Quick Action resolves ‘Smoke condition’ at Ridgewood High School
November 28th 2012
the Staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, A smoke condition briefly cleared out Ridgewood High School on Wednesday morning .The Ridgewood News reported that an electrical short in the Little Theatre basement was the cause of the situation and was quickly resolved by the Ridgewood Fire Department who responded.
All students were cleared from the school at about 10 a.m.and were readmitted to the building around 10:30 a.m.”They had an electrical line short out and start overheating,” Fire Chief James Van Goor. told the Ridgewood News , Chief Van Goor, went on to explain the fire department found the wire in the basement of the school’s Little Theatre, where the New Players Company keeps props for plays.
(https://www.northjersey.com/news/181202451__Smoke_condition__at_Ridgewood_High_School_quickly_resolved.html )
While Van Goor noted that he could not recall a similar situation in the high school theater, but said the department has responded to these kinds of calls in homes. When a wire starts to overheat, he noted, it emits a “strong odor” different from the smell of a fire.(https://www.northjersey.com/news/181202451__Smoke_condition__at_Ridgewood_High_School_quickly_resolved.html)
RHS Principal Tom Gorman, also told the News that electricians were working on the wiring following the incident According to Gorman there was not even a fire , a smoke alarm went off due to the smoke condition created by the hot wires. Gorman also commended the students and faculty for their help assuring a “calm and orderly” exit and reentry of the building.( https://www.northjersey.com/news/181202451__Smoke_condition__at_Ridgewood_High_School_quickly_resolved.html )
Sandy Cough Plagues Homeowners Cleaning Up
“Every morning I wake up coughing,” says one Staten Island homeowner
By Marc Santia
| Wednesday, Nov 28, 2012 | Updated 12:38 PM ES
Patrick Zoda has been working nonstop for a month, trying to save his Staten Island home after it was badly damaged by Sandy. As he works, the debris cloud filling his house has also been filling his lungs.
“I feel totally drained, tired,” Zoda told NBC 4 New York. “Every morning I wake up coughing.”
Dr. Brahim Ardolic, chairman of Emergency Medicine at Staten Island University Hospital, says he has seen a greater number of patients with respiratory issues in recent weeks, mostly in people with pre-existing conditions. The combination of flu season and Sandy cleanup — which has brought unhygienic conditions, dirty water and mold into homes — is a perfect storm for sickness, he says.
Survey: Sex Makes Adults Happier Than Having Children
November 21, 2012 8:07 AM
ATLANTA (CBS Atlanta) – Sex means more to adults than having kids.
When asked about what makes them happiest, a group of adults participating in a survey ranked sex at the top of the list.
Drinking alcohol came in second place, with volunteering, religious contemplation and child care rounding out the top five spots, according to the website Daily News & Analysis.
The survey was conducted by researchers at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.
