‘Every single French Jew I know has left Paris’: Editor of Britain’s Jewish Chronicle claims people are fleeing terror-hit French capital
Stephen Pollard says terror attack on Kosher store in Paris is no ‘fluke’ ‘Every single French Jew I know has either left or is actively working out how to leave’, he said Experts believe that more than 100,000 French Jews have left since 2013 France’s Chief Rabbi has said after a number of attacks on Jews in the past year: ‘Jews murdered were targeted specifically because they were Jewish’ Policing stepped up across British Jewish areas, community body says Mayor’s office has announced closure of shops in famous Jewish area
By Martin Robinson for MailOnline and James White for MailOnline
Published: 11:22 EST, 9 January 2015 | Updated: 15:02 EST, 9 January 2015
Jews are fleeing terror-hit Paris because of growing anti-Semitism in France, one of Britain’s most influential Jewish journalists said today.
Stephen Pollard, editor of the Jewish Chronicle, spoke out after an Islamic terrorist took six people hostage and held them captive in a Kosher supermarket in the French capital.
This afternoon police ordered all shops in a famous Jewish neighborhood in central Paris to close.
The mayor’s office in Paris announced the closure of shops along the Rosiers street in Paris’ Marais neighborhood, in the heart of the tourist district and less than a mile away from the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo where 12 people were killed on Wednesday.
Hours before the Jewish Sabbath, the street is usually crowded with French Jews and tourists alike.
Mr Pollard said today’s terror attack in Paris, linked to the massacre at the office of Charlie Hebdo, will force more French Jews to flee the country.
How France Legitimizes Violent Responses to Offensive Speech
Jacob Sullum|Jan. 8, 2015 12:08 pm
Nine years before three gunmen executed 10 people at the offices of Charlie Hebdo for the crime of insulting Islam, two Muslim organizations tried to imprison the editor of the satirical French weekly for the crime of insulting Islam. Although Charlie Hebdo won that case, the fact that it was possible illustrates how French law legitimizes the grievances underlying yesterday’s barbaric attack by endorsing the illiberal idea that people have a right not to be offended.
The Paris Grand Mosque and the Union of French Islamic Organizations sued Charlie Hebdo and its editor at the time, Philippe Val, over its 2006 publication of three cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad, including two that had appeared in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten the previous year. One of the Jyllands-Posten cartoons showed Muhammad in heaven, telling a line of arriving suicide bombers, “Stop, stop, we ran out of virgins!” The other depicted Muhammad with a turban in the shape of a bomb. The third cartoon was a cover illustration labeled “Muhammad Overwhelmed by Fundamentalists” that showed an anguished prophet with his hands to his face, saying, “It’s hard being loved by assholes.”
The complaining organizations argued that all three cartoons violated French law, which makes insulting people based on their religion a crime punishable by a fine of €22,500 and six months in jail. In March 2007 a Paris judge, Jean-Claude Magendie, concluded that two of the cartoons targeted radical Islamists, as opposed to Muslims in general. He said the third cartoon, the one with Muhammad wearing a turban-bomb, did qualify as an attack on Muslims in general. But because Val had published it in response to an earlier controversy over its appearance in Jyllands-Posten, Magendie ruled, he lacked the requisite intent to insult. An appeals court upheld the decision, although it concluded that none of the cartoons amounted to an attack based on religion.
The economy added 252,000 jobs in December, down from 353,000 in November. With GDP growth slowing, prospects for jobless Americans are worsening.
The unemployment rate fell to 5.6 percent, but only because so many working age Americans quit looking for work and are no longer counted in the official jobless tally. If the same percentage of adults were in the labor force today as when Presidents Obama took office, the jobless rate would be about 9.9 percent
The Administration alibis Baby Boom retirements are driving down adult participation. However, nearly one in six men between ages 25 and 54 — too old for college and too young to retire — are jobless. Many are simply sitting at home watching ESPN, playing video games and relying on relatives, friends and government benefits for support.
