Madison News Roundup

In an email sent Thursday morning, Madison, CT Schools Superintendent David J. Klein warns about the risks of certain social websites, several of which provide for live video chatting via users’ webcams.

After noting that the Board of Finance approved the 2010-2011 education budget as submitted and that the referendum on the budget will be held May 18, Klein went on to talk about “Websites of Concern.”

“As you know, the world of electronic communications continues to explode and keeping track of what our children are being exposed to and/or accessing is very difficult,” Klein wrote. “That said, I would like to point out that social websites such as Omegle, Chatroulette, formspring, and Tinychat are very concerning to me as an educator and parent.  This type of website promotes personal relationships with complete strangers, opportunities for anonymous mean-spiritedness and other questionable content.

“At the very least, you may wish to engage your older children in a conversation about the appropriateness and content of such websites.   Many Internet service providers provide website blocking / parental controls which may prove to be a helpful tool,” Klein wrote.

According to Wikipedia, Omegle is a year-old website  used for talking to strangers and “meeting new friends” via stranger chat. The service randomly pairs up users online into one-on-one chat windows, where they can chat anonymously using the handles “You” and “Stranger”; either party can disconnect at any time.

Chatroulette is less than 6 moths old and is a website that pairs random strangers for webcam-based conversations. According to a survey carried out by RJMetrics, approximately 1 in 10 of feeds from Chatroulette were either users exhibiting themselves in the nude or “appeared to be committing a lewd act”.  “Parody shows such as The Daily Show and South Park have lampooned this aspect of the service and male nudity has become an established part of the site’s notoriety,” according to Wikipedia.

Formspring.me, an anonymous questions and answers website, became the focus of controversy after some insulting comments on the site led to a fight among high school students in Harrisburg, PA, and the suicide of a student in West Islip, NY. Tinychat allows users to communicate via instant messaging, voice, and video chat. It offers thousands of chat rooms and the ability for users to create their own virtual chat room on any topic and category, according to Wikipedia. Tinychat is a Web-based system that works on Linux, Windows, and Macintosh as well as some smart phones.

May 18 is the day when Madison, CT residents will have the chance to vote yea or nay on the proposed 2010-2011 town and education budgets as approved Tuesday by the Board of Finance.

Voters will be asked specifically:

SHALL THE TOWN GOVERNMENT BUDGET OF THE TOWN OF MADISON FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING JULY 1, 2010 AND ENDING JUNE 30, 2011 IN THE AMOUNT OF $20,585,999 BE APPROVED?

and

SHALL THE EDUCATION BUDGET OF THE TOWN OF MADISON FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING JULY 1, 2010 AND ENDING JUNE 30, 2011 1IN THE AMOUNT OF $50,472,164 BE APPROVED?

At its Tuesday meeting the Board of Finance approved the 2010-2011 Education Budget as submitted.

Voting machines will be available from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18. Voters residing in the First Voting Districtwill vote at the Surf Club, 87 Surf Club Road, and voters residing in the Second Voting District will vote at the Brown Middle School, 980 Durham Road. Absentee ballots will be available from the Town Clerk’s office at the Madison Town Campus, and will be counted centrally at the Madison Town Campus. Voters approving a resolution will vote “Yes” and those opposing said resolution will vote “No.”

Seussical the Musical tops this weekend’s list of events in Madison. There are shows Friday and Saturday evening and a Saturday matinee. Other interesting events include the Madison Alcohol and Drug Education Coalition (M.A.D.E.) “Be An Asset Builder” Workshop on Saturday morning, “Spahhh … Day” Saturday at the Mercy Center, and the mystery writers workshop Sunday at RJ Julia.

FRIDAY:

• Free Wine Tasting, noon-7:30 p.m., the Madison Wine Shop, 734 Boston Post Road: Wine tastings geared to educate over time, by providing an opportunity to sample and discuss a wide variety of wines, mostly outside of the mainstream, mostly affordable, and sometimes not. It’s free, informal, informative, face-to-face with Rick Lewis and your fellow participants, and its fun.
• Seussical the Musical, 7:30 p.m., Daniel Hand High School Assembly Hall, 286 Green Hill Road: The Daniel Hand High School Hands on Stage Company proudly presents Seussical the Musical, directed by Joy Grabow Weaver. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the DHHS office or at RJ Julia. For information call 203-245-6350.

