Comments for Lincoln's Log http://blog.ctnews.com/lincolnmillstein Lincoln Millstein offers his unique views and insight on Greenwich and its community Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:06:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 Comment on Bill to curb power of cell tower council gets support in Hartford by Michael Finkbeiner http://blog.ctnews.com/lincolnmillstein/2010/03/06/bill-to-curb-power-of-cell-tower-council-gets-support-in-hartford/#comment-876 Michael Finkbeiner Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:06:18 +0000 http://blog.ctnews.com/lincolnmillstein/?p=1083#comment-876 The new House Bill is 5504 http://www.cga.ct.gov/2010/TOB/h/pdf/2010HB-05504-R00-HB.pdf proposed to be installed on land that is near a school, as defined in section 10-154a, that the facility will be not less than seven hundred fifty feet from such school. Unfortunately, when the distance to the tower increases, the kid's cell phone jump in power from 0.6 Watts to as much as 3 watts. http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phone-radiation-levels/?tag=lnav Some researchers also caution against using your phone in areas with poor coverage since phones emit more radiation when searching for a signal. Children, which have smaller and thinner skulls, should limit cell phone use, and all users, children and adults, should not sleep with an active phone next to their bedside or under their pillow. See http://96.56.48.67/cellphone_head.jpg for what it looks like in your kid’s head when the tower is at a greater distance. The new House Bill is 5504

http://www.cga.ct.gov/2010/TOB/h/pdf/2010HB-05504-R00-HB.pdf

proposed to be installed on land that is near a school, as defined in section 10-154a, that the facility will be not less than seven hundred fifty feet from such school.

Unfortunately, when the distance to the tower increases, the kid’s cell phone jump in power from 0.6 Watts to as much as 3 watts.

http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phone-radiation-levels/?tag=lnav

Some researchers also caution against using your phone in areas with poor coverage since phones emit more radiation when searching for a signal. Children, which have smaller and thinner skulls, should limit cell phone use, and all users, children and adults, should not sleep with an active phone next to their bedside or under their pillow.

See http://96.56.48.67/cellphone_head.jpg for what it looks like in your kid’s head when the tower is at a greater distance.

]]> Comment on Bill to curb power of cell tower council gets support in Hartford by Michael Finkbeiner http://blog.ctnews.com/lincolnmillstein/2010/03/06/bill-to-curb-power-of-cell-tower-council-gets-support-in-hartford/#comment-875 Michael Finkbeiner Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:54:27 +0000 http://blog.ctnews.com/lincolnmillstein/?p=1083#comment-875 Lincoln- Thanks for keeping up to date with this and keeping your readers informed. I found it very difficult to follow the details of this, in part because so many journalists hide the reference, which is http://www.cga.ct.gov/2010/TOB/S/2010SB-00206-R00-SB.htm for Senate Bill 206. Nothing in the text of the bill refers to schools, parks, playgrounds or setback distances. And the politics of where this came from seem to have nothing to do with Greenwich, but rather Branford/Guildford and AMTrak. Please continue to ride herd on our local legislative talent, so that we are not bamboozled by the PR releases without substance. Lincoln- Thanks for keeping up to date with this and keeping your readers informed. I found it very difficult to follow the details of this, in part because so many journalists hide the reference, which is http://www.cga.ct.gov/2010/TOB/S/2010SB-00206-R00-SB.htm for Senate Bill 206.

Nothing in the text of the bill refers to schools, parks, playgrounds or setback distances. And the politics of where this came from seem to have nothing to do with Greenwich, but rather Branford/Guildford and AMTrak.

Please continue to ride herd on our local legislative talent, so that we are not bamboozled by the PR releases without substance.