The Obama recovery has managed only 2.3 percent GDP annual growth, and the economy has added only 6.4 million new jobs on his watch. Whereas during the Reagan recovery, the pace of economic growth was 4.8 percent, and 9.5 million jobs were added through the end of his sixth year.
America has not lost its capacity to innovate and create new products and industries but in a globalized economy, poor government policies block Americans from playing their strengths.
The nation still enjoys strong comparative advantages in manufacturing, but President Obama refuses to confront China, Japan and Germany about exchange rate and monetary policies that purposefully undervalue their currencies and artificially underprice their exports. And now it seems the president is intent on jamming through congress new free trade agreements that would further open U.S. markets to foreign competition, while countenancing continued currency manipulation and mercantilism abroad.
Restrictions on offshore drilling and onshore pipeline construction continue unnecessary U.S. dependence on foreign oil, divert billions of consumer dollars abroad and rob Americans of millions of jobs.
The cost of hiring workers is greatly increased by Obamacare health insurance mandates, minimum wages above the federal standard in 29 states and needlessly cumbersome business regulations. Along with threats of government-inspired litigation, those accelerate automation.
Amazon recently purchased Kiva Systems, which makes robots that will permit it to eliminate thousands of jobs at its fulfillment warehouses. Those systems are already at retailers including Crate and Barrel and Gap.
Administration polices have encouraged monopolization in key industries that are major contributors to the Democratic machine — greatly slowing growth and jobs creation.
Dodd-Frank lending regulations have proven too costly for smaller banks, and many have sold out to larger banks. Deposits are even more concentrated among “too big to fail” Wall Street banks, who often are not much interested in lending to Main Street businesses and homebuyers.
Cable companies enjoy considerable freedom to raise Internet and TV rates, and have taken the profits to acquire media companies and other businesses instead of enhancing service. For example, Comcast, whose CEO often hosts Obama fundraisers, has used monopoly profits from high cable rates to purchase NBC, where it underwrites political activists like Al Sharpton, instead of investing in systems that could raise Internet speeds and support more web-based businesses.
Major airlines, which are well represented in Washington, have consolidated to individually lock up many inter-city routes. Instead of passing along lower fuel prices by trimming ticket prices and adding flights, airline shareholders and employees are feasting on windfall gains. American Airlines is urging its pilots to accept a union contract that raises pay more than 20 percent — more than arbitrators awarded.
Obama’s lax immigration enforcement and amnesty are increasing competition for jobs. A study by the Center for Immigration Studies, released last June, found foreign born workers are taking the lion share of new jobs, especially those going to prime working age adults between the ages of 16 and 65.
Those forces combine to push down wages. Average family income, adjusted for inflation, has fallen from about $57,000 in 2000 to $52,000.
Peter Morici is an economist and business professor at the University of Maryland, and a national columnist. He tweets @pmorici1
RHS New Players Company Puts on New Players in Concert January 15-18
Show Times: Thursday at 7 p.m.; Friday – Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 7 p.m.
Tickets and more information on the show are available at www.rhsnewplayers.com.
Click here for the flyer with information on times and tickets.
Click here to view the 2014-2015 season program. Click here to go to the New Players website donation section.
Angelo DeSimone former Ridgewood superintendent of business to become Elmwood Park schools new fiscal monitor
January 10, 2015 Last updated: Saturday, January 10, 2015, 1:21 AM
By CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
The Record
ELMWOOD PARK — The state has appointed a new monitor to oversee the school district’s finances, the superintendent of schools said Friday.
Angelo DeSimone, who has been the state monitor in Garfield since 2013, has taken over in Elmwood Park from Thomas Egan.
The superintendent of schools, Richard Tomko, said Friday that DeSimone will be working about 30 hours a week in the district; Egan put in close to 40 hours.
