Experts tell Ridgewood parents: Math studies add up
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 15, 2014, 10:06 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The classic advice “the journey is more important than the destination” may conjure up images of laid-back surfers, backpackers and road-trippers. Mathematicians? Not as likely.
Yet this was one of several perspectives on math education that four professionals, each of whom regularly uses math in the workplace, had to offer Ridgewood school administrators.
The professionals, including two Ridgewood High School (RHS) graduates and a parent of former Ridgewood students, engaged in a panel discussion on mathematics in the professional world at a public event hosted by the district last month.
Math is not really about integrals or derivatives or being the first to calculate the answer; it’s about learning how to reason through a problem and think logically in all aspects of life, the speakers emphasized.
The Senate Intelligence Committee releases a comprehensive report on the Benghazi attack determined that the attack was ‘preventable,’ faults State and Defense departments
~Anastasia
The Senate Intelligence Committee releases a comprehensive report on the Benghazi attack. The report determined that the attack was ‘preventable,’ faults State and Defense departments, and cites failure of Obama administration to ‘bring the attackers to justice.’
The Senate Intelligence Committee has released a comprehensive report on the Benghazi attack finding the tragedy was “preventable” and the administration failed to respond to “ample” warnings that security was deteriorating before Sept. 11, 2012.
The report faulted the State and Defense departments. It also cited the failure of the Obama administration to “bring the attackers to justice.”
Specifically, the report said the intelligence community provided “ample strategic warning” that security in eastern Libya was deteriorating and U.S. personnel “were at risk.” The report said multiple “tripwires” were crossed signaling security problems, and the State
Department should have increased its security posture in response.
The report also detailed a possible failed ambush, where attackers tried to lure the CIA into the hospital where Ambassador Chris Stevens’ body was being held.
The CIA did not take the bait.
“The committee worked on a bipartisan basis to investigate the various allegations that have come out since the terrorist attacks in Benghazi in September 2012 and to get to the truth about what happened leading up to, during and after the attacks,” Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said in a statement, adding she hopes the report puts “conspiracy theories” to rest.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., top Republican on the panel, also said the report provides “needed and deserved answers.”
“In spite of the deteriorating security situation in Benghazi and ample strategic warnings, the United States Government simply did not do enough to prevent these attacks and ensure the safety of those serving in Benghazi,” he said.
Senate report: Benghazi attackers tied to Al Qaeda groups
More Americans Worse Off Financially Than a Year Ago
Yet most expect to be better off within a year
by Andrew Dugan
WASHINGTON, D.C. – More Americans, 42%, say they are financially worse off now than they were a year ago, reversing the lower levels found over the past two years. Just more than a third of Americans say their financial situation has improved from a year ago.
Democrats Plan to Pressure TV Networks Into Covering Climate Change
Sens. Sanders and Schatz are gathering colleagues’ signatures on a letter asserting that the shows are ignoring global warming.
Senate Democrats pledging to get more aggressive on climate change will soon pressure the major TV networks to give the topic far greater attention on the Sunday talking-head shows.
Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, are gathering colleagues’ signatures on a letter to the networks asserting that they’re ignoring global warming.
“It is beyond my comprehension that you have ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox, that their Sunday shows have discussed climate change in 2012, collectively, for all of eight minutes,” Sanders said, citing analysis by the liberal watchdog group Media Matters for America.
Sanders mentioned the letter during a press conference with most other members of Senate Democrats’ new, 19-member Climate Action Task Force, and he elaborated on it in a brief interview afterward.
Ridgewood boys take total control
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014
BY PAUL SCHWARTZ
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
NEW YORK – Nearly five hours of competition in the first four divisions of the Big North meet Monday night led to several conclusions:
1. Ridgewood has an outstanding and deep boys team.
2. Zack Bazile of St. Joseph and Chris Estrella of Ridgefield Park are very, very good athletes who not many may have heard of yet, but everyone may be talking about them by the time this season is over.
3. The rest of the divisions have at least two very good teams.
The Ridgewood boys team scored the only runaway win of the night, taking command of the Freedom Division in the meet’s second event and going on to a 178-82 1/2 win over Indian Hills. They were joined by Bergen Catholic (United), Ramsey (Patriot) andRidgefield Park (American) as boys teams winners.
