file photo
December 21,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Today December 21st is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. The Winter solstice (or hibernal solstice), also known as midwinter, is an astronomical phenomenon marking the day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere this is the December solstice and in the Southern Hemisphere this is the June solstice.
Too many pedestrians are on their cell phones or concentrating on their music and never even attempt to stop or look before entering a crosswalk. This often requires a car to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting them while hoping that their car does not get real ended at the same time.
The second major problem that I find is that I do stop to let the pedestrian cross–but the car behind me does not and goes around me. This turns the pedestrian into a target. If a car is stopped without a signal, it usually means a pedestrian.
Thirdly, the tall plants at the corners are lovely, but after dark, they could easily be a person or vice versa
I also have no problem letting a pedestrian cross in the crosswalk and will always yield to them. As for jaywalking – good luck. It is nerve-wracking enough just driving thru town trying to get from one end to the other without hitting anything!. Watching for the transit bus, runners, jaywalkers, cell phone users, double parkers, sun glare and other cars not paying attention…..to name a few distractions
I find in Ridgewood a majority of people do not use a crosswalk they just step out from between parked cars children in tow and hope you stop. In the central business area, there is a complete lack of police enforcement of motor vehicle laws and nothing is ever done about dumb pedestrians stepping out where ever they wish.
photos courtesy of Boyd Loving
December 21,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, A large plastic garbage bag filled with human medical waste products somehow wound up on a sidewalk near Ridgewood High School on Tuesday morning, 12/20. The improperly disposed of items were spotted by the manager of a garden apartment building located at 535 East Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, who in turn notified Ridgewood PD. A Ridgewood EMS EMT assisted uniformed patrol officers and their supervisor in bagging the debris in plastic bio hazard disposal bags, which were then transported in the back of a marked police patrol unit to The Valley Hospital. The errant garbage bag contained no identifying material that would have allowed police officers to determine its origin.
more photos: https://www.facebook.com/theridgewoodblog/
December 21,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood Nj, In observance of the Christmas holiday, Village Hall and the Stable offices will be closed Friday, December 23 and Monday, December 26, 2016.
Village Hall and the Stable offices will be open Friday, December 30th. In observance of the New Year holiday, Village Hall and the Stable offices will be closed Monday, January 2, 2017.
SANITATION & RECYCLING SCHEDULE
Sanitation & Recycling Collection – December 23 ; December 30
Recycling Center – Open – December 23 & 24; 30, 31
Recycling Center – Closed – December 26; January 2, 2017
December 20,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Each year, when December comes rolling in, so do the inner doubts and reflections that are part of our year-end experience.
Did I succeed? Has my business or career grown? Is my family happy and healthy? Do I have enough money to get them the gifts they want?
All these questions are nagging at me as I run from one Christmas party to the next. I can’t help but wonder why success is measured by our society in tangibles… I cannot measure my success in tangibles, nor do I want to, as this is not in sync with my passions or my values.
For me, success is measured by the intangible not by the tangibles we think we see! What does that mean? The tangibles we see are the big house or car that you already physically own. We think these things matter because of others’ expectations of what we should have to be successful and to be of a certain social standing. Having these tangibles is then a way to prove to others and yourself that you have succeeded.
This brings me straight back to the nagging questions I have about success and how we measure ourselves and others.
As I watch my colleagues talk about their accomplishments of the past year, I see a picture in my distant memory of a mother decorating a tree. Christmas, too, is about intangibles… For my family, Christmas was steeped in traditions; however, the only thing I truly recall was the gift of being together, thus the intangible… When did Christmas become such a big industry that we as families have become a slave to it?
We seem to focus so much on giving and receiving tangible gifts that we forget that they will not be remembered. Think back to your childhood while reading this and you will remember the smiling faces among the things that you treasured, but not really what was in the wrapped presents!
Sadly, this truth is not reflected in our talk and in our actions. Your child will go back to school after the holidays and teachers and friends will immediately ask “What did you get?” and not “How was your Christmas?”
Today, there is so much pressure on every member in a family to outshine everyone around you at work or school that I truly feel sad for those that forget that there are so many things we cannot see but they are there. They truly matter!
Here are a few examples of intangibles that matter every day: knowing that you can count on that one person to help you through difficult times. Every child who knows deep down that their parents will help them even if they are mad! Or what about the immense satisfaction a mother feels when her child takes those first few steps. Or the ability you have to put a smile on someone’s face, just because you can! In all our milestones, having someone encourage us as if we were an athlete crossing the finish line. That happy face in the crowd that clapped just a bit louder than everyone else… That, ladies and gentlemen, is success—when we have that one friend or relative who gives us courage to be ourselves!
How others make you feel cannot be seen but boy—can you feel it! All these examples are intangible—not evident, untouchable, we cannot see them. But that does not mean they don’t exist. In fact, I wish that people paid more attention to the intangible. Why?
If you ask any human being who they value the most, they almost always answer family. Then I ask what do they value most, even though geography, culture, and personal values might influence the answer to this question, the overall response I have heard the most is “some form of security.” Which often equates back to family.
