Category: Uncategorized

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Paul Martin: The Bill Clinton of Canada, Only Much Better

Paul_Martin_in_2006

Paul Martin: The Bill Clinton of Canada, Only Much Better
JUNE 13, 2014 4:18PM
By DANIEL J. MITCHELL
SHARE

Imagine how weird it would be if the Cato Institute and Americans for Tax Reform praised Barack Obama for fiscal responsibility. And think how inconceivable it would be for the Heritage Foundation and the National Taxpayers Union to applaud Tim Geithner for economic stewardship.

The Canadian version of that happened while I was at the conference of the World Taxpayers Association in Vancouver two weeks ago.

The event was organized by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and the main speaker was Paul Martin of the Liberal Party, who served as finance minister from 1993 to 2002, and then as prime minister from 2003 to 2006. I should add, for context, that the Liberal Party in Canada is not a classical liberal party with a track record of free markets and small government.

But Paul Martin was honored because he was responsible, while finance minister, for one of the best records of fiscal restraint of any policymaker in recent history (click here for international comparisons).

I’ve pointed out that the burden of spending fell under Bill Clinton, and I’ve even acknowledged that the federal budget hasn’t grown much under Obama, at least once you get past his first couple of years. But Paul Martin was far more frugal. And since Canada has a parliamentary system, there’s no ambiguity about who deserves credit. He restrained spending when his party had control.

https://www.cato.org/blog/paul-martin-bill-clinton-canada-only-much-better?utm_content=buffer678ac&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Posted on by — 6 Comments

Who’s to blame for Iraq crisis

140612111520-02-iraqi-refugees-0612-restricted-horizontal-gallery

Who’s to blame for Iraq crisis
By Derek Harvey and Michael Pregent
updated 2:12 PM EDT, Thu June 12, 2014

Editor’s note: Derek Harvey is a former senior intelligence official who worked on Iraq from 2003-2009, including numerous assignments in Baghdad. Michael Pregent is a former U.S. Army officer and former senior intelligence analyst who worked on Iraq from 2003-2011, including in Mosul 2005-2006 and Baghdad in 2007-2010. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the authors.

(CNN) — Observers around the world are stunned by the speed and scope of this week’s assaults on every major city in the upper Tigris River Valley — including Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city — by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS. But they shouldn’t be. The collapse of the Iraqi government’s troops in Mosul and other northern cities in the face of Sunni militant resistance has been the predictable culmination of a long deterioration, brought on by the government’s politicization of its security forces.

The politicization of the Iraqi military

For more than five years, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his ministers have presided over the packing of the Iraqi military and police with Shiite loyalists — in both the general officer ranks and the rank and file — while sidelining many effective commanders who led Iraqi troops in the battlefield gains of 2007-2010, a period during which al Qaeda in Iraq (the forerunner of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) was brought to the brink of extinction.

Al-Maliki’s “Shiafication” of the Iraqi security forces has been less about the security of Iraq than the security of Baghdad and his regime. Even before the end of the U.S.-led “surge” in 2008, al-Maliki began a concerted effort to replace effective Sunni and Kurdish commanders and intelligence officers in the key mixed-sect areas of Baghdad, Diyala and Salaheddin provinces to ensure that Iraqi units focused on fighting Sunni insurgents while leaving loyal Shiite militias alone — and to alleviate al-Maliki’s irrational fears of a military coup against his government.

In 2008, al-Maliki began replacing effective Kurdish commanders and soldiers in Mosul and Tal Afar with Shiite loyalists from Baghdad and the Prime Minister’s Dawa Party, and even Shiite militia members from the south. A number of nonloyalist commanders were forced to resign in the face of trumped up charges or reassigned to desk jobs and replaced with al-Maliki loyalists. The moves were made to marginalize Sunnis and Kurds in the north and entrench al-Maliki’s regime and the Dawa Party ahead of provincial and national elections in 2009, 2010 and 2013.

https://www.cnn.com/2014/06/12/opinion/pregent-harvey-northern-iraq-collapse/

Posted on by — Leave a comment

The good school-expensive home dilemma

314877052_e62d411184

The good school-expensive home dilemma
June 13, 2014, 10:00 a.m. EDT

Peter and Megan Dale of San Francisco say their two-bedroom condominium in Cole Valley, just south of the Haight-Ashbury District, is starting to feel cramped; their two school-aged children share a single room. But they have no plans to leave the condo, which they bought for $990,000 in 2007. The reason: The nearby public school is rated a “9” out of 10 by GreatSchools.org, an Oakland, Calif.-based education-advice website.

