James - THE RIDGEWOOD BLOG. - Page 2974 of 3737

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

Trey Gowdy: Time for a Select Committee to Investigate the IRS Scandal

IRS officials face the House Oversight Committee in Washington, DC

Trey Gowdy: Time for a Select Committee to Investigate the IRS Scandal

Feb 18, 2015 12:13 PM EST

GREENVILLE, S.C.—At a Republican Party fundraising breakfast in his district on Wednesday, Representative Trey Gowdy suggested that the congressional GOP needed to investigate the IRS’s scrutiny of political groups with the same intensity that it was investigating the 2012 attacks in Benghazi.

“I’m glad that the speaker of the House convened a select committee on Benghazi,” said Gowdy, a former prosecutor who chairs that panel. “I think it makes every bit as much sense to convene a select committee on the IRS. Now that we have the Senate, the Senate has tools the House doesn’t have in terms of getting e-mails and cooperation. It has nothing to do with politics. Do you really want an IRS targeting you based on your political beliefs?”

The congressman, flanked by colleagues Mick Mulvaney and Jeff Duncan, took most of the questions at the $25-per-head voter briefing. Mulvaney encouraged fellow Republicans to win the moral argument about immigration reform, instead of allowing the issue to be frozen and polarized. “If you hear us talking 10 percent about the Constitution and 90 percent about something else, that’s why,” he said. Gowdy described the ways that Democrats had undermined his committee—mostly by portraying it as heartlessly partisan.

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-02-18/trey-gowdy-time-for-a-select-committee-to-investigate-the-irs-scandal

Posted on February 20, 2015February 19, 2015 by James — 1 Comment

Worried depositors rush to pull cash out of Greek banks

Worried depositors rush to pull cash out of Greek banks

Germany accuses Greeks of ‘Trojan horse’ tactics over bail-out deal .Athen’s proposal for bail-out extension are rejected by Germany setting two countries on a collision course before crunch talks

By Dody Tsiantar, Special to CNBC.com

In the midst of the dramatic showdown in Brussels between the new Greek government and its European creditors, many Greek depositors—spooked by the prospect of a Greek default or, worse, an exit from the euro zone and a possible return to the drachma—have been pulling euros out of the nation’s banks in record amounts over the last few days.

The Bank of Greece and the European Central Bank won’t report official cash outflows for January until the end of the month. But sources in the Greek banking sector have told Greek newspapers that as much as 25 billion euros (US $28.4 billion) have left Greek banks since the end of December. According to the same sources, an estimated 900 million euros flowed out of Greek banks on Tuesday alone, the day after the talks broke up in Brussels, sparking fears that measures will be taken to stem the outflow. On Thursday, by mid-afternoon, deposits had shrunk by about 680 million euros (US $77.3 million).

“If outflows reach 1 billion euros, capital controls might need to be imposed,” said Thanasis Koukakis, a financial editor for Estia a conservative daily, and To Vima, an influential Sunday newspaper.

https://www.cnbc.com/id/102439432

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

Iwo Jima on the 70th anniversary

Iwo Jima on the 70th anniversary

U.S. Marines of the 28th Regiment, 5th Division, raise the American flag atop Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima, on Feb. 23, 1945. Strategically located only 660 miles from Tokyo, the Pacific island became the site of one of the bloodiest, most famous battles of World War II against Japan. (AP Photo/Joe Rosenthal)

The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945), or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States Armed Forces fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese Empire during World War II. The American invasion had the goal of capturing the entire island, along with its three airfields (including the South Field and the Central Field), to provide a staging area for attacks on the Japanese main islands.[2] This five-week battle comprised some of the fiercest and bloodiest fighting of the War in the Pacific of World War II.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Iwo_Jima

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

Spectrum for Living Clients Deliver Cards to Valley Hospital

Spectrum for Living Clients Deliver Cards to Valley Hospital

In honor of American Heart Month, The Valley Hospital welcomed clients from Spectrum for Living to the Cardiac Center. The clients delivered handmade cards to patients receiving cardiac therapy in recognition of American Heart Month. The cards will be displayed throughout the Cardiac Center throughout the month of February.

Currently, Spectrum for Living facilities and services touch the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities in over 100 New Jersey communities. Spectrum for Living is one of New Jersey’s most respected and recognized not-for-profit organizations assisting adults with developmental disabilities in Bergen, Passaic, Middlesex and Monmouth counties. Spectrum provides a wide array of housing, medical, clinical, habilitative, social and educational services to more than 200 residential consumers and hundreds of community clients.

For more information, please contact Spectrum for Living at (201) 358-8000 or [email protected].

