Author: James

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What You Should know about the Ashley Madison hack

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August 26,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Ok so generally we don’t like to cover personal issues but since we have been bombarded with emails we feel a bit compelled to cover the Ashley Madison hack. For those that don’t know Ashley Madison’s core mission is to arrange affairs between married individuals .

After a massive security breach hackers leaked troves of data about Ashley Madison’s users, Avid Life Media, the parent company wants to figure out who did it. And it’s prepared to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for information about the guilty party.

The hackers have posted personal information such as e-mail addresses and account details from 32 million of the site’s members. The group has claimed two motivations: First, they’ve criticized Ashley Madison’s core mission of arranging affairs between married individuals. Second, they’ve attacked Ashley Madison’s business practices, in particular its requirement that users pay $19 for the privilege of deleting all their data from the site (but, as it turns out, not all data was scrubbed).

Avid Life Media is offering $500,000 for information leading to the capture of the perpetrator (or perpetrators). But Avid is a Canadian company, paying out the prize in Canadian dollars. In American greenbacks, that’s about $377,000. Avid Life Media, the parent company of hacked extramarital affairs website.

Several “Reality stars” have been sucked into Ashley Madison scandal including Jionni Lavalle, husband to Jersey Shore alum Snooki.

But now the part you are most interested in according to One Reddit data collection identified New Jersey as third highest on the list of states with the most unfaithful husbands and wives in the country, with more than 300,000 users .(https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jpopham91/jpopham91.github.io/master/assets/img/ashley_madison_statewise.png )  Another website has identified the numbers of users in each county, and each state in the United States, putting those towns on a map called “Malfideleco,” which means “infidelity” in the Esperanto language.Tecnilógica, a Madrid-based digital agency, created the world map that shows the distribution of Ashley Madison users around the world without identifying names. It also analyzed their composition in terms of gender balance .( https://tecnilogica.cartodb.com/viz/56e702fe-4693-11e5-8f79-0e853d047bba/public_map )

According to these websites and the Glen Rock Patch https://patch.com/new-jersey/ridgewood/ridgewood-among-top-100-nj-communities-ashley-madison-affairs the Village of Ridgewood, with 6,158 users came in 13th in the state of New Jersey , ouch! Mind you Trenton the state capitol, with 15,504 came in 3rd. Now the map has been updated several times so the exact numbers are fluid and as we all know IP’s and emails are slippery things often hard to get a location.

You can check here to see if you were exposed https://www.trustify.info/check

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Fall Aquatic Programs at the Ridgewood YWCA

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YWCA Swim Team for Ages 5 to 14

Fall Swim Team

YWCA Now Offers a Swim Team for Ages 5 Through 14 YWCA Bergen County now offers a Swim Team for ages 5 to 14 years at 112 Oak Street in Ridgewood. The YW Swim Team offers the best combination of team sport and individual challenge with an emphasis on skill development, positive values and competitive experiences. Swimmers will have the opportunity to refine the 4 major strokes (Freestyle, Back Stroke, Breast Stroke and Butterfly), and compete in future local mini-meets. Practices focus on swim time management, endurance training, stroke development and dry land exercises. Children should be Level 4 or higher and age 5 or older, know all four competitive strokes and be able to swim multiple laps of the pool. The session will be held September 8th through October 31st. For ages 8 years and under, the program will be held Mondays and Tuesdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. For ages 9 to 14 years, the program will be held Thursdays from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. and Fridays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The 8 week program fee is $240. For register for YWCA’s Swim Team, please call the Membership Department at 201-444-5600, ext. 400.

