Precisely

From Instapundit:

GLENN BECK: What’s the big deal about gay marriage? “I believe what Thomas Jefferson said. If it neither breaks my leg nor picks my pocket, what difference is it to me?”

No s…, Sherlock

Police: man suspected in semen attack.

I coulda been a contender!

Realtors press Feinberg for BP losses. Surely at least one reader was ready to hire me to buy some Gulf Coast property before the spill, right?

Madoff redux: affinity fraud

Scammer hits Orthodox Jews. I lost a friend and a reader last year when I discussed Bernie’s preying on his fellow Jews, but look – it’s not a Jewish thing, it’s about trusting someone who seems to be part of your “community” : Yale, Round Hill Club, whatever. Beware.

The Byram River floods – for this we need a study?

U.S. Senate approves $100,000 for study of Byram River flooding.

The money is the first portion of what she estimated would be a $5 million price tag for the study.

I’ll tell you this for free: live next to the river, prepare for floods. Don’t want that, don’t buy there. Just saved the U.S. taxpayer 5 million bucks.

Tip of the iceberg

Connecticut foreclosures increase. Folks here are running out of their severance deals. I am NOT gloating, just observing.

This is why I live in Riverside

Black bear hanging out on John Street.

Japanese on Railroad Avenue?

Great review of a new restaurant in Greenwich Time today. I haven’t been there, but it certainly sounds enticing. But as long as you’re on RR Ave., don’t forget Will Morton’s Rotisserie, just a few doors down. Great barbecue and Japanese all in one block!  And both within walking distance of the movies and Greenwich Avenue. The town just keeps getting better.

Veteran’s day

Vernon Baker, WWII hero belatedly honored by his country  by President Clinton, has died. A Congressman has contributed frequent flier miles to get the family to Arlington.

Jobless claims “unexpectedly” rise

InstaPundit and I have both laughed at the tag “unexpected” for months (years?) now and I think, but could be wrong, that I beat him to it. Regardless, here’s the latest “surprise”.

Foreclosures surge

Record numbers. And around here – Stamford/Greenwich – we’re seeing just the tip of the iceberg. Our courts are extremely reluctant to issue final judgments on foreclosures of personal residences (as I would be, were I a judge), and the banks themselves don’t really want these properties. But eventually, the whole thing is going to come tumbling down.

Actions were taken on 325,229 properties, with one in every 397 housing units getting a foreclosure filing.

“Repossessions coupled with the fact that we’re still looking at 5 million seriously delinquent loans, many of which would normally already be in foreclosure, really suggests that what the banks are doing is managing inventory levels,” said [RealtyTrac's] Sharga.

Bad Greenwich schools? Not so fast.

We got whacked as “under-performing” under the No Child Left Behind rules, but it’s because of our results with children with “learning disabilities”. We’re one community, and we should certainly take care of all our children, but see how your own kid’s doing before condemning the schools. I do hear horror stories about Old Greenwich Elementary, and I don’t think much of the High School, but all in all, a motivated, bright child can survive OG, flourish at Eastern and find some great teachers at the high school. College and law school, for me, were fun – what came before was mostly bleak, with a few, occasional beams of light. Kind of like life, eh?

Title I schools like New Lebanon, which receive federal lunch subsidies because they have relatively large populations of lower-income students, must give parents the option to transfer if they are in need of improvement. These lower-income schools will also face harsher sanctions the longer they stay in improvement status, such as having to revamp their curricula after three years, and having to restructure after five years.

According to the district’s preliminary figures from the state:

GHS did not reach the federal targets in math for students with disabilities, and in math and reading for economically disadvantaged students.

Western did not reach the targets in math and reading for students with disabilities, and in math for economically disadvantaged students.

New Lebanon did not reach the targets in reading for Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students.

Central reached the targets in every category, but was kept in so-called “hold” status on the underperforming list, pending next year’s results; if the school makes adequate progress next year, it will be removed from the list.

George and Laura Bush greet returning veterans

And he isn’t running for office. Nice job, sir.