Posted on February 19, 2015June 27, 2021 by James — Leave a comment

Rep. Scott Garrett announces the 2015 Congressional Art Competition

Rep. Garrett congratulates Old Tappan Resident Soyoung Park for taking first place in the 2014 Congressional Art Competition

Rep. Scott Garrett announces the 2015 Congressional Art Competition has begun, and I am currently accepting submissions in my New Jersey district offices.

February 19,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The Congressional Art Competition is sponsored by the U.S. House of Representatives, and it is open to all 9th-12th graders. The first-place winner from each congressional district is invited to attend a reception in Washington, D.C., and the winning artwork is displayed in the U.S. Capitol for a year.

Attached, you will find the 2015 guidelines and the Student Release form. All applicants must live in New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District to participate. Students who wish to submit artwork in the competition must do so by Friday, April 24, 2015. All artwork must be labeled clearly on the back with the artist’s name, address, phone number, title of piece, and medium. A typed copy of the Student Release form, signed by both the teacher and the student, must be attached to the back of the artwork to certify the originality of the piece.

Although the competition does not require artists to frame the artwork unless they win, we strongly encourage all participants to frame the artwork according to the guidelines and to attach a wire to the back for hanging. If the student is unable to frame the artwork, it should still be covered and a wire should be attached on the back, so it can be displayed with the rest of the artwork.

This year, the reception will be held at Sussex County Community College. My staff will forward details about the reception as soon as they are available. All students, parents, and teachers will be invited to the reception.

Artwork may be dropped off at my Eastern District Office, 266 Harristown Road, Suite 104, Glen Rock (201-444-5454) or my Western District Office, 83 Spring Street, Suite 302A, Newton (973-300-2000) between now and April 24. Please call in advance to let my staff know you will be dropping off the artwork.

I sincerely hope you will consider participating in this wonderful opportunity. Please do not hesitate to contact Christina Garfinkle at my Eastern District Office at (201) 444-5454 if you have additional questions.

2015 Student Release Form
2015 Rules and Regulations for Students and Teachers

Posted on February 19, 2015June 27, 2021 by James — Leave a comment

RHS Dance Team Excels

RHS Dance Team Excels
February 18, 2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The RHS Dance Team excelled at their second competition of the season on February 7 at Pascack Valley High School. The team received high scores in “jazz technique” as well as “level of difficulty.” They are currently preparing for the New Jersey Dancers State Championship. The team is made up of nine RHS students and coached by Caitlin Musso.

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

Billionaire Mark Cuban Says Net Neutrality Will ‘Fuck Everything Up’

Billionaire Mark Cuban Says Net Neutrality Will ‘Fuck Everything Up’
February 18, 2015, 6:26 PM PST
By Dawn Chmielewski

Billionaire investor and ABC “Shark Tank” star Mark Cuban unloaded on the Federal Communications Commission’s plan to fundamentally change how it oversees the open Internet.

“That will fuck everything up,” said the voluble Cuban in remarks Wednesday at theCode/Media conference at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, Calif.

In early February, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler proposed tough new rules for Internet lines that would prohibit wired and wireless broadband providers from collecting payment to cut to the front of the line, or blocking and throttling lawful content and services.

Cuban said this bid to significantly expand the agency’s authority to regulate broadband providers is nothing more than an attack on giant media companies like Comcast*.

“Net neutrality is just a demonization of big companies,” Cuban said.

Cuban, who parlayed his windfall from the 1999 sale of Broadcast.com to Yahoo into an array of ventures that include the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, AXS TV and the Landmark Theatres chain, said there is no evidence (beyond an isolated 2008 case) that Internet providers have throttled access to certain websites.

https://recode.net/2015/02/18/billionaire-mark-cuban-says-net-neutrality-will-fuck-everything-up/

Posted on February 19, 2015June 27, 2021 by James — Leave a comment

RHS Athlete is Recognized for outstanding contributions to the RHS Girls Soccer team

RHS Athlete is Recognized for outstanding contributions to the RHS Girls Soccer team

February 19,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, RHS senior soccer and lacrosse player Natalie Weil was recognized at the National Girls and Women in Sports Day celebration on February 1 at Seton Hall University for outstanding contributions to the RHS Girls Soccer team, where she also served as one of the team’s co-captains. Sponsored by the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport, the event celebrated the many achievements of girls and women in sports, recognizing female athletes, coaches and administrators.

Photo: Natalie Weil with RHS Girls Soccer coach Jeff Yearing.

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

For many in U.S., cash saved at gas pump is staying in pockets

For many in U.S., cash saved at gas pump is staying in pockets

FEBRUARY 19, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS |
WIRE SERVICE

* Reduced spending may slow economy for quarter

WASHINGTON — In recent months, the stage seemed set for American consumers to do what they’ve traditionally done best: spend money — and drive the economy.