]]> Comment on Kudos to Tesei for standing up to the BET; proof of residency blahs; golf renewal questions by Jay Louden http://blog.ctnews.com/lincolnmillstein/2010/02/27/kudos-to-tesei-for-standing-up-for-our-rights-proof-of-residency-blahs-golf-renewal-questions/#comment-866 Jay Louden Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:35:29 +0000 http://blog.ctnews.com/lincolnmillstein/?p=1077#comment-866 Lincoln, you're on the money with the beach card renewal process. Even more disheartening is the unnecessarily involved process that one's spouse has to go through to achieve parity and the card. , Especially when data provided is the same for 15+ years, husbands and wives should be able to simply renew based upon previous year's data. But no, the ID requirements need to meet what amount to independent residential status. A separate utility bill, a separate driver's license, a separate insurance card, auto registration, etc. My wife and I are on almost every important form of ID you can have, but when I provided as much with auto insurance cards - all mandated by DMV, I was advised that I was OK but my wife needed to actually provide the registrations, which of course, are the basis for the insurance cards. Explaining to me that these measures were needed to discourage fraud, I asked if anyone in Town Hall would be surprised to find abundant circumvention of those efforts. The answer, of course, was "No". Obviously, no system is 100%, but one has only to look at boats in the harbors to know that several belong to non-residents who have the use of a local address. Married couples of long residence aren't much of threat to the serenity of beach. Lincoln, you’re on the money with the beach card renewal process. Even more disheartening is the unnecessarily involved process that one’s spouse has to go through to achieve parity and the card. , Especially when data provided is the same for 15+ years, husbands and wives should be able to simply renew based upon previous year’s data. But no, the ID requirements need to meet what amount to independent residential status. A separate utility bill, a separate driver’s license, a separate insurance card, auto registration, etc. My wife and I are on almost every important form of ID you can have, but when I provided as much with auto insurance cards – all mandated by DMV, I was advised that I was OK but my wife needed to actually provide the registrations, which of course, are the basis for the insurance cards.
Explaining to me that these measures were needed to discourage fraud, I asked if anyone in Town Hall would be surprised to find abundant circumvention of those efforts. The answer, of course, was “No”. Obviously, no system is 100%, but one has only to look at boats in the harbors to know that several belong to non-residents who have the use of a local address. Married couples of long residence aren’t much of threat to the serenity of beach.

]]> Comment on School board member slams coverage of meeting he did not even attend by Lincoln Millstein http://blog.ctnews.com/lincolnmillstein/2010/02/25/school-board-member-slams-coverage-of-meeting-he-did-not-even-attend/#comment-806 Lincoln Millstein Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:39:10 +0000 http://blog.ctnews.com/lincolnmillstein/?p=1075#comment-806 I wonder how Mr. Bodson and other members of the education committee of the BET (also know as the BOE) reacted to the latest public views opined by Mr. Freund? http://www.greenwichtime.com/default/article/Schools-chief-uncertain-on-linking-pay-to-377967.php Mr. Freund seems like he is his own man. Keeping him on the reservation will be difficult and the BOE ought to stop trying ... I wonder how Mr. Bodson and other members of the education committee of the BET (also know as the BOE) reacted to the latest public views opined by Mr. Freund?

http://www.greenwichtime.com/default/article/Schools-chief-uncertain-on-linking-pay-to-377967.php

Mr. Freund seems like he is his own man. Keeping him on the reservation will be difficult and the BOE ought to stop trying …

