In his latest book, Christian Persecution in the Middle East: A 21st Century Tragedy, author George J. Marlin explores the fall of Christianity in its birthplace, documenting the suffering of those people who face death simply for being a Christian.
The most well-known persecution occurs at the hands of the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL). For over a year, ISIS has worked to destroy historical sites while persecuting those who do not submit to their sadistic interpretation of Islamic law. Mosul, Iraq, was home to one of the largest Christian communities in the world where they lived peacefully with Muslims. But ISIS ended that in June 2014 when they invaded the town and either murdered or expelled all the Christians.
Marlin, who runs the group Aid to the Church in Need, explores not only the damage done by the Islamic State but that committed by those who should be America’s allies. Devout Muslim Recep Tayyip Erdoğan rules NATO-member Turkey with an iron fist as president. His actions since he became prime minister point to a desire to re-establish the Ottoman Empire. His anti-Semitic views make headlines, but hardly anyone touches on the downfall of Christianity in the country during his tenure.
The Christian population of Turkey is evaporating rapidly. The nation, a NATO member since 1952, has experienced a reduction in its Christian population from 20 percent 100 years ago to only 0.2 percent today. Istanbul was once known as Constantinople, founded by Roman Emperor Constantine in 324. He made it the capital of Rome before it fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. They made it their capital until the empire collapsed after World War I. Modern-day Turkey officially renamed it Istanbul in 1923.
“You have to remember that the AKP–the Justice and Development Party in Turkey–is a spinoff of the Muslim Brotherhood,” described Jonathan Schanzer, from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). “This is an organization that is founded on Islamist principles. Mr. Erdogan sees himself as an Islamist and a Turk first and foremost. And so he’s synthesizing Turkish nationalism with the Muslim Brotherhood.”
Pope Francis has arrived in Havana this afternoon and starts a historic 10-day visit to Cuba and the United States, according to reports.
Cuban President Raul Castro welcomed Pope Francis in a long speech at the airport. In his speech, Castro said the communist government has “founded an equitable society with social justice” in Cuba and he praised the pope’s critiques of the global economic system that has “globalized capital and turned money into its idol.”
Castro thanked the pope for facilitating negotiations that led to a detente between the United States and Cuba. Castro is also calling for the end of the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba, which he called “cruel, immoral and illegal,” and the return of the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay.
Castro praised his country’s socialist model for building a society “focused on human beings and the family” and said he’s “firmly determined to … build a just and virtuous society with high ethical and spiritual values.”
Editor’s Note: In this third of a five-part series, Middle East and Islam specialist Daniel Pipes continues his documentation of Barack Obama’s close ties to the Islamic religion, focusing here on statements he made as an adult.
Several statements by Barack Obama in recent years point to his Muslim childhood.
(1) Robert Gibbs, campaign communications director for PresidentObama’s first presidential race, asserted in January 2007: “Sen. Obamahas never been a Muslim, was not raised a Muslim, and is a committed Christian who attends the United Church of Christ in Chicago.” But he backtracked in March 2007, asserting that Mr. Obama “has never been a practicing Muslim.” By focusing on the practice as a child, the campaign is raising a nonissue, for Muslims (like Jews) do not consider practice central to religious identity. Mr. Gibbs added, according to a paraphrase by Paul Watson of the Los Angeles Times, that “as a child, Obama had spent time in the neighborhood’s Islamic center.” Clearly, “the neighborhood’s Islamic center” is a euphemism for a mosque. Spending time there again points to Mr. Obama’s being a Muslim.
(2) He may have made faces and horsed around in Koran class, but Mr. Obama learned how to pray the salat, a form of ritual worship, in religion class. Pak Effendi, his former teacher at Besuki, his school in Jakarta, Indonesia, recalls that he would “join the other pupils for Muslim prayers.” Praying the salat in and of itself made Mr. Obama a Muslim. Furthermore, he still proudly retains knowledge from that long-ago class. In March 2007, Nicholas D. Kristof of the New York Times witnessed asMr. Obama “recalled the opening lines of the Arabic call to prayer, reciting them [to Mr. Kristof] with a first-rate accent.” Mr. Obama recited not the salat itself but the adhan, the call to prayer (typically chanted from minarets). The second and third lines of the adhan constitute the Islamic declaration of faith, the shahada, the very utterance of which makes one a Muslim. The full adhan in its Sunni iteration (skipping the repetitions) goes as follows:
God is the greatest.
