Cocoa Cat

035/365.
Originally uploaded by ancient history

this is what you get if you visit me at work.

What's Wrong With These Pictures?

A score of people showed up at the WEB substation yesterday to protest what they rightly deemed an attack on individual civil liberties. The protest was in response to the substation's posting of 25 community members' photos in the window of the building which sits at the corner of Whalley and Norton Streets in the heart of one of New Haven's most diverse neighborhoods.

You see, it may not have been illegal, but I don't think we need the law to tell us when something is unethical. It is common practice for substation leaders to post photos such as these within the walls of the building, but in this case, the commander decided to set aside precedent, (I'm sure with the best of intentions) and publicly display the photos in the sidewalk window of the substation.

The problem is not that the community substation had decided to thwart crime and thus improve the living conditions of WEB, but rather, that these individuals were not afforded the due process of the law. That is to say, few would argue with the goals of community policing-reducing crime, improving the quality of life, helping to sustain walkable neighborhoods, but one has to recall that no one should be considered guilty until proven innocent. Though, it may discomfort some, myself included (my friends were robbed within blocks of this substation), we still must remember that we are afforded very basic civil liberties in our society including the right to fair trial and presumed innocence. Therefore, it is unnecessary and unfriendly to publicly display the photos of individuals not wanted for any specific crime. Fear-mongering and profiling such as this will only create more tension in our communities.

We'll have to leave it to the ACLU lawyers to determine if anything about this incident could be considered illegal, but we should all agree that local law enforcement over-stepped their bounds on this occasion. In the meantime, lets give thanks to the community members who showed up in the cold weather yesterday to protest this incident. There message should resonate with anyone who values their community and their liberties.

If you live in this neighborhood, and care about the decisions being made on your behalf, the best thing to do is attend the Community Management Team meetings (3rd Tuesday of the Month @ 7:00pm at the substation). It is an open dialogue between community members and leaders including law enforcement. It represents a decentralized policy process and should be allowed to prosper. If you're sick of the same old guard deciding what's best for your neighborhood and you want to pitch your own ideas, this is a great place to start. In fact, invite all of your friends who live in the community with you, create a presence, show them that there are new ideas and solutions to our very old problems.

Bare Beans Roasters going out of business :[

If you are up between 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. and you need a cup of coffee in the next couple weeks, or even some beans for your pot at home, please stop by Bare Beans to pay your respects. Mark Orintas opened shop as New Havens only local coffee roaster 8 months ago but due to a poor economy, overly fair deals on his part, and his dedication to his other work he will be closing his doors to the public on feb. 13th. Mark signed on as a sponsor for the Coffee Cat despite the impending closing and has been very pleasant and supportive regardless. The man knows coffee and loves it and is probably one of the biggest coffee geeks in town. head down Grand ave. over front street and over the bridge and it will be on your left; sit have a cup and chat it up with Mark while you still have a chance.

SeeLove at the Blue Pearl starting Jan.31

From seelove

News?

Someone else post something new, please. maybe an article on democracy, or on equal rights.... we have, after all, inaugurated the first non-white president. just a thought. what does this mean to the rest of you? I caught myself saying over and over, a politician is just a politician until inauguration day rolled around and I found myself watching Obama be sworn in on multiple projection televisions (normally used for UFC viewing) while i was at an interview in a wings joint/sports bar/restaurant; all be it contrasting I was still taken by the event in the sense that I haven't watched an innauguration since Bill Clinton was sworn into office, I was riveted to the screen as were the patrons, and i have lacked hope in our country's government ever since Bush was allowed to spend 8 years further destroying our country's integrity. I still did not vote, and I still view politics as politics yet I am open minded to the concept of change as do i respect the democratic system as a model for governing a country.thats it for me, feel free to contribute, please.

Freebased Caffeine....... Come ride the Coffecat! Don't chase the dragon!

The Coffecat is coming to town

Saturday February 7th; come get your caffeine the old fashioned way...not like this.....

RENaming Fish........

Well excuse me for being ignorant of PETA's sole right to campaign against the english language and terminolgy used to describe whole species of creatures for the sake of making fish more cutesy........

Stolen From Peta:

"People don't seem to like fish. They're slithery and slimy, and they have eyes on either side of their pointy little heads—which is weird, to say the least. Plus, the small ones nibble at your feet when you're swimming, and the big ones—well, the big ones will bite your face off if Jaws is anything to go by.

Of course, if you look at it another way, what all this really means is that fish need to fire their PR guy—stat. Whoever was in charge of creating a positive image for fish needs to go right back to working on the Britney Spears account and leave our scaly little friends alone. You've done enough damage, buddy. We've got it from here. And we're going to start by retiring the old name for good. When your name can also be used as a verb that means driving a hook through your head, it's time for a serious image makeover. And who could possibly want to put a hook through a sea kitten?"

"Ask the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to stop promoting sea kitten hunting"

My main concerns here are:

1)couldnt we be using funding for serious animal rights innitiatves, or to address more poignant events?

2)how would we adhere such changes in accepted lingo, mass brainwashing methods perhaps?

3)really? i mean, really?

4)won't this confuse children; what if they eat their real kittens, release them into the ocean, or worse, try to walk their "seakittens"?

I'm a pretty strict vegan, I love kittens (as pets) and I am a firm believer of animal rights and anti-cruelty in general; however i just lost some respect for PETA.