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By Kerri Provost, January 27, 2010 3:47 pm

Yesterday, WNPR featured a show on “urban biking.” If you missed it, follow the link for the podcast. It featured some folks from the Beat Bike Blog, as well as a bike messenger and bike shop owners.

Continue reading 'Thoughts on Urban Biking'»

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By Kerri Provost, December 17, 2009 5:25 pm

People of Connecticut: What have u done 2 this country? We hold u responsible. Start recall of Lieberman 2day or we’ll boycott your state.

One man stands in the way of universal health care. He’s your man, CT. We can’t control him. U can. What r u waiting for? Boycott coming.

Yo Michael Moore,

Ima let you finish, but boycotting Connecticut is cold. It’s also about as counterproductive and impossible as the ill-conceived boycotts of Israel. Maybe you mean that you’re just going to not visit Connecticut, but if you are going to really boycott, then you’d better be prepared for all that this entails. Here’s a preview:

This means you can not purchase anything from Aetna, Anthem, CIGNA, UnitedHealth, Phoenix, The Hartford, or St. Paul Travelers. No ING either.

Do not visit or give any money to the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center –  ill children in Connecticut would benefit, and we know that they had a lot to do with Lieberman getting elected and reelected. They should suffer so that you can make your point.

ESPN is a major employer in Connecticut, so make sure you do not watch that station. If you were planning to drop by Mohegan Sun or Foxwoods, drop them from your itinerary. You can also remove Mystic Seaport, Mystic Aquarium, and Mystic Pizza from your list of places to go. The Nathan Hale Homestead? Forget it. Want to see where Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Noah Webster lived? Nevermind. No Essex Steam Train, Goodspeed Opera House, Bushnell, Gillette Castle, Real Art Ways, Wolfpack games, TheaterWorks, Wadsworth Atheneum, Yale Center for British Art, IKEA (they employ residents), Beardsley Zoo, or Hill-Stead Museum. No CT Science Center. No Dinosaur State Park or Yale Peabody Museum.

Forget about stopping off at Lyman Orchards, or any of the other orchards in Connecticut. No lunch at Shady Glen or Louis’ Lunch. No Newman’s Own products.

You may not go watch a movie at the Mansfield Drive-in. While you’re being hardcore about this, refrain from purchasing movie tickets or dvds of films with Connecticut residents — past or present — starring, producing, or involved in any way. No more Katharine Hepburn and Paul Newman films. Prisoners and The Witches of Oz are currently being filmed in CT. You will not get to see those. Since this is retroactive, if any of these films are on your to-see list, just forget they were made.

Skip the Barnum Museum, XL Center, Lake Compounce, and Quassy Amusement Park. I hope you didn’t want to see the two-headed cow on display at the Old State House. That’s off limits too!

Don’t donate any money to the CT Humane Society. Sweet puppies and kitties should definitely suffer because of Lieberman.

No Book Barn or Atticus.

I hope you are not a fan of Wiffle Ball or Frisbee, because those are on the “no” list. Anesthesia was first used in my state, so if you have to undergo a serious medical procedure, you’ll have to be brave and wide awake for it. Also invented in Connecticut? Sewing machine, can opener, and hamburger. I sense you’ll have difficulty boycotting all three of those items. Do you like to vacuum your house? Sorry. Broom and dustpan from now on. Like color television? That’s also a Connecticut first.

Do not speak at or give any money to a single college or university in the state, no matter how much the students might benefit from your sage advice. Do not go to any UConn games either.

I’m sorry. Am I giving you a headache? Depressing you? Don’t try to treat your aches with anything from Pfizer.

You will have to bypass Bradley International Airport, even if you’re heading to Massachusetts. If choosing air travel, ensure you are not going to fly in a jet that uses parts made at Pratt & Whitney. Also, no rides in helicopters, as the first one was invented in Connecticut.