SATURDAY:

• Birdwalk at Hammonasset State Park, 8-10:30 a.m., Hammonasset Beach State Park: See returning songbirds, shorebirds, waders, and birds of prey. Meet at Audubon Shop at 7:50 am. Binocular rentals available. Dress for weather. Beginners welcome. $4
• Overeaters Anonymous Open Meeting, 9 a.m., Memorial Hall – Route 1 on the Green Madison Center: Overeaters Anonymous Open Meeting Saturdays at the Memorial Hall, Route 1 on the Green, Madison 1-800-824-8650 www.oa.org.
• “Be An Asset Builder” Workshop, 9:15-11:30 a.m., Memorial Town Hall, 8 Meetinghouse Lane, Madison: Madison Alcohol and Drug Education Coalition (M.A.D.E.) invites you to attend the “Be An Asset Builder” Workshop. M.A.D.E. has chosen the 40 Developmental Assets framework from the Minneapolis-based Search Institute to address positive youth development as they work to decrease high risk behaviors among Madison youth. These Search Institute-designed workshops will introduce you to the Developmental Assets (‘building blocks of healthy development”) and invite you to become an asset builder by simply making a point to connect with young people. Please RSVP to Lou Anne Castrilli at castrillil@madisonct.org or 203-245-5645. Space is limited.
• Spahhh … Day, 10 a.m.-3 p.m, Mercy Center, 167 Neck Road, Madison: Chair massages, yoga sessions, guided meditation, energy healing, rejuvenating hand treatments, color matching, holistic health counseling, mini life coaching Sessions, fair trade marketplace and healthy bites café. $35 suggested donation entitles ticket holder to four (4) services of their choice plus a healthy snack. Tickets available at Savvy Tea Gourmet prior to date – 28 Durham Road, Madison (203) 318-8666. For additional questions or ticket purchase, contact Carmen at 203-215-7370 or email carmencapriles@comcast.net Proceeds will be used toward building a children’s community center in Uganda.  Event hosted by Madison nonprofit, Call To Care Uganda www.calltocareuganda.org
• Free Wine Tasting, noon-7:30 p.m., the Madison Wine Shop, 734 Boston Post Road: Wine tastings geared to educate over time, by providing an opportunity to sample and discuss a wide variety of wines, mostly outside of the mainstream, mostly affordable, and sometimes not. It’s free, informal, informative, face-to-face with Rick Lewis and your fellow participants, and its fun.
• Seussical the Musical, 2 p.m., Daniel Hand High School Assembly Hall, 286 Green Hill Road: The Daniel Hand High School Hands on Stage Company proudly presents Seussical the Musical, directed by Joy Grabow Weaver. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the DHHS office or at RJ Julia. Tickets for the Saturday matinee are $7 for children 10 and under,  and include a meet the cast session after the show. You can also enter to win a Dr. Seuss gift basket. For information call 203-245-6350.
• Seussical the Musical, 7:30 p.m., Daniel Hand High School Assembly Hall, 286 Green Hill Road: The Daniel Hand High School Hands on Stage Company proudly presents Seussical the Musical, directed by Joy Grabow Weaver. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the DHHS office or at RJ Julia.  For information call 203-245-6350.

SUNDAY:

• Brunch, 11 a.m.-2p.m., Savvy Tea Gourmet – 28 Durham Rd. Madison.
• Mystery Writing Workshop with Eugenia Lovett West, 4-6 p.m., RJ Julia: Do you think you have a mystery novel in you, but need help getting started? Join us for our first mystery writers workshop, led by Eugenia Lovett West, author of the Emma Streat mysteries Overkill and Without Warning. Tickets for this workshop are $35, and the class is limited to 25 people.

How’s this for a relaxing day? Chair massages, yoga sessions, guided meditation, energy healing, rejuvenating hand treatments, color matching, holistic health counseling, mini life coaching sessions, fair trade marketplace, and healthy bites café.

It’s all happening at Spahhh …. Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 1, at the Mercy Center, 167 Neck Road. The $35 suggested donation entitles ticket holder to four services of their choice plus a healthy snack. Tickets are available at Savvy Tea Gourmet (prior to date), 28 Durham Road, Madison (203) 318-8666.

It makes a great Mother’s Day gift  (but guys, you’re invited, too!).

Proceeds will be used toward building a children’s community center in Uganda.  This event is being hosted by the Madison nonprofit, Call To Care Uganda (www.calltocareuganda.org).

For additional questions or ticket purchase, contact Carmen at 203-215-7370 or email carmencapriles@comcast.net.

