Ridgewood Girls Lacrosse: Defender Katie Bourque already in ‘Green zone’
AUGUST 15, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014, 12:31 AM BY RON FOX CORRESPONDENT
The speed of the game of lacrosse increases with each level of play, but Katie Bourque has more than kept up with the adjustments. In fact, the Ridgewood High School rising junior is way ahead on the upward climb.
Last year, as a mere sophomore, she had proven enough as both a student and an athlete to put herself into position as a prime recruit of the Dartmouth College Big Green.
“I’m committed to the process, but technically, I’m not fully committed to admissions,” the 16-year-old defensive standout explained. “If I hold up my end with my grades, I will be committed. The coaches there were very interested.”
generally avoided hot-button “culture war” issues like abortion, arguing that the church’s doctrine on the sanctity of life is well-known and that he’d rather emphasize other aspects of church teaching.
But he made a strong, albeit silent anti-abortion statement Saturday during his visit to South Korea, stopping to pray at a monument for aborted babies in a community dedicated to caring for people with the sort of severe genetic disabilities that are often used to justify abortions.
Francis bowed his head in prayer before the monument — a garden strewn with simple white wooden crosses — and spoke with an anti-abortion activist with no arms and no legs.
He also spent an hour blessing dozens of disabled Koreans who live in the Kkottongnae community, founded by a priest in the 1970s to take in disabled children and adults abandoned by their families. There is still tremendous stigma and discrimination against people with disabilities in South Korea, and supporters of the Kkottongnae community argue that if it didn’t take these people in, no one would.
Personal freedom is one of the standards of capitalism. What is the point of economic profit if you can’t do what you want with it? The most important thing is that individuals are able to sustain themselves and live as they see fit, regardless of even class level. Unfortunately, not all countries are created equal when it comes to this metric.
The Cato Institute conducted a study on the personal freedoms of countries all over the world. They measured the degree to which people were free to enjoy civil liberties (speech, association, assembly, etc) as well as freedom of movement and the amount of legal discrimination based on gender and sexuality (there was no mention of race). Though many countries shared the same score in terms of personal freedom, tie breakers were decided based on economic freedom which, though a separate entity, ties into total freedom within a country. Without further ado, here are the 11 countries with the most personal freedom in the world.
Two teens mix business with acting in their Ridgewood camp for young thespians
AUGUST 17, 2014 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, AUGUST 17, 2014, 1:21 AM BY CHRIS HARRIS STAFF WRITER THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — Many of the summer jobs available to teenagers can be a grind. That’s not the case for two acting aspirants, Myriam Burger and Christian Jerkovich.
A weeklong acting camp in Ridgewood that the 15-year-old partners began in 2009 will culminate today with an exclusive performance of “Time Warp,” an original play set in 2214 that they wrote together this spring.
The production, which includes three musical numbers, is by invitation only, orchestrated for parents, friends and relatives of the camp’s 20 participating thespians.
“It’s amazing watching them grow,” Myriam said of the elementary-school-age campers during a run-through of the play on Friday afternoon. “Over the course of seven days, some of these kids really blossom and come out of their shells.”
The play, which will unfold in the ornately decorated back yard behind Christian’s Circle Avenue home, will feature microphones and sound effects that were not available in previous years, the teens boasted.
Myriam and Christian first launched their operation, known as Camp Dragonfly, when they were 9 years old. The two were inspired to start the camp after appearing together in a school-sponsored production of “Seussical.”
Rand Paul: ‘Big Government Has Been at the Heart of the Problem’ in Ferguson
Katrina Trinko / @KatrinaTrinko / August 14, 2014
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., today blasted “big government” in response to the current situation in Ferguson, Mo.
In an op-ed published in Time, Paul wrote, “Not surprisingly, big government has been at the heart of the problem.” He continued:
“Washington has incentivized the militarization of local police precincts by using federal dollars to help municipal governments build what are essentially small armies—where police departments compete to acquire military gear that goes far beyond what most of Americans think of as law enforcement.”
