Widow of executed journalist to speak at International Justice and Human Rights event

Pencil sketch of the late Sen. Thomas J. Dodd by Hans Weiss.

The Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights, which this year honors the Committee to Protect Journalists, will be presented by the University of Connecticut and the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center on Monday Oct. 5, with a special film showing preceding this event.

The events are free and open to the public.

The Committee to Protect Journalists

For nearly 30 years, the Committee to Protect Journalists has been defending the rights of journalists worldwide to report the news without fear of reprisal.

Every year, the CPJ receives more than 2,000 reports of freedom-of-the-press violations, ranging from censorship and harassment to arbitrary detention and homicide.

Its five regional program coordinators – representing Africa, the Americas, Asia, Central Europe and the former Soviet republics, and the Middle East – track developments through independent research, fact-finding missions, and firsthand contacts in the field, including reports from other journalists.

By publicly revealing abuses against the press and by acting on behalf of imprisoned and threatened journalists, the CPJ effectively warns journalists and news organizations where attacks on press freedom are occurring.

The CPJ organizes vigorous public protests and works through diplomatic channels to effect change.

The CPJ publishes articles and news releases, special reports and Attacks on the Press, the most comprehensive annual survey of press freedom around the world.

The death of journalist Daniel Pearl

At 3 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1 and Sunday, Oct. 4, in the Student Union Theatre on the UConn campus, there will be a showing of “A Mighty Heart,” starring Angelina Jolie.

It is the true story of the 2002 kidnapping and subsequent murder of Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl as told by his wife, Mariane Pearl.

Mariane Pearl will speak at the Dodd Prize Ceremony.

(Parking is at the South Garage for a fee.)

Panel on impunity

The award presentation to the CPJ begins at 11 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 5 in the plaza of the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center on the UConn campus.

Speakers will include UConn President Michael J. Hogan; Sen. Christopher J. Dodd; Helena Foulkes; Executive Director, Committee to Protect Journalists, Joel Simon; Co-Founder, Committee to Protect Journalists, Michael Massing; and author Mariane Pearl.

The award presentation will be followed by lunch at noon in the plaza of the Homer Babbidge Library. (In the case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in the Student Union Theatre, followed by lunch in the Student Union Ballroom.)

At 2 p.m., there will be a panel presentation in the Konover Auditorium at the Dodd Center, the “Global Campaign Against Impunity.”

Panelists will include: investigative journalist and author of, Marked for Death, Terry Gould;  CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator, Nina Ognianova; and  CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon.

Panel Moderator will be Department Head and Professor in the UConn Journalism Department Maureen Croteau.

For more information about these events, contact Jean Nelson, 486-6346.

Posted Sept. 29, 2001

Related links:

Learn more about Mariane Pearl:

http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/p/mariane_pearl/index.html?inline=nyt-per

The Daniel Pearl Foundation:

http://www.danielpearl.org/

Mariane Pearl on her husband’s execution and forgiveness:

http://www.theforgivenessproject.com/stories/mariane-pearl

Time Magazine, “10 questions for Mariane Pearl”:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1635834,00.html

About Thomas J. Dodd:

http://doddcenter.uconn.edu/about/tjd.htm

Acceptance speech of award-winning, international journalist Mariane Pearl, who was honored at the 2008 Internews Media Leadership Awards in Washington, D.C. on June 5:

Bill change should keep 500 million plastic bottles out of the state's trash

Adding plastic water bottles to Connecticut’s bottle bill law – effective Oct. 1, 2009 – is expected to remove about 500 million of these ubiquitous plastic containers from the trash, not to mention roadways and sports fields.

And because water bottles are now covered by this bill, there will be a 5 cent deposit charged, which can be redeemed when the bottle is returned, just like soda and beer containers.

It’s also estimated that unclaimed deposits will return an estimated $17 million to the state.

