>Gold Futures Top $1,500 on Outlook for Escalating U.S. Debt, Dollar Slump
By Pham-Duy Nguyen – Apr 19, 2011 4:04 PM ET
Gold futures rose to a record $1,500.50 an ounce as U.S. debt concerns weighed on the dollar, boosting demand for the precious metal as an alternative investment. Silver surged to a 1980 high.
>Solar Power: Remember when people thought satellite dishes were an eyesore
Remember when people thought satellite dishes were an eyesore and shouldn’t be allowed? When is the last time you even noticed one on someone’s roof? Remember boom boxes? Now we have ipods. Remember cell phones the size of a suitcase?
Already i have become used to the solar collectors, as I have to satellite dishes and cell phone towers. Technology advances. Solar will become smaller cheaper and more effective as we produce more. It will never progress if we don’t start somewhere, and this project begins to bring it into the mainstream.
The people saying it should be somewhere else..well the collectors on the poles do not preclude that other option. Go ahead, get those projects going. Progress technology and cost to the point where those solar collectors on poles aren’t necessary, but don’t begrudge the start of the system that will get us there eventually
>Kathleen A. Donovan : There have been confusing news reports inaccurately linking my pension status
There have been confusing news reports inaccurately linking my pension status with retirement issues involving other public employees and elected officials. Unfortunately, New Jersey’s complicated public employee retirement/pension system contributes significantly to the confusion which leads to inaccurate stories which raise unnecessary concerns.
So that you know the real, accurate story, I have taken the liberty of providing answers to questions you may be asking. If you have any additional question not addressed below, please let me know and I will respond directly.
Regards,
Kathleen A. Donovan
———————————————————————————
Q. Are you retired?
A. No. I retired as County Clerk last year when I was elected County Executive. This was required as I could not and would not hold two elected positions at the same time.
Q. Why did you take your pension?
A. I had to under State law. When I retired as County Clerk I could no longer be included in the Public Employment Retirement System (PERS). I was in effect “kicked out.” My options were limited. I could take my pension or leave my money in limbo and collect it at a future date. What would you do? Probably exactly what I did: take it.
Q. Would your pension have been at risk if you had left it with the state?
A. Quite possibly. It’s farfetched but the state’s pension plan is underfunded by some $55 billion. Would you risk your money if you didn’t have to?
Q. Could you have taken your pension earlier?
A. Yes. Under New Jersey State law I could have retired after 25 years of service (in 2007). I chose not to. I only took my pension when I had no other viable option.
Q. Are you getting a new pension as County Executive?
A. No. Neither the taxpayers nor I contribute to my pension any longer. It’s one and done and I’m done. No new pension.
Q. Is this compensation?
A. No. My compensation as County Executive is $134,000 (actually less than I earned as County Clerk). I do not receive additional pension benefits because I have taken my pension as provided by law.
Q. Are you taking advantage of a loophole?
A. No. This is not a loophole. This is totally consistent with State law.
Q. Are you “double dipping”?
A. No. I get my paycheck but no additional pension benefit.
A pension is not compensation. Its money put away for retirement. I do pay taxes on my pension as it is now personal income to me. But I get it whether I work or not. It’s not pay. It’s pension.
Thanks for your interest. Again, if you have any other questions please e-mail me at:
>Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty.
Ronald Reagan
Read more: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/r/ronald_reagan.html#ixzz1Jo8Vw6PT
>
HICKORY SPRINGS NAMES RIDGEWOOD, NJ SCHOOL WINNER OF NATIONAL COMPETITION CELEBRATING ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING
EARTHCARE CHALLENGE II GRAND PRIZE GOES TO SARA’S PRE-SCHOOL
HICKORY, N.C. – After 31 days of contest updates, photos and videos and over 1,200 fan votes on Facebook, Hickory Springs today announced Sara’s Pre-school in Ridgewood, NJ, as grand prize winner of its national social media competition, The EarthCare Challenge II.
Proving that it’s never too early to encourage a lifetime of earth-friendly learning, the contest followed five school groups from around the country as they embarked on green initiatives in their communities.
