Friendships cut short on social media as people get ruder: survey
By Belinda Goldsmith
LONDON | Wed Apr 10, 2013 12:35pm EDT
(Reuters) – Rudeness and throwing insults are cutting online friendships short with a survey on Wednesday showing people are getting ruder on social media and two in five users have ended contact after a virtual altercation.
As social media usage surges, the survey found so has incivility with 78 percent of 2,698 people reporting an increase in rudeness online with people having no qualms about being less polite virtually than in person.
One in five people have reduced their face-to-face contact with someone they know in real life after an online run-in.
Joseph Grenny, co-chairman of corporate training firm VitalSmarts that conducted the survey, said online rows now often spill into real life with 19 percent of people blocking, unsubscribing or “unfriending” someone over a virtual argument.
“The world has changed and a significant proportion of relationships happen online but manners haven’t caught up with technology,” Grenny told Reuters on the release of the online survey conducted over three weeks in February.
“What really is surprising is that so many people disapprove of this behavior but people are still doing it. Why would you name call online but never to that person’s face?”
IRS: We can read emails without warrant
By Brendan Sasso – 04/10/13 12:56 PM ET
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has claimed that agents do not need warrants to read people’s emails, text messages and other private electronic communications, according to internal agency documents.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which obtained the documents through a Freedom of Information Act request, released the information on Wednesday.
In a 2009 handbook, the IRS said the Fourth Amendment does not protect emails because Internet users “do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in such communications.” A 2010 presentation by the IRS Office of General Counsel reiterated the policy.
Under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) of 1986, government officials only need a subpoena, issued without a judge’s approval, to read emails that have been opened or that are more than 180 days old.
Privacy groups such as the ACLU argue that the Fourth Amendment provides greater privacy protections than the ECPA, and that officials should need a warrant to access all emails and other private messages.
NJ preparing to distribute $500M to businesses harmed by Sandy
Wednesday April 10, 2013, 6:14 PM
BY JOHN REITMEYER
STATE HO– USE BUREAU
The Record
New Jersey’s top economic development agency will be ready “in days” to offer a grant program for businesses hurt by superstorm Sandy once the federal government approves the state’s plan to distribute the first $1.8 billion in federal aid.
Michele Brown, chief executive of the state Economic Development Authority, told lawmakers Wednesday that her agency is hoping to get a decision on the state’s Sandy “action plan” from federal officials later this month.
“We plan to roll out the grant program in days after federal approval,” Brown told the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. “It will depend entirely on whether the federal government approves our action plan.”
Share With 911 is accessible from anything that connects to the Internet, like this SmartBoard
Local Company Share With 911 takes on School Safety
April 11,2013
Share With 911 creates private and secure Emergency Communication Networks (ECN) for your school, campus or building, linking the people who need help directly with those who respond to provide it.
“We turn your computer, mobile phone or tablet into a emergency communication device that enables you to share and receive critical, emergency information with your co-workers and First Responders, in real-time.” – Erik Endress, CEO
We enable 911, Police and Building Administrators/Managers to broadcast real-time alerts, such as the need to lockdown or evacuate, to your employees, directly to their mobile device. When they receive an alert, your employees respond by sharing their actual location, their status, headcount and a message about what they see or the help they need.
Now, First Responders can see what is happening while responding to and once on the scene of the emergency. This information is prioritized for them in real-time, showing them where they need to go first, to mitigate a threat such as an active shooter or where to find trapped and injured persons.
Incident Commanders, First Responders and Building Managers can use our system to communicate directly with your employees keeping them informed and directing them to take specific actions by transmitting incident updates right from their own mobile device.
Share With 911 was designed with high occupancy locations in mind. Places like schools, college campuses, shopping centers, hospitals, high-rise office and residential buildings or any place where you have a large number of people, in the same location, involved in the same emergency, are the places where our system can make a big difference.
Share With 911 is Powered By OnScene Technologies, Inc. a Ramsey, New Jersey company that applies technology-based solutions to location-based problems.
The web-based platform connects people inside of an emergency with 911, Law Enforcement and First Responders via private, secure Emergency Communication Networks (ECN) that are accessible from any computer or mobile device with an Internet connection.
The idea for Share With 911 came from our CEO, Erik Endress, himself a volunteer First Responder for more than 25 years, who was frustrated by the communication disconnect that existed during these incidents.
Share With 911 was designed with high occupancy locations in mind. Places like schools, college campuses, shopping centers, hospitals, high-rise office and residential buildings or any place where you have a large number of people, in the same location, involved in the same emergency, are the places where our system can make a big difference.
