Fyi, I was vociferous in letting my thoughts be known on this as on other issues, and voted against putting Harlowe on the Zoning Board too ... Don't want my reputation to be besmirched thusly. Annie
The Ridgewood Blog
Friday, March 06, 2009
Don't want my reputation to be besmirched -Anne Zusy
Fyi, I was vociferous in letting my thoughts be known on this as on other issues, and voted against putting Harlowe on the Zoning Board too ... Don't want my reputation to be besmirched thusly. Annie
Our Next Village Manager – Quentin W. Wiest, II?
In what could best be categorized as one of the most bizarre twists of Village political life, former Ridgewood Mayor Quentin W. Wiest, II, spouse of former Ridgewood Deputy Mayor Betty G. Wiest, may be top contender for the Village Manager’s post if and when incumbent Manager James M. Ten Hoeve retires.
Mr. Wiest served as Ridgewood’s Mayor from 1986-1990. His government service experience extends beyond Ridgewood; he also served in a full-time capacity as Director of Public Works for the County of Bergen (Mr. Wiest, a politically active Republican, lost his appointment to that job once the Democrats took control of Bergen County government).
The Wiest’s currently reside on North Walnut Street in the Village. Quentin is now employed as a Senior Project Manager for Neglia Engineering Associates in Lyndhurst, NJ. Neglia provides engineering advisory services to local governing bodies, planning and zoning boards, boards of education, and other municipal bodies.
Best of luck to you Mr. Wiest!
Mr. Wiest served as Ridgewood’s Mayor from 1986-1990. His government service experience extends beyond Ridgewood; he also served in a full-time capacity as Director of Public Works for the County of Bergen (Mr. Wiest, a politically active Republican, lost his appointment to that job once the Democrats took control of Bergen County government).
The Wiest’s currently reside on North Walnut Street in the Village. Quentin is now employed as a Senior Project Manager for Neglia Engineering Associates in Lyndhurst, NJ. Neglia provides engineering advisory services to local governing bodies, planning and zoning boards, boards of education, and other municipal bodies.
Best of luck to you Mr. Wiest!
It is being widely rumored that former Ridgewood Deputy Mayor Betty G. Wiest is positioning herself for the May 2010 Village Council election.
It is being widely rumored that former Ridgewood Deputy Mayor Betty G. Wiest is positioning herself for the May 2010 Village Council election.
Ms. Wiest actively participated in, and was photographed at, several recent official VOR events; ground breaking ceremonies in front of Pease Library and at the Ridgewood Train Station, and at the swearing in of Ridgewood Police Chief John LiPuma. She is also seen visiting department heads at Village Hall on a regular basis.
Wiest and former Councilman Jacques Harlow both ran for re-election in the 2008 Village Council race, but lost to new comers Keith D. Killion, Anne Zusy, and Paul Aronsohn.
Will Betty be back?
Ms. Wiest actively participated in, and was photographed at, several recent official VOR events; ground breaking ceremonies in front of Pease Library and at the Ridgewood Train Station, and at the swearing in of Ridgewood Police Chief John LiPuma. She is also seen visiting department heads at Village Hall on a regular basis.
Wiest and former Councilman Jacques Harlow both ran for re-election in the 2008 Village Council race, but lost to new comers Keith D. Killion, Anne Zusy, and Paul Aronsohn.
Will Betty be back?
Village Manager Jim Ten Hoeve Set to Retire?
It is being reported that Village Manager James Ten Hoeve will soon be retiring from government service and moving to a job in the private sector. Unconfirmed reports are that Mr. Ten Hoeve plans to accept a management position with MBIA, a holding company headquartered in Armonk, NY, whose subsidiaries provide financial guarantee insurance on municipal bonds.
Following an noteworthy observation made by many Village employees and taxpayers several weeks ago that Ten Hoeve was no longer commuting to and from work in an official motor vehicle, rumors began to fly that he was on his way out. Fueling these rumors were line items on at least two separate Village Council Meeting Agendas recently; both listing the topic of closed session/private Council discussions as "Village Manager's Office."
Mr. Ten Hoeve began serving as Ridgewood's latest Village Manager sometime in 2004, this after several months of his service as Acting Village Manager (following the retirement of Larry D. Worth in the Fall of 2003).
Information obtained from www.datauniverse.com shows that Ten Hoeve earned $168,659 in 2007 as Ridgewood's Village Manager, and an additional $8,000 in the same year from Totowa Borough, where he served as that municipality's Chief Financial Officer. 2008 salary data is not yet available on line.
Following an noteworthy observation made by many Village employees and taxpayers several weeks ago that Ten Hoeve was no longer commuting to and from work in an official motor vehicle, rumors began to fly that he was on his way out. Fueling these rumors were line items on at least two separate Village Council Meeting Agendas recently; both listing the topic of closed session/private Council discussions as "Village Manager's Office."
Mr. Ten Hoeve began serving as Ridgewood's latest Village Manager sometime in 2004, this after several months of his service as Acting Village Manager (following the retirement of Larry D. Worth in the Fall of 2003).
Information obtained from www.datauniverse.com shows that Ten Hoeve earned $168,659 in 2007 as Ridgewood's Village Manager, and an additional $8,000 in the same year from Totowa Borough, where he served as that municipality's Chief Financial Officer. 2008 salary data is not yet available on line.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
BREAKING NEWS :Bergen County SWAT Team Called to Ridgewood
Heavily armed members of the Bergen County SWAT Team assisted Ridgewood Police with the apprehension of an individual at a Lakeview Drive home on Thursday night. The parking lot of a nearby A&P supermarket was used as a staging area for numerous SWAT Team and EMS personnel.
No information is available at this time regarding the nature of any crime committed at the scene. The individual apprehended was transported away from the scene in a Ridgewood ambulance.
No information is available at this time regarding the nature of any crime committed at the scene. The individual apprehended was transported away from the scene in a Ridgewood ambulance.
The Ridgewood Blog presents an Exclusive Interview with Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Lonegan
So after a little phone tag I finally had an opportunity to sit down with Steve Lonegan and talk the campaign ,Chris Christie ,Governor Corzine and the New Jersey Supreme Court .What stuck me the most is that behind the visions of a tough veteran campaigner is a very passionate man that cares a lot about people .Our interview in the midst of a long day on the campaign trail was only interrupted by a call from his mom.
So I started with something that always bugs me How can a guy running against government subsidies ,take matching funds to run a political campaign ? You see ,he said and i paraphrase ,Corzine can reach into his pocket and take out $60 million bucks but my own mother can only give me around $3400 so either you have to lift the limits or I would be at a huge disadvantage in not take the matching funds.
I pressed him on why he thought he could really cut state spending and he assured me that cutting down and consolidating the number of departments in the state was very doable . He also reminded me that Pennsylvania one of the states New Jersey residents have been fleeing to ,has a flat tax so there was no reason we couldn't do it here. He pointed me to his record running Bogota and how he enacted similar cuts .The difference being on a state level you had to add more zeros .
This moved our conversation to Bogota and that it had only 8000 residents and I wondered if he thought that was a fair comparison to Trenton ? Again he reminded me and I know this to be true from running this blog ,that in Trenton you have a lot of room to hide but at a local level you are looking people in the eye everyday who you might be dramatically effecting their lives.
This moved us to an other issue it seems Steve has his work cut out for him not only does he have to compete against the deep pockets of Jon Corzine and the Democratic machine but he also has to fight the "chosen one" every Republicans favorite son Chris Christie and the extremely liberal Republican party in this state .
Abbott and COAH were next on the table for discussion and changing the extremely redistributive almost socialistic NJ Supreme Court (my words ). Steve once again reminded me that as Governor he will have the opportunity to appoint 4 new justices and he assured me that the there is a pool of traditional constitutional defending judges.
Finally he stated that he is far more optimistic in the future than I and that the chief threat to New Jersey's economy are the policies of Jon Corzine and in particular the very destructive policies of Barack Obama .
PJ Blogger
contact : onlyonesmallvoice@gmail.com
So I started with something that always bugs me How can a guy running against government subsidies ,take matching funds to run a political campaign ? You see ,he said and i paraphrase ,Corzine can reach into his pocket and take out $60 million bucks but my own mother can only give me around $3400 so either you have to lift the limits or I would be at a huge disadvantage in not take the matching funds.
I pressed him on why he thought he could really cut state spending and he assured me that cutting down and consolidating the number of departments in the state was very doable . He also reminded me that Pennsylvania one of the states New Jersey residents have been fleeing to ,has a flat tax so there was no reason we couldn't do it here. He pointed me to his record running Bogota and how he enacted similar cuts .The difference being on a state level you had to add more zeros .
This moved our conversation to Bogota and that it had only 8000 residents and I wondered if he thought that was a fair comparison to Trenton ? Again he reminded me and I know this to be true from running this blog ,that in Trenton you have a lot of room to hide but at a local level you are looking people in the eye everyday who you might be dramatically effecting their lives.
This moved us to an other issue it seems Steve has his work cut out for him not only does he have to compete against the deep pockets of Jon Corzine and the Democratic machine but he also has to fight the "chosen one" every Republicans favorite son Chris Christie and the extremely liberal Republican party in this state .
Abbott and COAH were next on the table for discussion and changing the extremely redistributive almost socialistic NJ Supreme Court (my words ). Steve once again reminded me that as Governor he will have the opportunity to appoint 4 new justices and he assured me that the there is a pool of traditional constitutional defending judges.
Finally he stated that he is far more optimistic in the future than I and that the chief threat to New Jersey's economy are the policies of Jon Corzine and in particular the very destructive policies of Barack Obama .
PJ Blogger
contact : onlyonesmallvoice@gmail.com
I am wary of additional government intervention, as it does nothing to strengthen our financial markets or encourage private investment.
Dear Friends,
Last week, President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress. I applaud President Obama’s boldness and energy in the face of our current economic crisis. He recognizes that the challenges our country faces are interrelated, and we cannot rectify the crisis without addressing the broader issues. Where President Obama and I disagree is in the manner in which the broader issues should be addressed.
The President believes that government intervention in the marketplace is necessary to restore order – I am wary of additional government intervention, as it does nothing to strengthen our financial markets or encourage private investment. My main concern is that Washington is sending mixed signals to Wall Street which is causing capital to remain on the sideline. Until investors are clear about the government’s intention with regard to future market interference, confidence will not be restored to the financial sector.
The President wants to create jobs – I share his desire to fight the rising unemployment that has so many American families fearful about their ability to provide for their loved ones. I believe the best way to create jobs is to encourage the growth of American small businesses. History has shown that the most effective way to reinvigorate the economy and spur economic growth is to ensure that job creators face a lower tax and regulatory burden.
The President wants to reform our healthcare system – I am encouraged by his recent statements on fiscal responsibility, as the current level of entitlement spending is unsustainable and will only serve to sink our country into further debt. I do have concerns about any healthcare reforms that will demolish independent private-sector healthcare in America and disincentivize entry into specialty fields, which could result in reductions in innovation and quality of care. Much bipartisan discussion is needed in order to develop a clear plan to solve our nation’s healthcare problems.
The President wants energy independence – I could not agree more. I have and will continue to support an energy policy that will move America away from foreign sources of energy and encourage American-made solutions. Alternative and renewable fuels will play a key role in this effort and I support increased research in wind, solar, bio-mass, bio-diesel, nuclear, ethanol, hydrogen, and coal energy. The potential of these fuels requires that Congress be supportive of further research and development to improve those fuel technologies.
I believe the way to revive our economy is to liberate Americans from their overwhelming tax burden in order to empower individual taxpayers and keep more money in the wallets of American families. We must cease the excessive federal spending that continues to bloat our national debt, and create opportunities for private initiatives to spur economic growth. We must end the government interference in the marketplace that many experts say have helped create our current economic crisis.
Sincerely,
Scott Garrett
Member of Congress
Last week, President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress. I applaud President Obama’s boldness and energy in the face of our current economic crisis. He recognizes that the challenges our country faces are interrelated, and we cannot rectify the crisis without addressing the broader issues. Where President Obama and I disagree is in the manner in which the broader issues should be addressed.
The President believes that government intervention in the marketplace is necessary to restore order – I am wary of additional government intervention, as it does nothing to strengthen our financial markets or encourage private investment. My main concern is that Washington is sending mixed signals to Wall Street which is causing capital to remain on the sideline. Until investors are clear about the government’s intention with regard to future market interference, confidence will not be restored to the financial sector.
The President wants to create jobs – I share his desire to fight the rising unemployment that has so many American families fearful about their ability to provide for their loved ones. I believe the best way to create jobs is to encourage the growth of American small businesses. History has shown that the most effective way to reinvigorate the economy and spur economic growth is to ensure that job creators face a lower tax and regulatory burden.
The President wants to reform our healthcare system – I am encouraged by his recent statements on fiscal responsibility, as the current level of entitlement spending is unsustainable and will only serve to sink our country into further debt. I do have concerns about any healthcare reforms that will demolish independent private-sector healthcare in America and disincentivize entry into specialty fields, which could result in reductions in innovation and quality of care. Much bipartisan discussion is needed in order to develop a clear plan to solve our nation’s healthcare problems.
The President wants energy independence – I could not agree more. I have and will continue to support an energy policy that will move America away from foreign sources of energy and encourage American-made solutions. Alternative and renewable fuels will play a key role in this effort and I support increased research in wind, solar, bio-mass, bio-diesel, nuclear, ethanol, hydrogen, and coal energy. The potential of these fuels requires that Congress be supportive of further research and development to improve those fuel technologies.
I believe the way to revive our economy is to liberate Americans from their overwhelming tax burden in order to empower individual taxpayers and keep more money in the wallets of American families. We must cease the excessive federal spending that continues to bloat our national debt, and create opportunities for private initiatives to spur economic growth. We must end the government interference in the marketplace that many experts say have helped create our current economic crisis.
Sincerely,
Scott Garrett
Member of Congress
What is Dad's Night?