A good local school can be one of the biggest drivers of home prices in a community. And parents hoping to get their children the best education possible are often willing to stretch their finances for a pricey home in a good school district, sometimes taking out ambitious loans. When the Dales bought their condo, they took out an interest-only jumbo mortgage that allowed them to put down just 3% instead of the usual 20%. When the market fell, they briefly found themselves underwater on the home. And they face hefty payments ahead when their loan resets to a principal and interest payment. Mr. Dale, a 42-year-old software designer, says the headaches are worth it for the great school and a short commute to his Montgomery Street office: “Some things are just more important than money,” he said.

In the past year, relatively low rates for jumbo loans have made buying in expensive school districts a little easier for some borrowers. Even so, some jumbo borrowers say they have trouble competing in markets where cash-only deals are commonplace. Anna Sikha, who lives in San Francisco with her husband, needed jumbo financing when they shopped for a home in the same neighborhood as the Dales in the hope of getting their 3-year-old son into same school. They lost out on several homes to all-cash buyers. “We were constantly getting outbid. It was so depressing that we thought about renting,” Mrs. Sikha, who works for a biotechnology company, said. Ultimately, they bought a condo in the neighborhood for $1.25 million, with the help of a jumbo loan.

Mark Livingstone, president of Cornerstone First Financial, a mortgage broker in Washington, D.C’s Georgetown neighborhood says he often needs to write aggressive preapproval letters for his jumbo-loan clients that waive appraisals and financing contingencies in neighborhoods such as Bethesda, Md., that have highly rated public schools. “Families are willing to pay more for a home to get into a well-rated public school. They see themselves saving $10,000 to $20,000 year in private-school tuition,” Mr. Livingstone said.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-good-school-expensive-home-dilemma-2014-06-13?mod=latestnewssocialflow&link=sfmw

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Public pensions: The big bill

VillageHall_floods_theridgewoodblog.net_

file photo Boyd Loving

Public pensions: The big bill

Jun 10th 2014, 16:25 by Buttonwood

STOCKMARKETS may be close to all-time highs but that hasn’t eliminated final salary pension deficits. In the corporate sector, Mercer says US schemes are just 84% funded, while in Britain, the Pension Protection Fund estimates the number at 91%. Assets may have risen, but so have liabilities, thanks to low interest rates.*

The remarkably-productive folks at the Centre for Retirement Research in Boston havererun the numbers for state and local pension schemes. They find that the average scheme is just 72% funded, despite buoyant equity markets in 2013; back in 2001, the average scheme was 103% funded. On the plus side, the ratio may go up a bit. Up until last year, asset prices were smoothed over five years, which means 2009 is still dragging down the numbers; as it drops out, the funding ratio may rise.

But that is small comfort, because the liabilities are calculated by discounting future pension promises at the assumed rate of return, currently 7.7%. Even if one accepted the argument that this is the right way to discount a bill (the riskier your portfolio, the lower your pension bill appears to be, so the problem disappears if you put all your money in Venezuelan bonds), this seems a bit odd. In a world where 10-year treasuries yield 2.6%, 7.7% is a stretch.

The CRR calculates that the pension shortfall, on the states’ assumptions, is $1.1 trillion. A more realistic 5% discount rate pushes that up to $3 trillion, and 4% would make it $3.8 trillion. One could, of course, use a Treasury bond yield as the discount rate on the grounds that the liabilities are guaranteed but as the CRR has shown elsewhere, that doesn’t seem to be the case; states have been cutting benefits, mainly though skimping on inflation-linking.