You can contact OnScene Technologies right now at (201) 785-7902 or by emailing erik [at} onscenetechnologies.com
Why 30 is really 45: We’re so unhealthy that we’re 15 years OLDER than our parents were at the same age
Today’s adults are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure and diabetes because of poor health Men in their 30s were 20% more likely to be overweight than in previous generations, Dutch researchers found Women in their 20s are twice as likely to be obese
By Anna Hodgekiss
PUBLISHED: 13:47 EST, 10 April 2013 | UPDATED: 13:47 EST, 10 April 2013
Today’s adults are so unhealthy they are 15 years ‘older’ than their parents and grandparents at the same age, researchers say.
They are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity than previous generations because of poor health, according to a study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
Looking at 6,000 adults aged 20, 30, 40, 50 over a 25 year period, researchers found younger generations had poorer ‘metabolic’ health – a range of issues including blood pressure and weight.
New Jersey spent $18,047 per pupil in public schools last year
Wednesday April 10, 2013, 5:08 PM
BY LESLIE BRODY AND DAVE SHEINGOLD
STAFF WRITERS
The Record
New Jersey districts spent an average of $18,047 per pupil in 2011-12, up 4 percent from the year before, the state said Wednesday.
That figure comes from the third annual “Taxpayer’s Guide to Education Spending,” which uses a method devised by the Christie administration to give residents a full picture of the price tag for schools from pre-kindergarten through Grade 12. New Jersey spends more per student than the vast majority of states, and also racks up some of the best test scores.
This guide’s calculation includes costs that were excluded in the past when comparing districts, such as transportation, debt service, capital outlays for equipment, federal aid and employee benefits paid by the state.
Among regular Bergen districts, total per-pupil spending ranged from a high of $25,938 in the small, wealthy and high-achieving district of Alpine to $13,317 in the immigrant, blue-collar community of Fairview. The Bergen County Special Services district, which serves severely disabled children, spends $87,588.
Among Passaic County regular districts, the top spender was Passaic, one of the state’s poorest cities, at $20,374. The lowest spender of all countywide was the Classical Academy Charter of Clifton at $7,924. Charters have long expressed frustration that they don’t get facilities funding from the state.
State officials release comparative ‘performance reports’ for every NJ public school
Wednesday April 10, 2013, 3:50 PM
BY LESLIE BRODY
STAFF WRITER
The Record
State officials released new “performance reports” on every New Jersey public school today, saying the new categories for student growth, absenteeism, success in advanced courses and other measures will give parents more information than the report cards of the past.
Tick Tock Diner manager arrested in foiled murder-for-hire plot
Wednesday April 10, 2013, 1:46 PM
BY RICH COWEN AND CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITERS
The Record
TOTOWA — The manager of the famous Tick Tock Diner in Clifton has been arrested for plotting to murder his uncle who co-owns the family’s eateries, Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa announced Wednesday.
Chiesa said State Police thwarted the alleged murder-for-hire plot of Georgios Spyropoulos, 45, of Clifton, who “planned in great detail” to have his uncle Alexandros Sgourdos tortured, robbed and murdered. He “enlisted two men who he thought were going to carry out his ruthless plot,” Chiesa said during a press conference Wednesday at the State Police barracks in Totowa.
Sgourdos, 57, is co-owner of the diner, which has locations on Route 3 in Clifton and 8th Avenue in Manhattan.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
619 PM EDT WED APR 10 2013
…GUST FRONT FROM WEAKENING LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT
BERGEN…ESSEX…HUDSON…PASSAIC…PUTNAM…ROCKLAND…UNION AND
WESTCHESTER COUNTIES…
AT 611 PM EDT…THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TRACKING A
WEAKENING LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTHWESTERN NEW JERSEY AND
WESTERN ORANGE COUNTY…MOVING EAST AT 65 MPH.
WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS LINE AS IT MOVES
INTO THE AREA. A FEW CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES ARE EXPECTED
AS WELL.
LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES NUMBER ONE KILLERS. REMEMBER…IF YOU CAN
HEAR THUNDER…YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. MOVE
TO SAFE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.
New Jersey Choral Society to host social event of the season, “Bel Canto,”
April 10,2013
Ridgewood NJ, The New Jersey Choral Society is proud to host its fourth annual Gala “Bel Canto” on Saturday, April 27 at 7:00pm at The Woman’s Club of Ridgewood, 215 West Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood, NJ.
New Jersey Choral Society to host social event of the season, “Bel Canto,”
April 10,2013
Ridgewood NJ, The New Jersey Choral Society is proud to host its fourth annual Gala “Bel Canto” on Saturday, April 27 at 7:00pm at The Woman’s Club of Ridgewood, 215 West Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood, NJ.
Musical selections from The American Songbook will be sung by Diane Simet, soprano, and Keith Harris, baritone, accompanied by Linda Sweetman-Waters. The NJCS Chanteurs will perform as well. The program includes standard favorites “This Nearly was Mine” from South Pacific, “People Will Say We’re in Love” from Oklahoma!, “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess, and “You’re the Top” from Anything Goes. This social event of the 2012-13 NJCS season will include dinner and wine and there will also be a silent auction featuring a variety of unique items. All proceeds from the evening will support the New Jersey Choral Society.
