>Severe Solar Storms Could Disrupt Earth This Decade: NOAA
By IB Times Staff Reporter | August 8, 2011 7:08 AM EDT
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a federal agency that focuses on the condition of the oceans and atmosphere, said a severe solar storm could cause global disruptions in GPS systems, power grids, satellite communications, and airline communications.
With solar activity expected to peak around 2013, the Sun is entering a particularly active time and big flares like the recent one will likely be common during the next few years.
Most solar flares will only cause minor problems with satellites and power grids, but a major flare in the mid-19th century blocked the nascent telegraph system, and some scientists believe that another such event is now overdue.
In a huge solar storm back in 1859, telegraph offices worldwide were hit, some telegraph operators reported electric shocks, the telegraph systems malfunctioned and even paper caught fire. It is the strongest solar storm on record and is called the “Carrington Event,” which is named after Richard Carrington, who viewed and reported on the solar flare of Sept. 1, 1859. In 1989, six million people in Quebec, Canada were left without power for several hours when a solar storm took down a power grid.
>Obama Administration Exempting Schools From Federal Law’s Testing Mandate
Monday, August 08, 2011
By DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP, Associated Press
(AP) – State and local education officials have been begging the federal government for relief from student testing mandates in the federal No Child Left Behind law, but school starts soon and Congress still hasn’t answered the call.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan says he will announce a new waiver system Monday to give schools a break.
The plan to offer waivers to all 50 states, as long as they meet other school reform requirements, comes at the request of President Barack Obama, Duncan said. More details on the waivers will come in September, he said.
>Cooperative Nursery School of Ridgewood Offers Kindergarten Enrichment Program
The Cooperative Nursery School of Ridgewood is now accepting registration for its Kindergarten Enrichment program for the 2011-2012 school year. The school has both morning and afternoon sessions.
The program supports all the major district initiatives including: Handwriting Without Tears, Envision Math and Words Their Way. Classes will meet twice per week. There is no co-op requirement for parents who enroll in the kindergarten enrichment class. Students are also invited to participate in extended day programs.
A nonsectarian school, The Co-op offers morning and afternoon classes for 2, 3 and 4-year-olds, as well as Mommy & Me classes and a new Kindergarten Enrichment class. The school’s seasoned professional teaching staff members guide students toward social, emotional and physical well-being. Children learn and play in an environment ideally suited to their needs as developing individuals. The program encourages independence, self-discipline and a love for school.
The Co-op is organized and run by the parents, which enables the parents to actively participate in their child’s early learning experience. Music, physical education, field trips, indoor and outdoor play time and an in-house library are just a few of the experiences to which the children are exposed as supplements to the daily education plans.
Please call the school at (201) 447-6232 or [email protected] for more information or to schedule a visit to the school. The school is located at 100 Dayton Street in the center of Ridgewood.
Shocker: Pilot Licenses Issued to 27 on Terror List
Michael Cutler — August 3, 2011
(Excerpts A recent New York Times article was extremely disturbing. The report was entitled: “27 Deemed to Be Threats Held Aviation Licenses”. This news article was based on a report (pdf document) issued by the Inspector General (Internal Affairs) that has oversight responsibility for the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration).
The article stated that that the FAA has no meaningful handle on those to whom that agency has issued pilots’ licenses.
Yet the magnitude of the incompetence of the FAA is nothing short of insane – just consider this excerpt from the New York Times news report: The new report, by the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security, found that the F.A.A. had Social Security numbers of only about 750,000 people out of the 1.3 million names in its Airmen Registry, and that among those for whom it had numbers, more than 15,000 of them did not match the Social Security database for name, sex or date of birth. By law, the F.A.A. cannot require a Social Security number, the report noted, and as a result, “T.S.A. may not identify U.S. citizens who have provided false biographic information to receive an airman certificate.” Not all of the discrepancies represent a potential security threat; the report said that more extensive study over the past few years found that 8,000 of the license holders were dead.
The report offers no details about the 27 individuals whose certificates were canceled, but does indicate the poor state of federal records, almost a decade after the Sept. 11 attacks. An initial computer scan found about 29,000 certificates that matched names on the government’s Terrorist Screening Database, but further study found that 28,500 of the matches were invalid; 506 were turned over for closer scrutiny, yielding the 27 names.
