Next time they cut school crossing guards from the rolls because of budget cuts …

Remember this California county executive who will receive $400,000 per year, for life. How many more like her?

Biden: you think that $588,000 hotel bill was stiff? Check out what I spent on limos!

$321,655. Again, what was a man whose only official duty is to preside over the Senate doing in Paris?

Obama nominee: triple the cost of energy to enhance efficiency

Uh huh. Oh and by the way, we’ll have to tax the productive citizens and give the proceeds to the unproductive so as not  to interfere with their life of leisure. This is what passes for deep thought in the Democrat party. Long term, the problem for them is this: even blue collar workers buy gasoline, and when they see its cost triple they’re going to get annoyed and maybe, finally, start asking how much the party of social engineering is costing them.

Neat house, improved price

 

534 North Street

534 North Street, an 1819 home, has slowly dropped from $3.235 to, today, $2.650 million. Is that the right price? I really don’t know, but it’s a gorgeous house and still has two of its original acres, so somewhere around this range should take it, no? I find it difficult to value antique homes because so much of what I like isn’t necessarily appreciated by much of the market and much of what I don’t miss is considered an essential feature by that same group of buyers.

All that said, this is a landmark home and someone will appreciate it, I’m certain.

Coming your way

New NHS call line a shambles, patients told to call back in a few days, if still living.

‘It was obvious to us that many places weren’t ready and that’s when it becomes dangerous and bad things happen. I’m sadly waiting for the first body.

‘You end up with the wrong people getting into ambulances, GPs flooded with patients they don’t need to see, those who need to see a doctor not getting an appointment and A&Es full of people who shouldn’t be there.’

In a series of leaked emails, health bosses in Manchester admitted the system was a ‘catastrophe’ when it was ‘soft launched’ – or tested – for the first time on Thursday.

It is understood NHS bosses grossly underestimated the number of operators they would need to field calls, and the amount of time staff would need to analyse them. There were also problems with the service’s computer system.

The Government believes the system will save money by phasing out the £123million-a-year NHS Direct line and directing patients away from casualty units.

Oh yeah, ObamaKare! You just know this is coming.

No, really – this is a true story

British educators under fire for passing out sterilized razor blades to enable students to engage in self-harm “safely”.

Teachers were ordered to hand razor blades to a vulnerable youngster as part of a controversial ‘controlled self-harm’ policy at a specialist school, it has emerged.

An investigation is underway after a child at Unsted Park School – which offers education to boys and girls aged between seven and 19 years who have Asperger’s Syndrome and higher-functioning autism – was given access to blade kits.

Staff were told to give the pupil access to the sterilised disposable razor and sterile wipes and escort the child to a bathroom where they would be allowed to self-harm in a ‘safe and controlled manner’.

Teachers were ordered to wait outside the bathroom while the child was inside, checking on them every two minutes, before the wounds were dressed and cleaned by staff.

The policy was introduced and abandoned within six days at the school in Munstead Park, Godalming, Surrey, and is understood to have sparked protests from staff.

What’s next, lessons on safe self-pleasuring  while tickling the prostate? Like that’ll ever happen!

Say this about Democrat rulers – they know how to treat their kids right

All the presidents’ children

Following hard on the footsteps of Bill Clinton, a man who rose from a penniless childhood in Hope, Arkansas to amass such a large fortune in the public service that he just bought his only daughter a $10 million co-op in NYC, Community organizer and law school instructor Barry Hussein has sent his own daughters on a luxury spring break vacation to the Bahamas. “With the White House tours cancelled Sasha and Malki had nothing to do”, the First Father explains, ” so we sent ’em off to have some fun. I know y’all too busy filling out tax returns to join them but that’s okay, they understand.”

Admittedly, a million dollar beach vacation is hardly on par with a NYC co-op but the girls are young, and their father has had less than a decade at the public service trough to collect what isn’t his. Give him another five years.

Extraordinary popular delusions and the madness of crowds

82 Winthrop Drive

82 Winthrop Drive has an accepted offer. Asking $1.775 million, the sellers paid $1.495 million exactly one year ago. A quick coat of paint, a lick and a spit, and presto – $300,000 increase in “value”, $845 per square foot for 2,100 of space. I’m inclined to suggest that if you don’t have to buy in Riverside now you don’t, and rent instead. On the other hand, maybe this is the start of another decades-long run up in prices, and by not buying now you’ll miss the train entirely. What I do know is that when Havemeyer homes are selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars more than they would have a year ago, and Riverside is commanding prices well above what was ever achieved at the height of the previous crest, either we’re watching a bubble fueled by hysteria or the start of something new and wonderful for homeowners.

