Commuters simply cant take the Bridgegate Scandal Serious
September 9th 2014
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
So its been one year since the so called GWB Scandal and mean while commuters continue to suffer the daily delays with hardly a peep from the press .Its funny how 50 years on non stop traffic delays only get noticed the one time a third rate politician gets inconvenienced .
The George Washington Bridge, recently associated with a political scandal, has been a symbol of frustration and gridlock for daily commuters for years .
As a reminder on Thursday June 11th traffic stalled in New Jersey and New York following an early-morning fatal crash on the GWB . Two tractor-trailers heading east crashed shortly after 2 a.m. on the bi-level bridge’s upper deck. Port Authority Police reported that the driver in the rear truck died when the vehicle became wedged under the other truck’s trailer. Port Authority Police Capt. Ron Shindel went on to say the driver in the lead truck was emotionally shaken and was taken to a hospital .
While September 11 will be the anniversary of the 9/11 Islamic terrorist murder of 3000 American citizens , it will also be the 2 month anniversary of the death of one truck driver killed on the GWB resulting in a 7 hour back up .
Governor Chris Christie meanwhile wrote off Democrats’ Bridgegate anniversary calling it “nakedly partisan” and commuters had stronger language for it ,namely self-serving , stupid ,out of touch and offensive.
Former Secretary of State and Former Treasury Secretary James A. Baker, III Endorses Jeff Bell for U.S. Senate
September 8, 2014
James A. Baker, III, the 61st Secretary of State and 67th U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, endorsed New Jersey Republican Senate nominee Jeff Bell on Monday and praised his monetary reform plan that is at the centerpiece of his campaign.
Baker in a statement said, “Jeff Bell was a key man in getting Ronald Reagan’s successful economic policies off the ground and now his advocacy for a dollar as good as gold is what’s needed in the U.S. Senate.”
Bell responded, “James Baker is one of America’s most distinguished public servants. He played a leading role in making the U.S. into the world’s only superpower and I am enthused that he supports my economic plan to restore the kind of prosperity we had in the ’80s and ’90s.”
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SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014, 12:51 AM BY LAURA HERZOG STAFF WRITER
Last summer, as a group of Passaic campers complained about their food, Ridgewood Girl Scout Hayley Punjabi looked guiltily at her healthful, filling meal.The Girl Scout-led summer camp in Passaic, which Punjabi interned at, provided free state lunches for low-income children. In terms of their quality, Punjabi saw the lunches as “very mediocre.”
“It was really sad, and this is like 15 minutes from Ridgewood, New Jersey,” Punjabi said. “I would bring a nice salad and a whole food lunch, and I would just feel so bad.”
The campers were some of “the nicest girls I’ve ever met,” the Ridgewood High School (RHS) senior recalled, so it hurt her to hear them commenting about their food – saying things like “it’s the same thing every day” and “I’m hungry.”
Now, Punjabi is doing something about it.
In an attempt to get filling, healthy food to low-income people, she has organized special food drives for the clients of Social Services Association of Ridgewood and Vicinity (SSA). The first drive is taking place tomorrow, Sept. 9 and the second one will be Tuesday, Sept. 16, according to Punjabi. Instead of calling for the typical salt-and-fat-heavy non-perishable goods, Punjabi is asking only for fresh fruits and vegetables.
Both drives will take place at the Ridgewood train station headquarters of the SSA from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Ridgewood Planning Board details process, payment for hearings
SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014, 6:00 PM BY LAURA HERZOG STAFF WRITER
“Rights” related to money spent by amendment applicants on hearings before the Ridgewood Planning Board – including the payment of village professionals, as detailed in Ordinance 3066 – were among the topics discussed during a review on Tuesday of proper board behavior.
The idea that Ridgewood’s applicants are afforded additional rights – beyond those afforded to applicants in other communities, who may not foot the bill for municipal experts during the hearing process – was ultimately rejected by the board attorneys.
But one key point was revealed: Ridgewood has the right to foot the bill for a master plan amendment application hearing, with or without Ordinance 3066 on the books, and thereby bring only its own experts in for a hearing, rather than also including an applicants’ experts.
During the discussion, Planning Board Attorney Gail Price also presented a legal overview regarding Open Public Meetings Act requirements and board obligations related to the Municipal Land Use Law (MLUL).
