James - THE RIDGEWOOD BLOG. - Page 2857 of 3743

Posted on July 20, 2015July 20, 2015 by James — Leave a comment

How Student Loans Create Demand For Useless Degrees

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 07/18/2015 18:15 -0400

Submitted by Josh Grossman via The Mises Institute,

Last week, former Secretary of Education and US Senator Lamar Alexander wrote in the Wall Street Journal that a college degree is both affordable and an excellent investment. He repeated the usual talking point about how a college degree increases lifetime earnings by a million dollars, “on average.” That part about averages is perhaps the most important part, since all college degrees are certainly not created equal. In fact, once we start to look at the details, we find that a degree may not be the great deal many higher-education boosters seem to think it is.

In my home state of Minnesota, for example, the cost of obtaining a four-year degree at the University of Minnesota for a resident of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Manitoba, or Wisconsin is$100,720 (including room and board and miscellaneous fees). For private schools in Minnesota such as St. Olaf, however, the situation is even worse. A four-year degree at this institution will cost $210,920.

This cost compares to an average starting salary for 2014 college graduates of $48,707. However, like GDP numbers this number is misleading because it is an average of all individuals who obtained a four-year degree in any academic field. Regarding the average student loan debt of an individual who graduated in 2013, about 70 percent of these graduates left college with an average student loan debt of $28,400. This entails the average student starting to pay back these loans six months after graduation or upon leaving school without a degree. The reality of this situation is that assuming a student loan interest rate of 6.8 percent and a ten-year repayment period, the average student will be paying $326.83 every month for 120 months or a cumulative total re-payment of$39,219.28. Depending upon a student’s job, this amount can be a substantial monthly financial burden for the average graduate.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-07-18/how-student-loans-create-demand-useless-degre

Posted on July 20, 2015July 20, 2015 by James — Leave a comment

GRAYDON POOL MEMBERSHIPS and AQUATIC PROGRAMS in Ridgewood

Graydon Pool Memberships and Aquatic Programs

Please visit the Graydon Pool homepage at www.ridgewoodnj.net/graydon to learn about membership rates, program offerings and pool amenities. Be sure to bookmark our Graydon homepage on your computer for future special events and program offerings. Opening day for Graydon Pool was Saturday, June 6th.

2015 season memberships may now be purchased online via Community Pass at www.ridgewoodnj.net/communitypass. Be sure to refer to your online confirmation when purchase is complete for detailed information on how to obtain your photo identification badge.

Aquatic programs, including the Graydon Swim Team and instructional and recreational swim, are also available online at Community Pass, or you may review levels and print program registration forms from our Graydon homepage referenced above. Meet the Aquatic Staff and learn more on the following dates at the pool.

American Red Cross Waterfront Lifeguard Training (recertification/bridging and new) is available through Ridgewood Parks and Recreation. Details/registration are also available on the Graydon Pool homepage.

For more information please call 201-670-5560.

Posted on July 20, 2015July 20, 2015 by James — 3 Comments

HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING

pic courtesy of Dom Nizza

URGENT – WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
329 AM EDT MON JUL 20 2015

…HOT AND HUMID WEATHER TODAY…

…HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN UPTON HAS ISSUED A HEAT
ADVISORY…WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING.

* LOCATIONS…EASTERN PASSAIC…HUDSON…BERGEN…ESSEX AND UNION
COUNTIES IN NEW JERSEY.

* HAZARDS…HEAT.

* HEAT INDEX VALUES…AROUND 100.

* TIMING…TODAY.

* IMPACTS…PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO HIGH HEAT AND HUMIDITY COULD
RESULT IN HEAT EXHAUSTION OR HEAT STROKE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A HEAT ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN THE COMBINATION OF HEAT AND
HUMIDITY IS EXPECTED TO MAKE IT FEEL LIKE IT IS 100 TO
104 DEGREES FOR TWO CONSECUTIVE HOURS.