Rudin Center for Transportation : New Jersey Commuter times Jump by 20 minutes post Sandy
November 27, 2012
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
According to the Rudin Center for Transportation at NYU New Yorkers managed to reach their places of work in impressively large numbers following Super storm Hurricane Sandy, not only as a result of transportation providers’ major efforts, but also through residents’ own adaptability and ingenuity.(https://wagner.nyu.edu/faculty/publications/publications.php?pub_id=2292 )
In the absence of subways, which typically transport 5.3 million people daily, commuters fanned out to buses, taxis, bicycles, and telecommuting. In the NYU Rudin Center’s survey of 315 commuters, where approximately half had typically taken subways to work, patterns shifted significantly to allow for a diversity of modes: buses, walking, bicycling and telecommuting, as shown in the charts below:
These figures represent the remarkable multi-modal transportation supply and user adaptability seen in few cities outside of New York. In many U.S. cities, which are limited to cars, buses or other singular transportation modes, the disruption caused by Hurricane Sandy would have, at least temporarily, crippled the economy.(https://wagner.nyu.edu/faculty/publications/publications.php?pub_id=2292)
Even further, the November 1-2 commutes often took twice or three times as long, and frustration levels were self-reported at an average of 3.35 out of 10, but the return to work was palpable on November 1-2, the days immediately following the Hurricane. It should be noted that the frustration levels were highest in Staten Island (7) and New Jersey (5.7), the surveyed areas most geographically separated from the operating offices of midtown Manhattan. The travel times and frustration index for those reporting to a workplace (not telecommuting) on November 1-2 is shown below: 50
Location Pre-Sandy Commute Time (minutes) Commute Time Nov. 1-2 (minutes) Average Frustration Level
Brooklyn 42 86 3.93
Manhattan 29 52 2.97
Queens 45 47 3.00
Bronx 41 63 2.14
Staten Island 84 240 7.00
New Jersey 52 69 5.67
Northern Suburbs 73 61 2.40
Long Island 85 85 2.00
Ridgewood NJ, Check out this RHS student-made video made in conjunction with Veterans Day activities at the high school. Vets from the Ridgewood American Legion were treated to breakfast and choral tributes in the Campus Center, then shared their thoughts on what it means to serve.
Thanks to RHS Social Studies Teacher John Domville who spearheaded the day’s events as a tribute to our veterans :Click here to watch https://youtu.be/o6BMgZStlaE
Drop Your Home Heating Bills With Our Six Energy-Saving Tips;
Each winter we tell ourselves the same thing. This year will be different, this year the house will be ready, this year we will make the investment in time, energy, and money needed to make our home more comfortable, lower our heating bills, and reduce the carbon footprint of
our family. After all, our home is our largest single investment, and we want it to perform that way.
Efficiency involves peak performance with minimal waste. The following weatherization tips are based on proven building science and can have a significant impact on the overall comfort of your home this winter:
1) Seal penetrations in the ceilings of your upper floors: One of the most effective steps to reducing overall energy consumption is to seal penetrations in the ceilings leading to your attic. Examples of this include the recessed lights penetrating the ceilings of your home. These penetrations provide a convenient escape route for warm air to escape from your home. Recessed lights can be sealed by purchasing covers designed for this purpose.
Also, many homes have pull-down attic stairs or an attic hatch providing access to the attic above. Adding weatherstripping and insulation to these areas can dramatically reduce the amount of warm air escaping through these areas.
2) Seal basement penetrations: As warm air escapes through the upper regions of your home, it pulls outside air into your home through the basement. Sealing penetrations in your foundation with spray-foam insulation will prevent outside air from being pulled into your home. Many basements have older doors. Consider using caulk, foam, and weatherstripping to create a tight seal around these areas.
3) Examine the exterior of your home: Most of us subscribe to a variety of services which get piped into our home. These services include cable, phone, electricity, internet, gas, water, oil, and security services. Each of these services was installed by a technician who was probably not thinking about the overall energy-efficiency of your home and left behind dozens of penetrations that can be easily sealed with caulk or foam. Sealing these penetrations will prevent moisture, insects, critters, and unconditioned air from entering your home.
4) Evaluate your windows and doors: Replacing your windows is not always necessary to improve their energy efficiency. For instance, if you have original single-pane windows, adding a thermal window insert, such as Indow Windows, to prevent heat-loss can make energy savings comparable to much more expensive replacement windows while preserving the architectural heritage of your home. Thermal inserts are reusable year after year, can be used in front of double-pane windows as well and offer an attractive alternative to disposable plastic film barriers. The addition of a simple door-sweep and weatherstripping can dramatically increase the efficiency of older doors.
5) Examine your mechanical equipment: Older furnaces and water heaters consume excessive amounts of fossil fuel in comparison to many of the energy-efficient versions
available today. New Jersey has one of the best incentive programs in the country to help replace these units with more efficient versions. If replacing these units is out of the question, make sure you change your filters regularly and have a “clean & tune” performed on your unit to ensure it is running properly and efficiently.
