Month: August 2012

Free Seminar on Weight Loss Surgery Scheduled for August 28

Board Certified Bariatric Surgeon, Vadim Gritsus, M.D., will offer a free educational seminar on weight-loss surgery on Tuesday, August 28, at 7 p.m. at the Dorothy B. Kraft Center, 15 Essex Road, Paramus.

Registration is requested. Please call 201-265-0080 for more information or visit www.stopobesitynj.com.

Dr. Gritsus was the first surgeon to introduce laparoscopic gastric bypass and laparoscopic adjustable gastric band procedures at the Valley Hospital.

His philosophy in the treatment of obesity is to provide the least traumatic approach to surgical procedures. “Earlier, traditional high-risk techniques precluded patients with multiple medical problems to have weight loss surgery,” says Dr. Gritsus. “Current advances in minimally invasive surgery have made this lifesaving operation available to virtually anyone.”

“Obesity is a multifactorial medical problem that requires a comprehensive approach of many specialists,” says Dr. Gritsus. “To achieve the best possible result in the treatment of this debilitating condition, patients have to rely on carefully developed and individualized support.” The goal of Dr. Gritsus’ practice is to provide surgical weight loss solutions to patients with a wide range of co-morbidities along with nutritional support and counseling, behavioral modification strategies and exercise.

Late night TV/computer sessions linked to depression
Published July 24, 2012
Reuters

Sitting in front of a computer or TV screen late into the night or leaving it on when you fall asleep could increase your chances of becoming depressed, according to a study by U.S. scientists.

The study, by a team of neuroscientists at Ohio State University Medical Center partly funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, will give screen-addicted night owls pause for thought.

The researchers – who exposed hamsters to dim light at night and picked up changes in behavior and the brain that bore striking similarities to symptoms in depressed people – said a surge in exposure to artificial light at night in the last 50 years had coincided with rising rates of depression, particularly among women, who are twice as prone as men.

Read more: https://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/07/24/late-night-tvcomputer-sessions-linked-to-depression/#ixzz22f15QaIH

Is Your Neighbor a Democrat? Obama Has an App for That
by Lois Beckett
ProPublica, Aug. 3, 2012, 3:52 p.m.

Curious how many Democrats live on your block? Just download the Obama campaign’s new mobile app.

The app, released last week, includes a Google map for canvassers that recognizes your current location and marks nearby Democratic households with small blue flags.

For each targeted address, the app displays the first name, age and gender of the voter or voters who live there: “Lori C., 58 F, Democrat.”

All this is public information, which campaigns have long given to volunteers. But you no longer have to schedule a visit to a field office and wait for a staffer to hand you a clipboard and a printed-out list of addresses.

With the Obama app, getting a glimpse of your neighbor’s political affiliation can take seconds.

While The New York Times dubbed the app “the science-fiction dream of political operatives,” some of the voters who appear in the app are less enthusiastic about it.

“I do think it’s something useful for them, but it’s also creepy,” said Lori Carena, 58, a long-time Brooklyn resident, when she was shown the app. “My neighbors across the street can know that I’m a Democrat. I’m not sure I like that.”

It’s unclear if the app displays all registered Democrats who live in a certain area, or only a subset of voters President Obama’s campaign is trying to reach.

https://www.propublica.org/article/is-your-neighbor-a-democrat-obama-has-an-app-for-that

Local agent Michael Shetler introduces Home Seller Guarantee.
Aug 2, 2012 Glen Rock

The two biggest concerns homeowners have when it comes time to sell are how much their home is worth and how long it will take to sell.

Michael Shetler of Keller Williams Village Square Realty in Ridgewood addresses both with his new NJ Seller Guarantee (https://NJSellerGuarantee.com). Under the program, he guarantees to sell your home in 2.5 months or less. If he doesn’t get your home into attorney review by then, he gives you the option of terminating the listing agreement.

As for the home’s market value, Shetler prepares an extensive “Evaluated Selling Range” for sellers. His analytical approach balances four different pricing methods to determine the home’s value range. If you list your home within the range, Shetler will offer the guarantee at no additional cost.

“Homes that sell more quickly sell for more money. Homes that sit on the market are perceived by buyers as being damaged goods and receive lower offers”, according to Shetler. He markets the home heavily in the first few weeks rather than spreading out the marketing budget over the typical six month listing term. “Creating a sense of urgency in a lukewarm market is the core of my marketing plan.” He’s developed unique marketing strategies to generate buyer interest.

