Ridgewood NJ, West Bergen’s Social Discovery Program is pleased to announce that it is again sponsoring the SOAR Experience, a program for children and teens, ages 6-17, with solid verbal skills who experience the social communication and social skills challenges seen in Level 1 Autism Spectrum Disorder (formerly known as Asperger’s Syndrome, HFA and Nonverbal Learning Disabilities) and related disorders such as Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder. The SOAR Experience, a therapeutic social skills program in a day camp-like environment, will be held at the Center for Children and Youth, One Cherry Lane in Ramsey. The SOAR Counselor In Training (CIT) Program offers teens and young adults (14-24 years old) with the same diagnostic criteria listed above, vocational training and an opportunity to develop various work and social skills.
This is the tenth summer that West Bergen is able to provide these unique services. The SOAR Experience is a small, nurturing program, specifically designed to help children with social challenges thrive and succeed in a supportive environment.
The Program is held Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The six-week program is from July 9 to August 17, 2018. The three-week programs are from July 9 to July 27 and from July 30 to August 17. Other highlights include: social skills training; weekly themes; field trips and fun filled activities.
Under the direction of West Bergen’s professional staff, participants will expand their skills in a number of important areas including: building relationships; increasing flexibility; resolving conflicts; successful transitions; improving social scanning; decreasing anxiety; experiencing newness and change and coping with sensory issues.
Contact Richard Miller, LPC, NCC, Director of The Social Discovery Program, for additional information at 201.934.1160 x7234 or [email protected].
Free information sessions on the SOAR Experience and the Counselor In Training Program will be held on Wednesday, March 14, 2018, 7:00 to 7:40 PM; Thursday, April 19, 6:30 to 7:10 PM and Monday, May 14, 7:00 to 7:40 PM at the Center for Children and Youth, One Cherry Lane, Ramsey, NJ. SOAR Counselor In Training (CIT) Program Information Sessions will be the same dates immediately following the general information sessions for 45 minutes. Reserve a spot by calling (201) 934-1160, Ext. 7200.
Ho Ho Kus NJ, the Ho Ho Kus Library will be hosting a , “How to Respond to an Active Shooter Incident” , presented by Ho-Ho-Kus’ emergency services. This event will discuss strategies you can use if you ever find yourself in this unfortunate situation. Registration is required, and space is limited.
The event will be held on Thursday, March 15, 2018 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Attendees will be provided with advice and instruction on three types of a “Civilian Response to Active Shooter or Similar Incident” to aid in their odds of surviving such a life-threatening incident; some background and statistics on Active Shooter incidents; description of “profiles” of an Active Shooter; and time permitting, among many other items, reviewing at least one recent Active Shooter incident.
The presenter is an experienced, Vietnam Infantry, decorated combat Veteran who also has 10 years of managing and coordinating a local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) under the auspices of the municipality’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM); giving many associated, relevant presentations; and receiving certification/training in multiple areas of emergency services and incident command management, while participating and providing CERT leadership in numerous events and incidents in Bergen County.
Sign up : https://bccls.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails?EventId=139451&backTo=Calendar&startDate=2018%2F03%2F01
Rivervale NJ, since so many in the media are so woefully ignorant on New Jersey gun laws , Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi gave us the run down on what the rules actually are .
In a Facebook post the Assemblywomen explains , “As I know it is a huge discussion and people oftentimes are unaware of their own state’s laws and requirements, New Jersey has the third strictest gun laws in the nation. It is illegal to own or operate certain AR-15 or similar types of weapon in the State of New Jersey. Bump Stocks are also illegal to own or use. Here are the other requirements in order to own or operate a gun within our state.
Among other things, New Jersey:
Requires permits for the purchase of any handgun, as well as a separate permit for persons purchasing long guns, both requiring a lengthy background check prior to issuance (which oftentimes takes longer than several months);
Provides law enforcement discretion when issuing permits to carry concealed weapons (and it is almost impossible to secure such a permit unless you prove that you are in imminent danger);
Prohibits the purchase or possession of a firearm by persons convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence offenses, and by persons subject to protective orders;
Requires the licensing of all firearms dealers and their employees;
Limits the number of handguns that may be purchased to one per month;
Imposes a 7-day waiting period prior to the physical transfer of a handgun;
Will require the sale of personalized handguns once such technology is available for retail sale;
Prohibits the possession and transfer of assault weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines;
Requires firearm owners to report the loss or theft of their firearms; and
Requires all firearms dealers and ammunition sellers to maintain records of all acquisitions and dispositions of firearms and ammunition.”