I testify that there is no deity but God.
I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
Come to prayer.
Come to success.
God is the greatest.
There is no deity except God.
In the eyes of Muslims, reciting the adhan in class in 1970 made Mr. Obama a Muslim then — and doing so again for a journalist in 2007 once again made Mr. Obama a Muslim.
When is America going to get serious about the problem of white kids getting suspended from school for nothing?
By now you’ve heard the story of Ahmed Mohamed, crowned by the Daily Beast “The Muslim Hero America Has Been Waiting For” after the 14-year-old brought to school a beeping, strange-looking homemade concealed device that turned out to be a clock.
School officials, thinking, as 95% of Americans would, that it kinda looked like a bomb, hauled him out of class. Police put him in handcuffs and, even after the confusion passed, the boy was suspended from school.
That earned Mohamed a planned trip to the White House, a message of support from Hillary Clinton, an offer to stop by Facebook to meet Mark Zuckerberg and an invitation to be an intern at Twitter.
We’ll have a nonbinding, ignored referendum on the garage at Hudson and Broad…but perhaps unwittingly demonstrating just how real that building already feels to those in power, the Village Manager announced at Wednesday’s council meeting that they are soliciting suggested NAMES for it. Once you name a thing, they know, it becomes real.
Click Here for the Schedler Park and House Grant Timeline – as reported by the Village Manager at the September 16, 2015 Village Council Public Meeting.
Application to Bergen County Open Space Trust Fund – 2015 Municipal Program
At the September 9, 2015 Village Council there was discussion about the grant application submitted to Bergen County Open Space Trust Fund for the Schedler Park Property – Phase 1.
Click Here Application
Schedler Property Resolutions – August 12 Village Council Public Meeting
Wednesday, August 12th the Village Council discussed the use of the Schedler property. They voted on the following resolutions:
Click Here for Schedler Property Resolution including House
Click Here for Resolution to apply fpr Schedler House Grant
Click Here for Conceptual Map of the park project. The existing structure (460 W. Saddle River Road) is identified by standard architecture/engineering markings. The electrical wire to the house is included. The garage is not identified on this drawing.
ANNUAL STREET FAIR, Sunday, September 20th Ridgewood Parks and Recreation will again sponsor this seasonal outdoor market on Sunday, September 20th, 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.
Stage 4 water restrictions are still in effect.
September 19,2015
Dear Ridgewood Water customers,
Your cooperation with Stage 4 restrictions has started to ease the stress that the water system experienced during this unusually dry summer. Weather forecasts predict that dry conditions will continue, so Stage 4 restrictions will remain in effect until further notice.
No irrigation of any kind is allowed on Mondays, Thursdays, or Fridays.
Irrigation using only a hand-held hose with a spray nozzle is permitted for odd numbered addresses only on Tuesdays and Saturdays and for even numbered addresses only on Wednesdays and Sundays.
Waivers for special circumstances such as irrigating newly planted lawns and shrubs, cleaning cars or houses, and filling swimming pools will be considered on a case-by-case basis. For more information on waivers please call Ridgewood Water at 201-670-5520 or email Customer Service at [email protected].
You can always find the current status of restrictions at our website,water.ridgewoodnj.net. Your patience is greatly appreciated
$529,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1525501
700 Howard Rd, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath, S/L
Tina Kapsook Han, Broker Associate
RE/MAX Property Center
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 9/20
21
$537,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1521335
647 Ellington Rd, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath, C/C
Christopher Kaufman, Sales Associate
Keller Williams Village Square Realty
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 9/20
15
$595,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1534268
370 Kensington Dr, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 1 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
Janet Golfo, Sales Associate
Coldwell Banker, Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 9/20
23
$599,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1530460
328 Marshall St, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 1 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
Anne Marangi, Sales Associate
Terrie O’Connor Realtors/UpSdRv
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 9/20
24
$599,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1534639
116 Lake Ave, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
5 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath, Col
Elizabeth Novak, Sales Associate
Weichert Realtors Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 9/20
19
– See more at: https://www.njmls.com/NJ/BERGEN/RIDGEWOOD-open-houses#sthash.D1QAWIjf.w1BUKmM2.dpuf
$775,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1533158
436 Alpine Ter, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
Patricia Davis, Sales Associate
Keller Williams Village Square Realty
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 9/20
– See more at: https://www.njmls.com/NJ/BERGEN/RIDGEWOOD-open-houses#sthash.D1QAWIjf.w1BUKmM2.dpuf
$799,900 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1533214
395 Hamilton Rd, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath, S/L
Oksoon Yang, Sales Associate
Weichert Realtors Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 9/20
23
$849,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1537412
117 Lawrence Ct, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath, Col
Janis Fuhrman, Sales Associate
Terrie O’Connor Realtors/Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 9/20
15
$864,900 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1519728
107 Liberty St, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath, Contp
Jane Ferlanti, Broker Associate
Coldwell Banker, Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 9/20
20
$910,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1522388
729 Mary Ann Pl, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
5 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath, Col
Carolyn Strittmatter, Sales Associate
Weichert Realtors Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 9/20
25
$959,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1537642
497 Alpine Ter, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
Jennifer Brito, Sales Associate
Gilsenan & Co.