YWCA Pre and Post Natal Fitness Classes

YWCA Bergen County offers Pre and Post Natal Fitness Classes YWCA Bergen County offers Pre and Post Natal Fitness classes for new and expectant moms. Prenatal Fitness features a low impact cardio workout, strength work and stretching appropriate for expectant mothers up until due date. A physician’s approval note is required at first class. Prenatal class is held on Tuesdays from 9:30 – 10:30 am. On Tuesdays from 10:30 – 11:30 am Just the 2 of Us postnatal fitness class is offered. Class begins with 15 minutes of infant massage, followed by a varied 45 minute workout for moms. Please bring infant seat and blanket for baby. Moms should wear sneakers and comfortable clothing for exercise. Prenatal Aquacise is great for a healthy pregnancy on Wednesdays from 1:30 – 2:15 pm. This class will include deep and shallow water exercise. Preregistration is required. Please bring physician’s approval note to first class. Post natal exercisers are also welcome! Pre and Post Natal Fitness classes will be held at the YWCA, 112 Oak Street, Ridgewood. The YWCA offers dozens of fitness classes as part of its 360 Movement fitness membership. Drop-in child care is also available. For more information or to register, call the Membership Department at 201-444-5600 ext. 400.
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Spend ,Spend , Spend Village Moves to Redecorate

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Professional Architectural- Engineering Services for Village Owned Building

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Requests for Proposals (RFP’s) will be received by the Village of Ridgewood, in the Courtroom, 4th floor at the Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey, on Thursday, September 24, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. prevailing time, then publicly opened and read aloud for:

“Request for Proposals

For

Professional Architectural/Engineering Services

For the

Evaluation of Alternatives for Village Owned Buildings and Property”

The Village of Ridgewood requests proposals for Professional Architectural/Engineering Services to assess conditions and develop a feasibility plan to consolidate and improve the functionality of select Village departments, as it pertains to location, needs, building condition and components.

The RFP package may be obtained from the Director of Operations, Ridgewood Water Office, Level 5, Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450, (201) 670-5520. Proposal packages may be examined or picked up in person between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., at 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450, Monday through Friday. Prospective respondents requesting proposal documents be mailed to them shall be responsible for providing their own postage/delivery service remuneration. No proposal forms shall be given out after 4:00 p.m. on September 23, 2015.

A non-mandatory site visit has been scheduled for Monday, September 14th at 9am. All participants shall meet at Village Hall, Director of Operations / Ridgewood Water Office, Level 5.

All prices quoted in the proposal must be net and exclusive of all Federal, State and Local Sales and Excise Taxes. Proposals may be submitted in person or by mail prior to the proposal opening, addressed to the Office of the Village Clerk. The Village assumes no responsibility for loss or non-delivery of any proposal sent to it prior to the date and time stated for receipt of proposals.

Each proposal must be enclosed in a sealed envelope with the name of the respondent thereon and endorsed, ” Request for Proposals

For

Professional Architectural/Engineering Services

For the Evaluation of Alternatives for Village Owned Buildings and Property – Do not open until Thursday, September 24, 2015 at 11:00 a.m.”.

All respondents shall present satisfactory evidence of being authorized to do business in the State of New Jersey. All respondents shall also provide a copy of their New Jersey Business Registration Certificate with their proposal. All respondents shall adhere to the requirements presented in the “Request for Proposals”. The Village of Ridgewood reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to waive any informality or to accept a proposal, which in its judgment best serves the interest of the Village.

“BIDDERS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 17:27). A complete statement as to these requirements is included in the Request for Proposals

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Ridgewood moves ahead with financial study for parking garage

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AUGUST 26, 2015    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015, 10:10 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

The village is moving forward with a financial feasibility study for a possible parking structure to be built at the Hudson Street lot while officials wait for responses to the request for proposal (RFP) put out seeking a building design.

The study will determine the levels of expected revenue as well as the cost of a new parking garage, said Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld at the Aug. 12 council meeting.

Included in the analysis will be proposed parking rate schedules for Hudson Street as well as the other village lots and on-street meters, projections for daily and annual income, debt service, cost and operations.

Sonenfeld said the village received proposals from three different firms. After a discussion with the steering committee, there was a recommendation to go with the proposal from New York-based Walker Parking Consultants, the same firm that performed the study to determine whether or not the garage should be automated or self-park.