The above quote addresses the issue of US citizens but in reality not only citizens may have pilots’ licenses that enable them to fly over our nation. There have been many aliens who have succeeded in acquiring United States citizenship via fraud, including a woman, several years ago, who was a citizen of Lebanon and came to the United States on a student visa. She entered into a sham marriage that enabled her to become a naturalized citizen; she then went on to become an FBI Special Agent and then joined the CIA. Her deception was discovered when she accessed databases without authorization.
Simply stated, you cannot have it both ways. Undocumented aliens are illegally present in our country and the fact they are “undocumented” means that they have no reliable, verifiable way of proving who they are. False identities serve as a camouflage for criminals and terrorists the same way that changes in color enable certain creatures to hide in plain sight, often among their intended victims. This is why I have come to refer to Comprehensive Immigration Reform as the “Terrorist Assistance and Facilitation Act.”
Read the complete article here………… https://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.10080/pub_detail.asp
>New Jersey Places 4th in University of Nebraska-Lincoln Bureau of Business Research State Entrepreneurship Index July 2011
The index, developed by economists at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Bureau of Business Research and Department of Economics, evaluated the following components: a state’s percentage growth and per capita growth in business establishments, its business formation rate, the number of patents per thousand residents, and gross receipts of sole proprietorships and partnerships per capita.
Each state was assigned a ranking based on the state’s performance compared to the nationwide average.New York leads the nation for a second time with a score of 2.34. South Carolina was last with a score of 0.07.The State Entrepreneurial Index combines detailed data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the IRS Statistics of Income Bulletin, the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Statistical Abstract.
See here : https://ucommxsrv1.unl.edu/downloadables/pdf/SEI_StateTable.pdf
1 New York 2.34 1 None 2 Washington 2.17 3 Up 1 3 Massachusetts 2.04 9 Up 6 4 New Jersey 1.93 12 Up 8 5 Oregon 1.93 45 Up 40 6 Louisiana 1.61 16 Up 10 7 Illinois 1.57 11 Up 4 8 Oklahoma 1.55 15 Up 7 9 Texas 1.54 34 Up 25 10 New Hampshire 1.49 14 Up 1
> New system helps doctors detect lung cancer at early stage
Physicians in two New Jersey hospitals are using a new tool that helps detect the deadliest form of cancer in its early stages without having to perform invasive procedures. Doctors at The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood and at Hackensack University Medical Center are using the superDimension lung navigation system, which allows them to reach and biopsy lesions buried deep in the lungs.
Actually there is a solution without putting up a cell tower. On a good smart phone (such as my I-phone4) a wireless Internet signal is picked up and used in place of the 3g network when available. So if we encourage Optimum online to put a few more hot spots around (as they do in the CBD) there will be no need for the ANTIQUATED cell towers,
>Scott Garrett: Americans Want a Solution to Debt Crisis, Not a “Deal”
WASHINGTON, August 1, 2011 – Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Vice Chairman of the House Budget Committee and Chairman of the Budget and Spending Task Force for the Republican Study Committee (RSC), issued the following statement tonight after voting against the agreement to raise the debt ceiling:
“While a step in the right direction, this is hardly the resolution I was hoping to come out of this process. The American people wanted to see us come up with an actual solution to address our deficit and debt crisis, not another ‘deal’ rushed through Congress at the last minute. Aside from an insufficient amount of spending cuts and the threat of tax hikes on the American people, what is most unfortunate about this bill is the fact that it doesn’t address the exploding costs of our entitlement programs, which are by far the biggest threat to our credit rating.
“Above all else, I am most disappointed in the lack of commitment on the part of negotiators to seeing that a balanced budget amendment was sent to the states for ratification. No matter how much spending we cut, no matter how many blue ribbon commissions we form, a balanced budget amendment is the only solution that will resolve our long-term deficit and debt problem. The American people expected more of us—it’s regrettable we put off the tough decisions once again.”
Cycling in and around town I have picked up a couple of tips I want to pass on PJ Blogger
Ridgewood NJ – Cycling in and around town I have picked up three tips I want to pass on; First cyclists and drivers look at the road from two entirely different perspectives ; the cyclist is connected by every nuance , bump ,lawn sprinkler , pot hole and road condition while the drivers perspective is much farther removed. Cyclist often look to avoid road hazards that drivers hardly notice.
Next a cyclist must be extremely vigilant. No amount of safety gear can stand up to the impact of a 3000 pound automobile.This makes vigilance the single most important safety feature for the cyclist. Always remember it is up the rider to protect themselves. anticipate and be on the defensive.
