A Change in Tone for the Village
May 20,2013
the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, three recent letters to the editor posted in the Ridgewood News may be signaling a change of tone for the Village .
All three were noticeable in the absence of heaping praise for the irresponsible spending and outlandish promises that usually make headlines in this town .
So what gives ,Ridgewood is no longer a safe heaven for left wing loons , like the mad bomber or supporters of New Jersey’s Democratic machine politics . Maybe the grip of Hudson County is soiling the upscale nature of the Village and degrading residents self image ?
No , its seems more like the reality of the continued negative impacts of Big Government or Government knows best policies are hurting more and more people . It is one thing to read about it in the paper its anther to see your neighbors go down the tubes .
It seems the tax payer is feeling far less generous and growing weary of the we know best shut up and pay attitude .
10% of Facebook’s users are not human – including Mark Zuckerberg’s dog Beast who has 1.5 MILLION followers
Facebook currently has more than one billion ‘monthly active users’
At least 100 million of these users are pets, brands and companies
Biggest growth in membership is in India, Brazil, Russia and Middle East
Much slower growth in Western Europe and North America
Half of the population of the UK and the U.S. are Facebook members
Investors fear that young people are losing interest in the site
By Emma Innes
PUBLISHED: 10:13 EST, 17 May 2013 | UPDATED: 12:03 EST, 18 May 2013
Dogs, cats, horses, toasters: You name it, it has a Facebook page.
Facebook now has one billion users – but ten per cent of them are not human, according to new research.
At least 100 million of Facebook’s ‘monthly active users’ are pets, brands and companies – and even Facebook founder Mark Zuckeberg’s dog Beast has a page.
No dissenter can ever rest assured he is safe from the arbitrary power of the IRS.
Sheldon Richman | May 19, 2013
The Internal Revenue Service has been caught engaging in political profiling while processing applications for tax-exempt status. In this case it was against organizations with “tea-party” or “patriot ” in their names and other right-wing groups. Next time it could be libertarian or left-wing antiwar and pro-civil-liberties groups. No dissenter can ever rest assured he is safe from the arbitrary power of the IRS.
Nothing will have been learned from this scandal if all that happens is the firing of some IRS administrators and the issuance of new guidelines on 501(c)(4) applications. That is not nearly enough.
Obviously, tax exemptions exist only because individuals and some organizations are subject to income and other forms of taxation. Congress levies a tax on incomes, then in its “wisdom” chooses to exempt certain activities but not others. This is social engineering, with Congress seeking to encourage some kinds of organizations — while not forgoing more revenue than necessary. The IRS then writes rules to carry out the directions of Congress.
Where possible, people will naturally strive to qualify for exemption by pushing the boundaries of the regulations. That incentive will always be strong because a nonprofit organization that is exempt from taxation will have more resources with which to pursue its mission. Since the language of statutes and regulations is inevitably vague, the IRS will have room to interpret when ruling on who qualifies and who doesn’t qualify for exemption. The line between vigilance and harassment is not bright, and the potential for abuse is great.
It should be apparent that this power, which is inherently arbitrary, ill suits a society that sees itself as free.
2nd Annual Bergen County Law Enforcement Blue Mass
Ridgewood NJ , Please join us for the 2nd Annual Bergen County Law Enforcement Blue Mass to honor fallen and deceased law enforcement officers. Sponsored by the Bergen County Police Chiefs Association. Wednesday May 22nd 9:00am. Our Lady of Mt.Carmel Church, One Passaic Street Ridgewood NJ.
Any department wishing to participate please contact Fairview Police Captain Kahan @ [email protected]
‘Facebook fatigue’ stirs investor concern
By Robert Cookson
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As Facebook prepares to mark its first year as a public company on Saturday, it is facing pressure from investors to address fears that young people are losing interest in the service.
