Month: January 2013

Village of Ridgewood makes pitch for volunteers
Sunday, January 20, 2013
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
The Record

RIDGEWOOD — Residents turned out in droves in the wake of superstorm Sandy, approaching village officials wanting to do something — anything — to help those struggling in their community.

The Ridgewood Office of Emergency Management and the Police Department are looking to harness that spirit of volunteerism and will host an information session and organizational meeting Feb. 6 for those interested aiding first responders.

Ridgewood’s emergency management coordinator, Jeremy Kleiman, and village Police Chief John Ward will lead the gathering at the Pat Mancuso Senior Center and “gauge residents’ interest in volunteering as part of a community response group,” reads a press release.

With enough volunteers, the village could formalize a program inspired by the Community Emergency Response Team model, and customize it to meet the needs of Ridgewood.

“Many residents came forward during Hurricane Sandy and asked how they can help,” said Kleiman.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/187630061_Ridgewood_makes_pitch_for_volunteers.html

Ninth Annual Service of Healing
Sunday January 27
Bethlehem Lutheran Church

The members of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, along with our Parish Nurse, Patty Criscenzo, invite everyone to a Service of Healing on Sunday, January 27 at 1:00PM. Please join us as we come together for this renewal of body, mind and spirit. The worship service will be held in our sanctuary located at 155 Linwood Ave. in Ridgewood, NJ. Pastor Andy Nelson will lead the service with music by Diane Mitchell.

Healing does not mean just the lack of illness or disability. The root of the word heal means wholeness. As Christians, we remember that our wholeness involves harmony in all areas of our lives – body, mind and spirit, with Christ at the center. Christian healing directs us toward being the person God is calling us to be at every stage of our living and our dying. For some, healing is comfort; for some, strength; for others, physical healing.

Through prayer, anointing with oil and confession we cast our burden on the Lord. We confess that Jesus meets us in our brokenness and pain and brings His love to bear –
forgiving, transforming, redeeming and healing by His Grace. Jesus does this in God’s way, in God’s time and according to God’s loving purpose for each individual.

Anointing with oil is not a sacrament. It does not come with the promise of grace as does Baptism or Holy Communion. It is a sign, an external sign of the internally committing our struggles, illnesses and pains to God’s merciful care. It is a means of acknowledging God’s redemptive power at work to make His people whole – body, mind and spirit. In the act of anointing, the church affirms and recognizes the believer as a redeemed child of God through Baptism. Our physical, mental and emotional hurts and ills are not signs of God’s rejection but symptoms of our fallen world in which sin and death reign. We are invited by God to commend our ills on Him for this life, realizing that ultimate healing awaits us in heaven.

We truly hope to see you and wish everyone a blessed start to 2013. Admission is free. Light refreshments will follow in the parlor. All are welcome, bring a friend.

The members of Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church, Ridgewood want you to know that God has a plan for you and he loves you. Our faith is in Christ. Our guide is in the Bible. Our love is for all. Come celebrate with us. We offer 2 Sunday services:

Contemporary Praise Service at 8:45am and Traditional Worship at 11am with Sunday School and Bible Class at 10am. Please join us at 155 Linwood Avenue, Ridgewood.

Bethlehem Lutheran Church
155 Linwood Avenue
Ridgewood, NJ 07450

Boss Tweed

Bergen County switches insurance broker to new firm led by Boss George E. Norcross
Friday January 18, 2013, 11:07 PM
BY  JOHN C. ENSSLIN AND JEFF PILLETS
STAFF WRITERS
The Record

Bergen County has switched insurance brokers for the first time in a decade, shifting its business to a company headed by South Jersey political boss George E. Norcross, a firm recently cited by state investigators for its role in a hidden fee-sharing arrangement that was potentially wasteful of public funds.

The move by the administration of County Executive Kathleen Donovan has sparked a complaint from the prior broker, Brown & Brown Insurance, whose attorney contends the county failed to follow the proper procedure and that the decision should have gone before the freeholders.

County officials contend they complied with the law in designating Norcross’s firm, Conner, Strong & Buckelew, as the county insurance broker for 2013. Norcross, the executive chairman of the company, is generally acknowledged to be one of the most powerful political insiders in the state. A prominent Democratic power broker and political fundraiser, he’s a close political ally of state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester.

County Administrator Ed Trawinski said the move was based solely upon which company could do the best job when it came to the county’s self-insurance program.

“I wouldn’t know George Norcross if I fell over him,” Trawinski said Wednesday.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/Bergen_County_switches_insurance_broker_to_new_firm_led_by_big_political_player.html

Debt rose 20 percent during the 2005 fiscal year under then-Gov. James McGreevey.

N.J.’s debt rises to $38.8B, and it’s slated to go higher
Saturday, January 19, 2013
BY  JOHN REITMEYER
STATE HO– USE BUREAU
The Record

New Jersey now owes $38.8 billion, an amount that maintains the state’s ranking as one of the most indebted in the country and will continue to grow.

A report released Friday by the Treasury Department details the debt, but because it covers the last fiscal year, it is already out of date.