Shetler has been selling real estate full-time since 2005 and has an MS in Advertising from Northwestern University. He is a recipient of the NJAR® Circle of Excellence Award two of the last three years (2009, 2011). He is a Glen Rock resident and member of The Religious Communities of Glen Rock.

##### For more information contact Michael Shetler at 201-421-0506 cell or 201-445-4300 office

Ridgewood Realtors continue to stack up sales
August 3,2012
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Donald Trump told CNBC , “There’s amazing opportunity to do things, and one of those opportunities is certain types of real estate, including houses” Trump went on to discuss these opportunities pointing out Miami and certain parts of the New York metro area .

The Ridgewood community continues to attract interest from buyers .Ridgewood Realtor Keller Williams Square Realty saw Sally Ponchak post $4,500,000 in closed sales volume for June , Nena Colligan placed second with sales volume of $3,375,000 and Al Donohue posted sales volume of $2,076,000 .

Keller Williams Square Realty also had 10 agents in total sell $1 million or more in June ; Sally Ponchak, Nena Colligan, Aloysius Donohue, Sheila Quiles, Jennifer Casper, Jeff Adler, Jocelyne Jauregui, Gary Silberstein, Pam Christian and Wendy Silber. And three Tarvin Realtors sold more than $1 million in June Maria Shammas, Melinda Cronk and Frances Hanson Ekblom . (https://www.northjersey.com/realestate/broker_agent_news/164847176_Three_at_Keller_close__10_million_in_sales_in_June_.html )

Single buyers have different needs
SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2012
BY VIOLET SNOW
SPECIAL TO THE HERALD NEWS
THE RECORD

“It’s been stressful thinking about where I want to live,” says Tara Pshybyshefski, a single woman who closed on a home in Waldwick this month. “I made a list of what was important to me and what I was willing to give up. I’m moving away from family and friends. It’s a lot of anxiety, but I know in the long run it’s worth it. I’m excited.”

Pshybyshefski joins the ranks of single home buyers who have made up a quarter to nearly a third of buyers in the U.S. the past five years, according to the National Association of Realtors. Figures have fluctuated slightly, with single women amounting to a high of 21 percent of buyers in 2008, down to 18 percent in 2011. The NAR attributes the drop to the slow economy, which makes financing more challenging for singles. The percentage for single men has remained largely consistent at 10 percent, with a brief spike up to 12 percent in 2010.

https://www.northjersey.com/realestate/164195356_Siingle_buyers_have_different_needs.html

Twitter confronts ethics of commercial pressures in wake of Guy Adams ‘mess’

The social media site took a hit to its reputation as a home to free speech as the fight for internet freedom enters new stage
Ed Pilkington New York

In January 2011 Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter, together with the site’s “trust and safety” arbiter Alex Macgillivray, posted a paean to freedom of expression under the portentous title: The Tweets Must Flow. They promised they would respect everyone’s human right to unimpeded speech, vowing only to remove tweets that were illegal, spam or in breach of privacy.

Fine words. But this week the tweets stopped flowing for one of Twitter’s users. When Guy Adams, the Independent’s Los Angeles correspondent, went to issue his latest gobbet of wisdom in 140 characters on Monday he found his Twitter stream well and truly dammed.

The suspension of Adams’ account, and its reinstatement on Tuesday, led to a storm of indignation culminating with an apology from Twitter. “We did mess up,” admitted Macgillivray – now Twitter’s general counsel – “and we will actively work to ensure this does not happen again”.

The most toxic aspect of the affair was the whiff of a commercial incentive. Adams was blocked after he posted a succession of tweets heavily critical of NBC for its tape-delayed broadcasts of the Olympics. When it was revealed that Twitter and NBC had entered into a business partnership for the Games, and that Twitter had tipped off the TV network to Adams’s tweets, prompting the complaint that would lead to his suspension, the Twittersphere turned blue with rage.

https://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/aug/03/twitter-guy-adams-online-censorship

BERGEN COUNTY EXECUTIVE DONOVAN ON MEET THE LEADERS

County Executive Kathleen A. Donovan was a guest on yesterday’s Meet the Leaders program. The state of the County, Cost Saving Initiatives and Policing in Bergen County were amongst the topics discussed.

Hosted by Debbie DuHaime, Meet the Leaders is an insightful program that explores the people, policies and issues that direct the future course of the region.

The episode featuring Ms. Donovan will air on Cablevision channels 78 or 118 during the weeks of Sunday, August 5th – Saturday, August 11th and from August 19th – August 25th.
The program airs multiple times a day, at 7:30am, 10am, 2pm, 6pm and 10pm.