TO REDUCE RISK DURING OUTDOOR WORK THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND
HEALTH ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDS SCHEDULING FREQUENT REST BREAKS
IN SHADED OR AIR CONDITIONED ENVIRONMENTS. ANYONE OVERCOME BY
HEAT SHOULD BE MOVED TO A COOL AND SHADED LOCATION. HEAT STROKE
IS AN EMERGENCY…CALL 9 1 1.

Posted on July 20, 2015January 20, 2019 by James — 2 Comments

Obama making bid to diversify wealthy neighborhoods that means Ridgewood

By Tim Devaney – 06/11/15 06:00 AM EDT

The Obama administration is moving forward with regulations designed to help diversify America’s wealthier neighborhoods, drawing fire from critics who decry the proposal as executive overreach in search of an “unrealistic utopia.”

A final Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rule due out this month is aimed at ending decades of deep-rooted segregation around the country.

The regulations would use grant money as an incentive for communities to build affordable housing in more affluent areas while also taking steps to upgrade poorer areas with better schools, parks, libraries, grocery stores and transportation routes as part of a gentrification of those communities.

“HUD is working with communities across the country to fulfill the promise of equal opportunity for all,” a HUD spokeswoman said. “The proposed policy seeks to break down barriers to access to opportunity in communities supported by HUD funds.”

It’s a tough sell for some conservatives. Among them is Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), who argued that the administration “shouldn’t be holding hostage grant monies aimed at community improvement based on its unrealistic utopian ideas of what every community should resemble.”

“American citizens and communities should be free to choose where they would like to live and not be subject to federal neighborhood engineering at the behest of an overreaching federal government,” said Gosar, who is leading an effort in the House to block the regulations.

Civil rights advocates, meanwhile, are praising the plan, arguing that it is needed to break through decades-old barriers that keep poor and minority families

https://thehill.com/regulation/244620-obamas-bid-to-diversify-wealthy-neighborhoods

Posted on July 20, 2015July 20, 2015 by James — 5 Comments

Readers say This really smacks of something underhanded. The position was created through unofficial channels This whole thing does not pass the smell test.

Village_Manager_Roberta_Sonenfeld_theridgewoodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

Just watched the UStream. I count four titles for this one job. 1. senior Personnel Assistant. 2. director of Human Resources. 3. Senior Human Resources Professional. 4. confidential Secretary to the Village Manager. The way they were getting testy with Bernie really gave the appearance that they were hiding something. Roberta was tap dancing all around, Albert went onto his high horse and said he was not in a deposition. Susan stayed the course and asked them what the name of the job is as of that moment. Roberta actually asked her “do,you mean as of today?” This whole thing does not pass the smell test.

Thank you Bernie. Just watched the UStream. Fascinating. The hired this person through a non-competitive position (confidential secretary) but then promoted her to a competitived position (Director) . . . what the heck is going on? Sure sounds like someone is playing very loose in Village Hall and we, the residents, are going to pay for it when the Village gets sued.

And thank you Susan for asking the difficult questions . . . “What is the name of this position as of today”? I almost died laughing when you asked that and Roberta couldn’t answer.

This really smacks of something underhanded. The position was created through unofficial channels. The person was hired before the job actually existed. Roberta defended her actions by saying this was all just a cleanup of an existing condition. Wrong. It did not exist until she created it last year. She tried to act like this was a long standing contradiction and it is not. She made this Jo and then she got the law changed. This was not an emergency. Why. Pinot follow official channels and get the Code changed before posting the job opening? Seems that this was slipped though under the radar, but thanks to Mike, Susan, Bernie and a couple of others, the radar detectors started squawking.

Make this right Ms. Sonenfeld. better yet, make it right Mr. mayor. This is outright government corruption as it stands now.

