The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe at Russell Library!

Watch the book come to life at the Russell Library!

On Sunday, November 22 at 1:30 pm. The Hampstead Stage Company will present The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, their first installment in their series of adaptations of the beloved Narnia saga by C.S. Lewis. 
Step with them through the door of an old wardrobe and enter a snowy world laced with fantasy and wonder.  There you will meet quite the cast of magical creatures as you accompany two intelligent and imaginative children, Lucy and Edmund, on their adventures.  This delightful story is entertainment for the whole family, while still providing insight about the emotional climate of childhood during World War II.  Additionally, the play uses elements of traditional English folklore, Greek mythology, and of course 20th century literature to educate the audience.

Drop-in, no registration. 

The Hubbard Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad St., Middletown. Ages: 5 and up. 

 Sponsored by The Friends of The Russell Library.

"A Lot of the Credit Goes to You" -- The Colonel Carries On #6

  

There are those who argue that the Vermeer tronie reproduced above marks the point at which the Middle Ages ended and the the Renaissance began.

A tronie (16/17th-century Dutch for "face") is a common type, or group of types, of works common in Dutch Golden Age painting and Flemish Baroque painting that shows an exaggerated facial expression or a stock character in costume.

Almost-epigraph: “I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center.” -Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., writer (1922-2007)

Sarah J. Liners is torn between clapping because she’s not cold and weeping because the weather means it must be global warming and we’ll have to be tick-vigilant all year round.

We have to take a class in how to work our new gas fireplace insert. Did cave dwellers have to take classes to work their new fireplace inserts?

In the war, green frogs were drafted to work in defense plants. The most famous was Rosie D. Ribbeter.

Chuck Norris turducken: turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken stuffed with the original turkey. (He also counted to infinity. Twice. While his turducken was cooking.)

Sarah J. Liners says they should come up with a better name for turducken because who wants to eat anything whose name starts with those four letters? Well, we could go with the name spell check wants for turducken: "turn-buckle." Yum.

“Why does that murder of crows keep chanting my name?” thought Caw.

Need an aggressive attorney? Try www.NYLawya.com. (Kidding. But the URL is available.)

Connecticut may soon get mandatory continuing legal education (MCLE) for the wonderful reason that most other states have it.

Syrian refugees should have regular doctors and not be vetted.

Chuck Norris can run around the world so fast he has time to fire his own starting gun.

As The Beatles said so succinctly, “Happiness is a warm gun. Bang bang, shoot shoot.” They knew.

As seen on TV: It slices and dices and imbues your life with meaning.

We shop for luxuries to escape the monotony of shopping for necessities.

The many words for “snow” have met their match in the many spellings of “Honica.”

“When we lack the will to see things as they really are, there is nothing so mystifying as the obvious.” --Irving Kristol

According to legend, if not actual history, Harold Macmillan was once asked what he most feared could derail his agenda. The British prime minister allegedly said, “Events, my dear boy, events.” (As far as we know, "dear boy" was just an expression and not a scandal.)

“What the American public wants is a tragedy with a happy ending.” --William Dean Howells

“Fudgewit” is a euphemism for a dope, but I prefer to think of it as a zombie chocoholic’s nickname for a person with a tasty brain.

Marshrigger’s Admonition: “Never interrupt the person who has the floor if your interruption contains the words ‘I think it’s important.’”

"In politics, it is necessary either to betray one's country or the electorate.  I prefer to betray the electorate." – Charles De Gaulle. But for “nil nisi bonum,” the words “arrogant,” “pompous,” and “equine posterior” could be strung together descriptively.

“The north end of a horse pointing south” is a nifty euphemism, but the part of the image I like best is a horse “pointing” like a hunting dog.

“Godzilla vs. Entropy”: A long movie to the end of which no one stays.

And penultimately, a harvest of clickbait with the links removed, because I respect your time. Up to a point.

Self-driving car gets pulled over

The women who claim to have affairs with ghosts

The guy who wasted $718,000 on psychics

Why some people just don’t care

Uranus might be full of surprises

Science: Coffee makes you live longer

Science: Men eat more to impress women

How dogs created civilization

Corgi likes to be vacuumed

Amusement park lets chimpanzee smoke cigarettes

Supercut of inspirational sports-movie speeches

Luke Skywalker is a homicidal maniac

The history of fictional organized crime

Why English is so weird

Why Beowulf still matters

Is Donald Trump Beowulf?

