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5 problems facing UN as it nears 70th anniversary

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5 problems facing UN as it nears 70th anniversary
By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The world has changed dramatically since the United Nations was established after World War II but the organization has not adapted to reflect the 21st century.

While the U.N. has had its share of successes, its aging structure has struggled with new threats like Ebola and terrorist groups that control large areas of its member countries. U.N. members have been discussing change for decades, but agreement has proven impossible because of competing interests.

As it approaches its 70th anniversary next year, here are five problems facing the United Nations:

OUTDATED POWER STRUCTURE

The same five countries – the victors of WWII – have been the power players since 1945: the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France. They are the only permanent members of the powerful, 15-seat Security Council. Each has veto power, which has led to near-paralysis at the council on some major crises like Syria and Ukraine.

Critics say the council simply doesn’t represent the world today. At its inception, the U.N. had 51 member states. It now has 193, many of them clamoring for more clout. All countries are represented in the General Assembly, but that body can only pass non-binding resolutions.

Often mentioned as countries deserving of permanent Security Council seats are Germany, Japan, India, South Africa, Nigeria, and Brazil. But there are no signs the big five intend to give up any power or share it with more countries.

https://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/UN_UNITED_NATIONS_FIVE_PROBLEMS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-12-01-13-18-06

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Ridgewood tables vote on Clinton Avenue sidewalks

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Ridgewood tables vote on Clinton Avenue sidewalks

December 1, 2014    Last updated: Monday, December 1, 2014, 10:44 AM
By Jodi Weinberger
Staff Writer |
The Ridgewood New

The village’s Complete Streets policy and the wishes of Clinton Avenue residents are at odds.

Last month, the Citizens Safety Advisory Committee (CSAC) recommended that the village not install sidewalks on Clinton Avenue. Police and the village engineer, however, expressed concerns with the recommendation.

The council decided to pull its vote on the decision from the Nov. 12 agenda, which would have determined whether to include sidewalks with a project to repave the road in 2015.

The council instead decided to send the issue back to CSAC for further study because not installing sidewalks would be at odds with the village’s Complete Streets policy, said Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld.

Currently, Clinton Avenue is one of three village roadways adjacent to a school that is partially closed during school hours to accommodate the influx of students.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/council-tables-vote-on-clinton-avenue-sidewalks-1.1144275

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Bergen County police chief to retire this year

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Bergen County Police Department Chief Brian Higgins

Bergen County police chief to retire this year
December 1, 2014, 3:35 PM    Last updated: Monday, December 1, 2014, 3:37 PM
By Stefanie Dazio
staff writer |
The Record

Bergen County Police Department Chief Brian Higgins, 49, plans to retire Dec. 31, authorities said.

Higgins, who is also the county’s public safety director, filed his letter of intent to the county executive on Nov. 25 and told his department today, Capt. James Mullin said.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen-county-police-chief-to-retire-this-year-1.1144416

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Al Sharpton will attend Monday White House civil rights meeting

Plane Watchers

Al Sharpton will attend Monday White House civil rights meeting as White House proposes $263 million plan that puts body-worn cameras in police departments and reviews police ‘militarization’

Slain 18-year-old Michael Brown’s parents have demanded the use of more body-cams by police forces to document violent encounters with suspects
President will meet with ‘young … civil rights leaders’ and law enforcement officials after he holds a cabinet meeting about the Ferguson unrest
Civil rights meeting will focus on challenges posed by ‘mistrust between law enforcement and communities of color’
Speculation ran rampant that Al Sharpton would be in the White House Monday, and his representatives confirmed it before lunch
Cabinet meeting will concern the militarization of local law enforcement with equipment provided by the federal government
Task force will have four months to make recommendations to Obama about how to change the program that has moved $5.1 billion in ge

President Barack Obama will meet with controversial black pastor and MSNBC host Al Sharpton on Monday at the White House, and plans to demand 263 million from Congress to put 50,000 body-worn cameras in U.S. police departments in response to the August police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

Brown’s parents have pushed the cameras as one solution to the distrust between police and criminal suspects following physical encounters. The White House said in August that it agreed with the idea in principle.

‘We support the use of cameras and video technology by law enforcement officers, and the Department of Justice continues to research best practices for implementation,’ the administration wrote in response to a public petition that attracted more than 154,000 supporters on the White House website.

