Comment Archives: stories: News & Opinion
Re: “How do parents feel about the Rochester school district?”
As a teacher in the district for over a decade, I can tell you that one of the major complaints of teachers and administrators is that parents aren't more involved.
I can also say that some parents believe that advocating for their child means denying any wrongdoing on their child's part... it's always someone else's fault. Also, even when teachers do keep parents in the loop and make frequent phone calls, the students most in need of behavioral modification are not effectively addressed by those parents a vast majority of the time. Any parents who are called more than 2 times a marking period, by the 3rd marking period are pretty much getting those calls so they can't tell the school the teacher didn't let them know.
As opposed to putting out a survey (that Howard Eagle is likely correct in his belief that the impact will be minimal), how about putting the effort into developing a class for parents that will help teach parents how to become effective advocates, and how best to become involved in their child's education. Too many parents do not know how to access the "system" in a meaningful and effective way. I'm sure the district has held these classes before, but they need to hold them regularly, often,. in a variety of places. Many of our least effective parents have not had positive experiences with school, so holding these classes at a school effectively shuts them out. Hold them at community centers and libraries, restaurants and other places around at a variety of times so parents can participate without having to take time off work. If we do this, a survey won't be necessary... we will have done enough to get parents involved. It will then be their responsibility.
Re: “CityGate plans include a Costco”
I guess this is a good thing, with the jobs it will bring. Satellite transit center? Nobody takes public transit around here unless they're poor and without a car. All I can think of when I see the map is, man, look at all the parking lots. Rochester is just a suburb of Marketplace Mallville.
Re: “Rochester's poisoned past”
Nowhere does the author mention the fact that the cost of cleaning up these brownfields is hardly ever paid for by the polluters themselves. Instead, it's the taxpayers that have to foot the bill. Ain't capitalism great?
Re: “Rochester's poisoned past”
The legacy of corporations doing the wrong thing.
Re: “Rochester's poisoned past”
That picture looks like the end of "The Alphabet Killer"
Re: “How do parents feel about the Rochester school district?”
"How the survey will be used is vague."
OF COURSE IT'S "VAGUE." SUCH MEANINGLESS EFFORTS ARE ALWAYS VAGUE, TO TELL THE TRUTH, THIS REPRESENTS A MUCH-REPEATED EXERCISE IN FUTILITY, AND NEVER, EVER AMOUNTS TO ANYTHING OF SUBSTANCE. IT'S A GAME THAT DISTRICT OFFICIALS PLAY, TO PRETEND THAT THEY CARE ABOUT WHAT PARENTS THINK AND WANT, WHICH IS ONE REASON WHY THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF PARENTS ARE WISE ENOUGH NOT TO EVEN WASTE THEIR TIME PARTICIPATING.
LET'S DO OUR OWN SURVEY, I.E., PLEASE INDICATE WHETHER YOU AGREE WITH THE FOLLOWING OR NOT: HUGE NUMBERS OF "parents have complained bitterly over the years that their attempts to become involved are thwarted by school officials or teachers. The district’s interest in parental involvement has been a passive-aggressive game, they say — honest feedback isn’t welcomed."
Re: “Citizen budget ideas include closing Durand beach, cutting Mounted Patrol”
The City needs innovation and to recreate itself. It needs to work with the county to make downtown a hub for buisness and culture! Housing stock needs to be revamped. Houses need to be torn down but not to be replaced with cookie cutter hud homes... there needs to be architecture involved to define neighborhoods. You need to spend money inorder to make money! Investments need to be made aswell as commitments. Rochester needs to attract buisness and also ensure it can retain the buisness we have allready! Midtown was innovation that Rochester allowed to die! The Canal thru downtown was innovation that Rochester allowed to die! instead of looking ahead Rochester wallows in the muck and there is no hope or prosparity to be seen! We had big things come here once from Elvis to Metallica and such but now we are passed up! We depended too much on Kodak and Xerox and Baush and Lomb that we passed on up and comming companies! So we don't need to just make the Budget we need to overfill the Budget with Money so that we can rebuild Rochester!!! We need street meat downtown be it vendor cart or food truck... we need name brand stores and resturants... we need buisness's... we need diversity so that downtown becomes a work, eat, shop, be entertained, and live here epicenter... were it is 24/7 activity for all those who work from the people who work shift work to the lawyer who is up late reviewing a case and wants to unwind once he leaves his office... a down town where you can walk, skate, bike, and stop and see local art... stop and see people! then build around downtown neighborhoods that have a pulse that represent the best in urban living that is convienance to walking distance to things. Wegmans is great but it has killed the mom and pop markets in the villages in the burbs and Rochester has also suffered from the lack of diversity wegmans has created due to it's convienance! Yes East Ave Wegmans yippi but what of the west side? Innovation to create Jobs... innovation to create security... innovation to bring Rochester to be known to be innovative!
Re: “Week Ahead: MCDC convention, Bike Week continues”
FYI...there will be people at the County Leg meeting speaking out about the Monroe Community Hospital. Anyone else who would like to speak needs to call 753-1950 to sign up. The meeting starts at 6pm.