Exemptions to the amended bill include:

• water bottles or other noncarbonated water beverage products in containers 3 liters or larger,
• containers made from high-density polyethylene
• and containers produced by manufacturers who bottle and sell less than 250,000 noncarbonated beverage containers a year and who obtain an exemption from the Department of  Environmental Protection.

In a statement announcing the law’s change, Gov. M. Jodi Rell said today, “For almost 30 years, our bottle bill has kept billions of bottles and cans of soda or beer from our landfills. Now we can build on that success by diverting even more plastic out of our waste stream.”

Adding on water bottles and other noncarbonated beverages to the bill is the first major change in the state’s bottle bill that was established on Jan. 1, 1980.

Connecticut is one of 11 states in the nation (including California, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon and Vermont) that requires deposits on beverage containers.

For more information on the bottle bill changes or about recycling in Connecticut, visit www.ct.gov/dep and click on the Materials and Waste Management link.

Posted Sept. 29, 2009

Storrs Center Project ‘open house’ is Oct. 1

The working timeline for completing Storrs Center.

The Mansfield Downtown Partnership, Inc. holds a monthly “open house” to update the public on the Storrs Center project.

Storrs Center will be a mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented town center located across from EO Smith High School in Mansfield.

This month’s “open house” will be from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 1.

The Partnership office is located at 1244 Storrs Road (Route 195) behind People’s United Bank (the lower level in back).

Partnership staff will be available to answer questions and discuss progress being made on the Storrs Center project.

You can also check the website at www.mansfieldct.org/dtp.html for periodic updates.  For further information, call the Partnership office at 860-429-2740.

Written comments can be sent to info@storrscenter.com.

Posted Sept. 29, 2009

Middle School water problems still being treated

Graphic © 2009 by Brenda Sullivan

Problems with the water supply at Mansfield Middle School continue, according to a notice issued today by Principal Jeff Cryan.

“We have not yet had a satisfactory result from the water testing at Mansfield Middle School,” he said.

“During the weekend of September 19, we chlorinated the water system to kill coliform bacteria found during routine testing. During this past weekend (September 26-27), new water tests were still positive for coliform, although there was a lower count.”

The system will be chlorinated again. In the meantime, students, teachers and staff will continue to use bottled water for drinking, “until we find no traces of chlorine or coliform,” Cryan said.

However, the water is considered safe for handwashing (with soap) and for use in the toilets, he said.

“We are hopeful that this week’s treatment will solve this problem,” Cryan said.

Posted Sept. 28, 2009

Related links:

Why test for coliform and what does it mean? – http://www.inspect-ny.com/water/ColiformBacteria.htm

“Stuff for Kids” about drinking water at the EPA Web site – http://www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/index.html

“Drinking water and health: what you need to know,” EPA – http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwh/index.html

Just around the corner: The 19th-annual ‘Walktober’

Fall has arrived in The Last Green Valley and that means it’s time for the 19th annual Walktober.

Beginning Oct. 3, choose from 100 free guided hikes, leisurely walks and “paddles” during the month of October, as well as more than 25 special events throughout October and November.

Walk it or paddle it

Some examples of walks and “paddles”:

• “Alien Invasion” in Charlton, MA at the Capen Hill Nature Sanctuary with naturalist Jerry Suprenant.  Learn the ways in which a few invasive species are greatly affecting native vegetation;

• “Paddle the Hollow” in Mansfield, CT, at the Mansfield Hollow State Park. Explore the three rivers that feed into the lake while enjoying the beautiful fall foliage;

• “Exploring the Tobiasson Forest” in Coventry, CT. View abundant wildlife and bird habitats, as well as interesting rock outcroppings;

• “Tour of Firearm Factories,” in Norwich, CT. Visit old sites and the factories that produced firearms from 1850 to 1930 one a tour led by local historians Burt Jernstrom and Ed Tollmann;

• ” Civil War Veterans in Voluntown,” at both the Robbins and the Kennedy Cemeteries in Voluntown, CT. Learn about the 15-year-old who lied about his age in order to serve his country and the unique circumstances behind his story;

• “Rails, Mills and a River” in Willimantic, CT courtesy of the CT Eastern Railroad Museum. Learn about railroad history in Willimantic through shared anecdotes about the railroad, the mills and the river, equipment displays, a walk near the Willimantic River and the old New Haven RR yard;

• “Alpaca Trails” in Canterbury. Learn about the history and husbandry of alpacas and enjoy demonstrations of processing fleece – carding, spinning and needle craft at Burgis Brook Alpacas.