Ridgewood teen’s record-setting swim has family and classmates cheering
SEPTEMBER 8, 2014, 5:11 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014, 10:49 PM BY STEPHANIE AKIN AND CHRIS HARRIS STAFF WRITERS THE RECORD
In a matter of hours, she would make history by becoming the youngest person ever to achieve the Triple Crown of open-water swimming — completing a swim across the English Channel after circumnavigating Manhattan in June and swimming the Catalina Channel off the coast of California in August.
But as Charlotte Samuels, a 16-year-old from Ridgewood, crept through choppy, frigid water Monday afternoon, that goal seemed impossibly distant. She could see the French coastline. But the land didn’t seem to be getting any closer, she shouted to her mother, Suzanne, who was cheering her on from a tracking boat.
The team on the boat began reading her messages from supporters, Suzanne said in an email. A message from her swimming coach told her to “Keep her head down and keep swimming.”
Related: Ridgewood teen becomes youngest to complete Triple Crown swimming attempt
And so she did.
She sang songs in her head. She thought, at times, that she was sleeping. And she faced swells of 4 to 6 feet that forced her to sprint the last two miles, her mother said.
By the time Charlotte scrambled onto the beach on the French shore around 5 p.m. (11 a.m. New Jersey time), all that seemed like it might have been a dream, she told her mother later. Not only had she reached her goal, she had done all three swims in just over two months, perhaps the shortest span that anyone had ever completed the swimming trifecta, Suzanne said.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-teen-s-record-setting-swim-has-family-and-classmates-cheering-1.1083476#sthash.4mIjLGmR.dpuf
We Could Use a Lil’ Voodoo,Right Now Mr. Senator!
Sep. 08 Cory Booker
By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
Cory Booker (D-Twitter) launched his U.S. Senate reelection campaign last week, Save Jerseyans, but the man who prides himself on being a post-partisan and supremely hip leader chose to rely on some antiquated hyper-political rhetoric.
Specifically? For starters, he accused the GOP nominee Jeff Bell of peddling “voodoo economics.”
This is objective truth; it’s not up for debate. Booker’s buddy President Obama hasn’t come close to touching it. We’re all intimately aware that the former mayor of Newark didn’t perform too well during his time at the helm of New Jersey’s largest city.
The precise details of Reagan’s success, placed in contrast with the current Democrat regime, are even more stunning. Paul Kengor of Fox News recently did a great job of breaking it down:
Real income for a median African-American family had dropped 11 percent from 1977-82; from 1982-89, coming out of the recession, it rose by 17 percent. In the 1980s, there was a 40 percent jump in the number of black households earning $50,000 or more. Black unemployment under Reagan in the 1980s actually fell faster than white unemployment. The number of black-owned businesses increased by almost 40 percent, while the number of blacks who enrolled in college increased by almost 30 percent (white college enrollment increased by only 6 percent).
There were likewise impressive numbers for Hispanics, who saw similar to higher increases in family income, employment, and college enrollment. The number of Hispanic-owned businesses in the 1980s grew by an astounding 81 percent, and the number of Hispanics enrolled in college jumped 45 percent.
Liberals often decry the income gap between men and women. Well, under Reagan, women went from earning 60 cents for every dollar a man earned to 71 cents, and their employment and median earnings outpaced their male counterparts. Women enrolled in college in record numbers.
Moreover, the youth of the 1980s certainly got off to a stronger start than my contemporaries:
The peak period of youth unemployment for 16-24 year olds under Reagan was 1982, when it was 17.3%. Reagan reduced it to 10.9% by 1988. Under Obama, the peak for that same group was 19.1%. By 2013, the number was 16.3%.
The unemployment data for 16-19 year olds is even more pronounced. Under Reagan, it fell from 24% in 1982 to 14.8% in 1988. Under Obama, it declined from a high of 25.9% in 2010 to only 22.9% in 2013. The numbers for black Americans aged 16-19 are even stronger in Reagan’s favor. They fell from 49.4% in 1982 to 31.9% in 1988—a vast improvement. Under Obama, they declined from 43.0% in 2010 to only 38.8% in 2013.
So call it whatever derisive term you’d like, Senator. We could use a little “voodoo” right now. You and your president could, too, with the Senate on the line.
This is why the government should never control the internet
By Robert M. McDowell
Tomorrow is the deadline for the public to comment on the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) attempt to regulate the Internet under the seemingly innocuous moniker of “net neutrality.” The architect of this movement, and the man who coined the term “net neutrality,” is Columbia law professor Tim Wu. Unfortunately, he has proved to be immensely influential among regulators.