To win, the preschool developed a month-long curriculum to introduce Kindergarten Enrichment students to the concept of environmental awareness. The class carried out a wide array of projects which included identifying creative ways to repurpose materials, such as planting seeds in used yogurt cups, and holding Recycling Relay races to learn how to sort recyclable goods. In an effort to continue a tradition of eco-education, the students created books filled with their newfound knowledge, which they presented to the younger class.
“We congratulate each of our finalists who have made tremendous achievements with their students, making it very difficult to pick a winner,” said Hickory Springs Executive Vice President Dwayne Welch. “Sara Bauer, the team leader at Sara’s Preschool, really stood out for her tireless efforts combining a multi-pronged approach to her ‘March Green Up’ theme, along with updates which showed consistent creativity and progress through the page.”
In the lead-up to Earth Day on April 22, Hickory Springs will present the school with $1,000 to help fund future environmental learning initiatives, along with a sofa set manufactured
>Unfortunately, one or both of the incumbents responsible for this education crime perpetrated upon the parents and children of Ridgewood will get re-elected.
It is really too bad that they don’t fire Regina and scrap these terrible math programs. But that is never going to happen because our BOE is intellectually lazy and dishonest. They will never do the due diligence required to find out the truth themselves. Instead they rely on the information given them by Regina.
And you want to know the real kick in the ass, Singapore and Saxon math programs cost far less to use. In a time of fiscal austerity they went for the most expensive program they could find. Only in Ridgewood, only in Ridgewood kids.
> Math Wars : Pre-high school curriculum isn’t teaching about real math
People teaching middle and high school math do understand math. When I went to college, taking a math major, about half the students in my major classes were students majoring in education, with a specialization in math.
The problem here in Ridgewood is not that teachers couldn’t derive the quadratic equation (simple algebra steps) for a class – it is that the pre-high school curriculum isn’t teaching about real math, it is having students discover and think about concepts. That is all well and good if the BOE doubled the amount of math instruction time, but they didn”t.
>State signs on to help develop tomorrow’s tests
As testing drives state education policy more and more, New Jersey has formally signed on with a national group developing the next generation of standardized tests, ones that take place over the course of the school year and could have computers asking the questions. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/11/0418/2302/
>State Workers to pay more in health care plan
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has long called for state workers to pay more of their health care costs, and now proposes a phased-in plan over three years that would require employees to pay about a third of those costs by mid-2014. (DeFalco, The Associated Press)
https://www.thedailyjournal.com/article/20110419/NEWS01/104190312
>Detroit sending layoff notices to all of the district’s 5,466 unionized employees
Detroit to send layoff notices to all its public teachers
(Reuters) – The emergency manager appointed to put Detroit’s troubled public school system on a firmer financial footing said on Thursday he was sending layoff notices to all of the district’s 5,466 unionized employees.
In a statement posted on the website of Detroit Public Schools, Robert Bobb, the district’s temporary head, said notices were being sent to every member of the Detroit Federation of Teachers “in anticipation of a workforce reduction to match the district’s declining student enrollment.”
Bobb said nearly 250 administrators were receiving the notices, too.
The district is unlikely to eliminate all the teachers. Last year, it sent out 2,000 notices and only a fraction of employees were actually laid off. But the notices are required by the union’s current contract with the district. Any layoffs under this latest action won’t take effect until late July.
In the meantime, Bobb said that he planned to exercise his power as emergency manager to unilaterally modify the district’s collective bargaining agreement with the Federation of Teachers starting May 17, 2011.
https://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/15/us-detroit-layoffs-idUSTRE73E7ID20110415
>S&P sounds alarm on US debt
By Robin Harding and James Politi in Washington and Michael Mackenzie in New York
Published: April 18 2011 15:19 | Last updated: April 18 2011 22:48
Standard & Poor’s issued a stark warning to Washington on Monday, cutting its outlook on US sovereign debt for the first time and throwing more fuel on the raging debate over America’s swollen deficits.
The agency kept America’s credit rating at triple A but for the first time since it started rating US debt 70 years ago, cut its outlook from “stable” to “negative”. A negative outlook means there is a one-third chance of a downgrade in the next two years.
https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d6c97342-69bd-11e0-826b-00144feab49a.html#ixzz1JvCRXEuR
>Solar Power : How do we stop these ugly solar panels from being mounted on every utility pole that gets sunlight?