]]> Comment on School board member slams coverage of meeting he did not even attend by Sean http://blog.ctnews.com/lincolnmillstein/2010/02/25/school-board-member-slams-coverage-of-meeting-he-did-not-even-attend/#comment-805 Sean Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:48:52 +0000 http://blog.ctnews.com/lincolnmillstein/?p=1075#comment-805 Can't argue with that. Mr. Millstein is right. Maintenance has been miserable, Hamilton Avenue was allowed to crumble to the point that it had to be completely rebuilt, and then the construction was botched so badly that it was a town disgrace. But even worse was the fact that no one on the BOE took responsibility for that incompetence. And regarding facilities overall, all one has to do is travel to Wilton, the Fairfield County public serving a much smaller town and take a look at their superb auditorium serving multiple purposes, or even North Haven's excellent new auditorium, again in a town with a fraction of the financial resources of Greenwich, to understand that Dr. Freund spoke the truth. Somehow BOE members have got hold of the counter-intuitive idea that low taxes somehow miraculously translate into excellent schools and top of the line school facilities. In fact, reality says that what you get when you hold off capital investments, scrimp on teacher salaries, and build substandard facilities to begin with (like the original GHS auditorium), you get substandard education delivered in substandard buildings. Mr. Bodson and the other BOE members who've true to form not uttered a peep to the public they serve need to admit that it was the truth. They may not like what they've heard, but Dr. Freund does come from Westchester County, he's seen the competition (yes, we are competing for tax dollars and housing purchase dollars with neighboring communities) and understands that we've been fooling ourselves, or more precisely, the BOE members have been fooling us into believing that they've delivered first class education on the cheap. Now we're all beginning to discover the truth. Mr. Bodson can protest all he wants. The truth is staring us in the face. Can’t argue with that. Mr. Millstein is right. Maintenance has been miserable, Hamilton Avenue was allowed to crumble to the point that it had to be completely rebuilt, and then the construction was botched so badly that it was a town disgrace. But even worse was the fact that no one on the BOE took responsibility for that incompetence.

And regarding facilities overall, all one has to do is travel to Wilton, the Fairfield County public serving a much smaller town and take a look at their superb auditorium serving multiple purposes, or even North Haven’s excellent new auditorium, again in a town with a fraction of the financial resources of Greenwich, to understand that Dr. Freund spoke the truth.

Somehow BOE members have got hold of the counter-intuitive idea that low taxes somehow miraculously translate into excellent schools and top of the line school facilities. In fact, reality says that what you get when you hold off capital investments, scrimp on teacher salaries, and build substandard facilities to begin with (like the original GHS auditorium), you get substandard education delivered in substandard buildings.

Mr. Bodson and the other BOE members who’ve true to form not uttered a peep to the public they serve need to admit that it was the truth. They may not like what they’ve heard, but Dr. Freund does come from Westchester County, he’s seen the competition (yes, we are competing for tax dollars and housing purchase dollars with neighboring communities) and understands that we’ve been fooling ourselves, or more precisely, the BOE members have been fooling us into believing that they’ve delivered first class education on the cheap.

Now we’re all beginning to discover the truth. Mr. Bodson can protest all he wants. The truth is staring us in the face.

]]> Comment on Search for replacement outboard motor revs into high gear after Greenwich Point theft by dale deutsch http://blog.ctnews.com/lincolnmillstein/2010/02/21/search-for-replacement-outboard-motor-revs-into-high-gear/#comment-790 dale deutsch Sun, 21 Feb 2010 19:49:50 +0000 http://blog.ctnews.com/lincolnmillstein/?p=1065#comment-790 I think the only game in town are the 2 cyclinder long shaft , 4 stroke Tohatsu engines (makers of Nissan and Mercury). My ten year old 2 stroke Johnson 8hp engine needs too much maintenance now but only weighed around 60 lbs. The Tohatsu 9.8 hp with a long shaft weighs about 90 lbs and I hate the thought of yanking it up and down. Let me know if you have any alternatives. I think the only game in town are the 2 cyclinder long shaft , 4 stroke Tohatsu engines (makers of Nissan and Mercury). My ten year old 2 stroke Johnson 8hp engine needs too much maintenance now but only weighed around 60 lbs. The Tohatsu 9.8 hp with a long shaft weighs about 90 lbs and I hate the thought of yanking it up and down. Let me know if you have any alternatives.