Assuming too high a return eventually catches up with you. Returns fall short of assumptions so the deficit grows, and schemes must put in more money. The CRR shows that the required contribution rate has more than doubled from 6.7% of payroll in 2001 to 17.6% this year. Even then, the average state is only paying around four-fifths of the required rate sot the bill is merely being postponed.

https://www.economist.com/blogs/buttonwood/2014/06/public-pensions?fsrc=scn/tw/te/bl/thebigbill

Posted on by — Leave a comment

This Week at the Kasschau Memorial Shell

Kasschau_Band_Shell_theridgewoodblog.net_-300x224

This Week at the  Kasschau Memorial Shell

Free Summer Entertainment Under the Stars

June 17, 2014 Harmony Celebration Chorus – Sweet Adelines
8:30PM Vets Field Rain location at GW Middle School Bring a chair or blanket Sponsored by Coldwell Banker Residential and Hudson City Savings Bank

June 19, 2014  Greg Caldarone – Pop Standards
8:30PM on Vets Field Bring a chair or blanket – Sponsored by Ulrich, Inc. and Ridgewood AM Rotary Rain location – BF Middle School

Posted on by — Leave a comment

West Side Presbyterian Church Ridgewood, NJ Summer Choir School is open for registration for children who completed 2nd grade through 8th grade

10475218_702069029860257_2186651027716849066_n

West Side Presbyterian Church Ridgewood, NJ Summer Choir School is open for registration for children who completed 2nd grade through 8th grade

The West Side Presbyterian Church 42nd Annual Summer Choir School will be held August 18-22, 2014, 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. daily at West Side Presbyterian
Church, Six South Monroe Street, Ridgewood. The program is open to all children who will have completed grades two through eight, regardless of church affiliaton. An excellent staff, some of whom were once Summer Choir School choristers, will lead the program under the direc+on of Director Emeritus and Visi+ng Clinician Joanne Harris Rodland and
Deborah Holden-Holloway, Minister of Music at West Side Church. All students must be present for the closing service, given for the public on Friday evening, August 22, at 7:30 p.m. at West Side Presbyterian Church.Summer Choir School is open for registration for children who completed 2nd grade through 8th grade. Program includes singing, Bible study, and an elective. Joyful Noise Ensemble program for instrumentalists is also available and rehearses at the end of each session.

https://www.westside.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/2014-Summer-Choir-School-Brochure-rev-051214.pdf

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Ridgewood Veterinary Hospital’s Guess the Name of the Weather Vane Contest!!!

10357590_10152278808753183_5737459894279754139_n

Ridgewood Veterinary Hospital’s Guess the Name of the Weather Vane Contest!!!

To celebrate our Grand Re-Opening of our newly renovated state of the art facility in Midland Park, we are having a contest! You could win $500 in Veterinary Services! All you need to do is guess the name of the weather vane! This dog shown in the picture is now atop our Midland Park location. If you guess its name, you could win! One entry per person please! Please share, like and have fun! The contest ends on June 30th at 3PM EST, so start guessing! If more than one person guesses the name, the first correct answer wins.

Rules, Regulations and Instructions:

a. You must be 18 or older to participate, and live within the Continental United States of America.

b. By entering and participating in this contest, you agree to release Facebook.

c. The contest is in is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

d. To enter the contest, simply post your guess of the name of Midland Park’s Weather Vane Dog in the comments section underneath the photo for this contest on our Facebook page. One guess per Facebook account and per person. Whomever correctly guesses the name first, will win.

e. If you win the contest you will be contacted via a private Facebook message, so please check your “Other” inbox, and/or check back on our Facebook page, where we will announce the winner as well. Please also “Like” our Facebook page, so we can tag you and notify you of your win.

f. Contest ends on June 30, 2014 at 3pm EST.  Winners will be notified by July 8, 2014.

g. Winner will be determined by whichever person guesses the correct name of Midland Park’s Weather Vane Dog on Facebook by June 30, 2014 at 3pm EST. If more than one person guesses the name, the first correct answer wins.

h. There will be 1 Grand Prize Winner. The Grand Prize winner will win: $500 in Veterinary Services for Ridgewood Veterinary Hospital, to be used at either our Ridgewood or Midland Park location.

i. Any questions? Please direct all queries to [email protected].