Talking about the photos and footage coming out of Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis, Paul wrote that they “resemble war more than traditional police action.”
The Kentucky senator, however, also sounded a cautious note about the protests in Ferguson, writing, “The outrage in Ferguson is understandable—though there is never an excuse for rioting or looting.”
“There is a legitimate role for the police to keep the peace,” Paul added, “but there should be a difference between a police response and a military response.”
There have been protests in Ferguson since the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was killed in an interaction with a police officer Saturday.
As World Boils, Fingers Point Obama’s Way
By PETER BAKERAUG. 15, 2014
WASHINGTON — In this summer of global tumult, the debate in Washington essentially boils down to two opposite positions: It is all President Obama’s fault, according to his critics; no, it is not, according to his supporters, because these are events beyond his control.
Americans often think of their president as an all-powerful figure who can command the tides of history — and presidents have encouraged this image over the years because the perception itself can be a form of power. But as his critics have made the case that Mr. Obama’s mistakes have fueled the turmoil in places like Syria, Iraq and Ukraine, the president has increasingly argued that his power to shape these seismic forces is actually limited.
“Apparently,” he said in frustration the other day, “people have forgotten that America, as the most powerful country on earth, still does not control everything around the world.
Meet Four Business Owners Squeezed by Operation Choke Point
Kelsey Harkness / @kelseyjharkness / August 12, 2014
With no explanation, Brian Brookman last month lost the bank account for his pawn shop.
He had no idea why. Brookman says his store in Grand Haven, Mich., never had been in trouble with federal or state officials. And being in the pawn industry, he was required by law to get a city license every year.
“If there was ever a problem, they wouldn’t renew my license,” Brookman, a former police officer and Army veteran, told The Daily Signal.
After researching his case on the Internet, Brookman says he concluded that his banker, JP Morgan Chase, closed the account because two of his business activities — dealing in vintage coins and selling firearms — were labeled “high risk” by federal bureaucrats as part of an Obama administration initiative called Operation Choke Point.
Critics say Operation Choke Point, so dubbed by Department of Justice officials, seeks to weed out businesses that the White House considers objectionable.
The Justice Department contends the goal of the program is to combat unlawful mass-market consumer fraud, although recent evidence suggests otherwise.
A House report indicates that a primary target of Operation Choke Point is the short-term lending industry. A more expansive list of out of favor, non-financial businesses includes certain ammunition merchants, coin dealers, home-based charities, and sellers of pharmaceutical drugs – also lawful enterprises.
Alden Abbott, the Rumpel senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation, describes how Operation Choke Point works: Banks receive notifications from federal regulators, including the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the agency responsible for insuring bank deposits), that the government considers certain types of businesses “high risk.” Banks then are pressured, though the implied threat of government investigations, to sever ties with customers engaged in those enterprises.
This puts business owners such as Brookman in jeopardy of losing their livelihoods without ever being prosecuted for doing anything illegal. Abbott said:
Government officials have no authority to deny lawful industries access to credit merely because the government dislikes their line of business. That runs counter to the rule of law. Only unlawful activity merits sanction.
Though they consider themselves in peril of losing customers and coming under further government scrutiny, Brookman and three other owners of small businesses spoke with The Daily Signal about being caught up in Operation Choke Point. One is a cancer survivor, one used to run a manufacturing company, and one is an Air Force veteran who moved back to his hometown to open a store.
Each previously came forward through the United States Consumer Coalition, a grassroots, free-market organization that encourages business owners to share their stories.
Steve Stratford, 72
Secure Account Services, LLC
Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
Stratford’s business provides payment-processing services to a variety of client companies and law firms in the debt-relief industry. Because of Operation Choke Point, he says, it has been on the verge of collapse twice in the past year.
Stratford says he worked in commercial real estate development after moving to Arizona to enjoy boating and desert exploration. In 2009, he started Secure Account Services. In the 1990s, he operated a business that manufactured rescue equipment, and had worked in the ski industry from the late ’60s to the mid-’80s.
