CEOs now see gloomy third quarter, drop growth expectations
Citing uncertainty over the impending “fiscal cliff” and lower demand overseas, an association of CEOs from top companies on Wednesday dropped its growth expectations for the third quarter to the lowest level since the middle of the Great Recession.
The Business Roundtable lowered projections for sales, capital spending and hiring in its latest CEO Economic Outlook Survey to the lowest level since 2009.
The fiscal cliff — an end-of-the-year deadline for a long-term budget deal between Republican and Democratic lawmakers — has businesses putting off hiring and spending decisions, because they don’t know what to expect in the coming months and years, said Jim McNerney, the CEO of Boeing who also heads the Business Roundtable.
“This complete Mexican standoff that we have now is not getting us anywhere,” he told reporters
Read more: CEOs now see gloomy third quarter, drop growth expectations – Washington Times https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/sep/26/ceos-now-see-gloomy-third-quarter-drop-growth-expe/#ixzz27c51MnVP
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Ridgewood Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Jeremy Kleiman has public outreach plans
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2012
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Ridgewood residents have learned over the past year that preparing for the worst-case scenario might be the best defense against storms and other emergency situations.
The Ridgewood Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has stressed this and other safety awareness tips, as the village commemorates National Emergency Preparedness Month now through the end of the month. This year marks the first time that Ridgewood has formally recognized September as emergency preparedness month, which was started in 2004 by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“Public information before, during and after an event is absolutely critical,” said Mayor Paul Aronsohn, emphasizing government’s role in keeping the public aware and ready.
55 percent of small business owners would not start company today, blame Obama
September 26, 2012 | 10:39 am
Fifty-five percent of small business owners and manufacturers would not have started their businesses in today’s economy, according to a new poll that also reports 69 percent say President Obama’s regulatory policies have hurt their businesses.
“There is far too much uncertainty, too many burdensome regulations and too few policymakers willing to put aside their egos and fulfill their responsibilities to the American people,” said Jay Timmons, president of the National Association of Manufacturers, which commissioned the poll along with the National Federation of Independent Businesses. “To fix this problem, we need immediate action on pro-growth tax and regulatory policies that put manufacturers in the United States in a position to compete and succeed in an ever-more competitive global economy.”
The poll reports another ominous statistic for job creation: “67 percent say there is too much uncertainty in the market today to expand, grow or hire new workers.” Why? Because “President Obama’s Executive Branch and regulatory policies have hurt American small businesses and manufacturers,” according to 69 percent of the business owners surveyed.
Here are the key findings in the poll, as highlighted by NAM:
67 percent say there is too much uncertainty in the market today to expand, grow or hire new workers.
69 percent of small business owners and manufacturers say President Obama’s Executive Branch and regulatory policies have hurt American small businesses and manufacturers.
55 percent say they would not start a business today given what they know now and in the current environment.
54 percent say other countries like China and India are more supportive of their small businesses and manufacturers than the United States.
Assemblyman Angel Fuentes calls for adding social media to school curriculum
Assemblyman Angel Fuentes (D-5) of Camden, wants schools to teach students how to properly use social media.
On Tuesday, he introduced legislation to include social media as part of the school’s core technology curriculum for students in grades 6 through 8, starting in the 2013-14 school year. (Hassan, State Street Wire)
N.J. High School Students Planning Cafeteria Boycott To Protest Obama Guidelines
Parsippany Hills Students Ask, Why Should We Pay For The Obese’s Problems?
September 27, 2012 11:58 PM
PARSIPPANY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) — Students at Parsippany Hills High School held a strategy session on Thursday to discuss a potential lunch strike, on Friday, over what they have called inadequately sized meals.
“This year you’re eating lunch and you’re like ‘Did I even eat?’ You’re not even full,” senior Brandon Faris told CBS 2′s Derricke Dennis.
New federal guidelines stemming from first lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign have resulted in limits on protein and bread, and an increase in vegetables and fruits. The changes have also come at an increased cost.
All of it has also sparked a student campaign that has included online parody videos of students falling sleep in class and performing sluggishly in sports.
They hope to further their efforts with a cafeteria boycott that will cost the school money, and students like Faris said they want to know why they are paying the price for other people’s problems.
Historic homes highlighted during Ridgewood walking tour
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2012, 4:15 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
If the walls of Ridgewood’s historic homes could talk, historian Elliot Dee has a pretty good idea of what they would say.
The George Pease House on West Ridgewood Avenue, built in 1869 in the gothic revival style.
Some might say that Dee, who moved to the village a year and a half ago, is something of an “architecture whisperer.”
From looking at the varying architecture of Ridgewood’s oldest homes, Dee can tell the story of how the village transitioned from a small Dutch settlement to a country retreat, then a primary residence, of some of New York City’s most affluent businesspeople.
He can also tell what the architectural style of some of Ridgewood’s oldest homes says about their owners – including the great nephew of former New York Governor DeWitt Clinton and Milton Lightner, the past president of Singer Sewing Machine Company whose house once hosted his wife’s college peer, former First Lady of the Republic of China Madame Chiang Kai-shek.
