James - THE RIDGEWOOD BLOG. - Page 3261 of 3729

Posted on January 25, 2014June 27, 2021 by James — 3 Comments

Reader: The notion that the 500-1,000 new residents would live in their little downtown ghetto and never venture out in a car is ridiculous

Reader : The notion that the 500-1,000 new residents would live in their little downtown ghetto and never venture out in a car is ridiculous

The notion that the 500-1,000 new residents would live in their little downtown ghetto and never venture out in a car is ridiculous. The notion that we need to cram more people into less breathing space is beyond stupid.

And the underlying notion that you need to change zoning laws to save the downtown is completely misplaced. A downtown exists to serve the surrounding community — not the other way around. Why are people espousing this idea that to “save” the downtown we need to put the rest of the town at risk?? Let market forces work and the downtown will stabilize. But, that’s not going to happen as long as people buy into the propaganda that we need to cram more people into town in order to help the downtown property owners. Let them lower their rents. Let them improve their properties. Let them change uses within the existing master plan to meet changing needs. Why should the rest of the town bailout the downtown property owners at our expense? Why should we fund or guarantee their profits??

Developers bought downtown properties hoping to make a profit. And now they are trying to convince the uninformed and the ignorant that somehow world peace will be achieved if only they are able to change existing laws and cram more people into the downtown.

Posted on January 25, 2014August 14, 2021 by James — 9 Comments

Readers Not buying Village’s Ignorance on Mobil Cell Tower

file photo by Boyd Loving

Readers Not buying Village’s Ignorance on Mobil Cell Tower

I’m floored that the Village hasn’t demanded the structure be removed immediately. If a resident had one of these in their driveway, all hell would break loose.

Rutishauser can spot an illegal 2′ x 4′ contractor’s sign on a front lawn from 6 blocks away and issue an immediate summons, but misses a 100 foot cell tower? I smell a deal being brokered between the Village and AT&T.

No one from the town noticed the tower which has been up over 4 weeks??.The town searches DAILY for the smallest violation like a sign on YOUR OWN LAWN. They missed a cell tower?? Something is going on here. By the way, make sure you get your garage sale permit too!!

Posted on January 25, 2014January 24, 2014 by James — Leave a comment

70% of occupations could become automated over next 30 years

70% of occupations could become automated over next 30 year

Is 2014 the year YOUR job will be taken by a robot? ‘Jobocalpyse’ set to strike as droids are trained to flip burgers, pour drinks – and even look after our children

Scientists predict a ‘jobocalypse’ as robots take over manual jobs
A huge 70% of occupations could become automated over next 30 years
Drivers, teachers, babysitters and nurses could be replaced by robots
Could mean the end of the eight-hour, five-day working week

By MARK PRIGG

PUBLISHED: 12:04 EST, 20 January 2014 | UPDATED: 16:32 EST, 21 January 2014

Experts are predicting a ‘jobocalypse’ as robots take over manual jobs, while scientists at Cambridge warn that machines should have their intelligence limited to stop them outsmarting us.

A new version of the movie RoboCop (out February 12) shows us a future where technology revolutionises law enforcement, but that is just the tip of the iceberg for robotics.

‘I believe we are the inflection point where robotics are going to change everything you know and do,’ says Ben Way, author of Jobocalypse, a book about about the rise of the robots, told MailOnline.

Posted on January 25, 2014January 24, 2014 by James — 2 Comments

N.J. reports 36,300 jobs lost last month

N.J. reports 36,300 jobs lost last month

New Jersey added a minuscule 10,100 jobs in 2013 after losing more than 36,000 jobs in December — the biggest single-month job loss in 23 years — painting a bleak picture of the state economy and raising questions about its health and direction.

The jarring December figures released Thursday, which economists cautioned may be a statistical blip, translate to a .26 percent job gain for the year, and represent a sharp reversal from the slow-but-steady job increases of recent months that suggested a slight strengthening of the economy after a weak summer.

The December drop of 36,300 jobs — 33,200 private and 3,100 public — was so broad-based that economists said it was difficult to pinpoint a particular reason. They offered several possible explanations, including unusually cold weather, which could explain the loss of 6,500 construction jobs, and could have caused the temporary loss of work for day and freelance workers.