Egan, the former business administrator in Bergenfield, was installed in early 2013 to manage the school district’s finances after two consecutive yearly budget deficits.
Egan served in his role in Elmwood Park for two years.
Courtesy of Dom
DeSimone’s appointment runs for one year. Elmwood Park’s school board voted to accept his appointment at its meeting Tuesday night.
DeSimone will have final say in all purchasing decisions, can overrule the school board and is allowed to attend executive session meetings when financial matters are to be discussed.
DeSimone retired in 2012 after working for eight years as the Ridgewood school district’s superintendent of business.
While DeSimone will answer to Education Commissioner David Hespe, the district is required to pay his $96-an-hour wage and cover his business-related expenses.
In the spring of 2013, the district received $2.2 million in advance aid from the state to eradicate its budget deficit. As a result, Elmwood Park will receive reduced state aid funding over the next eight years.
Total district expenditures during the fiscal years 2011 and 2012 were $32.5 million and $34.6 million, respectively, according to the state’s audit.
According to state law, school districts can only receive advance state aid if a state monitor is in place.
Sean Lowe Tuesday, January 27th @ 6:00pm
Star of The Bachelor, Sean Lowe, will sign his new book:
For The Right Reasons
Marky Ramone Wednesday, January 28th @ 7:00pm
Drummer from the group The Ramone’s, Marky Ramone, will sign his new book:Punk Rock Blitzkrieg
Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt.
Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change.
First In Line Certificate use is the the discretion of Bookends. Blackout dates may apply.
Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings.
Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.
While we try to ensure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed. We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.
Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726
Ridgewood should have preserved elements of old building
JANUARY 9, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2015, 9:54 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Building elements should have been preserved
To the editor:
I’m writing about your recent article “Ridgewood debate at Hudson Street lot was ‘past versus parking'” (The Ridgewood News, Dec. 26, page A1).
I’m a former Ridgewood resident who was too young in 1993 to be civically minded and involved in the parking garage debate.
In retrospect, my question for the town is why weren’t elements of the old fire house preserved? Even after the structure was torn down, parts of the original building could have been preserved, even if just a piece of a brick wall or the building’s cornerstone. Imagine how a dull, boring asphalt lot would look if cars passed through the building’s original arches to reach parking spaces.
I think there was a failure on the part of town leaders to think outside the box. If there is any follow-up article I would love to see similar questions asked.
You mean the plan to “tax the rich” to fund the NJ economy and redistribute the wealth didn’t work?
How can that be?
It was such a good, well thought out, logical plan
Oh well, let’s try the same plan again – it will surely work next time.
Some time around the very birth of this blog , I sat in a local kitchen and across from me sat among other people Tom Keen Jr who at the time was considering a run for Governor.
I carefully laid out my concerns about what would happen to the North Jersey economy ,specifically Bergen County if the “Wall Street ” job engine would slow down or stop . I explained all those Wall Street salaries went to went to pay the very high taxes, rents and utilities as well as the effect of the enormous disposable income that was spent in shopping malls etc..
Tom looked across the table at me and said , “We are working on banning smoking in bars and restaurants” and I knew then that our representatives in Trenton have absolutely no clue what so ever as to what they are doing or even the most rudimentary understanding of economics .
Years later a certain leader of the “turf field”proponents,lets just call him Captain Jack used to say OFTEN that ,” if you can’t afford the high taxes you do not belong here ” and he would go on to claim that the high taxes actually caused the increase in property values. Funny how he left town be for the bill came do for the turf field he supported .
And that my friends is how the golden goose was killed with little fan fare and thus the mess we now find our selves in .
Reader says , “What will really hit the New York metro area is the rapid advancements in technology and communications, which will make it gradually unnecessary to have have “Wall St” and all it’s associated industries in law, accounting, etc., physically located in NY/NJ. This is a massive driver in terms of real estate, employment, and tax revenues for the tri-state area. The basic laws of supply and demand will eventually see this industry scatter. You might think your lifestyle and job is totally unconnected to Wall St, but you would be wrong.”