Earn $13,000/year selling your stool

The great Arabian goat pageant

Carly Simon reveals who was so vain

Lego Captain America fights Nazi zombies

“The point of looking up from the hurly-burly of our daily lives to see the sun in the day and the moon and the stars at night is not to look down again with a new humility and sense of insignificance, but with the sense that the hurly-burly of our daily lives is as beautiful, important, and majestic as the sun, the moon, and the stars.” --Zandor Halasz

Happy Thanksgiving.

Young Resident Coordinating a Toy Drive to Benefit Children in the Hospital

From Mayor Drew's office.
--------
Mayor Daniel T. Drew is proud to highlight the activities of Gianna Sutcliffe, a seven year old resident. Gianna is organizing the Gianna Sutcliffe Wish Drive, a toy drive for Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital. She was inspired to do this after a difficult situation occurred in her own life, which motivated her to give back to others who might not be as fortunate as her and her family.

Last year, Gianna decided that she wanted to help children who are in the hospital over the holidays, and her mother helped her arrange a toy drive. This will be Gianna's second year collecting items for Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital. Gianna and her mother chose Yale, since her mother was a surgical patient there in 2014 & 2015. Gianna and her brother were also both patients of Yale Immunology Pediatric Doctors and recipients of items in The Toy Closet, one of the organizations within Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital that Gianna is collecting for. The goal of the Toy Closet Program is to provide pediatric patients with comfort, enjoyment and support while they are receiving care at Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital. Toys are given out 365 days a year. More information can be found at: https://www.ynhh.org/about/community/auxiliary/toy-closet-program.aspx. Gianna is also collecting toys for Child Life at Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital. Child Life helps children cope with the adjustments of being in a hospital by providing a variety of play experiences. Through play, child life specialists help facilitate the emotional and social growth of children during the crisis of illness. Items donated help children with therapies and other needs. More information can be found at: https://www.ynhh.org/childrens-hospital/services/support-services/child-life.aspx.
Gianna has set up collection sites at various locations, including a drop box at the Municipal Building, in the first floor lobby (245 Dekoven Drive in Middletown). Other drop locations include Green Street Arts Center, L Salon in Hamden, the Irish American Club, and AA&A Precious Metal.

On November 28, Gianna will be in person collecting toys from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm at Walmart on Berlin Road in Cromwell.  Gianna will also be hosting Lunch with Santa at The Irish American Community Center in East Haven on November 29, from 1:00 pm until 4:00 pm. The club is located at 9 Venice Place in East Haven. The Irish American Community has donated three hours of time for the event, and radio celebrity John "Cadillac" Saville will DJ the event. Other entertainment will include balloon animals, face painting, carolers, and a visit from Santa, along with raffles and crafts.  All that is asked is that a new unwrapped toy or item is brought in to attend the event.  Lists of the items requested by Yale can be found at the above links.  Please contact 860-316-7943 with any questions.

Gianna’s family is very proud of her creative and generous spirit, noting that she has a very warm heart and always seeks to help others. Mayor Drew commented, “I am always very moved when I see anyone giving back to the community, helping other who face challenging situation. Gianna’s young age makes her generosity particularly impressive and inspiring.”

City Wins McMahon Lawsuit

Below is from the Mayor's office. The Hartford Courant covered the story.
--------------
Decision Vindicates City’s Fight for Taxpayers’ Rights and Police Accountability
Statement from Mayor Daniel T. Drew: Today, New London Superior Court Judge Joseph Koletsky ruled for the City of Middletown in a lawsuit that former Acting Police Chief Patrick McMahon brought challenging my decision to terminate his employment.

Today, the court vindicated our decision to hold Mr. McMahon accountable for lying about drinking with his badge and gun on in public.

The decision ends several years of litigation that Mr. McMahon initiated after his employment was terminated in 2012. He had sued us seeking reinstatement, back wages, and payments for emotional distress. We zealously defended the charges because lying and drinking while displaying a badge and gun are so egregious that there was a moral imperative to defend the taxpayer’s rights not to have to endure that kind of conduct.

At the end of the day, it was important to protect our taxpayers and citizens and not to settle for a payout. This was about principle, and I am enormously pleased that the taxpayers and citizens had their day in court and prevailed.

# # #

Statement from Attorney Mike Rose: We have been confident from day one, and we are very happy that our confidence was well placed. When you have solid and credible leadership from Mayor Drew and Chief McKenna, it makes our jobs easier. This was a good win and a good day for Middletown.