Economists noted, however, that the figures for the entire year will be revised in March, a process that has in the past resulted in some significant changes in monthly totals. (Morley/The Record)

https://www.northjersey.com/news/NJ_reports_36000_jobs_lost_last_month.html#sthash.i1AmLiPZ.dpuf

Posted on January 25, 2014January 20, 2019 by James — Leave a comment

Wall Street advisor: Actual unemployment is 37.2%, ‘misery index’ worst in 40 years

Wall Street advisor: Actual unemployment is 37.2%, ‘misery index’ worst in 40 years

BY PAUL BEDARD | JANUARY 21, 2014 AT 1:08 PM
TOPICS: WASHINGTON SECRETS JOBS TREASURY ECONOMY FEDERAL RESERVE INFLATION WALL STREET UNEMPLOYMENT
40 years ago, former President Ford issued “WIN” buttons, short for “Whip Inflation Now.” The…

Wall Street advisor: Actual unemployment is 37.2%, ‘misery index’ worst in 40 years

BY PAUL BEDARD | JANUARY 21, 2014 AT 1:08 PM

Don’t believe the happy talk coming out of the White House, Federal Reserve and Treasury Department when it comes to the realunemployment rate and the true “Misery Index.” Because, according to an influential Wall Street advisor, the figures are a fraud.

In a memo to clients provided to Secrets, David John Marotta calculates the actual unemployment rate of those not working at a sky-high 37.2 percent, not the 6.7 percent advertised by the Fed, and the Misery Index at over 14, not the 8 claimed by the government.

Marotta, who recently advised those worried about an imploding economy to get a gun, said that the government isn’t being honest in how it calculates those out of the workforce or inflation, the two numbers used to get the Misery Index figure.

“The unemployment rate only describes people who are currently working or looking for work,” he said. That leaves out a ton more.

“Unemployment in its truest definition, meaning the portion of people who do not have any job, is 37.2 percent. This number obviously includes some people who are not or never plan to seek employment. But it does describe how many people are not able to, do not want to or cannot find a way to work. Policies that remove the barriers to employment, thus decreasing this number, are obviously beneficial,” he and colleague Megan Russell in their new investors note from their offices in Charlottesville, Va.

https://washingtonexaminer.com/wall-street-advisor-actual-unemployment-is-37.2-misery-index-worst-in-40-years/article/2542604

Posted on January 24, 2014June 27, 2021 by James — Leave a comment

Wisconsin’s dramatic economic turnaround is due in large part to the conservative policies of Gov. Scott Walker

Wisconsin’s dramatic economic turnaround is due in large part to the conservative policies of Gov. Scott Walker

The ‘Earth-Shattering’ News Rush Limbaugh Says the Media Ignored, but You Need to Know

Jan. 24, 2014 4:45pm Jason Howerton

Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh expressed disgust, though not shock, that the mainstream media ignored an “earth-shattering” story out of Wisconsin that “should have caused a political earthquake.”

The state of Wisconsin’s unemployment rate is “rapidly falling” and the government’s budget ended the year with a $912 million surplus, Limbaugh explained. He says the dramatic turnaround is due in large part to the conservative policies of Gov. Scott Walker.

What’s even more amazing, he continued, is the fact that Walker is going to “rebate the money in the form of tax cuts to the people, who he said own the money.” Limbaugh says the news is “earth-shattering” because, in one of the bluest states, Walker was targeted for removal twice but continued to implement conservative policies that he was confident would help his state — and his strategy appears to be working.

“They did everything they could to gin up hate, anger, tried to destroy his reputation, his career, and his life,” he said. “He hung in there. The state of Wisconsin instituted his policy reforms, de-emphasizing the role of unions in the state.”

https://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/01/24/the-earth-shattering-news-rush-limbaugh-says-the-media-ignored-but-you-need-to-know/

Posted on January 24, 2014January 24, 2014 by James — Leave a comment

Menendez challenges FBI probe report

file photo by Boyd Loving

Menendez challenges FBI probe report
By Julian Pecquet

The office of Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) is denying a report that he’s under FBI investigation for allegedly helping a pair of fugitive bankers from Ecuador.