The new initiative will provide 50 per cent of the funding for cameras, but will not pay for them entirely, at a cost of $75 million.

It will also provide new training resources and funds to study how to reform police practices.

It’s unclear why Officer Darren Wilson didn’t wear a camera during his fateful encounter with Brown. Members of the Ferguson Police Department were photographed wearing body cameras later that month during an August 30 rally.

Read more: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2855715/Obama-hold-White-House-meetings-Ferguson.html#ixzz3KgHIJVuN

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Equal Treatment Under the Law Time the the IRS and do its Job and Audit and Garnish Al Sharpton’s Wages

sharpton

Equal Treatment Under the Law Time the the IRS and do its Job and Audit and Garnish Al Sharpton’s Wages

“MSNBC should suspend Rev Al Sharpton until he gets on a payment plan to pay the reported millions he owes in taxes. And the IRS and state revenue divisions should garnish his MS/NBC salary until his reported tax bill is paid. NYT reports he owes $4.5 million in taxes ” Greta Van Susteren

NYT investigation: MSNBC’s Sharpton runs ‘delinquent’ nonprofit organization

A New York Times investigation into the finances of MSNBC host and Washington heavyweight Al Sharpton has found “$4.5 million in current state and federal tax liens against him and his for-profit businesses,” according to the story by Russ Buettner. Titled “Questions About Sharpton’s Finances Accompany His Rise in Influence,” the story documents a long trail of unmet obligations and a messy web of financial interests spanning nonprofits, personal finances and beyond.

“Mr. Sharpton has regularly sidestepped the sorts of obligations most people see as inevitable, like taxes, rent and other bills,” claims the piece. Even with his tax liabilities, notes the story, Sharpton “traveled first class and collected a sizable salary.”

Though he anchors “Politics Nation” on MSNBC on weeknights, Sharpton is a target of far greater resonance than a cable news host. The longtime rabble-rousing Brooklyn preacher and civil rights activist has become a player of national import under the Obama administration. As explained in an August piece in Politico Magazine by Glenn Thrush, Sharpton had transformed himself into the Obama administration’s “go-to man on race.” After the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., in August, Sharpton established himself as the “de facto contact and conduit for a jittery White House seeking to negotiate a middle ground between meddling and disengagement.”

All of which makes him a large and fair target for a newspaper investigation.

In 1991, Sharpton founded the National Action Network (NAN), which calls itself “one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation with chapters throughout the entire United States.” Trouble is, it has achieved its current size without paying the payroll taxes of its employees, according to the Times:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2014/11/18/nyt-investigation-msnbcs-sharpton-runs-delinquent-nonprofit-organization/

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Reader says Yard Signs are Hate Speech ?

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Reader says Yard Signs are Hate Speech ?

James, I think people here are really more eager just to ban “hate lawn-signs”.

Ridgewood blog asks  what qualifies as “Hate Lawn Signs” lol

Any lawn sign that criticizes a regionally significant inherently beneficial use of otherwise tax-revenue-generating chunk of real estate is a “hate lawn sign”.

your views are repulsive, and I am ashamed of you for propagating them. There are no “sensible restrictions on free speech,” and whoever thinks that stifling speech eliminates hatred, anger, and violence, is plainly wrong. The answer to hate speech is more speech, not less.

By the way, anyone who wishes to cling to “fire in a crowded theater,” just remember that the ruling was used to imprison Yiddish-speaking pacifists for handing out fliers to protest World War I. Is that “sensible,” #16?

brought to you courtesy of one of our nation’s finest institutions of higher learning (much more where that came from):

https://thedartmouth.com/2014/11/17/opinion/traynor-fixing-free-speech

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Reader says People post and make comment on this blog when they want their cause championed but turn around and condemn this blog when they don’t need it anymore

ValleyYellowSign

Reader says People post and make comment on this blog when they want their cause championed but turn around and condemn this blog when they don’t need it anymore

Mayor Paul Aronsohn,Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck hosted the meeting and , Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli, made comments. Well it sound like an open public meeting which was not posted in a timely manner ( Friday for a Monday Meeting) The next questions. Were there meeting minutes taken and if so when will they be available to the public?