A resolution to award a contract for the professional parking services was unanimously passed on Aug. 12. The amount in the contract is not to exceed $18,500 with expenses not to exceed $1,000, which will be expended from the $500,000 bond ordinance adopted in July.

 

https://www.northjersey.com/news/firm-to-review-parking-finances-1.1398423

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Virginia TV reporter, photographer killed in shooting during live interview

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This is a picture of the suspected shooter, Vester Flanigan, who is also known as Bryce Williams. He is a former WDBJ7 employee.

By Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN

Updated 11:59 AM ET, Wed August 26, 2015

(CNN)Latest developments

• Law enforcement confronted Vester Flanagan on Interstate 66 and Flanagan shot himself, officials tell CNN. It is not clear whether he was killed or injured.

• ABC News reported that it has received a fax containing a 23-page manifesto from someone named Bryce Williams,the news outlet tweeted. The document has been handed over to investigators, ABC said.

https://www.cnn.com/2015/08/26/us/virginia-shooting-wdbj/index.html

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Superior Court Approves ExxonMobil Settlement

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A Superior Court Judge today approved a $225 million settlement between the State and ExxonMobil to resolve liability for damage to the environment and injury to natural resources caused by contamination from the corporation’s refinery operations in Bayonne and Linden, as well as other facilities and service stations in New Jersey, Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Bob Martin announced.
Politicker Staff, Politickernj Read more

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Garrett tells Wyckoff crowd stopping Iran deal will be tough

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AUGUST 26, 2015    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Rep. Scott Garrett told a Tea Party audience in Wyckoff on Tuesday that he opposes the proposed nuclear arms agreement with Iran but said stopping the deal will be difficult under the rules that the Senate has adopted.

Garrett, R-Wantage, said he considers the agreement reached by the Obama administration to be a treaty that ought to require two-thirds approval by the Senate.

But he said a majority of his colleagues still consider it an executive action by the president.

Under the rules adopted, it would require a two-thirds majority of both the Senate and the House to disapprove the deal after a 60-day review period.

“The burden of proof has shifted from them to us,” Garrett said of the rules.

As an executive action, the agreement could be undone by the next president, Garrett said.

“But the problem with that is that the next president will not be here for another 16 or 17 months,” Garrett told a crowd of about 70 people gathered at a forum hosted by the West Bergen Tea Party.

While talk of the Iran deal dominated most of the evening, the mostly receptive audience also peppered Garrett with other questions on topics ranging from the GOP leadership in the House to trade agreements and housing discrimination legislation.

None of the questions dealt with presidential politics or the race for the Republican nomination.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/politics/garrett-says-stopping-iran-deal-will-be-tough-1.1398254

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Garrett Says No Deal on Iran Nukes

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August 26,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Will voters remember N.J. Rep. Scott Garrett’s gay comments next fall? In a state with a history of populating the more moderate wing of the Republican Party, U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett has always been an outlier. Jonathan D. Salant, NJ.com
https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/08/will_voters_remember_nj_rep_scott_garretts_comments_next_fall.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=New%20Campaign&utm_term=Wake%20Up%20Call%20NJ#incart_river

Wyckoff NJ, Its been asked over and over by every New Jersey editorial board ,will voters remember N.J. Rep. Scott Garrett’s  supposed, anonymously sourced Speaker Bohner planted gay comments next fall?

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The answer was heard loud and clear today and in meetings like it all over the state. Garrett spoke before a packed house at the WBTP and question after question was about a Nuclear Iran, TPP, TPA, and so on but not one single question about the anonymously attributed “gay ” comments , not one. Apparently Iranians shouting death to America and being handed nuclear weapons by our government , held sway over silly Republican intramural politics .
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Last night Garrett spoke before the West Bergen Tea Party meeting in Wyckoff which looked like a who’s who in North Jersey Republican Politics including Bob Yudin of BCRO and Paul DiGaetano  .
Garrett took some heat for Republican failures to achieve any meaning for change in the disastrous direction the country is headed ,after which he reminded the crowd that he was just one person and will vote against the Iran Nuke deal , had voted against Obamacare, voted to with hold TPA from the president , and had voted against speaker Bohners leadership .
Garrett took it one step further when explained that he and 8 other house members, now grown to 50 that had started a caucus in the house which looked to push a more constitutional based agenda for the house. Garrett seemed even more frustrated than members of the audience with the current political situation and suggested the House could use the power of the purse to defund the Iran deal .

