American Red Cross Waterfront Lifeguard Training Course
Tue, December 18, 2012
Time: 5:30 PM – 9:30 PM
WCA, 112 Oak St., Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Ridgewood NJ , YWCA Bergen County is offering the American Red Cross Waterfront Lifeguard Training module on December 18 and 20, 2012. The two day course provides training and testing in lifeguard skills specific to non-surf, murky bottem facilities such as lakes and ponds.
Classes will be held from 5:30 to 9:30 pm and the fee is $100.
All participants must pre-register and a current American Red Cross Lifeguard Certification is required. For details or to register call the YWCA Aquatics Department at 201-444-5600, x327
Davidoff Holiday Offerings at Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood
This Holiday Davidoff is
offering gift box assortments!
Now available at
The Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood
~Gary, Barbara and Collin
The Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood | 10 Chestnut Street | Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450
Phone: 201-447-2204 | Email: info@tobaccoshop.com
Hours: Monday – Saturday 10:00AM – 5:30PM and Thursday Night 6:30PM – 8:30PM
Arab Countries Propose global web censorship
By Simeon Kerr in Dubai and Richard Waters in San Francisco
An unexpected new proposal for international regulation of the internet drew warnings over the weekend of a spread of online censorship and left a global conference on the issue on the edge of collapse.
The deep divisions over treatment of the internet came after a group of Arab states put forward a plan late on Friday that would require countries around the world to explicitly regulate internet companies. The proposal, made at a conference in Dubai to agree a new international telecoms treaty, has also won the backing of Russia and China, along with a group of other countries.
Protecting New Jersey Shore from future storms could cost you billions
December 10,2012
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ , “Gloabal Warming Mania ” has hit the Jersey Shore and we are told the price of protecting New Jersey from “rising sea levels” and the devastation of future storms is breathtaking, making it seem at times that the problem is insurmountable.
We have all heard the gloom and doom scenarios ” The frequency of surges currently reaching a given height will thus increase… Equivalently, the water level associated with any given frequency will grow, and communities should expect to see waters reach progressively new heights. These trends will very likely force changes in risk assessments related to extreme events, such as the delineation of 100 yr floodplains, that influence coastal policy and development…” ( https://news.thomasnet.com/green_clean/2012/05/31/the-climate-change-controversy-are-sea-levels-really-rising/ )
But most of us courtesy of the barrage of constant faux science propaganda have never heard the other side of the story :”The IPCC predicts a [one-to-two-foot] sea-level rise by 2100, with a best estimate [of 1 feet 5 inches]. Yet for the past eight years sea level has been rising at a rate equivalent to just 1.3 inches per century, and sea level last year was lower than in any of the previous seven years.” ( https://news.thomasnet.com/green_clean/2012/05/31/the-climate-change-controversy-are-sea-levels-really-rising/ )
No offense to scientific inbreeds but there are three simply issues with the “Global warming ” argument , 1) How do you measure global precipitation ? Any climatologist worth his weight will admit that precipitation is the key to global weather trends and real scientific measurement only offers a very limited time horizon if it can be accurately measured at all. 2) There is virtually no way to measure ” raising sea levels” and 3) one storm or one bad year does not make a trend ie the 1938 “Long Island Express ” hurricane which hit the New York metro area with 130 plus mph winds and killed over 700 people that not to mention all the other crazy weather of 1930’s decade. And this is not even mentioning the controversial idea that human activity can be proven to have any effect on climate what so ever.If one is to study the geologic record is appears highly doubtful..