Corn mazes and a graveyard tour

Special events featured during “Walktober” include:

• Three different corn mazes in Coventry, Preston, and Thompson, CT;

• The NE CT Great Pumpkin Festival in Putnam, CT;

• A Lantern Light Graveyard Walk in Norwich, CT, led by ghost hunter Donna Kent and featuring the Old Norwichtown Burial Ground & the Norwichtown Green;

• The Annual Fine Arts & Crafts Festival at Roseland Cottage in Woodstock, CT;

• The Farmer’s Market Kitchen in Mansfield, CT (part of a series of five “farm-to-fork” cooking demonstrations using fresh ingredients from local farms at the Storrs Farmer’s Market);

• The annual Ashford Stroll and Bake Sale at the Ashford Academy;

• A free lecture by UConn professor and author Robert Thornson (well-known for his book and writings about New England’s stone walls. Prof. Thornson will discuss the subject of his latest book, “Fossil Icebergs: Exploring Kettle Ponds.”

Pumpkins and Christmas trees

Also showcased during the months of October and November are the abundant farms found throughout The Last Green Valley where you can pick-your-own apples and pumpkins, tag your Christmas tree and select a farm-fresh turkey in time for the holidays.

For your brochure with a complete listing of all the events and a map, call The Last Green Valley offices toll-free at (866) 363-7226, or visit the Web site at www.thelastgreenvalley.org to view or download a brochure.

Posted Sept. 28, 2009

Huskies take down St. John’s in BIG EAST Action [updated]

[Sept. 28, 2009 update - Cruz Hernandez scored his first goal of the season, as the University of Connecticut men's soccer team downed Syracuse 2-0 in BIG EAST Conference play on Sunday night. After its BIG EAST sweep over the weekend with wins over the Orange and St. John's, UConn improves to 4-2-2 overall and 3-1-0 in the conference.]

(Sept. 25, 2009) – Senior captain Kwame Watson-Siriboe headed a rebound into the back of the net for his second goal of the season as the University of Connecticut men’s soccer team defeated No. 18 St. John’s 1-0 in front of a sold out crowd of 4,785 fans on Friday night at Morrone Stadium.

UConn’s Alan Ponce drilled a shot from about 10-yards outside of the goal area at the 39:42 mark, but was stopped by St. John’s Derby Carrillo, who deflected the ball toward the front of the net.

Watson-Siriboe – who positioned himself perfectly for the rebound – used his head and put the ball into the top right corner of the net just seconds later to give the Huskies the 1-0 lead and the eventual win.

With the victory, UConn improves to 3-2-2 on the year and 2-1-0 in the BIG EAST Conference, while St. John’s falls to 2-2-3 overall and 1-1-1 in the league.

Hernandez makes the shot

UConn dominated in Friday’s contest. The Huskies out-shot and out-played the Red Storm in front of one of the best crowds in collegiate soccer.

The Huskies held an 18-9 shot advantage on the night, while holding their nationally-ranked opponent to just two shots in the first half.

The Huskies had some good looks at the net in the first half, including two shots from senior Cruz Hernandez. In the 12th minute, Hernandez dribbled down the field and made space for a shot, but his attempt from 25-yards out missed wide left of the target.

His second opportunity in the half came in the 18th minute – Carrillo was able to get his hands on it to make the stop.

Sophomore Tony Cascio also took two shots in the first half, both of which were headers that missed just high of the cross bar off of corner kicks from freshman Carlos Alvarez.