Ridgewood NJ, here are some reminders on Village of Ridgewood protocol on snow and ice events :
REMINDER ABOUT GARBAGE PICKUP DURING SNOW AND ICE EVENTS
As a reminder, if it is snowing when you leave your home in the morning or if it is icy, please place your garbage cans at the end of your driveway for collection. The Village will resume rear yard garbage collection as quickly as possible after the snowstorm, but please continue to put your garbage cans at the end of your driveway until you have a clear path to them. We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our Village employees safe.
REMINDERS ABOUT SNOW/ICE REMOVAL
All sidewalks in residential districts must be cleared within 24 hours of the snow falling. Please do not place snow into the street; instead, place it back onto your own property. In addition, if you have a fire hydrant on your property, please clear it of any snow accumulation.
Please stop. It was Aronsohn. Everyone knows it was Aronsohn calling Sedon’s employer. Didn’t Knudsen acknowledge it was Aronsohn?
There was no “investigation” because aronsohn wasn’t going to investigate himself. Hauck Puviarelli and sonenfeld were not going to “investigate” aronsohn.. The “investigation” was a sham and a slap in the face to Ridgewood residents.
Not the only election process they interfered with. They have an established pattern of behavior. Petition interference and sonenfeld and aronsohn guilty of ethics violations.
Candidate Harwin is forever linked to Aronsohn and his ilk.
Hawthorne NJ, Hawthorne Police, Fire, EMS and Passaic County HazMat responded to multiple 911 reports of a irritating chemical odor inside of an apartment building located at 55 Westervelt Avenue, Hawthorne on Saturday morning, 02/17. The odor was traced to a contractor’s use of a chemical product that caused combustible fumes inside of the structure. Hawthorne EMS evaluated two (2) residents who complained of illness; both refused ambulance transportation to a local hospital. Hawthorne Fire Department personnel from Companies 2 & 3 assisted in ventilating the building.
Stanley A. Kober, KC2ZXB([email protected]), Historic Ho-Ho-Kus Researcher, A.L.I.C.E. Certified Trainer, Former Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus CERT Program Manager (T-T-T) , Former CERT/Bergen County R.A.C.E.S. Deputy Liaison Officer
Ho Ho Kus NJ, Every organization whether for profit or not for profit, professional, religious, veterans, law enforcement, historical, military, municipal, emergency
services, amateur radio operations, etc., should have the strategy to operate in the most efficient and effective means as possible. Actually, that applies to each
of us as individuals as well. Not only does it have the ability to save money (and possibly lives), it allows us to do more things in the same amount of time. After
all, time is fixed and no one can change that construct.
In order for us to accomplish an organizational or personal strategy we more likely than not use technology, but technology changes over time. The
Washington Post had an on-line article that presented those changes very well at https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/entertainment/tech-generations/?utm_term=.58e805b0d158. Unless you are a Luddite, you use technology every day. [A Luddite as described in the www.UrbanDictionary.com is one “who fears technology (or new technology, as they seem pleased with how things currently are…why can’t everything just be the same?)”]
In this short article, I’m going to address just one aspect of that change which is becoming more and more evident to us on a daily basis through the use of our smartphones. That “new” technology is called “QR Codes” or “Quick Response Codes”. You know, you’ve seen that little square with all the funny black lines and boxes in advertising circulars, newspapers, etc., but don’t be fooled, these ARE NOT BARCODES. On the right is one of my own examples that I have created. If you have a smartphone, iPad, tablet, or similar device with a camera and the applicable software installed to read the code, you should be able to go to this fantastic FaceBook®page. Not all reading software is the same, so some features may not work in the software on your device that will work in other software. In other words, “Caveat Emptor”—”Buyer Beware”.
Allow me to put it in a nutshell why one should use a QR Code in their literature, signage, advertising materials, documents, procedures, manuals, etc.
Let’s take one example that was used earlier in this article—the Washington Post article on technology. In most, if not all paper printing by newspapers,
hyperlinks associated with what was displayed in print (on-line publications are different) are removed. NOTE: A “hyperlink” is the underlined portion of the
reference that allows you to click on it and bring up the article on the website.
Can you imagine how long it would take you to enter that WaPo reference into the address line of your device’s internet web browser and when you make one
wrong character you need to restart? I’m certain you wouldn’t waste your time February 07, 2018 Page 2 of 3 by entering all those characters. There we go again—that fixed construct called “time” rears its head.