In a era where science and reason have no place in public policy debate the “Global Warming” crazies are all ready proposing : ” Rebuilding the Jersey Shore to handle storm surges, meanwhile, could require billions of dollars to replenish beaches swept away during superstorm Sandy, erect steel bulkheads at $3 million or more a pop, rebuild damaged seawalls, elevate thousands of homes on pilings, and buy out some neighborhoods.” https://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen/bergen_safety/Protecting_North_Jersey_from_future_storms_could_cost_billions.html )
The record even postulates that ,” Some options that have been floated include $7.4 billion to buy all 13,300 structures in the Passaic River basin at risk of being flooded by a catastrophic storm, or $2.7 billion for a tunnel to protect Wayne and other towns by guiding storm runoff out to Newark Bay.” https://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen/bergen_safety/Protecting_North_Jersey_from_future_storms_could_cost_billions.html
Even NJT has gotten into the act , “Making the New Jersey transit system more resilient to storms could cost $800 million, and putting electric lines underground could average $724,000 per mile.” https://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen/bergen_safety/Protecting_North_Jersey_from_future_storms_could_cost_billions.html
But then by accident the Record said something remarkably intelligent ,” some experts argue that less glamorous, lower-priced and smaller-scale initiatives replicated over a wide area can often produce dramatic results. Many of these strategies — from rebuilding beaches and dunes that have been scoured away by waves, to improved building codes that help structures withstand storms — have already proved effective in New Jersey.” ( https://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen/bergen_safety/Protecting_North_Jersey_from_future_storms_could_cost_billions.html ) Yes we must be better prepared for the next natural disaster ,10 days with no power is prof enough for anyone ,. We should be learning for this event and saving the grand schemes for a time when we are for more certain our efforts will be effective. .
Any reasonable risk analysis would lead one to conclude that not matter how prepared ,it is impossible to know or be prepared for every possible outcome .
Ridgewood Police Department Is Hiring School Crossing Guards.
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Police Department is accepting applications for anyone interested in becoming a School Crossing Guard. Posts are a minimum of two (2) hours a day. Work may even beavailable during times when school is closed (winter/summer breaks).
Please contact the Ridgewood Police Records Room at(201) 251-4531 for blank applications and questions. The Village of Ridgewood is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
RHS LEARNING COMMONS COMMITTEE HOLDS PARENT MEETING ON DECEMBER 11
Ridgewood NJ, The RHS Learning Commons Committee will hold a parent meeting on Tuesday, December 11 at 7:30 p.m. to solicit feedback and share ideas about the design of the new facility. All parents and guardians in the school district are invited to attend. For more information, please e-mailLori Weil at weils5@me.com.
Fundraiser: On Friday, January 11, 2013 from 7-11 p.m., the 07450 Schools Committee will host a fundraiser to benefit the Ridgewood High School Learning Commons project, a plan to renovate the current high school library, which is almost 50 years old, and create a modern library for generations of students to come.Click here for the invitation.
General Information: Volunteers are seeking community-wide support for the proposed new Learning Commons at Ridgewood High School. Click here to learn more.
More information can be found on the Ridgewood High School Learning Commons website: www.RHSLearningCommons.com.
Fiscal Cliff Raising Revenue: The Least Worst Options
December 05, 2012
By Scott A. Hodge
Fiscal Fact No. 344: Raising Revenue: The Least Worst Options
With the fiscal cliff looming, lawmakers are looking for new revenues as a component of any bipartisan deal to reduce the federal deficit. While raising new revenues may be politically necessary to seal a deal, lawmakers must keep in mind that not all revenue raisers are equal. Some will have far more harmful economic consequences than others.
Indeed, after careful study, OECD economists have established a hierarchy of which taxes are most and least harmful for long-term economic growth. They determined that the corporate income tax is the most harmful for long-term economic growth, followed by high personal income taxes. Consumption taxes and property taxes were found to be less harmful to economic growth relative to taxes on capital and income.
Why this hierarchy? It is determined by which factors are most mobile and, thus, most sensitive to high tax rates. Capital is the most mobile factor in the economy and therefore most sensitive to a hike in tax rates. Naturally, land is the least mobile and less sensitive to high tax rates. This is not to say that high taxes won’t affect consumption and property patterns but their impact will simply be less than the impact of taxes on capital and income.
With these rules of thumb in mind, here is a short list of ways to raise new revenues ranking from least harmful to most harmful:
#1 Least Harmful—Economic growth: This may seem obvious, but whether or not we have enough new economic growth to generate more revenues for the Treasury is directly dependent upon some of the policy choices listed below.
#2 Asset sales: The U.S. federal government owns hundreds of billions worth of assets that it can, and should, sell off in order to pay down the national debt. As of 2008, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reported public lands worth $833 billion and loans worth $209 billion. Other state-owned enterprises such as Amtrak, the Power Marketing Administration utilities, and the Tennessee Valley Authority could all generate considerable cash on the open market. The biggest benefit of asset sales is turning tax-subsidized enterprises into tax-generating ones.
