Author: Patricia Camp

North End Grocery Store

Developer, loan fund working together to bring grocery store to Hartford to serve downtown, city’s northern neighborhoods

Kenneth R. Gosselin

By KENNETH R. GOSSELINHARTFORD COURANT|  JAN 10, 2020 |5:21 PM| HARTFORD   

"Parcel B" would be the second phase of the Downtown North development and could include a grocery store.
"Parcel B" would be the second phase of the Downtown North development and could include a grocery store. (RMS Cos.)

A developer and a community revitalization loan fund which have separate proposals to bring a grocery store to an area just north of downtown Hartford said Friday they are now working together on the effort.  At the same time, the Hartford Community Loan Fund, a nonprofit organization, has been leading an effort to bring a grocer, fresh foods and healthy eating services such as a teaching kitchen to city-owned land around the historic Keney Memorial Clock Tower. The location, at the intersection of Main Street and Albany Avenue, is in the same area but not part of the Downtown North development. Read the article HERE. 

2019 National Book Festival

Can’t get to DC?

Watch these videos from the Library of Congress from the 2019 National Book Festival here. 

Changemakers: Andrea Barnet discussed “Visionary Women: How Rachel Carson, Jane Jacobs, Jane Goodall and Alice Waters Changed Our World,” David W. Blight discussed “Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom” and Andrew Roberts discussed “Churchill: Walking with Destiny” at the 2019 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.

Race in America: Henry Louis Gates Jr. discussed “Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy and the Rise of Jim Crow,” Judge Richard Gergel discussed “Unexampled Courage: The Blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard and the Awakening of President Harry S. Truman and Judge J. Waties Waring” and Steve Luxenberg discussed “Separate: The Story of Plessy v. Ferguson, and America’s Journey from Slavery to Segregation” at the 2019 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.

Essential Libraries: Joshua Hammer discussed “The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts” and Alberto Manguel discussed “Packing My Library: An Elegy and Ten Digressions” in a conversation moderated by Carla Hayden at the 2019 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.

THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CIVIL WAR MEMORIAL & MUSEUM

The mission of the African American Civil War Museum is to correct a great wrong in history that largely ignored the enormous contributions of the 209,145 members of the United States Colored Troops. It tells the stories and preserves for posterity the historic roles these brave men of African, European, and Hispanic descent played in ending slavery and keeping America united under one flag.

Hours of Operation:

Monday 10am to 5pm
Tuesday – Friday 10:00am to 6:30pm
Saturday 10:00am to 4:00pm
Sunday 12pm to 4:00pm

The museum is located at 1925 Vermont Ave, NW Washington DC, directly across the street from the African American Civil War Memorial, located at 1th and U Streets, NW Washington DC. For more information, click HERE.

NAACP, State Team Up To Help Inmates Find Employment

Courtesy of Marc Pelka's Twitter feed

by Lisa Backus   @ ctnewsjunkie.com 

The Connecticut NAACP and state officials are hoping to find 10,000 jobs for formerly incarcerated individuals in the next three years.

Connecticut is a pilot state for the NAACP’s national “Million Jobs” campaign to get major businesses on board with hiring former inmates who will receive training that actually leads to a job, said Scot X. Esdaile, president of the Connecticut NAACP and the chair of the national NAACP Criminal Justice Committee.

“There are a lot of people dealing with addiction services, housing issues, mental health issues, but no one is dealing with the jobs issue,” Esdaile said. “The number one social program out there is a job.”

Esdaile and more than 100 business leaders and state officials, including Gov. Ned Lamont, met Tuesday to start planning the implementation of the program which they hope to launch by mid-September.

Read more HERE. 

Such a Fun Age

Image result for kiley reid

“Such a Fun Age” explores the toll of emotional labor on a black babysitter. “I like the idea of all of these people freaking out,” she says.

Concepción de León

By Concepción de León  Dec. 28, 2019, 5:00 a.m. ET

For six years in her 20s, Kiley Reid spent most of her days with toddlers — wiping chins, cutting crusts off bread, remembering their favorite songs.

“The reward of being with the same family and watching a child grow for four or five years was really wonderful,” Reid, now 32, said of her time as a babysitter. But the experience also got her thinking about how race and class interact in transactional relationships, and what it means to sell emotional labor.

Reid explores these questions in her debut novel, “Such a Fun Age,” out Tuesday. Reid’s book, for which Lena Waithe has already bought the screen rights, revolves around the intersecting lives of Alix, a privileged white mom in Philadelphia; Emira, her 25-year-old black babysitter; and Kelley, a white man Emira ends up dating. An incident in the beginning of the book, when a stranger accuses Emira of kidnapping Alix’s toddler, sets off a series of events that force the characters to reckon with their biases.Read the entire article HERE.

Are You Careful Online?

How Careful Are You When Online?

 When you are reading your email, do you click on attachments from people you don’t know? Do you click on attachments from people you do know without verifying that they sent you something? What about free things, like games, you can download – how careful are you? Do you back up your work to the cloud or a portable hard drive? How are you protecting yourself?   

In Baltimore and Beyond, a Stolen N.S.A. Tool Wreaks Havoc By NICOLE PERLROTH and SCOTT SHANE

American cities are being hijacked with an N.S.A. cyberweapon that has already done billions of dollars in damage overseas. The N.S.A. will say nothing. Read the NY Times article HERE.

Whole Grains You Should Be Eating

Blueberries, Oats, Oatmeal, Health, Breakfast, Slimming

Why do people who eat more whole grains, like oatmeal, gain less weight than those who fill up on refined grains, like white rice? Whole grains keep food in your stomach longer, so you’re less likely to fill up on junk foods. But a slender shape isn’t the only reason to eat whole grains. Their texture and flavor can also wake up taste buds tired from a white-bread diet.

Check out the slideshow HERE. 

Are You Old For Your Age?

According to Dr Christine Northrup, “There is a HUGE difference between chronological age (the age on your driver’s license) and biological age (the age of your tissues).”

She continues, “Believe it or not, our cultural programming about what to “expect” at a certain age is more powerful than our genes when it comes to how our biology will react. We need to be more aware of our culture’s negative messages about growing older and make a conscious effort to reject them.”

Learn how your thoughts affect your body and how you can change your beliefs so you can grow older without aging. Watch the first video in my FREE 4-part video series now! Go HERE for more information. 

30 Days of Apples: Our Favorite Recipes for Everything from Homemade Applesauce to All Kinds of Pies

  By Frances Kim      From MarthaStewart.com

Fall means apple season is here. Whether you get apples from a grand picking expedition, a jaunt to the farmers’ market, or a visit to the store, be sure to explore the unusual types of apples available as well as enjoying your time-honored favorites.

When shopping for (or picking), choose apples that are heavy for their size and feel firm when pressed gently, and always try to avoid bruised fruit. For the longest shelf life, store apples in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator and use within three weeks (though with all the recipes ahead, we doubt that will be a problem).

Whether you’re looking for a new go-to apple pie recipe, are ready to make an apple tart, or fancy some fritters, we’ve got the recipes you need. You’ll find more than just sweet options ahead—there are plenty of savory apple recipes, too, like crisp salads and apple-based beverages. To ensure there’s something for everyone, we’re sharing a mix of the classics and some new twists to try, including a sweet apple version of classic pot pie and recipes for homemade applesauce and jelly. Remember all the years you said you were going to make your own applesauce? Now’s the time!

Image result for apple pie images free

(My favorites? Apple pie of course, and glazed apple fritters – not with powdered sugar!)