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 9/20
23
$999,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1535605
411 Wastena Ter, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
6 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath,
2 Half Bath, Col
Pam Christian, Sales Associate
Keller Williams Village Square Realty
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 9/20
24
$999,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1536393
107 Highland Ave, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath, Col
Nicki L. Cohen, Sales Associate
Coldwell Banker, Wyckoff/Franklin Lakes
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 9/20
16
$1,075,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1524828
265 Phelps Rd, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
5 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath, S/L
Jennifer M. Parsekian, Broker
Keller Williams Village Square Realty
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 9/20
25
$1,095,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1537451
168 Cottage Pl, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
6 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
Barbara Masarky, Broker Associate
Tarvin Realtors
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. Sun. 9/20
25
$1,100,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1520745
352 Hillcrest Rd, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
David H. Larsen, Sales Associate
Keller Williams Village Square Realty
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M. Sun. 9/20
– See more at: https://www.njmls.com/NJ/BERGEN/RIDGEWOOD-open-houses#sthash.D1QAWIjf.w1BUKmM2.dpuf
$1,449,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1536607
5 Paul Ct, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
Frances Ekblom, Sales Associate
Tarvin Realtors
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. Sun. 9/20
25
$1,499,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1533903
287 Gardner Rd, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
6 Bedroom, 4 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
Nena Colligan, Sales Associate
Keller Williams Village Square Realty
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 9/20
25
$1,499,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1537204
711 Upper Blvd, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
Laura Gill, Sales Associate
Coldwell Banker, Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 9/20
6
$1,999,999 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1530103
298 Greenway Rd, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
6 Bedroom, 5 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
Ellen Quinn, Sales Associate
Tarvin Realtors
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. Sun. 9/20
25
$2,395,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1515415
505 Upper Blvd, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
6 Bedroom, 4 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
Frances Ekblom, Sales Associate
Tarvin Realtors
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. Sun. 9/20
25
$2,575,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1524194
296 Manor Rd, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
6 Bedroom, 7 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
Dennis Jaye, Broker Associate
RE/MAX Real Estate Limited
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 9/20
– See more at: https://www.njmls.com/NJ/BERGEN/RIDGEWOOD-open-houses#sthash.D1QAWIjf.w1BUKmM2.dpuf
Executive Order Builds On Ongoing Preparation Efforts & Ensures Officials Have All Tools To Ensure A Safe And Orderly Visit
Trenton, NJ – With an estimated 2 million visitors expected to gather in Philadelphia for the upcoming World Meeting of Families and Papal visit, Governor Chris Christie today signed an Executive Order that puts in place measures to manage the occasion, coordinate any requests for mutual assistance with neighboring governments, and ensure a safe and orderly visit for New Jersey residents and many thousands of visitors expected to travel through New Jersey for the occasion. In effect, the Governor’s Order provides emergency management, law enforcement, county and local officials with the tools needed for a secure and orderly visit of His Holiness Pope Francis.
“Given the Pope’s comprehensive schedule and the influx of people traveling to see him, the events associated with his visit span the normal State, county and municipal operating services,” said Governor Christie. “Managing this historic event requires the coordinated deployment of personnel and other resources to ensure the health, safety and resources of the citizens of New Jersey.”
The order, which will remain in effect until Tuesday September 29, 2015 at 8:00 a.m., provides officials with the authority to accommodate mutual aid requests as well as contraflow of traffic on roadways and, consistent with the deployment of the National Guard in Philadelphia, authorizes use of the New Jersey National Guard to support events as needed.
