“Veni, vidi, vici”
Ridgewood NJ, RHS Latin students traveled to Yale on November 9 to compete against nationally ranked teams in Latin and classics studies.
RHS Team A, comprised of veteran Latin students, battled their way to the semi-finals. Team B, comprised entirely of sophomores and led by Peter Psathas, made it to the top ten. Latin teachers are Catherine Venturini and Stefanie Gigante. Photo: Anthony Tokarz, Ben Bechtold, Peter Psathas, Matthew Casale, Poyani Bavishi, Britta Potter and Charlotte Kahan at Yale Unversity.
BOE Votes to eliminate voter approval of the district budget
November 19,2013
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood BOE voted on Monday night to move school elections from April to November, therefor eliminating annual voter approval of the district budget.
The resolution, passed by a 4-1 vote margin with Board member Christina Krauss, who previously expressed misgivings with the prospect of taking away the public’s vote on the budget, casting the lone dissenting vote.
The Vote followed several months of discussion and solicitations of public opinion from district officials.
“The Board approved a Resolution establishing the election of members of the Ridgewood Board of Education as the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Moving the annual school election means the November general election ballot will only include school board candidates running for open seats. The school budget will not be voted on unless it exceeded the budgetary state -mandated cap.
Since the passage of the law (P.L. 2011, c. 202) in January 2012, the majority of the state’s 540 public school districts have made the switch to the November general election date. Statistics on the state’s website show that 39 districts, 15 of them located in Bergen County still hold their annual school elections in April.”
Botched ACA Rollout Hammers Obama; Job Disapproval Reaches a Career High
By Gary Langer
Nov 19, 2013 12:01am
Barack Obama has been hammered by the botched rollout of the Affordable Care Act, with disapproval of his job performance reaching a career high, opposition to the new healthcare law up sharply and evidence of potential fallout in the midterm elections a year off.
The president’s job approval rating has fallen to 42 percent in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll, down 13 percentage points this year and 6 points in the past month to match the lowest of his presidency. Fifty-five percent disapprove, a record. And 70 percent say the country’s headed seriously off on the wrong track – up 13 points since May to the most in two years.
Other ratings of the president’s performance have tumbled as well. He’s at career lows for being a strong leader, understanding the problems of average Americans and being honest and trustworthy – numerically under water on each of these (a first for the latter two). His rating for strong leadership is down by 15 points this year and a vast 31 points below its peak shortly after he took office. In a new gauge, just 41 percent rate him as a good manager; 56 percent think not.
This poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates, finds that the president’s personal image has suffered alongside his professional ratings. Fewer than half, 46 percent, see him favorably overall, down 14 points this year to the fewest of his presidency. Fifty-two percent now view him unfavorably, a new high and a majority for the first time since he took office. It may matter: Personal popularity can provide a president with cushioning when the going gets rough. Losing it leaves the president more vulnerable.
ACA – Skepticism about the Affordable Care Act looks to be the driving force in Obama’s troubles. Americans by nearly 2-1, 63-33 percent, disapprove of his handling of implementation of the new health care law. And the public by 57-40 percent now opposes the law overall, its most negative rating to date, with opposition up by 8 points in the past month alone.
Intensity of sentiment is running against the law and the president alike. At 46 percent, “strong” opposition to the ACA – a new high – outpaces strong support by a record 19 points. In terms of Obama’s job performance overall, strong critics outnumber strong approvers by 2-1, 44-22 percent, with strong disapproval at another career high. He’d run evenly on strong sentiment as recently as last May.
As Thanksgiving approaches, we at The Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration would like to thank our 2013 supporters.
As the November chill sets in and we all prepare for the Holiday season, the Fourth of July is a distant warm summertime memory. However, we wanted to take time and recognize the generous contributions of all the businesses and individuals who “Support the Tradition.” Please help us thank them by giving them your support and shop locally this Holiday season.
Charles and Susan Snyder, David Zuidema, Inc., The Valley Hospital, Applebee’s, Miss Patti’s School of Dance, The Shannon Rose, Boiling Springs Savings Bank, Downes Tree Service, Key Environmental Pest Control, Law Office of Matthew Rogers, Ridgewood Press Printing & Copying Center, Stop & Shop,Tarvin Realtors, Terrie O’Connor Realtors, TD Bank, Columbia Bank, Ridgewood Fire Volunteer,Association, Ridgewood PBA Local 20, JT’s Wines and Spirits, TKL Marketing, Atlantic Stewardship Bank,Bagelicious, ConnectOne Bank, Country Pancake House and Restaurant, The Daily Treat Restaurant,Hillman Lighting, Park West Tavern, Pediatricare, Ridgewood AM Rotary Club, David Rutherford,Attorney at Law, Ulrich, Inc., C. C. Van Emburgh Funeral Home, Emery Chiropractic Group, Fidelity Lodge No. 113, It’s Greek to Me, Maple Eye Care, Pediatric Dental Associates, Ridgewood Guild, VFW Post 192,Belmar Spring Water, The American Red Cross, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Van Dyk Health Care,Parkwood Delicatessen, Wide World of Bagels, Whole Foods Market, Carlo’s Bakery, and Goffle Brook Farm and Garden Center and The Village Framer. We also would like to thank the many residents who sent us financial support and volunteer their time.
The Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration Committee, Inc. is an all-volunteer community group of patriotic citizens who coordinate the Ridgewood Fourth of July Flag Raising, Parade, and Fireworks events. All aspects of the celebration, including the fireworks, parade bands, and evening performers, as well as the necessary police and fire personnel, are funded by the sale of fireworks tickets and the generous contributions made by local business and area residents.
The Committee was formed in 1910 to create a “safe and sane” holiday with an emphasis on Patriotism. Today we continue that goal and strive to educate the public about the true meaning of Independence Day. New members are always welcome, to learn more about how you can be part of the 2014 celebration. Please visit www.ridgewoodjuly4th.org or contact the committee at [email protected].
Sincerely,
The Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration Committee
‘Selfie’ is word of the year, says Oxford Dictionaries
Tuesday November 19, 2013, 11:42 AM
BY SYLVIA HUI
Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — Michelle Obama shared one with her “first dog” Bo, Hillary Clinton tweeted one with her daughter Chelsea. Now “selfie” — the smartphone self-portrait — has been declared word of the year for 2013, according to Britain’s Oxford University Press.
The publisher of the Oxford dictionaries said Tuesday that “selfie” saw a huge jump in usage in the past year, bursting from the confines of Instagram and Twitter to become mainstream shorthand for any self-taken photograph.
Researchers behind the renowned dictionaries pick a prominent word or expression in the English language each year that best reflects the mood of the times. Previous words of the year have included “unfriend” in 2009, “credit crunch” in 2008, “carbon footprint” in 2007 and “Sudoku” in 2005.
Bergen County Republlicans trade barbs, breaking long election-season truce
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER
The Record
Strife within the Bergen County GOP broke wide open Monday as the party chairman blamed County Executive Kathleen Donovan for the loss of a freeholder seat, saying she sent a “stealth” email endorsing just one of the three GOP freeholders.
“The stealth, bullet campaign by Kathe Donovan was really a despicable act in my opinion,” said Bob Yudin, the county Republican chairman, who has long feuded with Donovan.
But Donovan’s chief of staff, Jeanne Baratta, said Yudin was making excuses for the Bergen County Republican Party having lost freeholder races for the third year in a row.
“Two years ago he blamed a snowstorm. Last year it was Hurricane Sandy,” Baratta said, adding that Donovan endorsed the entire GOP slate and actively campaigned for any Republican candidate who asked for her help. Yudin blamed President Obama’s victory for the party’s losses in 2012.
‘Real Housewives’ Teresa and Joe Giudice facing more charges
Monday, November 18, 2013 Last updated: Monday November 18, 2013, 4:39 PM
BY JOHN PETRICK
STAFF WRITER
The Record
Teresa and Giuseppe “Joe” Giudice, stars of Bravo television’s “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” were indicted Monday on additional charges of bank fraud and loan application fraud after being charged this summer with 39 related counts.
The new indictment, returned by a federal grand jury against Teresa Giudice, 41, and her husband, Giuseppe “Joe” Giudice, 43, both of Towaco, adds two new counts against each defendant: one count of bank fraud and one count of loan application fraud.
The original 39 counts on which they were indicted on July 29, 2013, include conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, bank fraud, making false statements on loan applications and bankruptcy fraud, as well as charges against Giuseppe Giudice for failure to file tax returns from 2004 through 2008.
“Ridgewood is not for sale,” claims Deputy Mayor Al Pucciarell then Village accepts a gift from donor with ties to builder
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
The Record
RIDGEWOOD — A private foundation with ties to a developer proposing to build housing in the village will help pay for improvements to a stable along North Maple Avenue that serves as headquarters for the Ridgewood Parks and Recreation Department.
The gift, from a foundation operated by donor David Bolger, will pay for new restrooms, a meeting room and improvements to the kitchen area at the Lester Stable, officials said.
A resolution adopted by the council at its meeting last week accepted the donation and initiated a construction agreement between the village and the Bolger Foundation.
The agreement’s terms are still being worked out, officials said, with work at the stable estimated at between $250,000 and $300,000.
During the meeting, two residents questioned the village’s acceptance of the foundation’s money, since Bolger’s son, developer J.T. Bolger, has an application for a multifamily housing development before the village’s Planning Board.
Mayor Paul Aronsohn and Deputy Mayor Al Pucciarelli defended the move, saying the foundation was an entity separate from J.T. Bolger’s Two-Forty Associates.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/232453181_Ridgewood_accepts__a_gift_from_donor__with_ties_to_builder__.html#sthash.TdixCdxY.dpuf
D.C. awash in contracts, lobbying wealth
By GREG JAFFE and JIM TANKERSLEY Washington Post
WASHINGTON • So much money to be had if you know where to look.
The avalanche of cash that made Washington rich in the last decade has transformed the culture of a once staid capital and created a new wave of well-heeled insiders.