In spring 2013, Stratford was surprised when both Chase Bank and Horizon Community Bank closed his business accounts, one after another. By law, his company’s funds must be held in a government-insured bank account. Without one, Stratford — whose title is director of operations – can’t do business.
“At the time these events were taking place, we were completely at a loss to explain what might have gone wrong,” recalls Stratford, who has two grown children and five grandchildren.
Doing some research, he came across information on Operation Choke Point. He then contacted the banks to ask whether government officials had exerted some “undue influence.”
A risk management representative for Chase confirmed his suspicion.
Confidentially, Stratford says, the bank employee told him Chase had sent letters to “hundreds of companies in similar industries in obedience to directions from several federal agencies, including the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency at the Department of Treasury.”
The banker told him that if his Chase branch didn’t “mitigate that risk,” all of its accounts could be audited.
“We can imagine the agony there,” Stratford says. “For what little gains they get off of a small company like ours is simply not worth their resources.”
Stratford and his seven full-time employees found another bank, but he remains uneasy about Choke Point.
“If there has been something that we were doing wrong, we would certainly like to know what that is so we could rectify that,” he says.
Sandra Perry, 72
Cash Express
Las Vegas, Nev.
Despite having an excellent track record, including an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau, Sandra Perry couldn’t find a local bank to serve her business, Cash Express.
Perry says her branch in Mesquite, Nev., which offers auto title and storefront cash loans, apparently was considered too risky by the bureaucrats running Operation Choke Point .
Three different banks and two credit unions wouldn’t let her open a local account. “I was told that the money service business is too ‘high risk’ for the banks,” says Perry, a stage IV cancer survivor.
“I was told that the money service business is too ‘high risk’ for the banks.”
Perry is still searching for a bank to do business with her Mesquite location. Without one, she has to make frequent trips between Las Vegas and Mesquite, which are 80 miles apart.
Perry also worries that future regulation leaves the viability of her business in limbo. “We don’t know what’s around the corner,” she says.
Her two employees are concerned that the job security they once had is gone.
Perry, now engaged, says she is forced to push off retirement.
“I’m 72, but because of economic uncertainty caused by Choke Point, I am not planning on retiring and sipping mai tais on a sandy beach anytime soon,” she says.
Brian Brookman, 43
West Michigan Pawn
Grand Haven, Mich.
Brian Brookman was a police office for 10 years before joining the Army after 9/11. When he got out, he and his wife of 16 years moved to Grand Haven, Mich., to start a private security agency.
Last fall, Brookman sold his agency to open a pawn shop. On the side, he sold firearms, but decided to let that license expire in June because of “overregulation.”
In July, he opened an account for the pawn shop with a local Chase Bank, where he and his wife had been private customers for years. Two weeks later, without warning, Brookman received a letter saying the bank was closing that new account.
“The only account they closed is my business account,” Brookman says. “It was strictly targeted at my business, and the only reason they would have targeted my business is because of Choke Point.”
Chase refused to elaborate, Brookman says, but he decided they either thought he was still selling firearms or categorized him as “high risk” for buying and selling vintage coins.
“There’s just no explanation,” he says. “It has to be Operation Choke Point.”
Brookman successfully opened a business account at another local bank. To his dismay, though, he received an email from PayPal saying the Internal Revenue Service has an issue with his account because of new regulations.
“I have heard many stories about PayPal closing accounts on gun dealers,” Brookman says. “But I’m no longer a gun dealer.”
Mark Cohen, 65
Powderhorn Outfitters
Hyannis, Mass.
Marc Cohen has been a Second Amendment supporter for years. After a four-year hitch in the Air Force beginning in 1970, he moved back to his home in Cape Cod to open Powderhorn Outfitters, a sporting goods store that sells guns and outdoors equipment.
