Mayor Slifka and the West Hartford Democrats make fools of themselves

A very interesting tidbit was witnessed by those of us who were there at the Blue Back Square ribbon cutting ceremony… Richard Heapes, the BBS Developer, gets up and says, “[I met Joe Visconti this morning at 6:30 am, I told Joe - hey Joe it’s 6:30 in the morning, the sun is about to come up, so you’d better get back in your crypt.]”

Nice. Talk about classy.

Of course, the Democrats, not knowing any better, particularly the Mayor, banged their feet, hooted and hollered into a state of frenzy. And this is our Democratic leadership.

Was the comment rude? Yes.

Did it have any place at the ribbon cutting ceremony? No.

Did anyone notice? Good question.

But wasn't it nice of the Democrats to use the BBS ribbon cutting ceremony to take a cheap shot at a GOP candidate, and try to make it all political? What a world class operation, Mayor Slifka. You could have at least put a stoic look on your face instead of yucking it up. Instead you looked like a horse’s rump up there while the cameras were rolling.

And not that its important, but Heapes did see Joe at 6:30 am, but didn’t utter those words.
It was also good to glace over and see that Diane Mudge and Peter Martin looked equally as outraged.

If the shoe had been on the other foot and it was a Republican-led ceremony, the Courant and Democrats would have blown their stack. You know how it goes, though.

You know, Joe. With all the lawyers in town, you aught to give them some of their own medicine and sue the clown for defamation of character. Then again, they eat that stuff up. You might just get back at them by getting elected.

Also, it appears that when Scott Slifka was making introductions, he passed over Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. After initial introductions Slifka sat down, Blumenthal whispered in his ear which prompted Slifka to get right up and introduce the Attorney General. A gentle reminder, or a curt rebuke? We may never know.

In West Hartford, the Democrats will do anything to win an election. This is another sorry attempt to swipe what the polls show may be the highest vote getter on the Republican side.

West Hartford

RATS! West Hartford Taxpayers caught in the trap?

Most of you have probably heard about the West Hartford Rat infestation. If not, you can read about it here.

What's interesting is why the Town of West Hartford is paying a vendor, Terminix, a hefty sum to the tune of $60, 000, plus to eradicate rats from PRIVATE dwellings and structures between Caya and Flatbush Avenue.

Is this a case where Scott Slifka, Joe Verrengia, and the Democrats are trying to buy votes in Elmwood?

The whole story seems a bit odd, and for what its worth, nothing can be found in the town minutes about a vote appropriating funds for this purpose. Very strange indeed.

This is a catch-22 for candidates, with an election around the corner since Democrats aren't about to rat out their own, and yet Republicans and Independents don't want to appear callous about the plight of Elmwood residents either which would lead to additional votes for Dems.

Let's see who has the guts to bring this strange expenditure up after Election Day. And should we expect West Hartford to pay for termite and carpenter ant exterminations next?

West Hartford

TAPS Ghosthunters Paranormal Show Review

Weird as it seems, a comment to my site prompted this entry to my blog. I get a lot of traffic to this blog because of Most Haunted, and GhostHunters/ TAPS searches. In a few searches my site pops up a the first web article (to which I can only say "sorry" to fans of MH and TAPS).

I'm a huge fan of paranormal shows that seem to be never ending on our cable television line up. Travel Channel, for example, inundates us with shows about haunted houses, haunted inns, haunted places left and right. In fact it seems that there are so many stories about ghosts and goblins that you'd have to wonder where the "travel" component fits in.

I guess they must do well in the ratings game since the theme never changes and people keep tuning in. Back several years ago, Travel Channel began carrying "Most Haunted" which quickly became a favorite show of mine - besides interest in ghosts and spirits, I also enjoy watching shows about old castles, old structures, museums, and history of the British Isles. Most Haunted has a reputation for having some staged activity and they fired a medium for faking a contact with an alleged ghost. I go into all of that in this post. But Most Haunted has a great staff and crew and the show is fun to watch - whether its choreographed or not. MH never fails the viewer to provide some entertainment and a laugh.

GhostHunters (or TAPS) is another paranormal show that airs on Sci-Fi Channel. It's sort of ironic that a show dedicated to "scientific investigation" of ghosts airs on the "SCIENCE FICTION CHANNEL" but there is humor in most things. I gave a pretty harsh review of TAPS show in general and a comical review of TAPS at Lisheen Ruins. I received some hate mail from some of their dedicated fans but that's perfectly understandable given the fact that TAPS has a paranormal cult following. Of course, it's nowhere near the size of the Most Haunted following which has a life of its own.
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In a lot of ways, GhostHunters is a cheap imitation of Most Haunted. Most Haunted is directed and produced by Yvette Fielding and her husband Karl Beattie - two well-respected people in film and theatre. Just about every aspect of Most Haunted has a professional appearance - from the theme music to the camera coordination through out the show. TAPS on the other hand is a show that never seems to get off the ground. Between redundant clips that often reveal nothing such as Jason debunking mist for breathing, or endless minutes of watching them connect and disconnect wires - with the TAPS crew, it's amateur hour and a disappointing one at that
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Moreover, for fans interested in seeing paranormal activity captured, most of the Ghost Hunter shows are a total bust. The fact that they waste so much time in the Reveal section of the show to tell someone they didn't find anything is beyond me. I think one of the worst episodes had to be the recent adventure in Salem. The only one that seemed to get something out of this show was Donna, who had a chance to relive her youth, but for the rest of us, it was one ugly ride to nowhere. No ghosts, no goblins, nothing. A big fat zero. And when TAPS can't even catch a ghost in Salem, MA, they might as well hang up their Proton Packs.

You'd have to believe GhostHunters/TAPS is on its last leg. Last evening they went back to the Sanatorium for a live Halloween special which featured ECW Wrestler Elijah as an assistant paranormal investigator. It's clear to everyone that TAPS has reached a new low by trying to mix pro wrestling with ghost-hunting. You have to wonder if TAPS realizes that viewer reaction was so negative to such a move. Or did Sci-Fi Channel impose the use of Elijah as a marketing stunt to either bring better ratings to Ghosts Hunters or viewers to ECW. Quite frankly, you'd think that the genre for both is entirely different so its a bizarre mix anyway.

Naturally, it took about two minutes for Elijah to "see something". After about an hour of this mess, and monitoring an accompanying website that didn't function properly, I decided it was time for bed. I kept hoping that Jason and Grant my disprove my theory that they are the two most incompetent ghost hunters on the planet, but alas they failed me. Instead of holding contests to add to staff, they should have a contest to replace themselves and their producer. It's God-awful television.

And don't get me wrong. Each week I root like heck for them to get it right. I still think one of the best paranormal episodes on television was a GhostHunters episode that featured a haunted lighthouse where they absolutely captured activity of something following them up and down the stairs. If anyone remembers the name of the location, please feel free to comment.

The biggest disappointment on Halloween night 2007 is that Travel Channel didn't team with Living TV and deliver us an episode of Most Haunted Live. Maybe you guys can get it right next time. Meanwhile, its time for Grant and Jason to get back to plumbing. Whoever thought Derek Achorah would upstage GhostHunters?

And yes, I carved the pumpkin in the picture. Thank God for easy designs.

Most Haunted OR Ghost Hunters

Pics from the King's Halloween Red Sox tribute!

Yes, I actually carved these.

And with two Halloweenies like this why would anyone want to go out and trick or treat anyway?