NBC 4 New York reported Thursday that the bureau is probing whether the chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations committee pressured the Obama administration to keep brothers William and Roberto Isaias from being expelled back home, where they’re wanted for embezzlement. A spokeswoman for Menendez called the allegations “outlandish.”

“Our office works each year with literally hundreds of individuals and families from across the country who are seeking help with the immigration process,” Menendez’s communications director Tricia Enright said in an email. “We review each and every request we receive, and if we feel any inquiry is appropriate, we make it.

Posted on January 24, 2014January 24, 2014 by James — Leave a comment

‘Mass Transit’ Super Bowl In New York And New Jersey Has Been Years In The Making

‘Mass Transit’ Super Bowl In New York And New Jersey Has Been Years In The Making

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — For all the consternation over whether Mother Nature may or may not visit in northern New Jersey for next weekend’s Super Bowl, another unpredictable force could determine whether the event turns into a transportation debacle: the football fan.

The $64,000 question, beyond whether Feb. 2 will bring another storm the likes of the one that dumped nearly a foot of snow Tuesday, will be whether the estimated few hundred thousand visitors to the area heed organizers’ advice and leave their cars at home or at their hotels.

If fans do decide to take mass transit, they will find plenty of options waiting. If they don’t, they will find out what New York metro area residents already know, that the slightest disruption to the traffic system, be it construction, an accident or the influx of more vehicles, can tip an already delicate balance into chaos. (Porter/Huffington Post)

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/23/super-bowl-transportation_n_4650680.html

Posted on January 24, 2014January 24, 2014 by James — 1 Comment

Feds reportedly looking into Robert Menendez for allegedly helping fugitive bankers

file photo by Boyd Loving

Feds reportedly looking into Robert Menendez for allegedly helping fugitive bankers

TRENTON — U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez is under federal criminal investigation for allegedly helping a pair of Ecuadorian fugitives who are wanted in their home country on charges of embezzling money from their failed bank, according to a report by NBC New York.

The television station, citing unnamed sources, reported tonight that the FBI is looking into why the New Jersey Democrat contacted a high-ranking official at the Department of Homeland Security in April 2012 to ask him to give “full consideration” and “expedite” its review of the case of William and Roberto Isaias, who are seeking permanent residence in the U.S. The report said Menendez also made calls to the Department of State about the brothers.

The two men fled Ecuador more than 10 years ago and live in Florida. (Friedman/Star-Ledger)

https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/01/robert_menendez_under_federal_investigation_for_allegedly.html#incart_river

Posted on January 24, 2014January 24, 2014 by James — 1 Comment

Restaurant review: Memoire in Ridgewood

Salmon

Restaurant review: Memoire in Ridgewood

Friday, January 24, 2014
By ELISA UNG
RESTAURANT REVIEWER

No lie: When I heard that Giocomo Mistretta was in the kitchen of the new Ridgewood restaurant Mémoire, I had to restrain myself from charging in immediately in search of one dish: The salmon that Mistretta served at the former Napa Valley Grille at the Westfield Garden State Plaza set a high bar, one that I was crossing my fingers that Mémoire could match.

It did. Grilled crisp and flaky, Mémoire’s salmon is topped with cranberry ginger honey butter and served over a subtle mix of Israeli couscous and roasted vegetables ($24). It’s like an old friend, and sums up the menu: contemporary American with an eclectic array of influences, but ultimately more familiar than edgy.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/food_dining/241773571_Restaurant_review__Memoire_in_Ridgewood.html#sthash.j65J808U.dpuf

Posted on January 24, 2014January 24, 2014 by James — 3 Comments

Federal privacy panel calls on Obama to end NSA phone spying, scrap stockpiled records

ederal privacy panel calls on Obama to end NSA phone spying, scrap stockpiled records

Thursday, January 23, 2014 Last updated: Thursday January 23, 2014, 9:20 PM
BY STEPHEN BRAUN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A government review panel warned on Thursday that the National Security Agency’s daily collection of Americans’ phone records is illegal and recommended that President Obama abandon the program and destroy the hundreds of millions of phone records it has already collected.