The New Jersey Choral Society, directed by Eric Dale Knapp, is one of the state’s most prestigious choral groups. Well-known for presenting outstanding and unique programs, NJCS performs three major programs annually in Bergen and Essex Counties, and has performed in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, China, Australia and England.
Single tickets for this special fundraising event are $75.00, or buy 2 or more tickets for $67.50 each. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.NJCS.org or call 201-379-7719. The Woman’s Club of Ridgewood is wheelchair accessible.
Ridgewood Mayor’s Corner: Lining things up for April
Friday, April 5, 2013
The Ridgewood News
Welcome to the April edition of the Mayor’s Corner – my monthly column in The Ridgewood News designed to make village government more user-friendly and more accessible to the residents we serve.
Council agenda: The Council will meet three times in April – April 3, 10 and 24. On the agenda will be a wide range of issues: from the 2013 municipal budget, to “smoke-free” parks, to staff salaries and to the creation of a resident-run finance committee.
All of our meetings are open to the public, and we encourage resident input on all issues.
Budget Discussions: We have been drilling down on the budget for the past few months and are making good progress. Our goal is a zero-percent tax increase.
Granted, we may not get there, but one thing is clear: The 2013 municipal budget will be smaller than the 2012 municipal budget. In other words, we are clearly heading in the right direction.
Stay tuned … the budget process will continue throughout the spring.
Google favours ‘in-house’ search results
By Alex Barker in Brussels and Bede McCarthy in London
Google faces having to offer users in Europe more choice of other specialised search engines after Brussels investigators found its results were favouring its in-house services to the detriment of consumers.
One of the European Commission’s primary concerns, according to officials involved, is the visibility in search results of rival so-called “vertical search” services – in areas such as maps, finance or weather – that may provide more relevant results to a query.
This specific finding indicates that alongside widely expected concessions to more clearly label Google’s own services, the US group will also need to offer solutions that give more prominence to rival specialist search services and consumers clearer alternatives.
Wyndham Hotel Group Dedicates a Starlight Fun Center™ to The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, N.J.
April 10, 2013
Ridgewood NJ, the Wyndham Hotel Group and Starlight Children’s Foundation will unveil a Fun Center™, featuring a Nintendo Wii™, DVD player and a Sharp AQUOS™ LCD TV, at The Valley Hospital for all pediatric patients to enjoy. The Fun Center is being donated by Parsippany, N.J.-based Wyndham Hotel Group in honor of the company’s commitment to helping children.
Where: The Valley Hospital
223 N. Van Dien Avenue
Ridgewood, N.J. 07450
April 11, 2013, at 1:30 p.m.
Please join us on April 11, 2013, at 1:30 p.m. The event will feature; the children, nurses, ribbon-cutting, Jeff Wagoner of Wyndham Hotel Group, and Michelle Hall-Duncan of Starlight
The ease with which Fun Centers roll right up to the side of young patients’ beds or anywhere in a hospital setting makes them perfect for hospitalized children in numerous situations: anticipating surgery, during long outpatient clinic treatments, waiting in the emergency room or fighting loneliness after visiting hours have ended. Fun Centers uniquely counter the isolation and fear often experienced by sick children. The Fun Center is a welcome guest, when other visitors aren’t around!
When a child or teenager has a serious medical condition, everyone in the family is affected. Since 1983, Starlight Children’s Foundation has been dedicated to helping seriously ill children and their families cope with their pain, fear and isolation through entertainment, education and family activities. Starlight’s programs have been proven to distract children from their pain, help them better understand and manage their illnesses, and connect families facing similar challenges so that no one feels alone. Through a network of chapters and offices, Starlight provides ongoing support to children, parents and siblings in all U.S. states and Canadian provinces with an array of outpatient, hospital-based and Web offerings. Programs are also delivered internationally through affiliates in Australia and the United Kingdom. To learn more visit www.starlight.org.
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO RSVP, CONTACT ALISON SADOCK OR GABRIELLA CHIERA.
Mary Higgins Clark at Bookends April 11th
Thursday, April 11th @ 7:00pm,NYT Bestselling Author, Mary Higgins Clark, will sign her new book: Daddy’s Gone A Hunting Books available April 9th
Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt. Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change. 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 insure 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
PHILADELPHIA — Former NFL players trying to sue the league over concussion-linked injuries argued in court Tuesday that the NFL “glorified” violence and profited from damaging hits to the head.
Players’ lawyer David Frederick also accused the league of concealing the emerging science about concussions over several decades, even after creating a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury committee in 1994.
“It set up a sham committee designed to get information about neurological risks, but in fact spread misinformation,” Frederick argued at a pivotal federal hearing to determine if the complaints will remain in court or be sent to arbitration.