Structural Assessment , Irene Habernickel Family Park Horse Barn
Request for Proposals – Professional A-E Svs for Structural Assessment for Horse Barn – Open 2/13
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Requests for Proposals (RFP’s) will be received by the Village of Ridgewood, in the Level 3 Conference Room, at the Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey, on Thursday, February 13, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. prevailing time, then publicly opened and read aloud for:
“Request for Proposals
For Professional Architectural/Engineering Services
For the Structural Assessment of the Irene Habernickel Family Park Horse Barn 1057 Hillcrest Road”
The Village of Ridgewood is seeking proposals for professional architectural/engineering services to assess the condition of the Horse Barn at the Irene Habernickel Family Park for proposed uses.
The RFP package may be obtained from the Engineering Division Offices, Level 3, Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450, (201) 670-5500, extension No. 238. Proposal packages may be examined or picked up in person between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., at 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450, Monday through Friday. Prospective respondents requesting proposal documents be mailed to them shall be responsible for providing their own postage/delivery service remuneration. No proposal forms shall be given out after 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 11, 2014.
All prices quoted in the proposal must be net and exclusive of all Federal, State and Local Sales and Excise Taxes. Proposals may be submitted in person or by mail prior to the proposal opening, addressed to the Office of the Village Clerk. The Village assumes no responsibility for loss or non-delivery of any proposal sent to it prior to the date and time stated for receipt of proposals.
Each proposal must be enclosed in a sealed envelope with the name of the respondent thereon and endorsed, ” Request for Proposals
For
Professional Architectural/Engineering Services
For the
Structural Assessment of the Irene Habernickel Family Park Horse Barn 1057 Hillcrest Road”.
All respondents shall present satisfactory evidence of being authorized to do business in the State of New Jersey. All respondents shall also provide a copy of their New Jersey Business Registration Certificate with their proposal. All respondents shall adhere to the requirements presented in the “Request for Proposals”. The Village of Ridgewood reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to waive any informality or to accept a proposal, which in its judgment best serves the interest of the Village.
” BIDDERS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 17:27). A complete statement as to these requirements is included in the Request for Proposals.
Village of Ridgewood Bid Notice – Coach Bus Transportation Services – Opens January 29
NOTICE TO BIDDERS
Sealed bid proposals will be received by the Village of Ridgewood, in the 3rd Floor Conference Room, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451, on Wednesday, January 29, 2014 at 10:00 am prevailing time, and then publicly opened and read aloud by the Director of Parks and Recreations or his designated representative for the following project:
Supply of Coach Bus Trasportation Services
The work of the Contract shall be to supply: Coach Bus Transportation Service for the Village of Ridgewood, Department of Parks and Recreation as needed and described in the contract specifications.
Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from the office of the Ridgewood Parks and Recreation Department, 259 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451, weekdays between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., by telephone (201) 670-5560, or by Email request to [email protected]. Documents may be examined or picked up in person between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the offices of the Parks and Recreation Department, 259 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451, Monday through Friday. Prospective bidders requesting bid documents be mailed to them shall be responsible for providing their own postage/delivery service remuneration. No Specifications and/or Proposal forms shall be given out after 4:30 p.m. on Monday, January 27, 2014.
The contractual obligation of the Village of Ridgewood under this Contract for these items is contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds from which payment for this Contract can be made.
Prices quoted must be net and exclusive of all Federal, State and Local Sales and Excise Taxes. Bids may be submitted prior to the bid opening in person or by mail, addressed to the Office of the Village Clerk. The Village assumes no responsibility for loss or non-delivery of any bid sent to it prior to the Bid opening.
Each bid must be enclosed in a sealed envelope with the name of the bidder thereon and endorsed, Supply of Coach Bus Transportation Services and must be accompanied by the following:
? A certified check, cashier’s check, or Bid Bond (Schedule B), drawn to the order of the Village of Ridgewood in the amount of $1,500.00;
? A Consent of Surety (Schedule A);
? A Corporation or Partnership Statement (Schedule C);
? A Non-Collusion Affidavit (Schedule D); a Statement of Responsibility (Schedule E);
? A copy of the bidder’s State of New Jersey Business Registration Certificate.
Any award or awards may be made at a later or subsequent time or meeting of the Village Council. All required schedules, that is Schedule A, B, C, D, E, and F, are required to be submitted on the forms attached to the bid documents. No other forms will be accepted.
The successful bidder shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Prevailing Wage Act, as determined by the New Jersey Department of Labor. All contractors, their subcontractors, and material suppliers shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Public Works Contractor Registration Act, pursuant to Public Law 1999 Chapter 238 and the Contractor Business Registration Program, pursuant to Public Law 2004 Chapter 57. Evidence of satisfactory registration shall be submitted at the time of the bid (where applicable).