 

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Home values in North Jersey, are still no higher than they were 11 years ago

for sale Ridgewood_Real_Estate_theRodgewopodblog

Region’s home prices rise 2.8%

AUGUST 25, 2015    LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2015, 4:09 PM
BY KATHLEEN LYNN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Home prices continue to edge up in the New York metropolitan area, rising 2.8 percent in June compared with a year earlier, the S&P/Case-Shiller index said Tuesday.

Nationally, prices were more buoyant, rising 4.5 percent over the year.

Despite the recent gains, home values in the region, which includes North Jersey, are still no higher than they were 11 years ago, in September 2004. They are still almost 17 percent below their mid-2006 peaks in the region. Nationally, home prices have returned to the levels of winter 2005 nationwide, and remain 12 percent to 14 percent below their peaks.

“Nationally, home prices continue to rise at a 4-5 percent annual rate, two to three times the rate of inflation,” said David M. Blitzer, chairman of the index committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices. He said that the Federal Reserve’s signals that it will raise interest rates this year could lead to higher mortgage rates, which will make buying a home more difficult.

“A quarter-point increase in the Fed funds rate won’t derail housing,” Blitzer said. “However, if the Fed were to quickly follow that initial move with one or two more rate increases, housing and home prices might suffer.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/region-s-home-prices-rise-2-8-1.1398017

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Ridgewood offers amnesty in exchange for return of any of 37 missing street signs

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AUGUST 25, 2015, 8:00 PM    LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2015, 10:46 PM
BY MARINA VILLENEUVE
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — Someone’s been stealing street signs around the village and authorities are warning: Surrender the plundered signs to police by Sept. 15, or risk criminal prosecution.

In an electronic missive to residents on Tuesday, Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld promised the amnesty in exchange for the return of any of the 37 street signs gone missing from village roadways.

Street signs taken in the dead of night are not a new problem in Ridgewood. But Sonenfeld said it continues even after village employees have started using wiring and vandal-proof screws to make it harder to get signs off the eight-foot-tall poles. Now, she said, some thieves have taken to removing the entire pole to get to the sign.

No suspects have been identified, officials said. But in her electronic e-note, Sonenfeld noted “The occurrence seems to increase right before colleges begin.”

It’s become an issue of public safety and increased cost to the taxpayer, said Sonenfeld, who estimated it costs about $100 to replace a sign, including materials and labor.

“For emergency-services employees who are fairly new, it can hurt you in finding a street,” Sonenfeld said. “The thought was we would encourage people to bring their signs in and we wouldn’t ask any questions.”

Borough officials and police chiefs in nearby Glen Rock, Waldwick, Wyckoff, Hawthorne and Oakland all said, thankfully, that stolen street signs haven’t been a problem in their communities.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-offers-amnesty-in-exchange-for-return-of-any-of-37-missing-street-signs-1.1398078

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NARRATIVE BUSTER: AGAINST HILLARY, TRUMP POLLS BETTER THAN BUSH WITH NON-WHITES

-donald-trump-candidacy-speech-thridgewoodblog

25 Aug 2015
by JOHN NOLTE

One of the top talking points the media and the Republican Establishment are using to scare GOP primary voters away from Trump is the idea that his blunt talk on immigration will so alienate minority voters he won’t have a chance to win the presidency. CNN’s latest poll, however, shows that the billionaire businessman actually does better than Establishment-favorite Jeb Bush with non-white voters.