Though their views are mostly based on anecdotal evidence rather than hard statistics, many investors believe that under-25s are suffering from “Facebook fatigue” and defecting to services such as Twitter and WhatsApp.
“One of the most frequent conversations I have with investors is about whether the younger demographic is disengaging from Facebook,” says Mark Mahaney, internet analyst at RBC Capital Markets.
A Mano Announces Delicious Demonstrations in Ridgewood
Sizzling Summer Series to Include Pizza-Making with Masters, Homemade Pasta Making and Mozzarella/Dessert Duo
(RIDGEWOOD, NJ, May 14, 2013) — This summer, Ridgewood New Jersey’s authentic Neapolitan trattoria A Mano, will host a three-part series of delectable demonstrations. Taking place on Thursday evenings beginning June 6th, the first of the tasty tutorials includes Pizza-Making with Neapolitan Pizza Masters Roberto Caporuscio and Antonio Starita, followed by How to Make Homemade Pasta Like a Pro, and concludes with a Mouthwatering Mozzarella and Dessert Making Combo.
Pizza-Making with Neapolitan Pizza Masters, Roberto Caporuscio and Antonio Starita -June 6, 6pm
Pizza Powerhouses Roberto Caporuscio and Antonio Starita, will demonstrate the art of Neapolitan pizza, including dough making and stretching, traditional
recipes and expert techniques. The world-famous pizza masters will highlight the secrets of perfecting both classic and specialty Neapolitan wood-fired pizzas. Caporuscio is the Chef/Owner of New York City hot spots Kesté Pizza and Vino and Don Antonio by Starita. His mentor, Antonio Starita, is the Chef/ Owner of one of Naples’ oldest, most popular pizzerias, Pizzeria Starita ai Materdei, and Don Antonio by Starita in New York. Both Caporuscio and Starita are ranking members of the Association of Neapolitan Pizzaiuoli (Association of Neapolitan Pizza Makers – APN), the Italian governing body that teaches the art of Neapolitan pizza making, and certifies quality and adherence to authentic procedures. Caporuscio’s title is President of the United States division, while Starita serves as International Vice President.
How to Make Homemade Pasta Like a Pro -Thursday, July 18th 6pm
Guests will take an up close look at tasty techniques of making fresh egg pasta, from dough making and rolling, to pasta cutting and other expert methods used to create homemade pillowy pasta. Favorite housemade pasta dishes on A Mano’s menu include: Lasagna Bolognese, Vegetable Lasagna, Tagliatelle ai Funghi (ribbon pasta with assorted wild mushrooms and truffle cream) and Gnocchi alla Sorrentina (gnocchi with fresh tomato sauce, basil and homemade mozzarella).
Mouthwatering Mozzarella and Dessert Making Combo – Thursday, August 15th 6pm
Viewers will learn to make melt-in-your-mouth mozzarella, including stretching, forming and setting the cheese, and the methods of making one of A Mano’s featured desserts. A Mano’s mozzarella which is made in-house daily, is featured on its wood-fired pizzas, and in recipes of dishes such as the Mozzarella Pinwheel (mozzarella roll with prosciutto and grilled vegetables) and Caprese Salad (mozzarella, vine-ripe tomatoes, basil and extra virgin olive oil). Signature homemade desserts include panna cotta with seasonal berries, ricotta cheesecake, creme brûlée, tiramisu and more.
The cost of each demonstration is $10 per person, which will be credited towards dinner immediately following the events. Reservations are required.
About A Mano
A Mano, meaning “by hand,” is focused on presenting the ultimate combination of authentic ingredients and techniques to create an unmatched Neapolitan experience. The restaurant has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality and authenticity of the craft of traditional Neapolitan foods, with results that speak mouthwatering volumes in every bite.