I’m happy for you, Mr. Moore, because you’ve made a successful career out of activism and entertainment; but to hold an entire state’s population responsible for one man is bogus. Lieberman lost in the last primary and has fallen out of favor with many who originally voted for him. Local religious figures have  spoken against his stance on health care. Maybe you did not know this, but Connecticut does not have the ability to recall politicians. Of course, since government is a human construction, humans can change it, but to suggest that Connecticut residents are responsible for removing a man when we have no current power to do so, well, I think that assumes we all have as much time on our hands as you do. Many of us, like myself, work more than one job and still do not have health care. I have never voted for Lieberman. Your tactic to push for health care has the potential to harm exactly those who need it. We need health care, but we also need our jobs! We have mortgages and rent to pay. We have groceries to buy. Lieberman is a problem, yes, but solving that problem should not involve harming thousands of Connecticut residents.

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By Kerri Provost, August 21, 2009 10:19 am

If you’ve never had that feeling of being stood up, then consider yourself lucky. What does it feel like? After the first few minutes, one tries to imagine that the date is stuck in traffic. Maybe he was reeled into a conversation that he could not politely untangle himself from. Then, as time ticks by one might become annoyed, perhaps angry. Then comes the guilt. What if he was in an accident? What if he was sick? One begins to feel selfish for being annoyed in the first place. And then he shows up. He offers a brief apology and then says he has only a few minutes. (Very Big from SATC) But this is the modern age, right? If a person is delayed by about half an hour, he can make a phone call to express his regret for being late.

Last night was the annual community garden tour. For the past week or so I had been visiting my spot in the West End Garden to make sure that it was respectable if the tour happened by there. I had been planning to go to the Niles Street garden at 5:30 to participate, but a friend with a plot at the Affleck Street garden said that he had been asked to be in his garden at 6 for when the tour came around. I was running late, it was hot, and his garden was a five minute walk as compared to the twenty minute sweatfest that going to Niles Street would be. I opted to join him and figured I could always join the group for the rest of the tour.
Continue reading 'All Dressed Up with No Place to Hoe'»

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By Kerri Provost, August 7, 2009 11:09 am

When my friend David told me he’d secured a reservation for a trip to the top of the Travelers’ Tower, I had no choice but to invite myself along. This would bring me downtown in the late morning, and since I had plans to be less than a block from there later in the afternoon, I figured I would just spend the time in between downtown.

At eleven we zoomed to the 21st floor. I did not think about the logistics of this. After having walked 2.5 miles to get downtown, the three flights of stairs did not seem so fun. The view was worth the panting. From the street, the tower does not look like it can hold more than two people. We had six people up there, and there was plenty of room for more. I had no luck locating my apartment.

Continue reading 'Staycation 2009'»

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By Kerri Provost, July 31, 2009 9:02 pm

A few weeks ago I realized that the City of Hartford had not sent me my tax bill. I had received one at this address before, as well as at my previous residence in the city. I investigated my problem on the City’s website and found it to be the very first question on the page:

Q: What if I never received a tax bill?

A: Connecticut General Statutes (CGS) Section 12-130 states “…failure to send out any… tax bill shall not invalidate the tax….” You are not exempt from payment of all taxes and all interest charges.  If you do not receive a bill for which you are responsible, call the Tax Collectors Office at (860) 757-9630

Personally, I don’t agree with that policy, but there’s nothing I can do about it, so I called the number to find out what was up with my lack of bill.  Continue reading 'Taxes Shouldn’t Have to Hurt'»

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By Kerri Provost, January 9, 2009 5:11 pm

Richard, who I do not believe I have ever actually met, is the subject of my ongoing platonic lovefest. He recently started a new blog and one post in particular made me want to send him flowers and teddy bears.

On Punkpink is a Bandit’s Tip, he writes about inconsiderate leftist activists:

I would like to suggest that the sponsors, their allies all come out one day this week. It will be called ”Let’s call it clean up our mess day.” On that day they will go around to all the poles, boxes, buildings and other places that they have dumped their non read litter and clean it up. If they don’t I want to tell them get out of these neighborhoods. We have enough problems here just being, just living. Do not come around here if all you are going to do is plaster the place with leaflets, march through our streets yelling and screaming.