To learn more about our hospital as well as past and future events, please visit our website: WWW.RIDGEWOODVET.COM

Posted on by — 7 Comments

Graydon Pool Memberships

unnamed-9

Graydon Pool Memberships 

The Village Council and the Ridgewood Department of Parks and Recreation are excited to announce memberships are now on sale for the upcoming summer season and all are invited to join the Graydon Pool facility as season members for the 2014 summer season. Come enjoy fun in the sun so close to home! Opening day is Saturday, May 31st. 

Pool features include a shaded playground, water play fountains, shade kites, Adirondack chairs, picnic area, sheltered pavilion, charcoal grills, and The Water’s Edge Café. Additional amenities include a lending library of reading books, volleyball, basketball, ping-pong tables, shuffleboard, four-squares and hop-scotch. Special programs include “Storytime Under a Tree” for the little ones and swim instruction for children and adults, as well as an adaptive swim class. The Graydon Swim Team welcomes youth members, ages 8 to 14. 

Resident fees are $120 per adult, $110 per child (ages 2 through 15) and $30 for seniors. Non-resident adults will be charged $200 and children, ages 2 through 15, will be charged $175 for the13 week season. 

Badges are now on sale and can be purchased from the comfort of home on Community Pass at www.ridgewoodnj.net/communitypass (Visa and MasterCard are accepted). In person registration assistance will be available Saturdays, May 10 and May 17, 10:00 am to 12 noon, at the Graydon Pool Badge Office (onsite at the pool), 259 North Maple Avenue. Badges may be purchased daily throughout the operating season, May 31st through Septemer 1st. 

Details are available at www.ridgewoodnj.net/graydon or you may call the Recreation Office at 201-670-5560 with any questions or if special accommodations are needed.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

American Red Cross Blood Drive Monday June 16th

41725

 

American Red Cross Blood Drive
Ridgewood – 74 Godwin Avenue
Give Life – Give Blood Event – Blood Drive – Monday, June 16; 3 to 8pm Call to schedule – 201/652-3210

It feels great to donate!

You get free juice and delicious Keebler® cookies.
It’s something you can spare – most people have blood to spare… yet, there is still not enough to go around.
You will help ensure blood is on the shelf when needed – most people don’t think they’ll ever need blood, but many do.
You will be someone’s hero – in fact, you could help save more than one life with just one donation.

To get ready for your donation:

It always helps us to know in advance when you are coming in to make a donation.

Hydrate

Be sure to drink plenty of fluids on the day of your donation.

Wear Something Comfortable

Wear clothing with sleeves that can easily be rolled up above the elbow.

Maintain a Healthy Level of Iron in Your Diet Before Donating

If possible, include iron-rich foods in your diet, especially in the weeks before your donation.

Bring a List of Medications You Are Taking

We will need to know about any prescription and/or over the counter medications that may be in your system.

Bring an ID

Please bring either your donor card, driver’s license or two other forms of identification.

Bring a Friend

Bring along a friend, so that you may both enjoy the benefits of giving blood.

Relax!

Blood donation is a simple and very safe procedure so there is nothing to worry about.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Ridgewood Open Houses For June 15th

1411204.1

$2,595,000 – 310 HEIGHTS RD, RIDGEWOOD NJ

Ridgewood Open Houses For June 15th 

$599,990 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1422110
378 STEVENS AVE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, S/L
Cynthia B Torres, Broker Owner
Discover Real Estate
18
 
$1,399,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1343418
436 FARVIEW ST, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
5 Bedroom, 4 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, COL
David H. Larsen, Sales Associate
Keller Williams Village Square Realty
21
 
Open Houses for Sun 6/15
$449,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1421524
610 ROBERT ST, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 1 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, C/C
Joseph M. Hurley, Sales Associate
Weichert Realtors Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 6/15
15
 
$479,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1422248
564 CLIFF ST, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath, COL
Melinda Cronk, Broker Associate
Tarvin Realtors
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. Sun. 6/15
25
 
$579,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1422370
430 FRANKLIN TPKE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath, B/L
Joanne W. Cheng, Sales Associate
Coldwell Banker, Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. Sun. 6/15
22
 
$629,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1422251
3 N VAN DIEN AVE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, COL
Ann Ewell, Sales Associate
Tarvin Realtors
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. Sun. 6/15
25
 