Posted on July 20, 2015July 20, 2015 by James — 1 Comment

Downed Tree limb takes out electric, phone, and cable on Highland Ave. in Ridgewood

photo courtesy of Boyd Lovings Facebook

July 19,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Despite the absence of heavy rains or high winds, large tree limbs continue to fall on almost a daily basis in Ridgewood, keeping police, fire, and PSE&G personnel on the the move. The most recent tree affected was located in the side yard of 353 Highland Avenue, at the corner of McKinley Place. The fallen limb took out electric, phone, and cable TV service to one (1) home, and blocked McKinley Place between Grandview Circle and Highland Avenue. Fire and police units responded to a call from a passing Bergen County Sheriff’s officer shortly after 7 AM on Sunday, 07/19, although a neighbor indicated that the limb actually fell at about 5 AM. No injuries were reported in the incident. PSE&G crews were expected to make the area safe, which would allow Ridgewood Parks & Tree Department crews to clear the blocked roadway. In addition to losing power & communications lines, a fence was also damaged at 353 Highland Avenue.

Posted on July 20, 2015July 20, 2015 by James — 5 Comments

Fact Check: The Washington Post on Donald Trump and John McCain

SHARYL ATTKISSON

Donald Trump appears to have gotten under the skin of not only Democrats, but also fellow Republicans and the news media. Has that subjected Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, to unfair and/or inaccurate reporting?

An article in the Washington Post today is headlined, “Trump slams McCain for being ‘captured’ in Vietnam.”

The article’s lead sentence states, “Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump slammed Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a decorated Vietnam War veteran, on Saturday by saying McCain was not a war hero because he was captured by the North Vietnamese [emphasis added].”

Is this report accurate?

In fact, Trump’s actual quote is the opposite of what is presented in the Post’s first sentence.

Discussion

1. The Post did not provide context at the outset disclosing that McCain and Trump have been feuding, with McCain characterizing some Trump supporters as “crazies” and Trump stating that McCain graduated last in his class in Annapolis. The charged rhetoric continued at the conservative Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa this weekend.

2. When a panelist characterized McCain as a “war hero,” the Post is accurate in reporting that Trump initially said McCain is “not a war hero.” But then, Trump immediately modified his statement saying– four times– that McCain is a war hero:

“He is a war hero.”

“He’s a war hero because he was captured.”

“He’s a war hero, because he was captured.”

“I believe, perhaps, he’s a war hero. But right now, he’s said some very bad things about a lot of people.”

3. Did Trump say McCain is not a war hero because he was captured? No, not in the exchanges represented in the Post.

4. Is the Post’s characterization an accident? It would appear not, because it is repeated in the Post’s caption of the video clip, which also states: “Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a decorated Vietnam war veteran, was not a war hero because he was captured by the North Vietnamese [emphasis added].”

Further, in the Post’s second sentence, Trump is quoted as stating of McCain, “He’s not a war hero…He’s a war hero because he was captured,” but the article selectively left out the phrase Trump had uttered in between: “He is a war hero.”

Conclusion

Trump actually said the opposite of what the Post lead sentence and video caption claim. The Post might have been able to get away stating that Trump “implied” McCain was not a war hero because McCain was captured, but even that would have been a subjective interpretation since Trump had actually stated the opposite.

It’s true that Trump stated one time that McCain is not a war hero. But Trump stated four times that McCain is a war hero–and that was not accurately characterized in the article.

https://sharylattkisson.com/fact-check-the-washington-post-on-donald-trump-and-john-mccain/

Posted on July 20, 2015July 20, 2015 by James — 1 Comment

Trump : McCain has abandoned our veterans. I will fight for them.

-donald-trump-candidacy-speech-thridgewoodblog

Trump: I don’t need to be lectured
EDT July 19, 2015

John McCain has called his own constituents who want a secure border “crazies.” No one in the news media or the establishment, including theRepublican National Committee, criticized the senator for those comments.

Now, as respected reporter Sharyl Attkisson has proved point by point, the news media are also distorting my words. But that is not my point. McCain the politician has failed the state of Arizona and the country.