A Mano is one of only three restaurants in the United States certified by both Italian governing associations, the Verace Pizza Napoletana and Associazone Pizzaiuoli Napoletani, to offer authentic Neapolitan Pizza. The exacting standards are what stand A Mano apart from the rest, from the expertise of the pizzaiolo (the specially-trained pizza chef) to the use of ingredients imported from Naples (from all natural Caputo flour to the San Marzano tomatoes, grown in the foothills of Mt Vesuvio). Add-in fresh mozzarella made by hand daily, along with outrageous homemade gelato and desserts, and the true concept of artisan foods are revealed.
Down to the tiles and equipment from floor to ceiling, the restaurant’s entire makeup is imported from Italy. Its twin domed ovens with round chimneys, hand-built on site by Neapolitan Artisans using stones and volcanic soil from Naples, are the centerpiece of the restaurant, stretching to the ceiling of the two-story dining room. The architecture of the wood-fired ovens allow them to reach temperatures of 1,000 degrees, creating beautifully blistering, bubbling pizza in less than two minutes.
A Mano is located at 24 Franklin Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450. Hours of operation are: Monday through Thursday, 11:30 AM–10:00 PM, Friday and Saturday 11:30 AM-11:00 PM and Sunday 12:30 PM–10:00 PM. For more information, please call 201.493.2000 or visit www.amanopizza.com.
Justice has been served for a few infants and one mother whose lives were taken within the filthy walls of 3801 Lancaster Avenue.
Late-term abortionist Kermit Gosnell was convicted yesterday of first-degree murder in the deaths of three infants who were born alive after botched abortions performed in his run-down West Philadelphia clinic. He was also found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Karnamaya Mongar, a 41-year-old woman who died from an overdose of anesthetic drugs during an abortion procedure.
The jury’s deliberations came after six weeks of harrowing testimony detailing the brutal deaths of newborns and unthinkable mistreatment of women. The gruesome murder of moving, breathing infants after botched abortions allegedly became a regular occurrence at the filthy West Philadelphia facility, with one clinic worker estimating nearly 100 living babies were killed shortly after birth.
Many of those murders followed failed abortions performed after Pennsylvania’s 24-week limit. In addition to the four murder charges, Gosnell was also convicted of more than 200 other criminal counts including violating Pennsylvania’s informed consent law and performing illegal late-term abortions.
In wake of the trial’s disturbing revelations, many are left questioning how the oft-repeated slogan of “safe, legal, and rare” abortions can continue to encompass late-term procedures—especially of the kind that can produce live births.
There is broad consensus that abortions like those Gosnell performed should not take place, whether in a run-down Philadelphia clinic or the sterile facilities of other abortion providers. Nearly two-thirds of Americans generally oppose abortions in the second trimester of pregnancy, while 80 percent oppose abortions in the third trimester.
“The first degree murder conviction of Kermit Gosnell brings some closure to this horrific case, but we must act to address the broader problems highlighted by this tragedy,” remarked Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL). “Congress should conduct a thorough investigation into the practices of late-term abortions in America with the goal of ensuring that these atrocities are never repeated in the future.…Life is precious at every stage, and America’s policies must reflect this fact at every turn.”
That policy work got underway last week, when the House Energy and Commerce Committee began investigations into current state efforts to monitor clinics and protect the rights of born-alive infants and their mothers.
Yet much more needs to be done, especially as current policy entangles taxpayer dollars in the abortion industry.
The leader in that industry, Planned Parenthood, performs roughly one out of every four abortions in the United States. The organization that holds the title of the nation’s largest abortion provider also allegedly turned a blind eye to the safety of women in Pennsylvania and Delaware, opposes legal protections for infants born after botched abortions, and faces repeated accusations of fraud.
This is the organization that President Obama vowed to support at its recent annual fundraising gala. This is the multibillion-dollar industry to which the government sends hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars every year. And the abortion subsidization through taxpayer funding will only increase under Obamacare.
In light of the brutality that became commonplace at 3801 Lancaster Avenue and has appeared elsewhere, policymakers should rethink continued financial support for an industry that creates and supports the likes of Gosnell.
