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NEWS&VIEWS by Jacqueline Bennett

Posts from the “NEWS” Category

Teach Your Children Well – Sweet Sofia

Posted on March 28, 2014

Write -up by Jacqueline Bennett/ Photos Courtesy of Debbie Landeck      I wanted the post after selecting a new layout for newsandviewsjb to be special. So, it is with great joy that I am writing about my niece, sweet Sofia. As part of a school project to help someone in need Sofia chose The Ronald McDonald House in the Seattle, Washington area. Her dad Daniel distributed flyers to the Mercer Island Rotary and their Dojo, where the two take karate lessons. This past weekend they raised $400 worth of  “wish list and household items” which Sofia donated.  And on Sunday, Sofia ran the Mercer Island Rotary Kid’s Dash and Dan ran the 5K, both to benefit families dealing with cancer.      …

Categories: Cancer research, NEWS

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New Look for newsandviewsjb – Maybe

Posted on March 27, 2014

Today I have launched a fresh look for newsandviewsjb – Happy Birthday to me! I have thirty days to decide if I’m satisfied with the new layout. If so, then my next change will likely be to purchase the domain for my news blog which would make the address, or link – newsandviewsjb.com. Readers may remember I had planned to make changes last spring but due to life & stuff, I put it on hold. This morning I awoke ready to give it a try. I hope you find the new design easy to read. One feature I like is the smooth printout look when you use the ‘print’ option under the share button that reads ‘ MORE ‘ at the bottom of each…

Categories: Changes, NEWS

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Connecticut Trees of Honor Memorial To Break Ground on April 17

Posted on March 26, 2014

Write-up & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb Groundbreaking for the Connecticut Trees of Honor Memorial will be held April 17, 2014. Scheduled for 2 p.m. the groundbreaking will take place at Veterans Memorial Park, Walnut Grove Road, in Middletown, Connecticut which was selected as the memorial site in June of 2012. Middletown Mayor Daniel Drew worked with the CTHM committee to select a date for the groundbreaking – a long awaited moment in the continuing journey to build a unique, living trees memorial to honor the American military men and women who died in service to the nation in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq – in particular the 65 fallen from Connecticut, as well as all veterans. “This memorial will be a tribute…

Categories: Afghanistan War Memorials, Connecticut Park Memorials, Iraq War Memorials, NEWS, war memorials

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Six Hundred Ninety-Five Commitments to Action

Posted on March 25, 2014

 By Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb Six hundred ninety-five commitments to action were made by Millennials through the 2014 Clinton Global Initiative University – a message perhaps overshadowed by television network sound bites focused on the coming presidential race. Born circa 1980 to 2000, Millennials are next in line to lead the nation and the world. Despite a struggling American economy and an especially high unemployment rate among their generation, Millennials were characterized at the three day event as optimistic and civic-minded. “Six hundred ninety-five commitments to action exemplify the Millennials,” former U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in an opening speech delivered during the CGLU conference held at Arizona State University March 21, 22 and 23. A Pew Research Center report issued…

Categories: Democratization, Millennials, NEWS, Political activism, Politics

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Representing UConn with Class – Happy for Kevin Ollie as Huskies Headed for Sweet 16

Posted on March 23, 2014

Hurrah Hungry Huskies – win national title for UConn mens BB!! — newsandviewsjb (@newsandviewsjb) April 8, 2014 (UPDATE- Icing on the cake: UConn men head to national championship game after winning in Final Four, defeating Michigan State in the Elite Eight and Iowa State in the Sweet Sixteen.) Commentary by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb Reigniting an old Big East rivalry, last night the University of Connecticut Men’s Basketball team earned a 77-65 win against Villanova in the NCCA tournament game in Buffalo, New York. They now head to the Sweet 16 and as a UConn alum I could not be happier for Head Coach Kevin Ollie. He has handled himself with finesse and represented the university with class since taking over for the retired Hall…