During my entire business career, I have always made supporting veterans a top priority because our heroes deserve the very best for defending our freedom. Our Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals are outdated dumps. I will build the finest and most modern veterans hospitals in the world. The current medical assistance to our veterans is a disaster. A Trump administration will provide the finest universal access health care for our veterans. They will be able to get the best care anytime and anywhere.

Thanks to McCain and his Senate colleague Bernie Sanders, their legislation to cover up the VA scandal, in which 1,000+ veterans died waiting for medical care, made sure no one has been punished, charged, jailed, fined or held responsible. McCain has abandoned our veterans. I will fight for them.

The reality is that John McCain the politician has made America less safe, sent our brave soldiers into wrong-headed foreign adventures, covered up for President Obama with the VA scandal and has spent most of his time in the Senate pushing amnesty. He would rather protect the Iraqi border than Arizona’s. He even voted for the Iran Nuclear Review Act of 2015, which allows Obama, who McCain lost to in a record defeat, to push his dangerous Iran nuclear agreement through the Senate without a supermajority of votes.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/07/19/donald-trump-republican-party-presidential-candidate-editorials-debates/30389993/

Posted on July 19, 2015July 19, 2015 by James — Leave a comment

Ridgewood BOE Meeting Monday July 20th

RIDGEWOOD SCHOOL BOARD MEETS ON JULY 20, 2015

The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, July 20, 2015 at 4 p.m.

The public is invited to attend the meeting at the Ed Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3. The meeting will be aired live on FiOS channel 33 and Optimum channel 77. Or it may be viewed live via the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us using the “Link in Live” tab.

Click here to view the agenda for the July 20, 2015 Regular Public Meeting.

Posted on July 19, 2015July 19, 2015 by James — Leave a comment

Volunteers share summer fun at Camp Sunshine in Ridgewood

JULY 17, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Camp Sunshine, held each summer at the Duck Pond on East Ridgewood Avenue, is a great place for children and young adults with special needs to spend time. The well-organized camp, under the direction of Cathy Telerico, gives participants the opportunity to experience the kind of fun and freedom that other young people enjoy.

The camp features a variety of activities for its attendees, including swimming in the facility’s pool, playing in the field, doing arts and crafts, and helping to make lunch, among other things. Camp Sunshine also has themed days in order to keep things lively. A recent one, for example, was Italian Day, when that country’s food was served.

While the camp is structured in a way to keep the participants safe, it is also a relatively free environment where the campers are encouraged to enjoy themselves during their time away from school.

“I think it’s important that the campers have a break, because in school, everything is so structured, and we do have some structure here, but it’s a little bit more limited,” Telerico said. “I mean, they’re kids too … they want to come here and have some fun, and that’s what we’re all about.

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/clubs-and-service-organizations/volunteers-share-summer-fun-with-other-youngsters-1.1376022

Posted on July 19, 2015July 19, 2015 by James — 1 Comment

Analysis: Weaker oversight gives N.J. public colleges greater power to chart their agendas

JULY 19, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2015, 12:35 AM
BY PATRICIA ALEX
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Kean University is launching an expensive architecture program, largely tailored to foreign students, at its Union campus despite another public one just 6 miles away at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

The technology institute, virtually across the street from Rutgers Medical School in Newark, is considering partnering with Rowan University, just south of Philadelphia, to train doctors.

A new public business school is opening in Jersey City even as others in nearby Newark and Montclair are spending millions to beef up their programs.

If it seems like there’s no statewide plan for higher education in New Jersey, it’s because there isn’t, and recent decisions by the schools have raised questions about whether weak state oversight has allowed for expensive and duplicative projects that have helped make the state home to some of the highest public tuitions in the nation.

The politically appointed boards that run the state-subsidized colleges and universities have a degree of autonomy unheard of in most other states. And with no resistance from state officials, the boards have approved costly and controversial projects.

