>Obamcare : Judges seemed receptive to arguments from critics challenging the health reforms asunconstitutional
Healthcare overhaul fight in pivotal Atlanta court
By The Associated Press Published: June 08, 2011
ATLANTA (AP) – The latest round in the fight over President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul was held Wednesday in the federal appeals court in Atlanta.
A three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments on whether to reverse a Florida judge’s ruling that struck down the law. The judges seemed receptive to arguments from critics challenging the health reforms as unconstitutional during the three-hour hearing.
>President Obama’s phony accounting on the auto industry bailout By Glenn Kessler
“Chrysler has repaid every dime and more of what it owes American taxpayers for their support during my presidency.”
— President Obama, June 4, 2011
With some of the economic indicators looking a bit dicey, President Obama traveled to Ohio last week to tout what the administration considers a good-news story: the rescue of the domestic automobile industry. In fact, he also made it the subject of his weekly radio address.
We take no view on whether the administration’s efforts on behalf of the automobile industry were a good or bad thing; that’s a matter for the editorial pages and eventually the historians. But we are interested in the facts the president cited to make his case.
What we found is one of the most misleading collections of assertions we have seen in a short presidential speech. Virtually every claim by the president regarding the auto industry needs an asterisk, just like the fine print in that too-good-to-be-true car loan.
>U.S. funding for future promises lags by trillions
The federal government’s financial condition deteriorated rapidly last year, far beyond the $1.5 trillion in new debt taken on to finance the budget deficit, a USA TODAY analysis shows.
The government added $5.3 trillion in new financial obligations in 2010, largely for retirement programs such as Medicare and Social Security. That brings to a record $61.6 trillion the total of financial promises not paid for.
This gap between spending commitments and revenue last year equals more than one-third of the nation’s gross domestic product.
>PSE&G Suggests Ways to Keep Cool and Manage Energy Costs this Summer Reduction in electric prices also will help lower customers’ bills
(June 7, 2011 – Newark, NJ) – PSE&G residential customers will pay 4.9 percent less for electricity this summer as the result of a price reduction that took effect June 1. Even so, demand for electricity rises as the weather gets hot and people turn on fans and air conditioners, and so the utility is offering the following tips to help customers reduce energy use and control costs.
• Install a programmable thermostat. If health conditions permits, raise the setting from 73 to 78 degrees. You can save 3 to 5 percent on your air conditioning costs for each degree you raise the thermostat. • Close doors leading to uncooled parts of your home. If you have central air conditioning, close off vents to unused rooms. Keep filters clean. • Plant shade trees close to the house on the south and west sides. • Seal holes and cracks around doors and windows. Eliminate air leaks between window air conditioners and windows with foam insulation or weather-stripping. • Turn off power sources. TVs, computers and other electronic devices draw power when they are in standby mode or turned off but still plugged in. Plug electronics into power strips and turn off the power switch when the items are not in use. • Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), which use 75 percent less electricity and burn more coolly than incandescent bulbs. CFLs are especially handy in hard-to-reach fixtures and won’t need to be replaced for about five years. • Use timers and motion detectors on indoor and outdoor lighting. • Delay heat-producing tasks such as laundry until later in the day. Wash full loads, using cold water whenever possible. • Run the dishwasher at night, using the shortest cycle that will get the dishes clean. If manufacturers’ directions permit, turn the dishwasher off before the dry cycle or use the air dry feature if your machine has one. • Take short showers. They use less hot water than a bath. • Replace old appliances with new energy efficient Energy Star appliances. • Unplug the extra refrigerator in your garage or basement and use it only when necessary. Refrigerators that are only 10 years old can use twice as much electricity as new Energy Star labeled models. • If possible, install whole-house fans that bring in cooler night-time air that can pre-cool a house and reduce energy use in the daytime if heat is kept out by closing windows and shades. • Take advantage of PSE&G’s Home Energy Toolkit. It helps you analyze your home energy use and then provides customized energy saving tips. To access the Home Energy Toolkit, log in to My Account at pseg.com. To view demonstrations of how to save money in your home, visit PSEG’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/psegvideo (PSE&G Summer Energy Savings Tips). We encourage you to share the information with family and friends.
Transportation group study shows older pedestrians at greater risk
A transportation group study found that older pedestrians in New Jersey are far more likely to be killed while walking than younger residents and declared Atlantic County as the most dangerous county for older pedestrians.(Hassan, State Street Wire)
Gov. Chris Christie yesterday scaled back the state’s renewable energy goals, releasing a revamped Energy Master Plan (EMP) that questions New Jersey’s aggressive targets for solar energy, while pushing for more nuclear power and a bigger dependence on natural gas. (Johnson, NJ Spotlight)
Opening Day at Graydon Pool : I think they did a nice job
But here is an idea every Saturday should be free, but the cost could be covered under sponsorship. Sell the “day” to a single sponsor who gets naming and display rights.