Volunteers needed for tax preparation assistance

Volunteers are needed for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program to help low- to moderate-income households prepare and file their taxes to ensure they get back the money they have earned.

VITA is a national program of the IRS, and volunteers are trained and certified to ensure that working families and individuals are filing for all of the appropriate tax credits. The program also helps families who might be struggling financially by saving them costly fees associated with tax preparation and rapid refund loans.

The program is looking for volunteers for two VITA sites located in downtown Middletown to provide free tax preparation assistance for eligible taxpayers. Tax preparation is offered January 23–April 12, 2016 at Middlesex United Way’s office in 100 Riverview Center and at NEAT’s office on Main Street.

No prior experience is necessary. Volunteers complete training and are certified by the IRS. Training will be held January 4-7 or January 11-14, 2016, and volunteers need to attend consecutive evening sessions. Volunteers will be trained to let taxpayers know if they qualify for additional tax credits, such as the federal and the state Earned Income Tax Credits and the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit. VITA volunteers must complete a minimum of one 4-hour shift per week during tax season in the late afternoons and evenings or on Saturdays; maintain confidentiality of all client information; and interact with the public in a helpful and supportive manner. Opportunities to become certified as an advanced tax preparer are also available.

In 2015, the two VITA sites in Middletown helped more than 570 Middlesex County area residents file their taxes for free and returned more than $770,000 back to taxpayers. Those who filed with Middletown VITA sites had an average adjusted gross income of about $21,000 and received an average refund of $1,656, money they have earned. This impacts not only those who filed their taxes, but also their families and the local economy.

To volunteer or learn more, contact Leah Meyer at 860-227-7409 or leah.meyer99@gmail.com.

VITA is a free program offered by the federal government. Local VITA sites are coordinated by the Middlesex VITA Coalition, a partnership of Middlesex United Way and the North End Action Team. The Middlesex VITA Coalition receives support from the Connecticut Association of Human Services.

November 20 & 21 at The Buttonwood Tree

The Buttonwood Tree 

Weekend Events

 Nov 20: Jeff Fuller and Friends (Jazz)

 http://www.jefffuller.net/

Nov 21: Sons of the Never Wrong (Contemporary Folk)

www.sons.com

Jeff Fuller & Friends

with Darren Litzie and Ben Bilello

Friday, November 20

8pm $10

Jeff Fuller & Friends features Jeff on acoustic bass along with Darren Litzie on piano, and Ben Bilello on drums. The three musicians are versatile and well-known performers in Connecticut’s jazz scene, and will perform music from their 2015 release, The Call From Within, a 14-song collection featuring Fuller’s original compositions, ranging from swing to bop to Brazilian.  Several pieces from pianist Darren Litzie will also be featured.

Sons of the Never Wrong

Saturday, November 21

8pm $15

SONS has been creating original "turbo-charged altfolk music" for over 20 years to a cult-like international following. With their outrageous approach to 3-part harmony on top of original, witty, whimsical songs, Sons' style has turned familiar musical traditions inside out! In performance this trio’s energy can power up an entire town, and in this day and age of global warming, we all could use some wattage like the Sons of the Never Wrong.

MxCC Hosts Manufacturing Open House Events Dec. 9 and Jan. 6

Manufacturing remains the largest contributor to Connecticut’s economy, with thousands of new jobs ready and waiting to be filled by skilled workers.  To learn how to train for a manufacturing career or to increase skills for job advancement, Middlesex Community College invites prospective students to two upcoming manufacturing open house events: Wednesday, December 9, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the main Middlesex Community College campus in Middletown; and Wednesday, January 6, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Wilcox Tech High School in Meriden. For more information, contact Hubert Godin at hgodin@mxcc.edu.

The open houses will feature a presentation of MxCC’s manufacturing program, which includes a Manufacturing Technology certificate or associate degree program.   Both of these programs are designed to help students develop entry-level skills or to upgrade existing skills. 

“Job opportunities at Connecticut’s manufacturers are a bright spot in the economy because of increases in both new hiring and retirements,” said Hubert Godin, MxCC’s manufacturing program coordinator.  “Our program prepares graduates for positions as CNC machine operators, inspectors, and tool and die apprentices, and gives graduates the opportunity to earn better than average pay with full benefits and a better future.”

This program is funded (or in-part) by a $15,000,000 Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. This Program is an equal opportunity employer/ program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.