The first Dads' Night was held in the Kenilworth School of Ridgewood New Jersey in 1944. Over the years, the tradition has been kept alive by the dads of children who attend Ridgewood's Somerville and Hawes elementary schools. This year marks the 65th Anniversary of Dads' Night!
Each year the dads write their own scripts and songs, play their own music, design and sew their own costumes, build their own sets, and put on a musical review for the hundreds of kids in town.
The funds that are raised are used to buy special needed "wish list" items for the schools. Everyone has a good time, and many long lasting friendships are made. Most importantly, our children learn that their dads are committed to them and their lives. Why else would the dads make such fools of themselves if it weren't for the love of their children!
This year's show is the 65th Anniversary of Dads' Night.
Show Information
When:
Friday March 13th, 2009 at 7:00 PM
Saturday March 14th, 2009 at 4:00 PM
Where:
Benjamin Franklin Middle School auditorium, corner of N. Van Dien and Glen Avenues, Ridgewood, NJ
Admission:
We sell no tickets for the show, however a collection is taken up during the show for donations to the program.
Sean McCooe
Managing Partner
McCooe & Associates, Inc.
615 Franklin Turnpike
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
(201) 445-3161
(201) 445-8958 (fax)
sean@mcsearch.net
Each year the dads write their own scripts and songs, play their own music, design and sew their own costumes, build their own sets, and put on a musical review for the hundreds of kids in town.
The funds that are raised are used to buy special needed "wish list" items for the schools. Everyone has a good time, and many long lasting friendships are made. Most importantly, our children learn that their dads are committed to them and their lives. Why else would the dads make such fools of themselves if it weren't for the love of their children!
This year's show is the 65th Anniversary of Dads' Night.
Show Information
When:
Friday March 13th, 2009 at 7:00 PM
Saturday March 14th, 2009 at 4:00 PM
Where:
Benjamin Franklin Middle School auditorium, corner of N. Van Dien and Glen Avenues, Ridgewood, NJ
Admission:
We sell no tickets for the show, however a collection is taken up during the show for donations to the program.
Sean McCooe
Managing Partner
McCooe & Associates, Inc.
615 Franklin Turnpike
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
(201) 445-3161
(201) 445-8958 (fax)
sean@mcsearch.net
Barbara Rick will be College Club’s Speaker on April 7 at 1 PM at the Ridgewood Public Library
Barbara Rick
Peabody and Emmy award-winning filmmaker Barbara Rick is president and founder of Out of The Blue Films, Inc., creator of critically and commercially successful films that explore, articulate, and celebrate humanity. In October 2006, Ms. Rick was invited by Deborah Santana to film her family’s first trip to South Africa. Led by Artists for a New South Africa, this unique delegation included Carlos Santana, Samuel L. Jackson, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Alfre Woodard, CCH Pounder, Jurnee Smollett and others dedicated in the fight against AIDS and extreme poverty.
Shot by Ms. Rick and her cinematographer husband Jim Anderson, ROAD TO INGWAVUMA (ing-wah-VOOM-ah) is a powerful documentary about this remarkable trip and ANSA’s continuing efforts to be of service to the people South Africa, especially its children. The film features appearances by Former President Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu and many other distinguished heroes.
ROAD TO INGWAVUMA has been chosen Opening Night Film at the 2008 Boston Int'l Film Festival, Closing Night Film at the Creatively Speaking series at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and is an official selection of the 2008 Mill Valley Film Festival.
In 2004, Ms. Rick won numerous honors at festivals around the world for her acclaimed feature doc, IN GOOD CONSCIENCE: Sister Jeannine Gramick’s Journey of Faith. This cinema verité portrait of an American nun facing down the Vatican in support of gay and lesbians was shot by the ALBERT MAYSLES, who describes Ms. Rick as “one of the very best documentary filmmakers I know.”
Ms. Rick also directed, produced and co-wrote the 2001 PBS film, SHE SAYS/ Women In News for which she won the Outstanding Informational Programming - Long Form Emmy Award and was cited as a 2002-2003 DuPont-Columbia award finalist. SHE SAYS received major funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and The Ford Foundation. Also in 2001, Barbara Rick directed and produced the film, SOUNDS SACRED, which looks at how human beings connect with spirituality through the tool of sound.
Ms. Rick’s documentaries have received generous grants from Ellen DeGeneres, Susan Sarandon, Trudie Styler, Agnes Gund, Tom Fontana, Deborah Santana, the van Ameringen Foundation, the Andrew Goodman Foundation and many others. Barbara Rick served as a freelance writer/producer at ABC News from 1994-2005 where she wrote copy for network anchors Charles Gibson, Peter Jennings, Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer, Bob Woodruff, Terry Moran, and Elizabeth Vargas.
Best Regards,
Sean J McCooe
Managing Partner
McCooe & Associates
615 Franklin Turnpike
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Office 201-445-3161
Cell 201-602-7955
Fax 201-445-8958
www.mcsearch.net
Peabody and Emmy award-winning filmmaker Barbara Rick is president and founder of Out of The Blue Films, Inc., creator of critically and commercially successful films that explore, articulate, and celebrate humanity. In October 2006, Ms. Rick was invited by Deborah Santana to film her family’s first trip to South Africa. Led by Artists for a New South Africa, this unique delegation included Carlos Santana, Samuel L. Jackson, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Alfre Woodard, CCH Pounder, Jurnee Smollett and others dedicated in the fight against AIDS and extreme poverty.
Shot by Ms. Rick and her cinematographer husband Jim Anderson, ROAD TO INGWAVUMA (ing-wah-VOOM-ah) is a powerful documentary about this remarkable trip and ANSA’s continuing efforts to be of service to the people South Africa, especially its children. The film features appearances by Former President Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu and many other distinguished heroes.
ROAD TO INGWAVUMA has been chosen Opening Night Film at the 2008 Boston Int'l Film Festival, Closing Night Film at the Creatively Speaking series at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and is an official selection of the 2008 Mill Valley Film Festival.
In 2004, Ms. Rick won numerous honors at festivals around the world for her acclaimed feature doc, IN GOOD CONSCIENCE: Sister Jeannine Gramick’s Journey of Faith. This cinema verité portrait of an American nun facing down the Vatican in support of gay and lesbians was shot by the ALBERT MAYSLES, who describes Ms. Rick as “one of the very best documentary filmmakers I know.”
Ms. Rick also directed, produced and co-wrote the 2001 PBS film, SHE SAYS/ Women In News for which she won the Outstanding Informational Programming - Long Form Emmy Award and was cited as a 2002-2003 DuPont-Columbia award finalist. SHE SAYS received major funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and The Ford Foundation. Also in 2001, Barbara Rick directed and produced the film, SOUNDS SACRED, which looks at how human beings connect with spirituality through the tool of sound.
Ms. Rick’s documentaries have received generous grants from Ellen DeGeneres, Susan Sarandon, Trudie Styler, Agnes Gund, Tom Fontana, Deborah Santana, the van Ameringen Foundation, the Andrew Goodman Foundation and many others. Barbara Rick served as a freelance writer/producer at ABC News from 1994-2005 where she wrote copy for network anchors Charles Gibson, Peter Jennings, Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer, Bob Woodruff, Terry Moran, and Elizabeth Vargas.
Best Regards,
Sean J McCooe
Managing Partner
McCooe & Associates
615 Franklin Turnpike
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Office 201-445-3161
Cell 201-602-7955
Fax 201-445-8958
www.mcsearch.net
Current research continues to show how really bad this program (TERC a/k/a Investigations) is.
Regina Botsford, assistant superintendent for curriculum, placed TERC a/k/a Investigations in Number, Data, and Space in two of our elementary schools: Orchard and Travell. With heavy supplementation, Orchard has survived it; Travell has not. Current research continues to show how really bad this program is. So Regina, who told you TERC was a "good" program that should be force fed to our students?
Achievement Effects of Four Early Elementary School Math Curricula: Findings from First Graders in 39 Schools
Achievement Effects of Four Early Elementary School Math Curricula: Findings from First Graders in 39 Schools reports on the relative impacts of four math curricula on first-grade mathematics achievement. The curricula were selected to represent diverse approaches to teaching elementary school math in the United States. The four curricula are Investigations in Number, Data, and Space; Math Expressions; Saxon Math; and Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics. First-grade math achievement was significantly higher in schools randomly assigned to Math Expressions or Saxon Math than in those schools assigned to Investigations in Number, Data, and Space or to Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics. This study is being conducted as part of the National Assessment of Title I. The report cleared IES peer review on February 2, 2009.
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20094052/index.asp
Achievement Effects of Four Early Elementary School Math Curricula: Findings from First Graders in 39 Schools
Achievement Effects of Four Early Elementary School Math Curricula: Findings from First Graders in 39 Schools reports on the relative impacts of four math curricula on first-grade mathematics achievement. The curricula were selected to represent diverse approaches to teaching elementary school math in the United States. The four curricula are Investigations in Number, Data, and Space; Math Expressions; Saxon Math; and Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics. First-grade math achievement was significantly higher in schools randomly assigned to Math Expressions or Saxon Math than in those schools assigned to Investigations in Number, Data, and Space or to Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics. This study is being conducted as part of the National Assessment of Title I. The report cleared IES peer review on February 2, 2009.
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20094052/index.asp
The Village of Ridgewood :Man about town ..................
send us your announcement or press release onlyonesmallvoice@gmail.com
Super Science Saturday
An Event for the Whole Family!
Super Science Saturday is March 7 The annual Super Science Saturday will take place on March 7, from 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., at Ridgewood High School. The public is invited. Admission is free. For complete information, log onto www.supersciencesaturday.org
Palance Chamber Concert
Jazz Guitar Concert
Three Virtuoso Jazz Guitarists, Bucky Pizzarelli, Howard Alden, Frank Vignola will perform. Tickets at the door $30; Seniors/Students $20. Childcare provided. Concert on March 15th at 4PM at West Side Presbyterian Church, 6 S. Monroe St. Ridgewood. Information: 201/612-8399
Kat Von D @ Bookends
Tuesday, March 17th - 6:00pm
Star of Hit TV Show, LA Ink, Kat Von D will sign her first book: High Voltage Tattoo...what a way to celebrate St. Patty's Day!
"Annie" at Hawes Elementary Drama Club
March 28 at 7pm and March 29 at Noon at BF Middle School
The Hawes Drama Club will present "Annie" the classic musical for 2 performances. Come join Annie, Sandy, and all her friends as they perform such favorites as "Hard Knock Life", "Maybe", "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" and, of course, "Tomorrow". Tickets: $8 at the door
Walk-A-Thon to Support Local Disaster Relief
American Red Cross Event
Sunday, March 29 from 1 to 5pm, (rain date 4/5) at Ridgewood High School Track, 627 E. Ridgewood Ave; come and walk for a good cause; enjoy music, games, trivia, and food. Disaster preparedness education - Register for CPR, First Aid, Automated External Defibrillator, and Babysitting training courses. Registration: ARCwalkathon@gmail.com or Thereza Schwarz 201/652-3210 Registration free: $10.
Cottage Gardening for Everyone
Women Gardners of Ridgewood
Tuesday, March 31 at 1pm; at Christ Episcopal Church. 105 Cottage Place. A public service event to promote gardening and conservation.The Woman Gardeners maintain gardens at the Library; assist with Green Kids Program through Parks and Recreation and decorate the Train Station for the Holidays. Information: Barbara Hyslop - 201/445-1868 or visit the website at www.womengardenersofridgewood.com
Paul Teutel Sr.@ Bookends
Thursday, April 2nd - 7:00pm
Please welcome back the Star of hit TLC show, "American Chopper" , Paul Teutel Sr. who writes his first book about what it takes to run a successful business in The Ride Of A Lifetime: Doing Business The Orange County Choppers Way!
College Club Fashion Show
Benefits College Scholarships
COLLEGE CLUB ANNUAL FASHION SHOW—April 3, 2009 at the Woodcliff Lake HILTON. The College Club invites the community to join us as we usher in the 2009 spring season with a fashion show featuring designer fashions from Neiman Marcus, “A Perfect Fit!” Cocktails, Silent Auction and Raffles begin at 11:30 with a luncheon and fashion show to follow from 12:30-2:30. The unique gift items for the silent action are a not-to-be-missed attraction along with raffles and 50/50 prizes. Tickets may be purchased with a major credit card at www.collegeclubofridgewood.org or by mailing a check made out to the “College Club of Ridgewood” to Terry Davis, 81 3rd St., Park Ridge, NJ 07656.The deadline for reservations is March 25. General Tickets: $50.00 ($22.00 tax deductible) Patron Tickets: $75.00 ($44.00 tax deductible) Benefactor Ticket: $100.000 ($69.00 tax deductible) The fashion show is a fund-raiser for the College Club Education Fund, a need-based grants award to young women graduates about to enter a four-year college or university. Recipients are high school graduates from 35 surrounding towns.
Super Science Saturday
An Event for the Whole Family!
Super Science Saturday is March 7 The annual Super Science Saturday will take place on March 7, from 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., at Ridgewood High School. The public is invited. Admission is free. For complete information, log onto www.supersciencesaturday.org
Palance Chamber Concert
Jazz Guitar Concert
Three Virtuoso Jazz Guitarists, Bucky Pizzarelli, Howard Alden, Frank Vignola will perform. Tickets at the door $30; Seniors/Students $20. Childcare provided. Concert on March 15th at 4PM at West Side Presbyterian Church, 6 S. Monroe St. Ridgewood. Information: 201/612-8399
Kat Von D @ Bookends
Tuesday, March 17th - 6:00pm
Star of Hit TV Show, LA Ink, Kat Von D will sign her first book: High Voltage Tattoo...what a way to celebrate St. Patty's Day!