Me, I’m a pessimist – your opinion and that of your agent may differ.

Why don’t they just shut themselves down permanently?

A tale of two countries: (Goreland, top)

Idiot brigade is urging members to commit symbolic suicide Saturday night* by turning off their incandescent bulbs for an hour and light candles instead. It is of course no use to point out to these airheads that they will be consuming more energy with their candles than we philistine light bulb burners – I understand that these people are about symbolism, not science, but how telling that the once-proud marks of civilization: warmth, light and abundance, are now perceived as shameful. Everything you need to know about the goals and limited mental capacity of greeners and warmists will be on flickering display Saturday night.

UPDATE: As I feared, our own school system is involved in this asininity, courtesy of the PTA. I don’t have children in those dark halls anymore, thank god, but for those who do, it might be a wonderful opportunity to arm your kids with accurate information, wind ’em up and shoot them straight back to school where, no doubt, PTA mommies are counseling your children’s peers on the supremacy of ideology and symbolism over reason.

Frm the Greenwich Board of Education website:

Saturday, March 27 ; 8:30 p.m.
Earth Hour 2010
It started with a question: “How can we inspire people to take action on climate change?” The answer: “Ask people to turn off their lights for one hour.” In 2009, nearly a billion people participated in over 4,100 cities in 87 countries. Cities from Sydney, Rome, Chicago, and San Francisco to the Case Station on Antarctica participated. Lights were extinguished in the Coliseum, on the Golden Gate Bridge, the Sydney Opera House and the Empire State Building. Last year the Town of Greenwich became an official participant. Our Goal for 2010: To get as many individuals, business and organizations as possible throughout Greenwich to turn off all non-essential power for one hour – Let’s see how much energy we can save! Sponsored by Green Schools, a PTAC committee. For more information contact Gayle Hagegard – 203-554-9993 or gayle@hagegard.com

*Oops! Turns out it was last Saturday night. Funny I didn’t notice, what with the earth being saved and all that.

Well if Weston Hill can get $4, Dawn Harbor at $6.5 almost makes sense

 

36 Dawn Harbor

36 Dawn Harbor, asking $6.495 million, has a contract. Started at $7.350 13 months ago but several price cuts and a rising market seem to have worked their magic.

There’s a house for everyone in Greenwich, it’s just not the same house

 

2 Stanwich Lane

2 Stanwich Lane, December contract, reports a final sale price of $1.850 million. I didn’t like this one’s first price of $2.5 back in September 2011 but I always thought the house itself was fine, and as the price climbed down to a reasonable price, someone else agreed. I heard objections to this location bordering on Stanwich Road and a couple of people weren’t thrilled with its layout but the only valid criticism, to my mind, was that price, and once that was corrected, it sold.

Ye Olde Colonial Inne

On the other hand, here’s 59 Dingletown, $3.750 million, that’s gone and found itself a buyer after less than a year. I never showed this house because I had no buyers in this price range who were interested in a contemporary in this style. which is not to fault the house: it’s great, but there’s no compromise here – if you’re looking for a colonial or anything traditional as traditional is interpreted in Greenwich, this wasn’t the house for you. I’m glad to see it sell, and for a high price.

The young get what they voted for, good and hard

(snicker)

ObamaKare insurance premiums start to kick in, and guess who’s paying?

Californians learned earlier this month that their insurance premiums would be shooting up as a result of Obamacare. But those of us outside California shouldn’t gloat, as it looks like California was just early to the party: Insurance companies are now notifying brokers around the country that premiums are likely to go up in the coming year as they adapt to the new requirements brought on by the Affordable Care Act. As in California, the costs will fall primarily on individuals and small businesses, and as in California, they will fall disproportionately on the young. The Wall Street Journal reports:

Starting next year, the law will block insurers from refusing to sell coverage or setting premiums based on people’s health histories, and will reduce their ability to set rates based on age. That can raise coverage prices for younger, healthier consumers, while reining them in for older, sicker ones. The rules can also affect small businesses, which sometimes pay premiums tied to employees’ health status and claims history.