6) Have a home energy assessment performed: A professional home energy assessment will provide you with specific information about how your home looses or wastes energy. During a home energy assessment, a professional uses sophisticated equipment and software to diagnose specific issues that are often difficult for a homeowner to uncover on their own. At the conclusion of your assessment, you should receive a report outlining issues uncovered during the assessment, measures recommended to increase the efficiency of your home, and rebates and incentives available to help you pay for these measures. Select a Building Performance Institute Accredited Contractor to ensure they have the qualifications and standards necessary
to provide you with a high-quality assessment.
Scott Fischer is a Home Performance Consultant with Ciel Power LLC. Ciel Power LLC is a One-Source Solution providing New Jersey Residents with Home Energy Assessments, Air-Sealing, Insulation, HVAC Services, Energy Efficient Lighting, & Technology. Contact Ciel
Power LLC at www.cielpower.com or 201-632-3463 for additional information.
MAYOR’S OFFICE HOURS FOR RIDGEWOOD RESIDENTS – Saturday, December 1st
Mayor Paul Aronsohn will be holding office hours for Ridgewood residents on the first Saturday of every month from 9:00 a.m. to Noon in the Council Chambers (Sydney V. Stoldt, Jr. Court Room) on the fourth floor of Ridgewood Village Hall. The next session will be Saturday, November 3, 2012.
Scheduled appointments will be given priority, but walk-in appointments will also be accommodated, time permitting.
To schedule a meeting with Mayor Aronsohn, please call the Village Clerk’s Office, at 201-670-5500 ext. 201 or send an email to Heather Mailander, Village Clerk, at [email protected] .
If would like a meeting, but this timing does not work for you, please email Mayor Aronsohn directly at [email protected] .
Left to Right Eileen Colyer, Adult Services Supervisor Ridgewood Library, Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn, Nancy Greene, Ridgewood Library Director, Annabel Greene, and Jacque Weiss, Neighbors helping Neighbors Ridgewood facilitator
Ridgewood Library honored by Neighbors-helping-Neighbors
November 27,2012
Ridgewood NJ, On Thursday October 25, 2012, the Ridgewood Public Library was honored and recognized for their support of Neighbors-helping-Neighbors, USA with the presentation of a Founders Plaque.Jacque Weiss, facilitator for the group in Ridgewood, awarded the plaque with the support of Mayor Paul Aronsohn of the Village, to Nancy Greene, Library Director, and Eileen Colyer, Adult Services Supervisor.
Neighbors-helping-Neighbors (NhN), is a volunteer led organization offering free weekly support and networking meetings in multiple libraries in New Jersey and beyond, for people actively seeking employment. The group, founded by John Fugazzie, in January of 2011 has
grown dramatically from its 4 original members in the River Edge library. NhN celebrated its first anniversary in Ridgewood on September 8, 2012. There are now more than 1,000 members and 200 success stories. All NhN groups foster an environment in which members assist each
other in job search techniques and suggestions based on personal experience plus personal and professional networking. Neighbors-helping-Neighbors is dedicated to a “pay it forward” model.
Resources are available at host libraries to assist with job searches on the library computers. NJ’s library system is dedicated to helping residents with the job search, so it is a great venue for meetings. In Ridgewood the group is directly supported by Eileen Colyer under the leadership
of Nancy Greene. While there is a regular meeting format, occasional meetings can include guest speakers, career coaches and HR professionals, who give timely advice and resume critiques. There are a variety of volunteers who offer their services to the membership free of charge.
On January 27, 2012 the first organization-wide NhN anniversary event was hosted in the Ridgewood Library auditorium. The Bergen County Freeholders presented John Fugazzie with a Certificate of Commendation for the group at this celebration. The Ridgewood Library has
been immensely supportive of NhN, hosting other events including a presentation by Mary Ellen Clark, Assistant Commissioner of Workforce Development, NJ State Department of Labor as well as career coach and author, Abby Kohut, otherwise known as “Absolutely Abby”.