"Annie" at Hawes Elementary Drama Club
March 28 at 7pm and March 29 at Noon at BF Middle School
The Hawes Drama Club will present "Annie" the classic musical for 2 performances. Come join Annie, Sandy, and all her friends as they perform such favorites as "Hard Knock Life", "Maybe", "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" and, of course, "Tomorrow". Tickets: $8 at the door
Walk-A-Thon to Support Local Disaster Relief
American Red Cross Event
Sunday, March 29 from 1 to 5pm, (rain date 4/5) at Ridgewood High School Track, 627 E. Ridgewood Ave; come and walk for a good cause; enjoy music, games, trivia, and food. Disaster preparedness education - Register for CPR, First Aid, Automated External Defibrillator, and Babysitting training courses. Registration: ARCwalkathon@gmail.com or Thereza Schwarz 201/652-3210 Registration free: $10.
Cottage Gardening for Everyone
Women Gardners of Ridgewood
Tuesday, March 31 at 1pm; at Christ Episcopal Church. 105 Cottage Place. A public service event to promote gardening and conservation.The Woman Gardeners maintain gardens at the Library; assist with Green Kids Program through Parks and Recreation and decorate the Train Station for the Holidays. Information: Barbara Hyslop - 201/445-1868 or visit the website at www.womengardenersofridgewood.com
Paul Teutel Sr.@ Bookends
Thursday, April 2nd - 7:00pm
Please welcome back the Star of hit TLC show, "American Chopper" , Paul Teutel Sr. who writes his first book about what it takes to run a successful business in The Ride Of A Lifetime: Doing Business The Orange County Choppers Way!
College Club Fashion Show
Benefits College Scholarships
COLLEGE CLUB ANNUAL FASHION SHOW—April 3, 2009 at the Woodcliff Lake HILTON. The College Club invites the community to join us as we usher in the 2009 spring season with a fashion show featuring designer fashions from Neiman Marcus, “A Perfect Fit!” Cocktails, Silent Auction and Raffles begin at 11:30 with a luncheon and fashion show to follow from 12:30-2:30. The unique gift items for the silent action are a not-to-be-missed attraction along with raffles and 50/50 prizes. Tickets may be purchased with a major credit card at www.collegeclubofridgewood.org or by mailing a check made out to the “College Club of Ridgewood” to Terry Davis, 81 3rd St., Park Ridge, NJ 07656.The deadline for reservations is March 25. General Tickets: $50.00 ($22.00 tax deductible) Patron Tickets: $75.00 ($44.00 tax deductible) Benefactor Ticket: $100.000 ($69.00 tax deductible) The fashion show is a fund-raiser for the College Club Education Fund, a need-based grants award to young women graduates about to enter a four-year college or university. Recipients are high school graduates from 35 surrounding towns.
Repairs scheduled for Linwood Ave & Van Emburgh Bridges at Route 17
FROM THE NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
28 Day Notice:
Work: Pre-Stage 1 – Install temporary shielding, remove existing median Island and curbs from Linwood Avenue and replace with temporary pavement.
Location: Linwood Ave. over Route 17 & Van Emburgh Ave. / Route 17 MP
16.53 to 16.56
Municipality/County: Ridgewood Village / Bergen County
Impacts: Temporary nighttime lane closures on Route 17 SB & NB during allowable hours.
The accel/decal lanes on Linwood Avenue will be closed with traffic shifted to the outside of the roadway maintaining one lane in each direction. This pattern is anticipated to remain in place for two weeks.
Ramp G, Route 17 NB & Van Emburgh Ave. SB to Linwood Avenue WB will be closed and detoured. This ramp closure will remain for the duration of the deck replacement.
Detours: Route 17 NB to Ramp G detour – Continue on Route 17 NB and take the next exit and turn left onto East Glen Avenue, then turn left onto East Saddle River Road and continuing to the intersection with Linwood Avenue.
Van Emburgh Ave. SB to Ramp G detour – At the intersection of Van Emburgh Avenue and East Glen Avenue, traffic will be directed WB on East Glen Avenue, turning left onto East Saddle River Road and continuing to the intersection with Linwood Avenue.
Project Info: This project will replace the bridge decks at Linwood
Avenue over Route 17 and Linwood Avenue over Van Emburgh Avenue including abutment repairs and approach work at both locations.
Substantial Completion is anticipated October 30, 2009 with Final Completion on December 29, 2009.
Start Date: Friday night, March 20, 2009
Questions: Debbie Hirt at 609/530-4897
28 Day Notice:
Work: Pre-Stage 1 – Install temporary shielding, remove existing median Island and curbs from Linwood Avenue and replace with temporary pavement.
Location: Linwood Ave. over Route 17 & Van Emburgh Ave. / Route 17 MP
16.53 to 16.56
Municipality/County: Ridgewood Village / Bergen County
Impacts: Temporary nighttime lane closures on Route 17 SB & NB during allowable hours.
The accel/decal lanes on Linwood Avenue will be closed with traffic shifted to the outside of the roadway maintaining one lane in each direction. This pattern is anticipated to remain in place for two weeks.
Ramp G, Route 17 NB & Van Emburgh Ave. SB to Linwood Avenue WB will be closed and detoured. This ramp closure will remain for the duration of the deck replacement.
Detours: Route 17 NB to Ramp G detour – Continue on Route 17 NB and take the next exit and turn left onto East Glen Avenue, then turn left onto East Saddle River Road and continuing to the intersection with Linwood Avenue.
Van Emburgh Ave. SB to Ramp G detour – At the intersection of Van Emburgh Avenue and East Glen Avenue, traffic will be directed WB on East Glen Avenue, turning left onto East Saddle River Road and continuing to the intersection with Linwood Avenue.
Project Info: This project will replace the bridge decks at Linwood
Avenue over Route 17 and Linwood Avenue over Van Emburgh Avenue including abutment repairs and approach work at both locations.
Substantial Completion is anticipated October 30, 2009 with Final Completion on December 29, 2009.
Start Date: Friday night, March 20, 2009
Questions: Debbie Hirt at 609/530-4897
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
New Japanese in Ridgewood
from the SECOND HELPINGS blog
by BILL PITCHER has been The Record's food editor since June 2006 after five years writing and reviewing restaurants. He was born in New York's Hudson Valley and raised in the southern Adirondacks.
by ELISA UNG joined The Record as its food writer and restaurant reviewer in September 2007. She's a native of California and a graduate of the University of Southern California, and she spent the last eight years writing for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Kumo closed until next week
Kumo, a Japanese restaurant in Ridgewood, has closed for renovations. According to a sign on the door, it will reopen March 9.
Its sister restaurant by the same name in Westwood remains open, although its menu is more pan Asian, not solely traditional Japanese.
Now for the good news........
New Japanese in Ridgewood
Masago, a Japanese restaurant, has opened in Ridgewood, replacing another Japanese restaurant, Hana. While the menu is described as neo Japanese cuisine, it's mostly composed of familiar tempura, teriyaki, sushi and sashimi.
Masago is at 22 S. Broad St., Ridgewood; 201-652-4455.
http://njmg.typepad.com/foodblog/2009/03/new-japanese-in-ridgewood.html
by BILL PITCHER has been The Record's food editor since June 2006 after five years writing and reviewing restaurants. He was born in New York's Hudson Valley and raised in the southern Adirondacks.
by ELISA UNG joined The Record as its food writer and restaurant reviewer in September 2007. She's a native of California and a graduate of the University of Southern California, and she spent the last eight years writing for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Kumo closed until next week
Kumo, a Japanese restaurant in Ridgewood, has closed for renovations. According to a sign on the door, it will reopen March 9.
Its sister restaurant by the same name in Westwood remains open, although its menu is more pan Asian, not solely traditional Japanese.
Now for the good news........
New Japanese in Ridgewood
Masago, a Japanese restaurant, has opened in Ridgewood, replacing another Japanese restaurant, Hana. While the menu is described as neo Japanese cuisine, it's mostly composed of familiar tempura, teriyaki, sushi and sashimi.
Masago is at 22 S. Broad St., Ridgewood; 201-652-4455.
http://njmg.typepad.com/foodblog/2009/03/new-japanese-in-ridgewood.html
Our BOE, however, is to radicalized to pay any attention to such practical research.
Pleased to see so much attention being paid to this issue. Our BOE, however, is to radicalized to pay any attention to such practical research.
Daniel Fishbein has made up his mind that we will have the reform math program Every Day math. He and Regina will pretend that everything we've been through since last year actually mattered to them. They will pick this program because they are reform minded and that is perhaps all they feel comfortable with.
The National Math Panel said NO to spiraling; Regina says YES.
The State of NJ is saying NO focus on conceptualization for young students; Regina says YES.
Newest research is saying NO to too many topics visited lightly; Regina says YES.
High performing states have focused on teaching algorithms and memorization of basic facts like multiplication tables; Regina says NO.
The Queen and her Consort have spoken. Parents and students be damned.
Remember the $90,000 figure cited by the administration for implementing the new math program. It just so happens that that is the cost of EVERY DAY MATH.
Yes, folks. We've been duped again.
Daniel Fishbein has made up his mind that we will have the reform math program Every Day math. He and Regina will pretend that everything we've been through since last year actually mattered to them. They will pick this program because they are reform minded and that is perhaps all they feel comfortable with.
The National Math Panel said NO to spiraling; Regina says YES.
The State of NJ is saying NO focus on conceptualization for young students; Regina says YES.
Newest research is saying NO to too many topics visited lightly; Regina says YES.
High performing states have focused on teaching algorithms and memorization of basic facts like multiplication tables; Regina says NO.
The Queen and her Consort have spoken. Parents and students be damned.
Remember the $90,000 figure cited by the administration for implementing the new math program. It just so happens that that is the cost of EVERY DAY MATH.
Yes, folks. We've been duped again.
Deadline Extended for Board of Education Candidates' Petitions
Notice: Deadline Extended for Board of Education Candidates' Petitions
Upon Executive Order by Governor Corzine, the deadline for filing candidates' petitions for the Board of Education election has been extended to Wednesday, March 4, 2009, at 4 p.m. Petitions are due in the Business Office at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, by that time.
EDUCATION WEEK :Study Finds Edge for Certain Early-Math Programs
By Debra Viadero
Two programs for teaching mathematics in the early grades—Math Expressions and Saxon Math—emerge as clear winners in a large-scale federal study that pits four popular math curricula against one another.
Involving 1,309 1st graders in 39 elementary schools, the four-state study is thought to be the largest to experimentally test out some of the nation’s most widely used commercial math programs. The results were posted online this evening by the Institute of Education Sciences, the federal research agency that commissioned the study, and Mathematica Policy Research Inc. of Princeton, N.J., the independent research group that is heading it up.
The study is an effort to bring hard evidence to bear in the “math wars”—a debate over teaching methods that has largely gone on without much scientific proof of effectiveness.
Effect of Math Programs on Students’ Scores
A study compared test scores of students taught using four math curricula used in the early grades.
NOTE: Scores for Investigations and SFAW are statistically different by a significant amount from those of Saxon and Math Expressions, researchers say.
SOURCE: Mathematica Policy Research Inc.
To shed some light on the subject, researchers focused on K-2 programs that represent a range of teaching methods, from scripted programs that explicitly teach children ways to solve problems to approaches that encourage students to reason and explore mathematics on their own.
The Saxon Math program, which is now published by Harcourt Achieve in Austin, Texas, is more representative of the former approach, according to Mathematica, while Math Expressions, a curriculum marketed by the Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Co., is more of a blend of teacher-directed and student-centered instruction. According to Mathematica’s press release, students in Math Expressions “question and discuss math but are explicitly taught effective procedures.”
Randomized Trial
Of the other two curricular programs in the study, Investigations in Number, Data, and Space, published by Pearson Scott Foresman, is the more student-focused. The researchers describe the last program—Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics—as a basic-skills curriculum that combines teacher-led instruction with a variety of different materials and teaching strategies.
Researchers randomly assigned each of the programs to 10 different schools for use over the 2006-07 school year, and teachers reported later on that the assigned curricula served as the backbone of their math instruction that year.
To determine how much math students learned, the researchers used a nationally normed math exam that was developed for the federal government’s Early Childhood Longitudinal Study.
At the end of 1st grade, the investigators found, children in the classrooms using the Saxon and the Math Expressions curricula scored 9 to 12 percentile points higher on those tests than their counterparts in the other classrooms.
While teachers in each of the four curricular groups received similar amounts of training on using the programs, the teachers in the Saxon Math group reported spending an average of an hour more each week teaching math.
Researchers said the report is the first of three on the study, which is ongoing. Seventy-one more schools joined the study in the 2007-08 academic year and researchers plan to continue to analyze results on students’ mathematical progress through the 2008-09 school year.
Vol. 28, Issue 23
Two programs for teaching mathematics in the early grades—Math Expressions and Saxon Math—emerge as clear winners in a large-scale federal study that pits four popular math curricula against one another.
Involving 1,309 1st graders in 39 elementary schools, the four-state study is thought to be the largest to experimentally test out some of the nation’s most widely used commercial math programs. The results were posted online this evening by the Institute of Education Sciences, the federal research agency that commissioned the study, and Mathematica Policy Research Inc. of Princeton, N.J., the independent research group that is heading it up.
The study is an effort to bring hard evidence to bear in the “math wars”—a debate over teaching methods that has largely gone on without much scientific proof of effectiveness.
Effect of Math Programs on Students’ Scores
A study compared test scores of students taught using four math curricula used in the early grades.
NOTE: Scores for Investigations and SFAW are statistically different by a significant amount from those of Saxon and Math Expressions, researchers say.
SOURCE: Mathematica Policy Research Inc.
To shed some light on the subject, researchers focused on K-2 programs that represent a range of teaching methods, from scripted programs that explicitly teach children ways to solve problems to approaches that encourage students to reason and explore mathematics on their own.
The Saxon Math program, which is now published by Harcourt Achieve in Austin, Texas, is more representative of the former approach, according to Mathematica, while Math Expressions, a curriculum marketed by the Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Co., is more of a blend of teacher-directed and student-centered instruction. According to Mathematica’s press release, students in Math Expressions “question and discuss math but are explicitly taught effective procedures.”