#2a: As a second-best option to asset sales, require Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) and federally-owned businesses to pay federal income taxes. TVA, for example, has operating revenues of $11 billion and $47 billion in assets. It should pay federal income taxes.
#3 User fees and leases: Lawmakers could raise billions with no harm to the economy by raising user fees for many of the goods and services it provides (such as flood insurance, inland waterways, National Parks, and loan originations) and opening up more public lands for oil and mineral leasing. In 2008, OMB reported that federal mineral rights were worth $1.062 trillion. They are probably worth more today.
#4 Tax certain non-taxed business activities: There are a number of non-taxed businesses or industries that compete directly with private businesses but have the advantage of not paying federal income taxes. These include: credit unions; rural electric coops; nonprofit hospitals; and certain types of insurance firms. These businesses should be taxed as any for-profit enterprise. The tax benefit to credit unions has been estimated at $2 billion to $3 billion per year.
Moreover, there are a growing number of nonprofit organizations that operate for-profit enterprises. While nonprofits are supposed to pay income tax on their unrelated business income, many receive royalties, rents, and other income that is considered exempt from income taxes on these profits. For example, college sport organizations earn billions in revenues from hosting tournaments and TV and radio rights, but the IRS has exempted these profits from tax. Other nonprofit organizations such as AARP earn hundreds of millions of dollars in income tax-free from royalties and other sources. All of this income should be subject to income tax.[1]
#5 Premium and co-pay increases: Increasing Medicare premiums and co-payments are not likely to be politically popular, but asking seniors to contribute more toward their federal health insurance would be far less harmful to the economy than a broad-based income tax. Even if these policies were means-tested, they might actually add a measure of market forces into a system that has few. According to CBO, increasing the Medicare premium for Part B to 35 percent from 25 percent could raise more than $240 billion over ten years. (Again, Congress’s arcane budget rules count these payments as a reduction in mandatory spending, not new revenues, but the effect is the same.)
#6 Federal employee contributions: As most private employers are now doing, the federal government should ask federal employees to contribute more to their own health care and retirement costs. Currently, federal employees pay 25 percent of the costs of a basic health plan (some pay more for more expensive plans). This share should be increased to at least 30 to 35 percent. (Congress’s arcane budget rules would likely count these contributions as a reduction in mandatory spending, not new revenues, but they are good policy anyway.)
In February 2012, lawmakers increased the amount that new federal employees must contribute to their pensions from 0.8 percent to 3.1 percent of each paycheck. This measure was expected to raise $15 billion toward the cost of extending unemployment insurance. However, current federal employees were exempted from the contribution increase. Lawmakers would do well to extend the 3.1 percent contribution to current employees.
#7 Sales/Excise taxes: Unlike the states, the federal government does not rely much on sales or excise taxes—excise tax revenues amount to about 3 percent of total federal revenues. The largest federal excise taxes are the federal gasoline tax ($38.7 billion), tobacco taxes ($16.5 billion), airport and ticket taxes ($11.6 billion), and alcohol taxes ($9.6 billion). Increasing current excises or creating a new one would not be costless, but less so compared to higher income taxes. For example, according to CBO, increasing the federal gas tax by 25 cents could raise about $30 billion per year.
#8 “Base-broadening”: This is a tricky one because while everyone talks about broadening the tax base and eliminating “spending” in the tax code, the truth is that not all tax preferences are created equal (see discussion about untouchables, below). From an economic perspective, eliminating tax preferences produces less harm than increasing marginal tax rates, but caution is also in order.
Eliminate industry subsidies, targeted tax preferences, and refundable credits first: Industry subsidies can include such things as the special exemption for credit unions; credits for hybrid vehicles and energy efficient windows; and tax-exempt bonds for private nonprofit educational facilities. The IRS now gives out over $100 billion in refundable credits to taxpayers who have no income tax liability. Limiting those to the neediest could save billions.
Tax employer-provided health care benefits: This exemption is the single largest tax preference at roughly $128 billion per year. Taxing this currently untaxed employee compensation would be good policy, but should be paired with other market-based reforms.