Categories: College basketball, College coaches, NCAA tournament, NEWS, Sports

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Celebrate National Reading Month With Magazines

Posted on March 21, 2014

By:Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb If I were down to my last $5 it would be a toss-up to spend it on a piece of apple pie from Rein’s Deli or a magazine. Neither is particularly practical when pondering how to use a final penny but at least the pie is food. Truth be told, however, I would probably opt for a magazine – that is how much I enjoy reading magazines. Obviously, I say this tongue-in-cheek but I do love reading magazines. One of my preferred spots is the long magazine nook at Barnes & Noble. Each month I eagerly anticipate the arrival of the latest editions of my favorite magazines on the stands. I am fortunate too, for several years now to have received a…

Categories: Magazines, National Reading Month, NEWS, Promote Reading

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Hot Cross Buns, An Enduring Easter Tradition of Friendship, Goodwill & Good Fortune

Posted on March 20, 2014

By:Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb A few weeks before Easter, hot cross buns appear in grocery store bakeries in abundance – but it turns out they are much more than just a tasty harbinger-of-spring. A popular food tradition in predominantly Christian, English-speaking countries, English folklore associates hot cross buns with friendship, good will and good fortune. Perhaps it is the icing cross found on top of these small, spicy, bread-like cakes filled with dried fruits that originates the legend they are blessed with the power to ward off evil spirits and bring good. For example folklore says, sharing a hot-cross bun with a friend on Good Friday ensures a lasting friendship, giving a piece of a hot cross bun to the ill will speed their recovery,…

Categories: Folklore, Food, NEWS, Traditions

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Courageous Paralympian Wows “Dancing With The Stars” Audience

Posted on March 19, 2014

Commentary by:Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb Stories about triumph of the human spirit never cease to amaze me. A performance by double amputee Amy Purdy on Monday night’s 2014 season premiere of “Dancing with the Stars” wowed the audience, and was courageous. Without prior knowledge that Purdy was dancing on two prosthetic legs, one would not have had a clue from the way she moved and swayed with dancing pro partner Derek Hough during a routine that earned the team a standing ovation and is sure to inspire others with disabilities. Purdy’s willingness to put herself front and center and dance on television in front of millions of viewers was an astounding act of personal strength. It comes on the heels of her winning a bronze…

Categories: acheivements, Courage, Dance, Entertainment, NEWS, Paralympions, People

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Stop Common Core in CT Movement Takes Center Stage at State Capitol

Posted on March 18, 2014

Article & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb Bright red t-shirts that read “STOP COMMON CORE” dominated the halls of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford, Connecticut last week where a marathon hearing on the issue began at noon March 12 and ran late into the night. Three hundred people turned out for the hearing and some of the one hundred said to have signed up to speak waited for their turn to come at 11:00 p.m. and beyond. Common Core standards adopted by the state Board of Education in 2010 came under fire despite an appeal from the BOE chairman to save them. Lighter moments were not characteristic of this agenda, rather the day was marked by serious looks on serious faces on differing sides…

Categories: Common Core Standards, education, NEWS

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A Grand 2014 St. Patrick’s Parade for Greater Hartford, Connecticut

Posted on March 16, 2014

Story & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb   It was another grand St. Patrick’s Parade that drew an estimated 60,000 spectators to downtown Hartford, Connecticut Saturday, March 15 to watch five thousand marchers.   This year’s Grand Marshal was Beverly Concannon, a longtime volunteer for the Irish American Home Society.     Early morning clouds gave way to sunshine by the 11:00 a.m. onset of the parade.   Irish folk music filled the air, as well as, the sounds of “Danny Boy” performed by various high school marching bands.   As is tradition the Hartford Police Department led off the parade followed by the Hartford Fire Department Emerald Society.   Of course, there were bagpipers in kilts and a sea of green revelers who…

Categories: American Labor Movement, capital cities, Irish heritage, NEWS, Parades, St. Patrick's Parades

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