Randomized Trial
Of the other two curricular programs in the study, Investigations in Number, Data, and Space, published by Pearson Scott Foresman, is the more student-focused. The researchers describe the last program—Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics—as a basic-skills curriculum that combines teacher-led instruction with a variety of different materials and teaching strategies.
Researchers randomly assigned each of the programs to 10 different schools for use over the 2006-07 school year, and teachers reported later on that the assigned curricula served as the backbone of their math instruction that year.
To determine how much math students learned, the researchers used a nationally normed math exam that was developed for the federal government’s Early Childhood Longitudinal Study.
At the end of 1st grade, the investigators found, children in the classrooms using the Saxon and the Math Expressions curricula scored 9 to 12 percentile points higher on those tests than their counterparts in the other classrooms.
While teachers in each of the four curricular groups received similar amounts of training on using the programs, the teachers in the Saxon Math group reported spending an average of an hour more each week teaching math.
Researchers said the report is the first of three on the study, which is ongoing. Seventy-one more schools joined the study in the 2007-08 academic year and researchers plan to continue to analyze results on students’ mathematical progress through the 2008-09 school year.
Vol. 28, Issue 23
The stock market right now is a better barometer of Americans’ wealth than the president and his press secretary seem to realize,
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on Tuesday pushed back against Cramer’s comments that President Obama has caused “the greatest wealth destruction I have seen by a president.”
“I’m not sure what he’s pointing to, to make some of the statements,” Gibbs told reporters, adding that Mad Money is geared toward a small audience while Obama has to help the entire country.
Cramer in response pointed to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500, Nasdaq and the Russell Index, all of which are down huge since Inauguration Day. And the only small thing about the MadMo audience, he said, is its 401(k)s, pension plans and annuities after the damage Obama’s proposed spending plans have caused the markets.
The stock market right now is a better barometer of Americans’ wealth than the president and his press secretary seem to realize, Cramer said. And while Obama said he’s focused on Main Street rather than Wall Street, he needs to realize the two are merging. Everyday people today have a tremendous amount of exposure to stocks and the declining markets.
President Obama even went so far as to say that right now was a good time to buy stocks.
“I’m not sure what he’s pointing to, to make some of the statements,” Gibbs told reporters, adding that Mad Money is geared toward a small audience while Obama has to help the entire country.
Cramer in response pointed to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500, Nasdaq and the Russell Index, all of which are down huge since Inauguration Day. And the only small thing about the MadMo audience, he said, is its 401(k)s, pension plans and annuities after the damage Obama’s proposed spending plans have caused the markets.
The stock market right now is a better barometer of Americans’ wealth than the president and his press secretary seem to realize, Cramer said. And while Obama said he’s focused on Main Street rather than Wall Street, he needs to realize the two are merging. Everyday people today have a tremendous amount of exposure to stocks and the declining markets.
President Obama even went so far as to say that right now was a good time to buy stocks.
Sleeping problems grow during tough times
04:33 PM CST on Monday, March 2, 2009
http://www.relax411online.com/?q=node/121
McClatchy Newspapers
HACKENSACK, N.J. – Stressed by economic uncertainty, nearly 30 percent of Americans say they lose sleep at least a few nights a week, according to the national "Sleep in America" poll released Monday.
Declining home values, dwindling savings and fear of layoffs are forcing more people to seek help for insomnia, sleep apnea and a host of other sleep disorders, physicians say.
Sleep centers are reporting significant increases in consultations. One of New Jersey's largest centers is hiring two more specialists to handle growing volume. In some cases, desperate patients are even asking sleep experts for financial advice.
"It's been kind of alarming to me over the last few months," said Dr. Adam Glassman, director of the Northern New Jersey Center for Sleep Medicine at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, N.J.
The center has logged a 20 percent increase in patients in the last year, many of whom are worried about job loss and finances.
Dr. Jeffrey P. Barasch, medical director of the Sleep Center at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, N.J., hears a familiar litany of worries from patients, some of whom had sleep disorders under control until the economy soured.
"A large percentage of people are experiencing difficulties that they've related to financial worries," Barasch said.
And we're more tired than ever. The average adult needs seven hours and 24 minutes, but reports getting just six hours and 40 minutes on a typical weekday, according to the poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation.
One in five surveyed said they get fewer than six hours of sleep on average.
The number of Americans who report they get the recommended eight hours has declined from 28 to 38 percent since 2001.
"It's a hell of a world out there," said Mark Aosia, who suffers from sleep apnea, a disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops during sleep.
Aosia, 51 of Waldwick, N.J., has used a machine for 12 years that helps maintain a steady flow of air while he sleeps.
But even with the machine, he's finding it harder to fall asleep lately. Pressures at his job as a middle manager of a large Bergen County, N.J., corporation are mounting.
"I'm thinking of all the work I have to do or the bad news I have to deliver," Aosia said.
The loss of sleep can have profound effects, the survey found. Twenty five percent of those surveyed said they were unable to work well and efficiently, while 30 percent said they were unable to exercise because they were too tired from lack of sleep. Forty-one percent said they had driven drowsy at least once a month in the past year, according to the survey.
With unemployment at a high, more folks are struggling.
Last week, Dr. Jeffrey Salizzoni, a sleep specialist at the Center for Sleep Medicine at Englewood (N.J.) Hospital and Medical Center, told a patient he could not drive until his sleep disorder was under control.
"People are going to have sleep issues during these times," Salizzoni said. "They worry about work and they're stressed."
More patients are reporting anxiety, panic attacks and depression, which is causing insomnia, said Susan Zafarlotfi, a sleep specialist at Hackensack University Medical Center. Many patients who were treated a few years ago have returned, claiming their insomnia is back because of financial woes, she said.
"One of my patients asked me if she should go for bankruptcy or foreclosure," said Zafarlotfi, clinical director of the Institute for Sleep-Wake Disorders at Hackensack, N.J., which treats more than 3,000 patients a year.
Dr. Carol E. Ash, medical director of Sleep for Life, which is owned by Somerset, N.J., Medical Center and operates one of the state's largest treatment facilities, doesn't need a survey to tell her more patients are struggling.
"They come right out and say it, patient after patient: 'I can't sleep because my company is having layoffs' or they can't sell their house," Ash said.
In fact, volume has increased so dramatically the center plans to add two more physicians to its staff of 10 board-certified sleep specialists.
Unlike other economic downturns in which cost-cutting stabilized the family budget, this recession is life-changing for many people who find themselves starting a new career at 50, postponing college, selling their house or forgoing retirement.
All of those challenges become more daunting without sleep, Ash said.
"Sleep is linked to mental processing and health," she said. "When you're not sleeping well it impairs your thinking, learning, reaction time and coping skills."
Lack of sleep can have devastating health consequences.
A 1999 study at the University of Chicago showed that restricting sleep to just four hours per night for a week left healthy young adults with the glucose and insulin readings of diabetics.
Sleep apnea can lead to stroke, heart attack and congestive heart failure.
In search of sleep, more Americans have turned to prescription sleep medications. In adults aged 20 to 44, usage increased 88 percent from 2001 to 2008, according to an analysis by Medco Health Solutions Inc.
"For short-term, they will help people for a few nights or a few weeks," Barasch said. "The downside is people get dependent on it."
Lieselotte Hager, 65 of Hillsdale, underwent a sleep study at Valley Hospital's sleep center last week after her husband said she had snored and stopped breathing. Preliminary tests revealed she has apnea, she said.
A German immigrant and survivor of World War II, she says: "My husband and I don't owe anyone a nickel. We're conservative. We only used cash and bought things we could afford."
"But I pray every night for all the people who have lost their jobs."
http://www.relax411online.com/?q=node/121
http://www.relax411online.com/?q=node/121
McClatchy Newspapers
HACKENSACK, N.J. – Stressed by economic uncertainty, nearly 30 percent of Americans say they lose sleep at least a few nights a week, according to the national "Sleep in America" poll released Monday.
Declining home values, dwindling savings and fear of layoffs are forcing more people to seek help for insomnia, sleep apnea and a host of other sleep disorders, physicians say.
Sleep centers are reporting significant increases in consultations. One of New Jersey's largest centers is hiring two more specialists to handle growing volume. In some cases, desperate patients are even asking sleep experts for financial advice.
"It's been kind of alarming to me over the last few months," said Dr. Adam Glassman, director of the Northern New Jersey Center for Sleep Medicine at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, N.J.
The center has logged a 20 percent increase in patients in the last year, many of whom are worried about job loss and finances.
Dr. Jeffrey P. Barasch, medical director of the Sleep Center at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, N.J., hears a familiar litany of worries from patients, some of whom had sleep disorders under control until the economy soured.
"A large percentage of people are experiencing difficulties that they've related to financial worries," Barasch said.
And we're more tired than ever. The average adult needs seven hours and 24 minutes, but reports getting just six hours and 40 minutes on a typical weekday, according to the poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation.
One in five surveyed said they get fewer than six hours of sleep on average.
The number of Americans who report they get the recommended eight hours has declined from 28 to 38 percent since 2001.
"It's a hell of a world out there," said Mark Aosia, who suffers from sleep apnea, a disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops during sleep.
Aosia, 51 of Waldwick, N.J., has used a machine for 12 years that helps maintain a steady flow of air while he sleeps.
But even with the machine, he's finding it harder to fall asleep lately. Pressures at his job as a middle manager of a large Bergen County, N.J., corporation are mounting.
"I'm thinking of all the work I have to do or the bad news I have to deliver," Aosia said.
The loss of sleep can have profound effects, the survey found. Twenty five percent of those surveyed said they were unable to work well and efficiently, while 30 percent said they were unable to exercise because they were too tired from lack of sleep. Forty-one percent said they had driven drowsy at least once a month in the past year, according to the survey.
With unemployment at a high, more folks are struggling.
Last week, Dr. Jeffrey Salizzoni, a sleep specialist at the Center for Sleep Medicine at Englewood (N.J.) Hospital and Medical Center, told a patient he could not drive until his sleep disorder was under control.
"People are going to have sleep issues during these times," Salizzoni said. "They worry about work and they're stressed."
More patients are reporting anxiety, panic attacks and depression, which is causing insomnia, said Susan Zafarlotfi, a sleep specialist at Hackensack University Medical Center. Many patients who were treated a few years ago have returned, claiming their insomnia is back because of financial woes, she said.
"One of my patients asked me if she should go for bankruptcy or foreclosure," said Zafarlotfi, clinical director of the Institute for Sleep-Wake Disorders at Hackensack, N.J., which treats more than 3,000 patients a year.
Dr. Carol E. Ash, medical director of Sleep for Life, which is owned by Somerset, N.J., Medical Center and operates one of the state's largest treatment facilities, doesn't need a survey to tell her more patients are struggling.
"They come right out and say it, patient after patient: 'I can't sleep because my company is having layoffs' or they can't sell their house," Ash said.
In fact, volume has increased so dramatically the center plans to add two more physicians to its staff of 10 board-certified sleep specialists.
Unlike other economic downturns in which cost-cutting stabilized the family budget, this recession is life-changing for many people who find themselves starting a new career at 50, postponing college, selling their house or forgoing retirement.
All of those challenges become more daunting without sleep, Ash said.
"Sleep is linked to mental processing and health," she said. "When you're not sleeping well it impairs your thinking, learning, reaction time and coping skills."
Lack of sleep can have devastating health consequences.
A 1999 study at the University of Chicago showed that restricting sleep to just four hours per night for a week left healthy young adults with the glucose and insulin readings of diabetics.
Sleep apnea can lead to stroke, heart attack and congestive heart failure.
In search of sleep, more Americans have turned to prescription sleep medications. In adults aged 20 to 44, usage increased 88 percent from 2001 to 2008, according to an analysis by Medco Health Solutions Inc.
"For short-term, they will help people for a few nights or a few weeks," Barasch said. "The downside is people get dependent on it."
Lieselotte Hager, 65 of Hillsdale, underwent a sleep study at Valley Hospital's sleep center last week after her husband said she had snored and stopped breathing. Preliminary tests revealed she has apnea, she said.
A German immigrant and survivor of World War II, she says: "My husband and I don't owe anyone a nickel. We're conservative. We only used cash and bought things we could afford."
"But I pray every night for all the people who have lost their jobs."
http://www.relax411online.com/?q=node/121
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Congressman: Demise of old media mostly for better
 | DENVER (AP) - A Colorado congressman told bloggers that they and other new media are responsible for the demise of the Rocky Mountain News and other traditional news outlets, and that the change is mostly for the better. He later apologized. Rep. Jared Polis made the remarks last weekend at a Denver event sponsored by Netroots Nation, a progressive political group. The News published its last edition Friday. "I have to say, that when we say, 'Who killed the Rocky Mountain News?' we are all part of that, we truly are. For better or worse, and I argue that it's mostly for better," the Democrat said. "Media is dead, and long live new media, which is all of you," he said. Polis also said at the event that bloggers and citizen journalists carry a new responsibility since they're part of the reason for the demise of other news outlets. "We can't just kill it and walk away," he said. "It's important for all of us to reach out to some of those ... on the other side and present the progressive point of view," he said. John Temple, the former publisher and editor of the News, called Polis' remarks misguided and said they were an example of the congressman's poor judgment. "The Rocky Mountain News was a pioneer in citizen journalism . . . and is an award-winning Internet newspaper," Temple said. Polis issued a statement Tuesday apologizing "to the entire Rocky Mountain News family and anyone who was offended by my recent remarks." "I did not mean to offend nor to show anything less than a strong sense of remorse for the loss of the Rocky," Polis said. "Like many Colorado residents, I grew up reading the Rocky Mountain News and its demise and the loss of over 200 jobs is a major blow to our community, especially in these troubled times." Polis also had tempered his remarks on Monday, telling The Denver Post that the closure silenced a voice in the state. "The rise of new media and citizen journalism has hastened the demise of many newspapers, and we, unfortunately, all share in the blame," Polis said. Polis was elected to his first term in November. An online entrepreneur, he made a fortune selling greeting cards and flowers on the Internet. |
With giving down, congregations cut back
With giving down, congregations cut back
BY JOHN CHADWICK
The Record
STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
The economic crisis has hit collection plates at North Jersey houses of worship, with many congregations cutting costs and, in some cases, reducing staff and programs to compensate.