The lowest gas prices in five years had given people more spending money. Employers added more than 1 million jobs from November through January, the best three-month pace in 17 years. Businesses even raised pay in December. Economists had forecast that last week’s retail sales report for January would show a healthy rise.

And yet — to the surprise of analysts — consumers have held their wallets closely.

Even though Americans spent $6.7 billion less at gas stations in January than they had two months earlier, the extra cash didn’t get spent anywhere else: Retail sales, excluding gas, fell slightly from November to January.

The unexpected pullback provided evidence that drivers had used their extra money to further rebuild their savings and reduce their debts — a trend that began after the financial crisis and recession.

In the long run, deeper savings and shrunken debts benefit individual households — and, eventually, even the economy as a whole, because they supply fuel for a sustained flow of future spending.

For now, though, the slowdown in consumer spending likely means the economy will grow more slowly in the first quarter of the year than economists had previously envisioned. Their forecast now is for annualized growth of 2.5 percent from January through March, down from an earlier estimate of about 3 percent.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/consumers-aren-t-buying-it-1.1274319

Posted on February 19, 2015February 19, 2015 by James — 2 Comments

United Water replacing water meters in Bergen County to allow remote reading of data

United Water replacing water meters in Bergen County to allow remote reading of data

FEBRUARY 19, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY JAMES M. O’NEILL
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

United Water has begun replacing customers’ aging water meters with models that can be read remotely and provide water-use data to quickly pinpoint leaks. The project will take several years.

The new meters have sensors that can communicate over a long-range radio network and send frequent updates on the flow of water into a customer’s residence or building. That data can help United Water identify a sudden and sustained spike in water use for a particular customer and let them know they might have a leak on their property, said Steven Goudsmith, a United Water spokesman.

With the old meters, customers might have no idea for weeks that they have a leak until their monthly water bill arrives, Goudsmith said.

United Water, a subsidiary of the French for-profit water giant Suez, provides drinking water to about 200,000 accounts in Bergen and Hudson counties, servicing about 800,000 people.

“The new meters will also provide more convenience for our customers since you won’t have to stay home and wait for someone to come and read the meter,” said Goudsmith. “It reduces the concerns of some seniors with security issues and people getting into their homes by posing as utility personnel.”

Goudsmith did not have an estimated cost for the new meters, because they will be installed over many years.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/technology/united-water-replacing-all-older-meters-1.1274309

Posted on February 19, 2015June 27, 2021 by James — 4 Comments

An all Democratic panel? Or has this moved to a campaign event for PA? And we all thought he was just being civil

An all Democratic panel? Or has this moved to a campaign event for PA? And we all thought he was just being civil.

At some point these quasi-public meetings move from discussing procedure (i.e., the process by which unreconcilable dissenters are isolated, frozen, and embarrassed, preferably one at a time), to discussing substance (once the meetings have been purged of non-likeminded people, the real agenda can be discussed and moved forward), all without the need to publish an agenda before the meeting or the minutes afterward, UNLESS…both M’s Knudsen and Sedon would do us all the favor of breaking up the party by attending all of these meetings in their official capacities, thereby triggering the Sunshine Law…?

Posted on February 19, 2015June 27, 2021 by James — 2 Comments

Readers Voice Concern over Smartphone Parking Pay Scheme

Readers Voice Concern over Smartphone Parking Pay Scheme

Village Manager has said it was her goal to eliminate all coin-operated parking meters in the CBD, as is now the case on Chestnut St. and soon will be at the Short Line Park & Ride, claiming they are too hard to repair because parts are not available. PUH-LEEZE. What about the countless communities nationwide that would never consider instituting smartphone payment? It is MUCH too soon to call smartphones the default and “allow” others to pay (including that extra 35-cent fee–who’s going to reap THOSE millions? Tom Rica?) via credit card through other types of cellphone–still paying the extra fee. No way. I also love the presumption that there is no such thing as credit card fraud. Yeah, it’s all super-safe. I am looking forward to all the problems and complaints.

NOTE COIN SLOT in photo. Why can’t we have both? I quite literally will never pay an extra 35 cents for the privilege of parking. I won’t shop at any store here or do anything else except when I can park at Vill. Hall/library/Graydon etc. Absolutely furious and disgusted. And if the council does not understand how many people from both Ridgewood and elsewhere will be permanently turned off, they are dreaming.

and others ….

I hardly ever use my credit/debit card.

I think it is morally wrong to require someone to have an electronic phone in order to park at a public transportation venue at Park & Ride. It goes against my sense of right and wrong. The town was repaid for its loss with insurance, so they can purchase a kiosk. And even if they can’t afford a kiosk , they then should leave parking meters as is.