So is success then not logically how each individual values and cares for their families and friends?
At the end of a person’s life, don’t we consider a person successful, not by their job, but by how well they treated their family and friends?
Set aside your self-doubt, the nagging questions, and dump the pressure to look good, and instead count the family members and your friends who are in your life. Your relationship with each individual and the joy it brings can be the new measure of your success!
So during this month of giving, forget for one moment all of the materialistic gifts—the tangibles that we obsess too much over—and try to concentrate on giving as many intangible gifts as you can to everyone around you. The gift of yourself, being there, listening, laughing, being truly present are the gifts that matter most and that will be truly remembered.
A few action points if you would like to give the gift of the intangible:
1. If you are a parent and have adult children, write down a short story of something your child did when they were younger that moved you and that is locked in your memory forever!
2. If you are a parent of a child, you can suggest they make a coupon book for you instead of a tangible gift. For example, they can give you a coupon with breakfast in bed. Or a coupon where they clean out your room!
3. If you are a friend searching for the perfect intangible gift to give another friend, share a fond memory together that you hold dear. The receiver will sit in awe hearing it!
ABOUT GABRIELLA VAN RIJ
The leading voice of the Kindness movement, Gabriella van Rij (www.gabriella.global) is a speaker, author & activist for kindness whose presentations blend humor, original analogies and her life story to create a rare perspective-shifting experience that speaks to all and that provides the tools audiences need for more productive relationships. Gabriella has been seen by millions on Dr. Phil, ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX.
Rurik Posted: I took this on a trip to Paris in 1969. The Eiffel Tower is one of the most famous structures in the world and the symbol of Paris. Millions visit it every year. An interesting tale behind the building of the Tower. When the the plans were announced in the 1880‘s a committee of 300 leading citizens of Paris issued the following statement, per Wikepedia: “We, writers, painters, sculptors, architects and passionate devotees of the hitherto untouched beauty of Paris, protest with all our strength, with all our indignation in the name of slighted French taste, against the erection … of this useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower … To bring our arguments home, imagine for a moment a giddy, ridiculous tower dominating Paris like a gigantic black smokestack, crushing under its barbaric bulk Notre Dame, the Tour Saint-Jacques, the Louvre, the Dome of les Invalides, the Arc de Triomphe, all of our humiliated monuments will disappear in this ghastly dream. And for twenty years … we shall see stretching like a blot of ink the hateful shadow of the hateful column of bolted sheet metal.” Makes you think of their present day Ridgewood descendants, the Vocalantis, those self absorbed fools who are unable to see past the tip of their noses.
this was posted on Facebook in the “it take a Ridgewood Village ” group on Monday December 19th.
While Mr Halaby attempts to use the Eiffel Tower as a symbol of what the rejection of Aronsohn’s flawed vision of Ridgewood could mean we suggest the Nazi occupation of Paris a more fitting symbol.
Here is a small history lesson:
Germans attacked France and quickly defeated the French army in 1940. The French government departed Paris on June 10, and the Germans occupied the city on June 14. During the Occupation, the French Government moved to Vichy, and Paris was governed by the German military and by French officials approved by the Germans.
For the Parisians, the Occupation was a series of frustrations, shortages and humiliations. A curfew was in effect from nine in the evening until five in the morning; at night, the city went dark. Rationing of food, tobacco, coal and clothing was imposed from September 1940. Every year the supplies grew more scarce and the prices higher. A million Parisians left the city for the provinces, where there was more food and fewer Germans. The French press and radio contained only German propaganda.
Jews in Paris were forced to wear the yellow Star of David badge, and were barred from certain professions and public places. On 16–17 July 1942, 13,152 Jews, including 4,115 children and 5.919 women, were rounded up by the French police, on orders of the Germans, and were sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp.
The first demonstration against the Occupation, by Paris students, took place on 11 November 1940. As the war continued, anti-German clandestine groups and networks were created, some loyal to the French Communist Party, others to General Charles de Gaulle in London. They wrote slogans on walls, organized an underground press, and sometimes attacked German officers. Reprisals by the Germans were swift and harsh.
Following the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, the French Resistance in Paris launched an uprising on August 19, 1944, seizing the police headquarters and other government buildings. The city was liberated by French and American troops on August 25, and General Charles de Gaulle led a triumphant parade down the Champs-Élysées on August 26, and organized a new government. In the following months, ten thousand Parisians who had collaborated with the Germans were arrested and tried, eight thousand convicted, and 116 executed. On 29 April and 13 May 1945, the first post-war municipal elections were held, in which French women voted for the first time.
December 20,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Over the last few weeks Jeff Voigt publicly slammed Mayor Knudsen for looking into complaints against the Financial Advisory Committee. He also implied our Mayor acted unjustly and had broken the law. However, he never gave specifics and failed to substantiate his allegations. As if that wasn’t enough, he then turned to social media and started a “behind closed doors” movement to talk about his beef with Mayor Knudsen.
Residents responded to his social media posts demanding transparency along with a public explanation and proof of his allegations. Jeff Voigt has yet to respond.