According to Philadelphia officials, it is estimated that as many as 2 million people will attend the World Meeting of Families and Papal Mass on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. With tens of thousands of visitors travelling through the southwest region of New Jersey to access Philadelphia, gridlock on roadways within a 50-mile radius around the City is anticipated. In addition, as many as 250,000 additional vehicles and thousands of buses will be travelling through New Jersey into Philadelphia.
New Jersey officials already have put transportation plans in place:
Scientists Ask Obama To Prosecute Global Warming Skeptics
MICHAEL BASTASCH
The science on global warming is settled, so settled that 20 climate scientists are asking President Barack Obama to prosecute people who disagree with them on the science behind man-made global warming.
Scientists from several universities and research centers even asked Obama to use the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) to prosecute groups that “have knowingly deceived the American people about the risks of climate change, as a means to forestall America’s response to climate change.”
RICO was a law designed to take down organized crime syndicates, but scientists now want it to be used against scientists, activists and organizations that voice their disagreement with the so-called “consensus” on global warming. The scientists repeated claims made by environmentalists that groups, especially those with ties to fossil fuels, have engaged in a misinformation campaign to confuse the public on global warming.
Quick Note to the Pope : There is no apparent linkage, between CO2 and climate change
By Joe Bastardi · Sep. 18, 2015
Just two charts I would ask the pope to look at.
1.) Human progress: The amount of people, life expectancy and global personal GDP. These “hockey sticks” show that, since the advent of fossil fuels, the human condition has improved immensely.
2.) The factual record of CO2 and temperature in the geological history of the earth.
There is no apparent linkage, so why is CO2 suddenly the climate control knob when there were years with higher CO2 and lower temperatures?
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Three in four Americans (75%) last year perceived corruption as widespread in the country’s government. This figure is up from two in three in 2007 (67%) and 2009 (66%).
While the numbers have fluctuated slightly since 2007, the trend has been largely stable since 2010. However, the percentage of U.S. adults who see corruption as pervasive has never been less than a majority in the past decade, which has had no shortage of controversies from theU.S. Justice Department’s firings of U.S. attorneys to the IRS scandal.
Ridgewood NJ, Trump sets the record straight on Obama Muslim comments. From Donald Trumps Facebook page :
Am I morally obligated to defend the President every time somebody says something bad or controversial about him? I don’t think so!
This is the first time in my life that I have caused controversy by NOT saying something . If someone made a nasty or controversial statement about me to the President, do you really think he would come to my rescue? No chance!
If I would have challenged the man, the media would have accused me of interfering with that man’s right of free speech. A no win situation!
Oradell Council President Donna Alonso and New Milford Council Candidate Matt Seymour chatting with one of the commuters. — with Matthew S Seymour in Oradell, New Jersey.
Freeholder Candidate John Mitchell Campaigns at Oradell Train Station
September 19,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Oradell NJ, Freeholder Candidate John Mitchell made a campaign stop at Oradell Train Station and answered the $64,000 question, what is a Freeholder?…
…That was the operative question of the morning at the Oradell train station. When I explained that the The Board of Chosen Freeholders acts as the legislature for Bergen County and controls what county government can spend, things became a bit clearer…and certainly the commuters were happy to hear that my running mates and I have specific plans on how to reel in the ever burdensome property taxes hoisted on the backs of our hard working citizens.
…The Oradell train station also accommodates surrounding towns including the great town of New Milford. I was joined by New Milford Council Candidate Matt Seymour along with Oradell Council President Donna Alonso. Our tag teaming of commuters from the various towns was very productive indeed.
4 Vehicle Crash in Paramus temporarily Closes Lanes on 17 North at Century Road
September 19,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ, Four (4) vehicles collided on Route 17 northbound between Century Road and the Garden State Parkway at approximately 7:00 PM on Thursday, 09/17. At least two (2) adult victims were transported by separate ambulances to Hackensack University Medical Center’s (HUMC) main campus.
Two (2) of the four (4) vehicles involved in the crash, a Toyota Prius and a Nissan Altima, were heavily damaged and removed from the scene by a flatbed tow truck. The right travel lane and right shoulder of the roadway were closed while crews worked at the scene removing debris and the vehicles. Paramus PD and EMS responded along with a paramedic unit from HUMC.