At Mount Olive Baptist Church in Hackensack, the Rev. Greg Jackson said he slashed his 2009 operating budget by about 10 percent and cut two staffers.
"The offerings are down," Jackson said. "People are a little nervous and afraid and reserved."
A Catholic priest in Glen Rock said his weekly collections are off about 10 percent, with some parishioners writing him to explain their frugality.
"I have had people write to me and say, 'It's not a reflection of what's going on in the parish, we are just cutting back,' " said the Rev. Thomas Wisniewski of St. Catharine's Church.
Even some congregations with stable collections say they are instituting cost-cutting measures to prepare for a potentially painful year.
A Presbyterian church in Ringwood, for example, has reduced staff salaries by 1 percent.
"This was symbolic and preemptive," said the Rev. Ben Fraumann of Community Presbyterian Church. "So far, we have not had this happen to us."
But in Ridgewood, where many people work in financial services, an Episcopal priest said she can see the fallout from the Wall Street meltdown.
"There are various [church members] who have been downsized or had to take packages or just don't have jobs anymore," said the Rev. S. Elizabeth Searle of Christ Episcopal Church.
Searle said annual pledges that account for much of the congregation's income are down for 2009. She is wondering aloud whether the church's air conditioning will be among the casualties.
"How do you decide what's really non-essential so you don't have to cut what is fundamental?" Searle asked.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, meanwhile, has instructed its 226 parishes to halt capital improvement projects except for essential repairs. The diocese has instituted a hiring and wage freeze at the chancery offices.
"Everyone has to ask themselves, 'Is this really needed now?' " said Jim Goodness, a spokesman for the archdiocese. "We have to hold off for a little while and make sure all the current needs are met."
Despite the bleak financial picture, some clergy say they're seeing an extraordinary response by congregants, who, mindful of the crisis, are contributing more to local food pantries and volunteering their time to care for the homeless.
"The local food pantry was very short on turkeys, and almost overnight, we had 40 turkeys," said the Rev. Kimberly Chastain, who serves as the sole pastor to three small Presbyterian churches in Lyndhurst, Moonachie and Wood-Ridge.
Chastain said one of the congregations recently decided to make its little-used college loan fund available for members facing financial emergencies.
"The reality is that the economic situation for individual members is very difficult, especially for my retired folks on a fixed income," Chastain said. "Because everyone knows people are hurting, they are all pulling together and finding ways to make that a basis for ministry."
A Hackensack pastor said he is heartened by his congregation's generosity to a local food bank and in volunteering to host homeless people in the church.
"It reminds me of what my parents and grandparents told me it was like in the Great Depression," said the Rev. Steven McClelland of the First Presbyterian Church of Hackensack. "There was a sense then that it was our job to take care of people."
A Wayne rabbi said his synagogue is committed to helping what he said is an increase in congregants having difficulty paying their membership dues.
"Our general attitude is that these are hard times, and we want everyone to be able to afford a synagogue," said Rabbi Stephen M. Wylen of Temple Beth Tikvah. "If they are unemployed or underemployed, we will carry them."
Jackson, of Mount Olive Baptist, said he is joining with a dozen other clergymen in organizing an "employment mission" that will begin with an April 1 worship service. Jackson said the service is aimed at raising money to help offset job-search costs, such as clothing and transportation to interviews. But he said the service also is aimed at lifting people's spirits as they struggle with the economy.
"My vision is to pack our church with people," he said. "We offer something else other than financial resources, which is hope."
Some faith groups, meanwhile, have had some success even amid the downturn.
The Paterson Diocese, which covers Passaic, Morris and Sussex counties, said the Bishop's Annual Appeal in 2008 generated $3.38 million in pledges, surpassing the goal of $2.88 million. A total of 21,005 Catholics made or pledged gifts to the fund drive — the first time the appeal has exceeded 21,000 gifts since 2001.
A Teaneck mosque said it raised about $30,000 during a recent one-day fund-raiser to benefit Palestinians in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. Waheed Khalid, president of Darul Islah, said members of the mosque, in general, haven't been hit too hard with job losses because they do not work in the banking and investment trades.
Khalid said many members work in the public sector or in the fields of engineering and architecture or medicine.
"Those jobs are not affected at the moment, and I hope they will not be," Khalid said
BY JOHN CHADWICK
The Record
STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
The economic crisis has hit collection plates at North Jersey houses of worship, with many congregations cutting costs and, in some cases, reducing staff and programs to compensate.
At Mount Olive Baptist Church in Hackensack, the Rev. Greg Jackson said he slashed his 2009 operating budget by about 10 percent and cut two staffers.
"The offerings are down," Jackson said. "People are a little nervous and afraid and reserved."
A Catholic priest in Glen Rock said his weekly collections are off about 10 percent, with some parishioners writing him to explain their frugality.
"I have had people write to me and say, 'It's not a reflection of what's going on in the parish, we are just cutting back,' " said the Rev. Thomas Wisniewski of St. Catharine's Church.
Even some congregations with stable collections say they are instituting cost-cutting measures to prepare for a potentially painful year.
A Presbyterian church in Ringwood, for example, has reduced staff salaries by 1 percent.
"This was symbolic and preemptive," said the Rev. Ben Fraumann of Community Presbyterian Church. "So far, we have not had this happen to us."
But in Ridgewood, where many people work in financial services, an Episcopal priest said she can see the fallout from the Wall Street meltdown.
"There are various [church members] who have been downsized or had to take packages or just don't have jobs anymore," said the Rev. S. Elizabeth Searle of Christ Episcopal Church.
Searle said annual pledges that account for much of the congregation's income are down for 2009. She is wondering aloud whether the church's air conditioning will be among the casualties.
"How do you decide what's really non-essential so you don't have to cut what is fundamental?" Searle asked.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, meanwhile, has instructed its 226 parishes to halt capital improvement projects except for essential repairs. The diocese has instituted a hiring and wage freeze at the chancery offices.
"Everyone has to ask themselves, 'Is this really needed now?' " said Jim Goodness, a spokesman for the archdiocese. "We have to hold off for a little while and make sure all the current needs are met."
Despite the bleak financial picture, some clergy say they're seeing an extraordinary response by congregants, who, mindful of the crisis, are contributing more to local food pantries and volunteering their time to care for the homeless.
"The local food pantry was very short on turkeys, and almost overnight, we had 40 turkeys," said the Rev. Kimberly Chastain, who serves as the sole pastor to three small Presbyterian churches in Lyndhurst, Moonachie and Wood-Ridge.
Chastain said one of the congregations recently decided to make its little-used college loan fund available for members facing financial emergencies.
"The reality is that the economic situation for individual members is very difficult, especially for my retired folks on a fixed income," Chastain said. "Because everyone knows people are hurting, they are all pulling together and finding ways to make that a basis for ministry."
A Hackensack pastor said he is heartened by his congregation's generosity to a local food bank and in volunteering to host homeless people in the church.
"It reminds me of what my parents and grandparents told me it was like in the Great Depression," said the Rev. Steven McClelland of the First Presbyterian Church of Hackensack. "There was a sense then that it was our job to take care of people."
A Wayne rabbi said his synagogue is committed to helping what he said is an increase in congregants having difficulty paying their membership dues.
"Our general attitude is that these are hard times, and we want everyone to be able to afford a synagogue," said Rabbi Stephen M. Wylen of Temple Beth Tikvah. "If they are unemployed or underemployed, we will carry them."
Jackson, of Mount Olive Baptist, said he is joining with a dozen other clergymen in organizing an "employment mission" that will begin with an April 1 worship service. Jackson said the service is aimed at raising money to help offset job-search costs, such as clothing and transportation to interviews. But he said the service also is aimed at lifting people's spirits as they struggle with the economy.
"My vision is to pack our church with people," he said. "We offer something else other than financial resources, which is hope."
Some faith groups, meanwhile, have had some success even amid the downturn.
The Paterson Diocese, which covers Passaic, Morris and Sussex counties, said the Bishop's Annual Appeal in 2008 generated $3.38 million in pledges, surpassing the goal of $2.88 million. A total of 21,005 Catholics made or pledged gifts to the fund drive — the first time the appeal has exceeded 21,000 gifts since 2001.
A Teaneck mosque said it raised about $30,000 during a recent one-day fund-raiser to benefit Palestinians in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. Waheed Khalid, president of Darul Islah, said members of the mosque, in general, haven't been hit too hard with job losses because they do not work in the banking and investment trades.
Khalid said many members work in the public sector or in the fields of engineering and architecture or medicine.
"Those jobs are not affected at the moment, and I hope they will not be," Khalid said
Bridgewater school board votes to change from controversial math program
*This is Regina's former district. They finally were able to remove themath program she supported.
February 27, 2009
Bridgewater school board votes to change from controversial math program
mycentraljersey.com
By KARA L. RICHARDSON
Staff Writer
Children in grades K-6 could learn math a new way starting with the 2009-2010 school year after officials decided to stop using the controversial Every Day Math program.
The Board of Education voted to begin using Harcourt School Publishing, or HSP, Math, pending the passage of the 2009-2010 school-district budget. HSP will replace Every Day Math, a program the district has used for the past decade, and which has drawn the ire of many parents who believe it caused their children to fall behind in math classes.
HSP Math is more in line with traditional mathematics programs and includes methods such as algorithms and memorization. Assistant Superintendent Cheryl Dyer and Superintendent Michael Schilder both said HSP Math is more balanced because it gives a good foundation of skills to all levels of learning.
Schilder said discussions about Every Day Math's place in the district have been ongoing for at least three years. Even when the district supplemented that curriculum with more traditional algorithms and memorization, concerns about the program remained, he said.
Dyer said the committee charged to study math in grades K-6 convened in September and met several times. The committee included 35 teachers, representatives from each school and grade level, as well as special education.
"We made every effort to keep it balanced," Dyer said.
DOING HOMEWORK
Committee members were told to analyze research, including the National Mathematics Advisory Panel report, and the district's Every Day Math report — which suggested the district seek other math programs for its K-6 students — as well as state standardized test scores.
Some teachers in the district liked the hands-on parts of Every Day Math program, and 72 percent of educators in the district thought the program prepared students for the next grade level.
"I think that's too low. It should be 100 percent feeling their students are prepared for the next grade level," Dyer said.
Many in the district were concerned that students were falling behind under Every Day Math, which is a comprehensive program that uses everyday examples to teach math concepts. It differs from a traditional program because it:
Uses calculators from the beginning of the education process (even in kindergarten)
Has a spiral method of teaching that revisits at each level, so each school year begins with a review of what was taught before
Uses games, puzzles and activities to illustrate concepts.
As Dyer and the committee worked to understand "The Math Wars" — a national debate about how math should be taught — she said the panel concluded that there should be balance in the district's program. They reviewed nine programs — including Every Day Math — and the unanimous decision was to switch to HSP Math. Schilder said he enthusiastically endorsed the decision.
"HSP Math is not just equal to Every Day Math. It's not just better than Every Day Math. It is far superior to Every Day Math," Schilder said.
FACTS AND FIGURES
The cost to implement the new program is $509,987.66, Schilder said. Each year, which would include consumable items such as workbooks, is expected to cost the district $55,378, plus the cost of copying materials for students.
Schilder said the district budgets approximately $90,000 each year for Every Day Math, so there will be some savings on an annual basis from the new program.
"I've been speechless since this five-inch binder (the K-6 Math study with recommendations to switch to HSP Math) arrived at my home. I could not be more proud to be sitting on this board tonight," said Board of Education member Jill Gladstone, an outspoken critic of the Every Day Math program.
Carol Rounds, whose son is in fourth grade, said she first complained about Every Day Math in 2006.
Rounds thanked the board, the committee and the administration for their decisions, and thanked Gladstone for her persistence on the matter.
Robyn Wright, who has a fourth-grade daughter and sixth-grade son, added her praise to those who orchestrated the study, and the decision to switch programs.
"This wasn't about winning an ideological battle," Wright said. "It was about what was right for the kids."
February 27, 2009
Bridgewater school board votes to change from controversial math program
mycentraljersey.com
By KARA L. RICHARDSON
Staff Writer
Children in grades K-6 could learn math a new way starting with the 2009-2010 school year after officials decided to stop using the controversial Every Day Math program.
The Board of Education voted to begin using Harcourt School Publishing, or HSP, Math, pending the passage of the 2009-2010 school-district budget. HSP will replace Every Day Math, a program the district has used for the past decade, and which has drawn the ire of many parents who believe it caused their children to fall behind in math classes.
HSP Math is more in line with traditional mathematics programs and includes methods such as algorithms and memorization. Assistant Superintendent Cheryl Dyer and Superintendent Michael Schilder both said HSP Math is more balanced because it gives a good foundation of skills to all levels of learning.
Schilder said discussions about Every Day Math's place in the district have been ongoing for at least three years. Even when the district supplemented that curriculum with more traditional algorithms and memorization, concerns about the program remained, he said.
Dyer said the committee charged to study math in grades K-6 convened in September and met several times. The committee included 35 teachers, representatives from each school and grade level, as well as special education.
"We made every effort to keep it balanced," Dyer said.
DOING HOMEWORK
Committee members were told to analyze research, including the National Mathematics Advisory Panel report, and the district's Every Day Math report — which suggested the district seek other math programs for its K-6 students — as well as state standardized test scores.
Some teachers in the district liked the hands-on parts of Every Day Math program, and 72 percent of educators in the district thought the program prepared students for the next grade level.