Americans must likewise reexamine the prevailing ethic of abortion-on-demand for any reason—even in late-term abortions.
“[I]n our justice system premeditating and exacting the demise of babies is only a crime if a child is fully outside the womb,” stated Representative Virginia Foxx (R-NC). “We would do well as a society to consider what deciding murder based upon geographic technicalities reveals about our collective conscious.”
For over four decades since the Roe v. Wade decision, American medical practice, politics, and laws have separated the health of mothers from the well-being of the children they carry. Gosnell’s “house of horrors” should demonstrate that the severing of that connection does a disservice and risks the health and lives of both child and mother.
2013 Village of Ridgewood Introduced Budget – June 12 Budget Public Hearing
The Village 2013 tax levy of $33,040,375 is $36,725 less than Village 2012 tax levy of $33,077,101. The average residential property assessed at $686,994 in 2013 will experience a municipal tax bill of $3,966. This municipal tax for the average taxpayer represents NO increase over the 2012 year.
The introduced 2013 Budget totals $45,343,651. This is a budget decrease of $677,509 from amended 2012 budget (a 1.4% decrease).
The exact tax rate and average tax paid will be determined by the Bergen County Tax Board after the Village Council adopts the Budget. The 2013 Budget Public Hearing will be held at 8PM June 12, 2013.
West Side to Host Community Hymn Festival of Choirs On Sunday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m., choirs from multiple Bergen County churches of all denominations will participate in the 24th Annual Community Hymn Festival of Choirs at Ridgewood’s West Side Presbyterian Church.
The ecumenical event is open to the public. Free will offerings will be taken ($10 suggested). Presented by The American Guild of Organists’ Northern New Jersey Chapter, the annual festival and a fall campaign benefit the John R. Rodland Memorial Scholarship Fund for Church Music. The Rodland Scholarships are the largest such awards to church music majors in the nation. Since its inception in 1990, $206,450 has been awarded in scholarships to future church musicians. This year’s winner of a $9,000 first prize is Abigail Rockwood, a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at the Eastman School of Music, studying with David Higgs. She was a student of Dr. Huw Lewis at Hope College, receiving her Bachelor of Music, and earned her Master’s Degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music, with Todd Wilson. “The Music of Pentecost” is the theme of this year’s festival. Organists and choir directors from participating churches will direct or play for the over-80-voice adult choir, children’s choir, hand-bell choir, and brass ensemble.
Singers are invited to join the chorus at the only rehearsal on Thursday, May 16 at 7:30 p.m. Music will be provided. The church is at 6 S. Monroe St., corner of W. Ridgewood Ave. For more information, call the West Side Church Office at 201-652-1966, ext. *839.
N.J. may close motor vehicle inspection stations, forcing drivers to pay
Friday, May 10, 2013 Last updated: Saturday May 11, 2013, 12:01 AM
BY MICHAEL LINHORST
STATE HO– USE BUREAU
The Record
New Jersey drivers who get their cars tested for free every other year at a state inspection station may find themselves having to pay $50 or more at a private garage.
The state is still in the early stages of deciding whether to privatize the inspections, and any change is at least three years away, Raymond Martinez, the Motor Vehicle Commission’s chief administrator, told an Assembly committee this week. He said it was too soon to know precisely how much a privatized system might cost drivers or save the state.
But that hasn’t stopped Democrats from raising questions about why New Jersey would consider changing the current inspection system, which Martinez has said boasts “very little wait times” and “very high customer satisfaction.”
300 attend Ridgewood fundraiser for AIDS support organization
SUNDAY MAY 5, 2013, 10:13 PM
BY MONSY ALVARADO
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — They gathered at Saddle River County Park on Sunday, some sporting red T-shirts to remember family and friends they lost too soon to HIV and AIDS, and to bring awareness to the disease that affects more than 36,000 statewide.
