Good News for Local Veterans

DeLauro, Mayor Blake to Announce New Veterans Center

Washington, DC—Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3) and Milford Mayor Ben Blake will announce the opening of a new veterans center TODAY, June 4 at 1pm. The Third District’s previous center, located in West Haven, had to be closed after Tropical Storm Irene.

I trotted on over to City Hall and saw a small group of snappy looking veterans waiting in "Doughboy Park", looking expectant and very shiny. Lots of small medals in their hats but my cellphone was dead again so I couldn't grab a picture. Remind me to get a new cellphone. And a new camera.

Quite soon the gathering Veterans moved up the City Hall steps, with local press arrayed below, and the Veterans were joined by State Representatives Kim Rose and Paul Davis; Milford Fire Chief Lou LaVecchia; Dept of Veterans' Affairs Commissioner Linda Schwartz; Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and Milford Mayor Ben Blake.

Here is the reason for this gathering:

Milford stepped up (and not just up the City Hall steps) and Mayor Blake arranged to give a room at the Parsons Government Center to replace the offices lost in West Haven. It turns out that Veterans go for assistance within their Congressional District - not being a Vet I didn't know this.

Veterans in the 3rd Congressional District (Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Branford, Derby, Durham, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Middlefield, Middletown, Milford, Naugatuck, New Haven,  North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Prospect, Seymour, Shelton, Stratford, Wallingford, Waterbury, West Haven, and Woodbridge) usually went to West Haven for the Office of Advocacy and Assistance.

When West Haven was wrecked in Hurricane Irene, these Vets had to go to Bridgeport - in the 4th Congressional District - or Newington - in the 1st Congressional District. Not only was this inconvenient, it caused problems having to do with the processing of their benefits and other services.

Soon (not long from now) there will be an office at Parsons Government Center - 70 W. River Street -  which will be open from 8 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. It will be on the 2nd Floor, easy access for those with disabilities. The Parsons Center is easily accessed from the

Pending phone contact numbers from the Office of Advocacy and Assistance, please check with The CT Dept of Veterans' Affairs for  more information or if you have a need.

For the online brochure from the Office of Advocacy and Assistance: Click Here

Thank you's go to Mayor Blake and our local government and leadership for expediting the access to this location, better serving our local Veterans.   

Hey Golfers!

HEY ALL YOU GOLFERS:

 “WHO’S YOUR CADDY” REACHES ONE MILLION PAGE VIEWS

MILFORD, CT (June 4, 2012)- Who’s Your Caddy, a free, cutting edge golf mobile application, has now registered one million page views of their app since its launch only two months ago.

The app, which launched in early April, is changing the way golfers, golf courses, and advertisers view mobile apps.  Not just another golf app, this mobile app is the first of its kind.  A win-win-win for all parties involved: golfers, golf courses, and advertisers. 

“Reaching the one million page view mark within two months of launching truly is thrilling,” said President Suzanne Cahill-Manning.  “We knew this product would be received well out in the market.  It’s been exciting to see how quickly the app is creating a buzz.”

Three key features set this product apart from other golf apps. First, Who’s Your Caddy is a FREE mobile app for both the golfer and the golf courses.

“Some golf apps charge the course for GPS Mapping. With Who’s Your Caddy, not only does the course not pay a cent for the app, we actually provide an income source with our revenue share program. We create partnerships with golf courses and users, no other golf app can say that,” said Scott Standerfer, Director of Data and Course Management of the parent company of Who’s Your Caddy, Red Mat Media.

Secondly, Who’s Your Caddy serves up “Gimmes” to its golfers. Gimmes are free gifts from businesses in the golfer’s neighborhood, such as a gift certificate to a restaurant. Golfers will be alerted of their free Gimme via a text while they are using their the WYC app during their round.

“The Gimmes really separate Who’s Your Caddy from our competition,” said CEO Timothy Lyon. “It is a win-win-win program. Our advertisers gain exposure and direct access to potential new customers. The golf courses offer a benefit to their players, and receive a portion of advertising revenues. And of course, the golfers win with the Gimmes while using the very best golf app on the market. And it is all free.”

Third, the Caddy Tips feature allows courses to provide details of each hole on the course through videos from the club professional. He will offer tips on how to play each hole during a short video, just as if a caddy were standing by the player’s side pointing out the different strategies of the hole. 

Who’s Your Caddy also provides all the cutting-edge benefits expected from golf mobile apps, including GPS yardage capabilities – all at NO CHARGE.

Who’s Your Caddy, created by parent company Red Mat Media, is available on iTunes, and will be available for Androids very soon.

To see a brief overview highlighting the unique features of Who’s Your Caddy, simply click here to watch this short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6_5p5hgLu4&feature=youtube.