Local lore has it that Eleanor Roosevelt visited her longtime friend Esther Lape in Westbrook secretly for decades. What did she do? Who was Esther Lape? Join the Friends of Scranton Library and Russ Barmmer at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 28, to unravel this curious mystery so close to home. Barmmer’s keen interest in history and journalism will give you a peek into the former First Lady’s travels to Lape’s estate, Salt Meadow, where you can visit and hike today. This session is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. Reserve your spot by calling the Library or registering online.

Can you solve Madison’s latest mystery? When an artifact is stolen from the Scranton Library, the new police chief’s mettle is tested. You, too, can test your sleuthing skills at Madison Care’s annual Mystery Movie Night Thursday, April 29.

All proceeds from the event will benefit Madison Cares, a not-for-profit organization that supports local builds in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven. Madison Cares will be dedicating its fifth New Haven build later this year.

To set the scene, Madison’s own mystery author Roberta Isleib will be writing a short mystery that takes place in Madison and includes town places and personalities. Copies of Isleib’s story will be available at local merchants the week before. The mystery will also be published on Madison Cares’ website, http://www.MadisonCares.org. In addition to Isleib’s mystery, the evening will feature a screening of the 1999 thriller, The Thomas Crown Affair.

Beginning at 5:30 p.m. April 29, participants will meet at the Madison Arts Cinema where they will be given a list of participating downtown merchants. Stores will host receptions where participants can sample beverages and hors d’oeuvres as well as gather clues to solve the mystery. Each store will provide a different clue. Participants can visit as many stores as they wish to collect clues and enter their guess of “whodunit” before the movie begins. One lucky sleuth, drawn at the theater from among the correct entries, will win a weekend getaway for two.

The evening will culminate at Madison Art Cinemas at 8 p.m. for a screening of The Thomas Crown Affair, about a mysterious $100 million art theft.

Tickets are $35 and can be purchased in advance by calling Maureen Lopes at 203-245-9682 or emailing Maureen at mlopes@snet.net. A limited number of “Patron” tickets are available for $50. Patron tickets include admission to a private event at the Susan Powell Art Gallery at 6 p.m. The featured speaker will be Susan Miller, a longtime Madison resident and certified nurse-midwife who recently headed a disaster relief team in Haiti.  Call Maureen Lopes at 203-245-9682 for more information.

Madison Cares is dedicated to the elimination of poverty housing through community participation that includes financial support, volunteer labor and leadership for local, national and global Habitat for Humanity International builds. For more information, visit http://www.madisoncares.org.

Do you think you have a mystery novel in you, but need help getting started? Why not check out RJ Julia’s first mystery writers workshop, led by Eugenia Lovett West, author of the Emma Streat mysteries Overkill and Without Warning. Tickets for this workshop are $35, and the class is limited to 25 people. Sign up at RJ Julia’s website.

The Board of Finance will hold its final public hearing regarding the Town and Board of Education budgets at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 26, in the Polson Middle School Auditorium. This is the final opportunity for the Madison residents to share their opinions and insights with the Board of Finance regarding the proposed town and school budgets for 2010-2011. The referendum on the budget is expected to occur on Tuesday, May 18.

The Daniel Hand High School Hands on Stage Company proudly presents Seussical the Musical, directed by Joy Grabow Weaver. Shows are 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 29, Friday April 30, and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 1. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the DHHS office or at RJ Julia.

The show features a cast of 150 talented Hands on Stage Company members accompanied by a full orchestra.

There will be a 2 p.m. Saturday matinee with tickets $7 for children 10 and under, including a “meet the cast” session after the show. You can also enter to win a Dr. Seuss gift basket. For information, call 203-245-6350.

Madison Alcohol and Drug Education Coalition (M.A.D.E.) invites you to attend one of two “Be An Asset Builder” Workshops. M.A.D.E. has chosen the 40 Developmental Assets framework from the Minneapolis-based Search Institute to address positive youth development as they work to decrease high risk behaviors among Madison youth. These Search Institute-designed workshops will introduce you to the Developmental Assets (‘building blocks of healthy development”) and invite you to become an asset builder by simply making a point to connect with young people. The workshops will be presented by Marcy Beatty and Melissa Balletto of M.A.D.E. in Madison.

The first session will be from 6:15-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 27, 2010, 6:15 to 8:30 p.m. at the upper level of Memorial Town Hall, 8 Meetinghouse Lane, Madison. The second session will be from 9:15-11:30 a.m. on Friday April 30th at the same location. Please RSVP to Lou Anne Castrilli at castrillil@madisonct.org or 203-245-5645. Space is limited.