>Big Brother is Watching
Obama unveils “AttackWatch.com”
https://my.barackobama.com/page/signup/o2012-attackwatch-report-an-attack
Author: admin
>Village Council Special Public Meetings Concerning Proposed Valley Expansion : This is how you hold a Public Meeting
>Village Council Special Public Meetings Concerning Proposed Valley Expansion : This is how you hold a Public Meeting
the Staff of the Ridgewood Blog
(RIDGEWOOD -NJ) It seems like we have been here so many times before , once again Valley made a decent case for the need to modernize ,but I am not sure the same can be said for the enormous increase in size ,that case simply was not made .
The fact is that the new Valley would be the same size as Paramus Park leads us once again to the old argument that a 30 archer project is being shoehorned into 15 archers.
Another interesting detail was that the Planning Board has for some time considered Valley to be a “Regional Hospital ” and not a “Community Hospital” as we have been so often told.
Although I am still left with the feeling that Valley is being far from forward with their real motivations for the the proposed “Renewal” ,all and all the meeting was respectful with out much of the acrimony of the last couple of years ,well run by the Council and very informative leaving me with one question why weren’t some of these questions asked before ?
>Watching Village meetings online at last
>Watching Village meetings online at last
After years of waiting, the Village website is undergoing an overhaul. One benefit is that it is finally possible to watch certain Village proceedings, such as tonight’s Valley Hospital hearings (right now!), from home or wherever internet access is available, without Cablevision.
Go to the Village website, www.ridgewoodnj.net. Click on PUBLIC ACCESS CHANNEL, the fifth gray tab from the left across the top of the screen under the band containing the name of the Village. You will reach USTREAM.
Considering the large number of advertisements and extraneous material that this must be a free service. Even in the middle of the live program, advertisements, with sound, suddenly fill the screen. The program being watched then disappears until the commercial is over.
Currently, only a limited number of people can watch at the time time. As word gets out, more and more people may wish to watch at once. If paying something, or paying more, would enable more people to watch, that would be good, although the site itself is so unacceptably distracting and “commercial” that it would be better to replace the current service with a less commercial one.
With any luck, the town will be able to pay soon for a less disruptive, less commercial service that is available to more people at once.
However, this is an important first step.
Totalitarian Program ‘Agenda 21′ Now in Effect!
>Totalitarian Program ‘Agenda 21′ Now in Effect!
Written on September 13, 2011 by ralphbarker
Effective execution of Agenda 21 will require a profound reorientation of all human society, unlike anything the world has ever experienced a major shift in the priorities of both governments and individuals and an unprecedented redeployment of human and financial resources. This shift will demand that a concern for the environmental consequences of every human action be integrated into individual and collective decision-making at every level.
– George H. Bush
Agenda 21 isn’t coming. It is here. Most don’t know about it. They’ve never heard of it, but it is creeping in the back door right now. So, look behind you. It may already be in your backyard.
What is Agenda 21? It is a United Nation’s program presented and approved in Rio in 1992. At that time American conservatives laughed it off. “This is too crazy,” they said. “Impossible. It will never happen. Not here!” Well, it is happening. It is happening here and it is happening now. Agenda 21 is a totalitarian comprehensive environmental program that, when fully implemented, will direct where you live, how much water you can use, and how and where you can travel.
Agenda 21 is being marketed as a worldwide effort to ensure that all human beings will have access to adequate housing, health care, water and food. Of course this will require a massive redistribution of wealth from prosperous countries to poorer countries. Predictably, capitalistic countries, like the United States, will suffer lower standards of living.
It’s noteworthy that Presidents George H. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama, through Executive Orders, have signed onto Agenda 21. Hundreds more governors, mayors, and county commissioners have also signed on.
Agenda 21 and related programs will eliminate many things we hold dear. These have been declared “unsustainable” and will be abolished. Here are some of them:
All private property rights (property ownership)
All forms of irrigation, pesticides & commercial fertilizer
Livestock production and most meat consumption
Privately owned vehicles and personal travel
Use of fossil fuels for power generation or mechanized travel
Single family homes
Most forms of mineral extraction and timber harvesting
Human population must be reduced to fewer than 1 billion people
https://patriotupdate.com/articles/totalitarian-program-agenda-21-now-in-effect
>Valley uses a lot of Village resources like police, fire and many other services.
