Woodstock CT Café

Observer -

I actually think yours is an important topic to discuss which is why I have, well, persisted at it. And this is something I have really wondered about for a long time. So maybe you can help me.

I just watched an extended interview with Barack Obama. I have to really focus on the issues when listening to politicians, and try to distinguish fluff from substance because they are so good at confusing the two. And I have to say that this guy is completely unflappable, of strong intellect and has supreme confidence. And I believe that last will cause him, if elected, to seek the best talent so that he can govern well.

Obama has the ability to use the superficial “gotcha’” questions as a platform to discuss, in plain language, the underlying problems seriously. So when asked about affirmative action, Obama responds that while he is generally supportive, it has been used “as a shortcut” to the more intractable issues of education, training, employment and mainstream social integration of minorities in our society.

When asked to admit he was “wrong” about the Iraqi “troop surge”, Barack replies the surge is a short term TACTIC; the STRATEGY of occupying Iraq detracts from America’s security, as Al Quaeda is proving now through raids in Afghanistan.

And Obama has not backed down on Iraq and in fact explained to General Patraeus this week that generals implement America’s military policies as part of strategic national security policies that are established by the Executive. I like this because he is right, because it shows great courage of conviction, and because (I know) Patraeus agrees with it, and is fully aware that he is a prop in Bush’s rationalization for a failed strategy, and that the restoration of the local Sunni power structure is inconsistent with Bush’s publicized strategy of a strong central democratic government. Read the rest of this entry »

Northeast Connecticut veterans were honored with the Connecticut Veterans Wartime Service Medal Saturday in ceremonies at Hyde School in Woodstock.
 
WOODSTOCK: Frank Abissi, Harold Baker, Robert Beatty, Roger Bedard, Noel Bitgood, Robert Blair, Robert Braaten, John Buell, Joseph Burdick, Peter Cavagnaro, Gerard Chartier, Normand Chattelle, Fred Child, John Clough, Michael Coderre, John Colburn Sr., Mark Collins, Christopher Conrad, Joseph Couillard, Everett Cowley, James DiBonaventura, John DiLuciano, John DiLuciano Jr., Donald Ducheneau, Michael Duffy, Harry Easton Jr., Harry Elliott, Albert Fagant, Steven Fairfield, Anthony Felice, Jr., Ernest Fenner, Leroy Flynn, Leigh Foote, Charles Franklin, Roger Gale, Michael Garceau, Robert Gatineau, James Glaude, Marion Hanson, David Hazelton, Russell Hibbard, Joseph Hudock, Karlo Jajliardo, Richard Johnson, Walter Johnson, Robert Julian, Paul Kosciow, Thomas Kroll, George LaChapelle, Paul Lee, James Leonard, Mary Levesque, George Looby, Elmer MacCluskey, Stephen Magaw, John Mathieu, Joseph McGrady, Michael McLean Jr., Frederick Meyer, John Mona, Arthur Munroe, Edward Munroe, Myra Neely, Curtis Norton, Lawrence O’Neill, Frank Padula, Norman Palazzini, Joseph Parker, Peter Pearson, Morris Petersen, David Philippi, Harry Place, John Relahan, David Renaud, Edward Renaud, Curtis Rogers, Robert Saari, Daniel Scandalito Jr., Petra Scandalito, Everett Shepard, Gordon Smith, Carroll Spinney, Ernest St. Jean, John Stebbins, Francis Stevens, Pauline Stiles, Victor Strama, Ronald Syriac, Carl Szpyrka, Jeffery Usher, Mark Van der Voort, Daniel Very, Lloyd Walling, Byron Watson, Stanley Wirsig, Richard Wisneski.

EAST WOODSTOCK: George Brown, Russell Dowd, George Kennison, Richard Landry, Kenneth Marvin, Lewis Morse, David Richardson.

NORTH WOODSTOCK: Barrett Frink.

SOUTH WOODSTOCK: Leonard Belair, Mark Fuller, Rudolph Tomasik, Alexander Walsh.

WOODSTOCK VALLEY: Peter Bates, George Chandler, Wayne Durst, Charles Jackman, Willoughby Lay, Jack Mullin, Frank Nocera, Joseph Polulech, Ronald Seymour, Morris Smith, Joseph Surozenski, Richard Trahan, Emory Wachter, Arthur Withey.

EASTFORD: Francis Bauer, Spencer Bowen, John Chartier, Richard Cooley, Read the rest of this entry »

The left most arrow is June 3rd and the right most arrow is today. The Cafe lost its stats for June 1 and part of the 2nd because the statcounter server blew up in Houston on May 30th. The blue bars represent an estimate of the number of unique visitors each day but this is an underestimate because we have many visitors with masked Internet protocol paths. Google Analytics says that the Cafe had 2352 “absolutely unique visitors” from June 26 to today but 38.1% of those visitors bounced out from the same page that they entered. So the Cafe estimates that it had about 1456 absolutely unique visitors that read and turned pages over the last 30 days. Visitors that bounce out for the most part are visitors that have searched Google for pictures of actors and actresses like the picture the Cafe co-opted for ace reporter, Jennica Heifer, a few weeks ago. These voyers usually come from other countries, especially middle eastern countries. 

Just to lighten things up a bit, I thought I’d take this time to inform everyone here on the Cafe that the best young band in Northeastern CT “The Line” will be playing at the Rain Desert Cafe in Danielson tonight, Sunday 7/27/08 at 8:00 p.m. These kids are sophomores and juniors at Woodstock Academy and Shepard Hill High. So if any of you folks aren’t doing anything tomorrow night, come on down to The Rain Desert Cafe and enjoy some good music and support local talent.

Jerry O.