Mayor Aronsohn has been particularly supportive of Neighbors-helping-Neighbors. After attending the one year anniversary celebration for Ridgewood, held on September 27, the Mayor invited Jacque Weiss to make a presentation about the group to the Village Council on
October 24. The focus of this presentation was not only to make the Council aware of the NhN’s activities to help residents in career transition secure employment, but also to encourage area businesses to invest in the community by hiring locally.
While thanking the group for the plaque on behalf of the Library, Nancy Greene spoke about the desire of Ridgewood’s Library staff to do whatever they can to support the members of Neighbors-helping-Neighbors. The Library has provided training classes for members in
areas of desktop technology, LinkedIn use, resume preparation and other career supportive offerings. Special discounts have been given to NhN members for many of these services. Nancy specifically solicited input from NhN Ridgewood members regarding additional subject
areas for future training classes as well as information about specific professional development of members that may be supported. It is a great example of community in action, with everyone offering the best they have for the benefit of all involved.
Ridgewood’s Downtown for the Holidays will start on Friday, November 30th with the Tree Lighting.
E. Ridgewood Avenue, from Maple to Broad, will be closed to traffic at 4:30PM.
All are invited to shop, dine and enjoy the entertainment, featuring a special “Rock around the Christmas Tree” theme. Performances by: From the Top Music Studio, Porch Light Productions, Arthur Murray Dance Studio and Art of Motion.
Entertainment and Tree Lighting from 7 to 8PM.
Come to Ridgewood to start the season’s celebration…
One Party Rule
November 27,2012
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, According to Mike Huckabee , Republicans in the House are under a lot of pressure to go along with the Democrats after their election wins. But can you imagine what one-party rule would mean to the economy?
Luckily, we don’t have to imagine it. We have California, where a Republican legislator is about as rare these days as a silent movie. Conn Carroll at the Washington Examiner just crunched the latest West Coast numbers. Under virtual one-party rule, California has run up about $370 billion in total state and local debt, or more than $10,000 per resident. That’s despite having both the nation’s highest sales tax and an income tax with the highest top rate. If high taxes, unbridled spending and unlimited debt stimulated economies, California’s should be booming. So what did all that spending buy?
Well, according to a new Census Bureau report, nearly a quarter of Californians are living in poverty. California is home to one-eighth of the US population, but one-third of all welfare recipients. Chief Executive magazine just ranked California as the worst state of all to do business in. Texas was ranked as the best. Texas has a jobless rate of 6.8 percent, California’s is 10.2. But wait, didn’t all that redistribution of wealth at least create economic equality? Well, no: the Census Bureau reports that income inequality is actually worse in California than in Texas. So maybe the voters who opted to continue gridlock in Washington knew what they were doing. ( Huckabee Report, visit MikeHuckabee.com.)
Sandy Fitzgerald follows up in his November 23rd , Newsmax piece “One-Party Control Spreads to 37 States”
According to Fitzgerald, the Nov. 6 election left more than two-thirds of states under single-party control beginning in January 2013 , with one party holding the governor’s office and majorities in both legislative chambers.
The single-party control in at least 37 states means bold partisan agendas will likely grow over the next couple of years, and indicates voters are no longer interested in compromise even though President Barack Obama and Republicans have signaled a greater willingness to reach across the aisle, reports The New York Times.
Republicans will now control 24 states. These include Alaska and Wisconsin, where Republicans won the state Senate, and North Carolina, which went Republican.
13 states will be under Democratic control . Legislatures in Colorado, Minnesota, and Oregon, switched to Democratic majorities. In California, Democrats solidified their hold by winning a super majority.