Restoring PEP and Pease: Tax Foundation economists have estimated that restoring the phase-outs of personal exemptions and itemized deductions (the PEP and Pease provisions) for taxpayers with more than $250,000 in AGI (joint filers) and $200,000 (single filers) would lower GDP by 0.03 percent over a five to ten year period. These measures typically raise the effective marginal tax rates by about 1 to 4 percent for families of various sizes while their incomes are in the phase-out range, above which rates return to the normal statutory levels.
Capping deductions: Mitt Romney’s proposal to cap itemized deductions at $17,000 or $25,000 may have been crude tax policy, but it had the political advantage of avoiding a direct fight with powerful interest groups and it gave taxpayers the choice in deciding which deductions were best for their situation.
Untouchables: For individuals, do not eliminate or scale back broad-based savings vehicles such as 401ks, Roth IRAs, or investment incentives such as the reduced rates on dividends and capital gains. For businesses, do not lengthen depreciation schedules, eliminate business expensing or depletion, or eliminate deferral. These provisions offset double taxation and move the tax system toward a consumption base.
#9 Raising the payroll tax rate and/or raising the wage base to which it applies: The payroll tax raises about $1 trillion per year, about the same as the individual income tax. But because it applies to wages only, and the Social Security portion applies only to the first $110,000 in wages, the payroll tax has little impact on saving, investing, entrepreneurship, and high-productivity labor. Empirically, we find across countries no relationship between the payroll tax and economic growth. This is why the payroll tax holiday, which cut the rate 2 points in 2011 and 2012, has failed to improve the economy or reduce chronic unemployment. It did, however, cost the treasury $125 billion per year, more than 10 percent of the deficit. That’s a bad deal.
#10 Raising the Alternative Minimum Tax and/or a “Buffet Rule”-type minimum tax: The AMT began in the 1960s as a way to ensure high income earners don’t slip through the regular income tax system. Instead, it has become an alternative tax code with its own problematic complexities. Because it has failed to ensure a minimum tax rate, the “Buffet Rule” has been proposed as a minimum tax on millionaires, but there is no reason to expect this to work any better. Minimum taxes merely complicate the code, introduce uncertainty for taxpayers, and invite special interests to lobby for exemption. In the end, they raise little revenue.
#11 Allowing “temporary” expensing to expire: The 2010 tax deal gave businesses full expensing in 2011 and 50 percent expensing in 2012. These temporary measures are considered tax cuts, but in reality they are more like tax shifts. Instead of businesses taking their deductions in future years, they take them now. This timing shift actually produces a long-term revenue loss of nearly zero. The idea behind bonus depreciation is to encourage capital purchases earlier and hopefully encourage the use of that capital to increase production. This is what happened in 2003, leading to an immediate rebound in investment and GDP. But because it was temporary, it mainly borrowed investment from future years when it expired. Full expensing on a permanent basis would permanently shift investment forward, leading to permanently increased production and income. Making full expensing permanent could boost GDP by more than 2.7 percent over the long run, while 50 percent expensing could boost GDP by 1.36 percent.
#12 Raising top individual income tax rates: In an analysis of President Obama’s tax proposals, Tax Foundation economists estimated that increasing the marginal tax rates in the top two tax brackets from 33 percent to 36 percent and from 35 percent to 39.6 percent would lower long-term economic growth by 0.44 percent. Our model also showed that for every $1 such a policy would raise for the treasury, GDP would fall by $2.77. That’s a poor tradeoff.
#13 Raising the tax rate on estates: This ranks worse than raising top individual rates because it is a revenue loser not a revenue gainer. President Obama’s budget proposed increasing the federal estate tax from the current 35 percent top rate with a $5 million exempt amount to the 2009 levels of a 45 percent top rate and a $3.5 million exempt amount. Tax Foundation economists estimated that this policy would lower GDP by 0.23 percent. While this may seem like a small effect, the loss in GDP is nearly five times the amount of new tax revenue gained from this policy.
#14 Raising tax rates on capital gains and dividends: When Tax Foundation economists modeled the long-term effects of increasing the capital gains top rate to 20 percent and letting the tax rate on dividends revert to 39.6 percent for people in the top two brackets, they found that this policy would lower GDP by 2.15 percent and that it would not raise any new tax revenues because of its depressive effects.
