The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
>Mayor Cory Booker: Police union didn’t try to avoid layoffs
There’s “massive restructuring” of government in the city of Newark, a polite way of saying that up to 500 people could be losing their jobs soon including 167 police officers, Mayor Cory Booker said at a press conference Tuesday. (Carroll, PolitickerNJ)
https://www.politickernj.com/43191/booker-police-union-didn-t-try-avoid-layoffs
>Gov. Christie authorizes state to hire lawyer to fight $271 million tunnel bill
Governor Chris Christie’s administration plans to file a federal lawsuit to fight the U.S. government’s $271 million bill to New Jersey to pay for work on canceled rail tunnel to Manhattan, an administration source said. (Method, Home News Tribune)
>Report: To pay 1 NJ worker’s salary, it takes up to 90 private sector workers
It takes up to 90 private sector workers to support the salary of one state worker making the same amount of money, according to a new analysis. (Method, Daily Record)
>Gov. Jindal Calls Obama’s National Security Strategy ‘Dumb’ and ‘Dangerous’
Posted by Jason Mattera (Profile)
“The current therapeutic approach to national security is dangerous,” Jindal writes in his new book, Leadership And Crisis, which is currently # 1 on Amazon’s “Leadership and Politics” section. “I’m just not interested in empathizing with the grievances of our sworn enemies. Let’s figure out where they’re vulnerable and destroy them.”
Jindal tells HUMAN EVENTS that President Obama’s decision to read Miranda rights and hold civilian trials for foreign terrorist suspects is not only misguided, but dangerous. “We’ve been lucky with…the Time Square bomb, the underwear bomber. Being lucky is not a strategy. The reality is we’ve been playing defense instead of playing offense.”
To Jindal, “playing offense” would entail profiling those Islamists most likely to hijack an airliner or make a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in, say Portland, go Kaboom.
“Why in the world do we have TSA examiners who are groping 6-year-old children flying home to see grandma for the holidays? Why in the world are we acting like we don’t have intelligence assets and common sense? Not using our intelligence and not using our common sense, that’s called dumb. This is a dumb strategy that we’re pursuing.”
>Daily Slice: A Mano, Ridgewood, New Jersey
Posted by Chris Lehault, November 30, 2010 at 2:00 PM
Daily Slice gives a quick snapshot each weekday of a different slice or pie that the folks at the Serious Eats empire have enjoyed lately.
Ridgewood, New Jersey’s A Mano looks to disrupt the Garden State’s sweet-sauce stereotype. Its Neapolitan-style pizzas come directly from a 1,000°F wood-burning oven built with stones and clay imported from Italy. The brainchild of pizzaiolo Roberto Caporuscio (now of Kesté in the West Village), A Mano is certified by both the VPN (Verace Pizza Napoletana) and employs pizzamakers accredited by the APN (Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani). A Mano’s pie shares more resemblance to its cousins back in the old country than to its neighbor down the street.
>The Concerned Residents of Ridgewood filed a lawsuit on Monday in New Jersey Superior Court to challenge the validity of the H-Hospital Zone Amendment to the Village Master Plan
Residents’ group files lawsuit challenging Valley Hospital Renewal project
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Last updated: Tuesday August 31, 2010, 2:04 PM
BY MICHAEL SEDON
The Ridgewood News
Staff Writer
RIDGEWOOD – The Concerned Residents of Ridgewood (CRR), a non-profit group challenging The Valley Hospital renewal project, filed a lawsuit on Monday in New Jersey Superior Court to challenge the validity of the H-Hospital Zone Amendment to the Village Master Plan, which was approved by the Village Planning Board on June 21 despite vigorous opposition by residents.
Named as defendants in the legal action are the Planning Board of the Village of Ridgewood and The Valley Hospital. The hospital is named along with the Village because it sponsored a change in the Master Plan under a 2007 ordinance that was created by the village council under former Mayor David Pfund. The ordinance allowed third parties to also sponsor changes to the Village’s Master Plan, not just the Village itself.
“As so many residents have voiced, the recently-approved Master Plan Amendment, which would allow Valley Hospital to double in size in this quiet residential neighborhood, is simply wrong for Ridgewood, and the residents are asking the court to reverse the decision,” said Paul Gould, spokesperson for CRR.
“From the day Valley made the request, the Village Planning Board appeared fully determined to push through this change to the Master Plan, overriding the views of its residents, and in its haste, tainted the process by making procedural glitches, allowing conflicts of interest to exist and mishandling notifications,” Gould said.
Special message from Concerned Residents of Ridgewood
We do need money however to carry the fight through the courts. Please donate at: https://www.stopvalley.com/Donate.html and we take PayPal
Paul
>Congressman Scott Garrett :Greater and greater control of our educational system is being wrested from our local school boards and placed into the hands of faceless bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.
Garrett: Race to the Top gaffe is a teachable moment
By Rep. Scott Garrett
August 29, 2010
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Education announced the 10 finalists for the “Race to the Top” initiative. Enacted shortly after President Obama took office, this program allows states to apply for federal education funding after they implement educational reforms in line with the goals of the Obama Administration.
