books _____________________________________________________
Just Books is Better Than Ever - Check Out These Award-Winning Author Visits & Mark Your Calendar for These Upcoming Events!
APRIL 29, 10:30 AM - Just Books' Toddler & Pre School Story Hour at Just Books
MAY 6, 7:30 PM -- ANDREW TREES with DECODING LOVE at Arcadia Cafe (Book Signing)
MAY 9, 10:00 AM -- ALICE SCHROEDER with THE SNOWBALL: WARREN BUFFET AND THE BUSINESS OF LIFE at Just Books (Book Signing)
MAY 11, 7:30 PM -- JAYANTI TAMM with CARTWHEELS IN A SARI: GROWING UP CULT at Arcadia Cafe (Book Signing)
MAY 16, 10:00 AM -- KAREN BENCE with MIDNIGHT REVELATIONS at Just Books (Book Signing)
MAY 18, 7:00 PM -- JANIS ABRAHMS SPRING, Ph.D., with LIFE WITH POP at Arcadia Cafe (Book Signing)
MAY 19, 7:00 PM -- CAITLIN MACY with SPOILED at Arcadia Cafe (Book Signing)
MAY 30, 10:00 AM -- LOCAL AUTHOR DAY @ JUST BOOKS! LUC HARDY with ARCTIC TRANSITIONS at Just Books (Book Signing)
JUST BOOKS 28 Arcadia Road Old Greenwich, CT 06870 203-637-0707 · STORE HOURS: M-F, 9am - 5pm Sat, 9am-4pm Closed Sun REMEMBER - JUST BOOKS HAS AUTHOR SIGNED BOOKS! LIMITED SUPPLIES AVAILABLE
Just Books is proud to support the community with a renewed and continued focus on customer service. Check out the Just Books' calendar for upcoming events, including book signings, book clubs, youth literacy and writing programs (Just Words @ Just Books on Monday nights). Also stop by anytime and meet the new owner Marion Holmes. Just Books also wants to hear from you, so please send us your favorites, recommendations and wish list! Just Books can special order any book, gift wrap and ship to anywhere in the U.S.
Please be advised that tomorrow's 5th Grade Orienteering meet for Western MS feeder schools (Glenville, Ham Ave, New Leb and Parkway) has been postponed until Thursday due to the pending inclement weather tomorrow.
Please join us at this outstanding event at Camp Seton, 363 Riversville Road in Greenwich from 9:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m on Thursday.
Marilyn Adelberg Administrative Assistant to Colleen Morey, Program Coordinator Health, Phys Ed, FCS, Athletics, SEL/CE Greenwich Public Schools 290 Greenwich Avenue Greenwich, CT 06830-6521 Phone: 203-625-7473 Fax: 203-625-7433 marilyn_adelberg@greenwich.k12.ct.us
If you are going to constantly made snide remarks about Greenwich Time, you should at least adhere to their standards of spelling, which you will no doubt agree is a very low bar to clear.
Please use "it's" as a contraction for "it is" or "it has" only. "Its" is the possessive, meaning "belonging to it."
This rule is so simple to apply that you will never get it wrong again.
For example, just today:
Once Again The Greenwich Time's Print Circulation Has Declined, But The Web Traffic At The Greenwich Time Has Soar So Much That The Newspaper Has Once Again Achived [no - Achieved ] Double Didgit [no - digit] Growth In It's [sic - belonging to it] Combined Circulation.
The spelling problem really detracts from the blog.
Often times when Greenwich Roundup, brings up an issue that is controversial or that many in power would like to sweep under the rug, the main response is that you misspelled this or that.
It is not that your argument is wrong, because of x, y and z.
You see Greenwich Roundup was born blind in his right eye and the left eye is crossed with less than normal vision.
I am told that my right eye had a damaged right eye had no pupil, because of cataracts.
Everyone was shocked, because they said cataracts is an old person's disease.
Later, the blind right eye had to be removed, because it got glaucoma and there was a fear that it was moving to the crossed left eye. I glass eye was put in the right eye, but the eyelid tends to droop, because especially if I am tired.
Because of having one eye, I have no depth perception or peripheral vision.
While out in about Greenwich I am able to hide the low vision problem in the left eye, because I know my surroundings very well.
However, If I am in a very stressful or strange place I can have a slight bit of difficulty.
Greenwich Roundup wishes that he had a volunteer copy editor.
He really does go over the posts four five and sometimes six times.
There is a blogger in Port Chester named Gino who has a muscular problem and types out an blog with his head that is error free and flawless. I am not sure if he has someone t help him edit the blog.
Michael, I tell you this background information only because I want you to understand the situation.
I no way do I want your pity.
In fact the quickest way to experience the raw and ravaging fury of Greenwich Roundup is to discount him or pity him, because of his vision problem.
Greenwich Roundup or his family has never accepted, social services, food stamps or any other government assistance, because Greenwich Roundup is a very proud man.
However, for the last few years Greenwich Roundup has taken advantage of the subsidised Outpatient clinic at Greenwich Hospital.
In middle school School administrators had tried to prevent Greenwich Roundup from taking physical education with the other boys. They were afraid of the liability of having Greenwich Roundup nixing it up and getting hurt.