Twenty of 107 school choice districts are in one New Jersey county
Published: Monday, September 24, 2012, 11:06 PM
By Renée Kiriluk-Hill/Hunterdon Democrat
Nearly 20% of the 107 New Jersey districts accepting applications from out-of-district students under the school choice program are in Hunterdon County. They range from the state’s smallest elementary school, Stockton, to the county’s largest school, Hunterdon Central High.
Under the program, first piloted in 2000 and opened up when Gov. Chris Christie two years ago signed into law the Interdistrict School Choice Program, the state pays each choice student’s tuition and that child’s home district pays or provides transportation valued up to $884, within 20 miles of a student’s home. Beyond that a parent is responsible for transportation.
In 2010 there were 15 schools statewide in the program. The following year there were 2,131 students enrolled in 71 choice districts. This year the number of districts only increased by two but enrollment jumped to 3,356 and Christie sought an additional $14.2 million to support program.
Hospitals Warned by U.S. on Medicare Electronic Billing
By Alex Wayne – Sep 25, 2012 7:38 AM ET
Hospital bills are being audited as the U.S. tries to identify whether new electronic records were used to “game the system” and overcharge the Medicare health program.
Some hospitals may be “cloning” patient records and “upcoding” their bills — charging for higher intensity services than are given — to raise payments from the government, Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Attorney General Eric Holder said in a letter yesterday to five trade associations. Hospitals caught misusing the electronic systems may be prosecuted for fraud or lose Medicare payments, the officials said.
Encouraged by as much as $27 billion in incentives in President Barack Obama’s 2009 economic stimulus law, hospitals and doctors’ offices have been converting paper record-keeping systems to computers, an effort the administration said would reduce medical errors and save money. Instead, hospitals may be using the systems to increase their billings for Medicare, the federal program for the elderly and disabled, the U.S. said.
Five-year-olds put to the test as kindergarten exams gain steam
By Stephanie Simon
Tue Sep 25, 2012 7:11am EDT
(Reuters) – With school in full swing across the United States, the littlest students are getting used to the blocks table and the dress-up corner – and that staple of American public education, the standardized test.
A national push to make public schools more rigorous and hold teachers more accountable has led to a vast expansion of testing in kindergarten. And more exams are on the way, including a test meant to determine whether 5-year-olds are on track to succeed in college and career.
Paul Weeks, a vice president at test developer ACT Inc., says he knows that particular assessment sounds a bit nutty, especially since many kindergarteners aspire to careers as superheroes. “What skills do you need for that, right? Flying is good. X-ray vision?” he said, laughing.
But ACT will soon roll out college- and career-readiness exams for kids age 8 through 18 and Weeks said developing similar tests for younger ages is “high on our agenda.” Asking kids to predict the ending of a story or to suggest a different ending, for instance, can identify the critical thinking skills that employers prize, he said.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2012
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Anna Anagnos keeps a photograph of her son posted in front of her East Ridgewood Avenue storefront so passersby can see. Additional photos and newspaper clippings of Joseph C. Anagnos adorn a portion of the wall near the cash register, giving customers an opportunity to learn a little more about him.
Surrounded by those small reminders, Anna admits her guilt because there might be moments when she’s not thinking of her 29-year-old son, a United States Marine Corps captain, who last week embarked on a seven-month deployment to the Western Pacific and eventually to the Persian Gulf region.
Formative Assessment Presentation is October 17 Since the fall of 2008, the Ridgewood Public Schools has administered online formative assessment to all students in Grades 3 through 8. Formative assessments help teachers gain an understanding of students’ strengths and weaknesses. For the 2012-2013 school year, the Board of Education has approved the use of MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) as its online formative assessment program.
As part of the district’s continuing curriculum outreach efforts, a presentation will be held on MAP on Wednesday, October 17 at 7:30 p.m. Parents, guardians and the general public are invited to come to the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, floor 3, to hear Jim Tilghman, Professional Representative of Northwest Evaluation Association and producer of MAP
Since the Fall of 2008, the Ridgewood Public Schools has been administering an online formative assessment to all students in Grades 3 through 8. Formative assessments help teachers to know and understand their students’ strengths and opportunities for improvement, providing valuable information about what students already know and what may require additional reinforcement.
The Ridgewood Public Schools had formerly used an online formative assessment that was funded through the New Jersey Department of Education. In 2010-2011, the assessment company’s contract with the New Jersey Department of Education ended. In 2011-2012 the
district examined various options, and, in May of 2012, the Ridgewood Board of Education approved the use of NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) MAP® (Measures of Academic Progress®) as its online formative assessment.
Students in Grades 3 through 8 will take two online assessments each year in Reading and Mathematics. We expect that the computer-delivered nature of these assessments will promote a more student-friendly experience than that of high-stakes tests; this is appropriate
since there are no “stakes” attached to these tests – only information to guide instruction. Although the assessment is not timed, most students take one class period to complete each subject area. The assessment adapts to each student, giving harder or easier questions based
on correct and incorrect responses. It identifies an instructional level by moving toward questions that each student is likely to get right 50% of the time and to get wrong 50% of the time. That instructional level becomes information that teachers use to modify and adjust
their instruction in the classroom.