As most are aware of by now, New Jersey was not a recipient of the funding.
While my congressional colleagues and I will do what we can to ensure that New Jersey’s application was — and will continue to be — treated fairly, it’s my hope that no matter what happens, we can take a step back and use this experience as a teachable moment.
After all, it is illustrative of a broader problem we face: Greater and greater control of our educational system is being wrested from our local school boards and placed into the hands of faceless bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/garrett_082910.html
>GOP Takes Unprecedented 10-Point Lead on Generic Ballot
Republicans also maintain wide gap in enthusiasm about voting
by Frank Newport
https://www.gallup.com/poll/142718/GOP-Unprecedented-Lead-Generic-Ballot.aspx
PRINCETON, NJ — Republicans lead by 51% to 41% among registered voters in Gallup weekly tracking of 2010 congressional voting preferences. The 10-percentage-point lead is the GOP’s largest so far this year and is its largest in Gallup’s history of tracking the midterm generic ballot for Congress
https://www.gallup.com/poll/142718/GOP-Unprecedented-Lead-Generic-Ballot.aspx
>Obama, Democrats got 88 percent of 2008 contributions by TV network execs, writers, reporters
By: Mark Tapscott
Editorial Page Editor
08/27/10 3:45 PM EDT
Senior executives, on-air personalities, producers, reporters, editors, writers and other self-identifying employees of ABC, CBS and NBC contributed more than $1 million to Democratic candidates and campaign committees in 2008, according to an analysis by The Examiner of data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.
The Democratic total of $1,020,816 was given by 1,160 employees of the three major broadcast television networks, with an average contribution of $880.
By contrast, only 193 of the employees contributed to Republican candidates and campaign committees, for a total of $142,863. The average Republican contribution was $744.
Disclosure of the heavily Democratic contributions by influential employees of the three major broadcast networks follows on the heels of controversy last week when it was learned that media baron Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. contributed $1 million to the Republican Governors Association.
Read more at the Washington Examiner: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Obama-Democrats-got-88-percent-of-TV-network-employee-campaign-contributions-101668063.html#ixzz0y9CNzk9h
>CLIMATE CHANGE LIES ARE EXPOSED
A damming report has highlighted questions over the credibility of a leading climate change body
Tuesday August 31,2010
By Donna Bowater
https://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/196642
THE world’s leading climate change body has been accused of losing credibility after a damning report into its research practices.
A high-level inquiry into the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found there was “little evidence” for its claims about global warming.
It also said the panel had emphasised the negative impacts of climate change and made “substantive findings” based on little proof.
The review by the InterAcademy Council (IAC) was launched after the IPCC’s hugely embarrassing 2007 benchmark climate change report, which contained exaggerated and false claims that Himalayan glaciers could melt by 2035.
The panel was forced to admit its key claim in support of global warming was lifted from a 1999 magazine article. The report was based on an interview with a little-known Indian scientist who has since said his views were “speculation” and not backed by research.
Independent climate scientist Peter Taylor said last night: “The IPCC’s credibility has been deeply dented and something has to be done. It can’t just be a matter of adjusting the practices. They have got to look at what are the consequences of having got it wrong in terms of what the public think is going on. Admitting that it needs to reform means something has gone wrong and they really do need to look at the science.”
Climate change sceptic David Holland, who challenged leading climate change scientists at the University of East Anglia to disclose their research, said: “The panel is definitely not fit for purpose. What the IAC has said is substantial changes need to be made.”
The IAC, which comprises the world’s top science academies including the UK’s Royal Society, made recommendations to the IPCC to “enhance its credibility and independence” after the Himalayan glaciers report, which severely damaged the reputation of climate science.
It condemned the panel – set up by the UN to ensure world leaders had the best scientific advice on climate change – for its “slow and inadequate response” after the damaging errors emerged.
more:
https://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/196642
>The Ridgewood blog Special Series: Restoring Honor in Washington, Part III
Restoring Honor in Washington, DC.
by Jason A. Vigorito
Part III
Barry and I have never attended a rally before. We are two of those Conservative/Libertarian-minded individuals among the masses who cannot regularly attend rallies because we’re busy, hard-working guys. And most rallies occur in the middle of a weekday. The Restoring Honor Rally for both of us, and according to many others who attended, is considered one of the most important experiences of our lives. And the rally’s climax at 1pm was one of the most important moments.
The 240-member “Black Robe Regiment”—a multi-faith group of religious leaders—came on stage at the end for a final prayer session. To see these men and women of diverse religious backgrounds come together shoulder-to-shoulder, singing and praying locked arm-in-arm, was mind-blowing. The scene beautifully illustrated our country’s potential.
Hearkening back to MLK’s eloquent “I Have A Dream” speech, the scene and common thread throughout the rally contributed to King’s statement to not look at skin color but at character. The idea of unity through breaking barriers is inherent in returning our national identity back to God. Racial barriers, ideological barriers, religious barriers, can all be overcome!