Furthermore Mayor Aronshon talks about access for all, creating a caring community. Parkmobile contradicts his words. It potentially cuts people out of public transportation. For shame. Talk about hypocrisy. And really hurting people. Also, I don’t know about others and the town govt. but I have to budget very carefully. An extra 35 cents for parking has to come from somewhere.

It’s just morally wrong.

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

Obama refuses to acknowledge ‘Muslim terrorists’ at summit

Obama refuses to acknowledge ‘Muslim terrorists’ at summit

By Geoff Earle

February 18, 2015 | 10:37pm

WASHINGTON — They’re burning and beheading victims in the name of Islam, but President Obama delivered a major speech Wednesday on combating violent extremism — while refusing to use the words “Muslim terrorists.”

“No religion is responsible for terrorism — people are responsible for violence and terrorism,” Obama told a crowd that included Muslim community leaders at the White House.

Following months of unrelenting atrocities by ISIS killers who released videos of themselves beheading US journalists and, most recently, 21 Coptic Christians, and burning a man alive, the president kowtowed to the audience by proclaiming that “Islam has been woven into the fabric of our country since its founding.”

“Generations of Muslim immigrants came here and went to work as farmers and merchants and factory workers, helped to lay railroads and build up America,” he said.

“The first Islamic center in New York City was founded in the 1890s. America’s first mosque — this was an interesting fact — was in North Dakota.”

https://nypost.com/2015/02/18/obama-refuses-to-acknowledge-muslim-terrorists-at-summit/

Posted on February 19, 2015June 27, 2021 by James — 1 Comment

HAZARDOUS WIND CHILLS TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING

HAZARDOUS WIND CHILLS TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING

URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
349 AM EST THU FEB 19 2015

…HAZARDOUS WIND CHILLS TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING…

…WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 10 AM
EST FRIDAY…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEW YORK HAS ISSUED A WIND CHILL
ADVISORY…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 10 AM EST
FRIDAY.

* LOCATIONS…NEW YORK CITY AND SURROUNDING SUBURBS…LONG
ISLAND…COASTAL CONNECTICUT…AND MUCH OF NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY.

* HAZARD TYPES…HAZARDOUS WIND CHILLS LATE TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY
MORNING.

* WIND CHILL…AS LOW AS 17 BELOW DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF VERY
COLD TEMPERATURES AND WINDS WEST 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO
35 MPH.

* TEMPERATURES…0 TO 5 ABOVE.

* TIMING…THE LOWEST WIND CHILLS WILL OCCUR AFTER MIDNIGHT
TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING.

* IMPACTS…THE FRIGID CONDITIONS WILL BE DANGEROUS TO THOSE
VENTURING OUTSIDE. PROLONGED EXPOSURE MAY CA– USE FROSTBITE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY MEANS THAT VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS
WILL COMBINE TO GENERATE LOW WIND CHILLS. THIS WILL RESULT IN
FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.
IF YOU MUST VENTURE OUTDOORS…MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A HAT AND
GLOVES.

Posted on February 19, 2015June 27, 2021 by James — Leave a comment

He’s a Raging Partisan : The big lie of Obama’s presidency

He’s a Raging Partisan : The big lie of Obama’s presidency
Febuary 18,2015
by Fred Barnes

President Obama’s claim to have disapproved of gay marriage until he changed his mind in 2012 has been exposed as a lie. It was a small, politically expedient lie, but it got a lot of attention last week. Meanwhile a bigger lie hovers over the Obama presidency like an avenging angel, unseen and unheard.

The bigger lie wasn’t a fleeting comment. It was the crux of Obama’s presidential campaign. He didn’t say he was more liberal and more experienced than his opponents. But he did say he knew how to cleanse Washington of political and ideological polarization, raging partisanship, the frequency of personal attacks, and general dysfunction. This made him unique—and very, very appealing.

He repeated the theme in campaign speeches. And in his Inaugural Address in January 2009, he said: “We have come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the petty recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics . . . the time has come to set aside childish things.”

As he left the inaugural ceremony, former House speaker Newt Gingrich told his wife, Calista, “If he’ll govern the way he just spoke, he’ll be Eisenhower. . . . He’ll split the Republican party. He’ll dominate the country.”

But Obama hasn’t governed like Ike, a unifying national leader. Almost instantly, he became a highly partisan president. He had promised to consult Republicans in Congress and listen to their ideas. Yet he’s done that rarely and then usually in a false show of bipartisanship. He insinuates Republicans have nothing worthwhile to tell him.

He has passed up two opportunities to join the country in moving to the political center, the first after the Republican landslide in the 2010 midterm elections, the second after the GOP captured both houses of Congress in November’s midterm vote.

https://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/he-s-raging-partisan_850252.html

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