An additional $1.8 billion in long-term debt was issued by the Christie administration since June 30, 2012, the end of the last fiscal year, the period tracked in the debt report.

The majority of the new financing is paying for planned school construction and transportation improvements, and that borrowing won’t show up until the next debt report is issued.

In practical terms, New Jersey’s debt burden means Governor Christie and lawmakers have to dedicate more and more of the state’s annual budget just to keep up with the credit card bills. That redirects tax dollars that could be spent on other priorities, such as school aid, transportation improvements or property tax relief.

The current state budget allocates roughly $3 billion to debt service, an appropriation equal to nearly 10 percent of total state spending.

The state’s total bonded debt rose by roughly $740 million during the last fiscal year because New Jersey borrowed more than it paid down. And though the total went up, the increase measured in the new report was under 2 percent, marking the third straight year the borrowing rate has dropped under Christie, a Republican who took office in early 2010 and is running for reelection this year.

New Jersey was adding debt at much higher rates within the last decade — including growth of 20 percent during the 2005 fiscal year under then-Gov. James McGreevey.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/187565041_N_J__s_debt_rises_to__38_8B__and_it_s_slated_to_go_higher.html

US employee ‘outsourced’ his own job to China

Man with computer The employee spent a nine-to-five workday surfing the internet

A security check on a US company has reportedly revealed one of its staff was outsourcing his work to China.

The software developer, in his 40s, is thought to have spent his workdays surfing the web, watching cat videos on YouTube and browsing Reddit and eBay.

He reportedly paid just a fifth of his six-figure salary to a company based in Shenyang to do his job.

Operator Verizon says the scam came to light after the US firm asked it for an audit, suspecting a security breach.

According to Andrew Valentine, of Verizon, the infrastructure company requested the operator’s risk team last year to investigate some anomalous activity on its virtual private network (VPN) logs.

“This organisation had been slowly moving toward a more telecommuting oriented workforce, and they had therefore started to allow their developers to work from home on certain days. In order to accomplish this, they’d set up a fairly standard VPN concentrator approximately two years prior to our receiving their call,” he was quoted as saying on an internet security website.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21043693

Long Term Unemployment at Highest Level Since WWII
by Keith Koffler on January 15, 2013, 10:18 am

Long term unemployment under President Obama is at the highest level since at least the end of World War II, threatening to create a permanent underclass of workers who will find it difficult or impossible to obtain jobs in the future. What’s more, Obama’s insistence on repeatedly extending long term unemployment benefits may be fueling the unemployment problem.

According to data recently released by the St. Louis Federal Reserve, the average duration of unemployment is now at about 40 weeks, double the previous highest level of about 20 weeks that prevailed during the last three recessions.

https://www.whitehousedossier.com/2013/01/15/long-term-unemployment-highest-level-wwii/

Doug Casey, chairman of Casey Research : America Should Declare Bankruptcy
By Lauren Lyster | Daily Ticker – Fri, Jan 18, 2013 7:41 AM EST

This week started with President Obama Monday demanding lawmakers raise the U.S.’s $16.4 trillion debt ceiling, warning Republicans not to insist on spending cuts in return. The same day, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke advocated getting rid of the debt limit altogether. The Washington Post reports in a conversation at the University of Michigan Bernanke said the debt ceiling has only “symbolic value.”

And the week ends with lawmakers still careening towards a deadline somewhere between mid-February and late March, when the U.S. will run out of funding for most government programs and risk default. They have no plan to raise the ceiling or abolish it. Even so, perhaps playing chicken with the debt limit, a charade we already witnessed once before in 2011, is not the real story.

“Bernanke is quite correct, it is theatrics,” Doug Casey, chairman of Casey Research, professional investor, and author of Totally Incorrect: Conversations with Doug Casey tells The Daily Ticker. “The problem is the amount of debt itself. The problem is so big at this point, I think it’s very questionable whether this can be solved at all.”

https://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/america-declare-bankruptcy-doug-casey-124119100.html

LaTour, A French-American Grill

Ridgewood’s Restaurant Weeks
Sun, January 20, 2013 – Thu, January 31, 2013
Time: 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Business District of Ridgewood, Ridgewood, NJ

2013 Ridgewood’s Restaurant Weeks
A year never tasted so good!
Back by Popular demand
RESTAURANT WEEK 2013!

From January 20- January 31, on Sundays through Thursdays , experieince fine dining in Ridgewood for only $20.13.

For these eight days, participating restaurants are offering you the chance to experience dining in Ridgewood like never before.

Each chef is preparing a tantalizing 3-course, prix-fixe menu for your dinning pleasure. Choose from 3 appetizers, 3 entrees and 3 desserts for only $20.13.

Visit the following participating restaurants. Call for reservation/details.