Stockton University bought an $18 million former casino it is now unable to use; Montclair State University agreed to spend $250,000 on a statue of its mascot and Kean purchased a multimedia conference table from China for $219,000, prompting a state investigation.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/analysis-weaker-oversight-gives-n-j-public-colleges-greater-power-to-chart-their-agendas-1.1376906

Posted on July 19, 2015May 25, 2016 by James — Leave a comment

The Ridgewood News All-Suburban Tennis Team Names RHS Senior BERFU YILDIZ

JULY 17, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW BIRCHENOUGH
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

RIDGEWOOD — An examination of this season’s All-Suburban boys tennis first team reveals a large amount of turnover in the 11-player roster from last year, as well as a tremendous pool of talent.

https://www.northjersey.com/sports/high-school-sports/boys-tennis/newcomers-lead-all-star-tennis-team-1.1376019?page=1

Posted on July 19, 2015July 18, 2015 by James — Leave a comment

Adult students show their masterpieces at Stable in Ridgewood

JULY 17, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY EILEEN LA FORGIA
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Adult student artists are showing off at the Stable’s gallery this month what they have learned from Sandi Chanoch in her acrylic painting class that has been meeting on Tuesday afternoons for the past 15 years. Their exhibit is aptly named, “Every Tuesday at 1 o’clock.

Chanoch, whom her students call “Mrs. C,” finds it gratifying working with adults in addition to the classes she has for children. Some of the adult students have been with her for the entire 15 years.

“We work in a relaxed atmosphere, each artist at his or her own pace and style. Over the years they have become an ‘artistic family’ – supportive, caring, friendly and there for each other whether it’s to lend a brush, a new paint color or to listen to a concern and be supportive. As their talents have been refined over the years so have their relationships,” she noted.

https://www.northjersey.com/arts-and-entertainment/art/adult-students-show-their-masterpieces-at-stable-1.1376012

Posted on July 19, 2015July 18, 2015 by James — 4 Comments

Facebook-Self vs. True-Self: Presenting Contrived Happiness

Digital presentations often do not reflect true identities.
Post published by Jamie Krenn Ph.D. on Jul 10, 2015 in Screen Time

During 4th of July weekend, my husband and I took our toddler daughter to a park. We often go to the same one overlooking the Hudson River because she likes to climb the curvy ladders as well as play hide and seek within the slides. It was a day similar to others in that we werelaughing, and smiling and trying to keep her hydrated. Parents who frequent parks without a hint of a shady tree understand this challenge. It was like any other playground adventure except for one thing…

Across the field, I noticed a mom angry with her jumpy, unhappy kids. She yelled and tugged at them by the arms to come closer. I heard several times “Come here!” or “Move over here!” “Fix your face… Smile, now!” Apparently, she was not letting up until she got a “fantastic, happy” snapshot complete with river background, ear-to-ear smiles, and cuddling. After several digital captures, the mom and kids parted ways. Quickly. She next spent several minutes on a bench, rapidly swiping and clicking her hand-held “happy family” image producer unaware of her children’s location. I noticed one traveled very far down to the river to throw rocks. Contrived bliss for the digital masses.

The “Facebook-self” and a true-self comparison study published recently focused on the adverse effects of incongruence between these two identities as well as some of the psychological predictors of this behavior (Gil-Or, Levi-Belz & Turel, 2015). Incongruity between the real-self and an ideal-self as Rogers (1959) coined, is not an uncommon act among those trying to escape their current existence or create a fictitious sense of pleasant family life. Often the Facebook-self appears to be more “socially acceptable” or “attractive” with families and individuals (Gil-Or, Levi-Belz & Turel, 2015). In other words, users want to put on a good show. Presentations such as these do not cause concern for seeing one enter an arena of psychological dysfunction. However, some of the tenants can potentially affect a family dynamic in negative ways. Clearly, rough, forced actions with children do not build lasting family bonds.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/screen-time/201507/facebook-self-vs-true-self-presenting-contrived-happines

Author: James