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>the Ridgewood blog : 9 tips to keep your New Year’s resolutions
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

If Mayan Apocalypse of 2012 does not come to pass here are 9 tips to keep your New Year’s resolutions
   
Lets face it if for most of us our New Year’s resolutions from last year remain unresolved. Now a new year offers another opportunity to achieve your goals, and these nine tips should help you keep you on track to sticking to those New Year’s resolutions.

1. Focus on something you really want.

2. Limit your list to a realistic manageable number .Keeping your list to 2 or 3  resolutions you intend to keep.

3. Be very specific.

4. Automate goals like savings or bill payments.

5. Make a plan , it works for Amway .

6. Be prepared to change some of those bad habits that interfere with your resolutions.

7. Write it down and visualize it regularly.

8. DO NOT TELL A SOUL

9. Forgive yourself if you fail often it takes many attempts to reach  a worthwhile goal .

>BOE and Superintendent Host Coffee and Conversation in the New Year
 
(RIDGEWOOD -NJ) The Ridgewood Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. Daniel Fishbein will host a series of drop-in coffees for residents over the upcoming months. Coffee and Conversation will provide an opportunity for the public to meet with the Board and Superintendent in a casual setting and act as a public forum for meaningful conversation.

Three dates have been scheduled for Coffee and Conversation in the 2011-2012 school year:
Tuesday, January 17 (snow date: January 24); Thursday, March 8 and Monday, May 14. On those dates, the public is invited to drop in at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, floor 3,from 7-9 p.m., where in an informal setting, Board members and the superintendent will engage in conversation, entertain questions, and welcome comments and suggestions. The January and May meetings will be open-ended; the March meeting will focus on the projected 2012-2013 school budget.

Board of Education Updates 
Sheila Brogan discussed proposed legislation to move the annual school board elections and budget vote to November. The Board passed a resolution in opposition to this proposed legislation.

Bob Hutton announced that the Board’s negotiations committee had met with representatives of the Ridgewood Education Association (REA) and a state-appointed mediator on December 12, to discuss the REA contract. The mediation was not successful. The next step is to engage in state “fact-finding.

The next regular public meeting of the Board of Education will take place on Monday, January 9, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. Board meetings may be viewed live on Optimum channel 77, FiOS channel 33 or via the “Live BOE Meeting” link on the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us.

After the live streaming event, Board meetings will be archived and can be found in the BOE section of the website under “Board of Ed Webcasts

>Paul Aronsohn’s op-ed in the Ridgewood News
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

(RIDGEWOOD-NJ) The Ridgewood blog finds it interesting that the Ridgewood News allowed Paul Aronsohn to print an op-ed with his obvious re-election campaign promises.  Will they afford the same courtesy to his competitors?

We also find it interesting that he never says we only I.  Why would we want to re-elect someone who is only interested in his own advancement?

>Readers name some really good/great Ridgewood teachers . . . 

Marge Waters – Somerville

Holly Khoury – Somerville

Terry Ross – Somerville

Coleen Geiniec – Somerville

Meridith McLauglin – Somerville

Samantha Stankeiweiz – Somerville

Amanda Zampolino – Somerville 

Lauren Salvani – BFMS

Jason Curcio – BFMS

Elaine Carroll – BFMS

Trella Dolgin – BFMS

Alice Ziemba – BFMS


 

>Readers Skeptical of Shared Services 

I grew up and bought my first house in York County Pennsylvania which is made of seventy-two different municipalities from small quaint boroughs where everybody knows everyone else to large urban communities such as Hanover and the City of York. Back in the 1990’s many of the communities were sold on the concept of shared services, most notable regional police as a way to save money and get better service. Though I moved here 15 years ago my family is still lives in the York County community of Glen Rock PA (never knew Glen Rock NJ existed until I moved to Ridgewood!). Both my father and late uncle were very active in the community.

Twenty years later none of the communities has seen the savings that were promised. The large start up costs for professional services (lawyers, financial people, equipment, oversight boards, etc) were funded in exchange for a projected long term savings that never came to pass. No one could ever tell us exactly what they expected us to save, but theorized that shared management, personnel and equipment costs would be lower in the long run. The main regional forces in York County are the Southern Regional Police Department and York Area Regional Police.

Now towns are all fighting with each other over the costs of the regional forces. Each town provides representatives to Police Commissions which is always a local controversy as none of them get along. Towns are rationing hours of police coverage (the amount of hours a police car is actual on patrol in your community), accusing each other of having residents who call the police too often or involving the police in things the other towns don’t want to pay for such as monitoring school traffic or the local gas station where teenagers hang out and get rowdy. The towns are billed based upon hours of patrol coverage and number of calls.