Re: “A new CO2 record”
Tom Janowski:
If we can't use oil, or coal, or natural gas, what do you suggest we use for energy, cow flatulence? By the way, that was quite a clumsy attempt at a completely irrelevant and gratuitous criticism of Ronald Reagan.
Re: “A new CO2 record”
What will I do now? I will shine a harsh spotlight on the staggering hypocrisy of the moonbats and ideologues who whine about CO2 but at the same time delay the inevitable exploitation of our abundant natural gas resources.
This planet is a trivial dust speck whose only significance is as humankind's point of departure into the cosmos. As a concession to the weepy sentimentalists, perhaps we can turn it into nice little museum when we're done with it.
Re: “Beebe will challenge Reilich for Greece supervisor job”
Beebe is a good and honest man. Unfortunately he is a Democrat, which in Greece is code for electoral target practice by the Grand Old Party. There hasn't been a Democratic supervisor in Greece since the Great Depression and there hasn't been a Democrat on the town board in decades. Good luck!
Re: “A new CO2 record”
People, whether they are elected officials or regular citizens, are remembered for both what they do and what they do not do.
When I remember President Ronald Reagan, only one thing comes to mind. When faced with the emerging HIV/AIDS crisis, he did absolutely nothing.
Just recently, the world was presented with information that the concentration of CO2 in Earth's atmosphere had reached a distressing milestone of 400 parts per million. The question I have is this: What will YOU do now?
Honestly, I contemplate environmental issues every single day and ask myself what more I can do to help. And honestly, there is not much more I can personally do. My carbon footprint is small. I have been on a self-imposed gasoline limit of 5 gallons per week for over two years.
But there are bigger questions looming right now that must take into consideration the 400 ppm milestone. In light of this milestone, considering development of new fossil fuel resources is nothing short of insane. President Obama needs to stop Keystone XL and Governor Cuomo needs to ban fracking in NY. Elected officials in general need to stop lying. There is not such thing as clean coal. Natural gas via hydrofracking or other means is not a bridge fuel to the future. Natural gas is a detour around efforts to develop and convert to renewable, sustainable and truly clean energy sources. Natural gas is also a U-turn to old thinking. Gas companies and their spokespeople in elected office repeatedly tell us we are sitting on huge reserves of cheap natural gas and this in turn leads back to thinking Americans have energy to waste.
400 ppm is serious. Elected officials and citizens must take decisive action now and demand even more action be taken by all around the world. How we respond to the news of 400 ppm will decide what type of future Earth will have...or whether we have a future.
Re: “Blacks, poverty, and the future of Rochester”
Interesting article, with a lot of numbers thrown around, with the exception of one number. ACTRochester.org says that 79% of black "families" in the city of Rochester are single parent for the 2007-10 period, up from 74% in 2000. Nationally, the percentage of black "families" that are single parent is 63%. The black "family" has disintegrated and this is a direct contributor to poverty. The proliferaton of Dr. Conrad Murray "family values" in the black community means that a guy that fathers 8 kids from 7 different mommies is not all that unusual. The only way to change this is to demonize single parenthood in the same way we demonize other things in society that we want less of - cigarette smoking, obesity, texting while driving, and more. We just collectively need the guts to call a spade a spade. The "lifestyle choice" of having kids out of wedlock is wrong, and should be discouraged. I, for one, and sick and tired of paying for somebody else's irresponsible lifestyle "choices." Enough is enough.
Re: “City should turn down University Ave. project”
For what it's worth, from a suburbanite, the proposed building aesthetically will be an improvement for University when compared to the Gleason façade. As far as the "character of the neighborhood" a multi unit dwelling fits right in with the pre-existing apartment building just to the east of this site. It's not as though this is being dropped into the upper Monroe neighborhood of single and two family homes.
It sounds like the GEH just is looking for a way to lock down that real estate without paying market rates until they have the funding or interest in expansion.
Re: “A new CO2 record”
This evening Bill McKibben, founder of climate-change activist group 350.org, spoke at the commencement of UB's College of Architecture and Planning. He told us that he got word that the 400 level was exceeded this afternoon. Needless to say, we were all deeply disturbed by that, but also very moved by his inspiring speech. These students will never forget what they heard today, and I know that all of them will be very cognizant of the implications of their work on the planet.
Re: “Possible delay in controversial University Ave. apartment application”
I'm waiting for someone to tell us why we should trust the Eastman House gang given the way they stiffed the Monroe Voiture vets the last time.
Re: “Owners of Craft Company No. 6 speak out against University Ave. project”
This is a journalism ethics two-fer.
First, City is so interested in carrying water for GEH that they publish this form letter as original content from the Craft Co.
Second, unlike other letters to the editor in City, they put this opinion piece in the news section.
Coupled with the non-disclosure of contributions to GEH, as well as the non-disclosure that the Towlers own rental property in the neighborhood, one wonders if there are any ethical standards at City, other than whatever the Towlers feel is right, is right.
Re: “Blacks, poverty, and the future of Rochester”
“He who dares not offend cannot be honest”
-Thomas Paine
Re: “City budget cuts Mounted Patrol, 311 hours”
Squandering taxpayer money. Andy needs to pay a visit and clean house!