The successful bidder shall furnish and deliver to the Village of Ridgewood a performance and payment bond (Schedule F) in the amount of 100 percent of the accepted bid amount as security for the faithful performance of the Contract. Additionally, the successful bidder shall furnish policies or Certificates of Insurance required by the Contract. In default thereof, said checks and/or bid bond and the amount represented thereby shall be forfeited to the Village of Ridgewood as liquidated damages, not as a penalty.
Proposals submitted by Bidders and/or Bidder’s Insurance Company(ies) not chartered in the State of New Jersey, must be accompanied by proper certificate(s) from the Secretary of State, indicating that such Bidders, Bidder’s Insurance Company(ies), and/or Surety Company(ies) is (are) authorized to do business in the State of New Jersey. The Village of Ridgewood reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any informalities or to accept a bid which, in its judgment best serves the interest of the Village. No bids may be withdrawn for a period of sixty-days (60) after the date and time set for the opening of bids.
“BIDDERS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 17:27). A complete statement as to these requirements is included in the specifications.
Christie’s Call For Pension Concessions Sets Up Budget Battle With Sweeney
Governor’s State of the State initiatives target a familiar foe — public employee unions
Gov. Chris Christie yesterday called for a new round of public employee pension concessions, setting the stage for a bitter budget battle with Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) over changes to their landmark pension legislation — a confrontation in which Christie holds the ultimate power.
After a brief apology for the “Bridgegate” scandal that is already the subject of five investigations, Christie used his State of the State speech to argue that “further pension changes are needed” because the annual payments required to restore the pension system to solvency prevent the state from increasing the funding for education, crime prevention, infrastructure, and other needed programs or enacting a tax cut.
“For the Fiscal Year 2015 Budget, the increase in pension and debt service costs could amount to as much as nearly $1 billion,” Christie declared. “That’s nearly $1 billion we can’t spend on education. That we can’t invest in infrastructure improvement. That we can’t use to put more cops on the street.”
“If we do not choose to reduce our soaring pension and debt-service costs, we will miss the opportunity to improve the lives of every New Jersey citizen, not just a select few,” he said, once again pitting the interests of the general public against those of public employees and their unions.
In fact, virtually every initiative in Christie’s State of the State speech targeted public employee unions, from his demand for zero payments for unused sick leave and Civil Service changes to reduce union protections in municipal consolidations to his push for extended school hours and an extended school year without any discussion of whether teachers would be paid for the additional work.
“This State of the State speech comes straight out of the Christie playbook we all know: When times are tough, he attacks public-sector workers and their unions,” Milly Silva, the executive vice president of Service Employees International Union Local 1199 who ran against Christie’s ticket as the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor in November, said last night. “This is going to set up a major battle with the Legislature.” (Magyar/NJSpotlight)
Despite ‘Bridgegate,’ ie Bridgeapoolza Christie’s Approval in New Jersey Still 59%
88% (including 75% of Democrats) say knowing what they know now they would still vote for Chris Christie as their governor.
Despite the 24/7 coverage of “Bridgegate” by much of the mainstream media, and the endless speculation about other potential Christie scandals, the New Jersey Governor still has 59% approval among adults in his state, according to aMonmouth University Poll:
Regulation, taxes and debt knock the U.S. out of the world’s top 10.
By
TERRY MILLER
Jan. 13, 2014 8:05 p.m. ET
World economic freedom has reached record levels, according to the 2014 Index of Economic Freedom, released Tuesday by the Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal. But after seven straight years of decline, the U.S. has dropped out of the top 10 most economically free countries.
For 20 years, the index has measured a nation’s commitment to free enterprise on a scale of 0 to 100 by evaluating 10 categories, including fiscal soundness, government size and property rights. These commitments have powerful effects: Countries achieving higher levels of economic freedom consistently and measurably outperform others in economic growth, long-term prosperity and social progress. Botswana, for example, has made gains through low tax rates and political stability.
Those losing freedom, on the other hand, risk economic stagnation, high unemployment and deteriorating social conditions. For instance, heavy-handed government intervention in Brazil’s economy continues to limit mobility and fuel a sense of injustice.
Will IRS bully people to sign up for Obamacare?
BY: Byron York January 13, 2014 | 5:25 pm | Modified: January 13, 2014 at 6:26 pm
The individual mandate, Obamacare’s requirement that all Americans have health insurance that includes “minimum essential coverage,” has been in effect for two weeks now. No one has noticed because nothing has happened. But it will.