#15 Most Harmful—Raising corporate income tax rates: Because the U.S. currently has the highest corporate income tax rate in the industrialized world, no one is proposing to boost the corporate tax rate. However, President Obama’s Framework for Corporate Tax Reform did contain a number of base-broadening measures to offset his proposed reduction in the corporate tax rate. After modeling these proposals, Tax Foundation economists concluded that these measures would more than erase any of the positive economic benefits of cutting the corporate tax rate.
Conclusion
If lawmakers decide that new revenues must be part of any long-term effort to solve the budget crisis, they must choose the least harmful way of raising new revenues or else they risk compounding the crisis by slowing economic growth. The above list of revenue measures is hardly complete, but it should give lawmakers some rules of thumb on how to avoid the most economically harmful revenue options.
Photo credit: Boyd A. Loving Cookies With Santa – Christ Episcopal Church, Ridgewood
December (,2012
Boyd A. Loving
1:41 PM
Ridgewood NJ, The parishioners of Christ Episcopal Church in Ridgewood celebrated Christmas early during their “Cookies with Santa” event at the church’s Cottage Place building on Sunday, December 9th. Young and old alike enjoyed being photographed with Santa, making Christmas Tree ornaments, and partaking of the pot luck luncheon.
Something different, I know this is a bit off the beaten track for this blog but we though readers may enjoy the insights in this article. Chryssoula Katsikoudi is Middle East Analyst, education and human rights activist .
The Two Faces of Qatar
December 6,2012
Chryssoula Katsikoudi
Geostrategic Forecasting Corporation
Smaller than the state of Connecticut, with a native population of less than 300,000 and occupying a small peninsula on the coast of the Arabian Peninsula, this small Persian Gulf State called Qatar has been a significant international player in the recent years. Currently ranking amongst the highest in oil and gas reserves, as well as the country’s GDP ($150,6bill) and GDP/Capita ($179,000), this small Arab emirate has experienced one of the worst economic times as well as becoming the world’s richest country. As far as their involvement with other countries in the Middle East and North Africa, Qatar has played a leading role in shaping the events in the Libya and Syrian, as well as Emir Sheikh’s visit to the Gaza Strip last month; one of the most fascinating and intriguing visits the Hamas territory has ever experienced. This art of “shuttle diplomacy”1 as Michael Stephens calls it in one of his articles, essentially legitimized Hamas, who has been in control of the Gaza Strip since 2007. Qatar’s favoritism on pursuing the Palestinian cause by supporting Hamas and the values of the Muslim Brotherhood means that they are also engaged in promoting Islamist movements. It is not out of charity the emir of Qatar pledged $400 million to invest in schools, housing, and construction because he suddenly felt like a philanthropist. It is because Qatar is seeking to achieve an Arab unity by playing the “rich man of the Middle East” only to gain the dominance in Arab politics, which could eventually be beneficiary to U.S.Foreign Policy concerning the Middle East; especially now that President Barack Obama has been re-elected for a second term in the White House. From Ottoman rule to its independence from Great Britain; from a devastation following World War II to become one of the richest and most influential countries in the world, one would think that this tiny country in the Middle East must also be one of the most developed ones then it comes to the uniqueness of the Qataris.
However, the only unique thing about the Qataris that they are the minority in their own homeland. With a population of approximately 885,000 and only 25% being from Qatar, there is no denying that ethics, religion, and patriotism are highly and strictly valued in the Qatari society. As an absolute Monarchy, the government is responsible with providing employment and housing for every family, and sole focus on the importance of religion, morals, and values. One would assume that life in Qatar would be much easier than in any other country in the Middle East – well, maybe for men. As a rich and growing country, Qatar is also very backwards concerning gender equality and has been criticized by many women’s rights activists. Despite its influential role in diplomacy between the West and Iran, Qatar is culturally very conservative, second in following Saudi Arabia’s cultural oppression against women. Women have to be covered from head to toe, and the image of the “hidden face of eve,” as Nawal el Saadawi labels in her book, has become a sinking sadness with a complete lack of identity as to what it is to be called a woman. Although Qatar favors and endorses the education of women, they are still separated from men, and are not allowed – or rather not advised – to speak or interact with men in any sort of way while on university grounds. Sound familiar? In Saudi Arabia, a rival neighbor to Qatar, women are not allowed to walk down the streets without being accompanied by a man; they are not allowed to drive cars, or chew gum, or even watch television if a man is not present. This extremeness hardly applies to Qatari culture that much, but the patriarchal system of dominance is still very much embedded into society; an example, for the most part, marriages are still arranged, and women are “passed over” to a stranger they will see for the first time after the wedding ceremony; a similar Chinese culture. Interestingly enough, although the abaya is not as penalized for not wearing it in public, many women do so anyway. This is an indication that although religious culture is taken very seriously in Qatar, modernity and liberalization still linger in the air like microscopic dust particles; you can’t see them but they definitely affect you in some way.
