That's the pot calling the kettle black, Rambis

So ‪NY Knicks interim coach Kurt Rambis called out‪ Derek Fisher for not stressing the triangle offense. I'm wondering if Rambis ever heard about defense or even offense?  I think Phil was pushed into hiring Derek Fisher when Steve Kerr turned down the job with the Knicks, (although with the Knicks team last season, Kerr wouldn't have done much better than Fisher.

This year was different.  When Fisher was coaching well this year the Knicks were a .500 team.  Yes, they did lose ten games in a row and I guess you need to fire the coach at that point, but I think the problem with the Knicks isn't the coach, its the system.  

When Jackson had the triangle system in Chicago he had players like Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan, Steve Kerr etc.  In LA he had Shaq and Kobe both together and individually.  Those players can win with any system.  Phil gets bashed for having teams with Hall of Famers, but every coach who ever won more than one championship had at least one players that was the best in the game (and maybe the Best all time), Red Auerbach and KC Jones had them in Boston. I'm not taking anything away from Red Auerbach's ability to put teams together.  He was probably the best GM and coach in history of professional sports.  But all those coaches had teams with as much talent as Jackson's Chicago and LA teams.

The Knicks need to realize that the triangle system won't work with this team as constructed.  But that doesn't mean I think this Knicks team isn't capable of winning at least 40 games, but in order to do so they need to realize that first off they need a new system.  They don't have Pippen and Michael Jordan etc. or Shaq and Kobe etc. or Kobe etc.  They have a team that with a quality point guard which they can get in the off season and a player to replace Arron Affalo could win 40 to 50 games.  But they need a coach to do so.  They need the best coach.  That doesn't mean someone who will coach the triangle system, it means they best coach regardless of the system he has.  What I'm saying is that the Knicks need to  hire Tom Thibodeau, David Blatt, Scott Brooks or Mark Jackson already.  Jackson seems to be  obsessed with the triangle offense, and he should be, it helped him win many championships.  But this Knicks team isn't the Lakers or the Bulls.  So forget the triangle system and move on.  You fired Derek Fisher and replaced him with Kurt Rambus who is just as bad so the knicks can keep the system that won't work with their team.  Forget the freaken triangle and hire a good coach and there are a lot of good coaches out there including Tom Thibodeau, David Blatt, Mark Jackson. Hiring Rambus just because he is a triangle coach is insane.   Rambis' career coaching record is as bad as Fisher's.  They can go after Luke Walton who will turn the Knicks down and he stuck with Rambis or hire Rambis and be stuck with a bad coach.  Why not just hire Tom Thibodeau, David Blatt, Mark Jackson and have a good coach (and add a point guard and a player to replace Affalo?

Where is Gale A Brewer for PS 145 and other low funded schools?

In 1954 the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that separate but equal schools were unconstitutional.  In New York City public schools are separated by race but not equal.

I pass PS87 William Sherman on occasions and I see a big sign thanking Gale A Brewer the 27th Manhattan Borough President for helping rise money for the school.  PS87 William Sherman is one of the city's richest schools and when I walk by it I often wonder if I'm in Manhattan or the suburb.  Although the school in zone 3, which is the most diverse school districts in the city, the school along with PS 452, PS 166 and PS 333 is along all white and have very little students of color.  I am baffled by PS 166 and  PS 333 which have housing projects nearby yet are almost completely white.  PS 333 is around the corner from PS 84, yet PS 84 is mostly black and spanish.  How do PS 333 and PS 166 in this day and age have schools with such segregation?

I'm very proud of my daughter's school PS 145 Elementary School. Here's a school that has mostly students who live in poverty or near poverty in the housing projects nearby. Unlike schools like PS87 William Sherman, PS 145 Elementary School doesn't get millions in gifts from rich donors, they function with a great PTA and SLT. I look forward to a day when schools like PS145 gets as much funding as Ps 87 William Sherman, Ps 452, Ps 333 Manhattan School For Children, that's the only way to give all kids the same quality education.

Why aren't Gale A. Brewer and others, who are helping schools with millions of dollars if not hundreds of millions of dollars of Endowments helping schools like PS 145? Do elected officials really care about lower income students?   Its evident from the situation at Ps 87 William Sherman, Ps 452, Ps 333 Manhattan School For Children vs the lack of support that students at PS 145 get that they don't.

How to save public schools.

First off, Bill DeBlasio didn't create the performance gap between public schools in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Upper East side Below 96th street and the upper west side below 89th street to their counterparts on the upper east and west sides above 96th Street etc.  The gap was created by certain schools in desirable locations getting more funding and thus their students getting better grades.  This has been going on since Rudy Giuliani was mayor and even before that.

I have been in support of mayor Bill BeBlasio campaign for public pre k and was able to put my daughter into the program.  He did a great job with the public pre k system and it will give my daughter the necessary skills to go to kindergarten.  When my son was met daughter's age there was no public pre k for all.  But,  Bill DeBlasio's desire to punish charter schools doesn't make sense to me.  Charter Schools give students who live in less desirable locations the chance to get the same education as those who live in the richest neighborhoods in nyc.  If you want to get rid or punish charter schools then you must make the lower performing less desirable schools better, which isn't happening in fact its getting worse.

There is a common sense solution.  If you want to donate to schools your donation should be put into a general school fund and then the money raised should be given to each school equally.  Also tax money shouldn't all go to the public schools in rich areas, it should be distributed equally to each public school no matter the location.  If parents have the money to donate tens of thousands of dollars to their kids well funded school, they can afford to send their kids to private schools.

The application process to public pre k schools or the real "March Madness" has begun.

