>”Remember: If you arent helping, you’re in the way. If you arent offering a solution, you are part of the problem.”
Geez! I didn’t know it was that simple! In the way because I am not helping to foist a greater tax burden on my neighbors due to fiscal mismanagement?
Solution? Tell the BOE that the combined bond is not acceptable and demand why there are no capital maintenance accounts funded each year (NO, I am not speaking about ongoing maintenance.) To continue to vote ‘yes’ over and over only fuels complacency at the BOE – elected and staff.
We are just a few months into new fiscal year and we are already projecting almost a $3 million deficit, as reported in TRN. Salaries and benefits up over 7% – approaching $68 million alone!! 1) When did DeSimone plan on telling us? 2) When are some responsible grown-ups going to take some responsibility??
We’re in a crapstorm folks and irresponsible spending will compound the problem.
Nov. 6 (Bloomberg) — U.S. prosecutors charged 14 people, including hedge fund managers, lawyers and an ex-Galleon Group employee, for using the methods of “drug dealers” and “common criminals” to profit on insider data from deals involving firms such as 3Com Corp. and Alliance Data Systems Corp.
The charges, brought as part of a wide U.S. probe of Galleon founder Raj Rajaratnam, bring the illicit profits in the case to as much as $53 million. Five of those whose cases were unsealed yesterday have pleaded guilty and are cooperating in the investigation, prosecutors said.
At the center of a new insider trading ring are Zvi Goffer, 32, a former Galleon employee who sought tips, and Arthur Cutillo, 33,(Ridgewood N.J.) an attorney at Ropes & Gray LLP and the ring’s key source of information, federal officials said. Goffer, founder of Incremental Capital LLC, paid tipsters including Cutillo for information on mergers and acquisitions, giving them pre-paid mobile phones so they could avoid surveillance, the U.S. said.
The defendants behaved like “common criminals” who took a “page from drug-dealer handbooks,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said yesterday at a press conference. The probe is focused on hedge funds and their sources of information, he said, adding that more arrests may be coming.
As with Rajaratnam, investigators used wiretaps, data- mining and surveillance to target the ring. Authorities have struggled to build cases against large institutional investors such as hedge-fund managers, who often seek to deflect regulatory queries about suspiciously timed bets by arguing they’re statistical flukes amid millions of trades.
>The original poster, exclaims at the surprise to the opposition of turf fields added in the education budget, refers didn’t believe turf fields issue would become a lightening rod of opposition to the budget. Another post referred to Ridgewood as being ‘anti-jock’, and yet said not surprised from previous opposition, as when they did Maple Park. So then if they already knew strong opposition exits, why attach the turf on the referendum? Hoping to slide it through. Separate it before it goes to poll. It should be dealt with separately. Period. You say you haven’t seen a boe budge ever defeated before? Been here long enough to say Yes, boe budgets have been defeated before. Defeated budget do and have sent a strong message.
Heads up, the opposition to turf fields, is not just a Ridgewood issue as you’d like people to believe. Statewide, in other towns, communities, and in other states, there also was, and has been the same opposition to turf fields. So, lets stop the negative accusation that the Ridgewood taxpayers are being just unreasonable, whether it be due to finances, or to their strong preference in wanting the real natural grass.
By the way, a previous post replied to a rotation replacement of turf fields question; by saying the rotation would be done with Maple when that time comes and that should satisfy the need for rotation replacement of fields, yet says the HS and Stevens fields would need to be done, installation at same time for cost savings. Not the answer I was looking for. IF there might be turf fields at HS and Stevens, those should be staggered years apart, so not to cause a big bite on the taxpayers down the road for replacement.
As far as Maple – that was not taxpayer dollars funded, as we all know. It was privately funded not costing the taxpayers a dime. It should not then fall in the lap and cost the taxpayers a dime either IF when it might need to be removed, disposed and IF replaced. The neighborhood kids that have played on both grass and turf, have told me last year, that they do prefer the grass, the turf is just an ‘ok’. No spin needed on the background of lack of play fields, etc., we all already are aware of whats been said. thank you. By the way, what happened to all that money that was saved by using turf at Maple? Last town budget was in the hole.
Have read that Christie plans, will be asking the state to perform audits on the costliest school districts to ensure the money is spent efficiently, in an attempt to uncover spending that doesn’t directly help educate students. Its reported his plan for reducing property taxes will target the costliest school districts in NJ to be held more accountable. Oh!-“fiscal responsiblity by the BOE”. He should read this blog, ha. Also read plans to eliminate positions in the DEP. Wait till he audits Ridgewood – stampede! They’ll be running for nearest exit. It’s also about time, haveing someone to stand up to the NJEA. If the teachers go on strike – so be it, they’ll be replaced, many waiting in the wings, things happen for the better, maybe its time.