In the past, I have written about ill-mannered folks who come into a place to protest something (usually a war) and don’t show any respect for those living here. They come in, yell, and leave. Sometimes they will complain about a perceived lack of parking, which I think is a sign that they did not do their homework. Other times, they litter the area with signs, leaflets, coffee cups, etc. It’s infuriating to hear the chant of “whose streets? our streets!” coming from people who can make no such claims. I mean, they have not even looked up directions to see how to find the jail in relation to where the protest spot is, which, you know, is kind of mandatory when going to protest. I believe in the right to protest, and I believe it is a civil duty right up there with voting, but I think people should be more mindful about how they protest.

Richard writes about leaflets that remain taped and/or wheatpasted around the city. When I saw these signs go up, I sighed, knowing that they would not be removed in a timely fashion. Newsflash: litter, inconveniencing the working class, and being a general nuisance is not going to stop the war in Iraq, and it’s not going to ally you with “the people.”

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By Kerri Provost, November 17, 2008 2:40 pm

If we ignore the Hartford Courant and their regurgitated opinion pieces that lack any research, will they quietly implode? Can we speed up their implosion process? The newspaper has become an embarrassing source that many people, unfortunately, still rely on for information.

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By Kerri Provost, October 7, 2008 11:15 pm

and we know our worth by the presidential candidates. I’ll leave Obama alone for now, but I think he looks better than he is because McCain is his true character foil.

In front of an extremely white audience, McCain bumbled in both speech and movement. His slouch, creepy grin, and awkward gait all indicated a man lacking the confidence and drive necessary for a president to be successful. When he wasn’t staggering around the floor while Obama spoke, he was hurling bizarre phrases which ranged from the flagrantly and grammatically wrong, to the misplaced metaphor. Some gems:

…beneficially affect the situation…
…exacerbates our reputation…
…abridge their behavior…
…nailing Jello to the wall…
…government mandates–I’m always a little nervous about…

The real turn-off–aside from his issue positions and inability to convey cohesive thoughts–was his repeated condescending statements to the audience. Early on, he remarked that many people may not have heard of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac before the current economic crisis. Later, in the segment about foreign policy, he commented on how there are countries we might not be able to find on a map. While some viewers and audience members may be ignorant, I found both counts to be offensive and personally not accurate.

Additionally, his admiration of T. Roosevelt might be something better kept in the closet. It makes McCain seem capable of whitewashing history.

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By Kerri Provost, September 30, 2008 5:30 am

It’s become a real source of irritation with me lately. Why are we willingly using the sanitized terminology for what a bailout actually is–corporate welfare?

If these banks were unemployed or underemployed folks, they’d be told that they just are not working hard enough. Their sacrifices are not great. To achieve that American Dream, one must pull herself up by her own bootstraps. Can’t expect Uncle Sam to do that for you.

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By Kerri Provost, September 10, 2008 6:52 pm

As an addition to my post about the lack of fair and balanced critiques of political candidates, I want to mention one more thing. If we want to have integrity, perhaps we should avoid jumping on every single rumor that is circulating about candidates. For instance, there is a rumor that Palin had a library ban books. This assertion has been made without any evidence. Now, Snopes has a page set up showing that while she may have thrown the idea out there, nothing shows she followed up on it. The lack of follow-through here is in line with her lack of follow-through around other controversial issues. Perhaps that is what people should be looking at. If you agree with her beliefs, then she is not a strong choice because she voices opinions without taking much action on most issues. If you disagree with her beliefs, then maybe she’s a good candidate because she does not act, for the most part.

Yes, I get very annoyed when things like “wanted to ban books” becomes “she had a list of books she wanted to ban” which becomes “she banned books.”

Rather than attack someone for what they might do, why not simply look at the record?

This quick-to-believe-anything, quick-to-judge trend makes it apparent why we have had a plethora of lousy leaders. We willfully allow ourselves to be distracted from meaningful issues, lose viable candidates during primary season if they don’t have star power (i.e. ability to reasonably entertain if caught by paparazzi or on late night tv), and drive many potential voters apathetic by the lunacy surrounding election season.