Hartford, Connecticut
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Opposing Sides
Hartford, Connecticut
As the Save the American Dream demonstrators gathered for the noon rally yesterday, at the corner of Capital Avenue and Trinity Street, a group of Tea Party supporters set up with the capital building behind them. About fifteen minutes into the main rally, there were eight of them. Toward the end of the main rally it looked as though their ranks had swelled to eleven. When I approached around 12:18 PM, they seemed relieved that at least someone wanted to take their picture. "They're the rich ones, you know," they told me. "We had to make our own signs. We had to buy our own gas to get here."
That was interesting. It's been reported that many of the Tea Party supporters in Madison, WI (who are outnumbered 30:1 to 50:1 by the pro-union demonstrators) arrive on buses supplied by the Koch-funded astroturf group Americans for Prosperity. It seems this has been spun—perhaps "projected" would be a better word—to a belief that the pro-union people are outside agitators. Just as a matter of observation, I saw no sign of buses anywhere around the Capital, and the hundreds of solidarity demonstrators arrived by the handful. I didn't see a single busload size, or even van size, contingent come marching in. With, call it ten, Tea Party demonstrators on hand, that would again make the ratio in favor of the Save the American Dream group 30:1 or 50:1 here in Connecticut, too.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
DEMOCRACY GOES BETTER WITHOUT $$ KOCH $$
Hartford, Connecticut
Just three days after Wednesday's home-grown rally at the Hartford, CT, capital in support of Wisconsin union workers, another was staged today. This was part of a nationwide set of "Save the American Dream" rallies held in all fifty state capitals and several dozen other major cities. The crowd at Hartford numbered into the hundreds easily, though I didn't have access to any vantage point that would let get most of the crowd into a picture, much less do an estimate of numbers.
The signs were fascinating. Most took a positive approach, or when negative injected humor or irony. More to come after I've had a chance to edit the take.
Portico of the State Capital
Hartford, Connecticut
This medallion set in the marble of the Capital Building's north entry honors Joseph Roswell Hawley.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Wisconsin, We Are One, II
Hartford, Connecticut
Wednesday's rally in support of Wisconsin's unions garnered heavy press coverage. All the local TV stations had camera crews set up in advance of the noontime start, and there were a number of radio and print media reporters there as well.
Wisconsin, We Are One
Hartford, Connecticut
Yesterday at noon, a large crowd assembled for a solidarity rally for Wisconsin's union workers at the Connecticut state Capital building. I have no training to do crowd estimates, but it was a lot of people, quite a few more than assembled in the same place for an astroturf "Tea Party" rally that I photographed last year. In stark contrast to Wisconsin and some other states involved in union busting under the cover of budget problems, the first person to address the crowd at Hartford was the state's newly elected Democratic governor (picture above).
Having been in this same place for a Tea Party rally, the thing that struck me most was that a number of speakers addressed the assembled people, each quite briefly, and the whole thing was done in about an hour. With no lies. The Tea Party rally had gone on for well over two hours.
Amazing contrast. Perhaps speaking the truth doesn't take as much time as lying.
detail
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Pale Winter Light
Waterbury, Connecticut
This is the Naugatuck River, winding its way through Waterbury, CT. I find winter to be a bit frustrating, photographically. It's not simply that it's difficult getting around in the cold, ice, and snow—getting around in summertime hot muggy weather can be at least as annoying—but I really don't like the light during the southern New England winter season. Even full sunshine seems weak and watery, while overcast (which I like better than sun anyway) tends to be dull and flat, without the luminosity so common to summer overcast days. For some reason this past Friday was an exception. There was a thin layer of cloud in the sky and the light, while weak, took on just a little bit of a glow that delineated shapes quite nicely and made a view into the distance ("atmospheric recession") quite palpable. There was also a distinctly pink cast to the clouds in the early afternoon, which was probably the result of an unhealthy atmospheric inversion.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
MARSALA OLIVE OIL & WINE GRAPES
Waterbury, Connecticut
Even temperatures up into the fifties are just slowly cutting back the mass of snow on the ground.
ONE WAY/ONLY WAY
Waterbury, Connecticut
detail
Even when I don't crop out a detail from the main picture for an enlarged view, you can always get a look at a larger version (1,000 pixels wide for horizontals) by clicking in the picture area. Use your browser back button to return.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Evening Views
Woodbury, Connecticut
The snowbanks really get high around the edges of the parking lots.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
CUT IT OUT
Torrington, Connecticut
Maybe someone at The Music Shop has some sort of pull, because temperatures are soaring past 50°F today.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Fireplug
Washington Depot, Connecticut
The snow is all still here, after weeks of sub-freezing temperatures. In the next few days warmer temperatures are predicted so maybe we'll get some melting and be able to do some cleanup.
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