Net neutrality rules have been sold for a decade as a way to keep the Internet “open and free” by keeping Internet service providers (ISPs), such as phone and cable companies, from blocking or degrading Web sites. Its advocates have argued that ISPs have an economic incentive to act anti-competitively toward consumers and competitors. In a common hypothetical they cite, ISPs would slow — or buffer — traffic for Netflix unless it unfairly pays for more access points, or “off ramps,” and better quality of service.
In truth, however, market failures like these have never happened, and nothing is broken that needs fixing. If consumers were being harmed by ISPs, ample antitrust, competition and consumer protection laws already exist to fix the problem. And major broadband providers have pledged, in their terms of service, to keep the Net open and freedom-enhancing. Why? Because it is good business to do so.
Additionally, Netflix produces upwards of 34 percent of the Net’s traffic at peak times. It can clog any pipe it touches. That torrent of traffic imposes delivery costs that Netflix would prefer to pass on to others. But the market is sorting out these growing pains as the open Net grows, just as it has successfully from the beginning. (My views on this subject long predate my affiliation with the Hudson Institute, but in the interests of full disclosure: Hudson receives financial support from media, technology and telecom companies, as well as foundations, including those on both sides of the net neutrality debate.)
photo posted by the crew of her guide boat, Anastasia.
Ridgewood teen becomes youngest to complete Triple Crown swimming attempt
September 7, 2014, 1:19 PM Last updated: Monday, September 8, 2014, 1:14 PM
By CHRISTOPHER MAAG
staff writer
The Record
Charlotte Samuels, a 16-year-old from Ridgewood, made history today by becoming the youngest person ever to achieve the Triple Crown of open-water swimming. After circumnavigating Manhattan in July and swimming the 20-mile Catalina Channel off the coast of California in August, she swam across the English Channel in 20 hours, 44 minutes and 27 seconds.
Landing on the shore of France at about 5 p.m. (11 a.m. New Jersey time), she became the youngest person to complete the Triple Crown, smashing the previous record set just last month by an 18-year-old Australian.
Dixie Martin/special to the record
Charlotte Samuels aboard an inflatable boat Monday after completing her swim.
Charlotte faced challenges throughout the journey. Temperatures fell through the night — by 1:30 off the coast of Calais the water temperature dropped to 64 degrees and the air to 60. For long stretches she faced headwinds of 10 to 15 miles an hour.
Several ships crossed close to her path, including a large passenger ferry and two tankers. A French fishing trawler that passed within 600 yards of her position.
Charlotte was protected throughout by the tracking boat Anastasia. The boat’s crew guided her route in accordance with the tides alongside her parents, Suzanne and Steven Samuels, who were also onboard.
Dancers from Ridgewood arts center to perform in Washington, D.C.
SEPTEMBER 5, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2014, 12:31 AM BY BETSY MURPHY CORRESPONDENT
Lynn Needle made a lasting impression on Stacy Lu. As a young mom, Lu took pilates and yoga from Needle at Art of Motion, a professional arts center, professional studio school and home of Art Of Motion Dance Theater, run by founder, Needle, and co-artistic director, Olivia Galgano. When her twin daughters, Sonya and Isobel, were 4, Lu enrolled them in terpsichord class at the studio. That was 2008. Skip to 2014. Lu, a freelance writer for The New York Times, moved to Washington, D.C. where she is a contributing editor for TEDMED, a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually at an annual conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converge, covering topics from science to business to global issues. Health and medical edition of TEDTalks, TEDMED, begun in 1984, convenes extraordinary people and ideas from all disciplines inside and outside of medicine, resulting in unexpected connections that accelerate innovation in health and medicine.
A couple of months ago, Lu made a call to Needle. “We’re looking for a company to perform at the Kennedy Center on Sept. 10 to 12 and I wondered about your availability,” she told her. “A jaw dropping moment,” says Needle. “A lightning bolt of excitement went through the studio.” In awe of the offer, “it was stop, drop and roll,” says Needle. “The administrative tasks were daunting and exciting. We had to decide what to present.”
She adds, “they realized we are teachers as well as dancers.”
Thrilled to be presented at the Kennedy Center, Galgano says, “We try to engage and support the community through the performing arts and to be invited to perform there strengthens our outreach in aiding our society as well as performing – two of our missions. It’s very prestigious.” They later learned 1600 groups were nominated; 52 chosen.