Ridgewood’s parking changes neglect certain employees
JANUARY 9, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2015, 9:55 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Parking changes neglect workers
To The Editor:
Once again, Ridgewood has missed the mark with the new parking changes.
An important element of downtown shopping has been neglected. Many of the employees of downtown businesses are part-time. The monthly, unlimited fee does not work for someone who may work only a couple of short shifts a week. This is not uncommon for many of the retail businesses in town.
How does an hourly worker park for six hours legally? They run out every three hours to move their car? The very same people that made use of the 12-hour lots on the periphery of downtown will be parking in premium spots since there is no incentive for them to park farther away. They still have to move their car and there is no savings afforded them by using the lots.
I see all sides of this having been a resident of Ridgewood for 30-plus years and a merchant for 26 years. Unless the intention of the village is to penalize and ticket the workers that staff our businesses, I’m going to call the changes another failure to meet the needs of downtown Ridgewood.
JANUARY 9, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2015, 11:11 AM
BY STEPHANIE ALBERICO AND DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
During a presentation at a council work session on Jan. 7, Ridgewood Water Business Manager Dave Scheibner reiterated facts from a notice that the water utility distributed to its customers last month and confirmed that there is no lead in the water supply.
“As your water system, we are required to conduct public education in regards to lead contamination,” said Scheibner. “I understand that this notice has created some concern among some of the residents in our community. Please know that the language in the notice is prescribed by regulation and my appearance here tonight is for the purpose of providing facts and context to help our residents put this issue into proper prospective.”
“The water supply by Ridgewood Water does not have lead in it,” he continued. “Regulatory agencies require that water utilities test for lead by setting up worst-case scenarios at locations with increased risk such as those knowing to have lead service lines.”
Ridgewood Water, during regular testing performed in June 2012, detected elevated lead levels in “drinking water found in some buildings.” Testing took place at high risk locations in the service area, which includes residential and commercial addresses in the village, Glen Rock, Midland Park and Wyckoff.
According to Scheibner, Ridgewood Water was required to develop a treatment strategy to address the situation. Water officials are currently testing phosphate additives that remediate lead corrosion, which “effectively stops the leaching of lead into the water.”
“This treatment provides other official benefits for the water system and has no negative health effects,” said Scheibner. “A permit to allow this treatment to be implemented permanently is pending with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Until this treatment plant is in full effect, residents can take one simple step to eliminate their exposure to lead in drinking water. Let the faucet run for several seconds before drawing water for cooking or drinking. If your service line is made of lead, run the water for a longer period to clear all the water from the service line.”
Scheibner provided information, material and handouts for residents with contact information about service lines, testing for lead, phosphate water treatment, health effects of lead and also answered any questions posed by the public at the meeting.
Mayor Paul Aronsohn asked Scheibner if there was a reason to be concerned.
“There’s a reason to be cautious,” said Scheibner. “Getting in the habit of running the faucet if it hasn’t been used for awhile is just a common sense habit to get into. You don’t need to be concerned about it. It’s just a good habit to get into.”
JANUARY 9, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2015, 3:43 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
A coveted Ridgewood liquor license – plus Beanie Babies, greeting cards, and back supports – will be up for grabs at a public auction next week at Harding Pharmacy and Liquor.
The auction will take place on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 11 a.m.
According to David Edelberg, a lawyer for the landlord plaintiff, Clotco, Inc., the total amount owed to the landlord, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the state is “approaching a half-million dollars.”
His client was owed more than $200,000, he said, and around $40,000 was due in sales taxes.
“I would say my client who knew [the owner] was overly accommodating for too long a period of time,” said Edelberg, who became involved in June. “A lot of landlords, you’re behind 18 months to two years, [they] do something.”
His client started an eviction against the owner, but was able to settle on terms “whereby he agreed to vacate” and proceed with the auction sale, he noted.