Eleven years ago, he lost his wife to cancer. He remarried five years ago, Cohen says, after he “got lucky and found somebody else.”
Three months ago, Cohen had a rude introduction to Operation Choke Point. After approaching TD Bank for a new line of credit, he was rejected because of his involvement in the firearms industry.
Cohen says his bank manager of more than 20 years told him: “I’m very sorry to say this – I’m very embarrassed – but the bank won’t lend you money because you sell guns.”
Cohen’s TD Bank manager told him: “The bank won’t lend you money because you sell guns.”
Cohen was stupefied. “My credit and history are 100 percent,” he says.
When he came across Operation Choke Point on the Internet, Cohen was outraged.
He had bills to pay and six employees to support. “I depended on this,” he says.
Three weeks later, Cohen was able to find a bank that he says “would accept a second-class citizen.”
Now, he speaks out against the government operation.
“I can’t take on a Department of Justice and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation,” Cohen says. “I’d love to, but I can’t.”
Instead, he’s sharing his story, which he says has resulted in more than 600 of his Powderhorn customers leaving TD bank.
“They were livid,” Cohen says. “I had one young lady call me up and say, ‘I just closed my account from TD bank and I stood back about 10 feet away from the counter and announced to the whole bank why I was closing my account.’ ”
What does he think of the Obama administration’s actions?
“Choke Point is an affront to the American way of life.”
Who Killed Bambi? Deer hunt gets go-ahead with new ordinance in Colts Neck
Originally published: August 15, 2014 8:32 PM
Updated: August 15, 2014 10:58 PM
COLTS NECK – Officials passed an ordinance that will allow deer hunting in specific residential areas of Colts Neck.
The owner of Eastmont Orchard is one of the main proponents of the new legislation. He has had serious problems with deer eating his apple crop.
“The deer in our case eat the apple buds off in the winter which is our profit for the next season,” says farmer Dave Barclay. Last year he says his revenue was down 15 to 20 percent.
Once deer season begins in the fall, the owners themselves are allowed to hunt deer on their property, and so can anyone else with five or more acres of land. Hunters only need written permission from property owners.
The township committee cited loss of revenue for farmers, a rise in cases of Lyme disease and more deer versus car collisions. Township officials say that between 2009 and 2011 there were 238 deer versus vehicle collisions and 37 confirmed cases of Lyme disease.
Opponents concerned about safety have been assured no hunting would be allowed in parks or in township-owned green space that surrounds houses.
Dumb as a box of Rocks ,I believe the Union called it “Cadillac healthcare plans “
Federal Employees Union Says Obamacare Could ‘Hurt’ Members
12:05 PM, Aug 15, 2014 • By MICHAEL WARREN
The National Treasury Employees Union is an independent union representing, according to its own figures, “some 150,000” federal workers from many different agencies. The union claims to fight for the “dignity and respect” of its members, and it maintains a “legislative action center” to keep tabs on what Congress is up to.
With a Republican-controlled House of Representatives that was elected on a message of reining in federal spending, the NTEU’s been on alert for any and all legislation that proposes reducing pay and benefits for federal workers. In fact, on the union’s website, there’s a handy list of 13 active pieces of legislation (all sponsored by Republicans) that the NTEU says it wants to stop. “Warning!” reads the top of the fact sheet. “Which of these bills could hurt you? ALL OF THEM.”
Among the bills is H.R. 1780, sponsored by Michigan Republican Dave Camp. The NTEU says the bill could hurt workers because it would “require most federal employees to leave the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program…and instead join health plans established under the Affordable Care Act.”
Web.com to Host Free Marketing Seminar to Help Northern New Jersey Small Businesses Strengthen Online Presence
Published: Aug 15, 2014 11:00 a.m. ET
Small Business Summit to be Held During The Barclays
Web.com a leading provider of Internet services and online marketing solutions for small businesses, will host a free Small Business Summit designed to help small business owners in Northern New Jersey learn how to successfully increase their business’ visibility and better market themselves online. The Web.com Small Business Summit will take place on Tuesday, August 19, 2014, from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET at The Barclays golf tournament to be held at The Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J. Through Web.com’s agreement with the PGA TOUR and as the umbrella sponsor of the Web.com Tour, Web.com developed the Small Business Summit as a benefit to small business owners in communities across the country.
