| Author | Message | ||
     Reflective Citizen Username: Reflective Post Number: 95 Registered: 3-2003 |
Two Suggestions.. 1) Link our own homegrown Fringe's HOMETOWN.AOL.Com/njfabian website to provide detailed data on almost any aspect of our school district. The News Record and the Star ledger are using Fringe's material and data. Why not Maplewood On-Line? 2) SOAPBOX: This is why I included Joan, as I value her perspective. Consider that SO has its own categoty. Soapbox should be for local Maplewood topics (also NJ). Two additional categories should be added, one for national issues and one for intl issues. This allows local issues to be efficiently categorized and will allow the usual pontification to flourish unabated in the other categories. It also will prevent the pontificators from burying relevant local issues. | ||
| Joan Citizen Username: Joancrystal Post Number: 1887 Registered: 5-2001 |
Reflective: Thanks for the complement. Unfortunately, I don't agree with you on the need for three subdivisions for posts to Soapbox. Maplewood does not exist in isolation. National and Interntional affairs have a habit of intruding on life in our island of Norman Rockwell/Currier & Ives suburbia. The environment, the recession, human rights, educational trends and a host of other issues which have appeared initially in Soapbox in a non-SOMA context still need to be examined in terms of their impact on our local quality of life. I really don't see how international, national, local Maplewood and local South Orange discussions can be effectively kept separate. I always thought that South Orange Specific emerged as a posting category because such a high percentage of posters to this board were from Maplewood and South Orange discussions tended to get lost in the shuffle. Any Maplewood-specific post could now be placed in Official Maplewood since the official town website is now taking over much of the function previously performed by that posting category. | ||
| marie Citizen Username: Marie Post Number: 671 Registered: 6-2001 |
In this week's Snooze Wretched, Fringe's website address appears in their frontpage article on the the budget discussion - I agree with Reflective - link his website to MOL! | ||
| ajc Citizen Username: Ajc Post Number: 1823 Registered: 9-2001 |
I have to agree with Reflective and Marie, additional categories should be added... For the reason we have so many different TV channels, is the same reason we need further delineation of topics on MOL... Hey, everyone is invited to the party, now lets give them all a seat. ___________________________________________________________________ Waiting for an all-day Jitney, or some better way we can all get around MOL... | ||
| nan Citizen Username: Nan Post Number: 914 Registered: 2-2001 |
Fringe's website is more like a declaration of war on the MWSO school district than the "independent," objective resource he claims it to be. I vote NO on linking it to MOL. Just in case we are taking a vote, and I'm asleep at the wheel when it's called. | ||
| NCJanow Citizen Username: Librarylady Post Number: 907 Registered: 5-2001 |
Come to think of it, why is the Official Maplewood thread open for posting but the Official South Orange thread only open to "officials?" NCJ aka LibraryLady | ||
| ajc Citizen Username: Ajc Post Number: 1824 Registered: 9-2001 |
Nan, Based on your comment... I think you may already be asleep at the wheel. Many of us here in M/SO have long a go made a declaration of war on our school district. Fringe's website is more like an independent, and objective resource than anything we have at present, which is NOTHING!!! Maybe if we give some access to what’s going on residents will begin to take interest and do something about it! I sorry, but I don’t plan on going to sleep and I would like more information, so I’m going to vote YES to linking it to MOL. ___________________________________________________________________ Waiting for an all-day Jitney, or some better way we all can get around the BOE... | ||
| bobk Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 3346 Registered: 5-2001 |
The problem with multiple Soapbox categories is thread drift, although I think it is worth a try. Fringe has his own agenda. However, his website is a wonderful source for facts and figures about the school district. Link it. | ||
| Dillon Citizen Username: Dillon Post Number: 2 Registered: 8-2003 |
LINK FRINGE!!! Sorry, this is my first posting here, but Nan hardly (from past posts ) seems objective. | ||
| shestheone Citizen Username: Shestheone Post Number: 35 Registered: 5-2003 |
would someone please give me FRINGE's url...i'm curious | ||
| michael Citizen Username: Michael Post Number: 352 Registered: 1-2002 |
Maplewood South Orange Public Schools | ||
| michael Citizen Username: Michael Post Number: 353 Registered: 1-2002 |
Maplewood South Orange Public Schools | ||
| nan Citizen Username: Nan Post Number: 915 Registered: 2-2001 |
Dillon, I have never claimed to be objective. Everyone speaks from a particular point of view colored by their experiences and core beliefs. What annoys me is how the term "objective" is often used to mean, "those that I agree with" and "those who express opinions I don't like" are considered non-objective. Clearly it is an advantage to have everyone think you are objective, especially when you are condemning our school system. Fringe has been altering his web page over time to make it seem more likely to be so. But, if one looks closely, one sees a very different agenda. Here's an example that came up over the recent appointment of Rowland Bennett to the Language Arts committee. I had called Bennett's objectivity into question because I knew he was a key member of the ACE group, whose major mission seems to be convincing the public that we need to adopt a scripted reading program. I did not feel Bennett could be open minded enough to evaluate the current program, given his well-known opinions. Fringe, on the other hand, claimed that he had no knowledge of Bennett's bias and accused me of making McCarthy-like accusations against him without proof: ----------------------------------- fringe Citizen Username: Fringe