en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/622670 Comments by NwlkSpectator http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/anger-management-civility-and-crimes/#IDComment34632253 When I first saw the article about Amos and A.J. Brown, I was surprised, too. But I think the reason that the Amos Brown story was run, and put on the front page was to get the message out to the community that A.J. and Amos are gone. Don't bother looking for them, homies, they are gone and apparently do not plan on coming back. To those in the 'hood, there is no forwarding address. Time to get on with life. To the Browns, wherever they may be, I hope you find what you are looking for. Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:47:36 +0000 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/anger-management-civility-and-crimes/#IDComment34632253 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-spends-money-filing-complaint-against-nft/#IDComment34450841 I did check out the site and was impressed, Steve. I am doing all I can to support this ballot and I'm sorry to hear that your election signs and Artie's were lifted. I will encourage those I know as much as I can to vote for you all. Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:21:04 +0000 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-spends-money-filing-complaint-against-nft/#IDComment34450841 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-spends-money-filing-complaint-against-nft/#IDComment34230491 I saw some Steve Colarossi signs on Tierney Street today. The residence had other signs on the front lawn, too, but I didn't get a chance to really look at them as I was driving. Go, Steve!!! Actually, I'm kinda glad that I confused Naramake and Nathan Hale because that brings one more student body into the mix. Columbus - aides cut Naramake - principal choice AND portable classroom problems Nathan Hale - promised teachers cut Special Education parents - Spectrum Kids debacle Overall district - NFT negoiations - Looking at that quick and dirty list, and if you add Mr. McCain in there, it's pretty comprehensive. And that's just the stuff I'm aware of. In another fifteen minutes, it will be only 50 days until Election Day. What else can I say??? Sun, 13 Sep 2009 03:46:29 +0000 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-spends-money-filing-complaint-against-nft/#IDComment34230491 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/labor-day-musings-americas-long-civil-war-against-fun/#IDComment34086163 Rose - According to the plastic surgeon that put in the stitches and the dentist who worked on my teeth, had I been wearing a helmet, the chin strap probably would have absorbed some of the impact. My teeth would have been loosened, but according to the surgeon, the laceration on my chin would have been much, much smaller. Both the dentist and the surgeon agreed that I was "extremely lucky". You can argue with their conclusions, but I'd imagine they based their comments on previous experiences. At the time, I was not in a position to argue with either of them. Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:56:14 +0000 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/labor-day-musings-americas-long-civil-war-against-fun/#IDComment34086163 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-spends-money-filing-complaint-against-nft/#IDComment34085281 Okay. I wasn't aware of the issue with Mr. McCain. Thanks for filling me in. I was concerned about the inside classroom vs. portable issue because it seemed to me that there was a lengthy presentation as to why the portables were needed, and I think they have also discussed the number of teachers at Nathan Hale that night, too. The Board voted and based on that vote orders were placed. Then ba-boom! Ms. Jimenez arrives and throws the whole process in an uproar. At one point, during the discussion, I believe Dr. Corda pointed out that very fact and was told, well, we're trying to save money here. Okay, fine, but re-inventing the wheel is not necessarily the way to do it. Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:42:29 +0000 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-spends-money-filing-complaint-against-nft/#IDComment34085281 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/common-council-meeting-of-982009/#IDComment34084540 I stand corrected. My apologies to Mr. Hopp. Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:28:37 +0000 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/common-council-meeting-of-982009/#IDComment34084540 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/labor-day-musings-americas-long-civil-war-against-fun/#IDComment33929737 Sorry, I don't know why my post didn't show up. I didn't delete it. The server wouldn't take it. My comment simply was that I have a jaw with a weather wise hairline fracture, a number of lower teeth that were "displaced" and a nice scar on my chin, along with two dozen stitches that went into creating that scar that I probably could have avoided had I been wearing a bicycle helmet. Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:19:23 +0000 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/labor-day-musings-americas-long-civil-war-against-fun/#IDComment33929737 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-spends-money-filing-complaint-against-nft/#IDComment33914248 I'm not arguing here, Coach, but if I am not mistaken, I'm pretty sure that the only four seats that will be on the ballot are currently filled by Democrats. And I am not saying that the Democrats have a corner on the market called Stupidity. Also, I don't know the candidates that are running for the seats other than Colarossi and Haynie. I know Steve is running as a Republican and don't know which party ticket Sue is running on. Quite frankly, unless either of them are running on the Anarchist Party ticket, I don't much care because I think both of them will do well on the Board. As far as I know, the only two Republicans on the Board are Iannaccone and Chiaramonte. Both of them are fairly new to the Board, so they've been fairly low key. Did either one of them do something outlandish that I missed? I know Jimenez hit the ground running by proposing to have Naramake use an inside music room as a classroom instead of purchasing a portable, which had already been approved by the Board earlier. If Iannaccone or Chiaramonte blundered in some major way, I'd be interested to hear about it. Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:37:34 +0000 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-spends-money-filing-complaint-against-nft/#IDComment33914248 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-spends-money-filing-complaint-against-nft/#IDComment33841620 Well, I goofed in which school was which. But I was glad that Mrs. Ockasi got the job she obviously deserved even though it took a show of force to do it. Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:45:57 +0000 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-spends-money-filing-complaint-against-nft/#IDComment33841620 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-spends-money-filing-complaint-against-nft/#IDComment33841480 My bad. My apologies. Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:43:02 +0000 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-spends-money-filing-complaint-against-nft/#IDComment33841480 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/common-council-meeting-of-982009/#IDComment33841355 I'm not trying to argue with anyone, I just wanted to know where the line was between the Council and the BOE, that's all. Everything that I have heard about the separation between the City and the BOE seems to reinforce the idea that the City supplies the money and the BOE decides what it wants to do with the funds, no ifs, ands or buts. From what I remember a number of years ago, one of the NHS students got up and gave a detailed report on the condition of the computers at the high school, and it was pretty sad. Following that, Ralph Valenzisi proposed a purchase/refresh plan to update all the computers and get everything on the same system. After reading the account of the Council, it sounded like this was just part of the ongoing plan, but now that Ralph has moved on, Mr. Hogg may not be as familiar with where the computers would be utilized as Ralph might have been. It's not that big of a deal. I was just asking. Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:40:31 +0000 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/common-council-meeting-of-982009/#IDComment33841355 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/common-council-meeting-of-982009/#IDComment33733292 Does the Council have the right to tell the Board of Education where to locate the new computers or how to use them? I thought the Council only could vote up or down on the issue. Wed, 9 Sep 2009 12:18:08 +0000 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/common-council-meeting-of-982009/#IDComment33733292 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-spends-money-filing-complaint-against-nft/#IDComment33698393 Unfortunately, this is a non-presidential year, which means that the voter turn out is likely to be lighter to start with. The other sad thing is that unless your child is directly affected by some of the budget cuts, the BOE is likely to be low on the priority list for choosing candidates. I am hoping that the Nathan Hale parents won't forget the near miss with Karen Ocaski, the Columbus parents are still steamed about the virtual gutting of the classroom aides and the Spectrum kids families are still fuming. With the exception of the Columbus aides, the other decisions were not budget driven. And of course, if the NFT does it's job properly, every Norwalk resident who is related to a Norwalk teacher and eligible to vote will turn out in force. Two more hours until 54 days before Voting.... Wed, 9 Sep 2009 02:05:24 +0000 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-spends-money-filing-complaint-against-nft/#IDComment33698393 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-spends-money-filing-complaint-against-nft/#IDComment33667485 Sigh. 55 Days and counting..... Tue, 8 Sep 2009 20:04:19 +0000 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-spends-money-filing-complaint-against-nft/#IDComment33667485 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-spends-money-filing-complaint-against-nft/#IDComment33600740 56 more days until Election Day!!!! Old Timer, do you think they can stall around getting the hearing on the