This is a subscription business in the end, they should treat it as one. The people who want to “keep Graydon” as it is should turn their efforts towards this as a project. I bet the walk up gate they make on a normal day is peanuts in comparison to what they could do on naming rights, and the margin is all in concessions. It is a win/win.
Important: Discounts will be applied at check-out. All coupon codes will expire July 1st. Coupon codes will not appear on the website. Be the first on your block to get The Cartel Blu-ray!
The sun shone almost as brightly as the smiles of the children who participated in the Cooperative Nursery School of Ridgewood’s Field Day on May 25, 2011 at Maple Field. This annual event is a chance for the children to spend a day outside with their friends playing and learning about good sportsmanship. The children participated in a variety of events including baseball, an obstacle course and parachute games and a three legged race with their parents. Afterwards, all the co-op families enjoyed a picnic lunch
A nonsectarian school, The Co-op also offers morning and afternoon classes for 2, 3 and 4-year-olds, as well as Mommy & Me classes and Kindergarten enrichment. Setting the school apart from other nursery schools, The Co-op is organized and run by the parents. This enables parents to actively participate in their child’s early learning experience. Music, physical education, field trips, indoor and outdoor play time and an in-house library are just a few of the experiences to which the children are exposed as supplements to the daily education plans.
For more information on the school or to set up an appointment to visit, please call (201) 447-6232 or email the school at [email protected].
>SENIOR SURVEY RESULTS — CLASS OF 2011 This information is for all students and parents at Ridgewood High School.
Recently our Senior Class completed our online Senior Survey. Our Senior Survey is based on an analysis of data provided to us by our seniors.
In summary, all 412 seniors responded to the survey. 90.8% are attending a 4-year college (Last year, it was 88.8%) 4.6% are attending a 2-year college (Last year, it was 4.5%) 42.3% are attending a Public/State college (Last year, it was 40.7%) 57.7% are attending a Private college (Last year, it was 59.3%) 18.4% are attending a college in New Jersey (Last year, it was 21.4%) 9 seniors will be attending an Ivy League College (Last year, it was 16 seniors)
We are attaching a copy of 3 different parts of the Senior Survey as .pdf files. You can also access these attachments online in 2 different locations at:
RHS/Guidance Website (www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us) Ridgewood High School — Guidance, Curriculum and Instruction — Guidance Department — Important Documents — Senior Survey OR Naviance/Family Connection https://connection.naviance.com/ridgewood Log in to Naviance/Family connection with your User Name and Password Click on Document Library on the right side of your Home page Click on Senior Survey Click on View
Attached to this e-mail are the following documents:
1) College Destinations of Top 20% of Class of 2011 (also posted on RHS/Guidance website and Naviance)
2) Post High School Plans for Class of 2011 (also posted on RHS/Guidance website and Naviance)
3) Summary College Data for Class of 2011 (only posted on Naviance)
If you have any further questions, please contact your individual Guidance Counselor.
President Obama poll numbers are nearing the levels he enjoyed in 2008, with one glaring exception: young people. Especially young white people. His approval rating is at 56 percent approval rating among people ages 18 to 29. That’s higher than the 51 percent national average, but that’s a decline of 10 points compared to the 2008 exit polls, according to the National Journal’s Ronald Brownstein report. And if you want a look into the reason for the slump in one of the demographic groups that most strongly embraced Obama in 2008, it may be this: Obama’s simply not cool anymore.
The Annual Village home owner flight is upon us the Staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ – So its that time of the year again when a new generation of High School seniors graduates and looks forward to reshaping the world in their own image . The Future looks bright and there are nothing but an endless horizon of possibilities for as far as the eye can see .
But wait whats this , hundreds of homes for sale in the Village well timed for sellers to coincidentally skate just in the nick of time for the diplomas to be passed to the next generation of leaders. Amazing how those moving trucks line up in the driveways so neatly of so many now former Ridgewood residents their bags packed
Now the empty Nester’s take flight ,yes flight from bills due for turf fields, stadium lights , and assorted other amenities that’s useful life has now been fulfilled and long term liabilities must be avoided at all cost for over extended families.Leaving those left with ever higher property taxes , declining maintenance, quality of life and lower educational standards .
> Chronic unemployment worse than Great Depression The unemployed have, on average, remained unemployed longer than in the 1930s; Employers wary of job gaps in resumes
(CBS News) There is an unfortunate adage for the unemployed: The longer folks are out of a job, the longer it takes them to find a new one.
CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy reports that the chronically unemployed face the hardest road back to recovery, and that while the jobs picture may be improving statistically on a national level, it is not for them.
Experts on small business growth say urban entrepreneurs are crucial to the nation’s economic recovery.
Providing them the tools they need to succeed was the focus of the Urban Entrepreneur Summit at Rutgers University’s Newark campus on Monday, where government officials, business people and aspiring business owners discussed ways to continue diversifying America’s workforce. (Henry, The Associated Press)