>Valley uses a lot of Village resources like police, fire and many other services.
There’s another aspect to this, whether you support or oppose “renewal”. Valley uses a lot of Village resources like police, fire and many other services.
Obviously their financial condition is extremely good. They pay no taxes as a “non-profit”, and wow, some of the salaries are pretty “upscale” indeed.
But what about requiring them to make PILOT payments.. it’s done elsewhere (payments in lieu of taxes).
These could be assessed based on some percentage of how residential property is taxed in the Village.
Maybe a square foot basis, maybe a negotiated flat sum that indexes as costs increase.
Obviously school taxes don’t apply, but certainly a payment for all the rest should apply. That way, Valley continues as a resource to Ridgewood, and Ridgewood as a resource to Valley, “renewed” or not.
Clearly the hospital already uses loads of Village resources, and whatever plan is decided upon, it will use more. Asking them to pay their share seems only fair. The rest of us sure have to.
Our tax burden is already much too high, and making PILOT payments would sure help. We are routinely told there is no money for fixing sidewalks, curbs and plenty of other things here. (seems to be money for mgr raises though…)
Why hasn’t the VC ever considered the PILOT topic? I wonder if they even are aware how it’s used plenty of other places? I hope someone will bring it up….. especially now at a crucial juncture in all this, when there is leverage to be had.
Cannot be there tonight but if not a total mob scene will try to get to some of the hearings. Those that do go… please bring this up!
I’m sure plenty of other things will be brought up.. but this one should be too.
>Is Social Security a Ponzi Scheme
>
Is Social Security a Ponzi Scheme
The Securities and Exchange Commission defines a Ponzi as:A Ponzi scheme is an investment fraud that involves the payment of purported returns to existing investors from funds contributed by new investors.Does Social Security constitute a Ponzi based on that definition? Bruce Krasting thinks it does.
>ANNUAL RIDGEWOOD STREET FAIR, September 18th
>ANNUAL RIDGEWOOD STREET FAIR, September 18th
Ridgewood Parks and Recreation will again sponsor this seasonal outdoor market on Sunday, September 18th, 12 noon to 5 pm, on East Ridgewood Avenue (rain or shine). There is no fee to attend.
Vendor wares will include arts and crafts, jewelry, holiday ornaments, novelties of many sorts, home goods, and clothing and accessories. Children’s events will include pony rides, sand art, a petting zoo, inflatables and more. The food court offers a wide variety of refreshments.
>Village Council Special Public Meetings Concerning Proposed Valley Expansion
>Village Council Special Public Meetings Concerning Proposed Valley Expansion
The Ridgewood Village Council will be holding Special Public Meetings concerning the proposed Valley Hospital expansion in the Ridgewood High School Campus Center, 627 East Ridgewood Avenue, on the following dates: September 13, September 19, October 13, October 24, November 3, November 22, and November 29, 2011.
The meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and seating will be on a first come, first served basis. The meetings will also be televised on Cablevision Channel 77 and through computer video streaming at ustream.tv. Agendas for each meeting will be posted on the Village’s website prior to the meeting.
>Poverty in U.S. Climbed to 17-Year High in 2010, Income Fell
>Poverty in U.S. Climbed to 17-Year High in 2010, Income Fell
By Catherine Dodge – Sep 13, 2011 10:21 AM ET
The U.S. poverty rate rose to the highest level in almost two decades and household income fell in 2010, underscoring the lingering impact of the worst economic slump in seven decades.
Data released by the Census Bureau today showed the proportion of people living in poverty climbed to 15.1 percent last year from 14.3 percent in 2009 and median household income declined 2.3 percent. The 46.2 million Americans living in poverty was the highest since the Census Bureau began counting the number 52 years ago. Those figures may have worsened in recent months as the economy weakened.