They wanted to pair him up with another low vision boy from another school and let us play non-contact sports like rolling a ball on the floor.
Eventually the school saw things Greenwich Roundups way and quit interfering in his education and let him engage in physical education to the best of his ability.
Greenwich Roundup might have been the last picked or had been the "strikeout king", but he was right at home plate taking his shots.
Sometimes Greenwich Roundup connected. Nothing was more beautiful when a ball flew over outfielder's heads because they had moved into the infield, because they underestimated the one eyed slugger who just went from "strikeout king" to "RBI KING".
Greenwich Roundup's poor excuse of a father ended up leaving the family home before he turned seven and Greenwich Roundup's mother was a bar maid that worked two shifts to support him and his little sister.
Greenwich Roundup always managed to find work after school and during the summer to do his part in helping support his family. From the fifth grade Greenwich Roundup delivered newspapers, mowed lawns, cleaned dog cages, cleaned golf carts, washed dishes, bused tables,unloaded trucks and even hauled hay in the summer, etc., etc., etc....
The last year of Greenwich Roundup's middle school education his mother was able to get a chance at a home through a rent with an option to buy deal. The deal worked this way. My mother and I had to pay double rent for four years. One rent payment was for the rent and the other rent payment was saved for the down payment. At the end there was a huge balloon payment that needed a loan.
If we screwed up just one time my mother and I would lose all the additional rent payments we had made and could be evicted from our home. This deal made Bill Clinton's Whitewater deals look the deals of the century.
I dropped out of 9th grade and started working full time year around.
Eventually my high school principal who I admired a great deal came to the hardware store I was working in and threatened the owner. Then he took me to the back of the store and told me that I was throwing my life away.
I had to tell My principal that I was truly touched and sincerely appreciate his genuine concern, but if I had too I could make him legally throw me out of the high school. I then begged him not to go down that route, because I did not want to dishonor a principal I admired so much.
My principal left and told my boss that he didn't have a problem with me working in the store if my boss didn't have a problem with it. However, my boss got scared and let me go. This was somewhat devastating, because Jimmy Cater was president and jobs were kind of scarce, but I quickly found another job.
Later I Got a GED, went to a community college, then transferred to a state school and then transferred to the Rose Hill Campus of Fordham University. I still remember and cherish the beautiful letter that Sister Belinda at Holy Rosary in Port Chester on my behalf even though I was not Catholic.
Greenwich Roundup has been self employed in a contracting business for a while now, because he got tired of his appearance preventing him from advancing at an organization. There just aren't that many crossed eyed leaders in America. In fact, Greenwich Roundup has vowed never to work as a wage slave again and will only work on a contractual basis now.
Greenwich Roundup has always given back to the community to help those less fortunate than him. He has been in Kiwanis, rotary and in the Elks club. He has volunteered weekly and worked at Grace Churches homeless and feeding programs.
He has served as an election official in the Town Of Rye and the Town of Greenwich and currently serves on the Greenwich Representative Town Meeting. When I turned in my petitions in the last election a person working in the town told me that that was the most RTM signatures she had ever seen.
Greenwich Roundup however, is considering quitting the RTM, because it conflicts with reporting on this blog.
Greenwich Roundup has been cutting back on his volunteering and started getting more involved at Harvest Time Church up on King Street since I got saved about nine months ago. I volunteer there at the coffee bar for all three services and the church hands out free things like children's clothes during these hard economic times at the coffee bar. I also try and help out at Harvest Time Church one or two additional days at the church.
This Friday there is a missions dinner and conference that highlight all of the many projects the church is doing. This wonderful church spends over 25% of it's donations helping the poor and less fortunate and I am so proud to be a member there.
The only thing I don't like is that church members want me to remove this huge chip off my shoulder.
Harvest Time Church has me praying that Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg and his family is kept safe as he performs his duties for the town. Even though I think he is doing a poor job as the Greenwich Chief Of Police.
Greenwich Roundup has a wonderful and loving wife and two sons who are continuing their education. The youngest son is a Greenwich High School grad who just returned from Iraq with a Brose Star and has just started a veterans club at Norwalk Community College.
Michael, I hope this information can let you look past the spelling errors in this blog and see the ideas and the person behind the blog.
"Some people say i don't speak right, but yet I know what i am talking about."- from the mid-'70s Funk song from War, called "Why Can't We Be Friends?"
WHY WAR - Why Can't We Be Friends?
Sorry To Say, It's not that simple. Sure it would be nice to just end worldwide violence but sometimes war just can't be avoided. I don't think a proposal of friendship would have stopped Ghengis Khan from eradicating the Tatars.
But maybe It's education. No education makes ignorant people. Ignorant people like Greenwich Roundup ended up voting for George Bush two times. Oh, God was Greenwich Roundup a fool for supporting that guy for such a long time. How could Greenwich Roundup have been so blind.
Maybe it is also abbot educating ignorant people who believe that doing terrorist attacks will make you go to heaven...
IN his new book, "The Richest Man in Town," Randall Jones says that Carl Icahn is the wealthiest guy in New York, Sam Zell is tops in Chicago, and Kirk Kerkorian rules LA.