The winners in the new Washington are not just the former senators, party consiglieri and four-star generals who have always profited from their connections. Now they are also the former bureaucrats, accountants and staff officers for whom unimagined riches are suddenly possible. They are the entrepreneurs attracted to the capital by its aura of prosperity and its super-educated workforce. They are the lawyers, lobbyists and executives who work for companies that barely had a presence in Washington before the boom.
During the past decade, the region added 21,000 households in the nation’s top 1 percent. No other metro area came close.
A Mano Pizza Buy one pizza and the second one is on us.
A Mano Pizza in Ridgewood , at 24 Franklin Ave, Ridgewood, is offering a buy one get one free pizza on Mondays & Tuesdays during lunch & dinner (dine-in only).
A Mano
24 Franklin Ave, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
(201) 493-2000
‘Francis effect’ pulls crowds back to church
George Arbuthnott and Luke Garratt Published: 17 November 2013
POPE FRANCIS has inspired a surge in attendances and confessions in the Roman Catholic Church, reversing decades of decline.
In the eight months since he was chosen, cathedrals in Britain have seen a rise of about 20% in congregations, drawing in both new and lapsed members.
More than half of the priests surveyed in Italy said there had been a rise in support for the church. In Spain, the church has halted a decade-long slump in attendance.
Andy McCarthy NJTPC Featured Speaker November 19 at 7PM
Andrew C. McCarthy, a former federal prosecutor and New York Times bestselling author, is the featured speaker for NJ Tea Party Coalition Meeting on Tuesday, November 19th at 7PM.
The meeting is being held in our new home – the American Legion, located at American legion Way, Teaneck NJ.
Andy, who put the Blind Sheik behind bars in the first World Trade Center bombing, was arguably the most important prosecutor in the War on Terror. He is among the most authoritative writers anywhere on the dangers of Jihad. His distinguished legal career and expertise on national security matters will be invaluable to PJ Media and our readers.
Given his background, it’s no surprise that Andy is very interested in law and national security. Andy’s training is as a trial lawyer, not a journalist, which allows him to break down complicated events and legal principles into a narrative that commonsense people can wrap their brains around.
Andy will discuss current events such as CommieCare, the Arab Spring and more. Andy will also discuss his latest book, Spring Fever: The Illusion of Islamic Democracy.
America’s growing regulatory burden the country has slipped from 23rd to 80th in the global rankings
Where will the boot land next?
Investors and companies struggle with the arbitrary nature of new taxes and regulations
WHEN economists talk of political risk, they usually mean war, terrorism or, at the very least, national elections. And 2014 will be a busy year at the polls, with votes in Brazil, India and Indonesia (among the big emerging markets), plus America’s mid-terms. Countries with a combined population of more than 2 billion will be endorsing or rejecting their current governments.
But there is another kind of political risk: the temptation for governments of all political colours to change the rules, whether they relate to tax, the way that companies operate or how markets behave. And that risk has increased significantly since the 2008 crisis.
Given the scale of the banking collapse, extra regulation of the financial industry was only to be expected. New rules requiring banks to hold more capital should make future crises less severe, although the immediate effect may be to restrict lending to firms as banks shrink their balance-sheets. Some other regulatory efforts—the European Union’s financial-transactions tax, for example, or its alternative-investment fund managers directive—look rather less useful
Barack Obama’s supporters are worried that he is a terrible manager
Nov 2nd 2013 | WASHINGTON, DC
NOT everyone is miffed that the Obamacare website is all but un-navigable. Scammers in Tennessee, posing as government workers, are calling frustrated would-be users of healthcare.gov—any number in the telephone book has a good chance of finding one—and offering to walk them through the tortuous process of buying health insurance for $100 upfront. Some also ask the befuddled for their Social Security number.
As Americans grouch about the bungled launch of Barack Obama’s most important domestic reform, the rest of the world is furious to learn that his National Security Agency (NSA) has tapped the phones of America’s allies such as Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, and hoovered up details of their citizens’ communications. That these two things should happen at the same time is coincidence. Yet there is something that connects them.
Are Millennials Turning Their Backs on the American Dream?
By Joel Kotkin
November 10th 20136:45 am
Pundits on the left and right agree that millennials don’t share the same American dreams that inspired their parents. Could this diagnosis be wrong?
In his classic 1893 essay, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History,” historian Frederick Jackson Turner spoke of “the expansive character of American life.” Even though the frontier was closing, Turner argued, the fundamental nature of Americans was still defined by their incessant probing for “a new field of opportunity.” Turner’s claim held true for at least a century—during that time, the American spirit generated relentless technological improvement, the gradual creation of a mass middle class, and the integration of ever more diverse immigrants into the national narrative.
Yet today, many consider this modern period of “expansiveness” to be as doomed as the prairie frontier culture whose denouement Turner portrayed. Nothing makes this clearer than the perception of a majority of middle class Americans that their children will not do better than them, with as many as pessimistic about the future as are optimistic. Almost one-third of the public, according to Pew, consider themselves “lower” class , as opposed to middle class, up from barely one quarter in 2008.
