Cellphone ban
Is a rule still a rule if no one’s there to enforce it? Joel Klein and Mike Bloomberg might think they’re eliminating cell phones from the city schools, but it seems that some school principals and teachers are simply ignoring the rule. “I’m hearing that things have quieted down again and while the rule is still in force, it’s not being enforced,” Paul Hovitz, chairperson of the Community Board 1 Youth and Education Committee, said recently.
Mayor Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Klein stepped up enforcement of a ban on cell phones last spring, setting off a fire storm among parents who worried they would be unable to reach their offspring during the school day. The City Council is considering legislation that would give individual principals more control over how they control cell phone use at their schools.
Lisa Ripperger, the new principal of P.S. 234, said that her school is following an out-of-sight-out-of-mind policy. If the kids keep the phones off and in their bags, school officials won’t go hunting for their phones, she said. “The issue with the elementary schools is different,” she said at a recent Youth Committee meeting. “It’s more of a problem in high school and middle school where kids have their phones on during the day.”
Community board members hailed the news that the rule was being ignored. “It’s bad policy that becomes tolerable simply because you don’t enforce it,” said C.B. 1 member Jeff Galloway.
Savvy Fashion Show
Savvy Ladies, an organization developed to support financially independent women, needed some support for the ladies who had to make it home after a wine tasting and fashion show at Nadine’s Hair Salon last Friday.
Nadine’s offered free hair consultations as the tipsy ladies enjoyed appetizers. Meanwhile, girls with ladyfinger-sized waistlines paraded through the John St. salon in clothes from Urban Liberty, an up-and-coming design retailer that is looking to branch out from its primary business of providing “civis” for military personnel.
The question on everyone’s mind seemed to be, “Does that even come in my size?” Well, to the delight of UnderCover, it does! Depending on brand, www.urbanlibertyfashion.com offers most of its clothing in sizes S – L, and some items are available in XL or XXL. Better yet, the company said it plans to offer its low military pricing to the general public.
Affordable clothes, good hair, and free wine…the ladies at Nadine’s were savvy indeed.
Back to the Boardroom
Donald Trump’s right-hand man, George Ross, was back at work in a real boardroom this past month. Though Trump’s son, Donald Jr., will reportedly replace Ross on the upcoming season of “The Apprentice,” the 78-year-old lawyer has stayed busy with The Donald’s real estate negotiations.
Ross recently finalized a deal to bring OfficeLinks, a Newmark Knight Frank company that leases short-term office spaces, to the Trump Organization’s 40 Wall Street building. OfficeLinks will occupy the 28th and 29th floors of 40 Wall St. — 27,815 square feet in all.
Wi not?
Residents of The Solaire building in Battery Park City will soon be basking in the glow of 24-7 laptop freedom. The green building’s maintenance crew is busy installing building-wide wireless internet service.