Brick Lane Curry House
201-670-7311
It’s Greek to Me
201-612-2600 (Dinner for two@ $20.13)
LaBottega
201-445-7222
LaPiazza Bistro Italiano
201-447-5111
LaTour, A French-American Grill
201-445-5056 (Lunch Only)
Mediterraneo Restaurant
201-447-0022
Park West Tavern
201-445-5400
Ridgewood Fare
201-857-8400 (lunch only)
Saladworks
201-447-8800 (Meal for two @ $20.13)
Sakura-Bana Restaurant
201-447-6525
Smith Brothers Steak Restaurant
201-444-8111
The Office Beer Bar & Grill Restaurant
201-652-1070
The Pearl Restaurant
201-857-5100
The Stable Restaurant
201-444-1199
Tre Voci
201-857-3494
Village Green Restaurant
201-445-2914 (Lunch Only)
Wild Ginger
201-857-3830

Shopper parking lots available at $.25 an hour

Ridgewood’s Restaurant Week is sponsored by The Valley Hospital.

Tips for Healthy Eating in Restaurants
1. Consider limiting your bread intake.
2. Select appetizers that are lower in fat and calories.
3. Order sauces and dressings on the side.
4. Watch portion size. Consider taking a portion of your meal home.
5. Select foods that are steamed, broiled, baked or poached.

To learn more about The Valley Hospital’s Recipe for Life program or to schedule an appointment for nutritional counseling, please call 201-634-5371.

For information
call/email:
201-445-2600
info@ridgewoodchamber.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Titos-Burritos/180216111988829

Rev Run & Diggy at Tito’s Ridgewood!!! Tito feels the love

Tito’s Burritos
166 E. Ridgewood Avenue,  Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450

Today 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Phone    (201) 857-4619
Email    info@titosburritos.com
Website    https://titosburritos.com

The History of Tito

It is believed that Tito was born in a small beach village of Todos Santos, in the middle of Mexico’s Baja peninsula. Or maybe it was just outside of Hali ‘ewa, on the North Shore
of Oahu. Then again, it might have been the town of Balboa, on the Pacific coast of Panama.

Truth is, no one’s quite sure where he’s from! Whenever asked, Tito simply leans back and scratches the growth on
his chin and replies (using his own brand of language that we refer to as “Tito-speak”), “I come from da beach, brah. And no matter where I am, I will always be at da beach!”

Spoken like a true hedonist.

It is that love for the hedonistic lifestyle of the beach, & the good times that come from it that’s the soul of Tito’s Burritos.

Tito’s Burritos’ slogan is, “It’s all good!”, & that motto applies to the overall philosophy of our business. In other words, we are 100% committed to offering our customers nothing but goodness. That means the tastiest food, prepared & served in a casual and easy-going manner, at a good value.

We use only the freshest ingredients in everything that we prepare, and every order is custom made the way that YOU want it. It might take a couple of minutes longer, but we’ll make sure that it’s worth the wait.

If you’re eating here, kick back & enjoy the music, or the “wish I was there” TV, which runs the finest in hedonism.

It is our wish that you enjoy everything that Tito’s Burritos has to offer, & that your experience leaves you feeling that “It’s all good”!

¡Mahalo!
PS:
You might see Tito around the shop every once in a while, but sightings are indeed rare. After all, you can’t be a true hedonist and a workaholic.

We love Tito just the way he is, so we’ll cut him a little slack if he only shows up occasionally for a little chow and to pick up some spending money.

Ridgewood middle school teacher takes plea deal in shoplifting case
Friday, January 18, 2013    Last updated: Friday January 18, 2013, 4:22 PM
BY  CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
The Record

RIDGEWOOD — A middle school foreign language teacher accused of shoplifting $75 in groceries from a Whole Foods supermarket this fall accepted a plea deal this week, and will pay more than $1,000 in fines, court officials said Friday.

Ridgewood court officials said Adolfo Noya, 47, of Wyckoff, pleaded guilty Thursday to conduct disruptive to the public peace, and was sentenced to 30 days of community service.

Noya, a veteran George Washington Middle School teacher, will also pay $1,033 in fines and court fees, officials said.

Noya’s case was handled Thursday by Municipal Court Judge David Pfund. Court officials said Noya waved his right to trial on the shoplifting charge.

https://www.northjersey.com/ridgewood/Ridgewood_middle_school_teacher_pleads_guilty.html

monopoly bankrupt

Fitch may downgrade U.S. credit rating
Pan Pylas, AP Writer10:09a.m. EST January 15, 2013

LONDON (AP) — The United States could lose its top credit rating for the second time from a leading credit agency if there’s a delay in raising the country’s debt ceiling, Fitch Ratings warned Tuesday.

Congress has to increase the country’s debt limit, which effectively rules how much debt the U.S. can have, by March 1 or face a potential default. There are fears that the debate will deteriorate into the squabbling and political brinkmanship that marked the last effort to raise the ceiling in the summer of 2011. The U.S. Treasury Department warned then that it had nearly reached a point where it would be unable “to meet our commitments securely.”

If Fitch does move to downgrade the US, it will join Standard & Poor’s, which was so concerned by the dysfunctional 2011 debate that it stripped the U.S. of its triple A rating for the first time in the country’s history. Another major ratings agency, Moody’s, also has a negative view on the U.S. outlook.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/01/15/fitch-downgrade-us/1835385/