"I think that's too low. It should be 100 percent feeling their students are prepared for the next grade level," Dyer said.
Many in the district were concerned that students were falling behind under Every Day Math, which is a comprehensive program that uses everyday examples to teach math concepts. It differs from a traditional program because it:
Uses calculators from the beginning of the education process (even in kindergarten)
Has a spiral method of teaching that revisits at each level, so each school year begins with a review of what was taught before
Uses games, puzzles and activities to illustrate concepts.
As Dyer and the committee worked to understand "The Math Wars" — a national debate about how math should be taught — she said the panel concluded that there should be balance in the district's program. They reviewed nine programs — including Every Day Math — and the unanimous decision was to switch to HSP Math. Schilder said he enthusiastically endorsed the decision.
"HSP Math is not just equal to Every Day Math. It's not just better than Every Day Math. It is far superior to Every Day Math," Schilder said.
FACTS AND FIGURES
The cost to implement the new program is $509,987.66, Schilder said. Each year, which would include consumable items such as workbooks, is expected to cost the district $55,378, plus the cost of copying materials for students.
Schilder said the district budgets approximately $90,000 each year for Every Day Math, so there will be some savings on an annual basis from the new program.
"I've been speechless since this five-inch binder (the K-6 Math study with recommendations to switch to HSP Math) arrived at my home. I could not be more proud to be sitting on this board tonight," said Board of Education member Jill Gladstone, an outspoken critic of the Every Day Math program.
Carol Rounds, whose son is in fourth grade, said she first complained about Every Day Math in 2006.
Rounds thanked the board, the committee and the administration for their decisions, and thanked Gladstone for her persistence on the matter.
Robyn Wright, who has a fourth-grade daughter and sixth-grade son, added her praise to those who orchestrated the study, and the decision to switch programs.
"This wasn't about winning an ideological battle," Wright said. "It was about what was right for the kids."
Thank you !
Sorry folks I keep forgetting to post these
For the seasonable slow month of February
the Ridgewood blog
Received 11694 independent IP visits
creating a total of 36942 hits
Please feel free to contact us with press releases ,special announcements ,garage sales ,and real estate open houses these one time posts are free to all Ridgewood residents and business .Also contact us for our regular advertising rates .
Use the same email for editorial content or for public speaking inquires .
onlyonesmallvoice@gmail.com
thank you again !
PJ Blogger
For the seasonable slow month of February
the Ridgewood blog
Received 11694 independent IP visits
creating a total of 36942 hits
Please feel free to contact us with press releases ,special announcements ,garage sales ,and real estate open houses these one time posts are free to all Ridgewood residents and business .Also contact us for our regular advertising rates .
Use the same email for editorial content or for public speaking inquires .
onlyonesmallvoice@gmail.com
thank you again !
PJ Blogger
Big Shocker : Corzine Looks to Raise taxes ..AGAIN!
Corzine may raise income taxes for N.J.'s wealthiest
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/03/corzine_may_raise_income_taxes.html
Posted by cjrothma March 02, 2009 20:06PM
Gov. Jon Corzine is considering raising income taxes on New Jersey's wealthiest residents, a wage freeze and 12-day furlough for state workers, and increases in the cigarette, wine and liquor taxes, according to people familiar with budget negotiations.
Corzine, who will release his budget next week, is considering a 5 percent surcharge on the taxes paid by residents with incomes of $250,000 or higher, according to four people familiar with the budget who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the governor's plans.
The Democratic governor is also weighing increasing the cigarette tax by 10 cents a pack as well as hikes to wine and liquor taxes as he grapples with a $7 billion shortfall. The liquor tax increases would not affect the tax on beer.
In total, the tax hikes would produce about $400 million in revenue, those familiar with the budget said.
Another $400 million in savings could come from freezing wages for state workers as well as requiring them to take off 12 unpaid furlough days, or one each month starting in July, according to an administration official.
The spending plan, which Corzine has projected in the $29 billion range, is still being finalized. Corzine is scheduled to present his budget proposal to the Legislature a week from Tuesday.
Corzine's spokesman, Robert Corrales, declined comment.
"Everything is on the table," Corrales said. "All options are open during this unprecedented national fiscal crisis."
Corzine's plan would increase taxes on those with incomes over $250,000 by 5 percent of their current income tax bill. For example, a resident paying $10,000 would pay $10,500. The levy would affect about five percent of New Jersey's population, and would only be charged for one year, according to the administration official.
Some leaders in Corzine's own party, however, criticized the possible levies on the rich, saying that will discourage high earners from living here and create a double burden for taxpayers who are also facing the rollback of former President George W. Bush's tax cuts.
Last week, President Obama said he would let the Bush tax cuts expire in 2011, increasing the top federal income tax rate for couples making more than $250,00 from 35 percent to 39.6 percent. Those taxpayers would also face new limits on itemized tax deductions.
"The president already announced he's going to go after that group. It's a double hit," Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney said.
He pointed out that New Jersey also raised the income tax on those making $500,000 or more in 2004, under Gov. James E. McGreevey's so-called millionaire's tax.
"We've hit that income bracket pretty hard. I'm not one of them, but we've hit them pretty hard," said Sweeney (D-Gloucester).
Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) said he's not against raising the cigarette tax but views an income tax hike on the wealthy as "a huge mistake." As New Jersey tries to attract businesses, particularly those fleeing Manhattan during the recession, "it would be very counterproductive" to add to the tax burden of top executives, he said.
"I will aggressively oppose it," Lesniak said.
The cigarette tax was last raised in 2006, to $2.575 per pack, and is among the highest in the nation.
The governor is also considering reducing or eliminating property tax rebates for all residents except the elderly and disabled, as well as slashing aid to towns and hospitals, those familiar with the budget said.
"Nobody wants to see most of these things done, but you've got a huge hole," said Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex). "The governor's back is against the wall. To his credit, he's standing up and saying, 'Hey, I don't want to do it, but I'm the leader.'"
Mary Forsberg, acting president of New Jersey Policy Perspective, a liberal think tank, praised the idea of raising taxes on the rich "because the budget needs it and those are the people who can afford to pay." She said the belief that the wealthy will abandon New Jersey because of higher taxes has not proven true.
"They're not as grossly overtaxed as they think they are. For people whose incomes are under a million dollars, they are paying less taxes in New Jersey than they would be in New York state," she said.
But Rugters University economics professor Joseph Seneca said the top one percent of New Jersey's earners pay about 40 percent of its income tax, and Corzine would have to make bold spending cuts for a tax increase to fly.
"To raise that tax in this economy, at this time is an out-of-the-box proposal, in an economic situation that requires out-of-the-box proposals," Seneca said. "But you would need an equivalent out-of-the-box proposal on the other side of the budget to give it credibility and political viability."
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/03/corzine_may_raise_income_taxes.html
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/03/corzine_may_raise_income_taxes.html
Posted by cjrothma March 02, 2009 20:06PM
Gov. Jon Corzine is considering raising income taxes on New Jersey's wealthiest residents, a wage freeze and 12-day furlough for state workers, and increases in the cigarette, wine and liquor taxes, according to people familiar with budget negotiations.
Corzine, who will release his budget next week, is considering a 5 percent surcharge on the taxes paid by residents with incomes of $250,000 or higher, according to four people familiar with the budget who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the governor's plans.
The Democratic governor is also weighing increasing the cigarette tax by 10 cents a pack as well as hikes to wine and liquor taxes as he grapples with a $7 billion shortfall. The liquor tax increases would not affect the tax on beer.
In total, the tax hikes would produce about $400 million in revenue, those familiar with the budget said.
Another $400 million in savings could come from freezing wages for state workers as well as requiring them to take off 12 unpaid furlough days, or one each month starting in July, according to an administration official.
The spending plan, which Corzine has projected in the $29 billion range, is still being finalized. Corzine is scheduled to present his budget proposal to the Legislature a week from Tuesday.
Corzine's spokesman, Robert Corrales, declined comment.
"Everything is on the table," Corrales said. "All options are open during this unprecedented national fiscal crisis."
Corzine's plan would increase taxes on those with incomes over $250,000 by 5 percent of their current income tax bill. For example, a resident paying $10,000 would pay $10,500. The levy would affect about five percent of New Jersey's population, and would only be charged for one year, according to the administration official.
Some leaders in Corzine's own party, however, criticized the possible levies on the rich, saying that will discourage high earners from living here and create a double burden for taxpayers who are also facing the rollback of former President George W. Bush's tax cuts.
Last week, President Obama said he would let the Bush tax cuts expire in 2011, increasing the top federal income tax rate for couples making more than $250,00 from 35 percent to 39.6 percent. Those taxpayers would also face new limits on itemized tax deductions.
"The president already announced he's going to go after that group. It's a double hit," Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney said.
He pointed out that New Jersey also raised the income tax on those making $500,000 or more in 2004, under Gov. James E. McGreevey's so-called millionaire's tax.
"We've hit that income bracket pretty hard. I'm not one of them, but we've hit them pretty hard," said Sweeney (D-Gloucester).
Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) said he's not against raising the cigarette tax but views an income tax hike on the wealthy as "a huge mistake." As New Jersey tries to attract businesses, particularly those fleeing Manhattan during the recession, "it would be very counterproductive" to add to the tax burden of top executives, he said.
"I will aggressively oppose it," Lesniak said.
The cigarette tax was last raised in 2006, to $2.575 per pack, and is among the highest in the nation.
The governor is also considering reducing or eliminating property tax rebates for all residents except the elderly and disabled, as well as slashing aid to towns and hospitals, those familiar with the budget said.
"Nobody wants to see most of these things done, but you've got a huge hole," said Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex). "The governor's back is against the wall. To his credit, he's standing up and saying, 'Hey, I don't want to do it, but I'm the leader.'"
Mary Forsberg, acting president of New Jersey Policy Perspective, a liberal think tank, praised the idea of raising taxes on the rich "because the budget needs it and those are the people who can afford to pay." She said the belief that the wealthy will abandon New Jersey because of higher taxes has not proven true.
"They're not as grossly overtaxed as they think they are. For people whose incomes are under a million dollars, they are paying less taxes in New Jersey than they would be in New York state," she said.
But Rugters University economics professor Joseph Seneca said the top one percent of New Jersey's earners pay about 40 percent of its income tax, and Corzine would have to make bold spending cuts for a tax increase to fly.
"To raise that tax in this economy, at this time is an out-of-the-box proposal, in an economic situation that requires out-of-the-box proposals," Seneca said. "But you would need an equivalent out-of-the-box proposal on the other side of the budget to give it credibility and political viability."
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/03/corzine_may_raise_income_taxes.html
Monday, March 02, 2009
Reader Reminds us : absolute power corrupts absolutely
Liberals, like 9:10, follow an ideology that based on the accumulation of power to a centralized authority that can then dispense the wealth of a nation. This follows an emotional need for power and control.
On the contrary, a conservative ideology is based on the diffusion of power down to each and every individual. This is not emotional, but based on the historically correct belief that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
One of these processes leads to evil the other to freedom.
9:10, can you tell which is which? If you can't, then you have made my point for me. The emotional reaction of a nation led a majority to vote for Obama. He is a real threat to each and every individual's authority over themselves: their goals, dreams, efforts, etc. This, of course, will cause a great backlash against him and his followers. It is merely inevitable.
While both liberals and conservatives work with the tools of government, they are as different as the arsonist and the fire brigade, both of which work with fire.
Americans, those who still value their freedoms, must do everything in their power to undermine Obama's accumulation of power. Everything in their power.
I certainly will.
On the contrary, a conservative ideology is based on the diffusion of power down to each and every individual. This is not emotional, but based on the historically correct belief that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
One of these processes leads to evil the other to freedom.
9:10, can you tell which is which? If you can't, then you have made my point for me. The emotional reaction of a nation led a majority to vote for Obama. He is a real threat to each and every individual's authority over themselves: their goals, dreams, efforts, etc. This, of course, will cause a great backlash against him and his followers. It is merely inevitable.
While both liberals and conservatives work with the tools of government, they are as different as the arsonist and the fire brigade, both of which work with fire.
Americans, those who still value their freedoms, must do everything in their power to undermine Obama's accumulation of power. Everything in their power.
I certainly will.
Village Hall & Stable Closed Until 10 AM
Due to inclement weather, Village Hall and The Stable will not open for business until 10 AM on Monday, March 2. Police, Fire, EMS, and Public Works operations are not impacted by the delayed opening.
Wrong on Health Care
Wrong on Health Care
by Michael D. Tanner
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=10005
Michael D. Tanner is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute editor of Social Security and Its Discontents: Perspectives on Choice
Added to cato.org on February 26, 2009
This article appeared in the Baltimore Sun on February 26, 2009
Sans Serif Serif
Tuesday night, President Barack Obama called for passing health care reform this year.
Certainly, there is widespread agreement that health care needs to be reformed. It costs too much. Too many people lack health insurance. And quality, while the highest in the world, is too often uneven.
Real health care reform should empower health care consumers, not government bureaucrats.
But how does President Obama plan to expand coverage, increase covered treatments and control costs - all at the same time? The wrong answer is likely to mean fewer choices for patients, decreased quality of care and an increased burden on American taxpayers. And while Mr. Obama gave us no details Tuesday, the direction that he appears to be taking is extremely troublesome.
From what we can determine so far, "Obamacare" will be based on four pillars: 1) mandates, both for employers and individuals; 2) subsidies for the middle class; 3) increased insurance regulation; and 4) a government-run health care plan, like Medicare, that will compete with private insurance. The result will be government control over one-seventh of the U.S. economy and some of the most important, personal and private decisions in our lives.
We know, from the failure of national health care systems around the world as well as the inefficiency, high cost and poor quality of government-run health care systems here at home (Veterans Affairs health care is a national disgrace, Medicaid provides poor quality at high cost, and Medicare has tens of trillions of dollars in projected unfunded liabilities) that that is not the type of health care reform that we need.