My generation is sticking the next with the bill for trillions in unfunded pension obligations, a bankrupt social security system, a medicare program that cannot last and, oh yeah, a national infrastructure that is crumbling from lack of maintenance. We’ll suck the last benefits from this collapsing social structure and, bonus time, get a real giggle from knowing that our kids voted for all this. That’ll teach them to limit their study of politics to Jon Stewart’s comedy news show.

Tesei wants to mark the day by signing the Mianus Boat Club lease

And welcome to all

48th anniversary of Dr. King’s march from Selma for equal boating rights.

New and newer – selling fast

Two accepted offers reported already this morning, 19 Weston Hill Road and 76 Riverside Lane.

19 Weston Hill Road – Roofline by FAR

Weston Hill asked $1,000 per square foot, $3.995 million. Great looking house, I suppose, but I’m a little surprised it could fetch so much so quickly. Other Weston Hill owners should be pleased: their own modest plots of land have just gone way up in value. This property owner around the corner is quite happy with that result.

76 Riverside Lane

76 Riverside Lane, $2.195, is not brand new, but new enough to convince someone to pay over two million to live north of the Post Road.

Next New Jersey Democrat Chairman? Hell, why not go national? Wasserman’s done.

 

Dig we must

New Jersey Dem, touted as the state party’s next Chairman, turns out to be a Bill Clinton wannabe.

A powerful New Jersey Democrat who’s being touted as the party’s next state chairman has an insatiable lust for bondage, oral sex and spanking, secret e-mails obtained by The Post reveal.

Assemblyman Joe Cryan, of Union, graphically spelled out his kinky proclivities in more than 150 e-mails that he sent to a lobbyist — and then fought to keep them hidden after he stunned the state political world by having her busted for stalking in 2006.

Now there’s an eleventh plague

Okay, 12 plagues

Seders go modern

On Monday night, Jews around the world will celebrate Passover, gathering for the traditional Seder feast and marking the Exodus from Egypt by chanting prayers and reciting the 10 plagues that struck before Pharaoh set his slaves free.

Families and friends, bored by what to them have become ho-hum rituals, are doing all sorts of things for the holiday—some of them with no discernible ties to the Book of Exodus.

Some folks are flinging marshmallows and ping-pong balls at one another to simulate hail. In one household, a son falls to the ground to mark the Death of the Firstborn. For a bit of aesthetic flair, a website offers a special manicure theme. “You won’t want to Pass-over these Ten Plagues Nail Decals!” declares midrashmanicures.com. “These adorable frogs, flies, and locusts are bound to be a hit at your Seder.”

The “30-minute Seder,” published by Robert Kopman and Bil Yanok, offers an illustrated handbook that proclaims it “Blends Brevity With Tradition.” And to cater to those families with mixed religious backgrounds, there is also a subgenre of interfaith Haggadas. The “Haggadah for Jews & Buddhists” offers one perspective.

Meanwhile, Rabbi Peter Schweitzer, author of “The Liberated Haggadah” likes to replace the hoary biblical plagues, depicting instead more modern-day, topical scourges: AIDS, pollution—and for the kids, bedbugs.

Among Jewish leaders, the Passover makeover movement is somewhat divided. Rabbi Mitchell Delcau of Bucks County, Pa., embraces the efforts to “spice up” Passover so as to engage Jews who risk being alienated or have strayed from the faith. He created a popular communal Seder at his former Denver synagogue, tapping congregants to play Moses and Pharaoh in costume, going so far as to provide them with dialogue.

A few lines: When Moses asks Pharaoh to “let my people go,” the ruler replies, “Forget it, dude—we are not going to do that.”

Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, leader of a modern Orthodox congregation in Manhattan’s East Side, says that while he condones new texts that can appeal to different groups, some “can be carried to a ridiculous extreme.” Some practices, he says, risk “making a farce out of the Exodus from Egypt.”

It is far from clear how Lois Burak, Elliot’s mother, will react; she longs for the sedate Seders of old, minus the theatrics and the wildlife. “I want a very straight, elegant Seder,” Mrs. Burak says. “Because that is who I am.”

As a member of a faith that’s made Santa Clause its patron saint I won’t be the first to throw marshmallows, but I’m with Lois Burak: you abandon tradition at the risk of forgetting who you are.