>Hackensack University Medical Center loses appeal, millions in state reimbursement
>Hackensack University Medical Center loses appeal, millions in state reimbursement
Hackensack University Medical Center has lost a case before the state Appellate Division involving millions of dollars in state reimbursement for expenses related to educating medical residents and interns.
The Legislature’s annual appropriation of funds for graduate medical education — $60 million in the 2010 New Jersey fiscal year — is allocated by the state Medicaid division using a formula set by state law. Funding is made available to hospitals whose “utilization rate,” or the ratio of Medicaid patient days to all patient days, falls above the median.
In 2009, under the formula, Hackensack received $4.1 million. In 2010, the medical center’s utilization rate was one slot below the median. As a result it received nothing.
The hospital challenged this decision by the state agency. It repeatedly submitted additional data that it claimed showed the hospital had actually provided more Medicaid care than originally submitted. (Washburn, The Record)
>Ridgewood Public Library hosts the 9th Annual Reel Voices Film Festival
>
Ridgewood Public Library hosts the 9th Annual Reel Voices Film Festival
Festival Schedule:
Wednesay, Oct. 13 @ 7:30 pm
Friday, October 14 & 21 @ 7:30 pm
Friday, November 4 & 18 @ 7:30 pm
Please join us at the 9th Annual Reel Voices Film Festival for an an inspiring selection of documentaries and their creators sponsored by the Friends of the Ridgewood Library.
Register online: $5 per program. You may also register at the Library or purchase tickets at the door (first-come, first-served).
For information, please contact:
Roberta Panjwani, Festival Coordinator [email protected]
(201) 670-5600, ext. 114
Ridgewood Public Library 125 N. Maple Avenue / Ridgewood, NJ 07450
>It’s Decision Time, “Renewal” is Wrong for Ridgewood.
>Concerned Residents of Ridgewood – Newsletter September 10, 2011
It’s Decision Time, “Renewal” is Wrong for Ridgewood.
By Pete McKenna
The good news is we are closer to the end of this odyssey than we’ve ever been. The bad news is you need to read this entire newsletter to know what to expect. First, on Tuesday September 13th at 7 p.m. The Village Council will begin its hearings at the Campus Center at Ridgewood High School to decide how to proceed with Valley’s massive expansion. It is very important that every member of the community who is against this expansion attends as a show of force. Second, we continue to spend money in support of our position. Please support us as much as you can so that we can continue to advocate for you. https://www.stopvalley.com/Donate.html
Valley calls those in opposition NIMBYs or a vocal minority and many in the community and even the Planning Board believe this “spin”. We need the Village Council and Valley itself to see that we are a majority of Ridgewood’s residents and deeply, genuinely concerned about this Village’s well-being and quality of life.
Valley is strongly “encouraging” its employees and auxiliaries to attend, we need to counter their efforts. The Council can accept the ordinance the Planning Board drafted, create a new ordinance, or decide an ordinance isn’t warranted. This process is unprecedented and we are not certain how the Council will manage the hearings. I ask you to show respect for the Council and the process they are embarking on.
We all recall the poor treatment we suffered at the hands of the Planning Board, but that was a different body, serving under a different Mayor and Council. It would be unfair to this Council and this process to seek revenge for past wrongs from them.
We will be represented at the hearings by our attorney and he will be watching to see that our rights are not compromised during this process. We have also retained a planner to add technical credibility to our arguments against this expansion.
The hearings will be broadcast on Cablevision ch. 77, but there may not be enough bandwidth for all to be able to view.
Here’s a reminder of what we’re fighting for and why “Renewal” is Wrong for Ridgewood.
The Master Plan Amendment the Planning Board passed permits Valley to expand over 100% on their 15 acre site to over 1.1 million square feet. This is roughly 10% larger than Paramus Park Mall.
It permits a height of 94 feet (currently 56 feet) with reduced setbacks compared to the existing Valley campus.
This expansion would reverse decades of decisions from the Village Council and Board of Adjustment including a previous requirement to remove a
40,000 square foot building to accommodate the most recent “last” Valley expansion in the 90’s.