Michael D. Tanner is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute editor of Social Security and Its Discontents: Perspectives on Choice
Real health care reform should empower health care consumers, not government bureaucrats. Today, too much of health care spending is controlled by the government, employers and insurance companies. Instead, we should return that money to individual families and workers. That would mean changing the tax treatment of health insurance so that individuals who buy their insurance can receive the same tax break as those who receive insurance through their employer. Also, we should allow people to purchase health insurance across state lines if they can find a less expensive policy.
President Obama is right. We need to reform health care. But not the way he wants to do it.
by Michael D. Tanner
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=10005
Michael D. Tanner is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute editor of Social Security and Its Discontents: Perspectives on Choice
Added to cato.org on February 26, 2009
This article appeared in the Baltimore Sun on February 26, 2009
Sans Serif Serif
Tuesday night, President Barack Obama called for passing health care reform this year.
Certainly, there is widespread agreement that health care needs to be reformed. It costs too much. Too many people lack health insurance. And quality, while the highest in the world, is too often uneven.
Real health care reform should empower health care consumers, not government bureaucrats.
But how does President Obama plan to expand coverage, increase covered treatments and control costs - all at the same time? The wrong answer is likely to mean fewer choices for patients, decreased quality of care and an increased burden on American taxpayers. And while Mr. Obama gave us no details Tuesday, the direction that he appears to be taking is extremely troublesome.
From what we can determine so far, "Obamacare" will be based on four pillars: 1) mandates, both for employers and individuals; 2) subsidies for the middle class; 3) increased insurance regulation; and 4) a government-run health care plan, like Medicare, that will compete with private insurance. The result will be government control over one-seventh of the U.S. economy and some of the most important, personal and private decisions in our lives.
We know, from the failure of national health care systems around the world as well as the inefficiency, high cost and poor quality of government-run health care systems here at home (Veterans Affairs health care is a national disgrace, Medicaid provides poor quality at high cost, and Medicare has tens of trillions of dollars in projected unfunded liabilities) that that is not the type of health care reform that we need.
Michael D. Tanner is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute editor of Social Security and Its Discontents: Perspectives on Choice
Real health care reform should empower health care consumers, not government bureaucrats. Today, too much of health care spending is controlled by the government, employers and insurance companies. Instead, we should return that money to individual families and workers. That would mean changing the tax treatment of health insurance so that individuals who buy their insurance can receive the same tax break as those who receive insurance through their employer. Also, we should allow people to purchase health insurance across state lines if they can find a less expensive policy.
President Obama is right. We need to reform health care. But not the way he wants to do it.
FACT : Top 1% of Tax payers pay 39.9% of all Federal Taxes
July 18, 2008
Summary of Latest Federal Individual Income Tax Data
by Gerald Prante
Fiscal Fact No. 135
The latest release of Internal Revenue Service data on individual income taxes comes from calendar year 2006, a year in which the economy remained healthy and continued to grow, increasing individual income tax collections along with overall average effective tax rates.
This year's numbers show that both the income share earned by the top 1 percent of tax returns and the tax share paid by that top 1 percent have once again reached all-time highs. In 2006, the top 1 percent of tax returns paid 39.9 percent of all federal individual income taxes and earned 22.1 percent of adjusted gross income, both of which are significantly higher than 2004 when the top 1 percent earned 19 percent of adjusted gross income (AGI) and paid 36.9 percent of federal individual income taxes.
The IRS data also shows increases in individual incomes across all income groups (see Table 3). Just as the highest earners lost the biggest percentage of their incomes during the recession of 2001, so they have prospered the most as the economy continued to rebound through 2006. For example, from 2000 to 2002, the AGI of the top 1 percent of tax returns fell by over 26 percent. In that same period, the AGI of the bottom 50 percent of tax returns actually increased by 4.3 percent. However, since 2002, as the recession has ended, AGI has risen by over 81 percent for the top 1 percent (an average of over 20 percent per year) and 17 percent (an average of around 4 percent per year) for the bottom 50 percent.
In sum, between 2000 and 2006, pre-tax income for the top 1 percent of tax returns grew by 34 percent, while pre-tax income for the bottom 50 percent increased by 22 percent. All figures are nominal (not adjusted for inflation).
This pattern of income loss and growth at the top of the income spectrum is the same during every recession and recovery. The net result has also been a sharp rise in federal government tax revenue from 2003 to 2006 compared to previous years.
The IRS data below include all of the 135.7 million tax returns filed in 2006 that had a positive AGI, not just the returns from people who earned enough to owe taxes. From other IRS data, we can see that in 2006, 92.7 million of the tax returns came from people who paid taxes into the Treasury. That leaves 43 million tax returns filed by people with positive AGI who used exemptions, deductions and tax credits to completely wipe out their federal income tax liability. Not only did they get back every dollar that the federal government withheld from their paychecks during 2005, but some even received more back from the IRS. This is a result of refundable tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit, which are not included in the aggregate percentile data here. (For more on the limitations of the data on this page, see the notes below. For a detailed paper on the distribution of the entire U.S. fiscal system, including all federal, state and local taxes, read Who Pays Taxes and Who Receives Government Spending? An Analysis of Federal, State and Local Tax and Spending Distributions, 1991 - 2004.)
Including all tax returns that had a positive AGI, taxpayers with an AGI of $153,542 or more in 2006 constituted the nation's top 5 percent of earners. To break into the top 1 percent, a tax return had to have an AGI of $388,806 or more. These numbers are up significantly from 2003 when the equivalent thresholds were $130,080 and $295,495. Top incomes in 2006 are also continuing to surpass the peak they reached in 2000. At the height of the boom and bubble, $313,469 was the threshold to break into the top 1 percent, and then it fell to $285,424 in 2002 only to finally recover fully in 2005.
The top-earning 25 percent of taxpayers (AGI over $64,702) earned 68.2 percent of the nation's income, but they paid more than four out of every five dollars collected by the federal income tax (86.3 percent). The top 1 percent of taxpayers (AGI over $388,806) earned approximately 22.1 percent of the nation's income (as defined by AGI), yet paid 39.9 percent of all federal income taxes. That means the top 1 percent of tax returns paid about the same amount of federal individual income taxes as the bottom 95 percent of tax returns.
Average tax rates increased once again in 2006 as the economy continued to grow, even though there were no significant pieces of tax legislation enacted in 2006. Overall, the average tax rate for returns with a positive liability went from 12.1 percent to 12.45 percent from 2004 to 2005 and then up to 12.60 percent for 2006. (This does not include any refundable credits.)
The 2003 tax cut was the second in three years, and although tax rates are lower, the federal income tax still remains highly progressive. The average tax rate in 2006 ranges from 3.0 percent of income for the bottom half of tax returns to 22.8 percent for the top 1 percent.
*Source: Internal Revenue Service, http://www.irs.gov/taxstats/indtaxstats/article/0,,id=133521,00.html ("Individual Income Tax Returns with Positive Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) Returns Classified by Tax Percentile - Early Release")
Summary of Latest Federal Individual Income Tax Data
by Gerald Prante
Fiscal Fact No. 135
The latest release of Internal Revenue Service data on individual income taxes comes from calendar year 2006, a year in which the economy remained healthy and continued to grow, increasing individual income tax collections along with overall average effective tax rates.
This year's numbers show that both the income share earned by the top 1 percent of tax returns and the tax share paid by that top 1 percent have once again reached all-time highs. In 2006, the top 1 percent of tax returns paid 39.9 percent of all federal individual income taxes and earned 22.1 percent of adjusted gross income, both of which are significantly higher than 2004 when the top 1 percent earned 19 percent of adjusted gross income (AGI) and paid 36.9 percent of federal individual income taxes.
The IRS data also shows increases in individual incomes across all income groups (see Table 3). Just as the highest earners lost the biggest percentage of their incomes during the recession of 2001, so they have prospered the most as the economy continued to rebound through 2006. For example, from 2000 to 2002, the AGI of the top 1 percent of tax returns fell by over 26 percent. In that same period, the AGI of the bottom 50 percent of tax returns actually increased by 4.3 percent. However, since 2002, as the recession has ended, AGI has risen by over 81 percent for the top 1 percent (an average of over 20 percent per year) and 17 percent (an average of around 4 percent per year) for the bottom 50 percent.
In sum, between 2000 and 2006, pre-tax income for the top 1 percent of tax returns grew by 34 percent, while pre-tax income for the bottom 50 percent increased by 22 percent. All figures are nominal (not adjusted for inflation).
This pattern of income loss and growth at the top of the income spectrum is the same during every recession and recovery. The net result has also been a sharp rise in federal government tax revenue from 2003 to 2006 compared to previous years.
The IRS data below include all of the 135.7 million tax returns filed in 2006 that had a positive AGI, not just the returns from people who earned enough to owe taxes. From other IRS data, we can see that in 2006, 92.7 million of the tax returns came from people who paid taxes into the Treasury. That leaves 43 million tax returns filed by people with positive AGI who used exemptions, deductions and tax credits to completely wipe out their federal income tax liability. Not only did they get back every dollar that the federal government withheld from their paychecks during 2005, but some even received more back from the IRS. This is a result of refundable tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit, which are not included in the aggregate percentile data here. (For more on the limitations of the data on this page, see the notes below. For a detailed paper on the distribution of the entire U.S. fiscal system, including all federal, state and local taxes, read Who Pays Taxes and Who Receives Government Spending? An Analysis of Federal, State and Local Tax and Spending Distributions, 1991 - 2004.)
Including all tax returns that had a positive AGI, taxpayers with an AGI of $153,542 or more in 2006 constituted the nation's top 5 percent of earners. To break into the top 1 percent, a tax return had to have an AGI of $388,806 or more. These numbers are up significantly from 2003 when the equivalent thresholds were $130,080 and $295,495. Top incomes in 2006 are also continuing to surpass the peak they reached in 2000. At the height of the boom and bubble, $313,469 was the threshold to break into the top 1 percent, and then it fell to $285,424 in 2002 only to finally recover fully in 2005.
The top-earning 25 percent of taxpayers (AGI over $64,702) earned 68.2 percent of the nation's income, but they paid more than four out of every five dollars collected by the federal income tax (86.3 percent). The top 1 percent of taxpayers (AGI over $388,806) earned approximately 22.1 percent of the nation's income (as defined by AGI), yet paid 39.9 percent of all federal income taxes. That means the top 1 percent of tax returns paid about the same amount of federal individual income taxes as the bottom 95 percent of tax returns.
Average tax rates increased once again in 2006 as the economy continued to grow, even though there were no significant pieces of tax legislation enacted in 2006. Overall, the average tax rate for returns with a positive liability went from 12.1 percent to 12.45 percent from 2004 to 2005 and then up to 12.60 percent for 2006. (This does not include any refundable credits.)
The 2003 tax cut was the second in three years, and although tax rates are lower, the federal income tax still remains highly progressive. The average tax rate in 2006 ranges from 3.0 percent of income for the bottom half of tax returns to 22.8 percent for the top 1 percent.
*Source: Internal Revenue Service, http://www.irs.gov/taxstats/indtaxstats/article/0,,id=133521,00.html ("Individual Income Tax Returns with Positive Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) Returns Classified by Tax Percentile - Early Release")
Sunday, March 01, 2009
SCHOOLS CLOSED
WINTER STORM ANNOUNCEMENT: RIDGEWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED, MONDAY, MARCH 2. ALL BEFORE-SCHOOL, AFTERNOON AND EVENING PROGRAMS ARE ALSO CANCELLED
But hey, you're a democrat, you like taxes.
If there really is a wealth gap in this country it has been caused by a few things. One opinion is that one of main catalysts was the inflated price of housing which was caused by cheap and available credit.
The average Joe makes $75,000 a year; by standard mortgage eligibilty formulas he should only be buying a $225,000 home. But Joe buys a $400,000 home anyway and he's immediately behind. His $75,000 a year is immediately less household income, since he is paying a mortgage that proportionality too high for his monthly budget.
To your next point, not everyone was making money in this country on Wall Street. Plenty of folks in the 33% tax bracket (those making over 201,000 and “wealthy” by Obama standards) own restaurants, stores, small business, and etcetera. This new rhetoric that everyone who has made money is a hedge fund managers is stupid.
5% of this country pays 70% of the taxes. Where is the equity in that? Why is it more equitable that the 5% should now pay 75% of the taxes? Who decided what is fair?
You voted for Obama because you wanted the government to help people. Give them health care and a quality education. If the United States government was a charity you’d see that every dollar donated by tax payers resulted in less than .05 cents to each needy citizen. Would you give to that charity?
If you really wanted to help the poor, you would give them vouchers so they could get their kids out of the worst public schools in the country. The true democratic crime in this country is refusing to provide the poor with a quality education. Please don’t make the argument that we need to spend more money, we already spend more than any other nation and we are still behind. Are American kids stupider than the kids in Singapore and South Korea?
And then there is health care. You are going to see the government take over and limit the amount of "expensive" treatments for illness. The United States leads the world in cancer treatment and prevention because our current system is the only one willing to pay for expensive preventative tests and chemotherapy. In England they give you some morphine and tell you to settle your affairs. (Yes they do, I’ve know folks with relatives there with lung cancer who didn't get chemotherapy. The assumption is that you are probably going to die, so why bother.)
Lastly, there is a symbiotic relationship between business and government which democrats keep missing. Twenty percent of New York states budget came from Wall Street, where do you think the shortfall will come from now. Higher NY State income taxes and higher NY State property taxes which will be put on all tax brackets, not just the top 5%.
All those bad, bad big businesses are going to pay a lot less taxes this year because they aren’t making money this year. That means you will be paying more personally.
But hey, you're a democrat, you like taxes.
The average Joe makes $75,000 a year; by standard mortgage eligibilty formulas he should only be buying a $225,000 home. But Joe buys a $400,000 home anyway and he's immediately behind. His $75,000 a year is immediately less household income, since he is paying a mortgage that proportionality too high for his monthly budget.