In order to save “time”, because “time” is money, one can use a device that has a camera and the appropriate software to read the QR Code and go DIRECTLY to the associated reference, in this case the Washington Post article referenced earlier. Read the QR Code at the right with your smartphone and appropriate software. But, just a point of caution,
newspaper articles may not be in the same place for very long, so the link eventually might not work when going to
the original website of the media.
We know that technology is great and can do many things for us if we have the right tools with which to work. For example, QR Code generating software is all over the Internet and the software to read the codes that are
generated are abounding as well. However, when shopping for the ability to generate or read the QR code you need to have in mind what you really want to do with it—in other words, what is your goal. Remember I talked about “strategy” at the beginning of this article? Well, a “strategy” is the place where we want to be and the “goal” or “objective” is what we need to do to get there.
For example, one “strategy” might be that we want to operate in the most efficient and effective fashion as possible. One “goal” or “objective” to attain that “strategy” would be to utilize technology to the greatest extent as possible. Within “goals” or “objectives” are “tasks” that we do to meet a “goal” or “objective”. Using QR Codes is a “task” that we would use to meet our “goal” of using technology to attain our “strategy” to operate in the most efficient and effective fashion as possible. OK, enough of Management Theory, but I just wanted to put this capability in its proper perspective for
you. Now, let’s get back to QR Codes.
The first tool you need is a smartphone, iPad, tablet or similar device to be able to read the generated code. On that device you need a camera and the appropriate software to
read the code. An excellent listing of that software for many devices is found here at QR Phone Software (click on the link at the left or use your camera device to read the code at the right.)
Once you have the appropriate device and the optimal reading software, you need to have the proper software to create the QR Code that we want to use. Again, “Caveat Emptor”—”Buyer Beware”. There are many software packages on the market, but you need to test for the one you select to ensure that it operates the way YOU want it to do. For example, when I looked for my optimal reading software, one “free” package that I tested allowed me to get to the website that I wanted OK, but when I tried to download an Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format file (PDF), it would not allow me to do so. I deleted that installation immediately and moved on to others. So, in short, in selecting code generator software as well as reading software, compare the “free” packages, (called “free” even though they are coupled with advertising galore, so
they are really not “free” because it takes “time” to cancel them) and those that February 07, 2018 Page 3 of 3 might cost something for the generating software. The optimal one that I have found for my use is found at QR Code Generator. (click on the link at the left or use your device to read the code at the right.) It has many options, capabilities and truly free code generation even for testing. You might want to look at the informational videos and articles as well on that site while you’re there. By the way, if you still get ads in your reads, it’s not the QR Code generator that I am recommending here,
it’s your reading software.
Speaking of the code generator, one quick point I will add is that when you chose a QR Code type, you need to have the ability to select either a “static” OR “dynamic” code. Some software may allow only one, but you need to have both options for testing and live operations. Select “dynamic” even if you have other reasons, but especially if you have any intention of making changes to the code link (remember the news article referenced earlier that might have moved to another location?), even if you can’t think of something now, or you might want to do some analytics on the actions of the code (where did the access come
from; how many clicks were made on the code; etc.). In my opinion, there are very few activities which would require a “static” QR Code.
Before concluding, I’d like to give two examples of QR Codes in which one goes to an on-line website for a senior citizens organization and the other for use by emergency services personnel. The use of a QR Code for those in emergency services is at the right. For example, as a first responder you have a requirement to look at an instructional manual, procedure, or in this example, the latest Emergency Response Guide on line, but no one around you has a computer and you don’t have the time to search online for it on your device. In your preplanning for being an effective first responder, you have created a QR Code Card with your important links on it and you have it/them in your vehicle (POV and ERV), your pocket, your go bag, go kit, your trailer, wherever. Immediately, you can click on the QR Code like the one on the right and go directly to the guide on your device. By the way, you need to think about how you place the QR Codes on the card because if they are not sized and spaced properly you will get wrong launches and errors.
The last example for the Senior Citizens site is located at https://bcscccouncil.wordpress.com/ and the QR Code
for that site is at the right. It saves Seniors keystrokes!
So, in conclusion, if you want to get “ahead of the pack” and do things that will save you time and money, as well as give you broader access to your market or to materials that may be lifesaving, then use QR Codes in your technology goal for your organization. You will be amazed at what they can do for you.
WASHINGTON DC, Aggressive and threatening phone calls by criminals impersonating IRS agents remain a major threat to taxpayers, headlining the annual “Dirty Dozen” list of tax scams for the 2016 filing season, the Internal Revenue Service announced today.