UConn continued to control the ball – as well as the tempo of the game – in the second half and once again limited St. John’s scoring opportunities.

Great save

Freshman Stephane Diop also got into the action for the Huskies. He made a nice move to cut through two defenders, but missed wide on his second shot of the game.

In the 51st minute of play, St. John’s Adam Himeno was able to get a shot off near the goal, but UConn goalkeeper Josh Ford came out of the box and blocked the shot sent in by Himeno.

Ford followed with another great save as Walter Hines sent a shot into the goal area that he was able to get his gloves on.

Cascio had another solid look at the net in the 56th minute as he broke through the Red Storm defense, but his attempt missed wide.

Alvarez followed with his own look as he dribbled by two defenders into the open field and lined a low shot toward the net that was stopped by a diving Carrillo.

Ford earned his fourth shutout of the year with three saves on the night.

Carrillo picked up five saves for the Red Storm.

The Huskies registered six shots on goal compared to St. John’s three and UConn came away with the dominating victory.

Kick for Nick

The UConn men’s soccer team also collected 82 soccer balls for KICK FOR NICK^TM http://www.kickfornick.org/ thanks to the fans who attended tonight’s contest that made the donations.

The Huskies next game was scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 27 hosting the Syracuse Orange in BIG EAST action at Morrone Stadium.

Posted Sept. 27, 2009

Coming up: One of the largest Scottish festivals in the state

One of the Highland Games is "tossing of the sheaf." All photos courtesy of St. Andrew's Society Scottish Festival.

The Connecticut Valley Shrine Pipes & Drums will play in the upcoming St. Andrew’s Society Scottish Festival on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009.

The festival, one of the largest in the state, will be held at the Goshen Fairgrounds, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine.

This is a great opportunity to enjoy a bit of authentic Scottish culture.

There will be Scottish food, Highland Games, and representatives from several of the Scottish Clans will be there, if you’d like more information about your Scottish ancestry.

There also will be a dog show featuring Scottish breeds.

The highlight of the festival however is the music. There will be pipe bands from throughout the state, as well as various other Scottish musicians.

The CT Valley Shrine Pipes & Drums is a bagpipe band composed of members of the Sphinx Highlanders of Newington, CT and the Pyramid Pipes & Drums of Milford, CT. The two Shrine bands have combined on several occasions, such as the 2009 Masonic Grand Masters Day in Wallingford, CT to create a dynamic pipe band.

If you’re a Mason interested in learning the bagpipes or drums, please contact us at (860)666-5449 or send an email to sphinx073@juno.com. Tutoring is available.

Posted Sept. 27, 2009

Related link

Description of Highland Games events: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_games

The weight toss. Photo courtesy of St. Andrew's Society Scottish Festival.

The caber toss. Photo courtesy of St. Andrew's Society Scottish Festival.

No ‘butts’ about it – Huskies take down Rams, 52-10

Rhode Island runner Ryan Lawrence is brought down by Jasper Howard (6), Greg Lloyd (95) and Aaron Bagsby. Photo © 2009 by Vito J. Leo for HTN.com

EAST HARTFORD – With the nation in a heightened state of watchfulness for potential acts of terrorism, fans attending college football games Saturday were subjected to considerably more scrutiny than usual before being allowed into stadiums.

But the tightened security displayed at the entry gates to Rentschler Field for the game against Rhode Island apparently didn’t extend to the field where the Huskies exhibited poor ball security, fumbling seven times (and losing three) in an easy 52-10 victory over an out-manned URI squad.

“We need to protect the ball more. It’s not about the other team [hitting the ballcarrier], it’s about us protecting the ball,” said UConn tailback Andre Dixon, who gained 98 yards on 17 carries and – less than two minutes into the game – also scored on an 18-yard pass from Cody Endres, the redshirt sophomore quarterback’s first ever for the Huskies.