To your next point, not everyone was making money in this country on Wall Street. Plenty of folks in the 33% tax bracket (those making over 201,000 and “wealthy” by Obama standards) own restaurants, stores, small business, and etcetera. This new rhetoric that everyone who has made money is a hedge fund managers is stupid.
5% of this country pays 70% of the taxes. Where is the equity in that? Why is it more equitable that the 5% should now pay 75% of the taxes? Who decided what is fair?
You voted for Obama because you wanted the government to help people. Give them health care and a quality education. If the United States government was a charity you’d see that every dollar donated by tax payers resulted in less than .05 cents to each needy citizen. Would you give to that charity?
If you really wanted to help the poor, you would give them vouchers so they could get their kids out of the worst public schools in the country. The true democratic crime in this country is refusing to provide the poor with a quality education. Please don’t make the argument that we need to spend more money, we already spend more than any other nation and we are still behind. Are American kids stupider than the kids in Singapore and South Korea?
And then there is health care. You are going to see the government take over and limit the amount of "expensive" treatments for illness. The United States leads the world in cancer treatment and prevention because our current system is the only one willing to pay for expensive preventative tests and chemotherapy. In England they give you some morphine and tell you to settle your affairs. (Yes they do, I’ve know folks with relatives there with lung cancer who didn't get chemotherapy. The assumption is that you are probably going to die, so why bother.)
Lastly, there is a symbiotic relationship between business and government which democrats keep missing. Twenty percent of New York states budget came from Wall Street, where do you think the shortfall will come from now. Higher NY State income taxes and higher NY State property taxes which will be put on all tax brackets, not just the top 5%.
All those bad, bad big businesses are going to pay a lot less taxes this year because they aren’t making money this year. That means you will be paying more personally.
But hey, you're a democrat, you like taxes.
The Public is Invited: Come See the Elementary Math Textbook Options and Give Your Input: March 27
The Public is Invited: Come See the Elementary Math Textbook Options and Give Your Input: March 27
Elementary Math Textbook/Program Finalists
March 27, 2009
10:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
The Education Center
Floor 3
49 Cottage Place
Statements for Public Input
1. Written information for parents is clear and helpful.
2. Internet links are easy to navigate. They offer useful information for both children and parents.
3. Homework is easily understood by both children and parents.
4. The text and related materials support parents’ capacity to help children at home.
5. The text and related materials help parents understand their child’s instruction.
6. The text and related materials offer appropriate challenges for students who excel in math.
7. The text and related materials offer appropriate challenges for students with difficulty in math.
8. I believe this program will be beneficial for my child/children.
Elementary Math Textbook/Program Finalists
March 27, 2009
10:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
The Education Center
Floor 3
49 Cottage Place
Statements for Public Input
1. Written information for parents is clear and helpful.
2. Internet links are easy to navigate. They offer useful information for both children and parents.
3. Homework is easily understood by both children and parents.
4. The text and related materials support parents’ capacity to help children at home.
5. The text and related materials help parents understand their child’s instruction.
6. The text and related materials offer appropriate challenges for students who excel in math.
7. The text and related materials offer appropriate challenges for students with difficulty in math.
8. I believe this program will be beneficial for my child/children.
WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM EST MONDAY...
Issued by The National Weather Service
New York City, NY
11:17 am EST, Sun., Mar. 1, 2009
... WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM EST MONDAY...
A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM EST MONDAY.
AFTER A LULL IN THE PRECIPITATION THIS AFTERNOON... A STEADIER SNOW WILL OVERSPREAD THE REGION FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST THIS EVENING. THE SNOW WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT AND INTO MONDAY MORNING. THERE MAY BE ENOUGH WARM AIR ALOFT FOR SLEET TO MIX IN ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN CONNECTICUT AND THE TWIN FORKS OF LONG ISLAND AT THE HEIGHT OF THE STORM. THE SNOW WILL THEN TAPER OFF FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST MONDAY AFTERNOON.
TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 6 TO 10 INCHES OVER ORANGE AND WESTERN PASSAIC COUNTIES AND 7 TO 11 INCHES ON THE SOUTH FORK OF LONG ISLAND... TO 10 TO 14 INCHES IN BETWEEN... WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. WHILE SOME SNOW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE MONDAY NIGHT... ESPECIALLY OVER CONNECTICUT AND LONG ISLAND... LITTLE OR NO ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED FROM THESE.
SUSTAINED NORTH WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 30 TO OCCASIONALLY 35 MPH WILL RESULT IN BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WITH VISIBILITIES OF LESS THAN A QUARTER OF A MILE AT TIMES.
A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW... SLEET... AND ICE ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE.
New York City, NY
11:17 am EST, Sun., Mar. 1, 2009
... WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM EST MONDAY...
A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM EST MONDAY.
AFTER A LULL IN THE PRECIPITATION THIS AFTERNOON... A STEADIER SNOW WILL OVERSPREAD THE REGION FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST THIS EVENING. THE SNOW WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT AND INTO MONDAY MORNING. THERE MAY BE ENOUGH WARM AIR ALOFT FOR SLEET TO MIX IN ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN CONNECTICUT AND THE TWIN FORKS OF LONG ISLAND AT THE HEIGHT OF THE STORM. THE SNOW WILL THEN TAPER OFF FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST MONDAY AFTERNOON.
TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 6 TO 10 INCHES OVER ORANGE AND WESTERN PASSAIC COUNTIES AND 7 TO 11 INCHES ON THE SOUTH FORK OF LONG ISLAND... TO 10 TO 14 INCHES IN BETWEEN... WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. WHILE SOME SNOW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE MONDAY NIGHT... ESPECIALLY OVER CONNECTICUT AND LONG ISLAND... LITTLE OR NO ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED FROM THESE.
SUSTAINED NORTH WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 30 TO OCCASIONALLY 35 MPH WILL RESULT IN BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WITH VISIBILITIES OF LESS THAN A QUARTER OF A MILE AT TIMES.
A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW... SLEET... AND ICE ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE.
Police seek driver who hit pedestrian
The Record
Sunday, March 1
RIDGEWOOD — Police were looking for a male driver who fled the scene of a hit-and-run accident that sent a 54-year-old woman to the hospital Saturday, Sgt. Glenn Ender said.
A car described as a brown or tan Toyota sedan struck the woman as she attempted to cross North Broad Street about 4 p.m., Ender said. She was not in a crosswalk, he said.
The victim, from West Nyack, N.Y., was thrown to the ground after rolling off the car. She was taken to The Valley Hospital with minor injuries to her hip and one of her hands, Ender said.
Police were looking for a sedan with New Jersey license plates and damage to the passenger side front-corner panel. It was last seen heading north on North Broad Street.
Anyone with information about the car's whereabouts can reach police at 201-670-5519.
Sunday, March 1
RIDGEWOOD — Police were looking for a male driver who fled the scene of a hit-and-run accident that sent a 54-year-old woman to the hospital Saturday, Sgt. Glenn Ender said.
A car described as a brown or tan Toyota sedan struck the woman as she attempted to cross North Broad Street about 4 p.m., Ender said. She was not in a crosswalk, he said.
The victim, from West Nyack, N.Y., was thrown to the ground after rolling off the car. She was taken to The Valley Hospital with minor injuries to her hip and one of her hands, Ender said.
Police were looking for a sedan with New Jersey license plates and damage to the passenger side front-corner panel. It was last seen heading north on North Broad Street.
Anyone with information about the car's whereabouts can reach police at 201-670-5519.
It is certainly appropriate to question teaching salaries and administration compensation
Mr Common Sense said...
It is certainly appropriate to question teaching salaries and administration compensation in light of the following facts:
(1) Approximately $57M of the $85M 2008-09 budget is teachers salaries and tax-exempt benefits. (Note: this does not count other forms of benefits provided to our staff, such as tuition reimbursement, etc).
(2) District wide we employ about 550 teachers and 150 "classroom aides."
(3) There are 5,500 students in our district. This works out to one teacher salary per 7.8 students.
Most importantly, (4) Ridgewood is a district that attracts top teaching talent - not for the compensation - but because of the student population, parent involvement, and commitment to excellence.
My opinion: I feel that we don't have to pay top dollar to attract great teachers to Ridgewood, so we shouldn't. If we were able to pay them less, or reduce their untaxed income (medical benefits, tuition reimbursement, etc) they will stay. Unfortunately, the teacher's union will employ professional negotiators to present their arguments during the contract talks. Their chief "point" is always the same: Teachers in comparative district "x" (and they will have the latest figures on salaries in other districts, because the same professional negotiators that the NJEA sends to the teacher's union hammered out the contract talks in "comparative district x") make more money than the teachers in Ridgewood, and that is 'unfair.'
Either the BOE will cave or the council will override. Sorry, but those are the facts, and we end up with paying (average) $62,000 (plus full, untaxed benefits) to our teachers for 184 days of work (that's half-a-year to the rest of us).
It is certainly appropriate to question teaching salaries and administration compensation in light of the following facts:
(1) Approximately $57M of the $85M 2008-09 budget is teachers salaries and tax-exempt benefits. (Note: this does not count other forms of benefits provided to our staff, such as tuition reimbursement, etc).
(2) District wide we employ about 550 teachers and 150 "classroom aides."
(3) There are 5,500 students in our district. This works out to one teacher salary per 7.8 students.
Most importantly, (4) Ridgewood is a district that attracts top teaching talent - not for the compensation - but because of the student population, parent involvement, and commitment to excellence.
My opinion: I feel that we don't have to pay top dollar to attract great teachers to Ridgewood, so we shouldn't. If we were able to pay them less, or reduce their untaxed income (medical benefits, tuition reimbursement, etc) they will stay. Unfortunately, the teacher's union will employ professional negotiators to present their arguments during the contract talks. Their chief "point" is always the same: Teachers in comparative district "x" (and they will have the latest figures on salaries in other districts, because the same professional negotiators that the NJEA sends to the teacher's union hammered out the contract talks in "comparative district x") make more money than the teachers in Ridgewood, and that is 'unfair.'
Either the BOE will cave or the council will override. Sorry, but those are the facts, and we end up with paying (average) $62,000 (plus full, untaxed benefits) to our teachers for 184 days of work (that's half-a-year to the rest of us).
St.Louis Tea Party Against Obama's Stimulus Plan
St. Louis riverfront draws rally against Obama stimulus plan
By Tim O'Neil
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Saturday, Feb. 28 2009
ST. LOUIS — Critics of President Barack Obama's stimulus plan gathered beneath the Arch Friday to cheer speeches over a bullhorn and toss tea into the Mississippi River.A few conservative activists organized and promoted the rally, with help from talk-radio hosts. Pleased with the turnout in 35-degree bluster, leaders said they had stolen a page from liberal tradition by taking to the streets with homemade signs."If I had known this many people would show up, I'd have charged admission," said Bill Hennessy of Ballwin, the lead organizer. "We'll do this every chance we get until Congress repeals the pork — or we retire them from public life."
Hennessy estimated that more than 1,000 people showed up. There was no official count, but the crowd spilled across roughly one-fourth of the grand staircase from the Arch to Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard. Former state Sen. John Loudon, R-Chesterfield, said, "We conservatives are usually pretty pathetic at making crowds. But this one's good."Hennessy said he got the idea after Rick Santelli, a CNBC market commentator in Chicago, last week called for a tea party to protest Obama's anti-recession plan. Santelli's comments became a YouTube hit, and similar "tea parties" were planned in other cities.
The original took place on Dec. 16, 1773, when American patriots dumped imported tea from merchant ships into Boston harbor to protest British colonial taxes.
Dana Loesch, a radio host on 97.1 FM, had talked up Friday's rally and served as emcee. Signs waved around her included, "Pork, the new 'Red' meat," and "King Barack III and the House of Lards."Jackie Smith, former tight end for the old St. Louis football Cardinals, said, "We are mad as hell and we need to stay mad as hell. Don't let up."Megan Dunham of Maplewood brought her four daughters with some painted signs "because it's important that the kids take part." She said it was her first protest. "All I'd ever done before is yell at the TV. This is exciting."
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/1D9D9B78798122B28625756B00076A57?OpenDocument
By Tim O'Neil
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Saturday, Feb. 28 2009
ST. LOUIS — Critics of President Barack Obama's stimulus plan gathered beneath the Arch Friday to cheer speeches over a bullhorn and toss tea into the Mississippi River.A few conservative activists organized and promoted the rally, with help from talk-radio hosts. Pleased with the turnout in 35-degree bluster, leaders said they had stolen a page from liberal tradition by taking to the streets with homemade signs."If I had known this many people would show up, I'd have charged admission," said Bill Hennessy of Ballwin, the lead organizer. "We'll do this every chance we get until Congress repeals the pork — or we retire them from public life."
Hennessy estimated that more than 1,000 people showed up. There was no official count, but the crowd spilled across roughly one-fourth of the grand staircase from the Arch to Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard. Former state Sen. John Loudon, R-Chesterfield, said, "We conservatives are usually pretty pathetic at making crowds. But this one's good."Hennessy said he got the idea after Rick Santelli, a CNBC market commentator in Chicago, last week called for a tea party to protest Obama's anti-recession plan. Santelli's comments became a YouTube hit, and similar "tea parties" were planned in other cities.
The original took place on Dec. 16, 1773, when American patriots dumped imported tea from merchant ships into Boston harbor to protest British colonial taxes.
Dana Loesch, a radio host on 97.1 FM, had talked up Friday's rally and served as emcee. Signs waved around her included, "Pork, the new 'Red' meat," and "King Barack III and the House of Lards."Jackie Smith, former tight end for the old St. Louis football Cardinals, said, "We are mad as hell and we need to stay mad as hell. Don't let up."Megan Dunham of Maplewood brought her four daughters with some painted signs "because it's important that the kids take part." She said it was her first protest. "All I'd ever done before is yell at the TV. This is exciting."
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/1D9D9B78798122B28625756B00076A57?OpenDocument
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