Residents response to Voigt’s public message, “You publicly berated the Mayor and implied that something illegal was going on. A PUBLIC explanation is due. Lies, bullying and back door talks will not be tolerated. PROVE IT OR RESIGN.”
If you missed it, here are links to Voigt’s attacks.
Brendan Brown, Contributor
Dec. 12, 2016, 4:54 AM
As any avid book reader can tell you, immersing yourself in a great book can make your brain come alive. It sounds romantic, but science is now proving this to be true.
When we read, not only are we improving memory and empathy, but research has shown that it makes us feel better and more positive too. Science has shown that reading has some amazing health benefits, including helping with depression, cutting stress, and reducing the chances of developing Alzheimer’s later in life.
If you’re one of countless people who don’t make a habit of reading regularly, you might be missing out. This infographic provided by The Expert Editor might just inspire you to become an avid reader, for your health’s sake.
https://www.businessinsider.com/14-reasons-why-reading-is-good-for-your-health-2016-12
December 19,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Hey Josh, we get it it, you won. All I want for Christmas is for you to take that sign at the underpass down.
file photo by Boyd Loving
Let’s just hope that residents don’t fall into the slumber again that allowed these shysters to get where they did. We’ve all learned a valuable lesson that taxpayers get screwed far more at the local level than at the Federal level.
“Let’s just hope residents don’t fall into the slumber again”…that’s pretty funny. Aside from the usual social gadflys that rattle about everyone else is and will always be in a slumber. Don’t you get it? That’s exactly the way the union thugs want it and 90 % of the dopes in Ridgewood are more than happy to oblige. Nobody cares….
file photo by Boyd Loving
Unintended consequence of the “pedestrian has right of way” laws is pedestrians feeling invulnerable. They are not. Sometimes well-meaning drivers simply don’t see them. Cars are easier for pedestrians to see than the reverse. Solution? Repeal these pedestrian laws and give cars right of way. Then pedestrians can cross when it’s clear (or when a driver allows them to). As long as they do they won’t get hit. If they don’t then it’s their fault.
file photo by Boyd Loving
CDC: Walk This Way! Taking Steps for Pedestrian Safety
Ridgewood Nj, According to the CDC and as many readers have noted over the years on the Ridgewood blog it is important to take steps to be safe when walking on roadways. This includes exercising caution at intersections and crosswalks and increasing your visibility at night by wearing retro-reflective clothing and carrying flashlights.
Walking is good for your health, and it’s good for the environment too. But before you head out on foot for a stroll, power walk, or errand, there are important safety tips to remember.
What’s the problem?
Pedestrians—people who travel by foot, wheelchair, stroller, or similar means—are among the most vulnerable users of the road.
In the next 24 hours, on average, 430 people will be treated in an emergency department for traffic-related pedestrian injuries.1 In the next 2 hours, on average, one pedestrian will die from injuries in a traffic crash.2
A total of 4, 735 pedestrians were killed in traffic deaths in 2013,2 and more than 156,000 were treated in emergency departments for nonfatal injuries. With numbers like these, it’s critical to understand the risks and learn how to stay safe.
Who’s at risk?
Pedestrians of all ages are at risk of injury or death from traffic crashes, but some people are at higher risk.
Male pedestrians are more likely to die or be injured in a motor vehicle crash than females.2
Teen and young adult (ages 15-29 years) pedestrians are more likely to be treated in emergency departments for crash-related injuries compared to any other age group.1
The rate of pedestrian death generally increases with age.2
In 2013, 34% of all pedestrians killed in traffic crashes had a blood alcohol concentration of greater than or equal to 0.08 grams per deciliter.2
As pedestrians, children are at even greater risk of injury or death from traffic crashes due to their small size, inability to judge distances and speeds, and lack of experience with traffic rules.
One in five traffic deaths among children ages 14 and under are pedestrian deaths.2
Take Steps for Safety
Whenever you’re walking, keep these tips in mind:
Whenever possible, cross the street at a designated crosswalk or intersection.
Increase your visibility at night by carrying a flashlight and wearing retro-reflective clothing.
It’s safest to walk on a sidewalk, but if one is not available, walk on the shoulder and face traffic.
Avoid distractions such as electronic devices that take your attention off the road.
You know Jeff, a lot of people worked very hard and contributed plenty of money and time to get you elected. Now you have gone off the rails like a lunatic with your ever-present hatred of Susan. You have accused her of breaking the law but have not backed that up with anything. Nothing. Don’t the people who worked for you, and in fact all the people in Ridgewood, deserve to know what the hell is driving your unbridled hatred of our much-loved mayor???
Very important not to assume they are truly gone. They still have much skin in the game and want more. Every person appointed to a committee/board/etc. as a future source of information/votes should be dismissed, as should every preexisting staff member drawn to their questionable glow and continuing to feed them information and work on their behalf (grants for construction, etc.). Every committee or other group created solely to further Aronsohn’s post council career should be eliminated pronto, starting with the super-bogus Financial Advisory Committee.
