Consolidation on the municipal level, cutting costs, freezing/capping spending is all on the Gov's agenda, per his State of the State speach last night. Those are all great things to do going forward. The State is burdened with allot of pre-existing debt in addition to closing a current budget shortfall.

From their website:

http://olcschool.org/admissions.html

OPEN HOUSE FOR THE 2007-2008 SCHOOL YEAR.
JAN. 31, 2007 Call for an appointment 201-434-2405.

I received quite a few booklets, but only filled out 2 forms that dealt with emergency contact information and another acknowledging school policies.

My daughter is not in the wrap around program and we did not have to register at the Urban League. That was one option, another was to register at the school.

Paying with cash and money order is a trivial concern when you consider how little you are paying for what you are getting. I think it is quite practical. I mean come one now, do you expect you kid to be handling a credit card or a debit card?

My daughter's teacher replies to my emails and handwritten notes. I also have a chance to talk with her and her assistant when I drop her off at school in the morning and more formally after each school quarter at open house night at the school.

I don't think the same can be said for Waterfront Montessori. I could be wrong, but I don't see the school equipped with PCs (@ PS3 my child and teacher have access) and their teachers don't stick around very long.
Surely, for what you pay to have you child attend that school, the teachers are not leaving because they are underpaid. The owner's background is in business and not in education.

I was told at the time of being wait listed, as in not yet officially confirmed St. Bridget's will be using a lottery system this year. As for PS3 and other J.C. public schools, look for the open enrollment period, which IIRC is around March/April. The enrollment period is open for about a month, but I'd recommend registering early. It is advertised in the local newspapers, including the Jersey Journal. It's easy - you need proof of residence (i.e. phone bill) and copy immunization records of your child. You can find more information here: http://www.jcboe.org/

Not sure where you get your information, but for starters, PS 16 has an indoor gym, too that gets used regularly during, before and after school.

Additionally, my daughter is enrolled in PS 3's PreK-3 program and she comes home pleasantly exhausted each day from school. Their facilities are new, clean and modern; it was a selling point for me. For instance, there's plenty of indoor AND outdoor space for the kids to play. Like a real gym, check that, gymnasiums, as in plural, not a fenced in patch of grass like you?d find at Montessori (during warmer weather). At PS 3, class size is limited to 15 students with a state certified Teacher and a teacher?s assistant.

Montessori (Warren St), Stevens, St. Bridget's are much more confined with space ? indoor and outdoor. OLC?s outdoor facility is nice, but PS 3's facilities are new , modern and vast, including outdoor play space specifically tailored to 3 year olds. PS 3?s facilities are most appreciated, now, when the kids are confined to indoors during this cold weather. Montessori?s solution is to have a 3-week winter break. I?m sure many apartment dwelling parents are going stir crazy right now with their kids. (I know I as after a single week of winter recess.)

I have not experienced any "silly red tape" with the PS system. On the other hand, I waited outdoors in the rain and cold, before the crack of dawn, for hours, last year for St Bridget?s to enroll last fall and in retrospect was glad that I was wait listed. Perhaps St Bridget?s instruction is good, but I would not want my child cooped up in a basement classroom this winter, at least not when there are other options.

This thread reminds me of this 30 second video clip:
Morrissey - "This country is generally obsessed with signs"

At the very least, 'JoyOfSound' should get a kick out of this video.

Well, that term is either perjorative or dated or both.
yuppie definition



You're better off using "young urban professional". Feel free to yap away

Yeah, that happended in Newark to Cory Booker. It took a second try to get him elected, finally after much shennanigans during the first election by his foe. He's now Mayor and the former Mayor will be likely wearing an orange jump suit.

I agree, our Pay-to-Play Mayor Healy should watch his back. History has a tendancy to repeat itself, especially for those who don't learn from it.

The rules should be stated in your condo association's by-laws.

As if Jersey City Police Officers in uniform, but working off-duty for construction companies isn't confusing enough. Sigh.

Jersey City Cops Gone Wild

That's good news, but does at all mean crime in J.C. is in short supply. To state Jersey City states crime is down, seems plausible to me, per this AP news article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070604/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/crime

Councilman, what's the status on building out the Hudson River Greenway between the Goldman Sach's building and the Portside building on Washington St? Having the path completed would make the Colgate park (corner of Essex and Greene St) and the future park(?) by the Colgate clock much more appealing.

When I registered to vote a few years back, there was, and still is, no check box for political party affiliation. Even more confusing: I voted in the last primary election last year and discovered that I was able to vote for one of the Democrat candidates AND the Republican candidate (note my poor attempt at political humor) on the same ballot.

What gives? The election booth clerk was of no help when asked. Obviously, if I have a strong party affiliation, I am going to vote for who I think is the weakest candidate for the other party.

That store front has quite history with (alleged) terrorist activity, dating back to the first bombing of the WTC. I recall seeing in years past, mainstream media shows like Dateline and/or 20/20 giving news coverage to that store and other parts of J.C.

For instance, a quick search pulled up this:
http://www.stopbretschundler.com/Terrorists.htm

---

Mohammed Rajaa Malik, 52, a local businessman and former Jersey City Zoning Board member, donated $1,000 to Schundler's primary campaign in the name of his store, One Stop Shop Market, also known as Grove Liquor and Deli, on Grove Street, election records show. ( across from City Hall )

Malik, also known as "Mike," and Diaa Mohsen, 57, were arrested June 12 by federal agents after they attempted to buy weapons, including Stinger missiles, from undercover officers, officials said. Mohsen faces possible charges of arms dealing and money laundering, while Malik faces a possible arms dealing charge. Prosecutors plan to ask that bail be denied for the two at today's hearing in federal court in Florida.

---

New York Post, 9/23/01 "Thirteen of the men detained by federal authorities investigating the Sept 11th attacks are from northern New Jersey, some from the Jersey City neighborhood that was home to suspects from the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. ... Terrorists experts and law enforcement officials said the New Jersey communities -- particularly Jersey City - are breeding grounds for terrorist activity because they are close to New York, offer affordable rents and have large immigrant populations where terrorists can blend in......

Some neighbors said the men ( Ayub Khan and Mohammed Azmath ) - like many of the other Arab-Americans in the city - prayed a block away at the Mas Jid Al-Salaam mosque on Kennedy Boulevard, where blind cleric Omar Abdel Rahman - the convicted mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing - once preached." (excerpt)

When I patronized the place with family, we had a 2.5 year old with us. We asked if we could be seated upstairs out of consideration for others. The waitress was most accommodating. We were the first to be seated upstairs that evening. The service was pleasant and attentive, nice atmosphere and the food was quite good.

From the Georgetown International Environmental Law Review,


Reshaping Environmental Criminal Law: How Forfeiture Statutes Can Deter Crime

"I challenge anyone to find a reputable and credible study that shows that asset forfeiture leads to less illegal drug crime or prostitution."


Try this National Bureau of Economic Research paper. Usually you need to pay for them. This paper (pdf document) is free.

I'm not surprised. I've written to the Mayor by way of post and email on serveral occassions, even correspondence which contains nothing but praise and have yet to receive a response. Healy will not be getting my vote next election. That's for sure.