>So are you saying that the installation of the new turf a/k/a “the carpet” is going to prevent everyone from getting hurt? Don’t you think that is grasping at straws? If the stands are so bad then why aren’t they being condemned by the state? And as for the field itself, I hate to break it to you, but there isn’t a surface known to man that could prevent an injury. Furthermore, the students playing on that field are not there against their wishes, they are there well knowing the assumed risks associated with heavy contact sports that are played on A FOOTBALL AND LAX FIELD. And as much as I agree that we live in a litigious society and anyone can sue for any reason, it would be very difficult to make the argument that the injury incurred during practice and/or game in a high impact sport such as football or lacrosse is the result of the field when there are THOUSANDS of fields out there in MUCH, MUCH worse conditions.
So you may not want reconsider using that argument because, quite honestly is sucks! As for the schools, there is NO doubt that they are in dire need of repair. And how can you compare Graydon pool to a football field? The percentage of residents that would get the use out of the field is a tiny fraction to the percentage of people that would get the benefit of the use of Graydon.
I think what sucks here is the fact that the field is on the same referendum as the school repairs. They should be two separate issues, it’s this “all or nothing” approach that the general public is not pleased with. And quit blaming the teacher’s compensation. Have you ever heard of the saying “what you pay for is what you get?”. Well in this case I assure you it applies 100%. “Fire them and start over?”.. Oh that is a BRILLIANT IDEA! Look what that approach did to the airline industry, which is arguably the most inefficient and financially unstable industry in the WORLD today. But there’s one difference here, we are not talking about a vacation to Wally World from being ruined, we are talking about out CHILDREN’S FUTURE. Besides, what do you think that firing the entire Village’s teaching staff and hiring all new ones is going to be cheap? Ha! And you’re worried about being sued for a bumpy football field or bleachers? You terminate an entire staff of teachers and you will have so many lawsuits complaints coming at you from so many directions we will be paying the town’s plow drivers O/T just to clear the streets of them! Get real!
>The Governor Elect meet with Newark’s Mayor Cory Booker yesterday and repeated his commitment to charter schools and to improving public education, especially in urban areas. Mr. Christie also said his first executive order as promised in the campaign will be to freeze unfunded mandates and new regulations for ninety days. He also said he will ask the state comptroller to conduct an audit of government spending.Christie also took time to remind members of the Legislature that people have voted for change.
With the voters overwhelming rejection of the Corzine administration the Ridgewood blog would like Mr. Christie take a strong stance to assure the fairness of the electoral process and begin an investigation of the flood of absentee ballots received this past election . The state received a 180,000 absentee ballot requests and some 3,000 forms were submitted where signatures didn’t match the one on file with county clerks. New Jersey voters have a right to expect their votes are counted fairly without concerns that they the voters would not be disenfranchised.This would go a long way to assure the sanctity of the electoral process in the future.
>Congress will vote on Healthcare Reform this week. Today, we have sent 2 busloads to Washington, DC for a “Congressional House Call”
If you were unable to attend the trip to Washington, please consider making a “Congressional House Call” locally. Tell Congressman Rothman and Senators Lautenberg and Menendez to vote NO on the Obama/Pelosi/Reid health care takeover. The goal is simple: today, activists like you show up at key Senate and Congressional offices in your state with your own message telling them to keep their “hands off your health care.”
The procedure will be: Arrive, go into the office and register your opposition in writing. As we do not know how many people can participate during the work week, consider putting your request in writing ahead of time if you are pressed for time. If you cannot visit, please FAX your letter or CALL during the afternoon beginning at noon. A FAX is more effective than an email. A personal visit is more effective than a FAX.
If you need help composing a letter, several letters have been written that you can use “as is” or as a template for you to personalize. https://www.njteapartycoalition.org/Contact-Your-Congressman.html
Many who intended on visiting local offices have made the trek to Washington. We do not have a “group” attending, but please attend with a friend or as an individual. The suggested schedule is as follows:
12:00 noon Congressman Steven Rothman Hackensack, NJ Office 25 Main Street, Suite 101 Hackensack, NJ 07601 201-646-0808 201-646-1944 (fax) OR Congressman Scott Garrett 266 Harristown Road Suite 104 Glen Rock, NJ 07452 (201) 444-5454 (201) 444-5488 (fax)
1:30 p.m. Senator Bob Menendez One Gateway Center, Suite 1100 Newark, New Jersey 07102 973-645-3030 973-645-0502 (fax) AND Senator Frank Lautenberg One Gateway Center Newark, New Jersey 07102 973-639-8700 888-398-1642 973-639-8723 (fax)
If you cannot make both location and times, at least show up at ONE. If you are not from the immediate area, go to: https://americansforprosperity.org/nov5 for your congressional representative and their office nearest to you. Time grows short and opportunities to make a difference are important especially now.
