Month: March 2013

RHS 2013 National Merit Scholarship Award finalists

RHS 2013 National Merit Scholarship Award finalists Vidushi Sharma, Thomas Lum, Anna Lenore Nathanson and Kyo San Ku pose for a photo with Principal Tom Gorman and Guidance Counselor Laura Moore.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and university scholarships administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a privately funded, not-for-profit organization. The program began in 1955. NMSC conducts two annual competitions for recognition and scholarships: the National Merit Scholarship Program, which is open to all students who meet entry requirements, and the National Achievement Scholarship Program (est. 1964) in which only African American students participate. The highest achieving students in the National Merit Scholarship Program are designated as National Merit Scholars, representing less than 1% of the initial pool of entrants.

The corporation’s headquarters are located in Evanston, Illinois. Finalists and semifinalists are also given recognition for their academic and extracurricular achievements. Commended Students are named on the basis of a nationally applied Selection Index score that may vary from year to year and is typically below the level required for participants to be named Semifinalists in their respective states. Each year’s Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) is the qualifying test designated for entry to a particular year’s competitions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Merit_Scholarship_Program

Dow Jones Reaches Record High

The Last Time The Dow Was Here…
Tyler Durden’s picture
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/05/2013 09:36 -0500

“Mission Accomplished” – With CNBC now lost for countdown-able targets (though 20,000 is so close), we leave it to none other than Jim Cramer, quoting Stanley Druckenmiller, to sum up where we stand (oh and the following list of remarkable then-and-now macro, micro, and market variables), namely that “we all know it’s going to end badly, but in the meantime we can make some money” – ZH translation: “just make sure to sell ahead of everyone else.”

Dow Jones Industrial Average: Then 14164.5; Now 14164.5
    Regular Gas Price: Then $2.75; Now $3.73
    GDP Growth: Then +2.5%; Now +1.6%
    Americans Unemployed (in Labor Force): Then 6.7 million; Now 13.2 million
    Americans On Food Stamps: Then 26.9 million; Now 47.69 million
    Size of Fed’s Balance Sheet: Then $0.89 trillion; Now $3.01 trillion
    US Debt as a Percentage of GDP: Then ~38%; Now 74.2%
    US Deficit (LTM): Then $97 billion; Now $975.6 billion
    Total US Debt Oustanding: Then $9.008 trillion; Now $16.43 trillion
    US Household Debt: Then $13.5 trillion; Now 12.87 trillion
    Labor Force Particpation Rate: Then 65.8%; Now 63.6%

www.northjersey.com

Reader says it will be extremely difficult for the Ridgewood Garage to demonstrate that they are more cost efficient than other alternatives.

The Village has been very satisfied with the quality of work from Paramus Garage. In fact, I have heard numerous stories about how long it takes for the Ridgewood Garage to complete very simple jobs. Ridgewood vehicles have been taken to other facilities to have things like oil changes done in a matter of hours, after the Ridgewood Garage said the work would take days.

This is a simple matter of economics. If Ridgewood’s Garage employees are more responsive and perform the necessary work at the lowest total cost, the facility should be kept. However, if Paramus or another town’s garage facility is more responsive and can perform the necessary work at a lower cost (fully burdened labor and OH, including accurate pension and benefit obligations must be used in this comparison), the Ridgewood Garage should be shut down and outsourced to those facilities.

This does not take into consideration the additional revenue that could be generated if the Village enters into a long term lease arrangement for a higher use development on the site that could benefit the community.

I expect that it will be extremely difficult for the Ridgewood Garage to demonstrate that they are more cost efficient than other alternatives. This is not a complicated analysis to perform. So, the Village Council should get the data and make the information available to the public for discussion and a decision.

Readers says use of Reserve Fund toward RHS Learning Commons beg question how much extra money is built into the school budget each year?

While I actually believe the learning commons is a good idea, this brings several questions to mind. Number 1 – how much extra money is built into the school budget each year such that they have an extra $400k to put into this project and aren’t terribly concerned about depleting the funds, and two, how did the existing library become so obsolete 2 years after we were forced to spend $40mm updating facilities, including turfing the field? Was this considered when those renovations were proposed?

Another example of their long term planning abilities. This project was sold as being funded by donations, and yet the school district has donated the lions share.

Tiger Team : Village Council DOES have a obligation to explore these recommendations thoroughly

The Village Council has no obligation to follow the specific recommendations of the Tiger Team. But, the Village Council asked them to perform their work. They don’t appear to have had any particular agenda, which is more than I can say for any of the Village Council members.

Their report presented a great deal of factual historical information that had not been presented to taxpayers in the past. They also appear to have presented some very thoughtful and recommendations to address our fiscal problems. Although, as they suggested in their report, there are many other areas that need to be looked at, including the BOE. While the the Council may not have an obligation to follow the recommendations, I can’t imagine why they would not want to avoid at least using them as a starting point.

I would suggest that the Village Council DOES have a obligation to explore these recommendations thoroughly. If they can come up with better ways to reverse the run away annual increases to Ridgewood’s property tax liability, that is great. But, doing nothing is not an option.

If you or others have a reason why any of the recommendations shouldn’t be followed, explain why or come up with better alternatives.

Bob Menendez at Ridgewood REORG Photo by Boyd Loving

Report: Relative of top Bob Menendez donor pushed apparent retraction of prostitution claim
David Martosko
Executive Editor

A Dominican politician related to a top political donor to Sen. Bob Menendez was the driving force promoting new claims from a woman who now says she concocted an allegation that the senator paid her for sex in 2012.

The Miami Herald reported Tuesday that Vinicio Castillo Semán, the cousin of Dr. Salomon Melgen, first released an affidavit Monday from a Dominican escort named Nexis de los Santos Santana, who recanted what she said were accusations she made in a media report.

The Washington Post quickly connected that affidavit to The Daily Caller’s Nov. 1, 2012 report, in which two women said on videotape that they were paid to provide sexual favors to Menendez. But de los Santos’ statement Monday appears to describe a different interview that was never published.

Read more: https://dailycaller.com/2013/03/06/report-relative-of-top-bob-menendez-donor-pushed-apparent-retraction-of-prostitution-claim/#ixzz2MndEf8en

Village of Ridgewood : Sanitation Collection at the Curb on Thursday

To ensure collection of your garbage tomorrow, March 7th, please place your garbage at the curb. Due to weather conditions and safety, collection may need to be curtailed tomorrow. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

N.J. commuters rank third for longest haul

If it seems like your commute is getting longer, New Jersey, it’s not in your mind. Asbury Park Press

https://www.app.com/article/20130305/NJNEWS/303050135/N-J-commuters-rank-3rd-for-longest-haul?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Frontpage|s

N.J. increasing test for students

New Jersey students will spend eight or nine hours on annual state tests starting in the 2014-15 school year – roughly three more hours per year than current tests require, according to guidance released by the state on Tuesday. Record

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

The Ridgewood Art Institute Announces the March 2013 Artists of the Month!!