According to auctioneer Michael Sklar, of A.J. Willner Auctions, the lucrative Ridgewood “D” liquor license is expected to go for around $250,000.
Other items for sale include 600 bottles of wine and liquor; the alcohol can only to go to a licensed liquor holder, Sklar said.
“Someone who wants to buy it for a New Year’s Eve party, they can’t buy it,” he said.
The rest of the items at the auction, including the store fixtures, will be for sale to the public. A minimum of a 25 percent deposit is due at the time of a successful bid, in cash, certified or cashier’s check, according to the auction website.
A record 92,898,000 Americans 16 years and older did not participate in the labor force last month, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The BLS defines people not in the work force as people 16 years and up who are not employed and haven’t “made specific efforts to find employment sometime during the 4-week period ending with the reference week.” The labor force participation rate — or the “The labor force as a percent of the civilian noninstitutional population” — also dipped back down to 62.7 percent, from 62.9 percent in November.
September also saw a labor force participation rate of 62.7 percent, however prior to then, the last time the rate hit 62.7 percent was in February of 1978.
While the level of labor force participation declined — due not only to potentially discouraged workers but also baby boomers hitting retirement age — the BLS reported Friday that in December the unemployment rate declined to 5.6 percent and payroll jobs increased by 252,000.
“Today’s solid employment report caps off a strong year for the U.S. labor market, which achieved a number of important milestones in 2014,” Jason Furman, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, said in a statement. “Total job growth last year was the strongest since 1999, while the unemployment rate fell at the fastest pace in three decades.”
3D printing could revolutionise war and foreign policy
by Staff Writers
Paris (AFP) Jan 05, 2015
3D printing will revolutionise war and foreign policy, say experts, not only by making possible incredible new designs but by turning the defence industry — and possibly the entire global economy — on its head.
For many, 3D printing still looks like a gimmick, used for printing useless plastic figurines and not much else.
But with key patents running out this year, new printers that use metal, wood and fabric are set to become much more widely available — putting the engineering world on the cusp of major historical change.
The billion-dollar defence industry is at the bleeding edge of this innovation, with the US military already investing heavily in efforts to print uniforms, synthetic skin to treat battlewounds, and even food, said Alex Chausovsky, an analyst at IHS Technology.
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have already invented “4D printing” — creating materials that change when they come into contact with elements such as water.
One day, that could mean things like printed uniforms that change colour depending on their environment.
By Anahita Mukherji, TNN | 7 Jan, 2015, 04.49AM IST
MUMBAI: Two of three scientists at a session on climate change and society at the Indian Science Congress on Tuesday felt fears of man-made global warming were greatly exaggerated. Their presence at the conference was particularly significant in light of the current ‘development-versus-envir- onment’ debates.
“While I agree that glaciers are melting because of global warming, if this is because of man, then what was the reason for the melting of the glaciers in the Gondwana period long ..
Streaming Devices Poised to Dominate Viewing Preferences As Seven in 10 TV Viewers Stream Programming
Second NATPE||Content First and Consumer Electronics Association content delivery study shows live TV decline, rise of multi-screen viewing
Las Vegas, Nev. (January 8, 2015) – While the television continues to provide the best quality picture and viewing experience, the way content is being discovered and consumed is changing dramatically, especially for millennials. According to the preliminary results of the second NATPE||Content First and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® joint research study on consumers’ attitudes toward television viewing, just 55 percent of millennials use TVs as their primary viewing platform, while streaming devices – laptops, tablets, and smartphones – are poised to dominate their viewing preferences.
CEA and NATPE commissioned the study, conducted by E-Poll Market Research, to evaluate the TV content distribution landscape, explore the dynamics at play against the background of exploding consumer choices and determine how consumers find TV content and view it across different platforms. The initial findings were released today during a panel session held at the 2015 International CES®. Owned and produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®, the 2015 CES, the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies, runs January 6-9, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