And finally wear extremely bright clothing. Don’t underestimate how difficult it can be for a driver to see you .The brighter the better . It helps the driver notice you sooner. ,and makes you a more visible target . A couple of seconds can be the difference between a trip to the corner store and a trip to the emergency room .
>Scott Garrett : Senator Reid’s Plan Full of Too Many False Savings
As a part of my ongoing effort to keep you updated on what’s going on with the debt ceiling debate in Washington, I wanted to take a moment to fill you in on where we stand and what things look like going forward.
Over the past two weeks, House Republicans have passed two bills – the Cut, Cap and Balance Act and the Budget Control Act – to steer our nation away from default and towards fiscal sustainability. Each of these bills are sensible compromises that satisfy President Obama’s request to raise the debt ceiling while fulfilling our commitment to cut spending now, implement caps to bring down spending in the future and pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.
However, Senate Democrats on Friday failed to even bring up the House-passed Budget Control Act for debate, just as they did with the Cut, Cap and Balance Act. Meanwhile, instead of considering one of the solutions passed by the House or negotiating with Republicans to forge a compromise, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has put forth a plan that would give President Obama another blank check to spend American taxpayer dollars. This is merely an extension of the irresponsible practices that led us to the situation we now find ourselves.
While I appreciate Senator Reid’s efforts to actually offer a solution to this crisis, I feel it is not the right prescription to address the root problem of this crisis—Washington’s addiction to spending and borrowing. Not only does it fail to address our spending and debt problem, it won’t even prevent a downgrade of our credit rating. The Reid plan makes false promises of future “savings” of $1 trillion from war spending that is not written into law and no one plans to actually spend. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), even assuming these imaginary war savings, this plan still falls $216 billion short of equal-or-greater spending cuts to a debt ceiling increase. Excluding those phantom war savings, the shortfall skyrockets to nearly $1.5 trillion. Both Senate and House Republicans have made it clear to them that this is unacceptable.
The American people are tired of Washington’s accounting gimmicks and budget smokescreens, they’re tired of out of control spending, and they’re ready for a compromise. House Republicans have now offered two plans that reach a compromise and allow us to get back to the business of creating jobs and reviving our sluggish economy. It is my sincere hope that my colleagues across the aisle recognize this chance and fulfill their duty to their constituents by considering the compromises they have before them.
> President Barack Obama Spams Followers on Twitter
President Barack Obama takes debt battle to Twitter, loses more than 40,000 followers in one day
BY Anjali Mullany DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Originally Published:Friday, July 29th 2011, 4:45 PM Updated: Friday, July 29th 2011, 10:57 PM
President Obama brought his debt battle to Twitter and he lost – more than 40,000 Twitter followers.
Obama asked Americans Friday to call, email, and tweet Congressional leaders to “keep the pressure on” lawmakers in hopes of reaching a bipartisan deal to raise the nation’s $14.3 trillion debt limit ahead of an Aug. 2 deadline.
Obama’s campaign staff used the @BarackObama Twitter account to post the Twitter handles of tweeting GOP leaders – state by state, tweet by tweet.
Philosophically, these people are correct. However, our country is based on a two party system that requires compromise to work properly. The result is NEVER the perfect solution. But, it is USUALLY the best solution for the greatest number of people. These people need to compromise.
The system does NOT produce the best solution when one party bypasses the process, as the Democrats did when they passes Obamacare. Our future heathcare costs under Obamacare are, by far, the greatest contributor to our spending in the next decade (in 9 years we are projected to have spent a total of $2.2 trillion on healthcare).
The risks are far too great to play this political game with a debt compromise. Unfortunately, as we saw during the financial crisis, our elected officials do not truly understand how the global financial markets function. It is NOT an option to allow a “hard” or “soft” default on our debt and a downgrade of our credit rating would have devastating repercussions for ALL Americans and people around the world. This is not “scare tactics”. This is reality. It is time for adults to take over in Washington and reach a compromise BEFORE TUESDAY.
Ultimately, we need a revision to the tax code that can produce the income that Democrats want (not tax hikes for the top 5% of taxpayers, who pay 60% of the tax burden). Keep in mind that over 50% of Americans pay “0” Federal income tax. The solution to our debt problem is truly on the spending side, and particularly with healthcare. There is also waste in military spending that can be eliminated. We need to cut “future” entitlement growth and EVERYTHING must be on the table. But, this does not need to be (and can’t be) accomplished by Tuesday. Job #1 is to ensure that we pay all our bills and that we establish a sufficient amount of cuts to be made ($3.5 – 5 trillion) and empower a commission to draft the law over the next month.