Ever since the rise to power of the current emir of Qatar, women have hoped for a revolutionary change, comparing their role in society with Qatar’s position in the Middle East. There have been municipal elections for women and men, however, it is an approach taken like the slogan used in Bahrain, where “women run, women vote, and women lose.” Yes, women are allowed to vote since 1999, however, political parties are banned in Qatar, therefore it gives limited political and electoral activity. The emir’s wife, Sheika Mozah, has served as an influential role for women’s independence in Qatar; but to what extent this independence is understood is another issue. The only formal independence Sheika Mozah has successfully achieved is enforcing education for women, which in most parts of the Middle East are not even allowed discussing. It is true, Qatari women are allowed to vote, drive a car, and pursue career opportunities, but the restrictions they face in their culture are stronger than anything else, and all those rights they posses which seem to the Western world as a progress in modernization, fade away because women still believe that gender equality does not categorize them. It is a very common psychological approach Muslim women who live under strict patriarchal laws tend to take. Instead, they express their individualism by the way they present themselves in public. For example, even though they are covered completely, with only their eyes and hands showing, they replace the cultural, black abaya with more colorful ones using excessive accessories. And since the only parts which are not covered are the eyes, hands, and feet, shoes – believe it or not – have become an important part of their “dress code.”
Many Qatari women claim that they have a choice and can do as they please, but the extent of how accurate that statement is varies. How can a country so devoted to their religion, so conservative, be so liberal at the same time and allow women to do what they want as if they were “equal to men?” Or is that just a statement for the West to believe? Then again, as a conservative Islamic nation, Qatar did send Noor Hussain Al-Malki, the first Qatari woman ever, to compete in the London’s Summer Olympics. However, culturally conservative Qatar was visible as Al-Malki was wearing a head scarf, long sleeves, and leggings. Afghanistan was also amongst those who send women to compete at the Olympics for the first time. Is this really a step in the right directions or was this mainly an “act” for the sake of the Olympic Games, and to send a message to the West?
Despite all the major reforms Qatar has enacted since 1995 and the several steps taken to promote more equality amongst women, the fight against cultural discrimination can only be won if equality is achieved in both law and practice. Providing women with education can be used as a great tool to educate them about their rights, especially when they are outnumbered by men two to one. This influences women’s participation economically and as well as in all aspects of Qatari society. In 2006, Qatar enacted the country’s first family law, which meant that instead of judges deciding the fate of women regarding marriage, divorce, and inheritance based on their interpretations of the sharia law, this new law gave women an improvement compared to the older system. However the new system may benefit them, women still remain underrepresented in the workforce as well as in the government. Qatar’s constitution, Article 35, does say “All people are equal before the law,” and that “there shall be no discrimination on account of sex, origin, language or religion,”2 providing all citizens with equal rights, and although women can complain to the police if they have been victims of gender based discrimination, most of the time their complaints are being over-looked because the courts still operate on the principles of the sharia law. It is not surprising that the emir of Qatar favors the principles and values of the Muslim Brotherhood, hence Qatar’s investment in tourism and industry projects along Egypt’s Mediterranean coast.
Ultimately, Qatar remains a patriarchal society and although the government has recognized that violence and discrimination against women is an issue, their laws have not specifically outlawed it. As previously mention, Qataris are in their own unique way the minority in their own country, and while foreign women are allowed to obtain a driver’s license, Qatari women still need to ask permission of their husbands to do so. When it comes to domestic violence, in 2007 there were a reported 107 cases of women being victims of domestic abuse.3 Furthermore, Qatari women also tend to be much more educated then men, with 66.6%of female citizens holding degrees.4 Despite this, they remain underrepresented in the workforce. Could it be that women have become a threat in the eyes of the patriarchate system? When it comes to women and their reproductive rights, abortion in Qatar is permitted in the first trimester if a licensed physician can determine that the mother’s life is in danger or if there is a serious abnormality with the fetus. Ironically, it is impossible to determine the abnormality of the fetus in the first trimester, and whether the child will be born with a mentally disabled; so technically, that assumption can be easily refuted.
