April 26
...serving up your daily dish.
Will someone explain to us why every school district in the state of New Jersey, or at least Baristaville, holds its spring break on a different week?
Bloomfield's break was April 10 through 14. Montclair's break was April 17 to 21. Glen Ridge's break is this week. And the private schools were off in March.
The floor is now open for spring break explanations or anything else. How about the White House putting Fox News on its payroll? We mean, officially.
April 26, 2006 in The Daily Chat | Permalink
Ha - love the Fox News bit.
Not sure why the different weeks other than it's obviously not coordinated at the state level. Each district is aparently free to decide.
I suspect that the private schools (along with some of our wealthier districts ) choose March because the slopes are still supreme in St. Moritz:)
Posted by: todd | Apr 26, 2006 11:59:09 AM
Cut the crap on Tony Snow, Baristanet. He's an experienced, professional journalist (as well as someone suffering from colon cancer), a gentelman, too, with previous familiarity with the White House. Would you feel better if the White House had coughed up someone as hack-like and bumbling as George Stephanopolous proved during his own tenure? Or from the yammering-mouthed and rude school of flacks for legislators that Chris Matthews comes from?
My own choice would have been to ask Christopher Hitchens, if only as someone who knows better than to overrate journalists as they do themselves these days. But in lieu of that, Tony Snow will do just fine. I just pray he stays healthy enough.
Posted by: cathar | Apr 26, 2006 12:01:09 PM
Sullivan would have been fairish as a choice, if somewhat halting at engagement. But Hitchens is a churning intellect, would have chopped in half examples of senescence like Helen Thomas with one line. Neither left nor right, too.
And since I'm here, can I ask why no one else (meaning, mainly, Iceman and Miss Martta, who seem to truly care about such things) has bemoaned the death of Bonnie Owens? Now here was a woman with tales to tell. Marries Buck, gets stolen away by Merle, gets dumped by Merle but stays on as his prime back-up singer for 20 more years and is described by him onstage, even when Merle's current spouse is also up there next to him, as his "best friend." Compared to this kind of drama, even the drug foibles of Pete Doherty fade into foolishness.
Posted by: cathar | Apr 26, 2006 12:11:58 PM
I read that obit today, Cathar. I see a movie.
As for Pete Doherty, I could NEVER understand what such a beautiful woman like Kate Moss sees in that freak. I mean, forget his looks, the drug abuse, the man literally has no talent. He reminds me of that annoying kid from high school who would always be the last to leave the party. The one you'd find passed out on the bathroom floor at 2 AM with no ride home. Yuck.
Posted by: Miss Martta | Apr 26, 2006 12:21:04 PM
Miss Martta, I'm sure his career will simply puddle out.
It's amazing to me, though, particularly in the UK where I'd have thought they know better, how much more gently "stars" are treated in drug courts than normal folk, despite their public relapses and continued addictions. I think of Courtney Love and Leif Garrett and "the Coreys" here, Doherty over there. Chance after chance is offered such people, whereas others would have wound up 2nd offense someplace like Attica or Brixton. Is it because such people are known to have the personal funds to afford private treatment facilities, whereas the normal run of street users doesn't?
With such considerations re drug treatment programs, let me also note the recent death of Dr. Eugene Landy, at least a footnote in rock history. And the one time I saw Brian Wilson live a few years back, it seemed apparent that even 24/7 care by Landy hadn't greatly succeeded in making synapse-shredded Brian terribly aware of the world around him. (Then some crazed agency in the state where Brian now lives with his new wife actually allowed them to adopt 2 children! What can they have been ingesting, let alone thinking?)
Posted by: cathar | Apr 26, 2006 12:35:20 PM
my brother had cancer. doesn't make him qualified to be a press secretary.
i for one am glad about the choice. it makes it obvious, though it was already, that fox is simply a mouthpiece for republicans. anyone who trusts anything they say is a total and complete moron.
Posted by: tattler | Apr 26, 2006 12:40:28 PM
Whatever you say about Brian Wilson, you can't deny his musical genius. His compositions will endure, enthralling and inspiring people for generations to come.
Posted by: RadonMan | Apr 26, 2006 12:45:31 PM
No, RadonMan, no one can deny his genius. But one can bemoan the loss of creativity and productivity from Brian Wilson from, say, 1971 on. Directly attributable to drugs.