A truly inspirational moment, and a truly inspirational message.
Jo Dee Messina, John Rich, and other singers brought a fun end to this historic event. Barry and I spent some time at the Lincoln and other memorials, mingling with the crowd, savoring the moment. We ate some Sabrett hotdogs with some fellow ralliers and hit the road at 5pm. It was a long drive back home to Nutley and Lyndhurst, and on that drive Barry and I realized the event was a national epiphany—how to come together again as Americans. Spirituality and reliance on self-governance were stressed at the rally, only echoing what others—Jefferson, Washington, Whitfield, de Tocqueville, Churchill, King—have said to be America’s successful exceptionalism.
If you are pro-faith, pro-military, pro-individualism, etc., and you feel isolated in your beliefs…don’t. I conclude with Sarah Palin’s reassuring words, “Look around you, you are not alone. You are Americans!”
>The Ridgewood blog Special Series: Restoring Honor in Washington, Part II
by Jason A. Vigorito
Part II
Sarah Palin—speaking as a soldier’s mother—best stated Barry’s, mine, and every other rallier’s reason for attending the Restoring Honor Rally: we don’t want to fundamentally transform America, we want to RESTORE America. So how do we do that, we all wanted to know.
First, by returning our focus on God. Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, Dr. Alveda King (MLK’s niece), Tony La Russa (the St. Louis Cardinals’ manager), and the other many speakers and presenters all spoke on how God is necessary to strengthen our country. Direct descendants of the Pilgrims and Plymouth’s Indians stood arm-in-arm illustrating that this country’s origins lay in humbleness to God.
Second, that we can all be heroes in our own ways. So many touching veterans’ stories from several wars were illustrated, bringing most in the crowd to tears several times. Three men were presented with Badges of Merit to continue George Washington’s tradition of honoring America’s citizenry: Pastor C.L. Jackson for Faith, Albert Pujous for Hope, and Jon Huntsman, Sr., for Charity (giving $2 billion to charity!). Glenn stated, “Heroes are those who stand and do the right things, even at their own peril.” And the crowd was moved by the many examples on stage.
The thrust of the rally was to support the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Over $5.5 million dollars was raised through the rally! A staggering number that SWOF’s president, John Kearny, tearfully thanked the crowd for. And many in the crowd joyfully replied, “Your welcome!”
Have you ever cheered alongside 300,000+ people? Have you ever sung with 300,000+ people?? Have you ever prayed with 300,000+ people??? Have you ever even been in a crowd that large?! To hear that many people say the Pledge of Allegiance, led by a Boy Scout, together; to sing the National Anthem in unison; to hold hands with strangers and sing “Amazing Grace” to bagpipes. You’re struck with awe. Wonderment! Looking at the vast sea of folks who were there with the same purpose, the same convictions, the same patriotism for your country…Barry and I were overwhelmed with emotions. And so was everyone else. Everyone cried.
It all coalesced at the end with 240 religious leaders taking the stage—pastors, reverends, rabbis, priests, and, yes, even imams. Glenn called them “The Black Robe Regiment.” And what they did was truly inspirational!
>The Ridgewood YMCA : extraordinary and unique opportunity to lead the FIRST Robotics Competition Team
The Ridgewood YMCA is looking for a professional engineer who would like to volunteer to lead a FIRST Robotics Competition Team. The FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) program aims to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, inspire innovation and foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.
The FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRCTM) stages short games played by autonomous and remote controlled robots. The robots are designed and built in 6 weeks (from a common set of parts) by a team of 15 to 25 high-school-aged young people and a handful of engineers-mentors. The students remotely control the robots in competition rounds on the field.
Any interested engineers should call Chris at the Y at 201-444-5600 ext. 339 or cwolfstirn@ridgewoodym.org.
Chris Wolfstirn
Youth Director
Ridgewood YMCA
112 Oak Street
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
201-444-5600 x339
www.ridgewoodymca.org
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>Ridgewood Street Fair
Sponsored by Village of Ridgewood Recreation
140 Quality Exhibitors of Arts and Crafts will be available at the Street Fair on E. Ridgewood Avenue. Kid’s Activities, Great Food and All Day Entertainment on Sunday, September 12th from Noon to 5PM. Free Admission. Raindate: September 19th. Promoted by: P.J.’s Promotion www.pjspromotions.com
>
Ridgewood’s 17th Annual Car Show
Fri, September 10, 2010 – Fri, September 10, 2010
Time: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: Memorial Park at Van Neste Square, Ridgewood
Event Description
The Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce’s 17th Annual Car Show will be held around Memorial Park at Van Neste Square and along East Ridgewood Avenue. Non-Registration will open at 5:00pm on Walnut Street/Dayton. Parking will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Come early because spaces are limited! Registration fees are not refundable. Music will keep the evening lively and there will be trophies for many categories. Bring your family and friends to admire vintage cars, enjoy some excellent dining and be part of a trademark, fun-filled experience here in Ridgewood.