Web.com Vice President of Operations Joanne Del Toro will share information and tools to help small business owners increase visibility and optimize marketing efforts online.
Topics and content at the Small Business Summit will also focus on ways small business owners can achieve a successful Internet presence, including the elements of a great website, how to determine if their website is working for them, increasing traffic to their website and business, mobile marketing and decoding how to efficiently market their business on Google, Facebook and Twitter.
“Web.com has established a long-term commitment to give back to the communities we serve. Through our free Small Business Summit, we give small business owners the opportunity to hear from experts on how they can better market their businesses online,” said Del Toro. “Every day, Web.com helps millions of business owners address the challenges of building and maintaining an effective web presence that helps their businesses grow. Each Small Business Summit covers a range of key, timely topics designed to address the online challenges small business owners face.”
Event Details:
Where: The Ridgewood Country Club, 96 W. Midland Ave, Paramus, NJ
When: Tuesday, August 19, 2014; Networking and continental breakfast at 9:00 a.m.; the presentation will start promptly at 10:00 a.m. and will conclude by 12:00 p.m.
Cost: Attendance is free, but advanced registration is requested at smallbusinesssummit.web.com
For more information, contact [email protected] or call 800-862-8718.
AUGUST 15, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014, 12:31 AM BY LIZ WELLINGHORST STAFF WRITER
On the first day of class in late July, yogis could be seen practicing downward-facing dog and cat cow poses, not in a yoga studio, but on the undulating waters of Ridgewood’s Graydon Pool.
SUP yoga combines yoga poses with surfing and is practiced on 10- to 12-foot-long boards, anchored in the water by bags of sand attached to a paddleboard. The beginner-friendly sport of standup paddleboard began in the 1940s in Hawaii, when surfers made their way through the waves with a long paddle. In the short time it has been around, yogis have embraced a practice that seems to bring a sense of blissful freedom to the centuries-old earth-bound practice.
“SUP Yoga takes a lot of physical work, but just as much mental work to perform a simple pose,” said Andrea Powers, program director and yoga instructor for SUP yoga. “A student must practice patience, concentration and focus or the board will gently remind you to stay in the present moment. When you do SUP Yoga, there is nowhere else you can be.”
These are the competitors from Ridgewood-based Taekwondo All In to win medals at the Big East Taekwondo Championships XXI. FRONT ROW, from left: Holly Soper, Connor Rojas, Lucas Woods, Alex Han and Liam Woods. BACK ROW, from left: Master Youngmin Kim, Master Seongki Kim, Matthew Lee, Connor Park, Jongyun An, Kevin Park and Jiyoung An.
Ridgewood athletes earn tae kwon do medals
AUGUST 15, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014, 12:31 AM
Ten students from Taekwondo All In of Ridgewood participated in the Big East Taekwondo Championships XXI at Ridge High School in Basking Ridge earlier this year, where more than 500 athletes gathered to compete.
The Ridgewood entrants made an outstanding showing, earning 10 gold, nine silver and seven bronze medals in three different divisions — Poomsae (Form), Breaking and Sparring.
* Lucas Woods, 5, earned a gold medal in the Poomsae division and a silver medal in the Breaking division. Woods was influenced by his older brother, Liam, and performed well in his first-ever championship tournament.
* Also in the Poomsae division, Alex Han showed great progress in his technique and performed as well as he did in the New Jersey State Taekwondo Championships, where he won a gold medal in Sparring this past March.
* Despite a short training period, Kevin Park earned a gold medal in the Poomsae division.
* Matthew Lee earned a gold medal in the Poomsae and Sparring divisions. Of note, he won against his opponent with a significant point advantage in the Sparring division.
