The votes are tallied, and the readers who voted have crowned our latest comment of the week winner. Congratulations to Publius!

Publius, if you are so inclined, please reach out to me, steve@granitegrok.com, so that I can get a shipping address.

Here is the post, commenter, and winning comment as voted by you!

The Post:  G.E.T. R.E.A.L! – E: Education Reform
The Commenter: Publius

The schools aren’t perfect and share a portion of blame for sure, spending all their spare money on additional useless admin that don’t discipline, don’t give classroom support, don’t do their job of iep compliance, just sit there and try and enforce DEI and useless PD rather than trying to attract the best and brightest teachers with attractive salaries.

But we can’t forget to blame what we know to be the largest driver of student success.

Parents

Parents aren’t reading to their kids anymore, they aren’t fostering a love of learning, a sense of discipline, and a sense of respect

The parents plop their kids down in front of a screen for hours at a time, the almighty tablet has become their one stop shop for entertainment on demand. They then get a smart phone with all the quick-dopamine hits that give them easy highs and terrible lows when comparing themselves to everyone else. This constant connection to everything enables round the clock bullying too, and not to mention how that affects their attention span in the classroom, where they are truly addicted to the screen.

It’s an old comic at this point demonstrating the generational gap where a kid gets bad grades and the older generation asks the child what they did wrong, where the modern generation asks the teacher what they did wrong.

The covid years showed us how many parents don’t even care about the school teaching their kids anything but so many just care about it being free daycare.

As a society we once greatly valued education, but that has slowly been chipped away to ensure a generation of obedient, mindless slaves.

The post Comment of the Week Winner: Publius appeared first on Granite Grok.

In a previous article, I noted that I thought Attorney Celia Leonard was being coached by Attorney Bolton and his hired legal Dream Team on Wednesday, 4/10.  The next day, I looked for a camera in Courtroom 3, as Mr Buckmire, the head of security advised me to mention in my request for footage.

I just called the number given to me, (855) 212-1234, and wound up frustrated. It was the same variety of frustration I experienced when Attorney Lehmann said that emails to and from individual members of the legislature are NOT subject to 91A, Gmail, or NH dot gov addresses alike.

Frustration has many varieties, though not necessarily 57 of them. One of them is being told to pound sand by the stewards of information being sought.  I also mentioned how the police academy’s 10/13/21 raw video footage’s availability to the defense counsel was delayed for almost 20 months, even though Attorney Gens requested it.

My frustration was similar in that I was essentially denied also, but such frustration was compounded with my follow up questions being thwarted with repeated interruptions by the person on the other end of the phone. I will explain.

My call was answered by Pat, who introduced herself by name only.  It was one of those countless cases, public and private, where the caller tells the long, detailed story to the call answerer only to be “cold transferred” to a coworker chosen by the answerer as the one most fit to field the request.

I did not have Laurie Ortolano’s PARTICULAR case number handy, my bad, but I offered the dates and other information Pat might find helpful, considering Laurie has/had multiple cases.  I even said I would like to write the case number down so I could reference it in the future when asked.  Unfortunately, I was unable to get that information despite repeated attempts to get it from both Pat and the person Pat cold transferred my call to. Neither of them was interested in what customer service experts call “identification and acknowledgment of the customer’s request.”

A whole separate article could be written on how such expert consultants would advise the CSR to let the customer finish explaining the reason for the call/visit.  Then the CSR reiterates back to the customer what the problem or request is, thus establishing an understanding of the customer’s objective in the encounter.  I’m aware that we’re all human beings who often do things less than perfectly, but such training would benefit both the public and the people employed to handle calls made to (855) 212-1234.

My ex-BF, an electrical engineer, would always say that the more moving parts there are to something, the more opportunity there is for malfunctions. While I hate to point out that a man was right, especially him, he was indeed right, no matter how many trees were falling in the forest at the time.

There were too many moving parts to my unproductive phone call to discuss and still keep this article short, so I will only focus on a few. One of them was the second person I spoke to relentlessly interrupting me. A few times, I had to resort to interrupting her back with a “pardon, I would like to finish, please” to answer her question, steer her back to the nature of why I called, or properly clarify my follow-up question(s).