This leaves a government split between the parties in only 12 states, the lowest number since 1952, Tim Storey of the National Conference of State Legislatures, told the Times. Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com https://www.newsmax.com/TheWire/states-control-legislatures/2012/11/23/id/465154?s=al&promo_code=10DC4-1#ixzz2D8MtrC38
4 Reasons Warren Buffett Is Wrong on Tax Hikes
Amy Payne and Alison Acosta Fraser
November 27, 2012 at 9:40 am
Let’s talk taxes. In a New York Times op-ed yesterday, famed investor and Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett once again argued that the wealthy should be taxed more.
This isn’t the first time Buffett has made the case for higher taxes, and it’s not the first time he’s been wrong. Here are four reasons he is wrong to push for tax hikes.
1. Buffett says tax hikes won’t hurt jobs.
Fact: Tax hikes, especially those he espouses, hurt jobs.
Buffett cites periods when tax rates were high and says that “Under those burdensome rates,” employment “increased at a rapid clip.”
This country has an employment problem right now, and tax rates aren’t even as high as Buffett wants. The tax increases President Obama champions would hit small businesses that create jobs. According to Treasury figures, 1.2 million Americans who employ people are paying their taxes through the individual income tax, and they would be hit head-on. The amount that their taxes would go up could be roughly equivalent to one employee’s salary, meaning that’s one person they can’t hire in the new year. A study by Ernst and Young estimates that these tax hikes would kill 710,000 jobs.
2. Buffett says tax hikes won’t stop investors from investing.
Fact: Any time you tax something, you get less of it.
Buffett says: “So let’s forget about the rich and ultrarich going on strike and stuffing their ample funds under their mattresses if—gasp—capital gains rates and ordinary income rates are increased. The ultrarich, including me, will forever pursue investment opportunities.”
Let’s think about what taxes are intended to do. The cigarette tax is intended to curb smoking. Proponents of a carbon tax want to curb the amount of carbon emissions we are producing. In Washington, D.C., a plastic bag tax is intended to curb the number of plastic bags people use.
When you tax something more, people do less of it. This is how taxes work. It doesn’t change because the behavior being taxed is investing rather than smoking.
3. Buffett says the wealthy aren’t even paying a minimum tax.
Fact: We already have an Alternative Minimum Tax.
Buffett says, “We need Congress, right now, to enact a minimum tax on high incomes.”
We already have this. It’s called the Alternative Minimum Tax. As Heritage’s Curtis Dubay explains:
Congress passed the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) in the early 1970s to ensure that a few high-income taxpayers did not reduce their tax liability too much by taking advantage of all the deductions, exemptions, and credits Congress put in the tax code. But Congress did not index for inflation the income threshold over which families qualify for this extra tax. So now Congress must annually “patch” the AMT by raising the threshold to correct this mistake. Even with the patch, the AMT still ends up falling on almost 4 million taxpayers; Congress initially intended for it to hit only a few hundred.
The top 10 percent of earners in the United States already pay more than 70 percent of federal income taxes. To move forward in this debate, those who argue that we just need to “tax the rich” will have to get real. We can’t close the budget deficit by taxing the rich. Even though Buffett also claims…
4. Buffett says we need to raise taxes to bring in more revenue for the government.
Fact: The problem is government spending, not government revenue.
Buffett says, “Our government’s goal should be to bring in revenues of 18.5 percent of [gross domestic product] and spend about 21 percent of G.D.P.”
Revenues are lower now today than normal, not because of tax rates, but because of the slow-growing economy. As the economy recovers, so will revenues. And they will continue to grow as the economy thrives. Why? Because more people are investing, saving, working, and enjoying higher wages. The nifty little benefit for the government of a strong, growing economy is that people pay more in taxes.
But on to spending. The White House already estimates that federal spending will be 23.1 percent of GDP this year—well above Buffett’s target. But, unlike taxes—which will return to the historical levels Buffett aims for, spending will continue to spiral ever upwards. In 25 years, spending will be 35.7 percent of GDP. In 2025, the big three entitlements will gobble up a full 18.5 percent of GDP—the entire amount of revenue that Buffett would like to raise.