>Balanced Budget Amendment is the Key to Addressing our Fiscal Crisis
Just last week, House Republicans put forth an honest solution to address our nation’s debt crisis by passing the Cut, Cap and Balance Act with bipartisan support. This was a straightforward, common-sense approach that satisfied the president’s request to raise the debt ceiling while tackling our country’s addiction to debt by reining in Washington’s out of control spending.
The bill would immediately cut the deficit by $111 billion in 2012, institute enforceable caps on spending as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) over the next ten years, and require a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution to avoid ever having to face this problem again. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats tabled the bill, essentially killing the bipartisan effort of the House without so much as debating, much less voting, on the measure.
So here we are, just four days out from President Obama’s August 2nd deadline and we still have not seen action from Democrats in the Senate to address our debt crisis. Furthermore, in the case of President Obama, we haven’t even been told what his plan is to raise the debt ceiling. Understanding the urgency of forging a solution that can pass both chambers of Congress, House Republicans stepped up to the plate again today by putting forth yet another proposal to raise the debt ceiling—the Budget Control Act of 2011.
As Speaker Boehner will readily admit, the bill brought to the House floor today is far from perfect. It is not the ideal solution that I or many of my Republican colleagues would like to see come out of this process, but it does satisfy the president’s request to raise the debt ceiling while upholding our commitment to equal-or-greater spending cuts and enacting a balanced budget amendment. Since Senate Democrats and the Obama administration have drawn a hard line and opposed every good-faith effort by Republicans to reach a compromise, it is my sincere hope that they finally meet us halfway by getting on board with this sensible solution to resolving our country’s debt crisis.
President Obama continues to publicly oppose this bill, arguing that the two-step process in which the debt ceiling will be raised would force us to have to revisit this debate again six months from now. The President has also expressed opposition to a balanced budget amendment, naively claiming that “we don’t need a constitutional amendment to do our jobs.”
What remains a mystery to me, is why the president, who seems so intent on avoiding this issue in the future, opposes the very thing that will prevent us from ever facing this crisis again. A balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, by its very design, is the only mechanism that will prevent us from having to address this issue again in the future. Should we not choose this path to budgetary reform, not only will we be saddled with another crisis down the road, but the severity of the situation at that point will be far worse and require even tougher sacrifices.
This is a moment of profound importance for the future of our country. We have an opportunity to reverse a 50-year trend towards out of control spending and unfunded entitlements that threaten to destroy our country from the inside out. Just this week, The Wall Street Journal published an editorial explaining the crushing burden our entitlement programs have on our federal budget process. According to The Wall Street Journal, “The looming debt downgrade only confirms what everyone knows: Congress has made so many promises to so many Americans that there is no conceivable way those promises can be kept. Tax rates might have to rise to 60%, 70%, even 80% to raise the revenues to finance these promises, but that would be economically ruinous.”
If we do nothing, if we sit back and let this cancer grow, we risk becoming the next Greece. Speaker Boehner’s Budget Control Act of 2011 is not perfect, but it does take that bold first step in the right direction. It sets the stage for this Congress to make real structural reforms to give our children and our grandchildren hope that they, too, will grow up in a land of opportunity with the freedom to pursue their own American dream.
Ridgewood NJ – A vehicle owned by the Village of Ridgewood, and being driven by a Village employee, was stopped on South Maple Avenue earlier this week in connection with a checkpoint established by Ridgewood PD and the NJ Division of Motor Vehicles (NJDMV). The vehicle was observed to be displaying a NJDMV inspection sticker that expired in April of 2010 (yes, 2010 – see for yourself). Inspectors from NJDMV conducted an emissions test using equipment in their Mobile Inspection Unit. The vehicle passed all emissions tests and no summons was issued to the driver because he possessed a valid license, vehicle registration, and insurance card
This BOE allows Regina to wreck havoc upon our curriculum. They haven’t a clue how to run a district. Jack is the best thing that has happened to the Ridgewood Public School system in years. It will be a sad day when he leaves us.
With his family moving, it is only a matter of time before he goes too. Wake up Ridgewood and ask yourselves, why does such a fine principal leave us.
The answer is simple… the dysfunction of Cottage Place. We loose a great principal because our BOE and the people who support them refuse to see the problem and believe all the BS that the Admins shovel at them.
We wish Jack’s family well. Alabama’s gain is Ridgewood’s loss