The IRS has seen a surge of these phone scams as scam artists threaten police arrest, deportation, license revocation and other things. The IRS reminds taxpayers to guard against all sorts of con games that arise during any filing season.
“Taxpayers across the nation face a deluge of these aggressive phone scams. Don’t be fooled by callers pretending to be from the IRS in an attempt to steal your money,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. “We continue to say if you are surprised to be hearing from us, then you’re not hearing from us.”
“There are many variations. The caller may threaten you with arrest or court action to trick you into making a payment,” Koskinen added. “Some schemes may say you’re entitled to a huge refund. These all add up to trouble. Some simple tips can help protect you.”
The Dirty Dozen is compiled annually by the IRS and lists a variety of common scams taxpayers may encounter any time during the year. Many of these con games peak during filing season as people prepare their tax returns or hire someone to do so.
This January, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) announced they have received reports of roughly 896,000 contacts since October 2013 and have become aware of over 5,000 victims who have collectively paid over $26.5 million as a result of the scam.
“The IRS continues working to warn taxpayers about phone scams and other schemes,” Koskinen said. “We especially want to thank the law-enforcement community, tax professionals, consumer advocates, the states, other government agencies and particularly the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration for helping us in this battle against these persistent phone scams.”
Protect Yourself
Scammers make unsolicited calls claiming to be IRS officials. They demand that the victim pay a bogus tax bill. They con the victim into sending cash, usually through a prepaid debit card or wire transfer. They may also leave “urgent” callback requests through phone “robo-calls,” or via a phishing email.
Many phone scams use threats to intimidate and bully a victim into paying. They may even threaten to arrest, deport or revoke the license of their victim if they don’t get the money.
Scammers often alter caller ID numbers to make it look like the IRS or another agency is calling. The callers use IRS titles and fake badge numbers to appear legitimate. They may use the victim’s name, address and other personal information to make the call sound official.
Here are five things the scammers often do but the IRS will not do. Any one of these five things is a tell-tale sign of a scam.
The IRS will never:
Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, here’s what you should do:
If you don’t owe taxes, or have no reason to think that you do:
Do not give out any information. Hang up immediately.
Contact TIGTA to report the call. Use their “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” webpage. You can also call 800-366-4484.
Report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Use the “FTC Complaint Assistant” on FTC.gov. Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.
If you know you owe, or think you may owe tax:
Call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you.
Stay alert to scams that use the IRS as a lure. Tax scams can happen any time of year, not just at tax time. For more, visit “Tax Scams and Consumer Alerts” on IRS.gov.
Each and every taxpayer has a set of fundamental rights they should be aware of when dealing with the IRS. These are your Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Explore your rights and our obligations to protect them on IRS.gov.
Paramus NJ, Paramus Police and EMS personnel responded to a two (2) vehicle collision at the intersection of Paramus Road and West Midland Avenue on Friday morning, 02/16. The adult female driver of a white SUV involved in the crash sustained non life threatening injuries. Both wrecks were removed from the scene by a flatbed tow truck.
Paramus NJ, Paramus Police remind all to please be mindful of school busses loading and unloading children. We have been receiving numerous complaints of improper passing at school bus stops. Distracted driving plays a major part in motor vehicle crashes. Please help us keep our community safe.
Ridgewood NJ, There are 30,000 gun related deaths per year by firearms, and this number is not disputed. U.S. population 324,059,091 as of Wednesday, June 22, 2016. Do the math: 0.000000925% of the population dies from gun related actions each year. Statistically speaking, this is insignificant! What is never told, however, is a breakdown of those 30,000 deaths, to put them in perspective as compared to other causes of death:
• 65% of those deaths are by suicide which would never be prevented by gun laws
• 15% are by law enforcement in the line of duty and justified
• 17% are through criminal activity, gang and drug related or mentally ill persons – gun violence
• 3% are accidental discharge deaths
So technically, “gun violence” is not 30,000 annually, but drops to 5,100. Still too many? Well, first, how are those deaths spanned across the nation?
• 480 homicides (9.4%) were in Chicago
• 344 homicides (6.7%) were in Baltimore
• 333 homicides (6.5%) were in Detroit
• 119 homicides (2.3%) were in Washington D.C. (a 54% increase over prior years)
So basically, 25% of all gun crime happens in just 4 cities. All 4 of those cities have strict gun laws, so it is not the lack of law that is the root cause.
This basically leaves 3,825 for the entire rest of the nation, or about 75 deaths per state. That is an average because some States have much higher rates than others. For example, California had 1,169 and Alabama had 1.
