Darkest Day Of The Year

the flags at city hall. #nypd pic.twitter.com/fZ83FUOnFl
— Azi (@Azi) December 21, 2014

No Court Case On Teacher Tenure In Works For New York - Yet

From Politicker:

A California court ruling striking down teacher tenure laws as unconstitutional prompted an outpouring of applause from education reform advocates–and a chorus of boos from supporters of public school instructors.

 ...


“It is fantastic news,” said TV anchor-turned-public education critic Campbell Brown. “The parents in California clearly felt the same frustration that many parents are feeling across the country at inaction at the legislative level and inaction by the politicians, and they took.”

Ms. Brown, who sits on the board of the controversial Success Academy Charter School chain, said that no such suit was in the works in New York, but said Treu’s decision would rally pro-charter and anti-tenure movements nationwide.

“What this has done is inspire a lot of education reform groups in states with similar laws,” said Ms. Brown, noting that the school system has similar difficulties removing teachers in New York.

It's only a matter of time until the Wall Street-backed Students First or some other corporate-funded education reform group takes on tenure laws here in NY State or NYC.

Yes, all eyes will watch to see what happens to the appeals in this case.

But you can bet the hedge fundies and the corporate deformers are licking their lips and getting ready to take down tenure here.

Rats

From NY1:

Local officials gathered in Washington Heights Tuesday to demand that the city do more to combat rat infestations in poorer neighborhoods.

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer said that the five borough's poorer communities have twice as many rats as other parts of the city.

He also said that the city employs only 63 pest control workers, a figure that is down 50 percent from last year and down 150 percent from 10 years ago.

The borough president said hiring more pest control workers would only cost $1.5 million but bring the city $6 million through fines.

It's not in one of the city's poorer neighborhoods, but it is full of rats (even though a few - like Eric Nadelstern - have jumped ship already.)

If anywhere needs some rat extermination, it's Tweed and City Hall.

Bloomberg's New York

Another death related to the Bloomberg Blizzard Disaster of 2010:

A 66-year-old man died of a combination of hypothermia and underlying disease after being found ailing on a Manhattan subway platform last Monday during the snowstorm, the medical examiner’s office said.

No information about the man was released aside from his age, nor was the location of the subway platform (it was on one of the numbered lines), whether it was under- or above-ground, or the time of day. The authorities said they did not believe the man was homeless; he died at the hospital where he was taken for treatment.

The temperature was in the 20s last Monday as the snow tapered off, and many people were stranded on trains in outer borough subway stations for hours when service ground to a halt throughout much of the system.

66 years old and dead from hypothermia waiting for a train.

Same age as Cathie Black.

Of course she was warm and dry in a chauffeured car, not waiting on a subway platform.

I wonder if she's ever taken a subway before?

I bet she took the subway to visit those schools with D's and F's on their report cards.

NYC Condom Contest

Down to just five entries for what the official "Condom of New York City" will be.

Entries are here.

You can provide your own Bloomberg and/or Klein jokes in the comments section.