“It’s important for people to understand and be safe and not to push anyone aside because of it,” said Melanie Sullivan of West Milford, who attended the event to honor her aunt, who died on Thanksgiving Day of complications from AIDS. “If it affects one person, it affects us all.”
Around 300 people, some pushing strollers and others leading dogs on leashes, took part in the annual New Jersey AIDS Walk. TheBergen County event, held in conjunction with four others across the state to benefit HIV and AIDS, was hosted by Buddies of New Jersey Inc. of Hackensack — a non-profit that helps people living with the disease.
9th Annual Wiffle for Cancer Tournament
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Online registration is now available! Remember every registrant receives a free t-shirt. Registration will be limited to 64 teams. Walk-up registrations are welcome if space is still available on the day of the event.
When?
Sunday, June 2, 2013
12:00 Noon (Check-in begins at 11:30am)
Rain or Shine
Where?
Ridgewood High School
627 East Ridgewood Avenue
Ridgewood, NJ 07450We hope to see lots of new faces this year. We want to make this year’s tournament the biggest ever, so please spread the word to as many people as you can.
Tournament sponsorship opportunities are available. Sponsors who donate at the Bronze level (a minimum of $100) will receive recognition on the Wiffle for Cancer website, post-event publicity recognition, as well as have their name placed on the tournament t-shirt. Any sponsor who donates at the Silver level (a minimum of $200) will receive everything from the Bronze level as well as a link directly to the sponsor’s website from our Wiffle for Cancer website. For a donation of $300 or more sponsors will achieve Gold level sponsorship, which includes the two previous levels, the opportunity to have a sign on the fence facing East Ridgewood Avenue visible to drive-by traffic and a field will be named after your company or family. At the Gold level, the sponsors who donate more than the minimum will have their names placed on the most prominently located fields and the largest donor’s name will appear on the field where the championship game is played. We also welcome companies who wish to donate items for the event (e.g. – food items or prizes) in lieu of cash donations.
All proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Nick Currey Fund for Ewing Sarcoma Research. If you are unable to play donations will gladly be accepted. To donate send checks payable to “Nick Currey Fund” to Wiffle for Cancer c/o Ralph Currey, 260 Woodside Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450-5036. Alternatively, you can send checks payable to “Nick Currey Fund” to CureSearch for Children’s Cancer, Development Office, 4600 East West Highway, Suite 600, Bethesda, MD 20814-3457. To donate online, visit www.curesearch.org/nickcurreyfund and make a donation “in memory of Nick Currey”.
At Cyberbullying Conference, Experts and Educators Try to Define Line Between Texting and Trouble
One of the most vexing legal questions raised by New Jersey’s two-year-old anti-bullying law remains how to address incidents that occur online and off school grounds — including nights and weekends.
Cyberbullying was the focus of a daylong conference yesterday at Rutgers University in Newark, where lawyers, scholars, educators, and others discussed the difficulties of drawing a legal line that determines if schools — or parents — are culpable. (Mooney/NJSpotlight)
live feeds to Ridgewood Police for School Safety ?
Long Island Goes Cutting Edge On School Security: Live Feeds To Police Cars
Central Command, Individual Cops Can See What’s Happening As It’s Happening
April 18, 2013 5:41 PM
WESTBURY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — School security, in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy is taking on a new look. On Long Island on Thursday, a new system was unveiled allowing police to have a live view inside schools.
It’s the new age of school security: Cameras feeding live video and audio to a command center, which, during a crisis, can be viewed and heard by law enforcement, CBS 2’s Carolyn Gusoff reported.
“We can hear if someone is making a threat. We can hear if people are screaming, so whatever is happening in that environment we can bring back here,” said Clifford Steinberg of Nassau BOCES.
Three school districts are on board and Nassau BOCES, the agency that coordinates services for Long Island school districts, is hoping all will sign on. Districts will save money and, if needed, police can see and hear what happening inside school walls.