The Valley campus is in the middle of a neighborhood of single family homes with a middle school bordering its North property line and a
grammar school 1 block away. It is serviced by 2 lane roads, very unusual for a building its current size, no less a 100% larger building.
Without a Village ordinance in support of the Master Plan Amendment or a trip to the Board of Adjustment, Valley cannot begin to build.
Valley has refused to acknowledge how they will pay for this $750mm expansion and whether they will take on debt similar to the debt that
forced Pascack Valley Hospital into bankruptcy. How will Valley get their return on investment for this massive project?
o Rate increases? When was the last time your insurer paid more for the same service?
o Volume increases? They told the Planning Board that Renewal will generate ZERO additional car trips to the site. No volume increase + no rate increase = no way this math is correct.
Other News –
Valley has been actively working the neighborhoods with a “survey”. We have heard from many of you how much Valley “spin” was directed at you when you voiced a resistance to Renewal. This was not a scientific process and if Valley tries to introduce it as anything more than part of their PR department’s output, please share your experiences with their intended audience. Through our attorney we have requested that the Superior Court of NJ to postpone a decision on our lawsuit so that any decision in court for or against us, won’t impact the council’s process. Hopefully the attorney for the Village Planning board and Valley’s attorneys will agree to this reasonable, un-biased request.
Please forward this newsletter as you see fit, many in the Village are unaware of where the issue stands at present.
If you can host a more in-depth information session on the issues for your friends and neighbors, we’d be happy to provide a speaker and content.
Email [email protected] and we’ll contact you.
Donate today @ https://www.stopvalley.com/Donate.html
SEE YOU TUESDAY 9/13 at RIDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL @ 7 p.m.
>Ridgewood High School Back to School Night
>Ridgewood High School Back to School Night
Back to School Night will be on Thursday, September 22, 2011. Emails and letters will be sent home to parents with important information attached. To access this information you may also click on one of the links below.
BTS Parent Schedule https://tinyurl.com/3cyad7t
BTS Night Schedule 2011 https://tinyurl.com/3p9wjmt
BTS Grid for Schedule http://tinyurl.com/3bb74x7
BTS Honesty Letter https://tinyurl.com/44d2th6
>Council to take up Valley plan
>Council to take up Valley plan
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
BY BARBARA WILLIAMSAND MARY JO LAYTON
STAFF WRITERS
The Record
Print | E-mail
RIDGEWOOD — The controversy over whether The Valley Hospital should be allowed to double in size resurfaces tonight as the Village Council holds its first public hearing on the issue.
The proposal, which has divided the community, will be discussed at seven public meetings starting tonight and running through Nov. 29. The meetings will take place at the high school because they are expected to draw hundreds of residents and hospital employees.
“We’re committed to bringing this issue to a resolution as soon as possible,” Councilman Paul Aronsohn said. “There are so many issues involved here. What Valley’s proposing has implications — people can put their own value judgment on that.”
The council is charged with deciding whether to introduce and then adopt an ordinance that will change the village master plan so the hospital can increase to 1.17 million square feet and replace its 1960s-era buildings. The new buildings could reach 94 feet tall in the middle of a residential neighborhood of two-story homes. The $750 million expansion will push the new structure to 40 feet from the property line of Benjamin Franklin Middle School.
Valley officials have said the expansion is essential for them to be able to provide cutting-edge medical care.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/health/129704623_Council_to_take_up_Valley_plan.html
>N.J. water infrastructure must be addressed
>
N.J. water infrastructure must be addressed
Most people — maybe you are included in this — take clean water, and all that goes into delivering it to our taps, for granted.
That is easy to explain, as much of the complex network of pump stations, treatment plants and the thousands of miles of pipes in New Jersey that distribute the water we use in our homes, offices and schools are either buried underground or are not in plain view. This “out of sight” aspect, coupled with the incredible reliability of water service today, has made it difficult for customers to understand the effort and the money required to sustain our water infrastructure, which contributes greatly to growing and sustaining business in the state. (Bigelow, NJBIZ)