docket until after Election Day? If they do, would replacing four out of the 9 seats make a difference, especially if one of the seats is held by the chairman??? Will they even go into negotiations with the lawsuit on the horizon? Seriously asking here, not being sarcastic at all. By the way, just want to remind everyone, the Mayor asked nicely to be included on the selection committee and was turned down flat by the Board, along with all the other "stake holders" who weren't named. Just remember....every vote counts, so get out on November 3rd and make your voice heard!!! Tue, 8 Sep 2009 02:18:34 +0000 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-spends-money-filing-complaint-against-nft/#IDComment33600740 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/labor-day-musings-americas-long-civil-war-against-fun/#IDComment33582404 Clove cigarettes are just the tip here, as of September 22, it is illegal to sell clove or other flavored cigarettes. Except, menthol cigarettes. Not being a smoker, I don't understand why clove cigarettes are so much more dangerous than the menthol or regular ones. There has to be some reason because they are about to become illegal, just like incandescent bulbs and mercury thermometers. Quite truthfully, I'm tempted to go out and buy a few packs for a stockpile. Mon, 7 Sep 2009 21:47:39 +0000 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/labor-day-musings-americas-long-civil-war-against-fun/#IDComment33582404 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-spends-money-filing-complaint-against-nft/#IDComment33503323 57 more days until Election Day!!!!! Mon, 7 Sep 2009 02:47:18 +0000 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-spends-money-filing-complaint-against-nft/#IDComment33503323 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/books/#IDComment33502899 Oh, one of the joys of my youth was going into the Pequot library research stacks with its glass floor and the smell of old leather and paper. Nothing can compare. I can read the Bible on my iPhone, do it quite frequently now, as the church has begun turning down the lights in the sanctuary for better contrast with the LCD flat screen TV monitors and the iPhone is backlit, which means I can actually see what I am supposed to be reading.... Accurate, yes, but something gets lost in the translation. That something is the feel of the book, the weight, the binding (paperbound, spiral bound, sewn...your choice) and the quality of the paper that is just....well, for lack of a better word..."bookish". e-Books are probably pretty nice and I have used a few of them. They are helpful when the text is something that is out of print and you are not likely to have access to an actual volume of the work, but I can't quite see myself settling down to read anything substantial on the web. Mon, 7 Sep 2009 02:37:25 +0000 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/books/#IDComment33502899 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-claims-it-can-find-next-superintendent/#IDComment33267372 I couldn't agree with you more, Norwalk Coach. From what others have said, Jimenez and Murray were both on the Board that approved Corda. People might do well to remember that fact come Election Day. Ya reap what ya sow, or in other words, what goes around, comes around. I also am given to understand that preceding Superintendent of Schools was no bundle of joy either, but personally, the BOE wasn't on my radar back then, so I can't say yea or nay. From what I have heard of the various discussions, the former system was that the candidates for positions were interviewed and the Superintendent would choose the finalist and recommend that the Board confirm the appointment. That would allow cronyism, as a matter of fact, it would almost promote it. Now things have changed and the Board apparently controls the interview process much more tightly and they are flexing their muscles for a show of force, like they did with the appointment of Karen Ocaski (sp?) as the Nathan Hale principal. However, that particular skirmish was not to the Board's advantage, as virtually every Nathan Hale parent and assorted relatives turned out to make their point that the staff, the students and the parents wanted Ms. Ocaski for the job. The selection of Mr. Mecca for Norwalk High principal went much smoother for them and they used a third party search firm for that. It's sure is gonna be a couple of interesting months til the election. Pass the popcorn, would ya? Sun, 6 Sep 2009 01:03:55 +0000 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-claims-it-can-find-next-superintendent/#IDComment33267372 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-spends-money-filing-complaint-against-nft/#IDComment33238834 Interesting....The header for the Ground Rules of Conduct for Negotiations between the two parties misspelled Norwalk. See Below. Did they even read the thing before they signed it? "Ground Rules of Conduct for Negotiations Between The Norwalk Board of Education and the Nowralk Federation of Teachers ("NFT") Local No. 1723" It's marked as Exhibit A in the PDF file for those of you who might want to read the document. Sat, 5 Sep 2009 16:52:15 +0000 http://www.yourct.com/new/2009/09/boe-spends-money-filing-complaint-against-nft/#IDComment33238834