]]> Comment on Greenwich school chef’s mealy-mouthed letter to the editor by Sean http://blog.ctnews.com/lincolnmillstein/2010/02/14/greenwich-school-chefs-mealy-mouthed-letter-to-the-editor/#comment-785 Sean Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:58:43 +0000 http://blog.ctnews.com/lincolnmillstein/?p=1059#comment-785 Seems to me that his clarification was an affirmation of what he'd said to the BET: that our town government had ignored the physical plant of our public schools, that they are in bad shape as a result, and far worse than the physical facilities that one can find in many other suburban school systems in our region. Seemed to stand up and reaffirm what he said. Of course, what he said is certainly not news to anyone who followed the course of the Hamilton Avenue School disaster. First, in order to avoid borrowing and to keep tax rates at rock-bottom, our town failed to spend on upkeep of that school until it got so bad that the entire building had to be torn down, and completely rebuilt. And now Glenville School, which went years with miserable and deteriorating facilities and lack of repair, is being largely rebuilt as well- and probably at far higher expense than it would have taken had we been spending on needed repairs each year. What is more amazing, however, is the total silence from the both the Board of Education and the superintendent regarding the dozens of Greenwich High School students who have been arrested in just one and a half school years. At least 62 students have been arrested by town police since the beginning of September 2008, and given the way the police department is dribbling out the data, it is likely that as many as 100 or perhaps many more, have actually been arrested over that period of time, most for drug-related felony offenses. Yet there has not been a single announcement from the Board of Education, or any questioning of the police actions by the superintendent. What is even more shocking is GHS Headmaster Winters' suggestion that "I don't think the numbers mean too much." So 39 students have just been arrested from his school over the first five months of the school year on felony drug charges, 1.4% of the entire student body, but Headmaster Winters feels that that doesn't "mean too much". Frankly, I cannot imagine such a heartless, callous comment coming out of any principal or headmaster anywhere else in America after dozens of his students are arrested for any reason. The callous response and the deafening silence from the BOE and the superintendent suggest a level of detachment from the youth of this town and a lack of caring that is difficult to fathom. Seems to me that his clarification was an affirmation of what he’d said to the BET: that our town government had ignored the physical plant of our public schools, that they are in bad shape as a result, and far worse than the physical facilities that one can find in many other suburban school systems in our region. Seemed to stand up and reaffirm what he said.

Of course, what he said is certainly not news to anyone who followed the course of the Hamilton Avenue School disaster. First, in order to avoid borrowing and to keep tax rates at rock-bottom, our town failed to spend on upkeep of that school until it got so bad that the entire building had to be torn down, and completely rebuilt. And now Glenville School, which went years with miserable and deteriorating facilities and lack of repair, is being largely rebuilt as well- and probably at far higher expense than it would have taken had we been spending on needed repairs each year.

What is more amazing, however, is the total silence from the both the Board of Education and the superintendent regarding the dozens of Greenwich High School students who have been arrested in just one and a half school years. At least 62 students have been arrested by town police since the beginning of September 2008, and given the way the police department is dribbling out the data, it is likely that as many as 100 or perhaps many more, have actually been arrested over that period of time, most for drug-related felony offenses. Yet there has not been a single announcement from the Board of Education, or any questioning of the police actions by the superintendent.

What is even more shocking is GHS Headmaster Winters’ suggestion that “I don’t think the numbers mean too much.” So 39 students have just been arrested from his school over the first five months of the school year on felony drug charges, 1.4% of the entire student body, but Headmaster Winters feels that that doesn’t “mean too much”. Frankly, I cannot imagine such a heartless, callous comment coming out of any principal or headmaster anywhere else in America after dozens of his students are arrested for any reason.

The callous response and the deafening silence from the BOE and the superintendent suggest a level of detachment from the youth of this town and a lack of caring that is difficult to fathom.