To conclude, there is no doubt that Qatar remains one of the richest countries in the Middle East, and while the government has taken steps toward improving the lives of women, many of those reforms still remain uncertain. Providing women with a government based education is far better than not educating women at all.
1 https://www.opendemocracy.net/michael-stephens/shuttle-diplomacy-qatar-playing-politics-in-palestine
2 Women’s Rights in the Middle East and North Africa, ed. Sanja Kelly and Julia Breslin, (New York:
Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2010), pp. 399.
3 Ibid. pp. 408
4 pp. 411
Ultimately, it is through the knowledge they acquire that they will be able to expand culturally, challenging the social norms which keep the trapped; one step away from emancipation. Unless these reforms are firmly institutionalized, they will be of limited consequences.
Deal or no deal, ObamaCare taxes poised to hit next month
Published December 08, 2012
FoxNews.com
Even if lawmakers somehow stop the Bush-era tax rates from expiring, taxes are still expected to rise on Jan. 1 — thanks to a trio of new fees tied to the federal health care overhaul.
The IRS this past week published rules for some of the first major taxes meant to help pay for President Obama’s massive insurance coverage expansion. Together, they will raise investment and income taxes on top earners and impose a separate — and controversial — tax on medical devices.
The bundle of fees has been largely overlooked as lawmakers and the White House bicker over the Bush tax rates, with Republicans demanding they be extended for everyone and Obama insisting rates rise for top earners. But that same group of earners is already in the crosshairs under the ObamaCare tax rules published this week.
Starting Jan. 1, investment income for individuals earning over $200,000 and households earning over $250,000 will be subject to a new 3.8 percent tax. Further, regular income above those thresholds will be hit with a .9 percent Medicare surtax. Should the Bush tax rates expire for those workers, those increases will be compounded.
But the rather obscure medical device tax is the one that has stirred the most controversy in Washington and the business community. This week, groups and lawmakers renewed their calls to repeal it as the IRS published its final rules.
10 things real-estate listing sites won’t say
By AnnaMaria Andriotis
1. “The homes you’re looking at have already sold.”
Once upon a time, house hunting meant perusing local newspapers and being led through properties by a real-estate agent. Nowadays, most home buyers head straight to their computers: A record 90% searched online this year, up from 65% a decade ago, according to the National Association of Realtors. Trouble is, homes listed for sale online aren’t always actually available.
More than a third of home listings that are labeled as “active” on third-party listing sites Trulia and Zillow are no longer for sale, according to a 2012 study by consulting firm WAV Group that was sponsored by online brokerage Redfin (which also lists properties for sale). For their part, Trulia and Zillow say such outdated posts can be the result of real-estate agents inputting information incorrectly or forgetting to make updates. Walter Molony, a spokesman for the National Association of Realtors, says both parties — the sites and the agents — are sometimes responsible for outdated listings. Either way, some buyers are wasting their time reviewing homes that have already sold.
In some cases, agents intentionally leave listings up after they’ve sold, in an effort to generate future leads, says Leonard Baron, principal of real-estate consulting firm LPB Services and a lecturer at San Diego State University. Buyers who are interested in the property will reach out to the listing agent, and the agent will tell them the home has sold but that they have other properties with similar features, he says. Of course, the other properties may not meet the buyer’s criteria, says Baron, calling the strategy a “bait and switch.”
Gifts for Gi’s is a group of everyday people; students, clubs, corporate donors .No one takes a salary from Gifts for GIs and 100% of donations are used to make up & ship the “care packages”.
Gifts for GIs is an organization dedicated to generating community interest, support and participation in events that demonstrate support for our deployed service men, women & their families in an effort to let our troops know that they are not forgotten and that their sacrifice is appreciated.