Now, who has the strictest gun laws by far? California, of course, but understand, so it is not guns causing this. It is a crime rate spawned by the number of criminal persons residing in those cities and states. So if all cities and states are not created equally, then there must be something other than the tool causing the gun deaths.
Are 5,100 deaths per year horrific? How about in comparison to other deaths? All death is sad and especially so when it is in the commission of a crime but that is the nature of crime. Robbery, death, rape, assault all is done by criminals and thinking that criminals will obey laws is ludicrous. That’s why they are criminals.
But what about other deaths each year?
• 40,000+ die from a drug overdose–THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THAT!
• 36,000 people die per year from the flu, far exceeding the criminal gun deaths
• 34,000 people die per year in traffic fatalities(exceeding gun deaths even if you include suicide)
Now it gets good:
• 200,000+ people die each year (and growing) from preventable medical errors. You are safer in Chicago than when you are in a hospital!
• 710,000 people die per year from heart disease. It’s time to stop the double cheeseburgers! So what is the point? If Obama and the anti-gun movement focused their attention on heart disease, even a 10% decrease in cardiac deaths would save twice the number of lives annually of all gun-related deaths (including suicide, law enforcement, etc.). A 10% reduction in medical errors would be 66% of the total gun deaths or 4 times the number of criminal homicides……Simple, easily preventable 10% reductions!
So you have to ask yourself, in the grand scheme of things, why the focus on guns? It’s pretty simple.:
Taking away guns gives control to governments.
The founders of this nation knew that regardless of the form of government, those in power may become corrupt and seek to rule as the British did by trying to disarm the populace of the colonies. It is not difficult to understand that a disarmed populace is a controlled populace.
Thus, the second amendment was proudly and boldly included in the U.S. Constitution. It must be preserved at all costs.
So the next time someone tries to tell you that gun control is about saving lives, look at these facts and remember these words from Noah Webster: “Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed, as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword, because the whole body of the people are armed and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretense, raised in the United States. A military force at the command of Congress can execute no laws, but such as the people perceive to be just and constitutional; for they will possess the power.”
Remember, when it comes to “gun control,” the important word is “control,” not “gun.”
Glen Rock NJ, the Glen Rock Police commented o their Facebook page , “The members of the Glen Rock Police Department extend their deepest sympathies to the community of Parkland Florida. Unfortunately, as we have seen time and time again, schools, religious facilities, shopping malls, night clubs and public buildings continue to be targets of active shooters. No matter where we live, no one has the luxury of saying “this is a quiet town and nothing like happens here”. But this does not mean that we must live in constant fear. We can and will protect ourselves!
In recent years the GRPD has increased training and purchased additional equipment to aid officers in responding to any issue which may arise at our schools and elsewhere in the community. Lessons learned nationwide have shown that local law enforcement needs to be able to respond quickly and cannot wait for assistance to arrive from outside of the community before taking action.
‘Emergency action planning’ and ‘situational awareness’ practices are ever evolving. The GRPD’s training methods, equipment and even uniforms have been modified greatly in recent years as law enforcement adapts to prepare for a potential active shooter response. Like every other law enforcement agency, the GRPD is fully prepared to respond. Likewise, our schools have greatly changed their procedures as well as training for their personnel and drills with students. Our current student body has come up thought their school years with lock-down, hold in place and evacuation drills as common place as fire drills.
What can a private citizen do?
• Be aware of your environment and any possible dangers.
• Take note of the two nearest exits in any facility you visit.
• If something seems out of the ordinary, report it!
If there is an active shooter:
• If you are in an office or class room, stay there and secure the door.
• If you are in a hallway, get into a room and secure the door.
• Immediately take cover (hide behind something hard that will stop or slow bullets), or circumstances permitting, enter an unaffected building.
• In the event neither cover nor entering a building is possible, run in a zig-zag fashion away from the sound of gunfire.
• As a last resort, if you have no avenue of escape, attempt to take the active shooter down. When the shooter is at close range and you cannot flee, your chance of survival is much greater if you try to incapacitate him/her.
CALL 911 WHEN IT IS SAFE TO DO SO!”
Allendale NJ, Members of the Allendale Volunteer Ambulance Corps evaluated two (2) individuals in connection with a Thursday morning, 02/15, motor vehicle crash into a building at 111 West Allendale Avenue, Allendale. Two (2) adult females, the vehicle’s driver and an employee of the insurance office located in the building, appeared uninjured and both refused transportation to a local hospital for any treatment. The building sustained moderate damage but was rendered safe for occupancy. The SUV involved in the crash was removed from the scene by a flatbed tow truck.