]]> Comment on Greenwich school chief dares to defy town’s tax rate doctrine by Scott http://blog.ctnews.com/lincolnmillstein/2010/02/13/greenwich-school-chief-dares-to-defy-towns-mill-rate-altar/#comment-784 Scott Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:57:07 +0000 http://blog.ctnews.com/lincolnmillstein/?p=1046#comment-784 To talk about Greenwich's low mill rate is irrelevant and absurd. The primary reason the mill rate is so low is because of the astronomical values of Greenwich real estate. Freund needs some remedial math education! As I recall, Greenwich pays its teachers the highest salaries in the state -- and is certainly not stinting on providing funding for education; of course, at the present point in time (in the midst of the most significant economic downturn since the great depression), it s not exactly a great idea to increase spending on education in anything but a careful, moderated manner. To talk about Greenwich’s low mill rate is irrelevant and absurd. The primary reason the mill rate is so low is because of the astronomical values of Greenwich real estate. Freund needs some remedial math education! As I recall, Greenwich pays its teachers the highest salaries in the state — and is certainly not stinting on providing funding for education; of course, at the present point in time (in the midst of the most significant economic downturn since the great depression), it s not exactly a great idea to increase spending on education in anything but a careful, moderated manner.

]]> Comment on GHS headmaster sending drug-sniffing dogs into high school parking lot by Sean http://blog.ctnews.com/lincolnmillstein/2010/01/22/ghs-headmaster-sending-drug-sniffing-dogs-into-high-school-parking-lot/#comment-758 Sean Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:56:55 +0000 http://blog.ctnews.com/lincolnmillstein/?p=1036#comment-758 In fact, just over a year ago, our neighboring New England state to our north, Massachusetts, passed a ballot initiative by an overwhelming margin of nearly two-to-one that decriminalized the possession of up to a dozen marijuana cigarettes. And here at home the Connecticut Law Revision Commission in 1997, according to this entry in Wikipedia, "examined states that had decriminalized cannabis and found any increase in cannabis usage was less than the increase in states that have not decriminalized cannabis; furthermore, the commission stated "the largest proportionate increase [of cannabis use] occurred in those states with the most severe penalties." The study recommended Connecticut reduce cannabis possession of 28.35 grams (one ounce) or less for adults age 21 and over to a civil fine.[52]" Headmaster Winters is woefully behind the times and his wrong-headed policy on drugs is hurting our youth. In fact, just over a year ago, our neighboring New England state to our north, Massachusetts, passed a ballot initiative by an overwhelming margin of nearly two-to-one that decriminalized the possession of up to a dozen marijuana cigarettes. And here at home the Connecticut Law Revision Commission in 1997, according to this entry in Wikipedia, “examined states that had decriminalized cannabis and found any increase in cannabis usage was less than the increase in states that have not decriminalized cannabis; furthermore, the commission stated “the largest proportionate increase [of cannabis use] occurred in those states with the most severe penalties.” The study recommended Connecticut reduce cannabis possession of 28.35 grams (one ounce) or less for adults age 21 and over to a civil fine.[52]”

Headmaster Winters is woefully behind the times and his wrong-headed policy on drugs is hurting our youth.

]]> Comment on GHS headmaster sending drug-sniffing dogs into high school parking lot by Idaho http://blog.ctnews.com/lincolnmillstein/2010/01/22/ghs-headmaster-sending-drug-sniffing-dogs-into-high-school-parking-lot/#comment-757 Idaho Sun, 24 Jan 2010 04:00:53 +0000 http://blog.ctnews.com/lincolnmillstein/?p=1036#comment-757 BRAVO!! Mr. Winters, Kids need to know what the rules and consequences are. Many parents don't seem to get that now a days. I am not a grower, seller or user of marijuana but my feeling is that the present laws that make it illegal are as foolish as the ones that tried to control alcohol during prohibition in the 1920's. All they do is make criminals rich and waste the money we spend on enforcement. It would be better to get a little tax money on the billions spent on it. That said neither alcohol or illicit drugs have a place in our schools. BRAVO!! Mr. Winters,

Kids need to know what the rules and consequences are. Many parents don’t seem to get that now a days. I am not a grower, seller or user of marijuana but my feeling is that the present laws that make it illegal are as foolish as the ones that tried to control alcohol during prohibition in the 1920’s. All they do is make criminals rich and waste the money we spend on enforcement. It would be better to get a little tax money on the billions spent on it.

That said neither alcohol or illicit drugs have a place in our schools.

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