Since MAP® is not a standardized test, scheduling is flexible, and results do not become part of a student’s record. MAP® is used by teachers as a planning tool for the sole purpose of informing instruction; therefore, test preparation is neither required nor desirable, and neither
test notification nor test reports are sent home.
There will be two administrations of MAP® during the 2012 – 2013 school year. We anticipate testing windows of September 18 through October 5, 2012, and January 22 through February 8, 2013.
As always, and in accordance with District policy, parents/guardians are welcome at any time to contact their principal to review their child’s progress
Sheila Brogan reminded the public about the upcoming Curriculum Outreach programs, including this fall, including the presentation by psychologist Debra Fagan on K-5 emotional well-being. This program will take place next Tuesday, October 2, from 7:30-9 p.m. at Benjamin Franklin Middle School Auditorium.
Sheila Brogan reminded the public that ribbon-cutting ceremonies to mark the completion of bond referendum construction are coming up at George Washington Middle School on October 10 at 6:30 p.m. and at Willard School on October 16 at 7:30 p.m. The public is invited.
GWMS Library Media Specialist Ann Brown presented information on the new digital library initiative of the middle schools and high school. Students now have access to 150 digital titles for check-out via the school website; they can sign up for e-books to be downloaded to their personal e-reader devices for a period of two or three weeks. Soon, e-reader devices will also be available to borrow.
RHS Media Center Renovations : Lori Weil and David Zrike presented information on the proposed RHS Learning Commons that would replace the high school’s library, which is 50 years old. The new space would reflect the mission of optimizing student productivity and collaborative learning and include research areas, meeting rooms and a café and lounge space. Estimated costs are $600,000 for construction and $250,000 for furnishings. The committee is actively fundraising and is also seeking the Board’s approval of financial assistance. The goal is to begin construction in June of 2013 and to be completed with the project in time for the start of the start of school next September.
Jim Morgan reported that the Finance Committee is exploring creative ideas to present the financial statements to the public in lay terms.
Sheila Brogan reported that the Communications Committee will begin work next month on a comprehensive parent/guardian survey, which will be distributed in May 2013.
Americans’ Incomes Have Fallen $3,040 During the Obama ‘Recovery’
BY JEFFREY H. ANDERSON
Americans must be wondering how much more of this “recovery” they can afford. New figures from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey, compiled by Sentier Research, show that the typical American household’s real (inflation-adjusted) income has actually dropped 5.7 percent during the Obama “recovery.” Using constant 2012 dollars (to adjust for inflation), the median annual income of American households was $53,718 as of June 2009, the last month of the recession. Now, after 38 months of this “recovery,” it has fallen to $50,678 — a drop of $3,040 per household.
Yet it gets worse. Amazingly, incomes have dropped even more during the “recovery” than they did during the recession. In fact, they’ve dropped more than twice as much as they did during the recession. From the start to the end of the recession, the real median income of American households fell $1,413, or 2.6 percent. From the end of the recession to the present day, it has dropped $3,040, or 5.7 percent. This begs the question: What kind of “recovery” compares unfavorably with the recession from which it’s ostensibly recovering?
A New Jersey legislator wants to ban right turns on red at intersections with red light cameras.
State Sen. Shirley Turner, D-Mercer, said the restriction is needed to protect the many motorists who slow down, but don’t come to a full stop, when making such turns.
Those drivers often receive costly tickets because red light cameras consider them to be breaking the law
“I feel that motorists should not be allowed to turn right on red,” Turner said Tuesday. “That will cut down on a lot of the tickets being issued.”
The legislator also said her measure would help build pressure to remove the cameras, which can be popular with local officials because they generate cash through tickets. (Cooney, Courier-Post)
Ridgewood Veterinary Hospital : 5th Annual Adopt A Pet Day
Sun, September 30, 2012
11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
The Ridgewood Veterinary Hospital and hospital parking lot, 320 East Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood
The hospital opens its parking lot and doors from 11:00 A.M. until 4:00 P.M. with thirty rescue groups and shelters hoping to find homes for more than 300 dogs, cats, and exotic animals. There will be costumed characters and vendors with free samples. Last year’s event brought over 2,700 people, who adopted approximately 250 pets.
Dr. Dean Cerf, Hospital Director, said “this event has made a tremendous difference in the lives of so many pets and people. We are thankful for everyone who participates and we’re happy to facilitate an event that allows people and pets to connect and receive the love and joy this relationship offers.”
Keith Harris, Hospital Administrator, said “We encourage everyone to come out this year and give pets a second chance for happiness. The theme for the event is ‘Open your heart and home to a friend for life,’ and we hope to make that friendship a reality for many more this year.”
CEOs now see gloomy third quarter, drop growth expectations