Bergen County Exec’s race: Donovan does diner politicking as race enters red zone
PARK RIDGE – The Park Ridge Diner sits on the corner of Kinderkamack Road and Park Avenue. The avenue there was renamed James Gandolfini Way after the late actor who played the iconic cable television role of Tony Soprano, and who grew up in this Bergen County borough. (Bonamo/PolitickerNJ)
GM will introduce hands-free, foot-free driving in 2017 Cadillac
General Motors plans to start selling cars that can drive partially in an auto-pilot mode and that can exchange speed and safety data with similarly equipped vehicles.
The first features are expected to show up in high-end Cadillac vehicles for the 2017 model year — in about two years — but over time will move down market into GM’s other brands.
“Everyone recognizes that when cars can talk to each other and share information about speed, direction, operating performance and more, we’ll save lives, save time and save money as well,” said Mary Barra, GM’s chief executive, in a speech to the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress in Detroit on Sunday.
Barra talked about two initiatives the automaker has launched to commercialize “intelligent” car technology.
Unidentified Respiratory Virus Likely to Hit Kids Across Country
Sep 7, 2014, 5:53 PM ET By GILLIAN MOHNEY and DEAN SCHABNER DEAN SCHABNERMore From Dean » Weekend Manager/Editor GILLIAN MOHNEYMore From Gillian » Digital Reporter via GOOD MORNING AMERICA
A respiratory illness that has already sickened more than a thousand children in 10 states is likely to become a nationwide problem, doctors say.
The disease hasn’t been officially identified but officials suspect a rare respiratory virus called human enterovirus 68. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention_” target=”_blank”>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus is related to the rhinovirus, which causes the common cold.
According to Mark Pallansch, director of the Division of Viral Diseases at the CDC, similar cases to the ones in Colorado have been cropping up across the U.S. At least 10 states — Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Iowa, Colorado, Ohio, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Georgia — have reported suspected outbreaks of human enterovirus 68 and requested CDC support.
“Viruses don’t tend to respect borders,” ABC News Chief Health and Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser said. “It is only 10 states now, but it’s going to be across the country. So if your state doesn’t have it now, watch for it, it’s coming.”
Doctors say they are not even sure yet how this particular virus spreads, though the back-to-school season is a normal time for illnesses to spread among children.
“This is a very common time for outbreaks. Kids come back to school, they like to share things, they bring them home to their little brothers and sisters, and enteroviruses tend to occur in the summer,” Besser said. “But this one, this particular Enterovirus 68, is very rare and they have no idea why it showed up this year.”
At Children’s Hospital Colorado in Denver, officials say that between Aug. 18 and Sept. 4, doctors saw more than 900 pediatric patients with symptoms of the respiratory virus in the emergency room. Of those who came in, 86 were admitted into the hospital and a handful ended up in the intensive care unit.
Start-up companies are the reason America’s economy is more innovative, prosperous and dynamic than the economies of other industrialized countries around the world.
New companies create roughly 3 million jobs every year, while existing companies tend to shed 1 million jobs. It is no secret why a healthy entrepreneurial culture is important.
Think of it this way: Roughly 1 in 10 U.S. companies are founded each year, and these young firms create 100 percent of all net new jobs. Even in gross terms, start-ups punch above their weight, with 16 percent of all new jobs created by start-ups. Older firms create fewer jobs per firm, but, on average, cut even more, for a net negative impact.
While start-ups have always played an important role in the U.S. economy, the extent to which they drive job creation was, until recently, under appreciated.
However, thanks to new data from the federal government, we are able to identify job creation across all firms according to their date of “birth.” Yet, as important as this insight is, the data, which only goes back as far as 1977, also shows an alarming downward trend: America’s entrepreneurship rate is declining.
START-UP JOBS AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYMENT
During the Carter administration, 14 percent of U.S. companies were start-ups.
That rate declined by one percentage point during the Reagan years, two points during the recession of the George H.W. Bush presidency, held steady under Bill Clinton, dropped a percentage point under George W. Bush, and then dropped two full points during the first term of President Obama.
We can only speculate why entrepreneurship is declining, but it seems that America’s economic culture is trending toward the European model.
In Europe, as well as Japan, large corporations are the norm, as are ample welfare programs and an erosion of familial bonds.
America’s history of entrepreneurship is strongly rooted in a culture of hard work and self-reliance. Unfortunately, bureaucratic regulations are growing at the same time start-ups are declining. Coincidence?