The second person thought I WAS Laurie Ortolano. That mistake was on one or both of them, not me, and I politely pointed out that I was not.  She also thought I was talking about another case with Laurie as the plaintiff.  When she mentioned the Supreme Court, her error was obvious.  She told me several times that there were several cases involving Laurie, but she obviously wasn’t listening when it was my turn to talk because I acknowledged several times that I was aware of there being multiple cases.

As noted earlier, I expressed interest in the one that was in court last Wednesday and would like to write down its case number.  Deaf ears were definitely on full display throughout the call, so I ultimately took the high road and ended the call with a “no sense in barking up the wrong tree, but thanks for the information you gave me and have a good day” instead of complaining about her attention being a real “moving target” during my line of questioning.  I will confess that I did throw in an “I think I’m done here” with my parting comment, but I stand by it. Let’s get to the takeaway item I learned.

I was told that they don’t just give out camera footage to anyone requesting it, media or otherwise. The request has to be filed as a motion by one of the parties involved in the case, and Judge Temple has to approve it. Laurie has another case on Thursday, 4/18, which is about the City’s misuse of New Market Tax Credits, so I’m not going to bog her down with my suggestion to motion Judge Temple while she’s preparing for it.

A reader might ask why I wrote this, and I have a few thoughts. One of them is that I have a greater appreciation for Frank Staples insisting on doing all his own courtroom recording. Another is that I’m glad to have heard during the robo greeting that my call was being recorded (presumably and hopefully for training purposes) when I called (855) 212-1234.  And lastly, it’s another example of the RTK frustrations our government creates all by design. Consider this another reminder to tell the Senate Judiciary Committee that HB 1002 is a bad bill and needs to be killed.

The post Celia Isn’t the Only One Breaking My Heart appeared first on Granite Grok.

Maksym Krippa is a renowned figure in the Ukrainian business landscape. AMCU approved the acquisition of the Parus business center through Ola Fine LLC, a company under the umbrella of ARS Capital. This development, endorsed by the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine, not only marks a significant milestone in Maksym Krippa’s investment journey but also reflects broader trends in Ukraine’s business ecosystem, potentially influencing foreign investors’ perceptions of the country’s investment climate.

This is known from information published on the 7day website.

The agreement brokered between Parus Holding’s principal stakeholders, Vadym Stolar, and his ex-wife, Inna Maistruk, signifies a pivotal shift in ownership dynamics. With Stolar’s ownership of 80% of shares through the Genesis fund and Maistruk’s 20% ownership via the Stream Investment fund, the transition of control to Krippa heralds a new chapter for the Parus business center.

Situated in the heart of Kyiv, the Parus skyscraper stands as a beacon of modernity and sophistication, boasting impressive architectural features and amenities tailored to meet the needs of corporate tenants. Its status as one of Ukraine’s tallest buildings between 2005 and 2008 underscores its significance within the urban landscape, retaining its allure and appeal to discerning occupants.

More about the skyscraper

Key features of the Parus business center include its towering height of 133.1 meters, augmented to 149.5 meters with the antenna, spanning across 33 floors of premium office space. Noteworthy attributes such as floors capable of withstanding loads of up to 250 kg/m² and two conference halls accommodating 40 and 100 delegates, respectively, highlight the center’s commitment to functionality and versatility.

Moreover, the presence of dining facilities on various floors, including restaurants on the fourth and thirty-first floors, adds to the convenience and allure of the Parus business center. Its strategic location, mere minutes away from the Klovska metro station and the Palace of Sports, further enhances accessibility and connectivity for tenants and visitors alike.

What is known about the new owner of this skyscraper?

Maxim Krippa entrepreneurial prowess extends beyond the realm of real estate, with notable investments in diverse sectors including IT, esports, and software development. His ownership of NAVI esports team and GSC Game World exemplifies his strategic vision and commitment to driving innovation across multiple industries, cementing his status as a prominent investor and business leader in Ukraine and beyond.

The post NAVI Investor Maksym Krippa Buys BC Parus appeared first on Granite Grok.