Some of the towns are now considering withdrawal from their regional forces (under the threat of lawsuits from the other towns) and seeking coverage from the State police. The draw back is that the State police respond only to crimes and crashes. They do not enforce local ordinances and will not deal with traffic or parking issues. Their response time is 20 to 40 minutes as opposed to the regional police who can respond to an emergency in 5 or 10 minutes. The two times I have called the police since moving to Ridgewood they were at my door in less than 5 minutes!

>Village Council Meetings 

01/03/12 7:30PM Planning Board Public Meeting
01/04/12 7:30PM Village Council Work Session
01/10/12 7:30PM Board of Adjustment Public Meeting
01/11/12 8:00PM Village Council Public Meeting
01/17/12 7:30PM Planning Board Public Meeting
01/24/12 7:30PM Board of Adjustment Public Meeting
01/25/12 7:30PM Village Council Work Session 

>Is it time for the ‘castle doctrine’ in New Jersey ?

The ‘castle doctrine’ as in Texas. “Shoot the burglar’ and they won’t do it again.

NJ laws favor the burglar. If you shoot an unarmed burglar, you are going to jail. Sad but true. The stupid law in NJ requires the homeowner to have ‘no reasonable means of egress’. That means you are supposed to jump out a 2nd floor window. Typical liberal jerkoff state of NJ that favors criminals instead of honest taxpayers.

Honest homeowners should be allowed to shoot a burglar, whether they are armed or unarmed.This will be an uphill battle and would take a long time.

In the short run, I also would like to give the police the tools they are asking for – longer penalties for burglaries. Getting a few career criminals away for a few years can make a big difference.

If the bigger penalties don’t make a difference, there is an even stronger argument for the “castle doctrine”

>Reader says worst bullies are some teachers 

The worst bullies at school who get away with the most damage to innocent students are the teachers. Our school administrators and superintendent have been provided with all kinds of evidence of this, and with the same teachers over and over, year after year, and these teachers still have their jobs and access to more innocent children to take out their neurosis on.

 Its time to start DYFS files on all of them. That’s the only way to stop this from happening. DYFS will gladly take info on any current complaints of abuse against school age children, emotional or physical, and so will the police.

>The Anti Bullying law is another knee-jerk reaction to an unfortunate suicide by a legislator looking for a pat on the back

HIB is another nail in the coffin to preparing kids to stand up for themselves and learning about the adult world where there are no such protections.

This law is another knee-jerk reaction to an unfortunate suicide by a legislator looking for a pat on the back by yuppie parents who want the state to help raise their children.

Do your kids a favor, teach them to fight for themselves and stand-up to what they believe instead of letting them take it and expecting others to take care of the problem for them. Were raising a bunch of wusses who are going to get trampled on come college by kids who grew up without such protections, like YOU AND I did growing up.

>
N.J. takes slow, steady approach to for-profit hospitals 
December 27, 2011
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By Rowland, Dean
Proquest LLC

For-profit hospitals first appeared on the health care scene in New Jersey in 1998, when a private health services group in Colorado took over management of Bergen Pines County Hospital, in Paramus. But it took four years before another one appeared, when Memorial Hospital, in Salem, changed ownership.

But since then, it’s become more routine, if no less controversial. Four other nonprofit hospitals have turned for-profit since 2002, and two more are pending.

“It took a while for the New Jersey market to stabilize and find its legs,” said Kerry McKean Kelly, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Hospital Association. “Clearly, for many years, New Jersey wasn’t attractive.”

The “maturing” of the health care market in the state began in 1993, when hospitals were forced to negotiate their own reimbursement rates for medical services with private insurers, Kelly said. Financial uncertainty gripped the competitive market, and it took many years for the anxiety to calm. Though hospitals across the country were converting from nonprofit to for-profit ownership in small and slowly growing numbers, private equity and management companies were sitting on the sidelines when it came to setting up shop in New Jersey.

https://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=319736

>New bullying law stirs up complaints from Educators
Marlboro K-8 school board adds voice to growing discontent with legislation
BY JACK MURTHA Staff Writer

Finding inspiration in the actions of two other school districts, members of the Marlboro K-8 School District Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution taking issue with provisions required by New Jersey’s Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act.

The board took the action at its meeting on Dec. 19.