March Madness has started.  No, I’m not referring to the NCAA Tournament, I’m writing about another kind of madness.  The application process to public pre k schools.  And if you’re lucky your son(s) or daughter(s) or a combination will get into their highest seeded school. 

The application process for public pre k opened on March 16 and runs until April 24.  What are your first steps?  Simple.  Find out what school you’re zoned for.  Everyone has one zoned school, but that doesn't mean you have to only try for that school.  First step would be to visit insideschools.org and research the schools in your zone.  Just remember that just because a school in your zone, doesn't mean you're zoned for that school.  Being zoned for a school means that's the school your child most probably will attend. But with my son we didn't get into any pre k school.  But we learned a lesson.  We learned you can apply to up to 12 schools on http://schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnrollment/PreK/default.htm.  Log on to www.insideschools.org and research the schools in your "zone" and not only the one you are zoned for.  

For kindergarten we knew we could probably get into our zoned school PS 163, PS 75, or PS 84.  We had no doubt that all those schools would be good some day but got the developing status.  So we decided to try and take a bit of a risk.  We applied to a school which we heard about from friends and relatives.  Everyone had good things to say about it.  So with the application we applied to a reach school PS 166, figuring we were close enough (we're on 96th Street and the school is on 89th street), we didn't get in there, but gave it the old college (or kindergarten try).  A friend of ours who son took the G&T test got into that school for G&T so it never hurts to try.  With out second choice we selected PS 333 the school that friends and relatives were touting.  We got in.  This leads me to a point.  We choose  PS 333 as our second choice, and were accepted.  That means that if you lived in the area within five blocks, I'm assuming and picked PS 333 as your top or second choice you would get in.

But along with the http://schools.nyc.gov/ application, we also applied and were accepted at a very good new school called Harlem Hebrew Language Academy Charter School.  Yes the school does teach Hebrew to all students, but the school is the most diverse school in the city.  NYC public schools have a problem.  According to published reports (and common sense) NYC has the most segregated school system in the nation.  If you live on the upper east side, gramercy park area chances are the school your child will go to will be mostly white and if you live on 96th street on the east or west side the schools are mostly black and Spanish.  The schools on 96th street on the east or west side get less funding are most crowded and have lower test scores then those schools just blocks away (89th Street to be exact).

But charter schools Mayor Bill de Blasio's target of lies and deception, has leveled the playing field, allowing students in underserved school zones, the option to attend a well funded, clean quality school and get the kind of education those who live a few blocks south get.  Charter schools are lessening the burden put on by underserved school but accepting students that would have attended those schools, thus making those schools less crowded and therefore better.  Do some research on charter schools and apply to the ones you like.  Charter schools have separate applications and won't have an impact on the public pre k or kindergarten  application process.  So why not research charter schools also and apply to the ones you like.  It can't hurt.

So in conclusion, don't just apply to one school, the school you’re zoned for.  Apply to as many schools as you can.  Rate the schools you like the best with higher ratings and still apply to the school you are zoned for as a safety school.  And don't forget to apply to charter schools also.  They have separate applications and won't hurt your application to public pre k schools.   Make sure the big winners in March Madness are you and your child.

Well the Knicks were eliminated from playoffs contention today.

Shocking I know.   Every time I see Lee, Zach, Wilson Chandler or Gallo play I'm reminded what a terrible decision it was to get rid of all those players to sign Carmelo Anthony and of course Lebron who would never have come here anyway. Both Miami and Chicago were much better options for Lebron. Good job Donnie Walsh and idiot Dolan. Giving up Lee, Zach, Wilson Chandler and Gallo to sign Carmelo Anthony was just a great move. Pays dividends every day.

Unemployment rates never included those who dropped out of the workforce in our history

I always hear the same argument from republicans when the great job numbers come out every month.  I hear from republicans at CNBC, Barron's, Forbes, Fortune, The Wall Street Journal and the NY Post that the unemployment number doesn't include those who dropped out of the job market.  But you can always say the unemployment rate isn't accurate because it doesn't include those who dropped out of the work force.  You can say that about Ron Reagan unemployment rates.   Maybe people were dropping out of the workforce and that's why the unemployment rate was low under Reagan.  You can say that about Bush Sr and even Bush Jr.  But under Bush Jr, we were losing 500K jobs a month that gaining that number of jobs every month.  Maybe the number of people who were dropping out of the work force under Bush Jr was actually higher than the 500K number because that didn't include those who dropped out of the workforce.  Also many of the companies that have positions open, are saying there's no qualified people applying for those jobs.  Come on show a little objectivity.

Problem with Benjamin Netanyahu speaking here before he's re-elected

Benjamin Netanyahu is up for re-election  and if he doesn't win  having him speak here is of little importance. If the republicans really wanted to accomplish something they should have waited until after Benjamin Netanyahu is re-elected.    If Netanyahu doesn't win re-election it will be a major embarrassment for republicans. 

This is what Netanyahu said about in 2002, – “If You Take Out Saddam, I Guarantee, It Will Have Enormous Positive Reverberations on the Region” really because Mr. Netanyahu we took out Saddam and many could argue that things are worse now with ISIS controlling the region. As Bush Jr said Iraqis might "rise up." The problem with Iraqis is that they don't rise up and let anyone no matter how bad they are take control. 

We need to let Iraq take care of Iraq and deal with our own problems including failing infrastructure and a drug war we're losing. Instead of stupid pipeline which won't create jobs (it will end them in the rail industry) and if oil gets cheaper, it will end jobs with oil drillers who only make money when oil is $60. I'm not a pot smoker, but legalizing pot both medical and recreationally would create lots of tax money like its doing in colorado. And infrastructure improvements would create long term job and probably lower the unemployment rate.