Please join Congressman Scott Garrett for a live Web Townhall this Thursday night at 7 p.m. to discuss H.R. 3962, the health care legislation currently under consideration in the House of Representatives.
>One day only. Saturday 11-7-2009 9AM to 5PM All nice stuff. priced right. Some furniture. lighting ; books ,clothes. nick knacks etc. No early callers please.
570 Barnett Place ( off Mulberry place ) Ridgewood, NJ
Our struggle to preserve Graydon has inspired a paper presented at a conference and summarized on a Psychology Today blog by University of Washington psychologist Peter H. Kahn, Jr., PhD. His book The Human relationship with Nature explores the deep significance of children’s interactions with nature and the unfortunate long-term consequences for both them and the environment when these are lost. Read his blog entry here or from a link on our home page. Click on Reader Comments (below the text of the blog entry) to check out Marcia’s exchanges with Dr. Kahn and the coauthor of his paper.
In the past few years an entire movement has grown around the precepts of similarly minded experts, such as Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder and six other books. Louv is chairman of the Children & Nature Network. The importance to children’s development of nature and unstructured play has been stressed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and many other organizations of high repute.
Louv writes in the book, for example: “A widening circle of researchers believes that the loss of natural habitat, or the disconnection from nature even when it is available, has enormous implications for human health and child development. They say the quality of exposure to nature affects our health at an almost cellular level.”
Among many fascinating studies on the Network’s website is a summary of a recent report from the University of Illinois. The researcher cites documentation, for example, that children with ADHD have fewer symptoms after outdoor activities in nature-filled environments and that college students achieve better results on cognitive tests when their dormitory windows view natural settings. This is clearly an already-rich area that is ripe for greater study.
Coalition supporter Diane Palacios, who spotted a link to Kahn’s article on the Ridgewood Blog, instantly recognized its importance and delivered or sent copies to all members of the Village Council and its Graydon Pool Committee. Awareness, initiative, communication—a fine way to get the message out.
We’ll be back soon with more autumn pictures of Graydon. If you’d like to share your best Graydon photos, taken in any season, send them to us in digital format. The park is so picturesque that we’re considering producing a 2011 Graydon calendar. It’s lovely throughout the year at the beach in our back yard.
Swimmingly,
Suzanne Kelly and Marcia Ringel, Co-Chairs The Preserve Graydon Coalition, Inc., a nonprofit corporation “It’s clear—we love Graydon!” [email protected] www.PreserveGraydon.org
More disturbing videos of young school children singing praises to President Obama, quite a shock. What seemed like an aberration now appears to be a troubling pattern. Maybe “epidemic” is a better word. Here is just a sample with each video creepier than the last.
ELEMENTARY EPIDEMIC: 11 Uncovered Videos Show School Children Performing Praises to Obama
the Ridgewood blog staff Congrats!!! Chris Christie
now its time to drive the dirtbags into the sea lol !!!!!
“Tomorrow we will take back New Jersey back for our families. Tomorrow we will take back New Jersey for our friends,” Christie said. “Tomorrow we begin to build that greater New Jersey for our children and grandchildren. I want my children to raise their children in this state. I want your children to raise their children in this great state.
“I will tell you, the campaign we just went through was easy compared to the tasks that will face us to fix this state. There are no easy answers to these difficult questions.
“Starting tomorrow, we are going to pick Trenton up and turn it upside down.”
>…sounds suspiciously like the “anonymous parent” who went onto Facebook, printed out photographs of RHS seniors drinking at parties, and stuffed them into the mailboxes of administrators and coaches at RHS with a note saying that “my child doesn’t drink”. Whoever was responsible for that should be truly ashamed of themselves. Lorenz is wonderful and is trying to do the right thing – binge drinking is becoming a serious problem in all communities. That being said, the punishments are quite severe, especially for those attending the parties to be social and not drinking themselves. Not an easy solution…..
Yes, it is most definitely true that a parent printed out the Facebook photos, evidently with kids circled in specific pictures, and sent them to coaches and administrators at RHS. While some pictures were recent, others were from events over the summer and last spring. The kids believe it is a parent of a senior who is looking for any edge in the college admissions process and would love to see some kids “dethroned” and their applications marred. It’s a very sad commentary to be sure on the state of affairs and to what lenghts some parents will go to to give their kids a leg up.
> The Travel Center/American Express Travel Service Representative Azamara & Celebrity Cruises
invite you to a cruise night at Blend Restaurant 17 Chestnut Street, Ridgewood, NJ November 18, 2009 6-8 PM Tapas Cocktails at Happy Hour Prices Seating is limited – Reservations required Call The Travel Center 201.447-3311 Special Event Pricing!