“Baney also called out The Ridgewood Blog, a news and opinion aggregation website, for contributing to incivility.” Baney Who is a member of the anti Valley Hospital group had no problem when commenter on this blog blasted Valley Hospital. Where was she the?. These people are all cut from the same cloth.

Baney also called out The Ridgewood Blog, a news and opinion aggregation website, for contributing to incivility.

James you know what ironic. People send thing for you to post and make comment on this blog when they want their cause championed but turn around and condemn this blog when they don’t need it anymore or they disagree with other posters. Which ever way the wind is blowing like the Three Amigos.

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Reader suggests that if the Mayor would start representing the interest of Ridgewood the blog would be irrelevant

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file photo by Boyd Loving

Reader suggests that if the Mayor would start representing the interest of Ridgewood the blog would be irrelevant 

the 3 clowns Huey, Dewey, and Louie should focus on representing tax payers ,residents and the interests of Ridgewood and then people would not be criticizing them on this blog 24/7 .

Ridgewood is not Hudson County , nor do we have the demographic , Ridgewood is Ridgewood , best to pack up the Hudson County mafia and your developer friends and move back ..

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Reader suggest “Civility ” meeting was violation of NJ Open Public Meetings Act

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file photo Boyd Loving

Reader suggest “Civility ” meeting was violation of NJ Open Public Meetings

Wait just a Ridgewood minute – Mayor Paul Aronsohn, Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli, and Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck all participated in this meeting. Isn’t that considered a quorum in terms of the Village Council? If so, why wasn’t this billed as an offical meeting of the Council, with minutes taken and legal notice given? A violation of the NJ Open Public Meetings Act or not? Matt Rogers where are you?

Ms Hauck has been counted before even when she was not present  . It is my understanding that there were two member of the council  hosting the meeting on civility last Monday. What is confusing is that the Deputy Mayor was in the audience and even took part in the conversation so I been told. If true does this now become a official public meeting  which should have been post in a timely manner ( not on Friday for a Mondaymeeting? ) Where there minuets taken and will they be available?  Can someone shed some light on this. Did the Deputy Mayor speak ?

But the Deputy Mayor only introduced himself  we are told , but its the spirit of the law that is still of concern?

Of course Mr. Pucciarelli was there, he is attached by a firm cable to Mr. Arohsohn Mr Arohsohn should keep his ATTACK DOG on a shorter leash. So was not the purpose of the Deputy Mayors presence to quell dissent , and intimidate people ?

The Deputy Mayor cannot for one moment pretend ignorance of the Sunshine Law. His adherence to the law was called into question early in his term – this gave him plenty of time to learn the law that he had been accused of breaking. The Village Attorney looked into the matter and decided that the DM had not violated the law at that time. Regardless, Mr. Pucciarelli knew full well that he should not speak last Monday night, but……………surprise surprise………….he spoke! Presto, the law was broken.

Edit

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Reader says “Civility” meeting, What a bunch of nonsense.

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file photo Boyd Loving

Reader says  “Civility” meeting, What a bunch of nonsense.

The mayor is simply taking a page out of the resident’s playbook, calling for civility only after he and his minions have already distorted the public discourse, intimidated or demonized well-meaning political opponents, and generally done the damage he intends to do.

Even this event is nothing more than a belligerent shot across the bow to those who would come to public meetings in the future and dare to voice a contrary view at the public microphone, or otherwise level any well-deserved criticism the Mayor’s way.
To his mind, now that we’ve gone and taken the trouble of having a silly public meeting about the need for ‘civility in public discourse’, we have established a new norm, in accordance with which anyone who goes to the microphone to disagree with or criticize the Mayor or his friends is, by definition, engaging in a social ‘taboo’, and will therefore have voluntarily opened themselves up to immediate public abuse from the elected official DuJour, shamelessly served with a culturally toxic side-dish of relish, impunity, and maddening condescension.

Problem solved!

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Reader says its time for Ridgewood to consider later start times for School

Original

Reader says its time for Ridgewood to consider later start times for School

The science on kids and sleep is the driver. The studies point to the need for more sleep, the fact that teens can’t physically go to sleep before 11 and the positive impact on the brain to getting 8hrs sleep.

School asks kids to be at their most alert when they are not, why not maximize the learning opportunities to the brain. A better educational experience is the best preparation for the real world.