That frail bear behind the keyboards, who has to be physically led to them, that is someone who doesn't even seem to know what key the rest of the band is playing in. There could have been so many more compositions, that's all.
Posted by: cathar | Apr 26, 2006 12:52:23 PM
If all the little darlings were off at the same time no one could get a seat on a flight to Orlando. This way, the airlines can stay packed for three full weeks and the Masters of Mouseville don't have to hire extra help to handle the crush.
Posted by: Bill The Cat | Apr 26, 2006 1:06:23 PM
The Barista community is family to me and as such I need to share some personal feelings.
I just finished visiting a friend of mine who yesterday was diagnosed with inoperable stage 4 small cell carcinoma lung cancer. The cancer has spread to his liver. I feel hollow.
Posted by: Iceman | Apr 26, 2006 1:11:21 PM
Can anyone explain why there is a spring break at all.
For parents who work, it is a difficult time when you have to find a place to put the children for a week. For the younger child is is difficult to change the routine. For the teachers it is hard because the routine is broken and it takes a day or two to get the children back into the groove.
Would it not be better just to get out early in June?
Posted by: babaloo | Apr 26, 2006 1:12:10 PM
Tattler,
you wrote: "that fox is simply a mouthpiece for republicans. anyone who trusts anything they say is a total and complete moron."
I am complete moron.
Posted by: Iceman | Apr 26, 2006 1:16:19 PM
The same could be said about Air Amerika and CNN as they pertain to liberals.
Posted by: Miss Martta | Apr 26, 2006 1:17:20 PM
Sorry to hear that Ice - my thoughts are with you and your friend.
Posted by: Anne Prince | Apr 26, 2006 1:18:01 PM
I am sorry Iceman. I read your post after I had written mine. Lung cancer took someone dear to me.
Posted by: babloo | Apr 26, 2006 1:18:06 PM
Iceman, my sympathies for your friend. I can understand where you're coming from but try to be strong for yourself and for your pal.
As far as Brian Wilson is concerned, he made a crap album AFTER disassociating from Dr. Landy. It was called 'Getting In Over My Head' from 2004. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettin%27_in_Over_My_Head pure chuddah (sp?). But, 'Smile' redux is HEAVENLY! You must see the DVD to appreciate the REAL Brian. There's a funny segment in the bonus footage where Brian curses up a storm and is a real hoot.
Posted by: Krys O. | Apr 26, 2006 1:23:02 PM
Ice: My prayers are with you and your friend.--Martta
Posted by: Miss Martta | Apr 26, 2006 1:25:25 PM
Ice, I'm sorry to hear about your friend. Stay supportive and strong for him.
Posted by: skipwith | Apr 26, 2006 1:36:22 PM
Ice,
I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. I've lost two friends to cancer in the past 4 or 5 years and I know how hard it is. I hope your friend is one of the ones who survives this - there are some. Please encourage your friend to try clinical trials; sometimes they have a better outcome. And be sure he goes to the best cancer center around (Sloan Kettering comes to mind), and get more than one opinion on treatments. Please e-mail me if you'd like to discuss further - I have a lot of information on this subject.
Posted by: mauigirl52 | Apr 26, 2006 1:58:31 PM
Can anyone explain why there is a spring break at all.
Yes. Older students benefit from a break in their academic studies, especially as they get closer to college application timeframe (very stressful these days). Faculty and administrators can use the break as a means to catch-up with their grading/reporting duties. They also need to re-charge their batteries, too. I'm sorry for your inconvenience, but nobody said being a parent was easy. Make friends with the school community and maybe some other parents can offer you some help.
Posted by: Jim | Apr 26, 2006 2:03:09 PM
The staggering of towns may be aimed at "trouble prevention," mostly among the high schoolers. A lot of high school kids just stay home that week while parents go off to work, so they can run off any do anything they please during the day.... especially those with cars. So, it's probably just a way to make sure there aren't too many of them running about at the same time.
Posted by: Potter | Apr 26, 2006 2:23:54 PM
I think that many of the schools choose their spring break week based on school elections. If schools were off during the budget vote, they would be less likely to pass because all of the "yes" votes would be in
Disney. So although Easter week is the logical week, many districts choose the week before or after to keep the voters home.
Posted by: pf | Apr 26, 2006 2:27:13 PM