ABOUT WHO’S YOUR CADDY

Golf’s most complete mobile app is FREE to the courses and the players. Golfers earn Gimmes – free gifts from neighborhood businesses - by simply using Who’s Your Caddy app. Participating courses earn revenue through Who’s Your Caddy’s unique advertising program, and all they have to do is make their players aware of the app. Caddy-like advice is provided for each hole via a short video in which the golf professional explains how to play the hole. And all the other cutting edge tools expected from golf mobile apps are offered on the Who’s Your Caddy app.

Disclosure: I am a fan of Suzanne Cahill-Manning, a thriving businesswoman and community service hero in Milford.

ABOUT RED MAT MEDIA

Leading the way in relationship marketing, RED MAT MEDIA brings a fresh voice, distinctive ideas, innovative concepts, and positive messaging to customized print, digital, audio, mobile, and visual communications. From award-winning print publications to cutting edge websites, digital publications, mobile tagging, and mobile apps, RED MAT MEDIA delivers a portfolio of custom communications tools that strengthen current relationships and help form successful new alliances.

RED MAT MEDIA clients receive the benefits of exceptionally high editorial and design standards, savvy business development and creative teams, and an advanced technology infrastructure that enables clients to manage, track, and analyze the success of their targeted relationships.

Through creative, engaging, and dynamic custom content, RED MAT MEDIA raises the quality of the relationship between clients and prospects by creating a media channel that delivers highly targeted content in ways that gain attention, and more importantly, garner action; in other words, memorable content of value.

For more information on Who’s Your Caddy or Red Mat Media, visit their websites at www.whosyourcaddy.com or www.redmatmedia.com.

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Chris Donovan's Two Rainbows

Double Rainbows is an exceptionally good sign.

Following Chris Donovan's "press availability" in Meriden, it rained briefly, then the sun came out, and then there were 2 rainbows.

I stand with Chris Donovan, Speaker of the House, candidate for US Congress. He is a man of great integrity.

I will not budge in my admiration for a true champion for working people.

Free Dental Work June 8

Vaughn Family Dentistry is offering free service to anyone who needs dental work at its next Free Dentistry Day, June 8 at the group’s Trumbull office.

In the past five years, Vaughn Family Dentistry, a team of dentists, sponsors and volunteers have helped over 100 people in need of dental work — treating patients in need of fillings, extractions and other basic treatment.

One third of Americans are living without dental insurance and current economic conditions leave little room to afford dental procedures. Without events like Vaughn Family Dentistry’s Free Dentistry Day, dental care simply isn’t an option for many uninsured people.

The event will start at 7 a.m. Dentists and volunteers will treat the first 150 patients by 2 p.m. 

From the Trumbull Times,
 h/t to the socially-conscious and kind-hearted
Jennifer Hochberg

The Degraded Skills of Journalists

Fact Checking Connecticut Newspapers

Opinion Piece by Aldon Hynes at OrientLodge.com

It has been interesting for me to read various newspaper articles and editorials about the arrest of Chris Donovan's former finance director. Following the issue closely has revealed just how poorly Connecticut's paper are really doing in covering important state news.

Perhaps the most glaring error is that several newspapers such as The Day are reporting, Donovan to sit out special session as FBI probe continues. The heading is inaccurate. Speaker Donovan will participate in the special session, however, as the article goes on to state, he "will temporarily relinquish his leadership role during the state legislature's forthcoming special session". The Patch is similarly reporting, House Speaker Chris Donovan Won't Take Part in Upcoming Special Session. In The Patch's case, it does not appear that the article corrects the error in the headline.

Matt DeRienzo is also particularly sloppy in his editorial, OPINION: Chris Donovan’s betrayal of Connecticut’s working families. He writes,

On Thursday, the FBI arrested his finance director, charging that Donovan, or “Public Official Number 1,” as he is referred to in court documents, used his position as speaker to squeeze campaign contributions out of businesspeople affected by pending state legislation he controlled and then hide it from the Federal Elections Commission.

However, that's not what the FBI said. The affidavit talks about the conspirators hoping to get the Speaker to oppose a certain bill, but there is no indication that the Speaker even knew of the effort, let alone tried "to squeeze campaign contributions out of businesspeople". I'm fairly disappointed in Matt, because in other cases, he has tended to rely on facts instead of conjecture or hyperbole.

[...please read entire post but here's a touch more...]

The public does need to be diligent to make sure that elected officials cannot be bought and that their staffers properly do the job they are hired to do. Yet the public also needs to be diligent to make sure that the fourth estate is properly doing its job, and so far, it appears as if in several cases, the fourth estate is has not been up to the task.