It is more the science of sleep and impact on learning than preparation for a post-college life so the science is there…the test case in nearby Wilton, CT is there…when will Ridgewood start considering this?

Guilford weighs later start times for high school students
By Kate Ramunni
Posted: 11/29/14, 4:19 PM EST |

GUILFORD >> An extra hour of sleep is considered a luxury to most, but many say it’s a necessity for high school students. And now several school districts are considering giving that extra hour to its older students, not because they’re feeling magnanimous, but for the safety, physical and academic benefits that extra hour of sleep brings.

The Guilford Board of Education is one district contemplating the change. As the board begins its 2015-16 budget process, its list of priorities includes the investigation of the benefits of later starting times for the older students.

“It’s been on the table for years,” said Board of Education Chairman William Bloss. “It’s really driven by medical science — it seems like every year or two there is a study that describes the advantages to later start times for teens and how medically and educationally it is in the students’ best interest.”

https://www.nhregister.com/general-news/20141129/guilford-weighs-later-start-times-for-high-school-students

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Scientists hail the most ‘advanced anti-ageing serum’ in the world

woman hands using skin cream

Clinical trials over 18 months have already suggested that the product, named Geneu (pronounced ‘gene you’), reduces fine lines and wrinkles by up to 30 per cent within just 12 weeks

Scientists hail the most ‘advanced anti-ageing serum’ in the world

New research suggests skincare tailored to individuals’ DNA may be the best way to combat the appearance of ageing

By Sarah Knapton, Health Editor

7:00AM GMT 30 Nov 2014

Those who believe that beauty is only skin deep may need to think again.

A most advanced anti-ageing serum ever created is going far deeper in the pursuit of the ultimate skincare regime, right into our DNA.

By studying the genetic code, experts can discover how fast the body degrades collagen – the structural protein which keeps the skin plump and supple – and the level of antioxidants which protect against damaging free radicals.

Clinical trials over 18 months suggested that ‘Geneu’ – pronounced ‘gene you’ reduces fine lines and wrinkles by up to 30 per cent within just 12 weeks.

But, intriguingly, it has not been created by a cosmetics giant, but by one of Britain’s leading scientists.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/11262873/Scientists-hail-the-most-advanced-anti-ageing-serum-in-the-world.html

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Democrats assail Wall Street ties in Obama administration

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Democrats assail Wall Street ties in Obama administration

By Peter Schroeder – 11/30/14 02:31 PM EST

President Obama’s nomination of Antonio Weiss to serve as the Treasury Department’s top domestic finance official is drawing fire from an unusual sector: his fellow Democrats.

Liberal lawmakers like Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have been quick to oppose Weiss, a major investment banker with Lazard.

Among their grievances is the fact that Lazard’s work is primarily in international finance and he is nominated for a domestic position. They’re also critical of his role in structuring several tax inversion deals, which have drawn criticism from the president himself.But an underlying thread to the Democratic opposition is a fatigue with filling top-ranking administration spots with officials that have spent significant time working for or on behalf of Wall Street titans. Warren penned an op-ed in The Huffington Post criticizing the administration’s approach under the headline “Enough is Enough.”

https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/225434-dems-assail-wall-street-ties-in-administration

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Obama Pushed ‘Fullest Extent’ of His Powers on Immigration Plan

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Obama Pushed ‘Fullest Extent’ of His Powers on Immigration Plan

By MICHAEL D. SHEAR and JULIA PRESTONNOV. 28, 2014

WASHINGTON — Months before President Obama took executive action last week to reshape the nation’s immigration system, Jeh C. Johnson, the secretary of Homeland Security, quietly convened a small group of advisers to explore the legal limits of the president’s powers.

Working in secrecy, Mr. Johnson’s team huddled for hours daily under orders to use “our legal authorities to the fullest extent” on a new deportations policy, a senior administration official said. In five White House meetings over the summer, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Obama, both lawyers, pored over proposed changes, eventually concluding that the president had the authority to enact changes that could affect millions of people and significantly alter the way immigration laws are enforced.

“I don’t think he wanted to be in the position of taking executive action,” Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, an advocacy group, said of Mr. Obama. “It was not the way he wanted to fix the system.” Nonetheless, “at the end of the day, he felt this was the only option he had.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/29/us/white-house-tested-limits-of-powers-before-action-on-immigration.html?_r=0