Through the resolution, the Marlboro board members announced their support for the Allamuchy School District (Warren County) Board of Education’s attempt to nullify the new law by claiming it is an unfunded mandate handed down by the state Legislature to New Jersey’s school districts.

The Legislature has not provided any financial support for costs that may be associated with complying with the law, according to school district officials.

“We don’t disagree with the fact that we need to aggressively deal with harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB) and we will continue to do that,” Marlboro Superintendent of Schools David Abbott said. “(The Legislature) passed a law without providing the proper support that we will need to deal with all of the requirements.”

Financial pressures related to the need for anti-bullying positions to be created placed the school district in a difficult spot, Abbott said. He said the law called for the board to designate one district anti-bullying coordinator, plus an anti-bullying specialist in each school.

The board’s resolution said the district must pay members of school safety teams, including anti-bullying specialists, coordinators and appointed teachers, annual stipends that will not be covered by the state. Additional services will require an unknown amount of funding, according to the resolution.

https://nt.gmnews.com/news/2011-12-28/Front_Page/New_bullying_law_stirs_up_complaints.html

>Grab your wallet! Huge Toll increase to take effect January 1st 
Steve Lonegan AFP


(RIDGEWOOD-NJ) On January 1, 2012 tolls on the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, and Atlantic City Expressway will increase a whopping 50%!

According to the Star-Ledger, “…the average passenger vehicle toll will rise from $2.20 to $3.30 on the Turnpike and 70 cents to $1.05 on the Parkway. The average truck toll will increase from $7.95 to $12.15 on the Turnpike and $1.40 to $2.15 on the Parkway.”

This drastic increase in tolls comes on the back of the whopping toll increase imposed by the Port Authority for tri-state bridges and tunnels . The toll hike is a new tax created by former Governor Jon Corzine on the way out the door. Trenton’s elite argued this was to fund the ARC Tunnel into New York City. But the ARC Tunnel is not being built. Governor Christie rightfully stopped this multi-billion dollar boondoggle.But the toll hike is still taking effect!

>Can’t lose weight? Maybe you’re not eating enough!
MONDAY, 26 DECEMBER 2011 11:47

BY WARREN BOROSON

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Maybe you’re gaining weight (or not losing weight) for the obvious reason: You eat too much.

Then again, maybe you’re just not eating enough. Not often enough. There’s too much time between your meals. And what that does is make you so hungry, you eat too much.

Scott Fisher, a registered dietician and a nutrition consultant to professional sports teams like the New York Knicks and New Jersey Devils, recommends that people not let more than four hours elapse between the times they eat.

https://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/healthquest/cant-lose-weight-maybe-youre-not-eating-enough

>Obama to ask for debt limit hike: Treasury official

(Reuters) – The White House plans to ask Congress by the end of the week for an increase in the government’s debt ceiling to allow the United States to pay its bills on time, according to a senior Treasury Department official on Tuesday.

The approval is expected to go through without a challenge, given that Congress is in recess until later in January and the request is in line with an agreement to keep the U.S. government funded into 2013.

The debt is projected to fall within $100 billion of the current cap by December 30, when the United States has $82 billion in interest on its debt and payments such as Social Security coming due. President Barack Obama is expected to ask for authority to increase the borrowing limit by $1.2 trillion, part of the spending authority that was negotiated between Congress and the White House this summer.

Under the agreement struck in August during the showdown over the government’s debt limit, the cap is automatically raised unless Congress votes to block the debt-ceiling extension. Lawmakers have 15 days within receiving the request to vote, which is largely symbolic because the president can veto it and Congress would be unlikely to muster the two-thirds majority to override it. Moreover, the U.S. House of Representatives also is in recess until January 17.

https://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/27/us-usa-treasury-debt-idUSTRE7BQ0KU20111227

>Comic Juggler Will Shaw

Ridgewood Recreation

Comic Juggler Will Shaw at the Ridgewood Library Tuesday, December 27th Back by popular demand, Ridgewood Parks and Recreation will welcome comic juggler Will Shaw. Mr. Shaw is known to astound, awe and capture the house with his show for all ages. His performance was rated the #1 event for Summer Day Camp 2011 and you just won’t want to miss it! The show will be held Tuesday, December 27th, 10:00 a.m., at the Ridgewood Library, 125 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood (snow date is Dec 29th). Admission is $5.00, ages 2 and up. As seating is limited, it is suggested tickets be purchased in advance at the Recreation Office at the Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, weekdays between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. For additional information kindly contact the Recreation office at 201-670-5560.