$735,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1415452
292 SPRING AVE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, TWNHS
Jacques Papanikolaou,
Filippo Papanicolaou, Sales Associate
Weichert Realtors Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. Sun. 6/15
25
 
$929,999 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1421904
744 UPPER BLVD, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath, COL
Maryanne Connaughton, Sales Associate
Terrie O’Connor Realtors/Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 6/15
15
 
$1,319,900 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1420408
537 SPRING AVE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
5 Bedroom, 4 Full Bath,
2 Half Bath, COL
Shu-Jen Su, Sales Associate
Werner Realty
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. Sun. 6/15
Open House: 12:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. Sun. 6/22
25
 
$1,375,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1421143
219 MADISON PL, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, COL
Joanne Delaney, Sales Associate
Tarvin Realtors
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. Sun. 6/15
– See more at: https://www.njmls.com/NJ/BERGEN/RIDGEWOOD-open-houses#sthash.SyywpI7B.Och37Qnd.dpuf

$2,595,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1411204
310 HEIGHTS RD, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
5 Bedroom, 5 Full Bath, 
1 Half Bath, COL
Victoria Wilkinson, Sales Associate
Solutions Realty, LLC
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 6/15
12
 
Open Houses for Sun 6/22
$579,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1419577
365 PONFIELD PL, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath, 
1 Half Bath, COL
Hae Seung Kim, Sales Associate
Realty 7, LLC – Palisades Park
Open House: 2:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 6/22
16
 
$770,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1422343
698 ELLINGTON RD, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath, 
1 Half Bath, COL
Margarita Amezquita Rivera, Broker Associate
Coldwell Banker, Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 6/22
20
 
$1,319,900 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1420408
537 SPRING AVE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
5 Bedroom, 4 Full Bath, 
2 Half Bath, COL
Shu-Jen Su, Sales Associate
Werner Realty
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. Sun. 6/15
Open House: 12:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. Sun. 6/22
– See more at: https://www.njmls.com/NJ/BERGEN/RIDGEWOOD-open-houses#sthash.SyywpI7B.Och37Qnd.dpuf

Posted on by — Leave a comment

CLIMATE MCCARTHYISM CLAIMS YET ANOTHER VICTIM

Caleb-Rossiter

CLIMATE MCCARTHYISM CLAIMS YET ANOTHER VICTIM
by JAMES DELINGPOLE 13 Jun 2014

Climate McCarthyism has claimed another victim. Dr Caleb Rossiter – an adjunct professor at American University, Washington DC – has been fired by a progressive think tank after publicly expressing doubtabout man-made global warming.

Rossiter, a former Democratic congressional candidate, has impeccably liberal credentials. As the founder of Demilitarization for Democracy he has campaigned against US backed wars in Central America and Southern Africa, against US military support for dictators and against anti-personnel landmines. But none of this was enough to spare him the wrath of the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) when he wrote an OpEd in the Wall Street Journal describing man-made global warming as an “unproved science.”

Two days later, he was sacked by email. The IPS said: “We would like to inform you that we are terminating your position as an Associate Fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies…Unfortunately, we now feel that your views on key issues, including climate science, climate justice, and many aspects of US policy to Africa, diverge so significantly from ours.”

In the WSJ OpEd entitled Sacrificing Africa for Climate Change, Rossiter argued that Africans should benefit from the same mixed energy policy as Americans rather than being denied access to fossil fuels on spurious environmental grounds by green activists. He wrote: “The left wants to stop industrialization – even if the hypothesis of catastrophic, man-made global warming is false.”

https://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/06/13/Climate-McCarthyism-claims-yet-another-victim

Posted on by — Leave a comment

“What Difference does it Make ” Iraq casts shadow over Clinton

clintonhillary_061214getty

“What Difference does it Make ” Iraq casts shadow over Clinton
By Alexander Bolton – 06/14/14 06:00 AM EDT

The growing crisis and threat of all-out civil war in Iraq has cast a cloud over Hillary Clinton’s book tour touting her accomplishments as secretary of State.