How do we stop these ugly solar panels from being mounted on every utility pole that gets sunlight? Solar is a great idea. Placing the panels on rooftops and in parking lots is a wonderful idea. Placing them as proposed on poles is a bad idea because:
1. The infrastructure (wires, connections and gathering points) are inefficient for such small panels.
2. The appearance of these panels changes the Village “cityscape” in an ugly way.
3. PSE&G has the rights to these poles to transmit power, not to generate power. If they want to install 500 solar power stations around town, they should seek permission.
Seeking non oil based energy is a worthy project that should be addressed in a serious manner. The PSE&G approach is neither serious or appropriate. The Village Council should stop these instalations and go to court if necessar
>Floods :Another way to look at it: If the BOE kept the grass fields but spent BIG $$$ on landscaping along North Irving and along the PSE&G Right-of-Way, would you now complain
Relax people. I wish we could tell which comments were real and which were set a bait to entice more negative commentary. I am sure that the 9:07 post was either that or a foolish attempt at humor.
Those who oppose these fields, at least be direct: If you are a neighbor and you’re worried about your back yard? I don’t blame you. But then also let us know if your property flooded LESS because the turf drained better than a grass field would. Honesty is a two way street.
If its worse? Say so. I’d imagine you could then bring suit agst the BOE. Funny that we havent had that analysis, but now you’re worried about “the kids.”
If this is costing the BOE money and us all money? I get it, believe me. But lets drop the B/S of old vs new residents, which has ntg to do with the conversation. That was bait, and I wouldnt put it past a smart neighbor to set the trap for everyone else.
Lets also drop the card about the dangerous conditions and how you saw kids splashing around in the waste. Save it. You arent worried about my kids. You are playing every card in the deck you can, b/c you are thinking about your own backyard.
I do feel for the neighbors. But stop with the lies.
Here is another way to look at it: If the BOE kept the grass fields but spent BIG $$$ on landscaping along North Irving and along the PSE&G Right-of-Way, would you now complain that the beautiful work was being damaged by these floods? If you and your home directly benefitted from it (like all of those with kids in the community hope to benefit from the improved fields), would you be beating such a drum about BOE waste?
Be honest. You wouldnt say a word. You’d expect the BOE to pay to re-plant your privacy buffers, and you’d complain when they didnt spend our tax dollars to do so.
>”The Ridgewood Environmental Advisory Committee (REAC)”
Do these guys get ANY funding?
Exactly how much influence do they have on Village Policy?
Exactly what are their qualifications (do any of them have anything more than “an interest in environmental issues”?
“The Ridgewood Environmental Advisory Committee (REAC) is an independent volunteer committee,
appointed by the Village Council, with experience and/or interest in environmental issues. REAC advises
the Village Council on environmental, health and human safety issues in Ridgewood. It also seeks to
assist the residents of Ridgewood in addressing environmental concerns by advocating “best practices”,
which protect the environment, respect the ecosystem and promote sustainability.”
>Math Wars: Anyone who has looked at CMP materials can tell that they are inferior and do not belong in Ridgewood
Anyone who has looked at CMP materials can tell that they are inferior and do not belong in Ridgewood. There are no textbooks; only workbooks. Students have no where to look for direction and parents are told to look at a website which is as uniformative as it is confusing. No algorithms are taught but we have lots of manipulatives. Singapore Math and Saxon Math have incorporated the best concepts of “contructivism” into their are far superior to CMP.
I do have the advantage of several math/science degrees and was outspoken in my support of traditional math curiculum hence the reason my elementary school principle nominated me for the very first focus group (remember, they were trying to give the appearance of balance). But is ANYONE who took the time to review the math programs being considered would have known CMP and TERC Investigations were inferior. It was just that obvious. The BOE, had they done just a little of their own homework, would have known that these programs were being DUMPED by many, many school districts across the country.
The people we select for the BOE ARE responsible for selecting the curriculum with input from the experts which should include scientists, engineers and educators.