The mandate is the heart of Obamacare; without it, supporters believe, the system won’t work. So the Obama administration hopes millions of Americans will voluntarily comply with the mandate and purchase government-approved coverage. If they don’t do it voluntarily, they’ll be punished.
Starting next year, the government will collect a penalty — the administration calls it a “shared responsibility payment” — from Americans who don’t go along with the Obamacare edict. The penalty starts small — just $95 per adult and $47.50 per child this year — but could conceivably reach thousands of dollars per family per year once the fee scale is fully in effect.
The threat of coercion lies behind the entire Obamacare scheme. The question for the coming year is, how coercive will the government be?
The Democrats who wrote the Affordable Care Act in 2009 gave the Internal Revenue Service power to collect Obamacare penalties. Many Americans are quite familiar with how coercive the IRS can be. Fearing public opposition to IRS threats, the law’s authors forbade the IRS from bringing criminal charges or seizing houses and property from those who don’t buy government-defined “minimum essential coverage.” But Democrats still gave the IRS significant authority.
“Although the Act provides that the IRS may not use criminal prosecutions, notices of federal tax liens, or levies on property to collect an unpaid penalty, the IRS may employ offsets against federal tax refunds,” the Obama administration wrote in its 2012 Supreme Court brief in defense of the mandate. “The IRS also may seek payment through correspondence or phone calls from IRS employees.”
The main leverage the IRS will have is the refund “offset.” That simply means if a taxpayer is due a refund, but has also incurred an Obamacare penalty, the penalty will be subtracted from the refund. So a taxpayer who has a $500 refund coming but incurs a $695 Obamacare penalty will receive no refund.
In addition, that taxpayer might face a letter and a phone call — or a series of them — from the IRS telling him to pay the rest. Anyone who has received a letter or phone call from the IRS knows the experience can be quite intimidating. Or, in the words of the administration’s Supreme Court brief: “Offsets, correspondence, and phone calls are consistently some of the most productive tools in the federal tax collection process.”
N.J. residents face frustration, confusion over Obamacare
Nearly 2.2 million Americans have selected insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act and federal officials said glitches in the enrollment process continue to be smoothed out. But in North Jersey, many residents remain frustrated and confused, waiting for insurance.
It’s been 14 days since the first policies went into effect, but some in North Jersey say they are still unable to complete an application on the troubled government website, while others say they have enrolled but are awaiting a bill from an insurance company so they can pay their premium. Still others have yet to receive the cards showing they have coverage. And then there are those who report that they qualified for the newly expanded Medicaid program and are waiting to hear back from the state, which operates it.
David Oscar, an insurance broker whose company manages health policies for 2,000 small businesses and 600 individuals in New Jersey, said his customers are complaining about all parts of the process.
“It’s insane out there,” Oscar said. “Customers still can’t get through the federal marketplace and the insurance systems can’t keep up with the demand. People are upset, angry and frustrated.”
Of the nearly 900,000 uninsured residents in New Jersey, 34,751 selected insurance plans through the federal marketplace by the late December enrollment deadline, according to numbers released Monday by the federal Department of Health and Human Services. Another 71,142 were told they qualified for free Medicaid coverage.
It is unclear, however, how many enrollees have paid their first premium and actually have coverage — federal officials have repeatedly declined to provide those numbers to reporters. (Williams/The Record)
Bridgeapoolza: Christie Story Attracts Little Public Interest
Recent Opinions of New Jersey Governor Are Largely Unchanged
The public paid far more attention to last week’s cold snap than to the controversy swirling around New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. There also has been little short-term change in opinions about Christie: 60% say their opinion of Christie has not changed in recent days, while 16% now view him less favorably and 6% more favorably.
The national survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted Jan. 9-12 among 1,006 adults, finds that just 18% paid very close attention to Christie’s apology on Jan. 9 for the highway lane closures ordered by his aides. By contrast, 44% very closely followed news about the cold winter weather that gripped much of the U.S. and 28% tracked news about the economy.
The Woman’s Club of Ridgewood will host its Annual Youth Event “The Tomb of Doom, A Murder Mystery Evening” on February 28th!
A wonderful evening for children aged 8-14 is planned, featuring the award winning Knock ‘Em Dead Comedy troop from Long Island. An interactive theater performance that has received rave reviews, it’s a great night out for your kids! Shop at the Baazar for costume items & accessories, visit the moustache bar, enjoy hot food or order a glass of Gloom & Doom punch. Details can be found in the flyer or contact the Woman’s Club of Ridgewood to reserve a seat.