Post Number: 149 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, August 8, 2003 - 10:04 am: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The vast majority of my contacts with Rowland Bennett have been limited to pleasant exchanges at the library. Obviously others here have more knowledge of his bias as expressed in his writings or public utterances. Perhaps they would be good enough to cite them when attacking his objectivity. Organizational membership seems a weak criteria upon which to make such judgments, and implies that objectivity is impossible in any committee whose members belong to other related groups. One may legitimately raise questions about another's character when he/she has evidence of a flaw. To intentionally do so without proof smacks of McCarthyism. JTL ---------------------------- So, Fringe, claims to be totally unaware of any bias represented by Rowland Bennett and yet his own website contains a link to a letter signed by Bennet that expresses his views clearly. http://hometown.aol.com/njfabian/ACESletter.htm Does Fringe not even read the material on his own website? | ||
| sbenois Citizen Username: Sbenois Post Number: 10190 Registered: 10-2001  |
Fringe's superb website is littered with facts and data along with some personal opinion. It's easily the most valuable set of information out there for individuals to form opinions from. Frankly speaking, its the kind of data that our school system should be putting together and analyzing constantly for trends. It's sad that a private watchdog - bless his heart - has to feel so compelled to fill such an obvious and huge void for the community. I think it absolutely should be linked. ---> Brought to you by Sbenois Engineering LLC <---- | ||
| Joan Citizen Username: Joancrystal Post Number: 1896 Registered: 5-2001 |
I can see where Jaime/Dave might not want to provide a link from MOL's list of recommended to links to Fringe's site since Fringe's site is definitely creating some controversy. However, I hope they will choose to do so since this site provides a valuable compilation of information on the SOM school district and is well worth reading if you care about what is happening in our community. In the meanwhile, thanks to Michael for posting the link here. I have already added it to my list of bookmarked sites and I recommend that others do so as well. | ||
| Joan Citizen Username: Joancrystal Post Number: 1897 Registered: 5-2001 |
While I still don't like the idea of breaking out the Soapbox by National, International and Local subheadings since the subjects discussed therein overlap too much, I would like to see additional categories elsewhere or stand alone for subjects not easy categorized in MOL's current structure. The Parenting Center recently suggested in Please Help is an excellent idea. I would also like to see a Neighborhood Watch catagory. | ||
| ajc Citizen Username: Ajc Post Number: 1830 Registered: 9-2001 |
“Does Fringe not even read the material on his own website?” I’m fairly sure he reads his own material. The real question is why would you ever want to suppress all this valuable information? Your example of bias is the classic example of throwing the baby out with the bath water. The point to be made here is not his or your bias, but whether to make his website information more readily available so local residents can become more involved and hopefully make up their own minds. It’s all about getting the information… ___________________________________________________________________ Waiting for an all-day Jitney, or some better way we all can learn about the BOE... | ||
| Reflective Citizen Username: Reflective Post Number: 96 Registered: 3-2003 |
You know, I expected very little response to my suggestions but based on the feedback above, am very glad I did. Fringe's website is an important database for us to make informed decisions. He doesn't lead us to conclusions but provides hard-to-get data so that each of us can derive conclusions or know what further questions to ask regarding educational issues. Joan - if your comment about the link being too controversial, is why Dave isn't linking it, then he should state that. I have asked him several times for comment or to take an action. He hasn't. Dave is not shy posting his opinion on a variety of topics. Dave, as web-master, should give a reasoned opinion on why, or why not, he will link the web-site. Perhaps it's a maturity question. Speaking of well-reasoned, Nan, .... I have always enjoyed enjoining with others who don't think like me. It's how I learn. I think what bothers Dillion and the others is that you don't want dialogue , discussion, alternative thoughts, which may, not always, lead to a compromise which benefits all of us. My read, Nan, is that it's your way or the highway. Without characterizing your approach, most of us disagree with it, and prefer to struggle with the imperfect world of diverse ideas and will let the cream rise to the top. | ||
| nan Citizen Username: Nan Post Number: 916 Registered: 2-2001 |
Art, Your comment, "The real question is why would you ever want to suppress all this valuable information?" misses the point of my post. I'm not trying to supress Fringe's website; he is certainly free to maintain it and to try to publicize it as he wants. I'm just saying that it should not be legitimized as a neutral offering of handy dandy statistics by MOL--one of the few objective venues we have. To do so would taint the objective position of MOL itself. But, that's just my 2 cents--I have no control of MOL. It's up to Dave, not me, to decide what gets linked or not. I'm just stating my opinion on why I don't think it should be included. Don't you think I should be allowed to state my opinion once in a while without getting personally attacked? Especially by those who accuse me of not being open-minded or "objective," or refusing to listen to the opinions of another. They sure do a good job of proving my earlier point, though. | ||
| bobk Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 3350 Registered: 5-2001 |
Nan,do you feel that the facts and figures onn thewebsite are incorrec?. This is about 90 percent of the data there. |