Jones also claims Hungarian immigrant Thomas Peterffy, who made $11 billion through his Interactive Brokers, is twice as rich as his much more publicized Greenwich, Conn., neighbor, hedge-fund honcho Steve Cohen, who's worth a mere $6 billion. Sheldon Adelson, "the undisputed king of Las Vegas," was once worth $28 billion before shares in his Sands casinos imploded.
"The Lottery Doctor Is In"
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By Jerry Zezima
If I ever won the lottery, I’d never collect the money. That’s because I
would drop dead from shock. Then my wife would be a rich widow.
...
It Really Was Twenty Years Ago Today
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Not quite how it turned out
It was a Thursday.
August 17, 2006.
"London Bridge" by Fergie was the top song in the land (yikes). Snakes on a
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Interest Rates Up – Sales Fall – Market Stays Tight
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We have 217 listings on the market which is a record low for this week. We
only have one listing under $700,000 which is 0.5% of the market. Under $1
milli...
WordPress Toolkit – Backup and Restore WordPress
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What is WordPress Toolkit? Packed full of features and an easy to use
control panel, manage your WordPress websites with ease. WordPress Toolkit
is every...
TOWN OF GREENWICH SHOULD DENY HIGBIE A PLATFORM
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Carl Higbie has made numerous racist, anti-gay, anti-Muslim, misogynist,
and anti-migrant statements, even calling for shooting people who cross our
southe...
Or the other way around
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Legal pot is making the poor lazy and shiftless, claims the NYPost. Isn’t
it just as likely; more likely, that lazy, shiftless people tend to be poor
and u...
Drop - In Spanish Storytime with Miss Myriam
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*When:* Tuesday, April 26, 2016 9:30 AM
*Where:* Cos Cob Library
You're invited to Drop-in Spanish Storytime with Myriam. Sessions take
place weekly. Bring...
Pre-School Storytime & Craft with Allison
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*When:* Tuesday, April 26, 2016 11:00 AM
*Where:* Byram Shubert Library
A program of simple songs, read alouds and a craft. Program is geared to
children a...
Tales for Tots 2s and 3s
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*When:* Tuesday, April 19, 2016 10:30 AM
*Where:* Greenwich Library at Rear of Children's Room
Drop-in program for 2 and 3 year-old children with a parent/c...
Cara Mendaftar di Agen Bola Online
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*CARA DAFTAR SBOBET Indonesia - Buat mendaftar SBOBET CASINO itu tak lah
sulit alias sangant gampang & enteng sekali. Sebelum mulai sejak mendaftar
sediki...
Rejoice And Be Exceedingly Glad!
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He died a real death, but now he lives a real life, he did lie in the tomb,
and it was no fiction that the breath had departed from hi...
Appeals Court Refuses to Void Madoff Settlements
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The decision leaves intact a $410 million settlement with J. Ezra Merkin, a
Wall Street hedge fund manager, and an $80 million settlement with
Fairfield Gr...
Trucks on the Merritt
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Once again we have to put up with trucks on the Merritt Parkway crashing
into bridges. In the Greenwich Time article (here) there is mention of a
bill pro...
Michael Mason Midwives MISA
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The hugely-important issue of the projected Music Instructional
Space/Auditorium, aka MISA, came up for one final vote in the RTM
(Representative Town Mee...
Guilty Plea Expected in Trautwein Murder
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STAMFORD -- A former New Haven mechanic whose conviction for murdering
North Stamford resident Joanne Trautwein in 2005 was overturned by the
state Supre...
Grandma Joyce's Apple Cake
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Since we have had an unnaturally warm winter this year, it feels like we
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stretching...
Transitioning Into Fall
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Fall is just around the corner, with last night’s cool temperatures in
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summer is ...
Redistricting
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OK, I get the knee-jerk reaction to change offered by someone partisan is
often going to be rejection. But the reaction to the proposed redistricting
rolle...
Meet the Rev. Halley Low!
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The Rev. Halley Low was born in the Bronx and raised on Long Island. He
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Reverse Mortgages
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If you are a home owner or getting ready to be a home owner and you know
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Different vision of America? No argument here.
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In his opening speech at the recent Tea Party Convention held in Nashville,
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I've joined the FCC National Broadband Plan team
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Yesterday at blogband.gov it was announced that I've joined the FCC's
National Broadband Plan Task Force. I'm delighted to be helping Blair Levin
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05/02/09 The Latest Greenwich Police Reports
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*This Just In ....*
*Greenwich, officers agree to settle over military lawsuit*
Greenwich Time
By Debra Friedman
*Two years after five Greenwich police ...
2009 Women's Retreat Afternoon Session
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Ladies, use the top right hand button of the embedded document to view it
in full screen mode, or click the iPaper button to print your own copy of
the not...
New address for our blog!
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We are in the process of combining this blog and our main site into one new
site: to read future and many older posts, from now on please visit:
http://www...
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*Statistics*
The third quarter sales statistics are out and they provide some
interesting reading (if you lead a very dull life, that is). Sales are down
(...
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