In a head-to-head match-up with Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush wins only 23% of the non-white vote. Hillary win 72%. That’s a difference of -49 points.

Trump loses the non-white vote by -47 points, 71% to 24%.

The +2 point difference in Trump’s favor is within the poll’s margin of error but blows away the idea that Jeb’s pandering to the Left and media on the issue of border security is the key to Republicans taking back the White House.

When you look at all registered voters, the folly of Jeb’s pandering becomes even more clear. Jeb loses to Hillary by -9 points, 52% to 43%. Trump is only -6 points behind Hillary, 51% to 45%.

https://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2015/08/25/narrative-buster-against-hillary-trump-polls-better-than-bush-with-non-whites/

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Obama said to give Biden his blessing

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August 25, 2015, 10:12 am
By Jesse Byrnes

President Obama has given Vice President Biden his “blessing” to launch a 2016 bid for the White House if he chooses to run, a senior Democrat told CNN on Monday.

Obama and Biden met for a private lunch at the White House on Monday, where the president gave Biden the green light for launching a 2016 bid, CBS News also reported.

While Biden does not need Obama’s permission, the president made it clear to Biden that he would not stand in the way or advise him against running, the senior Democrat told CNN.

https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/251876-obama-said-to-give-biden-his-blessing

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Bear Trap: U.S. stocks stage dramatic reversal, erasing rally and raising new fears

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By Drew Harwell and Simon Denyer August 25 at 4:48 PM

U.S. stocks plunged in the last hour of trading Tuesday to wipe out a day-long rally, adding fresh uncertainty to markets that had seemed to be on the rebound.

The wild swing highlighted investors’ anxieties over an expansive Chinese slowdown and hinted at fault lines in an American economy otherwise seen as strong.

The surprise setback dropped the Dow Jones industrial average more than 650 points from its mid-day peak, its biggest reversal since 2008, and pushed the index of 30 blue-chip stocks down 204 points, or about 1 percent, to 15,666.44.

Investors had spent most of the day climbing back from a dismal Monday and from several days of carnage in Chinese stock markets. China’s central bank on Tuesday cut interest rates in a bid to stimulate the country’s economy, and for a while that appeared to reassure European and U.S. markets.

But by late afternoon, Wall Street went back into selling mode, as lingering fears about a slowdown in the global economy undercut the brief surge of confidence.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/chinas-market-slides-again-but-rest-of-asia-enjoys-some-respite/2015/08/25/b1b8381a-4aa3-11e5-9f53-d1e3ddfd0cda_story.html

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While women overseas face true oppression, Western feminists dream up petty hashtags

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Race and Gender, Society and Culture

In August 2014, 12 members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard charged into 28-year-old artist Atena Farghadani’s house, blindfolded her, and took her to prison.

She had posted a satirical cartoon on Facebook to protest proposed legislation to restrict birth control and women’s rights. Farghadani has since been found guilty of “spreading propaganda” and “insulting members of parliament through paintings.” She has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Farghadani is one of millions of women whose basic rights are being ruthlessly violated. In countries like Iran, Yemen, Egypt, and Cambodia, women are struggling for freedoms most women in the West take for granted.

But American feminists are relatively silent about these injustices — especially feminists on campus. During the 1980s, there were massive demonstrations on American college campuses against racial apartheid in South Africa. There is no remotely comparable movement on today’s campuses against the gender apartheid prevalent in large parts of the world. Why not?

Today’s young feminist activists are far too preoccupied with their own supposed victimhood to make common cause with women like Farghadani.

https://www.aei.org/publication/while-women-overseas-face-true-oppression-western-feminists-dream-up-petty-hashtags/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sommershashtags

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NJ craft brewers hope bills boost industry

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Members of the New Jersey’s craft brewers guild— a group small enough to fit in one restaurant booth a few years ago and now numbering around 70 — worry state law is murky on whether they can sell their suds at farmers markets or if local food trucks can serve patrons at microbreweries. Associated Press Read more