The recommendations by the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board go further than Obama is willing to accept and increase pressure on Congress to make changes.

The 234-page report included dissents from two of the board’s five members — both former Bush administration national security lawyers who recommended that the government keep collecting the phone records. The board described key parts of its report to Obama this month before he announced his plans last week to change the government’s surveillance activities.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/Government_panel_urges_end_to_NSA_phone_data_spying_.html#sthash.UgooIl6O.dpuf

Posted on January 24, 2014January 24, 2014 by James — Leave a comment

‘2016: Obama’s America’ Filmmaker Indicted for Violating Campaign Finance Laws

‘2016: Obama’s America’ Filmmaker Indicted for Violating Campaign Finance Laws
3:16 PM PST 1/23/2014 by Paul Bond

Dinesh D’Souza is accused of giving too much money to a candidate who sought to replace former New York Sen. Hillary Clinton. Producer Gerald Molen tells The Hollywood Reporter the charges are politically motivated.

Conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza, whose documentary 2016: Obama’s America took a critical look at President Barack Obama and was a surprise hit in 2012, will be arrested in New York on Friday for allegedly violating campaign-finance laws, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

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Federal authorities accuse D’Souza of donating more than is legal to the campaign of Wendy Long, who ran in 2012 for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton but lost to now-Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. Long, though, is not mentioned in an indictment obtained by THR on Thursday.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/2016-obamas-america-filmmaker-indicted-673670

Posted on January 24, 2014January 24, 2014 by James — 7 Comments

Resistance to change harming village

Resistance to change harming village

Friday, January 24, 2014
The Ridgewood News

Resistance to change harming village
Tracey Highfill

To the editor:

In my entire life I have never sided with developers, going so far as having a one-person painting exhibit deploring the loss of open space. However, the housing proposals on the table are different. They are not cutting down shady, wooded lots or digging up beautiful hay fields; the apartments replace uninspired, underutilized parcels of ugliness with much needed alternative living options.

When you live in town, you walk around. Increased foot traffic is good for business. Decreased car traffic is good for pedestrians.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/241770341_Letter__Resistance_to_change_harming_village.html#sthash.vlJ4NT9P.dpuf

Posted on January 24, 2014April 9, 2020 by James — 1 Comment

Concern with overdevelopment a cause in common

Concern with overdevelopment a cause in common

Friday, January 24, 2014
The Ridgewood News

Residents have common concerns
Marla Sherman

To the editor:

On Jan. 7, hundreds of Ridgewood residents came to the Planning Board meeting to make personal statements against the proposed change to the Master Plan that would allow for high density housing developments in our downtown Central Business District.

Not a single person spoke up in favor of the change, including at least three residents who earn their living as real estate developers.

There were two common fears brought up by almost every person that spoke — the potential effect on the quality of our schools and the fear that Ridgewood would lose its small town charm and become more urban. Not a single person was anti-development or anti-improvement. They simply want improvements made to these properties within the density and height allowances of our current master plan, in order to maintain the desirability of our village.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/241770731_Letter__Concern_with_overdevelopment_a_cause_in_common.html#sthash.4oNPgkSM.dpuf

Posted on January 24, 2014January 24, 2014 by James — 13 Comments

New cell tower pops up in Ridgewood without approval

file photo Boyd Loving

New cell tower pops up in Ridgewood without approval
Thursday January 23, 2014, 3:36 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News

Two summonses have been issued in relation to an AT&T cell phone tower that popped up on Franklin Turnpike several months ago without the approval of Ridgewood’s zoning board.

Not only was the roughly 100-foot tower placed there without approval, but no one on the zoning board, the approval entity for cell towers, was aware of it until last week.

On Thursday, an AT&T representative told The Ridgewood News that the company is aiming to find a permanent location for the tower.

The tower in question is temporary, standing on a trailer at the Exxon Mobil gas station on Route 17, behind a building located at 609 Franklin Turnpike.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/241702631_New_cell_tower_pops_up_in_Ridgewood_without_approval.html#sthash.z0GBgayM.dpuf

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