* Jongyun An performed exceptionally well and won three gold medals from the Poomsae, Breaking and Sparring divisions. She executed a special turn and high-kick technique, which helped her earn a gold medal with a significant point difference from the silver medalist.
* Jiyoung An captured a gold medal, earning two points with the jump-and-back-kick technique. This technique is very difficult to perform.
* Connor Park advanced all the way to the final round in the Sparring division and earned a gold medal.
* Liam Woods reached the final round in the Sparring division, winning his semifinal bout by a score of 24-4 before finishing as runner-up.
* Holly Soper earned a silver medal from the Poomsae and Breaking divisions. She also received a silver medal from the State Championship.
* This was the first championship tournament in which Connor Rojas participated, and he earned a bronze medal in both the Poomsae and Breaking divisions.
Master Young Min Kim, the head instructor of Taekwondo All In, noted that the Big East Championships were good preparation for his students that participated in the recent USA National Taekwondo Championships in San Jose, Calif.
Han, Jiyoung An, Jongyun An and Liam Woods received special training in advance of that event. The competition in California was the first National Championship that the Ridgewood students attended.
Ridgewood’s Graydon swim team well-represented at county meet
AUGUST 15, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014, 12:31 AM BY MATTHEW BIRCHENOUGH ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
Fresh off winning the Lake League championship, a group of swimmers from Ridgewood’s Graydon swim team performed a worthy encore at their last meet of the summer season in the New Jersey Pool Managers Association (NJPMA) county championships.
Ashleigh Afromsky starred for Graydon with a first-place finish in the girls 13-14 50-meter backstroke, earning the team’s only gold medal in the meet final held last Saturday at Stonybrook Swim Club in Hillsdale. The preliminaries and finals were held at various venues from Aug. 4-9.
Afromsky was one of 13 swimmers from the Ridgewood team to participate in the county meet, and one of eight to take part in an event final.
“It’s a fun experience for them and it opens their eyes a little bit,” Graydon aquatics director Dan Burzinski said Wednesday. “When you’re the big fish in a small pond, you don’t realize what else is out there.”
AUGUST 15, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014, 12:31 AM Print
Parking, housing needed in downtown Bill Rahal
To the Editor:
After nearly three years of filings, meetings, testimony and public hearings, I feel compelled to write. As the Village of Ridgewood continues to debate development in downtown, stores are closing and vacancies are on the rise.
These delays are not good for anyone who loves our village and wants to see it prosper.
Such a lengthy timeline hurts local business and inhibits the growth and investment that our downtown needs to thrive. A quick walk through town reveals too many “going out of business” signs and vacancies. This threatens the long-term health and attractiveness of the entire village.
As a downtown business and property owner, I see consequences of this stagnation first hand. Any plan to reinvigorate the downtown should include not just parking but also modern multifamily housing. It will expand housing options for people wanting to move to town, create jobs and bring new pedestrian shoppers to the village.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-parking-housing-needed-in-downtown-ridgewood-1.1067890#sthash.rRWY8rsN.dpuf
“When all else fails, shoot either the messenger or the medium.”
I could not get that old saying out of my head after watching the Village Council’s work session of Aug. 6, during which Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli expressed his personal disdain for “Save the Village” lawn signs, and Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck bashed “the newspaper” for publishing “inflammatory comments” related to proposed zoning changes within Ridgewood’s Central Business District that would permit construction of several multi-family housing complexes.
Despite their personal displeasure with these forms of communication, Councilwoman Hauck and Deputy Mayor Pucciarelli must be reminded that the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, expressly backed by a key United States Supreme Court ruling, protects individuals who are simply expressing a political viewpoint, as well as the press, from government interference.
Whether an individual Village Council member agrees or doesn’t agree with either the message or the medium, no attempt should be made to intimidate the messenger(s) with remarks such as the ones voiced from the dais during Aug. 6’s Village Council work session.