In Buffett’s world, then, after funding entitlements, that leaves only 2.5 percent of GDP for everything else (assuming that interest rates don’t go through the roof). The fact is that ever-growing entitlements have put spending on a trajectory toward a European-level implosion. If they are not reined in, taxes on everyone will have to rise perpetually just to keep pace.
While Warren Buffett is right about many things, he is wrong about tax hikes. Which leads us to the real questions: Why are we even talking about tax hikes? Where are the spending cuts?
Study: Porn Stars More Religious, Have Higher Self-Esteem Than Other Women
November 26, 2012 12:53 PM
HOUSTON (CBS Houston) — Stop thinking that all porn actresses are “damaged goods.”
A new study finds that female porn stars are more religious and have a higher self-esteem than other women.
The study, which was published in the Journal of Sex Research, concluded that these women do not fit the “damaged goods hypothesis.”
“In terms of psychological characteristics, porn actresses had higher levels of self-esteem, positive feelings, social support, sexual satisfaction, and spirituality compared to the matched group,” the study titled “Pornography Actresses: An Assessment of the Damaged Goods Hypothesis” concluded.
Analysis: Utilities tackle communication breakdown
MONDAY NOVEMBER 26, 2012, 11:04 PM
BY JOHN REITMEYER, JULIET FLETCHER AND MELISSA HAYES
STAFF WRITERS
THE RECORD
When the Federal Emergency Management Agency needed to reach North Jersey residents left in the cold and dark by superstorm Sandy, it printed fliers and sent agents into the streets to distribute them. In Ridgewood, elected officials also printed sheets of paper to give residents, telling them where to find ice and other necessities they needed to get through an extended power outage.
New Jersey’s utility companies, however, communicated with out-of-power customers through email and online social media. They also held regular briefings with reporters where company officials stressed how tough their jobs were and how many employees they had out in the field working long hours to make repairs.
That message didn’t reach many customers who had no Internet, no radio and no way of charging their smart phones because their homes were flooded or their power was still out. And, in the estimation of several crisis management experts, it probably didn’t resonate much with customers who had power but wanted to hear less about how hard the task was and more about how close, realistically, it was to being completed.
The challenge of restoring power was hard enough after Sandy, New Jersey’s most damaging storm ever, and, amid the frustration, it’s hard to imagine how North Jersey’s power companies — the Public Service Electric and Gas Co., Jersey Central Power & Light and Orange & Rockland Utilities — weren’t destined for a public-relations drubbing.
But, in Sandy’s wake, a significant question has arisen about whether, apart from their performance in restoring power, the three companies, to one degree or another, made life harder on themselves and more frustrating for their customers by failing to communicate as effectively as they could have.
Watch What Warren Buffett Does, Not What He Says
4:16 PM, NOV 26, 2012
BY ADAM J. WHITE
Warren Buffett is by now no stranger to the national debate over federal tax policy. In 2009, he penned a New York Times op-ed calling for “truly major changes in both taxes and outlays.” Two years later, he returned to the Times with a widely publicized call for large tax increases on the “super-rich,” noting that his own effective federal tax rate (17 percent) was far less than his employees’ rates (ranging from 33 to 41 percent). President Obama liked the idea so much, he called for Congress to pass “the Buffett Rule” in his 2012 state of the union address.
Given that long, well-publicized history, there isn’t much news to be found in Buffett’s latest Times op-ed this morning, calling once again for a minimum tax on millionaires. Except that Buffett opens this one with a rifle shot at Grover Norquist specifically, and supply-side economics generally:
Suppose that an investor you admire and trust comes to you with an investment idea. “This is a good one,” he says enthusiastically. “I’m in it, and I think you should be, too.”
Would your reply possibly be this? “Well, it all depends on what my tax rate will be on the gain you’re saying we’re going to make. If the taxes are too high, I would rather leave the money in my savings account, earning a quarter of 1 percent.” Only in Grover Norquist’s imagination does such a response exist.