In 2006 an ordinary exchange between a bartender & a customer marked the starting point for what has become an active not for profit charity. Dan Greco, of Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, was tending bar when a patron spoke to him about his feelings of sadness and concern for his child. The man’s young son, a marine, had recently been deployed to Iraq and with the holidays approaching the man’s feelings just grew worse. Dan was so moved by their discussion that he felt he had to do something. It was this conversation that gave him the inspiration for “Gift’s for GIs”.
He called on family & friends asking for items that could be shipped to this man’s son. When all was said & done, seventeen cartons were shipped in time to arrive for the holidays. What resulted, although no one realized it at the time, was the very first “Gifts for GIs” event.
Gifts for GIs is an organization dedicated to generating community interest, support and participation in events that demonstrate support for our deployed service men, women & their families. This is done in an effort to let our troops know that they are not forgotten and that their sacrifice is appreciated
As time went on, and more holiday events followed, the core volunteer group believed that American troops needed to know that they were thought of more then once a year. “Our troops receive a lot of attention and packages during the holiday season; however we often forget to say thank you during the rest of the year. Hopefully these events, though they may be small, will show our troops we appreciate them all year long.”, Dan is quoted as saying. In 2011, the board for “Gifts for GIs” voted unanimously to expand their effort to assure our troops that they are not forgotten and that their service and sacrifice is acknowledged and appreciated. To that end, the organization now holds additional drives to coincide with every patriotic holiday providing year round support for our military.
These events are supported by volunteers; everyday men, women and children, organizations and clubs (corporate & civic) who realize that the freedom we enjoy as Americans does not come with out a price. For example, local schools and Girl Scout troops have participated using these events to satisfy their community service requirements.
Since that long ago exchange, “Gifts for GIs” has grown into a fully recognized 501c, non profit organization. Each event exceeded the previous one both in the number of soldiers who received gifts as well as the numbers of boxes shipped. More then one hundred and thirty boxes were shipped to twenty one service men & woman during the 2010 holidays. Memorial Day 2011 marks the first in what will be a series of shipments throughout the year. Any donors who wish to see first hand the benefit of their efforts may visit the organization’s face book page. All letters, emails and pictures received from the troops are posted & available for all to see and in an effort to generate additional support.
Car hits, and injures 4 year old boy in Ridgewood
December 9, 2012
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, A 4-year-old boy was hit by a car on North Broad Street in Ridgewood on Saturday afternoon after he ran into a driveway ahead of his parents, police sources said
The car drove over the boy’s foot around 3:45 p.m., Sgt. Glenn Ender of the Ridgewood Police department told the Record . (https://www.northjersey.com/ridgewood/Car_hits_injures_Ridgewood_boy_4.html )
The driver, who was exiting the driveway at Ridgewood Cycle Shop at the time , had limited view of the sidewalk, Ender said.
The boy was treated at Valley Hospital.The scope of the boys injuries have not yet been fully reported .
Any deal on the deficit will hurt North Jersey households and businesses
SATURDAY DECEMBER 8, 2012, 11:51 PM
BY JOHN REITMEYER, KATHLEEN LYNN AND DAVE SHEINGOLD
STAFF WRITERS
THE RECORD
A payroll tax hike looms. Unemployment benefits could be cut. Medicare and Social Security rules may be changed. Income tax rates might go up.
In large numbers, residents and businesses of Bergen and Passaic counties will feel the consequences from the series of federal spending cuts and tax hikes now known as the fiscal cliff — no matter what happens in Washington.
President Obama and Republican leaders in Congress have been trying to strike a deal on tax and spending policies that would avert the Jan. 1 deadline — a precipice established by Congress as a last-ditch way to break the pattern of record federal budget deficits.
The president has stressed tax hikes for the wealthy in his plan, which also includes cuts in some expenditures, including limited reductions in federal spending on health programs.
Congressional Republicans are emphasizing spending cuts, largely targeting entitlements like Medicare and Medicaid. They oppose tax increases for the wealthy, and stress instead raising revenue by limiting tax deductions and loopholes.
It’s still unclear what the specific terms of a deal could be, if the two sides will reach an agreement, or even if Jan. 1 is a real deadline — as reports emerged last week of talks that could push away the encounter with the cliff for another three months.
But what is clear is that, cliff or no cliff, a lot of residents of Bergen and Passaic counties are likely to feel a sting.