The release of “Hard Choices” was supposed to remind people of the foreign policy credentials she burnished in the Obama administration.

ADVERTISEMENT
On Tuesday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest even said Clinton’s greatest accomplishments at the State Department included ending the war in Iraq and “decimating and destroying” al Qaeda.

But those résumé bullet points are now up for debate as Iraq has erupted in violence and insurgents linked to al Qaeda have captured four cities, including Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest metropolitan center.

“It’s going to be a problem for her starting now,” Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer said of the country’s collapsing stability.

“You have the White House three days ago talking about one of her greatest accomplishment was eradicating al Qaeda in Iraq. One of her greatest accomplishments was winding down war in Iraq. Forty-eight hours later we’re dealing with a situation where we’re talking about how to best help eradicate an al Qaeda offshoot in Iraq,” he said.

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/international/209386-iraq-casts-shadow-on-clintons-book-tour#ixzz34dqt5tom 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

US aircraft carrier moves toward Iraq as violence escalates

aircraft_carrier_061414getty

US aircraft carrier moves toward Iraq as violence escalates

By Kate Tummarello – 06/14/14 01:05 PM EDT

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is bringing U.S. military forces closer to Iraq as anti-government insurgents gain ground in the fight against Iraqi troops.

On Saturday, Hagel ordered aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush to be moved into the Persian Gulf, bringing it closer to Iraq, Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said in a statement.

“The order will provide the Commander-in-Chief additional flexibility should military options be required to protect American lives, citizens and interests in Iraq,” according to the spokesman.

The spokesman said the aircraft carrier, currently located in the North Arabian Sea, is being accompanied by a guided-missile cruiser and a guided-missile destroyer and is expected to reach its destination “later this evening.” 

The navy’s movement comes as militants led by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria attack Iraqi troops.

Those troops were trained by the U.S., prompting some to call on the U.S. to reengage in Iraq. 

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/defense/209394-us-aircraft-carrier-moves-towards-iraq#ixzz34doWsBJT

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Obama’s national security team under fire

white-house_1619486c

Obama’s national security team under fire

By Alexander Bolton – 06/13/14 06:00 AM EDT

President Obama’s team of national security advisers is under attack on Capitol Hill for not foreseeing the collapse of Iraq’s army forces who have been routed by Sunni jihadists.

Republicans are calling for heads to roll, and Democrats have been slow to defend Obama’s national security team after a string of questionable performances.

ADVERTISEMENT
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have second-guessed Obama’s decision to release five senior Taliban commanders from Guantánamo Bay and his handling of the civil war in Syria. Now they’re concerned the insurgent’s lightning war across Iraq has taken the administration by surprise.

Obama even took heat Thursday from the editorial page of The Washington Post, which asserted the “pretense” of Obama’s claim to have ended the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan “is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.”

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called for the wholesale resignation of Obama’s national security team, starting with Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“We need a new national security adviser. We need a new team. We need a new team that knows what America’s national security interests are and are more interested in national security than they are in politics,” he said on the Senate floor.

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/international/209262-obamas-national-security-team-under-fire#ixzz34dxVDCI4

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Ridgewood High Softball enjoys first 20-win season since 2010

Mit_and_ball

Ridgewood High Softball enjoys first 20-win season since 2010

JUNE 13, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2014, 12:31 AM
BY GREG TARTAGLIA
SPORTS EDITOR

RIDGEWOOD — Teresa Funk got things started, just as she did four years ago.

Senior shortstop Teresa Funk had 47 career RBI in her four varsity seasons with the Ridgewood softball team.

The shortstop has been a fixture on the Ridgewood High School softball team since making the varsity as a freshman. When she and the Maroons’ four other seniors gathered to review the 2014 campaign on Wednesday, it seemed natural that Funk spoke first.

Kelly Skettini led all Ridgewood softball seniors with a .379 batting average and 19 runs scored this spring.

“We really enjoyed this season,” the tri-captain said, speaking for the seniors and underclass players. “Last year, we were a young team. But we knew that we had a lot of people returning, and we just blended really well.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/sports/high-school-sports/girls-softball/maroons-enjoy-first-20-win-season-since-2010-1.1034857#sthash.PQfX2Jlp.dpuf