Sam, Destiny, Melissa, Brittany and Liz lead the crowd in cheers. Photo © 2009 by Vito J. Leo for HTN.com

“We knew coming in that [URI] had forced a lot of turnovers, but we’re the ones who made a lot of mistakes today,” he said.

Coach Randy Edsall agreed with his senior running back’s assessment of the Huskies’ ball security.

“I don’t remember seeing them knocking the ball out of us. I can’t remember all [seven fumbles] off the top of my head, but I only remember them really causing one. We told them during the week they would have to protect the ball,” said Edsall who evened his UConn win-loss mark at 61-61, and set a school record for most games as head football coach.

Junior guard Zach Hurd congratulates Robbie Frey after one of his two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Photo © 2009 by Vito J. Leo for HTN.com

The game was also the 1,000th played since the program began in 1896 and during that span, Connecticut has compiled a 468-494-38 record.

UConn has faced Rhode Island more than any other opponent and leads the series against the former Yankee Conference rival, 51-35-8.

With the win, UConn improved to 3-1 while the Rams dropped to 1-2.

More bounce

It’s a great win,” said Edsall. “It was good that we did have more bounce in terms of what we were looking for today and that’s something we’re going to have to have, as we go into Big East play, for sure,” he said.

The team has a weekend off before traveling to Pittsburgh on Oct. 10.

Endres needs more confidence

Edsall wouldn’t say whether Endres would quarterback against Pitt, or if the injured Zach Frazer might regain his starting status.

One of junior cornerback Jasper Howard's eight tackles against URI. Photo © 2009 by Vito J. Leo for HTN.com

Endres brightened his resume by hitting on 23 of 30 passes for 289 yards and throwing for two scores against the Rams-a 50-yarder to Mike Lang that made the score 38-7 late in the third quarter, along with the 18-yard strike to Dixon.

“The line did a good job protecting, the receivers did a great job getting open and it felt pretty good out there today,” said Endres, whose chores as a passer were made that much easier as the Rams butted up against the line to stop the potent UConn running game. “They were stacking the box pretty good,” he said.

However, Endres was sacked three times and was involved in several of the seven fumbles.

“It’s disappointing that we did give up three sacks,” said Edsall, adding that Endres “has got to have the confidence to throw the ball up, even if his receivers aren’t wide open and let them make the play. There were a lot more positives than there were negatives in his play today. That’s all part of the development and the growth of Cody as a quarterback,” Edsall said.

Todman on the attack

While Endres was striking by air, sophomore Jordan Todman was attacking on the ground, rushing for 70 yards on 15 carries, including a trio of touchdowns, all from within the 10-yard line.

Dixon said he didn’t mind at all that his running mate got the calls from close in.

“I’m a team player and I’m going to give it my best effort whenever my name is called, whether it’s for a touchdown or to try to get a first down” or just to run out the clock, Dixon said.

Sophomore tailback Robbie Frey had a couple of fourth-quarter runs (13 and 54 yards). Photo © 2009 by Vito J. Leo for HTN.com

All in all, the victory was a true team effort, not only by the offense, but on defense as well, as the Huskies – bolstered by a pair of interceptions by senior cornerback Robert McClain – stopped URI on 14 of 15 third downs and on both fourth-down tries.

“That was huge,” Edsall said. “There were a lot of positives, but there’s a lot of work we have to do to get better and we will.

“When we execute the basic fundamentals and techniques they’re taught, we’re a pretty good football team. And when we don’t, then we’re not that good,” Edsall said.

And Saturday, the Huskies were a very good football team, so good as a matter of fact that at least half of the near sellout crowd had left the Rent by the time sophomore tailback Robbie Frey had broken away for a couple of fourth-quarter runs (13 and 54 yards) to account for UConn’s final two scores of the game.

Posted Sept. 26, 2009

A URI defender almost blocked this punt by co-captain Desi Cullen. Photo © 2009 by Vito J. Leo for HTN.com